Hong Kong: Scheme boosts lifelong learning Knowing that there is no end to education, restaurant manager Wang Wai-leungs boss encouraged him to take part in the Award Scheme for Learning Experiences under the Qualifications Framework last year. He won an award to engage in the Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong and Gourmet Asia exhibition where he was exposed to all kinds of innovative products and the latest epidemic prevention measures. Learning about the benefits of a full-body disinfectant machine was an eye-opener for him. People can walk into the machine. It uses a sanitising spray that cleans you thoroughly in just a few seconds. If the market needs new products, we'll need to adapt to it, he said. Mr Wang believes the catering industry has to improve its cleaning standards in order to strengthen consumer confidence. Armed with knowledge from the exhibition, he now helps to assess the epidemic prevention needs at his restaurant and shares new ideas with the companys management. Enlightening experience Another awardee Angel Lee works as an assistant manager at a travel agency, responsible for planning tour itineraries and personnel training. Her boss motivated her to join the scheme last year. After winning the award, she chose to attend the World Trade Market in London. I have always had a passion for attending the expo in London. It has long been considered second to none, so I chose it immediately, said Miss Lee. Although the conference was eventually held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, its content was still fruitful as it covered tourism strategy and technology. What inspired her the most was a meeting that discussed changes affecting the size of group tours amid the pandemic. There used to be at least 20 to 30 people in a group tour. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is believed that group tours would be conducted in smaller sizes in the future. The expos speakers were tourism elites from all over the world. Their views were more forward-looking, particularly those about post-pandemic travel. Miss Lee emphasised that she is now more confident about the tourism industrys future after listening to their views. Ideal role models The Award Scheme for Learning Experiences covers 23 industries, and its 2021-22 round is open to applications till May 27. A maximum of three applicants may be selected by the respective industry training advisory committee for an award each year. Awardees attending learning activities to be held in Hong Kong will receive a $10,000 award while those attending learning activities outside Hong Kong will be given $30,000. Qualifications Framework Secretariat Senior Manager Ernest Lee said the committees are composed of employers, chambers of commerce, employee representatives, etc. They will suggest local and overseas learning activities for applicants to consider. The scheme offers conferences, study tours and contests from which the awardees can learn about the latest technology and practices in their respective industries. They can also have exchanges with other practitioners to keep abreast of the latest trends. He pointed out that non-designated activity ideas will also be considered if applicants find them more helpful to their career, and hopes the awardees will serve as lifelong learning role models for their respective industries. This story has been published on: 2021-05-23. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. CPC takes people's interests as top priority: CPUSA co-chair Rossana Cambron 10:17, May 23, 2021 By Zhang Mengxu ( People's Daily Photo taken on May 4, 2021 shows young people taking a selfie in front of the memorial of the first National Congress of the Communist Party of China in Shanghai on China's Youth Day. (Xinhua/Liu Ying) The journey of the Communist Party of China (CPC) proves that a political party can achieve anything when it takes people's interests as its top priority, said Rossana Cambron, co-chair of the Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA), in a recent interview with People's Daily. In February 2019, Cambron visited China as a member of a delegation of Communist Party cadres from Americas, Oceania, and the Nordic region. In her trips to Jiaxing, Huzhou, and Hangzhou in east China's Zhejiang province, Cambron learned about the early history of the CPC, and investigated how the province was implementing the concept of innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development, and building the Party at primary level. She was deeply impressed by China's achievements in poverty alleviation, especially the work done by the CPC committees and Chinese governments at all levels, as well as the Chinese people to eliminate absolute poverty. "I saw with my own eyes how the poverty alleviation results have been achieved under the leadership of the CPC," she said, when speaking of a visit to a once impoverished village in Zhejiang's Anji county, where residents today are living a well-off life and enjoying improved environment. Local villagers shared their poverty reduction stories and the changes to their life, and invited the delegation for a dinner, Cambron recalled. Some Americans believe that poverty is a chronic illness that will never be wiped out, Cambron told People's Daily. However, the historic achievements in eliminating absolute poverty by the CPC have proved that poverty reduction is not an impossible mission for a political party and a government that genuinely place their people at the center and pool resources to improve people's wellbeing, she explained. Cambron said the CPC's experience in poverty alleviation serves as an inspiration and a role model for the rest of the world. During her visit to China, Cambron had an acute attack of kidney stones and went to a hospital, where she acquired first-hand experiences of China's medical care system. The treatment took only four hours and cost her around 500 yuan (about $77.7), she said, adding that similar medical services would usually cost over $1,000 in the U.S. Such efficiency and price are unimaginable for Americans, she told People's Daily. The medical care system, which is accessible to all, efficient and affordable, established in China, a country with 1.4 billion population, proves that the CPC and the Chinese government are striving for a better life for the Chinese people, Cambron said. After returning to the U.S., Cambron published an article entitled "What does socialized medicine look like?" on People's World, a news publication supported by the CPUSA, in which she wrote China's medical care system puts people before profits, something that America should learn from. After the COVID-19 outbreak, the CPC has led the Chinese people in an heroic battle against the epidemic, which impressed Cambron a lot. China rapidly put the virus under control because the CPC and Chinese government has always placed people's interests in the first place, tried their best to safeguard people's health and safety, and pooled all resources possible in the fight against the pandemic, she said. China built makeshift hospitals within a very short period of time and received massive COVID-19 patients, Cambron noted. In sincere support of the policies of the CPC and the Chinese government, the Chinese people have stayed united and finally defeated the virus, demonstrating their trust and confidence in the CPC, she said. In March this year, Cambron attended an online conference jointly held by the International Department of the CPC Central Committee and the CPUSA International Department. During the conference, representatives from the CPC and CPUSA agreed that peace, multilateralism and win-win cooperation should be made goals for developing international relations. In the era of economic globalization, countries share more intertwined interests and peoples' future become closely linked together, Cambron pointed out, adding that the international society needs solidarity and cooperation more than ever. The CPUSA hopes to further cooperation with the CPC and jointly work for a more beautiful world, she said. (Web editor: Meng Bin, Bianji) Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. GLENDALE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) - After a brief pause for high school graduations, the Maricopa County audit continues this Monday, creating more and more division as it progresses. This past Friday, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors suggested that they might bring the Arizona Senate to court over the way this audit has been handled. Republicans supporting former President Donald Trump came together this weekend to raise support and awareness for the audit. One rally was at Dream City Church in Glendale this afternoon. "We want it, and we want our election to be right," said Missouri resident Susie Gould. For Gould and others at the Dream City Church, the audit represents a chance to double down on the pillars of what they think America stands for. "You have retained the right to retain every election as long as there is probable cause to believe fraud or incompetence is involved," said Arizona Rep. Mark Finchem. The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors is fighting back after election officials were accused of destroying voter evidence. "This board is done explaining anything to these people who are playing investigator with our constituents' ballots and equipment, paid for with real people's tax dollars," said Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jack Sellers. County tells Arizona Senate to keep files, threatens lawsuit The county made the demand in a letter after the auditors refused to back down from their claim that the county destroyed evidence by deleting an election database. The latest move by the Board of Supervisors is a request to the Arizona Senate to hold all audit-related materials in case the board decides to pursue future legal action. But Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs wonders if this decision is too little, too late. "The best action would have been to appeal the judges ruling in the first place," Hobbs said. "I think that would have given them much better legal standing, and we wouldn't be in this place right now." It's a place that both Hobbs and Arizona Republicans agree is benefitting the Republican party the longer this audit lasts. "We're praying for this audit to restart again on Monday, so we can finish this audit," said Anna Khait, a speaker at Saturday's Glendale rally. "And this will be the first domino to fall, and they are freaking out." "They are trying to drag this out as long as possible because they have discovered it is a great money-making scheme for lots of people involved," suggested Hobbs. Hobbs mentioned the Republican Party and Trump's allies as those specifically making money off of it. Bakersfield, CA (93308) Today Clear skies. Low near 60F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Clear skies. Low near 60F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. The question was bound to come up at some point: What happens when an employer tells its workers to get a COVID-19 vaccine but some don't want to? "Lying" and "narcissistic behaviour" are just some of the things about Carl Lentz that concerned Hillsong founder Brian Houston. Lentz was fired as the pastor of Hillsong NYC last November for moral failures, and admitted to cheating on his wife. The scandal led to further allegations against the wider leadership of the New York church, including sexual relations between staff and volunteers, a culture of pandering to celebrities, and lavish spending of church funds. The allegations were investigated but the findings were not made public. Houston has already apologized for failings at the East Coast campus and promised to make changes. Commenting further on the scandal on Wednesday, Houston told NBC's "TODAY" programme that although there were a lot of things he missed about Lentz, there were serious issues too. "Having said that, there were leadership issues that I believe included lying, included what I would call narcissistic behavior," Houston said. "I'd have to admit I've had concerns and many conversations over the years with Carl. I think there's a lot of things I should have known earlier, and hopefully moving forward we make sure we have far better systems in place and better accountability." Houston also addressed complaints of bullying and said he was "100 per cent committed to moving that out of our church." Asked about whether the church was guilty of trying to appeal to celebrities like Justin Bieber, Houston said there was a positive side to the story. "[Bieber] was wrecking hotel rooms and basically on the edge of getting deported to Canada," Houston said. "And look at Justin Bieber today. Anyone who's being fair could see a radical change. And so not everything about it is bad." But he added, "I do think that we did allow a culture to develop where it was one rule for celebrities and a different rule for other people." Allegations of failures have not been limited to Hillsong NYC. A cloud of controversy surrounded the recent resignation of pastors at other branches too. Dallas operations were suspended in April after complaints about the leadership of former pastors Reed and Jess Bogard. Around the same time, the creative director of Hillsong's Montclair church in New Jersey resigned over inappropriate photos that were sent to a volunteer. Houston told "TODAY", "I'm acknowledging that mistakes have been made and that there are things where we need to get far better, much better. I'm not shrinking back from that." Reposted with permission from Christian Today Bluefield, WV (24701) Today Variable clouds with showers and scattered thunderstorms. Storms more numerous this evening. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Variable clouds with showers and scattered thunderstorms. Storms more numerous this evening. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Beekeeping is critical to the Mayan culture. Its a time honored tradition and a huge part of their identity. So, it was devastating to the community when Monsanto, an agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation, began threatening the safety of Campeches honey supply with genetically modified soybean crops and record-breaking deforestation. Campeche contributes 40% of Mexicos honey production and provides a livelihood to 25,000 families within its indigenous communities. When Leydy Pech, a Mayan beekeeper, saw what was happening to the agricultural balance and the beekeeping community, she decided to take a stand to protect her people, her land and her bees. Leydy Pech, the Mayan Honey Lady Pech grew up in Hopelchen, a city in Campeche whose culture thrives on beekeeping. As a young girl, her ancestry instilled in her the importance of caring for the land and the areas rare native bee species. This love and respect for agriculture continued into adulthood, where she joined an agroforestry cooperative operated by other Mayan women. Together they manage apiaries for Melipona beecheii, a native bee species without stingers that have been cultivated by generations of Mayan people. In 2000, Monsanto began cutting down forests to plant experimental crops of genetically modified soybeans in Campeche. Over the next ten years, these plots of soybeans underwent experiments to increase their tolerance to high doses of herbicides. These chemicals, which have been linked to miscarriages and birth defects, began contaminating the local honey supply and killing Campeches bees. When Pech realized what was happening to her community, she formed Sin Transgenicos (no GMOs), a coalition of environmentalists, beekeepers and non-governmental organizations. With Pech at the helm, Sin Transgenicos took legal action against the government for granting Mansanto permits without consulting indigenous communities. While waiting for the lawsuit to move forward, Pech contacted the National Autonomous University of Mexico to conduct further research. They confirmed that there were traces of harmful pesticide chemicals found in local honey, residents drinking water, and even in their urine. Armed with this information, Pech facilitated a series of meetings, petitions, workshops, and demonstrations to get the community involved. The Mexican Supreme Court ultimately reached a unanimous decision, ruling that the government had indeed unlawfully approved Monsantos permits without consulting the communities. As a result, Monsantos permits were revoked and GM soybean crops were prohibited in seven states, including Campeche and Yucatan. They told us we wouldnt achieve anything, Pech said of Monsantos lawyers. But little by little, we demonstrated our abilities. The men saw the results of our work and publicly recognized that the organization is an example of struggle and success. This historic battle was huge for several reasons. It was the first time the Mexican government had officially ruled to protect the environment and communities from GM crops. It also set a precedent and model for other indigenous people trying to preserve their rights and land management. For her efforts and guardianship of the Mayan land and traditions, Pech was the 2020 North American recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize. The award is granted by the Goldman Environmental Foundation and honors six global grassroots environmental activists and leaders each year. Among the most positive aspect of this experience was that Pech's success gave her the opportunity to raise awareness about the challenges indigenous cultures face on a regular basis. She showed people the important role bees and the delicate ecosystem play in agricultural and commercial industries. Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved If San Antonians want good barbecue, we're going to have to move to ... Seattle. At least according to one report. On May 12, a professional chef's website that we've never, ever heard of published a piece heralding "America's Best & Worst Cities for BBQ" and boy howdy did they get it so very wrong. Barbecue is part art, part religion in Texas, a cuisine so revered the state's eponymous magazine even has its own barbecue editor for goodness sake. To determine the rankings, the site says it "analyzed TripAdvisor ratings of all BBQ joints in the nations top 75 largest cities and ranked the cities based on their average rating," resulting in a very strange list. Where did Texas rank among the top spots for barbecue? It didn't. Texas's biggest cities actually ranked among the 10 worst. And as for San Antonio? Well, the news is grim. Breaking down the top 10 Ranking as the top city for barbecue is New Orleans, home to some of the best cuisine in the nation, but not this kind of cuisine. Sure, the city dishes out a mean barbecue shrimp, but guess what? That doesn't count. Po'boys? Sure! Etoufees and muffalettas and jambalya? The Big Easy nails it. But am I ordering a brisket to go with my Hurricane? No, I am not. And it just gets worse from there. Second on the best-of list? Oklahoma City. We're assuming they meant to write "Kansas City" and Oklahoma was a typo, so moving on. Third is a three-way tie between Charlotte, which is at least in North Carolina; Virginia Beach, which is close enough to North Carolina that it gets a pass; and Witchita, which we'll allow only because it's within driving distance of barbecue mecca Kansas City. As for the last half of the best-of list, thing just devolve from there. Columbus, Ohio, is No. 6, a hard nope, followed by cold, rainy, damp Seattle at No. 7. Can you even keep a smoker going up there? St. Louis is No. 8, a city that gets no complaints from us. But the No. 9 tie between Miami and Newark, New Jersey, is just offensive. New Jersey! Ordering a sausage hoagie with peppers and onions, maybe. Finding a decent smoked house made sausage with a side of slaw? You're not gonna find that at Wawa, bro. Texas takedown El Paso, No. 12, is the highest-ranked Texas city, coming in right before Irvine, California. Next on the list is Austin at No. 18, likely buoyed because of its proximity to Taylor and Lockhart, and Dallas punches in at a mediocre No. 38. But as for the rest of the big Lone Star cities, they all fell onto the top 10 worst cities for barbecue. Plano, which is literally next-door to Dallas and thus makes no sense, ranked the second worst, followed by San Antonio in the fourth-worst spot. Houston comes in at No. 7 among worst barbecue cities followed by "Forth" Worth, which ranked No. 10. You'd think if they were going to drag a Texas city about being bad at barbecue, they'd at least go to the trouble of getting its name right. Internet is angry Naturally, people are angry and even famous Hollywood directors are weighing in on what can only be the biggest traffic boon ever to this obscure website. The outrage is enough that at one point No Texas was trending on Twitter (though some people thought it was because of other reasons and chimed in about the state being ousted from the union). In the end, we'll leave it to our sister city to sum up the accuracy of this list. LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) Forty years ago, an incoming Lafayette mayor and a local Confederate history group quietly agreed to a plan that would ultimately make the citys statue of Confederate Gen. Alfred Mouton untouchable for decades. In April of 1980, outgoing-Mayor Kenny Bowen, who had recently lost his re-election bid to Dud Lastrapes, was planning to move the Mouton statue from its place in front of the old City Hall downtown to the new City Hall on University Avenue. But Lafayettes United Daughters of the Confederacy chapter, which donated the statue to the city in 1922 during a Jim Crow-era resurgence in white supremacy across the South, was searching for a way to derail Bowens plan. The statues downtown location was poignant to the UDC since it stands on land once owned by Alfred Moutons father, Alexandre Mouton, who helped establish early Lafayette and served as the states first Democratic governor before leading Louisianas efforts to secede prior to the Civil War. The Daughters lobbied the citys council members and spoke against moving the statue publicly at the time, but even opposition from some council members could not sway Bowen from going ahead with the move. Instead, the Daughters formed a plan to delay the move until Lastrapes could take office three weeks later, after he assured (them) that he will cancel the order and the matter will be closed as far the city is concerned, according to a report written by UDC chapter Chairman Betty Dugal on May 17, 1980, days after they got a court order to delay the move by 10 days. At the end of this ten days we will ask for an extension of the restraining order. When this extension expires Mayor-elect Dud Lastrapes will be in office and has assured us that he will cancel the order and the matter will be closed, Dugal wrote. The plan was to wait Bowen out and push the city to accept the UDCs terms during their first court date on June 16, 1980, to install the permanent injunction that currently prohibits the city from moving the statue under nearly any circumstance. (We) will ask for a permanent injunction. The City will not oppose us and the matter will then be settled by the Court, Dugal wrote. This was the only way to stop the statue from being moved Thursday, May 15 at 7:30 a.m., she added. There was no other solution. When the Daughters and the city met in court over the issue on June 16, two weeks after Lastrapes swearing in, the city agreed to the Daughters permanent injunction prohibiting the statue from being moved unless the land was sold or needed for road improvements. Reached Thursday, Lastrapes, now 91 years old, said he couldnt recall any dealings with the Daughters about the initial lawsuit over the statue. Dugal did not return a request for comment. The Daughters report on their plan for the 1980 lawsuit is now the latest subject of dispute in the ongoing lawsuit, launched in 2019, to lift their permanent injunction and allow the city to move the statue, which Mayor-President Josh Guillory has voiced his support for. The city joined the suit last year after it was launched by activist group Move the Mindset, and is pushing to have the report admitted as evidence, particularly because the Daughters acknowledge a lack of legal standing to prevent the statue from being moved in their report. Had we held title to the property and/or the monument we could have had a legal say about the move. But we did not, Dugal wrote in 1980. Move The Mindset attorney Daniel Phillips is pushing to include the report in evidence for the case, which is set for a July 26 court date after more than a year of delays, though the UDC has objected without explaining its refusal to the court. (We) plan to introduce a copy of the minutes because they establish the key facts that UDC donated the Mouton Statue to the City of Lafayette in 1922, that UDC knew that it had no legal say about moving the Mouton Statue, and that the City was not going to oppose the injunction, Phillips wrote in a recent court filing. DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) One of two candidates running against longtime Syrian ruler Bashar Assad is casting himself as the first opposition representative to vie for the countrys top post. Mohamoud Marei said Tuesday that as a critic of the government who remained in Syria, he may have the keys to solving the ruinous 10-year conflict. But Marei, a lawyer who heads a small government-sanctioned opposition group, has virtually no chance of waging real competition in next weeks election to the incumbent. Assad has held power since 2000, when he took over after the death of his father who ran the country for 30 years. Despite the war, which seemed at one point to threaten his rule, Assad remained in power, supported by regional powerhouse Iran and Russia, which sent in military advisers and air power to push back the armed opposition. Competition with Assad is largely symbolic and seen by the opposition and Western countries as a sham aimed at giving the incumbent president a veneer of legitimacy. Assad is certain to win a fourth seven-year term in next weeks vote. I am a real contender, Marei, 67, said. Whether I make it or not this is up to the Syrian people, he told The Associated Press in an interview in Damascus. Marei is not recognized by most of the Syrian opposition largely based in exile as their representative in Thursdays election. It is Syrias second since civil war broke out in 2011. Syrians abroad will vote on Thursday. He is part of an umbrella group known as the Democratic National Opposition Front formed in 2018 in Damascus. It was formed to include a group of activists approved and allowed to operate by the Assad government and powerful security agencies. But the elections are not taking place in at least four provinces because they are under the control of the opposition and Kurdish forces, depriving nearly 8 million Syrians of a vote. Many refugees are also unlikely to vote in elections organized in Syrian embassies. Marei said the elections could not be postponed until all Syrian territories were liberated, echoing the government line. If elected, he said he would call for a domestic national conference for the Syrian opposition to include only nationalist groups, not those who receive support and finance from foreign countries. We need a new political life in Syria, he said. Marei spoke to The Associated Press in a coffee shop in Damascus, where the power was out as Syria grapples with dwindling resources and worsening economic conditions. His solution to the countrys economic problems is to reclaim parts of Syria under Turkish or American control and restore the central governments control over oil and agriculture resources. Marei said he would work to end Western sanctions imposed against Assad and his supporters for what are considered war crimes committed during the conflict. He did not say how he planned to do that. Marei said he recognized how critical the issue of Syrian detainees is and plans to release them with a press of a button. Rights groups estimate there are tens of thousands of Syrians detained and forcibly disappeared since the war began. Marei said he has been detained for a total of nearly six years for criticizing the one-party system. He said he was also barred from traveling for five years until 2011. After initially participating in the peaceful rallies that erupted in March 2011, Marei said he stopped backing them when the opposition took up arms. I want to change the structure of the regime from a totalitarian dictatorship to a democratic system, he said. He said his election campaign is financed by donations from friends and businessmen. According to the U.N. resolution for a political resolution of the Syrian conflict, a new constitution should be drafted and approved in a public referendum before U.N.-monitored presidential elections take place. But little progress has been made on the drafting committee. ___ Associated Press writer Sarah El Deeb contributed from Beirut. The power of history History is a powerful tool. On the one hand, it informs and educates us. Through it we can come to know the story of human civilisation, its heroes and villains, its triumphs and tragedies. From its study we can more fully understand our present age and how we got to where we are. We can learn lessons from those who have gone before us, and gain wisdom to help us prepare for the future. But more than just an educational tool, history has the power to connect us to those who have gone before us, and give us a window into the culture and people of civilisations separated from us by hundreds or thousands of years. It is for this reason that we so dearly treasure the physical artifacts that remain with us from these ancient civilisations. In many cases, the buildings, tombs, pictures and chattels that we possess of these ancient civilisations are all that we have left to remember them by. Palmyra As a student of history then, it pains me to be a witness to one of the most callous, selfish, and close-minded campaigns of destruction going on in the world today. I am of course speaking of ISIS, and their ongoing mission to rid the world of anything which is not Islamic whether they be people, places, or even ideas. Recently ISIS have made international headlines again for their systematic destruction of the ancient ruins of Palmyra in modern Syria. An ancient city founded by local Arabs and Arameans, Palmyra thrived under the rule of both the Seleucid Greek Empire and also the Roman Empire. At its zenith, it broke away from Roman rule and formed the short-lived but powerful Palmyran Empire during the 3rd century AD. Palmyra gained its wealth and power as a trade hub, ideally situated between the Roman and Persian Empires, and provided a vital link between the East and the West. The first major flowering of Arab culture, Palmyra was famous for its cosmopolitan nature, attracting immigrants from far and wide and adopting many of the best aspects of Greek, Roman, and Persian culture. Much of what was left is now gone, with ISIS soldiers having used explosives to blow up many of the remaining buildings, some of which were at least 2000 years old. 81 year-old Khaled al-Asad, who had been the Head of Antiquities at Palmyra for over 40 years, was captured and decapitated after trying to hide a number of ancient artifacts before the ISIS militants arrived. The jahiliyya So what is it that leads these people to seek out and destroy these priceless remnants of antiquity of their own Arabic heritage no less? The answer lies in the concept of Jahiliyya. The Jahiliyya is an Islamic term for the time before the establishment of Islam in Arabia. Coming out of the Arabic word jahala (which means ignorance/stupidity), the Jahiliyya refers to a time of ignorance and idolatry that existed before the revelation of God was given to the prophet Muhammad. While the establishment of Islam in regions like Syria may have brought an ending to the period of the Jahiliyya, places like the ruin of Palmyra still give us a window into the world of the Middle East, before its people and culture were forever changed by the Qu'ran. In a fundamentalist state such as ISIS, the very existence of these places is deemed to be an affront to Islam and cannot be tolerated to exist. Not only that this kind of behaviour is exclusive to ISIS of course. In 2001 the Taliban destroyed the 6th century statues of the Buddhas of Bamiyan, while in Mali in recent times the ancient city of Timbuktu has been attacked for the same reasons. For all the theological rhetoric justifying the destruction of these ancient sites, it seems clear to me that it is not just strength of conviction or principle that motivates these men to destroy. Rather, as in all other areas of society ISIS has attempted to eliminate any dissent or opposition to their interpretation of the world, so too do they view history in the same way. The culture and religion of Palmyra has long been obsolete, yet despite this, its very existence presents an affront to ISIS and a remembrance of the Jahiliyya. History and the Christian The actions of ISIS in this context, remind us why history is such an important thing for us as Christians to remember. Christianity is a faith which is heavily grounded in history. The reason we believe many of the things about our faith, is because they were observed to have taken place in history and have been verified as such. The story of the Jewish people and its prophets in the Old Testament, through to the acts of the Apostles and the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ in the New Testament, are all events which appeal to history. Unlike ISIS, Christians should not be afraid of history. Diligently studied, history reveals the truth about our past and the reality of our human nature. Research, criticism, and debate are surely things to be valued, as they expose ignorance and falsehood and illuminate the truth. If we truly believe our faith, and the books that we claim are the inspired word of God, we have nothing to fear, but rather much to gain, from the study of the past. Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. * Username This is the name that will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more. Choose wisely! This effort will raise donations to help Central Oregons creative artists musicians, visual artists, performers and creative workers by offering grants and a platform to bring attention to the talent that needs help to continue thriving in this community throughout the pandemic and beyond. More Info 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. Statehouse Reporter 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. Boog The Bandit, an up-and-coming rapper from Columbus, Ohio, was reportedly shot and killed during an attempted robbery in east Columbus on Thursday evening (May 20), reports say. According to WBNS 10TV, Mount Carmel East Hospital called authorities after a gunshot victim walked in at around 6:10 p.m. The victim, later identified as 26-year-old Countney Bruce, was pronounced dead a short time later. RELATED: 16-Year-Old Girl Is Shot And Killed By Columbus Police After Calling Them For Help According to her Instagram page, Boog dropped Heart Away, a new song and music video, on the day she died. Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison will reportedly be taking over the prosecution of Kim Potter, a former Brooklyn Center police officer who fatally shot Daunte Wright during a traffic stop last month. According to CBS Minnesota, the case was previously being handled by the Hennepin County Attorneys Office, which asked Ellison to take it on. Potter has been charged with second degree manslaughter and has since quit her job as a Minneapolis police officer. "I did not seek this prosecution and do not accept it lightly," Ellison told CBS Minnesota. "I have had, and continue to have, confidence in how both County Attorney Orput and County Attorney Freeman have handled this case to date. I thank County Attorney Orput for the solid work he and his office have done, and I thank County Attorney Freeman once again for his confidence in my office." RELATED: Judge Says Ex-Officer Charged In Daunte Wright Shooting Death Can Stand Trial On May 17, a judge ruled that a trial may proceed over the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Wright,who was fatally wounded when he was pulled over for expired tags. Hennepin County Judge Regina M. Chu said during a virtual hearing that probable cause was found to support the charges against Potter, the Associated Press reports. A tentative trial date was subsequently set for December 6. In footage from Potters body camera video, officers began to place Wright in handcuffs, arresting him for alleged outstanding warrants. But after a short scuffle, Wright attempted to get in his vehicle, and Potter shouted taser, taser, then pulled her service weapon and fired. Wright drove several blocks before crashing. Officers attempted lifesaving maneuvers, but he died at the scene. At a press conference a day before he also resigned, then-Brooklyn Center Police chief Tim Gannon said Potter mistook her taser for her firearm and characterized it as an accidental discharge. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner ruled Wrights death a homicide. News Planned Kentucky Downs extension voted down Jazman Scales of Nashville, Tenn., plays on one of the Historical Horse Racing machines at Kentucky Downs on Tuesday, June 23, 2020. The facility has expanded its number of HHR machines but has for now been denied an opportunity to expand into Bowling Green. (Grace Ramey/photo@bgdailynews.com) Kentucky Downs wont be bringing its planned Bowling Green satellite gambling facility to Ken Bale Boulevard, but odds are good the Franklin horse tracks owners will try another location. The City-County Planning Commission of Warren County voted 7-3 Thursday night to deny the development plan amendment submitted by the BG Landco Corp. headed by Kentucky Downs owners Marc Falcone and Ronald Winchell. That amendment would have changed the development plan for 58.8 acres encompassing both sides of Ken Bale Boulevard and would have cleared the way for development of a gambling facility similar to Kentucky Downs Mint Gaming Hall on a 16-acre tract across the road from the Sams Club and Stockdales stores. The application called for allowing a gambling facility and an establishment with more than 60 percent of the dedicated seating at a bar. It also asked for an increase in the permitted height for freestanding signs on the property from 13 feet to 30 feet and for a reduction in the required landscape buffer along the western portion of the development. Those changes were needed in order for Kentucky Downs to follow through on the approval it received in February from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission to expand its licensed premises. The KHRC approval, plus the Kentucky General Assemblys passage of legislation legalizing the slot machine-like Historical Horse Racing machines that have fueled the explosive growth of Kentucky Downs, made the expansion into Bowling Green seem like a good fit. Bowling Green attorney Charles Buzz English, representing BG Landco, argued during the meeting held via Zoom teleconference that the proposed development is a good fit. We anticipate that this facility will have a good number of employees and be the type of facility that will attract tourism, English said. The attorney said he expected the gambling facility to lead to development of restaurants and other amenities. We think the impact will be significant and very positive, he said. English also revealed that BG Landcos partners had agreed to address the expected traffic issues by having a traffic light installed at the entrance to Sams Club nearest Stockdales. Despite such arguments, the majority of the commissioners decided not to support the development. We had to decide if this would help diversify the local economy, support tourism and enhance the community, said Dean Warren, who made the motion to deny the application. I didnt see that it would. I went strictly by whats best for the community. Only one community member joined the meeting to speak against the development, but he made a forceful case. This would be a blight on our community, said Ben Simpson, a local pastor. These establishments are rigged to take advantage of people and prey on people. I strongly encourage you to protect our community from establishments such as this. Warren was joined by commissioners Shannon Blackburn, Sandy Clark, Debbie Richey, Rick Starks, India Unseld and Velma Runner in voting to deny. Only Tim Graham, Mary Vitale and Christiaan Volkert voted against denial. Commissioners Greg Gay and Mary Belle Ballance were absent. Although the application was defeated, English indicated the efforts of Kentucky Downs to expand into Bowling Green are likely to continue. Well be reviewing all options, but its too soon to say what will happen, English said. I think there will be Historical Horse Racing machines in Bowling Green. Its just a matter of where. The planning commission did approve some other applications Thursday, including one expected to lead to a sizable residential and commercial development along Russellville Road near Rockfield Elementary School. Gemstone Property Development LLC, headed by Kevin Crabbe, and the estate of Pernie Price were approved for rezonings at 7134, 7168 and 7208 Rockfield Road. The application calls for rezoning 4.44 acres from agriculture to highway business in order to develop a mixture of commercial uses and for rezoning another 14.16 acres from agriculture and residential estate to planned unit development in order to develop that tract with single-family residences up to seven dwelling units per acre. Attorney Kevin Brooks, representing Gemstone, said the single-family residences would have at least 1,050 square feet of living space and would be rentals. Brooks said plans for the highway business portion of the development arent yet final. We are in discussions with multiple potential tenants , but nothing is definite, he said. The rezoning application will go to the Bowling Green City Commission for final approval. Also approved was the application of Joseph Scott Rippy and property owners Jerry and Sheila Hester to rezone 5.68 acres at Woodburn-Allen Springs Road and Boyce-Fairview Road from agriculture to rural density residential. The applicants plan to develop the property near Boyce General Store into a maximum of five single-family residential lots. remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Call ahead to confirm events. Due to COVID-19, many events have been canceled but hosting organizations might not have updated their entries. Email Blast Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. Daily News Headlines & Events Email Blast Would you like to receive a digest of each day's headlines & events from The Daily News by email? Signup today! The Amplifier Headlines & Events Email Blast Would you like to receive a weekly digest of headlines & events from The Amplifier by email? Signup today! Daily News Hosted Events The Daily News is a proud host of community enrichment events. Join our Daily News Events mailing list to learn about the next event we are planning. Sign up now. Manage your lists Like millions of American parents, I am paying major dollars to send the urchins to college. My daughter graduated last week and did very well. Im happy and proud because she is now prepared to venture forth and do some good in this world. It goes without saying that many college students are under severe pressure to conform to the woke culture being imposed on them by misguided teachers and administrators. In some schools its like a cult. The oppression is almost beyond belief. Penn State University was established in 1855 to give working class kids a shot at moving on up economically. In fact, its initial name was The Farmers High School. For more than a 165 years, Penn State was a sane place. Now it is not. The craziness I am about to chronicle is happening at colleges all over the country. But Penn State, in particular, did not used to be dominated by cowardly, pinheaded faculty. Now it is. The faculty senate at the school recently approved a Preferred Name and Gender Identity Policy. As part of that, the non-binary pronouns they/them will replace he/him and she/her. Also, the words freshman and sophomore are out. Now its first-year and second-year. Well, this is stupid. If any student is offended by the terms freshman or sophomore, he or she (Im rebelling here) should immediately be deposited in daycare and given a blanket. The faculty senate explains its resolution by stating that common university descriptions carry a strong male-centric, binary character. Wow. Who knew? The Penn State faculty also claims terms such as upperclassman carry racist AND sexist connotations. A horrid double dip! Summing up, the faculty fabulists write: this resolution will close the loop and ensure that all people are not only able to choose their name and gender identity within our systems, but that these systems are also structured to be inclusive from the start. Pass the nobility! This is GREAT, to quote Flounder in the movie Animal House. So my question is simple: what if some students want to embrace proper grammar and identify by their birth gender? That would be he or she, right? Is that permissible Penn State Faculty Senate? Are traditional kids part of the inclusive deal? Or will you intolerant fascists make their lives miserable by branding them with a pejorative label? Or even shading their grades southward? I think I know the answer to my question. Somewhere a Nittany Lion is weeping. Bengaluru can breathe easier again as model predicts shortages to go away A 15-day forecast starting May 21 predicts the impact of Covid-19 in Bangalore City (Bengaluru Urban) will be reduced. Bangalore is currently the epicentre of Indias ongoing second wave, an outbreak featuring the most infectious strains of the virus thus far. The forecasting model by Crediwatch Information Analytics, a Bengaluru-based data science and technology company, will come as relief to the citys overburdened healthcare sector that has been fighting at the front lines of the pandemic. The forecast focuses on three key parameters relating to Covid care: the number of cases that require hospital beds, availability of beds that require intensive care and ventilators, the amount of medical oxygen required to treat Crediwatchs model predicts that all three parameters are moving in a favourable direction. All three parameters are now with the green indicators, showing that there is no emergency shortage of medical care or supply of oxygen in Indias third largest economic centre. According to Subir Kumar Bandyopadhyay Machine Learning Architect at Crediwatch, the model uses the dependent relationship between an observation and lagged observations (AR) and also the dependency between an observation that is a residual error from the moving average model to arrive at its conclusion. Leading fashion and lifestyle retailer TFG shared its strategy to revolutionise the omnichannel experience and transform into Africa's leading high-tech omnichannel retailer. "We are laying the foundations to become the largest, most reliable and most profitable e-commerce destination on the continent; via a simplified, customer-centric approach, aimed at maximising group scale, minimising duplication and cost, and leveraging our incredible assets," shared newly appointed co-chief omni officer Claude Hanan. The announcement came as part of the retailer's 2021 financial year-end presentation. The crisis of 2020 has created the greatest wealth gap in history. The middle class, capitalism and democracy are all under threat. What went wrong and what can be done? In a matter of decades, the United States has gone from a largely benign form of capitalism to a neo-feudal form that has created an ever-widening gap in wealth and power. In his 2013 bestseller Capital in the 21st Century, French economist Thomas Piketty declared that the level of inequality in the US is probably higher than in any other society at any time in the past anywhere in the world. In a 2014 podcast about the book, Bill Moyers commented: Heres one of its extraordinary insights: We are now really all headed into a future dominated by inherited wealth, as capital is concentrated in fewer and fewer hands, giving the very rich ever greater power over politics, government and society. Patrimonial capitalism is the name for it, and it has potentially terrifying consequences for democracy. Paul Krugman maintained in the same podcast that the United States is becoming an oligarchy, a society of inherited wealth, the very system our founders revolted against. While things have only gotten worse since then thanks to the economic crisis of 2020, its worth retracing the history that brought us to this volatile moment. Not the Vision of Our Founders The sort of capitalism on which the United States was originally built has been called mom-and-pop capitalism. Families owned their own farms and small shops and competed with each other on a more or less level playing field. It was a form of capitalism that broke free of the feudalistic model and reflected the groundbreaking values set forth in the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights: that all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, including the rights to free speech, a free press, to worship and assemble; and the right not to be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process. It was good in theory, but there were glaring, inhumane exceptions to this idealized template, including the confiscation of the lands of indigenous populations and the slavery that then prevailed. The slaves were emancipated by the US Civil War; but while they were freed in their persons, they were not economically free. They remained entrapped in economic serfdom. Although Black and Indigenous communities have been disproportionately oppressed, poor people were all trapped in indentured servitude of sorts the obligation to serve in order to pay off debts, e.g. the debts of Irish workers to pay for passage to the United States, and the debts of sharecroppers (two-thirds of whom were white), who had to borrow from landlords at interest for land and equipment. Todays U.S. prison system has also been called a form of slavery, in which free or cheap labor is extracted from poor people of color. To the creditors, economic captivity actually had certain advantages over chattel slavery (ownership of humans as a property right). According to an infamous document called the Hazard Circular, circulated by British banking interests among their American banking counterparts during the American Civil War: Slavery is likely to be abolished by the war power and chattel slavery destroyed. This, I and my European friends are glad of, for slavery is but the owning of labor and carries with it the care of the laborers, while the European plan, led by England, is that capital shall control labor by controlling wages. Slaves had to be housed, fed and cared for. Free men housed and fed themselves. Free men could be kept enslaved by debt by paying them wages that were insufficient to meet their costs of living. From Industrial Capitalism to Finance Capitalism The economy crashed in the Great Depression, when Franklin D. Roosevelts government revived it and rebuilt the country through a public financial institution called the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. After World War II, the US middle class thrived. Small businesses competed on a relatively level playing field similar to the mom-and-pop capitalism of the early pioneers. MMeanwhile, larger corporations engaged in industrial capitalism, in which the goal was to produce real goods and services. But the middle class, considered the backbone of the economy, has been progressively eroded since the 1970s. The one-two punch of the Great Recession and what the IMF has called the Great Lockdown has again reduced much of the population to indentured servitude; while industrial capitalism has largely been displaced by finance capitalism, in which money makes money for those who have it, in their sleep. As economist Michael Hudson explains, unearned income, not productivity, is the goal. Corporations take out cheap 1% loans, not to invest in machinery and production, but to buy their own stock earning 8% or 9%; or to buy out smaller corporations, eliminating competition and creating monopolies. Former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis explains that capital has been decoupled from productivity: businesses can make money without making profits on their products. As Kevin Cahill described the plight of people today in a book titled Who Owns the World?: These latter day pharaohs, the planet owners, the richest 5% allow the rest of us to pay day after day for the right to live on their planet. And as we make them richer, they buy yet more of the planet for themselves, and use their wealth and power to fight amongst themselves over what each possesses though of course its actually us who have to fight and die in their wars. The 2020 Knockout Punch The final blow to the middle class came in 2020. Nick Hudson, co-founder of a data analytics firm called PANDA (Pandemics, Data and Analysis), argued in an interview following his keynote address at a March 2021 investment conference: Lockdowns are the most regressive strategy that has ever been invented. The wealthy have become much wealthier. Trillions of dollars of wealth have been transferred to wealthy people. Not a single country did a cost/benefit analysis before imposing these measures. Policymakers followed the recommendations of the World Health Organization, based on predictive modeling by the Imperial College London that subsequently proved to be wildly inaccurate. Later studies have now been done, at least some of which have concluded that lockdowns have no significant effects on case numbers and that the costs of lockdowns substantially outweigh the benefits, in terms not just of economic costs but of lives. On the economic front, global lockdowns eliminated competition from small and medium-sized businesses, allowing monopolies and oligopolies to grow. The biggest loser from all this is the middle class, wrote Logan Kane on Seeking Alpha. By May 2020, about one in four Americans had filed for unemployment, with over 40 million Americans filing jobless claims; and 200,000 more businesses closed in 2020 than the historical annual average. Meanwhile, US billionaires collectively increased their total net worth by $1.1 trillion during the last 10 months of 2020; and 46 people joined the billionaire class. The number of centi-billionaires individuals with a net worth of $100 billion or more also grew. In the US they included: Jeff Bezos, soon-to-be former CEO of Amazon, whose net worth increased from $113 billion in March 2020 to $182 billion in March 2021, up by $70 billion for the year; for the year; Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, whose net worth increased from $25 billion in March 2020 to $164 billion in March 2021, up by $ 139 billion for the year; and for the year; and Bill Gates, formerly CEO of Microsoft and currently considered the global vaccine czar, whose net worth increased to $124 billion in March 2021, up by $26 billion for the year. Two others are almost centi-billionaires: The net worth of Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, grew from $55 billion in March 2020 to $95 billion in March 2021, up by $ 40 billion for the year; and for the year; and The net worth of Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway grew from $68 billion in March 2020 to $95 billion in March 2021, up by $27.6 billion for the year. These five individuals collectively added $300 billion to their net worth just in 2020. For perspective, thats enough to create 300,000 millionaires, or to give $100,000 to 3 million people. Philanthrocapitalism The need to shield the multibillionaire class from taxes and to change their predatory corporate image has given rise to another form of capitalism, called philanthrocapitalism. Wealth is transferred to foundations or limited liability corporations that are designated as having charitable purposes but remain under the ownership and control of the donors, who can invest the funds in ways that serve their corporate interests. As noted in The Reporter Magazine of the Rochester Institute of Technology: Essentially, what we are witnessing is the transfer of responsibility for public goods and services from democratic institutions to the wealthy, to be administered by an executive class. In the CEO society, the exercise of social responsibilities is no longer debated in terms of whether corporations should or shouldnt be responsible for more than their own business interests. Instead, it is about how philanthropy can be used to reinforce a politico-economic system that enables such a small number of people to accumulate obscene amounts of wealth. With $100 billion, nearly anything can be bought not just land and resources but media and journalists, political influence and legislation, regulators, university research departments and laboratories. Jeff Bezos now owns The Washington Post. Bill Gates is not only the largest funder of the World Health Organization and the Imperial College London but the largest owner of agricultural land in the US. And Elon Musks aerospace manufacturer SpaceX has effectively privatized the sky. Astronomers and stargazers complain that the thousands of satellites it has already launched, with many more in the works, are blocking their ability to see the stars. Astronomy professor Samantha Lawler writes in a piece for The Conversation: Public advocacy groups, such as the Cellular Phone Task Force, have also objected due to health concerns over increased electromagnetic radiation. But the people have little say over public policy these days. So concluded a study summarized in a January 2021 article in Foreign Affairs. Princeton professor and study co-author Martin Gilens wrote: [O]rdinary citizens have virtually no influence over what their government does in the United States. Government policy-making over the last few decades reflects the preferences of economic elites and of organized interests. Varoufakis calls our current economic scheme postcapitalism and techno-feudalism. As in the medieval feudal model, assets are owned by the few. He notes that the stock market and the businesses in it are essentially owned by three companies the giant exchange-traded funds BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street. Under the highly controversial Great Reset envisioned by the World Economic Forum, you will own nothing and be happy. By implication, everything will be owned by the techno-feudal lords. Getting Back on Track The capitalist model has clearly gone off the rails. How to get it back on track? One obvious option is to tax the uber-rich. As Chuck Collins, author of The Wealth Hoarders: How Billionaires Pay Millions to Hide Trillions (2021), writes in a March 2021 article: A wealth tax would reverse more than a half-century of tax cuts for the wealthiest households. Billionaires have seen their taxes decline roughly 79 percent as a percentage of their wealth since 1980. The effective rate on the billionaire classthe actual percentage paidwas 23 percent in 2018, lower than for most middle-income taxpayers. He notes that Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and co-authors recently introduced legislation to levy a 2 percent annual tax on wealth starting at $50 million, rising to 3 percent on fortunes of more than $1 billion: The tax, which would apply to fewer than 100,000 U.S. residents, would raise an estimated $3 trillion over the next decade. It would be paid entirely by multi-millionaires and billionaires who have reaped the lions share of wealth gains over the last four decades, including during the pandemic. Varoufakis contends, however, that taxing wealth wont be enough. The corporate model itself needs an overhaul. To create a humanist capitalism, he says, democracy needs to be brought to the marketplace. Politically, one adult gets one vote. But in corporate elections, votes are weighted according to financial investment: the largest investors hold the largest number of voting shares. Varoufakis argues that the proper principle for reconfiguring the ownership of corporations for a market-based society would be one employee, one share (not tradeable), one vote. On that basis, he says, we can imagine as an alternative to our post-capitalist model a market-based democratic society without capitalism. Another proposed solution is a land value tax, restoring at least a portion of the land to the commons. As Michael Hudson has observed: There is one Achilles heel in the globalists strategy, an option that remains open to governments. This option is a tax on the rental income the unearned income of land, natural resources and monopoly takings. Reforming the banking system is another critical tool. Banks operated as a public utility could allocate credit for productive purposes serving the public interest. Other possibilities include enforcement of anti-monopoly legislation and patent law reform.Perhaps, however, the flaw is in the competitive capitalist model itself. The winners will inevitably capture and exploit the losers, creating an ever-growing gap in wealth and power. Studies of natural systems have shown that cooperative models are more efficient than competitive schemes. That does not mean the sort of cooperation coerced through iron-fisted totalitarian control at the top. We need a set of rules that actually levels the playing field, rewards productivity, and maximizes benefit to society as a whole, while preserving the individual rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. _______________________ In a previous article serving as an update of this kind, it was suggested that the prime motivation for the Covid-19 vaccine rollout was the induction of as many people as possible into being a client population for allopathic medicine and pharmaceutical drugs dependency, and therefore cash-cows for the movement of tax revenue into corporate coffers. The development whereby there will be booster jabs on top of the preliminary two doses serves as conformation of this evaluation. Although not a new idea the booster vaccine has been a thing mulled over in corporate-media at least since February of this year (to acclimatise the public to it) it is now evidently official, and something called the Cov-Boost study has been launched to trial cocktails of vaccine product on 3000 people already fully invaded all too obviously, it is an effort to establish superficial justification (because there is no science whatsoever in any aspect of the Covid-19 farce as it is presented to the public), if it be required, for an extended market for vaccine product. Its interesting to note, of course, that when corporate-media was discussing extra jabs at the start of 2021, it was doing so with no certainty that such things would be necessary. Jumping forward a few months, and noticing that take-up of vaccine in the young is looking like it might not be as comprehensive as UK Government might have hoped it would be, it perhaps should not be a surprise that a pathway to booster jabs has been a course set upon. Still characterised as an exercise in finding out if a third dose is needed, and set to commence in June, the outcome of these trials could actually be dependent on how many 16 to 39 year olds decide to get vaccinated for a first time, in the meantime. According to the authors rough calculations, there are about 13 million people in England, aged 16 to 39 years, who are yet to be given any Covid-19 vaccine at. The signs that a good many of these wont surrender themselves up into pharmaceutical drugs dependency sickness come from observing the data for vaccine recipience issued by Public Health England, and in particular the figures, as they have so far been accumulated, for the under-50s. In the brand new weekly data release, showing dose administration to 16th May, it is quite clearly shown that at this stage of the UK Governments vaccine rollout, it is overwhelmingly, almost exclusively, the under-50s who will be receiving a first dose. The super-group consisting of people aged 50 and over is thoroughly saturated, and while there are 950 thousand people aged 50 and over in England who didnt take the first vaccine, and while this is important in terms of being a headache for UK Government looking to establish any vaccine passport, its not as crucial for UK Government in its requirement for as many as possible, who have most lifetime ahead of them, adopt a future stricken by pharmaceutical drug induced ailment. There is now more data to really begin to get a clear picture of what to expect with under-50 engagement with Covid-19 vaccine, and therefore to understand why exactly it is that UK Government has so clearly been spooked (as noted in these pages) at the prospect that it would have been gauging for itself. The previous estimate made hereabouts that no more than 80% of people aged 45 to 49 would receive a jab can be revised upwards, but only slightly. The percentage increase for this group this week stands at 3.4% (i.e. the cumulative total of first doses administered had increased by 3.4% of the total of the previous week), and in itself it is low at the end of a steadily diminishing weekly progress, indicating slowing take-up. However, it is also poor in the context of the fact that there was a spike last week in first jab recipiency, so that it went from 600 thousand, where it has been holding steady for quite a while, to nearly a million. In other words, there was no correspondence in this age group of first dose take-up in a context of a glut of available jabs. As things stand, only 77.9% of the age group has received the first dose, and using the pattern observed in other age groups, theres probably no need to expect the final percentage to break out of a range from 82 to 85%. At the most, it would mean 600,000, approximately, in the age group, in the final analysis, not taking the first jab. Although percentage change had been low for all under 44s from 18th April (as reported in the previous bulletin), the important thing about this section of data was that when take-up for the 40-44 age range was filtered out of it into its own distinct grouping in the weekly release up to 9th May, it was already a large number (at 2.3 million). It means that there was, and is limited scope for improvement, as confirmed by a percentage change of 12%. According to patterns observed in the overall data, it stands for a portent to a drop into a single figure percentage change next week. Depending on how low this number is, it could indicate that, like the 45-49 age group, the final figure for this grouping will range from 82 to 85%. Again, this could mean that as many as (roughly) 600,000 people in this age group will not take a first jab. The recurrence of the same indicator of refusal in the first two under 50s sub categories offers up a natural figure to use to try and understand how many people in the entirety of the super-group (which ranges from 16 to 49) would not be taking a vaccine. As yet, Public Health England does not publish a percentage of the population who are under 39 and who are first dose recipients, but using the ONS figures for 2019, it is possible to ascertain that a huge number are as yet unvaccinated, with only 4,667,454 out of 17.3 million having had the first jab. Using the range of 15-18% as being the band where refusal begins (which is a reasonable factor by which to generate a figure certainly more so than the 30% of refusal in the youngest loosely estimated previously, hereabouts [for want of enough data]), it could mean that between 1.9 and 2.3 million under-39s in England not taking the first dose. This is a large number of people already before the addition of the 40-49 year olds, so that potentially somewhere in the range of 3 million the population of a small country, so a very practical number of young, also breeding age adults will come out of the episode outside of the destructive process. Its a good portion of people in terms of being an obstacle to a total Covid-19-related and identity based future, and a very good start in the context of spreading distrust of UK Government in the vaccinated population who need to continue to be educated about the industrial complex, with the NHS as its face, that seeds illness in what is than a captured clientele, and for whom the people who wont suffer to be damaged in this way will serve as living examples. Indeed, there are signs in the Public Health England data to show that people under 70 are refusing their second dose in noticeable numbers, and while this is something for another time when the availability of new and more data will make the situation clearer, it is exactly the sort of thing that those who refuse a first dose can inspire. Granted, continual administrations of vaccine product will also serve as rationale for a sustained proof of injection certification programme (vaccine passport), but do not be surprised if the booster is also touted as a one-dose solution which can be used to bring the unvaccinated into the net after the initial roll-out has terminated. The charts by Public Health England indicate that there was always an intention to include 16 and 17 year olds in the programme. The Pentagon under Biden-appointed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is working to partner with the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League and spy on members of the military for signs of "extremism," according to documents leaked to The Intercept. The ADL has been at the forefront of internet censorship and criminalizing speech as "hate" while the disgraced SPLC is best known for aggressive fundraising and compiling a "hate map" of "extremist" Christians and conservatives which left-wing extremists use as a hit list. "On April 9, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the establishment of the Countering Extremism Working Group, which would 'receive information from both internal and external Subject Matter Experts,' who would serve as consultants," The Intercept reports. "The document, which was provided to The Intercept by a Pentagon source on condition of anonymity to avoid professional reprisal, is not dated, but the source said that it was disseminated late last month. The document states, 'The Countering Extremism Working Group (CEWG) would like to partner with experts on counter extremism and counter terrorism to better understand the scope of the problem and inform the 90-day report for the Secretary of Defense. These experts may come from advocacy groups, academia, and other areas that contribute the to the fight against terrorism." The document lists Heidi Beirich, formerly of the SPLC, Lecia Brooks and Susan Corke currently of the SPLC, as well as Mark Pitcavage and Ryan Greer of the ADL. The Intercept was also leaked documents showing the Pentagon is planning to spy on members of the military to see if they hold "extremist political views" -- First Amendment be damned. "While it is unclear which of the individuals or groups mentioned in the Pentagon document will end up consulting, there are signs that some already have been doing so," The Intercept said. "Mark Pitcavage, a senior research fellow at the Anti-Defamation League, thanked the Army War College for inviting him to speak on extremism in tweets posted yesterday." It was great speaking with officers at the @ArmyWarCollege this morning. I only wish I could have been there in person! Mark Pitcavage (@egavactip) May 11, 2021 Mostly it was about issues related to extremism in the military. Mark Pitcavage (@egavactip) May 11, 2021 "As part of the Biden administration's crackdown on domestic extremism, the Pentagon plans to launch a pilot program for screening social media content for extremist material, according to internal Defense Department documents reviewed by The Intercept, as well as a source with direct knowledge of the program," The Intercept reports. "An extremism steering committee led by Bishop Garrison, a senior adviser to the secretary of defense, is currently designing the social media screening pilot program, which will continuously monitor military personnel for 'concerning behaviors,' according to a Pentagon briefing in late March. Although in the past the military has balked at surveilling service members for extremist political views due to First Amendment protections, the pilot program will rely on a private surveillance firm in order to circumvent First Amendment restrictions on government monitoring, according to a senior Pentagon official. Though the firm has not yet been selected, the current front runner is Babel Street, a company that sells powerful surveillance tools including social media monitoring software." Revolver News reported last week that Bishop Garrison has called "the entire concept of free speech itself in the information age a 'digital black plague' that will usher in a 'modern day dark age' if not reigned in by censorship." As we learned earlier this week with the firing of Space Force Commander Matthew Lohmeier, the Pentagon's new definition of "extremism" consists of opposing the DoD teaching soldiers that "our country" and "whites are inherently evil." Whistleblower Speaks Out About Critical Race Theory Push Inside U.S. Military Space Force Commander Matthew Lohmeier Joins @seanhannity To Discuss Being Relieved Of Duty After Speaking Out Against Critical Race Theory In The Military pic.twitter.com/qjDlUL5XBq The Columbia Bugle (@ColumbiaBugle) May 18, 2021 You're an "extremist" if you oppose the Pentagon offering free sex change surgeries and opposite sex hormones to active military and veterans at taxpayers' expense. You're an "extremist" if you don't think the CIA should be run by "cisgender millennials" with diagnosed mental disorders. You're an "extremist" if you don't think being raised by "two moms" and "marching for equality" is a qualification to run our Patriot Missile Defense Systems. The "moderates" are our leaders who want to eliminate free speech, eliminate "whiteness," criminalize dissent, strip Americans of their rights over their political views and conduct an ideological purge of the military! Follow InformationLiberation on Twitter, Facebook, Gab, Minds, Parler and Telegram. In recent years, calls for radical prison reform and a solution to the U.S. opioid crisis have come to permeate national politics in the United States. With over two million people behind bars and more than 400,000 people dead from opioid misuse in the last two decades, these topics are often on the front page of major newspapers in the U.S. and abroad. However, at the same time, the marketing of wearable technology, or wearables, as a solution to both of these hot-button issues has become promoted by key players in both the public and private sectors. Especially since COVID-19, these electronic devices that can be worn as accessories, embedded in clothes or even implanted under the skin, are frequently heralded by corporations, academics and influential think tanks as cost effective, technological solutions to these deeply rooted problems. Yet, as will be covered in this article, the shift towards wearables may offer more costs than benefits, particularly when it comes to matters of civil liberties and privacy. The World Economic Forum and Wearables Klaus Schwab, Founder of the World Economic Forum, Source: Moritz Hager, WEF On paper, the World Economic Forum (WEF, also known as the International Organization for Public Private Cooperation) is an NGO and think tank committed to improving the state of the world. In reality, its an international network of some of the wealthiest and most powerful people on Earth. The organization is best known for its annual gathering of the (mostly white, European and North American) ruling class. Each year hedge fund managers, bankers, CEOs, media representatives and heads of state gather in Davos to shape global, regional and industry agendas. As Foreign Affairs once put it, the WEF has no formal authority, but it has become a major forum for elites to discuss policy ideas and priorities. In 2017, WEF Founder Klaus Schwab put out a book called The Fourth Industrial Revolution. The WEF uses the term Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) to denote the current technological revolution that is changing the way people live, work, and relate to one another, and with implications unlike anything humankind has experienced before. The 4IR is characterized by new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, 3D printing, and the internet of things, which essentially denotes embedding things with sensors including human bodies in the form of wearables. Like the industrial revolutions that came before, the main theme for the WEFs Fourth Industrial Revolution is that it will allow companies to produce more, more quickly and for far less money. In the book, Schwab positions wearable technology as key to helping companies become organized around remote work by providing ones employers with a continuous exchange of data and insights about the things or tasks being worked on. In a similar vein, Schwab emphasizes the wealth of information that can be gathered from wearable devices and implantable technologies. But unlike the industrial revolutions of the past, the WEFs 4IR aims to blur the distinction between the physical, digital, and biological spheres. And the WEF is a vocal advocate for wearables in their propensity to propel what it calls human enhancement. In 2018, Schwab teamed up with WEFs Head of Society and Innovation Nicholas Davis to write a follow up book entitled Shaping the Future of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.Having been with the organization for over a decade, Davis was the obvious choice to co-author this book as he now lead[s] the theme of the Fourth Industrial Revolution at the WEF. Schwab and Davis see wearables as just a stepping stone for the 4IR, writing that wearable devices will almost certainly become implantable in the body and the brain. External wearable devices, such as smart watches, intelligent earbuds and augmented reality glasses, are giving way to active implantable microchips that break the skin barrier of our bodies, creating intriguing possibilities that range from integrated treatment systems to opportunities for human enhancement, they write. The authors note the potential to drive an industry of human enhancement that would, in turn, enhance worker productivity. However, other groups, including those partnered with the WEF, see other potential applications for their use well beyond the workplace. Wearables, the Opioid Crisis and the War on Drugs Deloitte, the worlds largest accounting firm and a longstanding partner of the WEF, has promoted wearables as a way to resolve the opioid epidemic. In 2016, Deloittes Center for Government Insights put out a report outlining how to fight the opioid crisis. The authors make the case that technologists and innovators should be part of the solution to the opioid crisis. Then, in 2018, the firm put out an article called Strategies For Stemming The Opioid Epidemic, explaining how data analytics could be used to help pharmacy benefit managers chart their course. Ryan OShea, Source: LinkedIn Other WEF partners are more directly involved in this effort. For example, WEF Global Shaper Ryan OShea is the co-founder of Behaivior, a company that says its creating technology to predict and prevent addiction relapses using wearables. OShea, in addition to his WEF ties, is also the social media manager for Humanity Plus, formerly the World Transhumanist Association, which received $100,000 from Jeffrey Epstein in 2018 in addition to previous donations from Epstein-linked charities. Epstein also donated significant sums to Humanity Plus chair, Ben Goertzel. According to the Behaivior website, the companys mission is described as follows: We are creating software that can take real-time data streams from wearable devices that detect heart rate, heart rate variability, skin temperature, motion, and galvanic skin response (which is related to stress levels). This data is combined with other digital information about behavior, such as GPS location. As behavior and physiology changes, our software screens users for whether or not they are in a pre-relapse craving state. The company markets itself as a solution for governments who want to cut down on costs. Reducing addiction relapses not only saves lives, but it also saves significant amounts of money by reducing re-arrests, re-incarcerations, the Behaivior site reads. According to government records, Behaivior has received $533,000 from the NIH since its founding. It also receives support from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Science Foundation. Tellingly, the company describes their focus on opioid abuse as the companys initial use case, implying that the technology may soon be applied to other illicit substances. In a section on their website entitled Market Opportunities, the company mentions the number of Americans addicted to drugs and alcohol and implies it could be used for any sort of substance addiction that people seek treatment for, including substances that are currently legal to purchase and consume. Behaiviors funding sources and partnerships- Source: https://www.behaivior.com Last year, the NIH also gave another company, Emitech, $328,000 to make a forearm bracelet for rapid, on-site opioid intake monitoring and alerting. On their website, Emitech states that our major target users will be law enforcement units, but adds that they could be used at other facilities such as drug treatment centers and anywhere drug tests are required. Not unlike the private companies they are funding, the federal government is also moving money towards wearables being used to detect other criminalized substances as well as ones that are legal in some or all states. The NIH has granted money to a few wearable alcohol sensors as well as a wearable cocaine sensor. Additionally, its made a grant available for the research and development of digital markers for detection of acute marijuana intoxication. That the WEF network sees wearables as key to stemming the opioid epidemic is particularly significant given that the Biden admin has signalled that it will focus heavily on this crisis once the COVID-19 crisis subsides. The bottom line for the Biden administration is that the [opioid] crisis is going to come into full awareness once covid starts moving into the background, perhaps in the first half of 2021, the Washington Post quoted a professor saying in December 2020. From Private Prisons to Wearable Prisons In a much related manner, the ruling class also seems to be marrying the issue of mass incarceration with the wearables revolution. In a digital world with ankle bracelets and GPS devices, there is no reason to believe that physical imprisonment is the only option for those convicted of nonviolent offenses, Darrell West wrote for the Brookings Institute in 2015. Compared to incarceration, ankle bracelets and GPS devices seem far more tolerable. They keep offenders in society, are less punitive than prisons, and are much less expensive. West frames this digital incarceration as a desirable alternative where governments can cut costs but continue imprisoning the same amount of people as they do now. Unless we find alternatives to physical imprisonment, the social and economic costs of jails will continue to sky-rocket, he writes. Ankle Bracelet maker Corrisofts Alternative to Incarceration via Rehabilitation Program, Source: Corrisoft In 2013, the WEF-partnered Deloitte published an article on what it calls virtual incarceration. It envisions an automated monitoring system where parole officers can track peoples locations and an automated system sends notifications to them when they have impending appointments, if they enter high-crime zones, or if their movements indicate that they are becoming more likely to commit a crime. The article also sees the use of this system as extending past the prison industry: Existing applications can already estimate blood alcohol content nearly as accurately as a breathalyzerand predict the onset of depression. In the near future, contact with peer support groups, push notifications from case managers, and access to employers and other networks could be available at the touch of a button. A 2017 Australian Broadcasting Corporation article introduced something called the Technological Incarceration Project (TIP), a venture created by law professor Dan Hunter. The TIP proposes a form of home detention using electronic sensors that monitor convicted offenders on a 24-hour basis. This system, which Australian Broadcast Corporation calls an internet of incarceration, is meant to replace wardens and physical prisons, instead using advanced AI and machine learning to detect if a crime is about to be committed and ensure that it doesnt. Offenders would be fitted with an electronic bracelet or anklet capable of delivering an incapacitating shock if an algorithm detects that a new crime or violation is about to be committed, it explains. In 2018, Hunter co-wrote an article in the Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology proposing this system as a major revolution to the prison sector, arguing that it would result in the closure of nearly all prisons in the United States and end the prison crisis. According to Swinburne University of Technology, where he is dean, Hunters work has been supported by theU.S. Governments National Science Foundation. The key to his revolution is an ankle bracelet with GPS tracking and an embedded conducted energy device, to administer the electric shock and incapacitate prisoners until the arrival of the police. The article outlines the plan for technological incarceration in three components: First, offenders would be required to wear electronic ankle bracelets that monitor their location and ensure they do not move outside of the geographical areas to which they would be confined. Second, prisoners would be compelled to wear sensors so that unlawful or suspicious activity could be monitored remotely by computers. Third, conducted energy devices would be used remotely to immobilize prisoners who attempt to escape their areas of confinement or commit other crimes. Hunter and his co-authors argue that remote monitoring through wearable sensors is a superior alternative to traditional surveillance cameras. Our proposal requires prisoners to wear a series of remote sensorsincluding those for sound, video, and movementthat are connected to central computer systems that can detect unauthorized behavior, they write. Hunter and his co-authors further insist that the third step, the remote immobilization of offenders, would actually make this technological incarceration more secure than a conventional prison, since there is no chance of prisoner escape. Hunters model of incarceration is declared as a system that can determine whether a prisoner is having a psychotic episode (from speech recognition and audio processing of a prisoners emotional states), is threatening another (from audio processing of the emotional states of all the people within the prisoners environment and video processing of the prisoners behavior), or is seeking to leave a designated zone (from GPS tracking). Of note is the fact that several prisons and jails in the US are already using biometric voice identification technology and geolocation tracking on prisoners and the non-prisoners they call on the phone. Additionally, Hunters plan to use wearables to move away from traditional prisons, first outlined a number of years ago, seems closer to coming to fruition than it did a few years ago. For example, in 2019, the DOJ gave a grant to researchers at Purdue University, to help them develop a wearables-based monitoring system for those who would otherwise be in prison. The electronic monitoring system was deployed in Tippecanoe County Corrections in Indiana under a home detention program. Whats more, the other half of Hunters plan, utilizing AI to process prisoner communications and prevent crime, is already underway across the U.S. Amazon now markets its AI transcription services to both prisons and law enforcement. The companys AI system employs speech-recognition technology and machine learning software to build a database of words. As reported by ABC News, they then notify law enforcement partners when the system picks up suspicious language or phrasings. A year from now, all that slang could be obsolete so investigators are constantly feeding new intelligence about prison slang into databases tailored to their unique jurisdiction or regional area, explained ABC. Weve taught the system how to speak inmate, said James Sexton, an executive at LEO Technologies, a company using Amazons transcription services. Solving Crises By Surveilling Everything Additionally, due to the COVID-19 crisis, the federal government has adjusted both opioid treatment policy and prison policy to cater more to new, wearables-based solutions. Under the Trump Administration, the Federal Bureau of Prisons began prioritizing home confinement to limit the spread of COVID-19 in prisons. While those inmates were to report back to prison when the coronavirus emergency was over, Biden recently extended the national emergency and the HHS expects the crisis to last at least through December. Furthermore, also because of the COVID-19 crisis, the US Department of Health and Human Services amended its regulations in 2020 so that treatment for opioid addiction can now be done remotely. The pandemic has made it possible to see a licensed provider from home, reported the New York Times. In addition, the use of these health-tracking wearables has grown by more than 35% during the pandemic. All of these surveillance technologies, like many other COVID-19 mitigations, are being rolled out rapidly amidst the crisis, explained the digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). Several wearable technologies have been marketed specifically as responses to the COVID-19 crisis, with a number focused solely on tracking the location of their users for social distancing or quarantining enforcement. RightCrowd is a lanyard employees can wear to help companies enforce social distancing and contact tracing at the office. SafeZone is a wearable sensor that emits a light when people get within six feet of one another, and is currently being used by the NFL. And, as reported by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Courts in Kentucky and West Virginia have mandated electronic ankle shackles for individuals who refused to submit to quarantine procedures after testing positive for COVID-19. The Oura Ring biometric tracker. Source: https://ouraring.com/ Yet many of todays new wearables are capable of accessing data that goes far beyond ones location. The Oura Ring, a finger worn sleep tracker, monitors your temperature in order to predict the onset of fever in COVID-19, and is currently being used by the NBA. Amazons Halo, a wristband, will soon be able to detect COVID-19 symptoms. Halo scans the users body and voice, monitors blood pressure, and is meant to report back on your emotional state throughout the day. And, in March 2020, the US FDA granted Emergency Use Authorization to armbands made by a company called Tiger Tech. The bands are designed to monitor blood flow and analyze pulse rate and hypercoagulation, an onset symptom of COVID-19. Another company, BioIntellisense, calls itself a new era of wearable devices that are medical grade that will allow doctors and nurses to collect data from patients that are outside of a hospital. Its first product, the BioSticker, is the first FDA-cleared single-use device for up to 30 days of continuous vital signs monitoring. Its a patch designed to be worn on the chest for what the company calls an effortless remote data capture experience. The company received $2.8 million from the DoD in December 2020 to make these wearable products available to both the military and the public. As the New York Times put it last November, the hot new covid tech is wearable and constantly tracks you. The necessity to address the pandemic with any means available removed some of the regulatory and legislative impediments related to the adoption of telemedicine, Klaus Schwab and French economist Thierry Malleret wrote in their book COVID-19: The Great Reset, published in July 2020. In the future, it is certain that more medical care will be delivered remotely. It will in turn accelerate the trend towards more wearable[s], they continue. Policy alignment between the WEF and the current Biden administration here is clear. Former Secretary of State John Kerry Bidens special presidential envoy for climate firmly declared in December that the Biden administration will support the Great Reset and that the Great Reset will happen with greater speed and with greater intensity than a lot of people might imagine. Alignment between the WEF and the U.S. federal government in this area can also be seen at the FDA. In September 2020, the U.S. FDA launched The Digital Health Center of Excellence, with the objective of innovat[ing] regulatory approaches to provide efficient and least burdensome oversight. The head director of this new FDA project is Bakul Patel, whos been leading regulatory and scientific efforts related to digital health devices at the FDA since 2010, according to the FDA. Like many figures in the US federal government, Patel has close ties to the very industries hes been tasked with regulating. He currently leads the Scientific Leadership Board of the Medicine Society (DMS), an organization which exemplifies the objective of the ruling class to integrate wearable technology into peoples daily lives. The group recently moderated a WEF panel on the Wearable Data Trove and is sponsoring an upcoming conference called Wearable injectors and Connected Devices. The FDAs Bakul Patel, Source: YouTube One way the FDAs new Digital Health Center of Excellences propensity towards wearables can be inferred is by examining the activity of some of the DMS, and thus Patels, corporate funders Deloitte, Takeda, Biogen, and Pfizer all strategic partners of the WEF. Takeda is piloting an app that functions on consumer wearables that collects cognitive and behavioral data to assess people for depression. Biogen recently began working with Apple to test the value of consumer wearables to collect and transmit biometric data on cognitive performance and brain activity to predict future ailments. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla authored an article featured on the WEF site, writing that wearable devices are poised to become a valuable tool for incentivising healthy behavior, and citing the examples of smart eye contact lenses, skin patches, and ear worn trackers. Bourla also wrote: Our Oncology business recently launched a free app, LivingWith, that helps cancer patients connect with loved ones, manage appointments and record how theyre feeling. The app also syncs with fitness wearables, allowing patients to share a more complete portrait of their health with doctors. And for patients with haemophilia, our Rare Disease business developed HemMobile Striiv Wearable, a device for tracking activity and heart rate, and logging infusions and bleeding episodes. Such detailed information will truly allow healthcare providers to deliver personalised care, and also empower patients to assume a more active role in managing their own health. In 2019, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer went as far as calling wearable tech a revolution, via sponsored content on STAT News. The company also collaborated with IBM and Amazon to develop an IoT (Internet of Things) system of wearable sensors that can measure patient indicators 24/7 with the same clinical accuracy that a doctor collects in the office. As such, aside from rolling out wearables through programs targeting prisoners and drug users, the ruling class has indicated a desire to mainstream wearables by marrying them with the future of healthcare. In COVID-19: The Great Reset,Schwab and Malleret write that eventually, the use of AI and wearable technology will cause the distinction between public health systems and personalized health creation systems to break down. Digital Serfdom as Prison Reform Given that industry players like Pfizer and Biogen are at the forefront of the push for wearables, and that these players have traditionally been profit-centric in their motives, the trend towards wearable technology is virtually guaranteed to come at a cost. Perhaps the most obvious cost will be the further degradation of privacy. Without a doubt, the adoption of these technologies will intensify the tendency for governments and corporations to spy on citizens and consumers. For some, the ongoing public health crisis has mitigated much of the negative stigma around wearing technology. As tech analyst Rajit Atwal told ZDNET in October, what may have been a market for this pre-COVID, theres likely to be a potentially bigger market post-COVID or even during COVID in terms of people wanting to be more active in monitoring their health. Do you give access to what is happening inside your body and brain in exchange for far better healthcare? People will give up their privacy in exchange for healthcare, said Yuval Noah Harari, a history professor frequently featured at the WEF, in 2018. And in many places, they wont have a choice. However, two years later, at the 2020 annual meeting of the WEF, Harari stated that the mass use of wearables would be a watershed moment that would herald the beginning of the era of digital dictatorships. Source: The WEFs Internet of Bodies Briefing Paper The potential misuse of wearables by the public and private sectors have led critics to argue that the appeal of monitoring your own health shouldnt detract from the fact that wearables are essentially wearable trackers. It should not feel normal to be tracked everywhere or to have to prove your location, wrote the EFF in June 2020. From the New York Times: Civil rights and privacy experts warn that the spread of such wearable continuous-monitoring devices could lead to new forms of surveillance that outlast the pandemic ushering into the real world the same kind of extensive tracking that companies like Facebook and Google have instituted online. They also caution that some wearable sensors could enable employers, colleges or law enforcement agencies to reconstruct peoples locations or social networks, chilling their ability to meet and speak freely. And they say these data-mining risks could disproportionately affect certain workers or students, like undocumented immigrants or political activists. Its chilling that these invasive and unproven devices could become a condition for keeping our jobs, attending school or taking part in public life, Albert Fox Cahn, executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, told the New York Times. Furthermore, wearables that track and contain ones health data carry a particular threat. Wearable technologies risk generating burdens of anxiety and stigma for their users and reproducing existing health inequalities, wrote John Owens and Alan Cribb in the journal Philosophy & Technology in 2017. Wearable technologies that subject their users to biomedical and consumerist epistemologies, norms and values also risk undermining processes of genuinely autonomous deliberation. Whats more, critics say that while digital incarceration may seem like a desirable alternative to mass incarceration, its simply incarceration by another name. As author Michelle Alexander wrote in the New York Times in response to similar e-carceration models that were popping up in 2018: Even if youre lucky enough to be set free from a brick-and-mortar jail thanks to a computer algorithm, an expensive monitoring device likely will be shackled to your ankle a GPS tracking device provided by a private company that may charge you around $300 per month, an involuntary leasing fee. Your permitted zones of movement may make it difficult or impossible to get or keep a job, attend school, care for your kids or visit family members. Youre effectively sentenced to an open-air digital prison, one that may not extend beyond your house, your block or your neighborhood. One false step (or one malfunction of the GPS tracking device) will bring cops to your front door, your workplace, or wherever they find you and snatch you right back to jail. I find it difficult to call this progress, Alexander explains. As I see it, digital prisons are to mass incarceration what Jim Crow was to slavery If the goal is to end mass incarceration and mass criminalization, digital prisons are not an answer. Theyre just another way of posing the question. Some even see digital incarceration as a system worse than the physical system, in terms of privacy. At first glance, these alternatives may seem like a win-win, wrote Maya Schenwar in Truthout. Instead of taking place in a hellish institution, prison happens in the comfort of your own home (the ultimate American ad for anything). However, this change threatens to transform the very definition of home into one in which privacy, and possibly comfort as well, are subtracted from the equation. In a world of electronic monitors, predictive policing, interagency data sharing, hidden cameras, and registries, imprisonment extends not only beyond the walls of the jail or penitentiary, but beyond any contained space, Schenwar continues. In the new world of incarceration, your house is your prison. Your block is your prison. Your school is your prison. Your neighborhood your city your state your country is your prison. Surveillance Stakeholder Capitalism Still from the Wearable Data Troves presentation at the WEFs Global Technology Governance Summit. Aside from privacy concerns, a less obvious side-effect of the wearables revolution is its potential to fuel and propel the WEFs broader vision for the future something it calls stakeholder capitalism. The WEF is committed to advancing stakeholder capitalism, a system in which private corporations are the trustees of society. (According to Schwab, the very reason he created the WEF in the first place was to help business and political leaders implement [stakeholder capitalism].) Schwabs model dictates that corporations should start expanding their definition of value away from shareholder returns. As such, the cornerstone to stakeholder capitalism is data. In order for corporations to start making decisions that benefit society, they need comprehensive metrics on what decisions would prove valuable. Naturally, having people walking around wearing technology with ones location data, medical history, real time vital signs, oral conversations, current emotional state and thus their behavior is a dream come true for the model. And while the most marginalized populations, i.e. those likely to be locked up for drug offenses in the US, will be the first to be hit by this pervasive surveillance, the WEF network sees this as the vision of the future for us all. Featured image: Still from RAND video What is the Internet of Bodies SIGN UP TO GET BLACKLISTED NEWS DELIVERED RIGHT TO YOUR INBOX Enter your email address: Political newcomer Matthew Reimer is facing off against political veteran Merv Tweed in the Municipality of Killarney-Turtle Mountains byelection. Advertisement Advertise With Us Political newcomer Matthew Reimer is facing off against political veteran Merv Tweed in the Municipality of Killarney-Turtle Mountains byelection. The mayors seat is up for grabs upon last years retirement of outgoing mayor Rick Pauls, and both candidates carry strong roots in the community. Merv Tweed Reimer pledges "outside the box" thinking, while Tweed leans on his experience in politics as proving hes capable of getting things done. The following is what the two candidates had to say about their respective campaigns for the June 23 election when the Sun reached out Friday: MATTHEW REIMER Reimer last sought public office when he ran for council in the Municipality of Killarney-Turtle Mountain a few years ago. Although hes striving toward the mayors seat this time around, he said his goal remains similar. "I like the community and Ive always kind of been interested in politics and leadership," he said. "I definitely am someone who thinks outside the box and will consider all kinds of ideas." At 35 years of age, he said he would the perspective of a new generation to council chambers one whose experience includes joining his wife in raising two young children, aged 3 and 5, in the community. Reimer was born and raised on his familys farm in the municipality, which he recently sold to his brothers-in-law. Upon selling, he joined his family in travelling and exploring their options, but ultimately decided to remain in Killarney. "Familys here thats nice and the communitys great," he said. "Im bound to win," he added with a chuckle. "Everyone in Killarneys too polite to tell you theyre not voting for you!" In preparation for his run as mayor, Reimer sat in on a city council meeting to gain a base knowledge of how meetings are run. This experience was complemented by his service as chair of the Turtle Mountain Bible Camp. Though hes early in the process of connecting with residents about his campaign, Reimer said he has already seen an appetite for the municipality to postpone renovations to its civic building. "They want to do a renovation there, which is needed, but with building prices so high Id like to wait on that," he said. The Shamrock Centre is facing financial hardship that will need dealing with, rural roads have maintenance issues and theres a prevailing conversation about councils need to ensure the community doesnt degrade. "People care about how were going to grow the community how were going to get people to move here, attract new businesses and make sure Killarney doesnt die," he said, pointing to smaller communities in the area theyve seen whittled away over the years. "We want to make sure we keep our hospital running strong, that we have doctors here. We wouldnt want to see our hospital and our facilities move to another community." Reimer said his campaign has been evolving online, where hes reaching out to residents via Facebook to get his campaign platform across as well as seek feedback. Door-knocking isnt feasible at this time, he said, adding that while some people might be comfortable with him going door to door, wearing a mask, he wouldnt want to make anyone feel uncomfortable. MERV TWEED As Progressive Conservative MLA for Turtle Mountain from 1995 to 2004 and Brandon-Souris Conservative MP from 2004 to 2013, Merv Tweed is known in the political arena. His first introduction to the world of politics was several years earlier, in the then-RM of Brenda, when in his early 20s he served as councillor. "I was the youngest on council and a lot of the veterans offered me support," he said, adding that having served in all three levels of government, the municipal level is "as local as you can get." Tweed relocated to Killarney in the early 90s to head a Chrysler dealership before setting out on his political career. Despite family relocating from the community, he and his partner decided to stay, purchasing a house that overlooks the lake. "I couldnt think of anything nicer," he said. "Once people come here they want to come back." After retiring from his most recent position as president of Omnitrax in 2018, Tweed settled down in retirement to learn "how to enjoy things a little bit more." But, a busy person by nature, he said the opportunity to help his longtime home community as mayor was too appealing an opportunity to pass up. "I have the time, I love this community and Ive got the experience and think we can move it forward," he said. "I want to get back." "Ive had the opportunity to see how other communities, not only in Manitoba but across Canada operate some of the functions I think may work here I will certainly look to introduce to council." Road conditions, internet service, boosting traffic to the Shamrock Centre and building up the communitys housing market are among his chief goals. "The young people Im talking to 40 and younger, theres just not a lot available for them, he said, adding that while its nice to see properties sell quickly, its indicative of greater opportunity to usher in growth. "We have a tremendous amount of professional people living or working in Killarney, and I can see that as a real opportunity to expand and become a centre for the region." Tweed said he planned on getting the word out regarding his campaign within the next week, via social media and the phone. "Im going to bat for Killarney," he said. "Im using every tool I have and the experiences Ive learned, but also want to make sure people surrounding Killarney recognize that what were trying to do is build not only our own community but the region so we can start to rely on each other some more." tclarke@brandonsun.com Twitter: @TylerClarkeMB Surely there has been a terrible mix-up in the Channel Nine casting department? Magda Szubanski initially seemed an unlikely choice. How else can we explain the networks most unlikely choice in who it has ordained as Australias archetypal meanie to helm a reboot of The Weakest Link? Because for millions of Australians, myself included, Magda Szubanski is anything but a bitch. Occasionally some of her witticisms have backfired, like her recent comments on Prime Minister Scott Morrisons social media feed (though it should be noted that for every outraged commentator, there was an equal number nodding in silent approval). Two people have been charged over the murder of a woman who was stabbed in the neck with a hunting knife in north Queensland. Police attended a residence on Riverway Drive at Condon, where the victim allegedly staggered outside a unit to the footpath and collapsed about 7.20pm on Friday. The footpath and driveway outside the unit complex in Condon, Townsville, where the victim collapsed. Credit:Nine News Queensland The 29-year-old was rushed to Townsville University Hospital in a critical condition but died a short time later. A 39-year-old man surrendered himself to police by 1.30pm on Sunday. A young Queensland woman has died after being stabbed once in the neck with a hunting knife in a unit before staggering outside to the footpath, where she collapsed. There was a puddle of blood on the footpath when emergency services arrived about 7.20pm on Friday at the unit complex on Riverway Drive in the Townsville suburb of Condon in north Queensland. The 29-year-old victim was rushed from the Department of Housing apartment block to Townsville Hospital, where she was declared dead about 9pm on Friday. Detective Acting Inspector Jason Shepherd said a hunting knife found at the scene was believed to be the murder weapon. Doctors and midwives say the strain on services is resulting in some women being called in for birth inductions which are then delayed by up to a week due to staff shortages, leaving them distressed in hospital. One experienced midwife, who didnt want to be named because she feared losing her job, said the overload, long shifts and staff burnout was a statewide problem. That happens quite a bit: the hospital acknowledges you are fatigued and not at your best, so anybody who works from the PM to night duty gets taken out of high acuity and put into a quiet ward, the midwife said. Its like saying, we know youre going to be bad at your job tonight because youre exhausted so were going to put you somewhere where youre not going to make a mistake. She said that one day this month at the Royal Womens Hospital, there were two women who had given birth in the emergency ward and three more in labour and no available birth centre beds. The AMA is also concerned that neonatal and paediatric intensive care units have been pushed to capacity due to the increase in births, and it says extra beds and specialist nurses are urgently needed. Loading The AMAs Victorian president, Julian Rait, said the lockdown appeared to be among a range of factors that had led to the surge in pregnancies. Obviously [the lockdown] pushed some couples apart and its also brought many together and weve got a baby boom, he said. The other theory is that people have decided to start their families now, maybe because they cant travel. At the same time, the costs of private health insurance and private obstetric care is an issue and many people are now choosing to go public for their deliveries. That means our public obstetric services are being hammered like never before. The Victorian government confirmed the pandemic had placed increased demand on some maternity services. It did not provide statistics on recent births at maternity services, but individual hospitals are reporting increases, including at Joan Kirner Womens and Childrens at Sunshine Hospital where there has been more than a 5 per cent jump in the first four months of the year compared to the year before. The Health Department and Victorias healthcare safety watchdog, Safer Care Victoria, has been meeting with public maternity service providers, including the Royal Womens Hospital, to discuss strategies to deal with the changing demand. On some occasions, care may be provided differently than planned. Any changes are to manage patient safety, and only occur with strict clinical oversight, a government spokesman said. Associate Professor Rait said while this weeks Victorian budget had provided $3.7 billion to help address the states overloaded health system, more would probably be required given the recent service demands. Greens member for Melbourne, Ellen Sandell, whose electorate includes the Royal Womens Hospital, raised questions with Health Minister Martin Foley in Parliament early this month about a concerning increase in the rate of caesareans as well as other poor birth outcomes for women at Victorian public hospitals. She said a constituent had her baby on the floor of a birth suite where she had been rushed at the last minute due to a lack of available birth centre beds. When I went into labour, I was kept in the emergency room because there were no beds available in the birth suite ... I was then raced into the birth suite when I told them I needed to push and my daughter was born 13 minutes later (on the floor because I didnt make it to the bed in time), the woman, who does not wish to be identified, wrote to Ms Sandell. Nurses union state secretary Ms Fitzpatrick warned of a disaster happening right before our eyes. Ms Dicarlo, who had her baby at the Royal Womens Hospital earlier this year, brought a private midwife to her birth to ensure continuity of care and said the birth and surgical care for her unplanned caesarean was excellent, but she was traumatised by her poor experience post-birth. She had to wait two hours after her healthy son was born to hold him, and experienced long delays when in pain and needing medication. They were extremely understaffed and really stretched, it was really difficult to get help. You would be lying there and really need pain relief and you cant move because you just had surgery, the babys screaming and you press the button and it takes someone over an hour to come, she said. The director of maternity services at the Royal Womens Hospital, Jenny Ryan, said the hospital would always listen to concerns and work with patients to take appropriate action. Maternity services across Victoria have had a very busy start to 2021, and we are proud of our hard-working staff who continue to provide high-quality care to Victorians, she said. Do you know more? Contact the journalists via email at wendy.tuohy@theage.com.au and aisha.dow@theage.com.au Labors environmental flank has broken ranks to lash the partys pro-coal vision, arguing the weekends result in a NSW byelection is proof the opposition cannot win back government by trying to match the grandstanding of its conservative opponents. A fresh internal stoush over the ALPs climate and energy policies is poised to erupt on the federal scene after the party struggled to a 20 per cent primary vote in the NSW electorate of Upper Hunter on Saturday, behind the victorious Nationals. The Liddell and Bayswater coal power stations near Muswellbrook in the Hunter Valley. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer While senior federal Labor figures played down the poor result as reflective of state politics, veteran MP Joel Fitzgibbon said it was a wake-up call. The electorate takes in coal mining communities in parts of Mr Fitzgibbons federal electorate, which had also turned their back on the federal opposition at the 2019 election over Labors each-way bet on a fossil fuel future. NSW Labor leader Jodi McKay says she is devastated by the partys huge loss in the Upper Hunter byelection, conceding Labors message failed and they bled votes to One Nation and independents. Labors primary vote slumped to 20 per cent in Saturdays poll, more than eight points lower than it was in 2019, which will put Ms McKays leadership under intense pressure. NSW Labor leader Jodi McKay says she is devastated by the loss in the Upper Hunter byelection. Credit:James Brickwood Ms McKay said she would not be resigning but the party would need to undergo significant soul-searching over the next few days. There were an awful lot of people who didnt vote for us and our message didnt resonate with them, she said on Sunday. Moscow: The Belarusian president personally sent a fighter jet to escort a Ryanair plane that had been diverted by a false bomb alert, allowing authorities to detain an opposition-minded journalist on board, drawing condemnation from Europe and the United States. In what was described by some EU leaders as a hijacking, the passenger plane flying from Athens to Lithuania was suddenly diverted to Minsk, the capital of Belarus, escorted there by a Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jet. On its landing, authorities took journalist Roman Protasevich into custody. Roman Protasevich, pictured here being detained at a protest in Minsk in 2017, is a well-known opposition activist. Credit:AP Protasevich had his head in his hands and was shaking when he realised the flight was headed for Minsk, Lithuanias Delfi news outlet said, quoting a passenger. Later, as he was led away, according to the report, he remarked: Ill get the death penalty here. The 26-year-old journalist worked for Poland-based online news service NEXTA, which broadcast footage of mass protests against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko last year via the Telegram messenger app at a time when it was hard for foreign media to do so. NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP New eatery in the works for Village at Newtown The former Central Connecticut player spent most of last season on the New England Patriots practice squad. Total dues owed by electricity distribution to power producers fell 3.4 per cent to Rs 78,379 crore in March 2021 as compared to the year-ago period, showing a reversal of discoms' growing outstandings. Outstanding dues of towards electricity producers have been increasing year-on-year as well as month-on-month for years showing perennial stress in the power sector till February this year. Distribution (discoms) owed total Rs 81,116 crore to power generation firms in March 2020, according to portal PRAAPTI (Payment Ratification And Analysis in Power procurement for bringing Transparency in Invoicing of generators). The dues in March also declined from Rs 98,673 crore in February and Rs 99,023 crore in January this year. The PRAAPTI portal was launched in May 2018 to bring in transparency in power purchase transactions between generators and In March 2021, the total overdue amount, which was not cleared even after 45 days of grace period offered by generators, stood at Rs 67,417 crore as against Rs 68,587 crore in the same month a year ago. The overdue amount stood at Rs 84,478 crore in February and Rs 85,490 crore in January this year. Power producers give 45 days to to pay bills for electricity supply. After that, outstanding dues become overdue and generators charge penal interest on that in most cases. To give relief to power generation (gencos), the Centre enforced a payment security mechanism from August 1, 2019. Under this mechanism, discoms are required to open letters of credit for getting power supply. The Centre had also given some breathers to discoms for paying dues to in view of the COVID-19-induced lockdown. The government had also waived penal charges for late payment of dues. In May, the government announced Rs 90,000 crore liquidity infusion for discoms under which these utilities would get loans at economical rates from Power Finance Corporation (PFC) and REC Ltd. This was a government initiative to help remain afloat. Later, the liquidity infusion package was increased to Rs 1.2 lakh crore and further to Rs 1.35 lakh crore. Under the liquidity package, almost Rs 80,000 crore has been disbursed. Discoms in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu account for the major portion of dues to gencos, the data showed. Overdue of independent power producers amounted to 52.5 per cent of the total overdue of Rs 67,417 crore of discoms in March 2021. The proportion of central PSU in the overdue was 30.82 per cent. Among the central public sector gencos , NTPC alone has an overdue amount of Rs 5,021.76 crore on discoms, followed by Damodar Valley Corporation at Rs 4,888.16 crore, NLC India at Rs 3,534.78 crore, NHPC at Rs 1,453.31 crore and THDC India at Rs 1,147.82 crore in March 2021. Among private generators, discoms owe the highest overdue of Rs 18,407.76 crore to Adani Power followed by Bajaj Group-owned Lalitpur Power Generation Company at Rs 4,817.12 crore and SEMB (Sembcorp) at Rs 2,375.80 crore in the month under review. The overdue of non-conventional energy producers like solar and wind stood at Rs 11,242.39 crore in March 2021. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The government has not asked any state-owned banks to withdraw funds from foreign currency accounts abroad in anticipation of the potential seizure with regard to the Cairn legal dispute, the Ministry of Finance clarified on Sunday. "Government of India is vigorously defending its case in this legal dispute. It is a fact that the government has filed an application on March 22, 2021 to set aside the highly flawed December 2020 international arbitral award in The Hague Court of Appeal," it said. The government further said it is committed to pursuing all legal avenues to defend its case in this dispute worldwide. India has been ordered to return over $1.2 billion to Cairn Energy Plc after it lost proceedings in a tax dispute. An international tribunal ruled that Indias tax claim was not valid and asked the government to repay the funds, along with interest, to Cairn. Cairn has sued India's flagship carrier Air India to enforce the award. Further, it has identified assets identified ranging from planes to vessels, and properties owned by state-owned banks to oil and gas cargoes of PSUs for seizure. The finance ministry further clarified that the government has raised several arguments that warrant setting aside of the award. For one, it says the arbitration tribunal improperly exercised jurisdiction over a national tax dispute that India never offered or agreed to arbitrate. "The claims underlying the award are based on an abusive tax avoidance scheme that were a gross violation of Indian tax laws, thereby depriving Cairns alleged investments of any protection under the India-UK bilateral investment treaty." Further, the government said the award improperly ratifies Cairns scheme to achieve Double Non-Taxation, which was designed to avoid paying taxes anywhere in the world, a significant public policy concern for governments worldwide. This proceeding is pending. "The CEO and the representatives of Cairn have approached the Government of India for discussions to resolve the matter. Constructive discussions have been held and the government remains open for an amicable solution to the dispute within the countrys legal framework," the Ministry of Finance said. India has challenged an international arbitration tribunal asking it to return $ 1.2 billion to UK's Cairn Energy Plc on grounds that it had never agreed to arbitrate over a "national tax dispute", the finance ministry said on Sunday. While the government appointed a judge on the three-member arbitration panel and fully participated in the proceedings against India seeking Rs 10,247 crore in back taxes from Cairn, the ministry said the tribunal "improperly exercised jurisdiction over a national tax dispute that the Republic of India never offered and/or agreed to arbitrate." India had seized and sold shares of Cairn in its erstwhile India unit, confiscated dividend due and withheld tax refunds to recover the tax demand it had levied two years after passing a law in 2012 that gave it powers to levy tax retrospectively. Cairn invoked arbitration under the India-UK bilateral investment treaty. In December last year, Cairn won an award that held the levy of taxes using the 2012 law unfair on the company and the tribunal asked the Indian government to return $ 1.2 billion plus cost and interest. In a statement, the finance ministry called the 2006 reorganisation of Cairn's India business for listing on the local bourses as "abusive tax avoidance scheme that were a gross violation of Indian tax laws, thereby depriving Cairn's alleged investments of any protection under the India-UK bilateral investment treaty." "The award improperly ratifies Cairn's scheme to achieve double non-taxation, which was designed to avoid paying taxes anywhere in the world, a significant public policy concern for governments worldwide," it said, adding the government on March 22 challenged the arbitration award in a court in The Hague -- the seat of the arbitration. It is not clear if a court in The Hague can go into merits of levy of taxation by the Indian government over a corporate amalgamation scheme. Precedence dictates that challenges to international arbitration award are restricted to tribunal not following due process. The tribunal that went into Cairn's challenge consisted of three judges -- one judge each being named by the company and the Indian government and a third neutral presiding officer. The three-member panel unanimously overturned the tax and asked India to return the value of shares sold, dividend seized and tax refund withheld. This together with interest and cost comes to $1.72 billion. With India refusing to pay, Cairn registered the award in nine jurisdictions including the US, the UK, Canada and Singapore and has started a process to recover the money from government-owned entities. Earlier this month, it filed a plea in a court in New York for declaring Air India as India's alter ego so it can be forced to pay the award. "The Government of India is vigorously defending its case in this legal dispute. It is a fact that the Government has filed an application on March 22, 2021 to set aside the highly flawed December 2020 international arbitral award in The Hague Court of Appeal," the Department of Revenue in the Ministry of Finance said in the statement. India's appeal before The Hague Court also says that the claims underlying the award are based on an abusive tax avoidance scheme that was a gross violation of Indian tax laws, thereby depriving Cairn's alleged investments of any protection under the India-UK bilateral investment treaty. It further said the proceeding before The Hague court is pending and the government is committed to pursuing all legal avenues to defend its case in this dispute. It added that Cairn's CEO and its representatives have approached the government for discussions to resolve the matter. "Constructive discussions have been held and the Government remains open for an amicable solution to the dispute within the country's legal framework," the statement added. If the New York court were to recognise Air India as the alter ego of the Indian government, Cairn can seek attachment or seizure of its assets in the US such as airplanes, immovable assets and bank accounts to recover the amount it was awarded by the arbitration tribunal. Even if Cairn succeeds in getting Air India recognised as the alter ego of the government, it would not mean that the airline's assets will fall into the hands of the British firm, sources said. All it means is that Cairn can seek seizure of any asset Air India may have in the US. There may not be many such assets. The only threat there could be is that when an Air India airplane lands at any US airport, Cairn would be able to move court and get that attached before it flies out. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The government has taken all precautionary measures to deal with Yaas, likely to hit the state on May 26, and Chief Minister will stay at a control room set up for the purpose to monitor the situation, officials said on Saturday, Banerjee, who held a high-level meeting at the state secretariat during the day, said that relief materials were dispatched to vulnerable areas, while officials were directed for early evacuation of people from coastal and riverine areas. "I have extensively reviewed the Disaster Management preparedness with regards to the impending Yaas today afternoon with all senior officers of relevant Central & State agencies along with DMs & SPs," Banerjee tweeted. "All officials have been advised integrated command, advance planning & early evacuation from coastal & riverine areas to rescue shelters including & flood shelters, and to conduct relief and rehabilitation operations at the earliest," she added. The state government has set a control room to monitor the situation at the state secretariat Nabanna', which will work round the clock. The phone numbers of the control room are 1070 and 033-22143526, Banerjee said. "All agencies have been asked to spring into action. Relief materials have been dispatched & Quick Response Teams are mobilised. I request all to stay alert," she said in the Twitter post. Besides the centralised control room, the state government has opened several smaller control rooms in coastal areas of the state, an official said. "The CM will remain present at the control room in Nabanna on the days when the cyclone is about to hit the coastal areas of the state. She will be accompanied by other senior officers of the government," he said. All precautionary measures have been taken by the administration, the officer added. A low pressure area formed over east-central Bay of Bengal is likely to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm by May 25. The storm, named Cyclone Yaas, may move towards West Bengal, Odisha and Bangladesh around May 26 morning, the Met department said. The system is very likely to cross the coasts of the two states and the neighbouring country around May 26 evening. Wind speed is very likely to reach 90 to 100 km per hour gusting to 110 kmph from May 26 forenoon along and off West Bengal, north Odisha and Bangladesh coasts and increase thereafter till May 26 evening, the MeT office said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Health Minister on Sunday asked yoga guru Ramdev to rescind his remark against allopathy medicine, calling it extremely unfortunate. Ramdev had said allopathy caused deaths of lakhs of Covid patients, prompting the Indian Medical Association (IMA) to ask the government to take strict action against the yoga guru for misleading people and allegedly describing modern medicine as stupid science. Vardhan said Ramdev's remark had not just disrespected the feelings of corona warriors but also deeply hurt the people of the country. Doctors and health workers are like gods for people of the country for whom they are risking their lives in this pandemic, Vardhan wrote in a letter to Ramdev. We should not forget that the fight against the Covid pandemic can only be won with joint effort. Our doctors, nurses and health workers have risked their lives in saving people day and night. He told Ramdev, You are well aware that doctors in India and from around the world have laid their lives in the battle against the pandemic. The country had managed to keep the fatality rate below 1.13 per cent and recovery rate above 88 per cent because of allopathy medicine, he said. And ailments such as TB, Polio, Ebola and SARS could be cured because of allopathy. The vaccine which is proving to be a great weapon in the fight against Covid is also due to allopathy, Vardhan said. Haridwar-based Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust had issued a statement clarifying that Ramdev was reading a WhatsApp message he received and that he had no ill-will against modern science and its practitioners. Vardhan, however, said the clarification issued by him was insufficient in bringing respite to the hurt feelings. I hope you will think about this seriously and withdraw your objectionable and unfortunate statement completely. He told the yoga guru that he was a public figure and that his statements carried weight. You should assess time and situation before making any remarks. Calling the present treatment a show, not only raises questions on allopathy but also its doctors and their abilities and intentions.The IMA has sought a written apology from Ramdev. The association had earlier expressed shock at the blatant lie of WHO certification by Patanjalis Coronil and questioned the health minister for promoting the drug. With the Covid second wave sweeping though the state, the on Saturday augmented the medical infrastructure of state administration by setting up a 100-bed Covid Care Centre at Ulsoor in Bengaluru. In a statement, the army stated that with the increasing numbers of Covid-19 positive cases across Karnataka, state-run medical resources are being overstretched to meet the daily bed requirement. "In this hour of need, the has augmented the medical infrastructure of state administration by setting up a 100 bed Covid Care Centre in Ulsoor, Bengaluru," the statement by the Defence Ministry said. The state administration took on the responsibility of provisioning medical staff and equipment while the Army shouldered with the administrative support for maintaining the high standards of the facility and ensuring best possible patient care. This 100-bed Covid Care Centre will cater to mild symptomatic and asymptomatic Covid patients referred by BBMP after bed allotment, the statement stated. The General Officer Commanding, Karnataka and Kerala Sub Area handed over the facility to the state government. The facility was established for the needy inhabitants of "Namma Bengaluru" suffering from the deadly second wave of Corona. --IANS nbh/pgh (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) looking to procure Covid-19 shots to combat a nationwide surge in infections on Sunday said US maker Moderna had declined to supply its shots and said it can only deal with the federal government. The central government opened vaccinations to all adults from May 1 and allowed states to make their own arrangements to supplement stocks they received from it. But the country is facing a shortage of vaccines, with domestic production amounting to about 80 million doses a month. said Moderna refused to send vaccines to the state government, citing a company policy that allows it to deal only with federal administration and not with state authorities or private parties. Moderna did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Punjab, with a population of more than 27 million, has had to stop vaccination for some categories of eligible people because of non-availability of shots, having received only about 4.4 million doses from the federal government, the statement said. In the statement, official Vikas Garg said that the state government had also made approaches regarding the Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Sputnik vaccines but has yet to receive any response. Some other states, including Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, have said they also have insufficient supplies to inoculate those aged between 18 and 44. The worlds largest vaccine-producing nation has fully vaccinated a little more than 41.6 million people, or only 3.8 per cent of its 1.35 billion population. The country's output of Covid-19 shots for August-December is likely to be lower than the governments official estimate, according to internal projections shared with Reuters by two sources. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Delhi Transport Minister on Sunday said his department has approved more than 1.5 lakh cases under a scheme to provide one-time assistance of Rs 5,000 to each para-transit vehicle driver during the COVID-19-induced lockdown. "I am happy to inform you that the transport department has approved 1,55,301 cases. Para-transit vehicle drivers/owners will start receiving Rs 5,000 in bank accounts linked to their Aadhaar from Monday," he tweeted in Hindi. Earlier this month, the Delhi government had decided to extend its scheme of one-time financial assistance to cover e-rickshaw owners. The decision is likely to benefit more than 60,000 permit holders of para-transit vehicles and owners of e-rickshaws registered in Delhi. (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.) About 7,000 may be granted interim bail or parole to decongest overcrowded prisons in state, that is battling a second surge of Covid-19 pandemic in the wake of a recent Supreme Court order, a top official said. An order has been issued to jail superintendents by the High- Powered Committee to shortlist on the basis of a directive by the Supreme Court to release on parole or interim bail, and the under-trials for offences entailing up to 7-year jail term to decongest prisons in the wake of pandemic, Inspector General Prisons, Jharkhand, Birendra Bhushan told PTI. "If the courts approve, in all there are about 7,000 prisoners who may get interim bail. If this happens our jails will run as per capacity," Bhushan said. There are 21,046 prisoners including 15,900 undertrials lodged in the state's thirty prisons that have a capacity to house 16,700 inmates. A high-powered committee that comprises Justice AK Singh of High Court, Principal Secretary Home Rajiv Arun Ekka and IG Prisons Birendra Bhushan had met on May 17 to review the situation and had asked Jail Superintendent to identify eligible prisoners under the criteria. "Once the jail superintendents will provide the list of shortlisted prisoners, their names will be given to the District Legal Service Authority ... granting bail will be the role of judges and courts ... There may be about 7,000 such prisoners and in case their bails are approved, the jails will be less crowded," Bhushan said. Ninety days parole can be sanctioned to eligible prisoners while the period for those already on parole can be extended. He said the exact number of such prisoners will be known in a day or two. has 30 jails out of which 7 are Central jails, 15 district jails, one open jail and remaining are small sub- jails. Apart from shortlisting the eligible inmates, an exercise is also underway to rationalise the number of prisoners in view of the pandemic by shifting prisoners from overcrowded jails to less crowded jails, he said. Taking note of the "unprecedented surge" in COVID-19 cases, the Supreme Court on May 8 had moved to decongest prisons and ordered the immediate release of prisoners who were granted bail or parole last year. Observing that the decongestion of prisons housing around 4 lakh inmates across the country is a matter concerning "health and right to life of" prisoners and police personnel, a bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana said all those who were allowed to go out on bail in March last year by the high- powered committees of states and Union Territories (UTs) be granted the same relief without any reconsideration to avoid delay. "Further we direct that, those inmates who were granted parole, pursuant to our earlier orders, should be again granted parole for a period of 90 days in order to tide over the pandemic," the bench, also having Justices L Nageswara Rao and Surya Kant had said in its order. The top court had taken note of its March 23, 2020, order by which it had directed all states and UTs to constitute high- powered committee (HPC) to consider releasing on parole or interim bail prisoners and the under trials for offences entailing up to 7-year jail term to decongest prisons in the wake of pandemic. (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.) Plc fell behind in the Covid-19 vaccine race, but now the drugmaker is working to make sure its on the front lines of the next pandemic. The British pharma giant is talking with the U.K. and other governments about building facilities to bring vaccine development and production onshore before the next crisis, said Roger Connor, its vaccines chief. The labs would offer a range of vaccine technologies to tackle deadly viruses of the future, he said in an interview. When every government does their after-action review from this pandemic, theyll start to think about manufacturing within their own boundary, or within their own region at least, said Connor. We want to create in-country manufacturing and vaccine development capability for the future. Glaxos main R&D vaccine hubs currently are based in Belgium, Italy and the U.S., with manufacturing capacity globally, including the U.K. Despite being one of the worlds largest vaccine by revenue, Glaxo wasnt among the frontrunners in developing a Covid-19 shot. Its sluggish effort disappointed some shareholders, and a decision by activist investor Elliott Management Corp. to buy a significant stake in the company has increased scrutiny of its strategy. Crown jewel Still, positive data from two vaccine trials last week -- with partners and Medicago Inc. -- suggest Glaxo may yet play a role in the pandemic effort. The company is about to undertake a huge restructuring, spinning off its consumer health division next year and leaving the biopharma and vaccines arms together. Connor describes the vaccines business as a crown jewel that has been undervalued, and its pandemic preparedness plans are one of the ways it can prove this. ALSO READ: Covid-19 vaccines are all highly protective against death, study shows Weve got one of the widest range of technology platforms of any vaccine company, he said. To prepare for a future pandemic, you need to have fill-finish, you need to have bulk, you need to have technology choice, you need to have an R&D engine that connects very well to academia, to government monitoring of virus evolution, and GSK brings all of those things. Many countries were caught flat-footed last year when the swept across the globe, leading to tensions over supplies and even export bans to keep shots and their ingredients at home. Thats contributed to vast disparities in immunization rates between rich and poor nations around the globe. A dosing error in Glaxos trials with last year set the drugmakers back by six months. Moreover, Glaxos decision early in the pandemic to use its adjuvant technology -- substances that enhance the immune response to vaccines -- to partner with other drugmakers rather than creating its own shot has drawn criticism. The company is now on track to have both the and Medicago vaccines cleared for use by year-end, if the final trials are successful. ALSO READ: Sanofi, Glaxo covid vaccine works well in mid-stage study, shot on track Glaxo and Sanofi plan to start advanced trials with more than 37,000 people in coming weeks, with multiple formulations of the vaccine to better protect against variants such as those first found in South Africa and India. The studies will predominantly be outside the U.S. and focused on geographies with higher infection rates to give every chance of making the trial successful, Connor said. Revenue Growth Its Covid-19 stumbles notwithstanding, revenues at Glaxos vaccines business have increased by about 50% over the past four years. Shingles vaccine Shingrix is one of the companys biggest products and Connor says there are other blockbusters in the pipeline, including its Respiratory Syncytial Virus shots for older adults and pregnant mothers, both in advanced trials. Glaxo has never considered spinning off the vaccines business, according to Connor, and he doesnt see that changing. ALSO READ: GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals reports net profit of Rs 157 cr in Q3 Still, Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. are expecting to see annual sales of $26 billion and $19 billion from their Covid-19 vaccines, double the sales of Glaxos entire vaccine portfolio last year. If successful, sales of between $5 billion and $10 billion are possible for the Glaxo-Sanofi vaccine in 2022, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Sam Fazeli, but the must avoid any further delays. Yes, there are others making more from Covid in the short term, said Connor. However, when we look at the overall portfolio, innovation and current assets that we have, we think its stronger than anyones and slightly under-appreciated at the moment. Harsh Vardhan has asked yoga guru Ramdev to withdraw "objectionable statement" against doctors and allopathic medicines, saying it has hurt the sentiments of the country. The union health minister said Ramdev's statement on allopathic medicines is extremely unfortunate. "For all the countrymen, the doctors and other health workers are fighting day and night against the coronavirus," he said. "Saint Ramdev's statement has hurt the sentiments of the country. It is disrespectful the corona warriors. I have written a letter to him asking to withdraw the objectionable statement," Harsh Vardhan said. In his letter to Ramdev, Harsh Vardhan further said: "Your statement on allopathy can break morale of healthcare workers, weaken our fight against Covid." The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has taken serious objection to Ramdev's statements, where he was seen saying "allopathy ek aisi stupid aur diwalilya science hai (allopathy is such a stupid science)". He was also seen saying "lakhs of people have died after taking allopathic medicines." The top medical body has also asked the union health ministry to take action against Ramdev under Epidemic Disease Act for insulting the doctors of the country. COVID-19 vaccination drive for the 18-44 age group has been halted in Karnataka, with the state government categorically saying the vaccines for the beneficiary category are "currently not available". However, the notification issued by Dr Arundhathi Chandrashekhar, director, National Health Mission (NHM), Karnataka, said the "identified state COVID front line workers, vulnerable group and priority groups" within the 18-44 years age group, will be informed of the date and time of vaccination by the designated nodal officers. Regarding the inoculation of the 45 years and above age group, the notification said the registration for COVISHIELD vaccines will be open online in urban areas and onsite in rural areas for the first dose, and beneficiaries can walk-in to their nearest COVID vaccination center for the second dose. Meanwhile, the state said that the COVAXIN vaccine is not currently available for the first dose of the 45 and above age group also, but the SMS will be sent to beneficiaries due for their second dose. "Beneficiaries should visit the designated COVID vaccination center mentioned in the SMS," the notification said. Earlier, the vaccination for people below 45 years was halted on May 20 except for some categories of frontline workers. However later, Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar had said that vaccination for people in the 18-44 age group will resume from May 22. "State government-identified frontline workers and priority groups will be vaccinated first," he had tweeted. (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.) There will be no Covaxin doses left for those aged above 45, frontline and healthcare workers in Delhi after Monday, with no clarity on the supply of the next installment from the Centre, AAP MLA Atishi said on Sunday. She said the national capital has so far received 45.94 lakh vaccine doses for healthcare workers, frontline staff and those aged above 45, of which, 43.79 lakh have been administered to the beneficiaries. Delhi has only 25,000 Covaxin doses left for this (above 45 years) category. Though the last installment received from the Centre is being used for second doses, there will be no doses left after Monday, she said. The AAP leader rued that there has been no clarity on the supply of the next installment of Covaxin for this category, though the central government had promised to provide more doses in June. She said the city has received 8.17 lakh vaccine doses for the 18-44 age group so far, of which, 8.07 lakh doses had been utilised by Sunday morning. Vaccination centres administering Covaxin have already been shut. Similarly, Covishield inoculation centres will have to be closed from Monday, she said. Atishi noted that 64,214 people received the vaccine jabs on May 22. A total of 50.85 lakh doses have been administered to the beneficiaries in Delhi since the nationwide inoculation drive began on January 16. Around 11.51 lakh people have got both the doses, she added. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) The Southern Railway has delivered over 1,000 MT of Liquid Medical Oxygen to Kerala & Tamil Nadu through 16 Oxygen Express trains since the second wave commenced in the country, according to a statement. The railways has delivered a total of 246.56 MT of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) to Kerala so far and received its first loaded oxygen express carrying 6 Oxygen containers (117.9 MT) dispatched from Tata Steel Siding in Kalinganagar, Odisha on May 16 at Vallarpadam Container Terminal, Kochi. The second Oxygen Express for Kerala dispatched from Rourkela carrying 128.66 MT in 7 containers arrived at Vallarpadam Container Terminal, Kochi at 01.35 hours on May 22, 2021. Tamil Nadu has so far received a total of 770.16 MT of LMO delivered through thirteen oxygen express trains from May 14 to May 21, 2021. The sixteenth loaded Oxygen Express with 3 loaded tankers (19.54 MT) from Rourkela arrived at Madukkarai near Coimbatore on Saturday. The seventeenth loaded Oxygen Express dispatched from Rourkela with 84.1 MT in 4 containers is expected to arrive at Tondiarpet on Sunday. Indian Railways has delivered nearly 14,500 MT of LMO in more than 884 tankers to various states across the country. A total of 224 Oxygen Express trains have completed their journey so far and brought relief to various States. Oxygen Expresses have been delivering more than 800 MT of LMO to the nation each day now. The Railways said that it had mapped different routes with Oxygen supply locations and keeps itself ready with any emerging need of the States. States provide tankers to the Indian Railways for bringing LMO. --IANS aal/skp/ (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Two-time Olympic medallist and another person were arrested on Sunday in connection with the Chhatrasal Stadium brawl case that led to the death of a wrestler here, officials said. Kumar (38) and his associate Ajay, alias Sunil, (48) were arrested from Mundka, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) P S Kushwah said. The case relates to the May 4 incident at the stadium in which wrestler Sagar Rana died and two of his friends, Sonu and Amit Kumar, were injured after they were allegedly assaulted by and other wrestlers. The Delhi Police had announced a reward of Rs one lakh for information leading to the arrest of Sushil Kumar, who had since been on the run. Another reward of Rs 50,000 was announced for Ajay Kumar's arrest. Earlier, a Delhi Court had refused to grant anticipatory bail to the Olympic medallist, saying he was prima facie the main conspirator and allegations against him were serious in nature. Non-bailable warrants were issued against him and six others. This came days after a lookout notice was issued against the wrestler. The Delhi Police filed an FIR in the case under sections 302 (murder), 308 (culpable homicide), 365 (kidnapping), 325 (causing grievous hurt), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). It was also registered under sections 188 (Disobedience to order by public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC and various sections under the Arms Act. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) A new study by health officials in England shows for the first time that two doses of COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective against the B1.617.2 variant first identified in India. Public Health England (PHE) said on Saturday that while the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was 88 per cent effective against symptomatic COVID-19 from the B1.617.2 variant of concern (VOC) two weeks after the second dose, the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine was 60 per cent effective against symptomatic disease from the B1.617.2 VOC. However, the effectiveness from both types of vaccines was found to be only 33 per cent against the VOC found in India after just one dose of either jab. The Serum Institute of India has been producing the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines as Covishield for use in India as protection against COVID-19. This new evidence is groundbreaking and proves just how valuable our COVID-19 vaccination programme is in protecting the people we love, said UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock. It's clear how important the second dose is to secure the strongest possible protection against COVID-19 and its variants and I urge everyone to book in their jab when offered, he said. "I'm increasingly confident we're on track for the roadmap because this data shows the vaccine after two doses works just as effectively, and we all know that the vaccine is our way out of this," added the minister, raising hopes that the June 21 end to lockdown date remains on track. The analysis shows that vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic disease from the B.1.617.2 variant is similar after two doses compared to the B1.1.7 VOC discovered in Kent and currently the dominant variant in the UK. The Pfizer jabs were found to be 93 per cent effective against the B1.1.7 VOC compared to 66 per cent effectiveness from AstraZeneca against the B.1.1.7 variant. After just one dose, they both showed around 50 per cent effectiveness against the B1.1.7 VOC. PHE said it expects to see even higher levels of effectiveness against hospitalisation and death over time. This study provides reassurance that two doses of either vaccine offer high levels of protection against symptomatic disease from the B1.617.2 variant, said Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisation at PHE. We expect the vaccines to be even more effective at preventing hospitalisation and death, so it is vital to get both doses to gain maximum protection against all existing and emerging variants, she said. The analysis included data for all age groups from April 5 to cover the period since the B1.617.2 VOC emerged. It included 1,054 people confirmed as having the B1.617.2 variant through genomic sequencing, including participants of several ethnicities. PHE noted that the difference in effectiveness between the vaccines after two doses may be explained by the fact that rollout of second doses of AstraZeneca was later than for the Pfizer vaccine, and other data on antibody profiles show it takes longer to reach maximum effectiveness with the AstraZeneca vaccine. Separate PHE analysis indicates that the COVID-19 vaccination programme has so far prevented 13,000 deaths and around 39,100 hospitalisations in older people in England, up to May 9. Today's data is astounding and a true reflection of just how important it is to get both your jabs when offered. I encourage all those offered an appointment to get their jab booked in as soon as possible and take full advantage of the high levels of protection the vaccines bring, said Nadhim Zahawi, UK Vaccine Deployment Minister. PHE said there are currently insufficient cases and follow-up periods to estimate vaccine effectiveness against severe outcomes from the B1.617.2 variant but that it will continue to evaluate this over the coming weeks. However, as with other variants, it remains confident that even higher levels of effectiveness are expected against hospitalisation and death. (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.) Federal Health officials are ramping up their surveillance of the highly transmissible Covid-19 variant first identified in India as experts warn that under-vaccinated areas in the U.S. could become hot spots for the mutation. While U.S. cases attributed to the B.1.617 variant currently sit below 1%, the growth rate remains unclear due to the small sample size. Meanwhile, one science group said the strain could be as much as 50% more transmissible than B.1.1.7, the variant that emerged from the U.K. That mutation was first seen in the U.S. in late December, and is now dominant nationally. A just-released U.K. study found the Inc.-BioNTech SE vaccine was highly effective against a form of the B.1.617 variant two weeks after the second dose, affirming preliminary data from Phase 3 clinical trials. Still, the mutation has arrived in the U.S. at a time when anti-pandemic measures are loosening and around 60% of the population isnt yet fully vaccinated. ALSO READ: AstraZeneca vaccine 80% effective against B1.617.2 variant: UK study From everything I can tell the vaccines are highly effective against this variant, said Samuel Scarpino, a co-founder of Global.health, an organization that tracks Covid cases and variants internationally. But there are some states in the U.S. with quite low vaccination coverage putting them at risk for potential outbreaks. The B.1.617 variant that has devastated India was first detected in the U.S. between late February and late March of this year. On May 4, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention designated B.1.617 as a variant of interest. It is now studying whether to escalate its standing to a variant of concern, said Jade Fulce, a CDC spokesperson. Currently, the CDC has classified eight variants of interest, three of which are forms of the B.1.617 strain, according to the CDC website. The agency says these variants are predicted to affect transmission, diagnostics, therapeutics, or immune escape, but still have limited prevalence or expansion in the U.S. or in other countries. Variants of concern There are five variants of concern listed by the CDC. This category covers those that show evidence of impact on diagnostics, treatments or vaccines along with increased transmissibility and/or disease severity. Local health agencies are urged to report these cases to the CDC, who will also report them to the World Health Organization. The designation will also spur efforts to control the variants spread and, potentially, development of new diagnostics or the modification of vaccines or treatments. So far, according to the CDCs Fulce, there is insufficient data to evaluate with a high degree of confidence whether these lineages are variants of concern. ALSO READ: Indian variant driving catastrophic second wave: Top WHO scientist Agency efforts to determine variant classification include reviews of the latest case percentages, as well as laboratory, epidemiological and clinical research data, according to Jasmine Reed, another CDC spokesperson. The CDC also is in touch with global partners, including the WHO, to share data and coordinate genomic surveillance and characterization of variants, Reed said. U.K. Study The recently-released U.K. study by Public Health England found both the vaccine, authorized for use in the U.S. on an emergency basis, and the AstraZeneca Plc shot, which isnt yet available in the U.S., to be highly effective against the B.1.617.2 form of the variant first detected in India. The study was conducted from April 5 to May 16. Pfizer-BioNTech shot was 88% effective against the B.1.617.2 variant two weeks after the second dose. Two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were 60% effective. We expect the vaccines to be even more effective at preventing hospitalization and death, said Mary Ramsay, head of immunization at Public Health England. So it is vital to get both doses to gain maximum protection against all existing and emerging variants. Still, some health experts are questioning if the CDC is doing enough as experts warn that with states opening up, and anti-pandemic measures loosening, under-vaccinated pockets of the U.S. could be at risk of B.1.617 outbreaks. U.S. vaccine roll-out efforts vary state by state. New Mexico, Maine and New Jersey have administered enough doses to cover more than half of their population. Other regions, however, are lagging. Idaho, Wyoming and Louisiana have administered enough doses for just under 35% of their population, while Mississippi and Alabama have administered enough for only 30%. I think the CDC should be doing more in terms of communicating the risks of this variant, and that should translate into states taking precautions more seriously than were currently doing, Global.healths Scarpino said. Spike Protein Scientists pay most attention to mutations in the gene that encodes the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, which plays a key role in viral entry into cells. Targeted by vaccines, this protein influences immunity and vaccine efficacy. B.1.617 is among several variants that carry multiple mutations affecting the spike protein. The WHO earlier this month declared B.1.617 a variant of global concern based on early evidence suggesting it is highly contagious and carries at least some propensity to evade antibodies, including bamlanivimab, a monoclonal antibody therapy developed by AbCellera Biologics Inc. and Eli Lilly & Co. The mutation was detected in 44 countries as of mid-May amid a dramatic spike in cases. It is highly likely that this variant is more transmissible than B.1.1.7, the variant first detected in the U.K., and possibly as much as 50% more transmissible, the U.K.s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies said on May 13. Travel Ban U.S. President Joe Biden has banned most travel from India, though the order doesnt apply to U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Countries including Singapore, the U.K. and Tanzania have also curbed travel to and from India over B.1.617 fears. The U.S. has been increasing its surveillance efforts in order to get a better understanding of the Covid variants that exist in the U.S. They are collaborating with state and local public health laboratories to increase the number of specimens that are sequenced. The CDC has also increased sequencing capacity through contracts with commercial diagnostic laboratories. Despite these efforts the U.S. still lags behind more than 20 other countries in terms of having a clear idea of how many variant cases there are, according to the latest ranking by GISAID, an international group that promotes the rapid sharing of data from the that causes COVID-19. U.K. Sampling The U.K. is sampling around 50% to 60% of all positive Covid-19 samples, said Moritz Kraemer an epidemiologist at the University of Oxford, which provides crucial detail of the distribution of the B.1.617 variant. Rigorous sequencing allowed authorities to identify 2,323 cases of the mutation on Monday. ALSO READ: Cases of Covid variant from India more than double in a week in UK In Bolton and Blackburn, towns in northwestern England, cases of the India variant doubled in just a week. Most people with the India variant in areas around Bolton had not been vaccinated. Almost 40% of Americans have been fully vaccinated, and roughly half of the U.S. population have received at least one shot. But as more people are interacting and socializing there are more possibilities for transmission, Kraemer said during a phone interview. For any variant, if there are lots of infectious people coming into the country at a particular locality, if there are a population of people who are unvaccinated its fair to say that theres a high risk that those areas could become hot spots, he said. Extremely severe cyclonic storm Tauktae, which hit southern Gujarat's Saurashtra coast on May 17, brought heavy rain to all seven states and union territories (UTs) on India's western coast. Thousands of uprooted trees damaged residences, vehicles and essential infrastructure such as electricity lines. Around 150,000 people had to be evacuated in At least 90 people died. The damage has drawn into sharp focus the need for adequate disaster mitigation infrastructure like shelters, all-weather roads and embankments in light of increasing cyclonic storms on the west coast. Installation of this infrastructure, however, has not kept pace in this region, official data show. Phase-II of the Risk Mitigation Project (NCRMP), being implemented since January 2015 by the Disaster Management Agency and state governments, covers all the west coast states--Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala--and the eastern state of West Bengal. None of the west coast states has met their targets for building multi-purpose shelters under the NCRMP. While has built fewer than half of its planned shelters, Maharashtra has built none. West Bengal on the eastern coast, by contrast, has built all its planned shelters. The western states also lag in installing other critical infrastructure such as saline embankments and underground cabling to ensure continued supply of essential services, and developing early warning dissemination systems. ALSO READ: Cyclone Yaas: PM to hold review meeting with ministers, officials today The Arabian Sea coast has historically experienced fewer storms than India's eastern Bay of Bengal coast and normally sees just one cyclonic storm per year, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD) data. Tauktae, however, was the eighth cyclonic storm to form over the Arabian Sea since 2019, per data, and the second severe to make landfall on the west coast within a year, after Cyclone Nisarga hit Raigad, Maharashtra, in early June 2020. Tauktae is thus only the latest evidence of rising frequency of cyclonic storms forming in the Arabian Sea with the warming of oceans, climate change experts say. The increase in both intensity and frequency of cyclones on the western coast due to global heating was also noted in an NDMA study in 2018. Installation of mitigation structures behind schedule The Arabian Sea normally sees the formation of just one cyclonic storm per year. Between 2015 and 2020, cyclonic disturbances over the Arabian Sea increased to nearly four per year, and cyclones and severe cyclones to two per year, on average. "This is the fourth consecutive year where we have seen a pre-monsoon cyclone over the Arabian Sea. It is also the third consecutive year when a cyclone storm has come very close to the west coast of India. Sea surface temperatures have risen rapidly during the past century and this has led to an increase in the frequency and intensity of cyclones in the Arabian Sea," Roxy Mathew Koll, scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, told IndiaSpend. The NCRMP, funded by the World Bank, the central and state governments, is being implemented in 13 cyclone-prone coastal states and union territories since 2011. It involves two key components relating to mitigating risk from disasters--creation of physical infrastructure such as multi-purpose cyclone shelters, roads for evacuation and development of early warning dissemination systems--among others. Phase I ran from 2011 to 2018 and covered Andhra Pradesh and Odisha on the Bay of Bengal coast. The project is currently in its second phase, covering all the states on the western Arabian Sea coast--Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala--and West Bengal in the east. Earlier slated for completion by March 2021, the project has been extended to September 2022. Tamil Nadu, also on India's eastern coast, is not covered under NCRMP. But it has implemented the Coastal Disaster Risk Reduction Project (CDRRP) since 2013 with financial assistance from the World Bank to mitigate natural hazards along the coast. Under CDRRP, the state has installed early warning systems and built 121 multi-purpose evacuation shelters. Multi-purpose cyclone shelters (MPCS) are a first line of defence against high-speed winds and floods, according to the NDMA. None of the states on the west coast have met their respective targets under NCRMP for building MPCS, data show. The three eastern states of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal built all their planned shelters. Gujarat, which bore the maximum fury of Cyclone Tauktae, is supposed to build 76 MPCS but has completed fewer than half, with 42 still under construction. Gujarat's performance, though, is better than neighbouring Maharashtra's, where zero shelters have been built against 11 planned under NCRMP. Cyclone Nisarga had killed six people and injured 15 in Maharashtra in June 2020. There was a delay in finalising tenders for shelters as no bids were received initially, a Maharashtra government official aware of developments told IndiaSpend, and added that the state will now seek additional financing and issue work orders soon. In Goa, where 12 shelters have been planned, only one has been completed. Work on MPCS had been delayed in Goa and three out of 10 awarded contracts were terminated due to non-performance and had to be re-tendered, a World Bank review of project implementation had noted in 2019. Kerala, which saw major loss of lives of fisherfolk during Cyclone Ockhi in 2017, has completed only seven of 17 planned MPCS. ALSO READ: Cyclone Tauktae impact: Death toll climbs to 45 in 12 districts of Gujarat Karnataka was closest to completing targets for building shelters, having already constructed eight of 11 planned. "We faced delays in completing our target due to the Covid-19 pandemic as well due to some issues in the design of the shelters. We expect the last two shelters to be completed by next March," Rajkumar Pujari, project in-charge, NCRMP, Karnataka, told IndiaSpend. In Karnataka, the World Bank review made a note of severe delays in payments to contractors. States are also yet to complete construction of saline embankments, meant to prevent ingress of saline water into agricultural fields. Work in Goa had stalled due to land availability problems, Maharashtra had completed project development documents, and in Kerala, 22 km of saline embankments were under construction, according to the World Bank review. Laying of underground cables to prevent cyclone-triggered hazards such as collapsing of electricity poles and to prevent damage to power supply infrastructure is also part of the NCRMP project in three states--Goa, Maharashtra and West Bengal. In Goa, 80% of work to lay underground cables over 98 km has been completed, and 20% is under execution, data show. In Maharashtra, 144 km of a planned 471 km of underground cabling has been completed in coastal Palghar, Raigad and Ratnagiri districts, leaving 327 km (69%) of work pending. West Bengal, meanwhile, has laid 472.46 km of underground cabling out of a planned 500 km. Only 27.54 km is pending. This is only the progress on cabling work that has been planned under the NCRMP. Whether these plans are adequate has been thrown in doubt by delays of several days in restoring power supply in parts of Goa, after Cyclone Tauktae brought down electrical poles, broke wires and damaged transformers all over the state. While those parts of Goa which had underground cabling saw power supply restored quickly, power supply had still not reached pre-cyclone levels in many areas on May 19, three days after the cyclone triggered gusting and heavy rains in the state. Meanwhile, Goans posted pleas for information about electricity supply on social media on behalf of families using electric generators for Covid-19 patients requiring oxygen support machines at home. Work on building evacuation bridges and tendering of work for early warning dissemination systems is also pending in some states, per the World Bank review. "There have been implementation delays due to several factors including severe weather conditions, local site conditions (including water logging and floods, landslips), availability of land, land transfer to the project, repeat bidding due to poor/no participation of bidders, and non-availability of labour during the Covid-19 pandemic (since the March 2020 lockdown)," a World Bank spokesperson told IndiaSpend. "The delays are being reviewed such that all investments under the project are completed before the end of the project in 2022." IndiaSpend has also sought responses on NCRMP implementation from the NDMA and its project in-charge for the NCRMP. We will update the article should they respond. NCRMP is an important project for building cyclone-ready infrastructure and it needs renewed focus in light of the recent cyclones in the Arabian Sea, Abinash Mohanty, Programme Lead, Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), a Delhi-based think-tank, told IndiaSpend. Also needed are micro-level climate risk assessments and impact-based early warning systems that can disseminate the associated hazards to the public, he said. "Cyclones cause multi-hazard events and we have seen that the window of time to respond is small given the rapid intensification of storms. Thus, impact-based early warning systems need to be enhanced," he added. It is important to incorporate climate science findings into local action plans and to conceptualise climate-resilient infrastructure, said Harjeet Singh, senior advisor, Climate Action Network International. "Are we looking at sea-level rise and cyclone-related impacts? Existing buildings need to be retrofitted based on available scientific data. How are we preparing for sanitation and public health issues that follow due to floods that follow cyclones? Preparing for these impacts is very important, especially at community level," Singh told IndiaSpend. Mohanty agreed. "Creating community-based adaptive capacities is important and we need a unified response system for that. When the Fukushima disaster struck, everyone knew their role, including citizens. We don't have unified systems at community level," said Mohanty. Assessing utility of cyclone shelters In 2013, before cyclone Phailin made landfall in Odisha's Ganjam district, 180,000 people from the district were evacuated. Phailin was then the most intense cyclone to cross the Indian coast since the 1999 Odisha super cyclone. Even as cyclone shelters play a key role in preventing casualties during storms, the utility and actual use of these structures depended on a variety of factors ranging from structural safety, proximity to vulnerable areas to lack of basic facilities and ownership issues, found this study from December 2020. The study assessed the role shelters of different kinds played during four cyclones--Phailin, Titli, Hudhud and Fani--based on interviews of people who were evacuated prior to the landfall of these storms in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. People did not specifically prefer designated cyclone shelters over public buildings such as schools and colleges that are also used as shelters, the study found. Some of the interviewees who stayed at a cyclone shelter in Chatrapur block of Ganjam district in Odisha during cyclone storm Phailin said that rain water had accumulated in one of the halls and the impact of the storm could be felt in the building. The study recommended that use of multi-purpose cyclone shelters in areas that are vulnerable to tidal surges should be reviewed. "MPCS' use as public buildings such as school, community centres etc. are useful in its utility beyond cyclone period but it requires to be viable too in providing adequate safety during a cyclonic storm (sic)," the study noted in its conclusion. Britons reject Boris Johnsons call to take 2 Covid tests per week Boris Johnsons government has always maintained that mass testing is the key to the UK getting back to normal, after suffering one of the worst death tolls from in the world. However, the number of rapid tests for being carried out in England fell to just over five million per week at the start of May, from a high of 7.6 million in the week to March 17 when schools reopened after the winter lockdown. This is despite a government campaign calling on members of the public to test themselves twice weekly at home. The rapid test total has fallen for three weeks in a row in England, which has a total population of about 56 million people. Read here Let's look at the global statistics Global infections: 162,535,050 Global deaths: 3,369,744 Nations with most cases: US (32,924,078), India (24,046,809), Brazil (15,586,534), France (5,925,071), Turkey (5,106,862). Source: John Hopkins Research Center US CDC ramps up research on highly contagious variant from India US health officials are ramping up their surveillance of the highly transmissible coronavirus variant first identified in India as experts warn that under-vaccinated areas in the US could become hot spots for the mutation. While US cases attributed to the B.1.617 variant currently sit below 1 per cent, the growth rate remains unclear due to the small sample size. Meanwhile, one science group said the strain could be as much as 50 per cent more transmissible than B.1.1.7, the variant that emerged from the UK. It was first seen in the US in late December, and is now dominant nationally. Read here Germany suspends travel from the UK amid concerns of a variants spread Germany is banning most travel from Britain amid concerns about the spread of a coronavirus variant first discovered in India. German citizens and residents will still be allowed to enter the country from Britain but will be required to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival. The move came just days after Britain reopened its museums and cinemas and resumed allowing indoor service in pubs and restaurants. Many people in Britain have been looking forward to traveling abroad in the coming months, and Spain is set to welcome visitors arriving from Britain without a coronavirus test. Read here Children with Covid: why are some countries seeing more cases and deaths? Why is Covid-19 infecting and affecting children so severely in some countries like Brazil and Indonesia but not in others, to the point where some countries may forgo vaccinating children for the time being? While more research is needed, experts say there are several factors playing a role. One is that diagnosis of Covid-19 in children is coming too late, when children are already severely unwell and treatment is more difficult. While most children seem to have asymptomatic to mildly infections which could be managed at home, there is a growing number of severe cases in children. Read here Expressing concern over rise in animal feed prices in the domestic market, the All India Poultry Breeders Association (AIPBA) on Sunday demanded the government to reduce on soybean meal to zero for at least five months. Soybean meal remains the most common protein source for all compound feeds for poultry, dairy cattle and pigs in the country and worldwide. In a letter to Union Minister for Animal Husbandry, Livestock, Dairying and Fisheries Giriraj Singh, AIPBA Chairman Bahadur Ali said, "There is an acute shortage of soybean in the supply line, leading to massive price escalation. The only option is now to ensure import to cool down the prices to save livestock farmers." Domestic prices of soybean, from which soybean meal is made, have doubled in a year to Rs 81,000 per tonne from Rs 36,420 per tonne. But, in the global market, prices of soybean and soybean meal are half the Indian rates, he said. This price rise is "unsustainable" and is killing small farmers due to reduced demand and high risk. Most of the farmers sare not placing new chicks in the farmers, he added. Seeking urgent government intervention, the AIPBA chairman demanded reduction in on soybean to zero for five months till harvesting starts in India. This will have no impact on farmers' prices because world market prices are not less than the minimum support price. The association also demanded the Centre to ensure key soybean-growing states to issue orders for checking hoarding of soybean and make all warehouse owners to declare stocks with available them. Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan are major soybean-growing states that produce 98 per cent of soybean in India. The government should curb speculation in the futures market by increasing the margin money on soybean futures by 30 per cent, it said. That apart, the government should minimise trade distortion and its impact on farmers by allowing only GST-registered feed mills to import the soymeal under specified conditions, it said in the letter. "Unless quick decisions are not taken in this regard, the livestock sectors and livestock farmers will suffer another massive financial loss, soon after huge losses suffered during the first wave of COVID-19 and subsequent lockdowns," the association noted. (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.) Conducting Class 12 board exams before vaccinating students can prove to be a big mistake, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister told the Centre on Sunday. Sisodia made the suggestion at a high-level meeting called by the Ministry of which is currently underway. "Raised the demand for making arrangements for vaccinating Class 12 students before board exams at a meeting with the central government. Conducting the examination by toying with students' safety will prove to be a big mistake. First vaccine, then exams," he tweeted in Hindi. "Ninety-five per cent of Class 12 students are above the age of 17.5 years. The Centre should talk to experts if they can be given Covishield or Covaxin vaccines," Sisodia said. The Centre should also talk to Pfizer for the vaccination of Class 12 students, he added. The meeting is being chaired by Union minister Rajnath Singh. The government is likely to take a final call on pending Class 12 board exams and subsequent entrance examinations that were postponed in view of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. (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.) There is a broad consensus among states about conducting Class 12 board exams and an informed, collaborative decision will be taken by June 1, Union Minister Nishank' said on Sunday. However, states like Maharashtra said at a high-level meeting on Sunday that non-examination route for Class 12 students should be actively examined and Delhi and Kerala governments suggested vaccinating students before the exams. According to sources, the CBSE has proposed conducting exams between July 15 and August 26 and the result to be declared in September. The board also proposed two options: conducting regular exams for 19 major subjects at notified centres or conducting shorter duration exams at respective schools where students are enrolled. The ministry has sought detailed suggestions from states by May 25. Sources claimed majority states were in favour of the second option while some wanted a mix of both options. The CBSE has already cancelled Class 10 board exams and announced an alternative marking policy. The April and May edition of the engineering entrance exam JEE-Mains were also postponed. The board exams, which are usually conducted in February-March every year, were scheduled to be held from May 4. After the deliberations on Sunday, the Union Minister said, "The meeting was extremely fruitful as we received immensely valuable suggestions. I have requested the state governments to send me their detailed suggestions by May 25. I am confident we will be able to arrive at an informed, collaborative decision regarding the exams and remove the uncertainty among student's and parent's minds by informing them of our final decision at the earliest." "I want to reiterate that both students' and teachers' safety, security, and future are supremely important to us. While a broad consensus was there among the states and UTs about conducting the exams, they have been asked to examine the matter further and send their feedback," he added. The minister said the decision will be taken by June 1. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the crucial meeting which was convened to decide on the Class 12 board exams and subsequent entrance examinations that were postponed due to the second wave of COVID-19. Union ministers Smriti Irani, Prakash Javadekar and Sanjay Dhotre also attended the meeting, besides ministers and secretaries of several states and union territories. According to sources, the first option proposed was conducting exams at designated centres for 19 major subjects. For minor subjects assessment can be based on performance in major subjects. This can be done if three months of time period is clearly and safely available to the board. August could be a likely month for holding the exams and the whole process is likely to go on till September end, a source said. Elaborating on the second option, the source said, The exams can be conducted twice by the board depending upon the conducive situation. If a student is not able to appear due to any COVID related matter, he or she will be provided another opportunity to sit for exams." The exams will be of 90 minutes duration instead of three hours and will be conducted in same schools where students are enrolled. The questions will be objective and very short answer type. Students will have to appear in one language and three elective subjects, the source added. The tentative timeline for this option is the first phase of exams from July 15 to August 1 and the second phase from August 8-26. Exams are proposed to be conducted on Sundays also, the source said. A large section of students and parents have been demanding cancellation of board exams. The hashtag cancelboardexams also trended on Twitter as the meeting was underway. Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said his government is not in favour of the options being explored by CBSE to conduct the exams and going ahead with the process without vaccinating students will prove to be a big mistake. Maharashtra Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad said the option for non-examination route for class 12 students should be actively examined keeping in mind the projection that children are more vulnerable to new strains of coronavirus. The Tamil Nadu government proposed conducting the exams after COVID-19 situation subsides in the state. "Like other states, Tamil Nadu also wanted to conduct the Class 12 board exams as it plays an important role in deciding students career," school education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi told reporters after meeting. Karnataka state primary and secondary education minister S Suresh Kumar said it's important to conduct class 12 exams in the interest of students. Odisha Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash said the exams can either be conducted after the situation improves or can be cut short. State is also busy in preparation for ensuing cyclones, we will take a decision soon, he said. Punjab Education Minister Vijay Inder Singla said that during the difficult times, safety and security of students and teachers must be the priority of the government and every possible step should be taken in this regard. The minister suggested conducting exams of only three elective subjects. (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.) For the first time in 11 months, the daily average of new infections in the US fell below 30,000 amid continuing signs that most communities are emerging from the worst of the pandemic, but the progress has not been even across the nation, according to media reports. The seven-day average dipped to 27,815 on Friday, the lowest since June 22 and less than a tenth of the infection rate during the winter surge, Xinhua news agency quoted state health department data compiled by The Washington Post. "The pandemic map remains speckled with hot spots, including parts of the Deep South, the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Northwest. At the local level, progress against the contagion has not been uniform as some communities struggle with inequities in vaccine distribution and in the health impacts of the virus," The Washington Post said in a report on Saturday. The vast bulk of the American landscape has turned pale green, the colour-code for "low or moderate" viral burden, in a Covid-19 Community Profile Report released this week by President Joe Biden's administration. The report showed 694 counties still have "high" levels of transmission, less than half as many as in mid-April. The big question now is whether the virus will be thoroughly squelched through mounting vaccinations, or whether it will smolder in areas with low immunisation rates and potentially flare when colder weather returns, David Rubin, director of PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, was quoted as saying. The lab has been modeling the outbreak for more than a year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Covid-19 data tracker showed that currently 60.5 per cent of American adults have received at least one vaccination, putting the country on a path of reaching President Biden's 70 per cent target by July 4. Currently, around half a million Americans would need to receive the first dose of the vaccine each day over the next 44 days in order to reach Biden's goal. Around 160 million Americans have already received at least one dose of the vaccine, The Washington Post said on Friday. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that the target goal will be met with the current vaccination rate. While the number of vaccines administered daily has fallen, the rate is still high enough for Biden's benchmark to be met, he said. Administration officials are becoming increasingly confident that the pandemic will be brought under control in the coming months, although infections will not plunge to zero and there remains the threat of mutated variants as the virus continues to circulate globally, according to the report. Meanwhile, the US is seeing an average of 552 Covid-19 deaths per day, according to John Hopkins University data, the lowest level since July. As of Sunday morning, the US has registered a total of 33,103,118 confirmed cases and 589,670 deaths. The two tallies currently account for the world's highest. --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.) Israeli police on Sunday escorted more than 120 Jewish visitors to a flashpoint holy site in where police actions in recent weeks had ignited protests and violence that triggered war in Gaza, according to the Islamic authority overseeing the site. The UN humanitarian coordinator meanwhile said hundreds of homes in Gaza had been completely destroyed and many more had been badly damaged in the 11-day war, which was brought to a fragile halt on Friday. Police cleared young Palestinians out of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and barred entry to Muslims under the age of 45, according to the Islamic Waqf, which oversees the site under Jordanian custodianship. Muslims who entered were required to leave their IDs with police at the entrance. It said six Palestinians were detained, with four later released. Israeli police denied there was any age restriction and said they arrested five suspects who violated the public order. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the site was open for regular visits and that police had secured the area to prevent incidents". Israeli police had briefly clashed with Palestinian protesters after Friday prayers in an early test for the truce, which had taken effect hours earlier. The Waqf said Sunday was the first time had been allowed to visit the site since May 4, a week before the war broke out. The Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam. It sits on a sprawling hilltop in Jerusalem's Old City that is revered by as their holiest site because it was the location of the biblical temples. The site has often been the scene of Israeli-Palestinian violence over the years and was the epicenter of the 2000 Palestinian intifada, or uprising. Israeli police repeatedly clashed with Palestinian protesters in the days leading up to May 10, when Gaza's militant Hamas rulers fired long-range rockets at The threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families from a nearby neighborhood was cited as another major trigger of the 11-day war, which was halted by a cease-fire on Friday. In recent years, increasing numbers of religious and nationalist have visited the site. Palestinians fear plans to eventually take over the compound or partition it. The Israeli government has repeatedly said it has no intention of changing the status quo, in which the Waqf oversees the site under Jordanian custodianship. The Gaza war saw unleash hundreds of airstrikes across Gaza at what it said were militant targets. Hamas and other armed groups fired more than 4,000 rockets toward Israel, most of which were intercepted or landed in open areas. More than 250 people were killed, the vast majority of them Palestinians. The Israeli strikes levelled a number of large buildings in the impoverished coastal territory, which is home to more than 2 million Palestinians. Gaza has been under a crippling Israeli-Egyptian blockade since Hamas, an Islamic militant group, seized power from forces loyal to the internationally backed Palestinian Authority in 2007. Lynn Hastings, the UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, said some 300 buildings in Gaza including an estimated 1,000 housing units had been completely destroyed. She said hundreds more had been heavily damaged. Market Reports on Saudi Arabia Provides the Trending Market Research Report on Fragrances in Saudi Arabia under Saudi Arabia Consumer Goods Market category. The Fragrances in Saudi Arabia is projected to exhibit highest growth rate over report offers a collection of superior market research, market analysis, and competitive intelligence and industry reports. Unit sales of fragrances plunged by close to one-fifth during 2020. COVID-19 was the main driver of this: With consumers spending more time at home and socialising less often with family and friends, many local consumers used fragrances less frequently during the year. Demand for fragrances was also adversely affected by a reduction in international tourism due to travel restrictions arising from the pandemic most international tourists who come to the country are Hajj or Umrah tourists. Fragrances in Saudi Arabia report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides the latest retail sales data 2016-2020, allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. Forecasts to 2025 illustrate how the market is set to change. Product coverage: Mass Fragrances, Premium Fragrances. Data coverage: market sizes (historic and forecasts), company shares, brand shares and distribution data. 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Table Of Contents List OF CONTENTS AND TABLES FRAGRANCES IN SAUDI ARABIA KEY DATA FINDINGS 2020 IMPACT Demand for fragrances plunges, as consumers socialise less and rein in their discretionary spending Pandemic hits demand for premium fragrances particularly hard Extensive retail network and regular new product launches help Arabian Oud Co maintain its leadership RECOVERY AND OPPORTUNITIES Rebound in demand will be sluggish, partly due a declining expat population Premium fragrances will lead the recovery Having broken through as a result of the pandemic, e-commerce is here to stay CATEGORY DATA Table 1 Sales of Fragrances by Category: Value 2015-2020 Table 2 Sales of Fragrances by Category: % Value Growth 2015-2020 Table 3 NBO Company Shares of Fragrances: % Value 2016-2020 Table 4 LBN Brand Shares of Fragrances: % Value 2017-2020 Table 5 LBN Brand Shares of Premium Men's Fragrances: % Value 2017-2020 Table 6 LBN Brand Shares of Premium Women's Fragrances: % Value 2017-2020 Table 7 Forecast Sales of Fragrances by Category: Value 2020-2025 Table 8 Forecast Sales of Fragrances by Category: % Value Growth 2020-2025 BEAUTY AND PERSONAL CARE IN SAUDI ARABIA EXECUTIVE SUMMARY COVID-19 impact on beauty and personal care COVID-19 country impact Company response Retailing shift What next for beauty and personal care? CHART 1 Beauty and Personal Care Value Sales Growth Scenarios: 2018-2025 CHART 2 Beauty and Personal Care Impact of Soft Drivers on Value Sales: 2017-2025 MARKET DATA Table 9 Sales of Beauty and Personal Care by Category: Value 2015-2020 Table 10 Sales of Beauty and Personal Care by Category: % Value Growth 2015-2020 Table 11 GBO Company Shares of Beauty and Personal Care: % Value 2016-2020 Table 12 NBO Company Shares of Beauty and Personal Care: % Value 2016-2020 Table 13 LBN Brand Shares of Beauty and Personal Care: % Value 2017-2020 Table 14 Distribution of Beauty and Personal Care by Format: % Value 2015-2020 Table 15 Distribution of Beauty and Personal Care by Format and Category: % Value 2020 Table 16 Forecast Sales of Beauty and Personal Care by Category: Value 2020-2025 Table 17 Forecast Sales of Beauty and Personal Care by Category: % Value Growth 2020-2025 GLOBAL MACROECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT GLOBAL INDUSTRY ENVIRONMENT DISCLAIMER SOURCES Summary 1 Research Sources Browse our full report with Table of Contents: http://www.marketreportsonsaudiarabia.com/marketreports/fragrances-in-saudi-arabia/211510 About Us Market Reports on Saudi Arabia provides you with an in-depth industry reports focusing on various economic, political and operational risk environment, complemented by detailed sector analysis. We have an exhaustive coverage on variety of industries ranging from energy and chemicals to transportation, communications, constructions and mining to Food and Beverage and education. Our collection includes over 3000 up-to-date reports all researched, analysed and published by top-notch international research firms. Contact us at: Market Reports On Saudi Arabia Tel: +91 22 27810772 / 27810773 Email: info@marketreportsonsaudiarabia.com Website: http://www.marketreportsonsaudiarabia.com Follow us on : Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn Nepal's Election Commission has advised the government led by embattled Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli to conduct the mid-term elections slated for November 12 and 19 in a single phase to prevent the further spread of coronavirus infections during electioneering. After a meeting with Prime Minister on Saturday, Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya said it is Election Commission's constitutional duty to successfully conduct polls once the date has been announced. "We have abundant time for preparation and have suggested to the government to conduct the election in a single phase, Thapaliya was quoted as saying in a report in My Republica. In the meeting, the representatives of the Election Commission also suggested to the government to create a favorable political environment for elections, maintain peace and security, and prevent the spread of COVID-19 infections among others, it said. Nepal's President Bidya Devi Bhandari dissolved the House of Representatives on Saturday for the second time in five months and announced snap elections on November 12 and November 19 on the recommendation of prime minister Oli. Oli suggested that the Election Commission officials step up preparations for elections by devising a proper strategy based on its past election-management experience in view of the coronavirus pandemic. "On the one hand, COVID pandemic is raging, and on the other, the election should be carried out within six months. There is no situation for deferring the election due to the pandemic. Amid the pandemic too, various countries including India, the US, the UK, and Brazil have successfully completed elections," Oli said. on Sunday reported 8,980 new coronavirus cases, taking the national tally to over 505643 while the death toll stands at 6,153, according to the health ministry. A total of 129 more fatalities were reported from across the country in the past 24 hours on Saturday, the ministry said. Thapalya said the prime minister assured the commission of adequate security arrangement, budget, and human resources for the election, The Himalayan Times reported. The Election Commission advised the prime minister to review the decision to hold polls in two phases, Thapalya said. The president's announcement plunged into further political crisis and brought back memories of December 2020 when she first dissolved the House at Oli's recommendation, a move that swayed the course of Nepali towards uncertainty. The Supreme Court later annulled the duo's move in February. Alarmed by the President's step to dissolve the House yet again, the leaders of Nepal's Opposition alliance on Saturday decided to take all legal and political means to counter Prime Minister Oli and President Bhandari's "unconstitutional, undemocratic and regressive" move. The Opposition alliance blamed the president for making an assault on the Constitution and democracy in partnership with the prime minister, who had lost a trust vote in the House. The parties claimed that the government is hell-bent on its attempt to prolong the autocratic rule despite the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. Speaker of the House of Representatives Agni Prasad Sapkota also said President Bhandari's decision to dissolve the House was against the spirit of the Constitution of (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 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is looking into reports that a very small number of teenagers and young adults vaccinated against the coronavirus may have experienced heart problems, The New York Times reported on Saturday, citing the agency's vaccine safety group. The CDC is reviewing several dozen reports that teenagers and young adults may have developed myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, after vaccination, the New York Times said, citing CDC officials. Reuters could not immediately reach the CDC for comment. There were relatively few cases and they may be entirely unrelated to vaccination, the newspaper said, citing a statement from the CDCs vaccine safety group. The review is in the early stages, and the agency has yet to determine whether there is any evidence the vaccines caused the heart condition, the New York Times said. The heart problem seems to have occurred predominantly in adolescents and young adults about four days after their second dose of either the Moderna Inc or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, both of which are mRNA vaccines. Earlier this month the authorized the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine for children aged 12 to 15. has started for the age group since. Covid cases in halve in a month Covid-19 cases and deaths in the US continue to plunge, despite the slowed pace of vaccinations. The US recorded almost 28,600 new cases on Friday, with the seven-day average roughly half the level of a month ago, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg. Meanwhile, all of the Covid-19 deaths in Alaska over the last few weeks have been people who were not vaccinated, the Anchorage Daily News reported, quoting state health officials. The newspaper cited about about a dozen Covid-19 deaths reported in the last three weeks, including a man in his 20s and one over 80. Really what you see now in the emergency department and the hospital is people who are not getting vaccinated. Some are getting sick and some unfortunately are dying, Anne Zink, Alaskas chief medical officer, was quoted as saying. Of the more than 123 million people in the U. S. who were fully vaccinated through May 17, 353 died, according to data from the CDC. About 38 per cent of all Alaskans are fully vaccinated, even with the U. S. average, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker. Bloomberg (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor The has registered more than 600 cases and arrested over 300 people in connection with Covid-related crimes, officials said on Saturday. According to the data shared by police, 109 cases of alleged hoarding and black-marketing of oxygen cylinders and drugs were registered between April 13 and May 18. While 492 cases of alleged cheating of people on the pretext of providing them Covid-related help were lodged during the same period, police said. A total of 312 people have been apprehended, they said, adding most of the arrests were made outside the national capital. Police have blocked around 300 bank accounts and more than 900 phone numbers. The cheated amount recovered during this period would be in crores, they said. A total of 3,152 items, including 557 Remdesivir injections, 808 oxygen concentrators, 537 fire extinguisher cylinders, 683 pulse oximeters and 288 oxygen cylinders have been seized, they said. The data will be updated as the and Cyber Cell helplines continue to receive several calls every day about these scams, police said. The Crime Branch, Cyber Prevention Awareness and Detection (CyPAD) and district cyber units have been working on these cases. Teams have been sent to several states in order to arrest the accused, police said. Recently, police caught four people from Bihar for allegedly duping people across the country on the pretext of providing oxygen cylinders and concentrators. The accused cheated more than 300 people under the guise of helping them. Police have seized three bank accounts which the gang used for transactions worth over Rs 1.30 crores. (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 Ministry of Education is expected to hold a meeting on Sunday i.e May 23 to take the final call on the pending Class 12 board examinations. The meeting will be chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The ministry has received various suggestions regarding the Class 12 board exams. Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank is expected to discuss these suggestions at the meeting today. The ministry has received various suggestions to conduct Class 12 board exams only for major subjects. Other suggestions include marking based on an internal assessment and holding the Class 12 board examinations in a phase-wise manner in order to keep the candidates safe from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a large section of candidates and their parents are demanding that the Class 12 board examinations be cancelled altogether. Meanwhile, school principals gave varied views on possible options the ministry could explore for conducting Class 12 board exams. "For subjects with very few enrolments, the OTP linked delivery of paper to be printed and conducted at home centres is also a possibility," said Sangeeta Hajela, Principal, DPS Indirapuram. "The exam can be conducted for every subject wherein the question paper is framed in such a way that student has to apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills in attempting those questions," Hajela added. "There can be another part of aptitude test that can be made an intrinsic part of question papers as it will help them in passing the entrance exams of various universities or colleges," Rajat Goel, Director, MGR School Rohini said. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had earlier announced the cancellation of Class 10 exams and had postponed Class 12 exams in light of the worsening COVID-19 situation in the country. Also Read: CBSE Class 12 Board Exam 2021: Education ministry to meet on May 23 Also read: Delhi halts COVID-19 vaccination for 18 plus group amid shortage Delhi lockdown has been extended by another week, CM Arvind Kejriwal announced on Sunday. The COVID-19 restrictions in the national capital will now be in place till 5 am on May 31 even as cases have continued to plunge. While announcing the lockdown extension in Delhi till May 31, CM Kejriwal said unlocking in the national capital in a phased manner may begin after May 31 if the cases continue to fall. "If COVID-19 cases continue to decrease in the coming days, we will begin to unlock Delhi in a phased manner from May 31," he said. Also Read: Delhi lockdown extended by another week to check COVID-19 spread; curbs in place till May 24 Addressing a virtual media briefing, Kejriwal said the COVID positivity rate has dropped to 2.5% in the national capital, whereas, it was 36% back in April. He added that if the coronavirus cases continue to plunge, "the Delhi government will unlock the city in a phased manner." CM Kejriwal further stated that the lockdown in Delhi was required so that the gains made following much struggle are not lost. He noted that he was holding discussions with vaccine manufacturers to make sure the vaccine was available in the national capital, and affirmed that his government was ready to pay any amount for it. Meanwhile, Delhi on Saturday reported 1,600 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours. JSW Steel, India's most-valued steel company, plans to spend Rs 47,457 crore towards capital expenditure in the next three years, primarily for adding 5 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) steel making capacity at Vijayanagar, Karnataka, and building mining infrastructure in Odisha. The new projects will cost the company Rs 25,115 crore, while the ongoing investments, including doubling of capacity at Dolvi in Maharashtra to 10 MTPA, will require Rs 22,342 crore. Seshagiri Rao, joint managing director and group chief financial officer, JSW Steel said Dolvi expansion will be completed by July and the plant will be fully integrated by September. The coke oven plant commenced production in February, while pellet plant was commissioned in March. The hot strip mill also started rolling from March. The completion of blast furnace and steel melting shop have been delayed because of COVID-19 disruptions. JSW Steel targets to expand its capacity to 38 MTPA by 2024 from the present 23 MTPA (including the recently acquired Monnet Ispat and Bhushan Power and Steel). Tata steel, the other major steelmaker in India, has 20.2 MTPA domestic capacity, including 5.2 MTPA of Tata Steel BSL (formerly Bhushan Steel). It is also expanding its capacity in Kalinganagar to 8 MTPA from 3 MTPA. Also read: Jindal Steel aims to become net debt free; grow capacity to 27 MT Steelmakers are aggressively expanding production because of projected shortage from 2024, in line with the rising demand. The Indian government's national steel policy projects a requirement of 300 MTPA steel by 2030. JSW Steel plans to expand its capacity by 5 MTPA at Vijayanagar plant to 17 MTPA at a capex of Rs 15,000 crore. In Odisha, the steel company has four operstinal iron ore mine in leases. The company will spend Rs 3,450 crore towards mining infrastructure. JSW Steel posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 7,873 crore in 2020-21, compared to Rs 3,919 crore a year ago. High prices of steel and the increasing demand for value added and special products helped the company in boosting the bottom line, Rao said. The operational revenue was Rs 79,839 crore, higher from Rs 73,326 crore a year ago. The company has a net debt of Rs 52,615 crore, post Rs 19,350-crore acquisition of the bankrupt Bhushan Power in March. The net debt to equity of the company stood at 1.14 times, while net debt to EBITDA was at 2.61 times. Also read: JSW Steel FY21 profit rises 96% to Rs 7,911 crore; board recommends Rs 6.5 per share dividend Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd (JFL), which operates Domino's Pizza and Dunkin Donuts chains in India, on Sunday said it has started country-wide COVID-19 vaccination drive for its over 30,000 employees and their families under the company's COVID care initiative. "The drive started in partnership with Fortis Healthcare, Apollo and Max Hospitals in Delhi/NCR. JFL is bearing the vaccination cost for this drive that will cover all employees and their dependents across all JFL brands - Domino's Pizza, Dunkin Donuts, Hong's Kitchen, ChefBoss and Ekdum!," the company said in a statement. JFL said it has taken many new initiatives to help its employees amidst the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic. The company has set up a 24X7 helpline, and group level task force for COVID related support. Besides, it has also set up isolation facilities in Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Noida and Indore and also arranged for a facility for COVID impacted employees and their families to receive medicines. It will also put in place a comprehensive package for helping family of deceased employees. With COVID-19 vaccination opening for everyone above the age of 18 years from May 1, many companies are taking the initiative to vaccinate their employees and family members. India has so far administered 19.18 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines. The country reported 2.4 lakh new COVID-19 cases and 3,741 deaths because of the infection in the preceding 24 hours as of Sunday morning. Also read: COVID-19 vaccines: States facing ineleastic supply curve, Centre should place orders, says SBI Also read: Coronavirus vaccines highly protective against hospitalisation, death, shows study The ninth "Oxygen Express" carrying 120 tonnes of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO), in 6 containers has reached the city this morning, South Western Railway said on Sunday. So far, Karnataka has received 1,062.14 tonnes of LMO by Rail. "The ninth Oxygen Express reached ICD Whitefield at 07:30 am today (May 23). It had started from Tatanagar, Jharkhand at 23:35 hrs on May 21," South Western Railway said in a release. A signal free 'Green Corridor' was created by the Railways to enable swift transport of this Oxygen Express, i.e. this train has run stoppage free, and has not had to wait for crossing/passage of another train, it said, adding that this train has carried 6 Cryogenic Containers and each cryogenic container carried 20 tonnes LMO (total tonnage: 120 tonnes). Indian Railways has so far run 224 Oxygen Expresses and transported nearly 14,500 tonnes of LMO in 884 tankers to all over the country to assist state governments in their fight against Covid-19. Also Read: CBSE Class 12 Board Exam 2021: Education ministry to meet on May 23 Also read: Delhi halts COVID-19 vaccination for 18 plus group amid shortage To write new chapters of development in Tibet for a new era People's Daily) 10:21, May 23, 2021 Photo taken on March 26 shows a beautiful view in Luoma village, Zayu county, southwest Chinas Tibet autonomous region. (Peoples Daily Online/ You Jinhua) As China celebrates the 70th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of Tibet this year, the State Council Information Office released a white paper on the historic event and Tibets development over the past seven decades. The white paper, titled "Tibet Since 1951: Liberation, Development and Prosperity," systematically reviewed the great historic progress of Tibet achieving peaceful liberation, launching democratic reform, establishing an autonomous region, advancing socialist construction, practicing reform and opening up, and entering a new era. It objectively demonstrated the great achievements made by Tibet under the leadership of the CPC in political, economic, cultural, society and ecological sectors. The white paper presented a true and panoramic picture of the new socialist Tibet, and refuted the lies fabricated by some foreign forces with concrete facts, which is of important significance for the international society to have a correct understanding of the profound changes taking place in the autonomous region. On May 23, 1951, the Agreement of the Central People's Government and the Local Government of Tibet on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet (17-Article Agreement) was signed, officially proclaiming the peaceful liberation of Tibet. A thousand years of darkness have dissipated in the past seven decades, and Tibet has broken free from its backward, autocratic, isolated past to embrace prosperity, democracy, and an open future. Entering the new era following the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping at the core has attached great importance to the development of Tibet, and General Secretary Xi Jinping has set the direction and made overall plans. All-round progress has been made in all endeavors. Under the strong leadership of the CPC and with the vigorous support of the whole country, Tibet has eradicated extreme poverty. Enjoying a stable social environment, economic and cultural prosperity, and a sound eco-environment, the people now lead better lives and live in contentment. A brand new socialist Tibet has taken shape. During the past seven decades, the CPC has united and led the ethnic peoples of Tibet to achieve historic change and unprecedented success. These seventy years have fully demonstrated that the Tibetan people's fundamental interests can only be protected in a unified country with territorial integrity. Only by upholding CPC leadership, socialism with Chinese characteristics, and regional ethnic autonomy can there be long-term peace, stability and development in Tibet. Only by pursuing reform and opening up can Tibet build its economy and society. Only by seeking people-centered development can Tibet better meet its people's hopes for a better life. Only by following the Party's guidelines for governing Tibet in a new era can the region transform into a modern and beautiful new socialist Tibet characterized by unity, prosperity, civility, and harmony. The world today is undergoing change of a scale unseen in a century. China is at a critical juncture for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and there have been profound changes to the work required and the tasks to be accomplished in Tibet. The guidelines for governing Tibet in the new era, embodying Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, provide answers to a series of questions on the future direction and strategy in governing Tibet and are to be followed in all work related to Tibet. In the foreseeable future, China will remain committed to the principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, implement the new development philosophy, and create a new development model. Driven by reform and innovation, it will strive to meet the people's growing expectation of a better life, and make plans to coordinate development and security. It will also ensure that the four main tasks embodied in the guidelines for governing Tibet ensuring stability, facilitating development, protecting the eco-environment, and strengthening the frontiers will be implemented. This will ensure success in building a prosperous, harmonious and beautiful new socialist Tibet underpinned by unity, civility and modernization. The 70th anniversary of Tibet's peaceful liberation coincides with the first year of the 14th Five-year Plan period. It is also the year in which China embarks on the great journey toward all-round modernization, after having attained the First Centenary Goal and achieved moderate prosperity in all respects. Striving for a new era, China will unite more closely around the CPC Central Committee with comrade Xi Jinping as the core, fully implement the guidelines for governing Tibet in the new era, strengthen the keen sense of identity of the Chinese nation, and ensure national security and long-term stability, continuous improvement of peoples livelihood, sound ecology, as well as solid border defense and frontier security. It is believed that Tibet will embrace a better future in a new chapter of development for a new era. (Web editor: Meng Bin, Bianji) The Police Major Crimes and Crime Scene divisions responded to the shooting at around 1:57 a.m., using a ShotSpotter gunshot location system. The two victims were found at the scene and brought to the hospital. Lewis died from her injuries a short time later, according to police. The male victim had to undergo emergency surgery. Nine of the top 10 most valued firms gained Rs 2,41,177.27 crore in market valuation last week, in keeping with a strong broader market. HDFC Bank and Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) emerged as top gainers. The 30-share BSE benchmark Sensex rose 1,807.93 points, or 3.70 per cent during the last trading week. Only Hindustan Unilever Ltd. (HUL) saw a dip in its market valuation from the top-10 list. HDFC Bank's market cap leapt by Rs 60,584.04 crore to touch Rs 8,25,619.53 crore. RIL added Rs 40,604.13 crore to take its valuation to Rs 12,68,459.17 crore. Also Read: 8 of 10 most valued companies' m-cap plunges by Rs 1.13 lakh crore; RIL, SBI lone gainers The State Bank of India's (SBI) valuation rocketed Rs 36,233.92 crore to Rs 3,57,966.17 crore, whereas that of ICICI Bank gained Rs 31,319.99 crore to Rs 4,44,563.06 crore. The market capitalisation of Bajaj Finance rallied Rs 18,279.85 crore to Rs 3,39,871.90 crore and that of HDFC rose by Rs 16,983.46 crore to Rs 4,53,863.21 crore. The valuation of Infosys jumped Rs 16,148.39 crore to Rs 5,77,208.83 crore and that of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) rose Rs 10,967.68 crore to reach Rs 11,39,455.78 crore. Also Read: 8 of 10 most valued companies add Rs 81,250.83 crore in m-cap; TCS biggest gainer Kotak Mahindra Bank's valuation swelled by Rs 10,055.81 crore to stand at Rs 3,48,414.61 crore. In contrast, the valuation of Hindustan Unilever Limited diminished by Rs 3,777.84 crore to Rs 5,54,667.44 crore. Reliance Industries led the chart of the most valued domestic companies, followed by TCS, HDFC Bank, Infosys, HUL, HDFC, ICICI Bank, SBI, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and Bajaj Finance. Ceramist Qu Hanlin opened his first solo exhibition, Unrestrained Maverick, after 15 years of preparation in Jingdezhen, East Chinas Jiangxi province, in October 2020. Qu moved to Jingdezhen, famous for its white porcelain, to master his pottery-making skills after graduating from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. Clay provided a way for the artist to set himself free. Xiangwai Artha, an art-sharing platform, contributed to todays gallery Jun 11, 2021 06:15 PM Become A Subscriber A subscription opens up access to all our online content, including: our interactive E-Edition, a full archive of modern stories, exclusive and expanded online offerings, photo galleries from Caledonian-Record journalists, video reports from our media partners, extensive international, national and regional reporting by the Associated Press, and a wide variety of feature content. article $100.00 / for 365 days Sponsored Content Articles Policy & Procedure Only content submissions which satisfy our conditions for publication will be published. The fee for publication via this portal is $100. This fee is non-refundable. To accomplish your publication purchase, you must be logged-in as a website user: https://www.capemaycountyherald.com/users/signup This purchase is for online publication only. 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Photo: The Canadian Press Military health-care personnel are on site at a mobile health unit at Sunnybrook Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto on Friday, April 30, 2021. The Department of National Defence says Canadian military personnel are coming forward in droves to be vaccinated, with more than 85 per cent of all troops have received at least one dose. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette The Department of National Defence says Canadian military personnel are coming forward in droves to be vaccinated, with more than 85 per cent of all troops receiving at least one dose. That stands in contrast to an apparent rash of vaccine hesitancy in the United States military, where some reports have suggested as many as one-third of American troops have declined to get a shot. Defence Department spokesman Daniel Le Bouthillier says the majority of unvaccinated Canadian service members are on leave or in remote locations with limited access, and have not declined to get jabbed. Military personnel are being vaccinated faster than the rest of Canadians, with only half of the general population having received at least one dose. Canadian Armed Forces members have been receiving shots through the military's healthcare system rather than from the provinces or territories where they live. But only about five per cent of military members have been fully vaccinated with two shots, a figure on par with the general population where just over four per cent are fully immunized. Photo: The Canadian Press Military health-care personnel are on site at a mobile health unit at Sunnybrook Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto on Friday, April 30. Canadian military personnel have come forward in droves to be vaccinated for COVID-19, with the Department of National Defence reporting more than 85 per cent of all troops having received at least one dose. That stands in contrast to an apparent rash of vaccine hesitancy in the United States military, where some reports have suggested as many as one-third of American troops have declined to get a shot. Defence Department spokesman Daniel Le Bouthillier says the majority of unvaccinated Canadian service members havent declined to get a jab, they just havent had an opportunity to bare their arms. A significant portion of currently unvaccinated personnel appear to be those who might be on various forms of leave or in more remote locales with limited access, he said. As things stand, we are quite happy with our members acceptance of vaccines. Armed Forces members have been receiving shots through the military's healthcare system rather than from the provinces or territories where they live, with the federal government having set aside tens of thousands of doses specifically for them. Troops are not required to get vaccinated, but military leaders have encouraged them to do so to protect themselves. The same is true in the United States, where commanders have started to offer days off and other incentives to get shots in arms. Those incentives have been at least partially credited with a recent uptick in the number of American service members who have been vaccinated, but there remain ongoing concerns about the large number that have decided not to get jabbed. While there is no one reason why American troops are more reluctant to get a shot than their Canadian counterparts, Carleton University professor Steve Saideman believes the level of vaccine politicization in the U.S. is a major factor. In the United States, there are folks on the right side of the political spectrum who think that doing this kind of thing would be contrary to their identity, said Saideman, who is also director of the Canadian Defence and Security Network. That theyre not a good Republican if they wear masks and if they get a shot. Saideman compares that to Canada, where leaders on all sides of the political spectrum have made a point of encouraging Canadians to get vaccinated, including Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Alberta counterpart Jason Kenny. So even the folks who have been on the right, ... they've been leading or at least modeling the right behavior in terms of taking getting the shots, he said. In the United States is a much more mixed thing. Canadian Armed Forces members are also being vaccinated faster than the rest of the general population, with only half of Canadian residents having received at least one dose. But only about five per cent of military members have been fully vaccinated with two shots, a figure on par with the general population where just over four per cent are fully immunized. The Simsbury Performing Arts Center will be set up to facilitate COVID restrictions and allows an audience of up to 2,000 attendees, the towns website says. There will be 8-feet diameter circles laid out in the lawn for families and their lawn chairs. The circles are 6 feet apart to provide the required social distancing. Masks are required at all times at the event except when you are actively eating or drinking. Jesus said, Let the little children come unto me. I dont think this story was in the Bible to be just a filler. I believe the Lord loves children and he gave us this story to remind us to be kind to them. Many of us had wonderful childhoods. I did. I always felt secure and loved. I had very few fears as a child and they were just the regular ones associated with being a child, such as the fear of a monster under the bed or a bad dream. My parents were always there to assure me that all was okay. They would show me that there was no monster under my bed and they would calm me down after a bad dream. They stayed with me until I fell back asleep. I would wake up to a secure, new day, filled with safe, comfortable surroundings, and the love of my family. These children who have entered our country, and most recently our city, do not have the childhood I just described. Notice I simply said children. I didnt say they were immigrants or use any adjective describing their origin or skin color. I simply said children. One day they woke up and instead of eating a bowl of Captain Crunch and watching Scooby Doo on TV, they were put on a dangerous path to an unfamiliar land. Their parents desperately gave them the best instructions they could, explained to them that it was their only hope for a good life, and told them they might not ever see each other again. Then they said good bye. I cant imagine waking up to that scenario today, let alone waking up to it as a child. I know this is a complicated issue. There are several concerns surrounding these children entering our country including politics, taxation, overcrowding, health issues, etc., but while we are searching for the solution, the most important thing is the children. We must remember who we were as children. If you cant allow yourself to go back to that person then look into the eyes of your child or grandchild and see all that they are and imagine they woke up being ripped away from you and sent walking down a dangerous path to another land. This world is a proving ground. We are given tests throughout our lives. Right now we have a chance to show mercy and love to the most helpless and vulnerable occupants of this round ball that we are all temporarily walking around on. These children are flesh and blood just like us. They know pain, joy, loneliness, fear, hope, hopelessness, hunger, uncertainty, and love. No matter what the issues are, we must treat these children the way we would want our children treated in this situation. Sadly, the monsters under the beds of these children are real. I hope someday they fall asleep knowing that some kind, loving people in America, particularly Chattanooga, Tennessee, Chased the monsters away. Wendy Buck Dickerson James Charles is one of the most famous beauty influencers in the world. The social media starlet has amassed an enormous fortune through online videos, merchandise sales, and brand endorsement deals. The former face of Cover Girl has a massive online following with more than 70 million followers across all social media platforms. The YouTube vlogger has attained a level of substantial wealth that many only dreams of, recently purchasing a mansion to support his celebrity lifestyle. Despite the endless controversy surrounding the 22-year-old makeup artist, his loyal fan base anxiously awaits anything he puts before them as his beauty empire continues to flourish. Who is James Charles? James Charles | Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Marc Jacobs RELATED: Who is Jeffree Star? Born in 1999 in Bethlehem, New York, James Charles Dickinson became famous through a popular YouTube channel he launched in 2015. According to Seventeen, hordes of fans fell in love with Charles when he posted a meme about being extra. He said he brought a ring light to his high school senior photo shoot so his highlight would be poppin. The meme went viral, catching the attention of the beauty industry. Within a few months, the influencer became the first male ambassador for Cover Girl cosmetics. Seventeen explained how the deal launched the beauty vloggers career. In an interview with The New York Times, Charles said, the appointment shows that the beauty industry has increasingly become more genderless. Charles has amassed an enormous following by posting makeup-related tips, tutorials, and his ever-popular day in the life series. His most-watched videos, including applying makeup to Kylie Jenner for Halloween, have reached more than two billion views, The influencer has been able to land many lucrative deals because of his online popularity, referring to dedicated fans as his sister squad. Charles is the face of So Lashy! mascara and the founder of Sisters Apparel clothing line. In 2018, he collaborated with Morphe Cosmetics to create an eyeshadow palette that sold out in Europe in less than six minutes. How James Charles attracted 26 million followers RETWEET to be the next video's sister shoutout!! GAMERS PICK MY MAKEUP! I had SO much fun putting together this look designed by my friends & your favorite streamers! https://t.co/tWOqMaWmKx pic.twitter.com/DGdMwP479K James Charles (@jamescharles) March 12, 2021 RELATED: How Does James Charles Make His Money? According to Influencer Marketing Hub, the social media celebrity is one of the most followed beauty influencers in the world. As of August 2020, the internet sensation had 20.7 million YouTube subscribers. The openly gay influencer also has more than 21 million followers on TikTok, making him the most followed celebrity on the platform. The social media sweetheart is not without controversy. He has been involved in numerous online feuds and accused of making insensitive comments, offensive jokes, and transphobic innuendos. The most devastating conflict occurred in 2017 involving fellow influencer Tati Westbrook. She accused Charles of using his fame and power to play with peoples emotions. The controversial feud broke a YouTube record after Charles lost 1,000,000 subscribers in just 24 hours. After posting a lengthy apology video titled NO MORE LIES, Charles fans returned. A year later, Westbrook claimed Jeffree Star and Shane Dawson put her up to it in an attempt to bring down the Cover Girl ambassador. James Charles has a staggering net worth RELATED: YouTube Star James Charles: What is the Vloggers Net Worth The accomplished makeup artist and model has an estimated net worth of $22 million. Celebrity Net Worth says Charles has not yet made it to the annual list of 10 Highest Paid YouTube Stars but, at his peak, he could likely earn at least $5 million per year from his channel views. Charles also has income coming in from his paid Instagram posts, endorsement deals, personal appearances, and merchandise sales. Last year, the beauty vlogger purchased a six-bedroom 10,000 square foot mansion in Encino, California, for $7 million. Vogue Australia, which claims an entire generation is obsessed with Charles, reported that a promoter from his sold-out tour said Charles appreciates his millions of fans. The promoter said, fans can very quickly see his authenticity, and that, mixed with his unbelievable talent, is what makes him truly influential and a force to be reckoned with. If things had gone according to plan, all of us would have been pouring into theaters this weekend to watch John Wick 4. The Keanu Reeves action movie was initially supposed to come out on May 21, 2021. But after experiencing pandemic-related delays, its premiere was pushed back. Recognizing the past release date for John Wick 4, many fans have expressed sadness and disappointment over the films setback. Keanu Reeves on the red carpet at an event in 2019 | Frazer Harrison/Getty Images As May 21 marked the day John Wick 4 would have come out, fans took to websites such as Twitter to share their frustration with the delay. We could have had John Wick: Chapter 4 today, if there wouldnt have been a f*cking pandemic, read one tweet. i literally was planning to skip school and see john wick 4 on the day of its release cuz thats how much i adore those movies, said a second fan. Another person tweeted a GIF of a man saying, My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined. I just want John Wick 4. Pretty please. Stu Grayson of Dark Order (@stu_dos) May 23, 2021 RELATED: Keanu Reeves Has Barely Anything in Common With John Wick, According to the Actor But the reactions werent all bad, as some fans tried to find and highlight the positives of the situation. At least we getting The Matrix: Resurrections this year & now John Wick Chapter 4 alongside Mission Impossible 7 next summer! one fan wrote, while another said, The wait for John Wick 4 is going to be worth it. While the delay is certainly a bit devastating, the good news is that its just for another year. To be exact, according to Collider, the new release date is May 27, 2022. Im hearing most of the shoot will take place in Berlin and Paris, with additional photography in New York City and Japan, wrote Collider writer Steve Weintraub. The reason theyre shooting in Berlin and Paris is because both cities are featured in the story. Same with NYC and Japan. RELATED: Keanu Reeves Revealed His Craziest Experience Filming John Wick The movie will pick up after John Wick (Reeves) agreed to join the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) to seek revenge against The High Table. Details are limited, but director Chad Stahelski said the film might have deleted scenes from John Wick 3. There were two action sequences that we had really kind of conceived, but we just didnt have room for them, he explained to The Hollywood Reporter. So, we pulled them from the movie. And Id like to think that 90 percent of what I pulled, theres a place in John Wick 4 that I can definitely reinsert them. From the sound of it, John Wick 4 will definitely be worth the wait. Only 12 more months to go. RELATED: Keanu Reeves Will Be Back for More, But Which John Wick Movie Is the Best So Far? Patton Oswalt plays the voice of M.O.D.O.K. on Hulus new animated series. Oswalt and Jordan Blum created Marvels M.O.D.O.K., an animated comedy about Marvels supervillain. The voice cast includes Ben Schwartz, Aimee Garcia, Melissa Fumero, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Beck Bennett and more. Lou | Marvel Schwartz plays M.O.D.O.K.s son, Lou. A prolific voice actor, Schwartz has also provided the voices of Sonic the Hedgehog, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Leonardo and Duck Tales Dewey Duck. Lou has one thing in common that die hard fans may notice. Ben Schwartz played a lot of blue animated characters before Marvels M.O.D.O.K. Blue has been a theme in Schwartzs animated characters. Of course, Sonic the Hedgehog is blue. Leonardo and Dewey wear blue, too. Schwartz didnt want to break tradition on Marvels M.O.D.O.K. L-R: M.O.D.O.K., Lou | Marvel RELATED: Parks and Recreation: Ben Schwartz Thinks Perd Hapley Is 1 of the Funniest Characters on TV Can I say at the very beginning of this, when we did the test in order to try to sell it, I told Jordan, Can you make my character wear blue something? Schwartz said on a Television Critics Association Zoom panel. And Jordan goes, Absolutely. So Lou, I believe wears blue for this whole thing. Marvels M.O.D.O.K. found some blue for Ben Schwartz fans Lou is preparing for his Bar Mitzvah the entire first season of Marvels M.O.D.O.K. Blum added a choice blue item to his wardrobe in honor of Schwartz. L-R: Lou, Melissa | Marvel RELATED: Star Wars: Ben Schwartz Stole a Piece of the Millennium Falcon From The Rise of Skywalker Set He has a blue turtleneck on, Blum said. He has a great outfit. Its turtleneck sweater, cargo shorts, Crocs with, like, one sock down. Lou is a bit of a weirdo and he is dressed accordingly. Dont tell other Ben Schwartz fans about the turtleneck though Even though Schwartz and Blum talked about the turtleneck on a TCA panel, they hope its a fun surprise for fans. They both know anyone who watches Marvels M.O.D.O.K. will be looking for Easter eggs anyway. L-R: M.O.D.O.K., Lou and Jodie | Marvel RELATED: Parks and Recreation Mini-Reunion: Ben Schwartz Has Henry Winkler Explain the Origin of His Happy Days Catchphrase Jordan understands the idea of the fun little Easter egg nerdiness, Schwartz said. And I was like, Oh, this is the first character in a while that either isnt wearing blue or is blue. Is there anything we can do about that? Jordans like, Oh, Ive got it taken care of. I think you were already thinking about it before I brought up. You were like, Oh, weve got it. Youre going to have blue on you, absolutely. No problem. Blum might be in a bit of trouble for giving this away. I remember we got the design art in and I broke my Marvel N.D.A. because the Marvel security is insane, Blum said. Maybe I shouldnt be saying that. Mischa Bartons watched Framing Britney Spears and the former O.C. star says she saw similarities to her own life. Barton, now 35, rose to fame in 2003 for playing Marissa Cooper. The actors every move became tabloid fodder, especially following her departure from The O.C. Barton eventually took a break from Hollywood and now shes reflecting on her youth as a famous teen and young 20-something in the early 2000s Framing Britney Spears hit close to home for Mischa Barton Mischa Barton | JEAN-BAPTISTE LACROIX/AFP via Getty Images RELATED: Mischa Barton Is More Than Willing to Take Part in a Reboot of The O.C. I felt all the feels when I watched the Britney doc because I was there at those clubs and those parties and down the street when all of that was happening, Barton told E! News in a May 2021 phone interview. [I] literally wouldve been in the background, but not quite. She continued, saying that she felt so sorry for Britney Spears at the time despite having the same thing happening to her. I remember thinking, Jesus, this poor girl,' Barton said. And her getting sucked into the wrong people pretending to want to be her friendthat happened to me too. A lot of that weirdness. She added that today theres such a different view on Spears. You can see the anger and the passion of just like, Get away from me, let me breathe,' when everything is put in context. Mischa Barton says she lost out on roles because of tabloid coverage Ben McKenzie, Rachel Bilson, Mischa Barton, & Adam Brody | J. Merritt/FilmMagic RELATED: What Mischa Barton Hopes to Get Out of The Hills: New Beginnings Like Spears, Barton had paparazzi follow her to get photos and video. Reflecting on the experience more than 15 years later the actor admits it had been a lot to handle. I look back at some of it and you can see that pain of having to deal with so much all at once, she said. First loves and breakups and betrayals and all sorts of ups and downs and that kind of treatment. The media coverage of her didnt just impact her personally but professionally too. If I put one foot out of place, my agents would call me up and be like, Nope, you lost the role because they saw you out at wherever and you just dont get the job now,' she said. I remember a lot of that stuff really devastated me. After leaving The O.C. Bartons character got killed off the show the actor landed other acting roles but none eclipsed the popularity of her role as Californias It girl. Mischa Barton says young stars can use social media to combat the rumor machine In the days before Instagram and Twitter Barton didnt have an easy way to speak directly to her fans. So when she became hospitalized once in 2007 and again in 2009 or arrested for a DUI rumors were rampant. Now, in Bartons opinion, the one good thing about social media is that celebrities can shut down rumors before they have the chance to gain traction. Its bad because its all fake and we all know Instagram vs. reality is a very real thing, she said, but it also does give these girls an opportunity to show their side of the story. [They can] justify why they were out at a club that night or got in a fight with their boyfriend that evening or whatever happened, she added. They have a way to dispel that rumor machine that was strong in the early aughts. Rachael Ray is the burger queen. Not only does the celebrity chef host two Burger Bash events every year, but she also has an entire book devoted entirely to burgers. Obviously, the host of The Rachael Ray Show knows a number of different ways to make a burger. Here are her nine most popular burger recipes of all time. Rachael Ray | D Dipasupil/Getty Images 9. Rachael Rays Sweet Onion Burgers with Vinegar Oven Fries Rays recipe for Sweet Onion Burgers features her favorite burger sauce. She told The New York Post, My favorite burger sauce is combining sour cream, ketchup, Wickles pickle relish, Worcestershire sauce, celery seed, salt, pepper, and grated onion. Thats my special sauce. I use it religiously on burgers. 8. Apple Dijon Turkey Cheeseburgers with Caramelized Onions For her Apple Dijon Turkey Cheeseburgers with Caramelized Onions recipe, Ray suggests using Gala or Honeycrisp apples. She also has a suggestion for making the perfect burger patty. Always make it a little thinner at the center and thicker at the edges, for two reasons: for even cooking, and so you end up with a flat burger, Ray says. Burgers will plump as you cook them. Most people end up with flying saucers that are burnt on the edges and still raw in the middle, especially if theyre grilling. This fixes all that. 7. Portobello Parm Burgers The TV chef doesnt leave out the vegetarians when it comes to her burger recipes. Rays Portobello Parm Burgers are all-mushroom burgers that feature a sauce made with ketchup, balsamic vinegar, and mayonnaise. 6. Rachael Rays Chili Burgers with BBQ Coleslaw The highlight of Rays Chili Burgers with BBQ Coleslaw are the toppings a quick chili sauce and a sweet-tangy red coleslaw. In fact, you can make Chili Dogs instead of Chili Burgers if you prefer because this recipe is interchangeable. 5. Canadian Spiced Burgers with Quebec Green Ketchup and Poutine RELATED: Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten and 6 Other Celebrity Chefs Share Their Secret Upgrades For Deviled Eggs Were not gonna lie this one takes some time and effort. But, the results youll get with Rays recipe for Canadian Spiced Burgers with Quebec Green Ketchup and Poutine are totally worth it. This recipe features the side dish poutine, which is extremely popular with Americas northern neighbors. All youll need are a bag of frozen steak fries, cheese curd, and thyme. And for the gravy, the recipe calls for cornstarch, water, butter, flour, beef stock, chicken stock, and black pepper. 4. Half-Pound Beef Burgers with Drunken Red Onion Jam Rays Half-Pound Beef Burgers with Drunken Red Onion Jam is a classic all-beef burger recipe that gets some special treatment. The TV chef takes things to a whole new level with her red onion jam made with red wine. She also suggests serving on brioche rolls with toppings like sliced Fontina cheese, crispy bacon, and Dijon mustard. 3. Rachael Rays Retake on Salisbury Steak Knife & Fork Burgers You dont need a bun to make a delicious burger. But for Rays Retake on Salisbury Steak Knife & Fork Burgers, you will need some gravy. To make that yummy gravy, youll need butter, white mushroom caps, onions, fresh thyme, fresh sage, bay leaf, salt and pepper, flour, beef stock, and soy sauce. 2. Irish Burgers with Cheddar and Warm Bacon Slaw Known as Paddy Patties, Rays Irish Burgers with Cheddar and Warm Bacon Slaw feature cumin seed, caraway seed, ground lamb or beef, salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, onion, vegetable oil, butter, thyme, and Irish sharp white cheddar cheese. For the Warm Bacon Slaw, youll need vegetable oil, bacon, sweet onion, garlic, cabbage, salt and pepper, sugar, apple cider vinegar, dill and parsley. 1. Smoky Smack Burgers Rays recipe for Smoky Smack Burgers are perfect for your summer BBQ. It features beef patties seasoned with smoked sweet paprika. Plus Rays special sauce with a twista blend of ketchup, relish, sour cream, and chipotle PLUS potato chips. The Rachael Ray Show airs weekdays in syndication. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close Pastor Choco De Jesus tackles divisions in society, wants churches to be 'referee' in politics Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Pentecostal Pastor Wilfredo Choco De Jesus is working to tackle the problem of divisiveness and the need for churches to address the issue inwardly and outwardly. De Jesus looks to help churches better witness to a divided society in his book, Love Them Anyway: Finding Hope in a Divided World Gone Crazy, slated for release on June 1. In the book, De Jesus, who serves as general treasurer of the Assemblies of God, drew from his experiences serving as senior pastor of New Life Covenant Church of Chicago, Illinois, to write about the need for congregations to look beyond their own. "Jesus broke social and religious boundaries to love those whom the religious people detested, he wrote in the opening chapter of the book. He didn't just love them at arm's length He ate with them, laughed with them, and made them feel completely comfortable." The Christian Post spoke with Choco De Jesus about his new book, which covers such issues as civility and the Church being more welcoming. Below are excerpts from that interview. CP: Recently, many essays and books have been written about the rising tide of incivility and tribalism in America and the need to address it. What do you believe makes your book an important contribution to the discussion? De Jesus: The book itself not only addresses the pew, but also the people that are not of the pew. I think it cuts right through the middle of everything. I think the book is going to be able to answer the question to both sides: What do we do now with all the rising tension and so forth? So in my opinion, Love Them Anyway will answer that question that people have been asking about the racial tension, the political unrest, etc. CP: In Chapter 2, you discussed the changes you made to New Life Covenant when you became the senior pastor, including changing the name and removing an imposing security gate. Do you believe that more churches need to make those sorts of changes? And if so, how do you sell that to churches in an age when many churches have been the sites of disturbing violence? De Jesus: I just felt that that gate just sent a message. It is an unintended consequence. We wanted to protect our drum set, we wanted to protect our sound system and our community, but those gates needed to be removed. And for me, to go to church and begin to sell that message is to tell them, listen, we have been called to be vulnerable. We cannot try to play it safe. We've got to be able to be vulnerable to those who are around us, who are hurting. They're going to steal from us, they're going to backstab us, but we're going to let love drive this for us. I remember us moving it. It was a big thing for us to remove those black iron fence gates from the doors. And I think it was a clear message for the church and for the community that they were welcomed to come just as they are. CP: In Chapter 4, you listed common blind spots people have in their relationships, among them "superiority," "entitlement," "suspicion," "past wounds" and "lost ground." What would you say tends to be especially problematic in American churches? De Jesus: Not only superiority but entitlement. And I think one of the problems in the American Church is that they feel that they have this monopoly on what God wants us to do. And we're learning. We're learning in the way we learn of the true Gospel about loving people, ... that we would drop our superiority, we would drop our entitlement. I talked about past wounds. The hardest thing is to trust people, and so we need to move past that and be able to put ourselves in a position to represent the Kingdom of God here on Earth. We are citizens of Heaven here on Earth. And we're here to legislate. What are we here to legislate? The Bible. We're here to love people and to talk to about God's love. But if we continue to walk with this sense of entitlement, we're in trouble. We've got to sit up and notice who's not in the church. Someone that does not look like us, someone that doesn't smell like us. So we got to be able to reach out. And that's what I did in Chicago. When I became the pastor, I started throwing the net. I started fishing for people. I brought in black fish, white fish, gay fish, straight fish, smelly fish, and I just trusted the Holy Spirit to clean out the people. I was called to fish, and the American Church needs to remember what we're called to do. We're called to empty Hell and fill Heaven to the glory of God. CP: You mentioned that, over the course of about a week, you went to a gathering with a lesbian Democrat mayor and her supporters and then, at a different event, met with Trump administration officials. You wrote in the book: "Each side can be upset with me. I'm just following the example of Jesus by reaching out to people all across the spectrum to love them where they are." With that noted, did you get any negative feedback for being at either event? De Jesus: Some, both sides, people messaged me [on social media] saying, Why would you want to be in the room with her? Why would you want to be in the White House? He's controversial, and I answered this way: I'm a referee. In the NFL, there are three teams: the offense and the defense; the third team is the referee. And we, as Christians, as pastors, we are to be the referees in the field of life. I'm here on planet Earth to legislate the playbook, which is the Bible, to Lori Lightfoot, Mayor Lightfoot, and then-President Trump. When I see something wrong, I call it out to the mayor. When I see something wrong, I call it out to the president. The moment you pick a side, you have lost your prophetic voice to legislate love, the Bible, here on planet Earth. I love and pray for my mayor, Lightfoot, I pray for President Trump, now President Biden. I pray for them. But I am going to be a prophetic voice. CP: You devote a chapter to confronting "your inner Pharisee." Earlier this year, distinguished theologian R.T. Kendall had a book published titled, You Might Be a Pharisee If ... in which he said the Pharisaic tendency was pervasive in churches and in people in general. Would you say that's an accurate assessment of the Pharisee issue? De Jesus: I would say yes, there are Pharisees in the churches. Some of the meanest people could be in the churches. When you look at Luke Chapter 15 ... it is about the Prodigal Son. I preached that both kids are prodigal. One is lost in his sin and one is lost in his religious ways. We got to be able to pause for a moment and say, wait a minute, this is who Jesus came against. This is who He came to address. For the religious folks, the people who were just marginalizing the hurting, and the folks who were prostitutes or adulterers. Jesus came to be able to address those issues. And Christians in our nation, they have to be able to be spiritual, not secular. We are in this world, but we're not of this world. We represent the Kingdom. People want to be religious, they want to be religious. I don't want to be religious. I want to be a believer; I want to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. That's totally different from being a Pharisee. CP: What do you hope people take away from your book? De Jesus: We have a currency, and what we need to withdraw from the bank of Heaven is love. More than Bible study, more than prayer, more than fasting. Those are great disciplines in life, but love is the foundation. I hope they walk away from this book and at least do a self-examination and say, boy, I lack love. I am bankrupt, I am bankrupt in love, and I need to tap into the bank of Heaven and love people. Think about what Jesus told the teacher, the ruler. "... Love your neighbors," and "do this and you will live." If you do these things, you will live. And that's what's happening in our culture today. We have so many Christians that are existing, but they are not living. And the only way we can live is when we operate with the currency of Heaven, which is love. Pentecost Sunday kicks off 33-day challenge to pray for Gospel-destitute areas of the world Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Pastors David Platt and Francis Chan have joined a collective of more than 50 Christian ministries in launching a 33-day prayer challenge on Sunday, the Day of Pentecost, to raise awareness for the one-third of the worlds population that is still without access to the Bible, the church and other believers. The 1:11 Prayer Challenge, which will begin with a Facebook Live event on Sunday at 1:11 p.m. in each U.S. time zone, will ask Christians across the U.S. to pause at 1:11 p.m. each day for 33 days to pray for the third of us who have no access to Jesus. What many people dont understand is that unreached is not the same as unsaved or even unevangelized, explained Marv Newell, executive director of the Alliance for the Unreached, which is hosting the event as part of the A Third of Us movement. The vast majority of people in communities across North America are reached with the Gospel, meaning that they have access to the Good News in their language in some form or another. Newell continued: But this is not true for the 3.2 billion people living in Gospel-destitute areas of the world. They are considered unreached because they have no access to the Good News. They still await the opportunity to hear the message of Jesus for the first time, and based upon the number of professing believers in their community, it is extremely unlikely they will meet or know a Christian personally. Throughout the day on Sunday, the online event will feature video chats with Platt, the lead pastor of McLean Bible Church in Vienna, Virginia, and New York Times bestselling author Chan. I cannot imagine having to face God apart from Christ, the alliance quotes Chan as saying. So how can I allow other people to do this? If there are people who havent even heard God, give me a desire for them. Give me a love for them. Participants will be asked to draw or place the Three Line Symbol I II somewhere visible, for example, on their hands or in their profile pictures on social media with the hashtag #athirdofus. The three lines represent a third of humanity with the three nos no Bible, no church, and no other believers. This is a conversation starter to talk about the movement and invite others to join the 1:11 Prayer Challenge, says the alliance, which includes Bibles for the World, FEBC, Door International, Ethnos 360, Frontier Ventures, Joshua Project, Missio Nexus, Mission Network News, Operation Mobilization, Seed Company, TransWorld Radio, World Mission and ZimZam Global. Someone came and presented the Gospel to us and gave us the opportunity to be reconciled to God, to have a relationship with God, and to have our lives transformed by the Living God. Why would we hold that back from millions of others? said Jon Fugler, board chair of the Alliance for the Unreached. So awareness is our focus. Our campaign is designed to help spread awareness, through our social connections, simply and quickly. How significant is Pentecost for Christians? Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Churches across the United States and elsewhere are observing Pentecost Sunday, referred to as the birthday of the Church. It's a day that, for many Christians, is as significant as Christmas and Easter. On Pentecost Sunday which comes 50 days after Easter and hence the name Pentecost, which is a Greek word for fifty some churches use red color as the theme for decoration to symbolize the fire and joy of the Holy Spirit as they commemorate the coming of the Spirit on the early followers of Jesus. Acts 2:1-4 records: When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Many see the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Jesus on the first Pentecost as the birth of the Church. Before His ascension, Jesus instructed His disciples not to leave Jerusalem but wait for the gift my Father promised. He added that they would receive power and be His witnesses in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the world when the Holy Spirit came on them, according to Acts 1:4, 8. This came true on the day of Pentecost. What happened on the first Pentecost carries on today. Whoever puts faith in the Gospel of Jesus receives the Holy Spirit, though not necessarily in the same way as it happened in the first century when many visible signs followed. The Holy Spirit plays an essential role in a Christians life. It is through the Spirit that one can appropriate Gods promises in Jesus by accepting Him as the Lord and Savior. As Peter said on the day of the Pentecost, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off for all whom the Lord our God will call. (Acts 2:38, 39) Further, it is the Holy Spirit co-equal with God the Father and God the Son, as per the doctrine of Trinity who keeps Christians as He indwells in them. Pentecost also underlines the importance of the Church in Gods work. God sent the Holy Spirit to Jesus disciples on an occasion when they were all together in one place. And what followed was the building of a community, a model community. Acts 2:42-47 says: They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Whats more, Pentecost reflected a key mission of the Church. By enabling the disciples to declare Gods wonders in various languages, the Holy Spirit showed that the Church needs to reach out to various cultural, racial, ethnic and linguistic groups rather than become an affinity group. It taught the Church to honor diversity. Acts 2:5-8 reads: Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: Arent all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? The outpouring of the Spirit was for each of the believers gathered on the first Pentecost, irrespective of their backgrounds. The birth of the Church, in a historic sense, and the reflection of its centrality in Gods ministry and its mission to reach out to all people groups while honoring local cultures and languages, as well as the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in all believers, are reasons why many believers look at Pentecost as an event as significant as Christmas and Easter. The Kaiser Family Foundation reports Black residents are 10% of the Connecticut population, but have received only 6% of the vaccinations, as of April. Hispanic residents are 17% of the population, but had received only 11%. The numbers for white residents are starkly different: White residents make up 66% of the Connecticut population, according to Kaiser, but had received 71% of the vaccinations. These numbers are more disturbing when we take into account that Black and brown people, and city dwellers, are at higher risk living in more crowded areas, working in front-line jobs and more likely to have existing health issues that can make COVID far more dangerous. This week in Christian history: Bob Jones loses at Supreme Court, Protestants banned from Canada Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Throughout the extensive history of the Church, there have been numerous events of lasting significance. Each week brings anniversaries of impressive milestones, unforgettable tragedies, amazing triumphs, memorable births, notable deaths and everything in between. Some of the events drawn from over 2,000 years of history might be familiar, while other happenings might be previously unknown to most people. Here are three events that happened this week in Christian history. They include the birth of a prominent liberal preacher, Bob Jones University losing a U.S. Supreme Court case, and Protestants being banned from New France. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law earlier this week a measure prohibiting abortions in Texas as early as six weeks. The governor stated that the bill ensures that the life of every unborn child who has a heartbeat will be saved from the ravages of abortion. The ban includes cases where the woman was impregnated as a result of rape or incest, but it allows an exception for medical emergencies. It takes effect in September, though pro-abortion activists have promised to challenge it. A bill is also pending in Texas that would outlaw nearly all abortions if the Supreme Court were to overturn Roe v. Wade. This possibility may have moved closer to reality this week with news that the high court will hear a case many believe could effectively undermine Roe. The courts decision to hear Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization continues to dominate the headlines. To explain: women in the US presently have the legal right to choose abortion before the fetus becomes viable, the time when the baby could survive outside its mothers body. This is typically placed at twenty-two to twenty-four weeks. Dobbs restricts the window for abortion to fifteen weeks after gestation, claiming that the fetus by that time is likely capable of conscious pain perception. This restriction directly conflicts with Roe and with Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the 1992 Supreme Court ruling that reaffirmed Roe. The court stated this week that it will consider the question whether all previability prohibitions on elective abortion are unconstitutional. If it decides that they are not, states could be free to restrict abortion in whatever way they wish; some could enact bills that would effectively make abortion illegal in their state. Why many evangelicals supported Donald Trump We will be discussing this issue at great length over the coming months, as there is so much to know about this decision and its significance for our nation. For today, Id like to focus on one aspect of the abortion controversy: its effect on our political divides and cultural health. According to Pew Research Center, 56 percent of evangelical Protestants identify as Republicans today, compared with 28 percent who identify as Democrats. Among those who say they believe in God with absolute certainty, 73 percent identify as Republicans. Now consider this Pew report: 80 percent of Democrats believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, compared with 35 percent of Republicans who agree. The second report is crucial in explaining the first. As the Washington Post notes, abortion has connected evangelicals with the Republican Party since the late 1970s. For people like me who believe passionately that life begins at conception, this issue is our preeminent political priority. Protecting the unborn is a biblical and moral imperative. If one political party consistently supports this belief, nominates pro-life judges, and authors pro-life legislation, that party is far more likely to receive the support of pro-life advocates. Many evangelicals supported Donald Trump primarily for this reason, believing his promise to nominate pro-life judges to the Supreme Court and other judiciary positions. They supported Republicans in Congress and in state and local elections in the hope that they would confirm such nominees and would support pro-life legislation such as the bill signed by Gov. Abbott yesterday. So far, Im merely stating the obvious. But there is a less obvious consequence of this political reality we should remember as well. Two dangers of partisan allegiance Two consequences of evangelical party affiliations are damaging to our influence in the culture. One: Biblical priorities transcend individual parties With his usual perceptive wisdom, Tim Keller published an op-ed in the New York Times warning of the dangers of single-party identification for evangelical Christians. He noted that some issues associated more typically with the Democratic Party such as racism and poverty are also biblical priorities, as are Republican issues such as traditional marriage. And he warned that identifying with a single party can obligate us to affirm everything that party affirms, including aspects of its platform and legislative agendas that we consider to be unbiblical. This can weaken our witness with those in the culture who also disagree with these agendas and who see Christianity as a political power move. Two: Allegiance to one party removes our influence from the other As their opposition to abortion has driven most evangelical Christians into alliance with the Republican Party, this movement has created a vacuum in the Democratic Party on this issue. The executive director of Democrats for Life states that we used to have 125 pro-life Democrats in Congress when abortion was not a wedge issue between the two parties. However, she estimates that there are only two pro-life Democrats left in the House of Representatives today. Sen. Bernie Sanders recently said, Being pro-choice is an absolutely essential part of being a Democrat. The solution for a God-sized problem Abortion has poisoned our politics by driving a partisan wedge into our country that separates Americans from Americans on a host of other issues as well. As we will see tomorrow, abortion has also poisoned our souls and imperils our future as a democracy. For today, lets close by seeking to speak the truth in love to all people, whoever they are and whatever the issue we are facing (Ephesians 4:15). Lets remember that Jesus chose to die for those who support abortion just as he chose to die for all sinners, including you and me (Romans 5:8). Lets pray for God to use this issue in the months ahead to draw people to himself (James 4:8), then answer our prayer with our courageous compassion (Colossians 3:12). I was interviewed on the radio yesterday by Chris Brooks, one of the most brilliant and perceptive pastors and thought leaders in America. (You can hear our conversation here.) Toward the end of our hour together, he made this simple but profound statement: Sin is a God-sized problem. With whom will you share the God-sized solution today? Originally published at the Denison Forum India: Radical Hindu mob wielding swords kills father of Christian pastor in attack on family Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment While India is going through a deadly second wave of COVID-19, the persecution of Christians carries on. Radical Hindu nationalists shot dead a 52-year-old Christian man, who was the father of a pastor, and wielded swords and sickles to attack other family members, according to a report. About 15 Hindu nationalist men attacked the family of Pastor Ramesh Bumbariya at his home in the Bansawra District in the northwestern state of Rajasthan on Tuesday, the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern reported, saying the family was attacked because they refused to renounce their Christian faith. A man in the mob pointed a gun at the pastor to shoot him but it failed to fire. The man then pointed the gun at the pastors father, identified as Bhima Bumbariya, and shot the 52-year-old Christian. After his father collapsed to the ground, Pastor Bumbariya was knocked unconscious, ICC said, adding that Pastor Bumbariya and two other members of his family were transported to the government hospital in Udaipur city, but the hospital staff refused to admit the injured Christians due to COVID-19 regulations. The Christians were later admitted to a private hospital. I believe God has a definite purpose in keeping me alive, Pastor Bumbariya, a church planter who has started several house churches and faced allegations of forced conversion, was quoted as saying. I will carry on the ministry God has given to me. We gave up so much already for the sake of our faith. They took away our agricultural land, they destroyed our house, now they want our lives. I am worried about my family and children; about what will happen to them when I am not around, the pastor added. Attacks on Christians and restrictions on their faith have been on the rise since the BJP won Indias 2014 general election. In February, Christians in the eastern state of Jharkhand were hospitalized after suffering injuries following an attack by radical Hindi nationalists who accused them of constructing an unauthorized church and converting people to Christianity. A recent report from Human Rights Watch warned that prejudices embedded in the government of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have increasingly infiltrated independent institutions, such as the police and the courts, empowering nationalist groups to threaten, harass and attack religious minorities with impunity. Todd Nettleton, a host of Voice of the Martyrs Radio, told The Christian Post in an earlier interview that persecution was increasing in India due to the strict anti-conversion laws and influence of Modi and the BJP. Since the current ruling party took power in 2014, incidents against Christians have increased, and Hindu radicals often attack Christians with little to no consequences, noted Open Doors World Watch List last year, which has ranked India as the 10th worst country for Christians. The view of the Hindu nationalists is that to be Indian is to be Hindu, so any other faith including Christianity is viewed as non-Indian. Also, converts to Christianity from Hindu backgrounds or tribal religions are often extremely persecuted by their family members and communities, Open Doors said at the time. Last year, India denied entry visas to representatives of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom who had planned to investigate reports of persecution of Muslims and Christians following the release of its report that designates India as a Country of Particular Concern. In a statement to CP, advocacy group The Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations of North America said at the time it was deeply disappointed India did not receive the CPC designation in 2020. The national government allowed violence against minorities and their houses of worship to continue with impunity and engaged in and tolerated hate speech and incitement to violence, FIACONA said. The Indian government headed by the Hindu nationalist BJP party continues to claim so conveniently that all such violence against Christians in India is isolated incidents and not the policy of the government. Nettleton, who has traveled to more than 20 restricted countries and interviewed hundreds of believers whove faced persecution for their Christian witness, told CP that prayer is the first thing persecuted Christians ask for. The convicting thing is, their prayer is not that they wont suffer anymore or that their countries will be free and the church will be allowed to operate, he said. Rather, theyre asking us to pray that they will remain faithful to Christ in spite of the persecution and hardship. Judge denies Christian colleges request for religious protection against Bidens LGBT order Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A federal judge rejected a Missouri Christian universitys plea for temporary protection against the Biden administrations Fair Housing Act, which, the school said, requires religious schools to open womens' dorm rooms and showers to male students. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark on Wednesday denied the College of the Ozarks motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against the Department of Housing and Urban Developments Fair Housing Act, Springfield News-Leader reported. Ketchmark said an effort by the college to stop HUD from applying the new federal directive wouldn't protect the college from any liability related to unfair housing allegations, the newspaper added. James Luh, an attorney representing HUD, argued that the memorandum was not directed at the college and does not specifically address the kinds of issues the college has raised here showers, or roommates. Luh said there was no immediate threat to the college and that no legal complaint had been filed against it. The plaintiffs cant establish either irreparable harm or the likelihood of success necessary to sustain a preliminary injunction, he was quoted as saying. Serena Orloff, another attorney for HUD, argued, We recognize the college may have strongly held beliefs Nothing that the government has done ... should be taken to suggest a lack of respect for the colleges religious beliefs but at this juncture, this is a purely one-sided dispute. Representing the college is the legal nonprofit Alliance Defending Freedom. The groups senior counsel Ryan Bangert told KOLR, The Fair Housing Act has long prohibited discrimination on several grounds, including sex. But by redefining sex, the Biden administration is twisting the fair housing act to harm young women directly. On his first day in office on Jan 20, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to prevent discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. In February, HUD announced it would administer and enforce the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The federal order instructs organizations and agencies that receive grants through HUDs Fair Housing Initiative Program (FHIP), in carrying out activities under these grant agreements, must interpret sex discrimination under the Fair Housing Act to include discrimination because of sexual orientation and gender identity. In April, the liberal arts college filed a lawsuit saying HUD forces any entities that receive federal taxpayer dollars covered by the Fair Housing Act to place transgender-identified male college students in girls' dormitories. The lawsuit argued that the rule forces religious schools to violate their religious beliefs and said the order was issued without notice or the opportunity for public comment. It further contended that the policy was issued without considering alternative policies that respect the interests of private religious colleges. College of the Ozarks' President Jerry C. Davis said he will appeal the federal district courts rejection of the motion. While we are disappointed in [the] ruling, we expect to appeal so that schools are not forced to open womens dorm rooms to males and violate their religious beliefs, he said, according to Branson News. For more than 100 years, College of the Ozarks has provided a distinctly Christian education to students with financial need. We will not abandon our mission. The fight to protect our religious freedom has just begun. Davis said the HUD policy forces his college to decide between defending its religious liberty from government overreach or violating our core beliefs. The governments threats include harmful fines that could easily amount to six figures, he said. Fair Housing Act penalties can even land people in jail. College of the Ozarks will not stand on the sidelines while our right to religious freedom is attacked. Davis added: Its our college today. Tomorrow it will be someone elses college, it could be another school, it might be your church or charitable organization. The constitution of the United States protects our freedom by separating power and limiting government. When the government overreaches, the College of the Ozarks will defend freedom, especially religious freedom. ADF argues that the directive violates both women's sex-based rights and the school's religious liberties. The government cannot and should not force schools to open girls dorms to males based on its politically motivated and inappropriate redefinition of sex, ADF senior counsel Julie Marie Blake said in an earlier statement. Women shouldnt be forced to share private spaces including showers and dorm rooms with males, and religious schools shouldnt be punished simply because of their beliefs about marriage and biological sex. Government overreach by the Biden administration continues to victimize women, girls, and people of faith by gutting their legal protections, and it must be stopped. LAPD arrests man accused of attacking Jews outside restaurant amid rise in anti-Semitism nationwide Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The Los Angeles Police Department announced Saturday that it has arrested a suspect who was seen attacking Jews dining outside a sushi restaurant in Beverly Hills earlier this week. Police said the unidentified individual was arrested after 10 p.m. Friday on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. City News Service reports, Police Saturday said a man was taken into custody, with the assistance of the U.S. Marshal Service, as one of the primary suspects who allegedly assaulted several Jewish men Tuesday outside a restaurant in the Beverly Grove area of Los Angeles. A video posted on Twitter by Adam Milstein Wednesday showed multiple pro-Palestinian men attacking the Jewish men sitting outside the restaurant. LAPD requested the suspect's bail be increased due to the crime being motivated by hatred. Shocking videos from Los Angeles where Palestinians started attacking Jews Witnesses said 10 Palestinian cars rolled up and started hitting them with knives at a Sushi restaurant in Beverly Hills#israelunderfirepic.twitter.com/i1Au9sOEIh Adam Milstein (@AdamMilstein) May 19, 2021 Another video from LA posted to Twitter showed at least one Jewish individual being beaten and other Jews being intimidated by people in cars displaying large Palestinian flags, the Anti-Defamation League reported. The ADL, a United States-based anti-discrimination organization, has reported a rise in anti-Semitic events in the U.S. and worldwide since the latest fighting started between Israel and Hamas earlier this month. The ADL said a similar surge in anti-Semitic violence happened in 2014 during the last Israel-Hamas conflict. On Friday, the Israeli Consulate in New York said the attacks and protests have been more violent than previously seen, according to The Times of Israel. The demonstrations are larger, more toxic, and unfortunately also more violent. There is a direct connection between Hamas stated agenda which is sworn to Israels destruction and the slogans of the demonstrators that undermine the legitimacy of Israel as the Jewish nation-state, the consulate said in a statement. Anti-Semitic attacks also erupted in New York City this week, even after a ceasefire agreement was reached between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. Footage from separate incidents in New York City Thursday showed attacks on Jews during a pro-Israel demonstration that was met with pro-Palestinian counter-protesters in midtown Manhattan where one person suffered burns after two commercial fireworks were thrown from a car, Fox News reported. Another video posted on social media showed an older Jewish man wearing a Yarmulke being attacked by pro-Palestinian protesters in Times Square. Stop telling me this is about Israel and Gaza," a New Yorker confronted by a pro-Palestinian mob on his way to synagogue said, according to Fox News. "My people are being targeted across the United States in broad daylight. This is textbook anti-Semitism, and we will continue to live in danger until the public starts to recognize it for what it is." Outside of violence in New York City and Los Angeles, protestors across the country are proclaiming anti-Jewish messages at rallies. A protestor in Seattle, Washington, last week held up a sign that said Zionism = Nazism. A crowd rallying in Washington, D.C., chanted Zionists are terrorists, and a protestor in Michigan held a sign at a rally that read, Zionists r modern-day Nazis, according to ADL. In the Miami, Florida area, Eric Orgen told CBS 12 that he, his wife and teenage daughter were walking out of synagogue recently when a group of men driving by began shouting and cursing at them. "They just started screaming some derogatory things toward Jewish people out the window," Orgen told CBS12. He said the driver threw trash at his family and shouted: "Free Palestine, die Jew, F you Jew, Im gonna rape your wife. "My first thought was just making sure my wife and daughter were behind me so I could take the brunt of anything that was going to happen," Orgen said. A person driving in a vehicle next to those shouting verbal threats showed the driver that he was armed with a gun in an effort to protect the Jewish family. After seeing the weapon, the man drove off. Orgen described the man who intervened as their guardian angel. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, the first Jewish mayor of Miami-Dade County, released a statement Wednesday condemning the rise in anti-Semitic attacks in the area and said the attacks cut especially close to home. Acts of hate and violence against any community are not tolerated in Miami-Dade County, Cava said in a statement. Hate and intolerance contradict the foundations of our community a place where so many generations of people found a safe home after fleeing their own countries to build a new life with their families. In a statement released Thursday, ADL urged leaders to speak out against anti-Semitism before it exacerbates further. As the violence between Israel and Hamas continues to escalate, we are witnessing a dangerous and drastic surge in anti-Jewish hate, ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in the statement. We are tracking acts of harassment, vandalism and violence as well as a torrent of online abuse. Its happening around the world from London to Los Angeles, from France to Florida, in big cities like NYC and in small towns, and across every social media platform. To those who choose to indulge in age-old antisemitic tropes, exaggerated claims, and inflammatory rhetoric, it has consequences: attacks in real life on real people targeted for no other reason than they are Jewish, Greenblatt said. This is antisemitism, plain and simple. And its indisputably inexcusable in any context. ADL remains steadfast in its commitment to fight antisemitism and hate with every ounce of energy we have, he continued. We are working actively with authorities in cities across the country to identify the perpetrators of hate and to protect our community. We call on leaders throughout our country to speak out against antisemitism and stand alongside the Jewish community in the face of this wave of hate before it gets any worse. Catholic League head denounces White House faith-based partnership office's meeting with atheist groups Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights President and CEO Bill Donohue recently denounced a White House meeting with atheist and secular organizations who he claims have an agenda driven by "anti-religion politics." The White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships held a meeting last week with six non-religious advocacy groups. Those groups included the American Atheists, American Humanist Association, Center for Inquiry, Ex-Muslims of North America, the Freedom From Religion Foundation and the Secular Coalition for America. In an opinion column published Monday by CNS News, Donohue took issue with the White House meeting, arguing that the Biden administration was catering to anti-religious groups. It would be one thing if White House staffers in domestic policy or civil rights invited representatives of these six organizations to discuss their concerns; it is quite another when those who purport to work with people of faith do so, argued Donohue. None of them are religion-friendly and some are positively militant in their agenda. They expressed their displeasure with the pro-religious liberty policies of the Trump administration, accusing it of fomenting Christian nationalism. The creation of this fiction is central to the anti-religion politics that drives these groups. Donohue contends that the meeting is a byproduct of President Joe Bidens executive order from February, which created the faith-based initiative office. Specifically, Donohue quoted the fact Sheet released with the order stipulating that the office will not prefer one faith over another or favor religious over secular organizations. But the whole point of creating an office of faith-based programs was to prioritize religious social service agencies, Donohue argued. If the Biden administration is going to manipulate the founding purpose of faith-based initiatives by welcoming the advice of militant secularists, it should do us all a favor and simply trash this office. Rob Boston of the advocacy group Americans United for Separation of Church & State critiqued the Donohue column. Boston argued that although "the office absolutely does work with faith-based organizations, thats not its entire mandate." "At a time when growing numbers of Americans are identifying as 'nones' and others are embracing a secular outlook, it just makes sense to include these groups," wrote Boston. "Donohue is a typical religious extremist who believes the answers to all of lifes thorny questions can be found in the narrow segment of religiosity he chooses to embrace." According to a statement from the Secular Coalition for America, the meeting with the White House office last Friday was productive." During the meeting, the secular groups expressed their concerns about lingering policies from the Trump administration. In this meeting, which we hope was the first of many, we encouraged the White House to continue engaging with organizations representing nonreligious Americans at the national level as well as local secular organizations across the country, in the same ways as they do with religious organizations, stated the Coalition. By participating in this meeting, the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships displayed that theyre open to embracing pluralism, diversity of thought, and the secular community. As with the past few presidential administrations, Biden created the Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships soon after taking office. From COVID-19 to the economic crisis, were facing enormous challenges and faith-based and community organizations are essential to addressing them, tweeted Biden at the time. The Freedom From Religion Foundation, which often pressures government agencies and school districts nationwide to end any conceived endorsement of religion, initially criticized Biden's decision to reinstate the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. FFRF claimed that the office is "unconstitutional" and has been "abused to reward churches that support political candidates, among other things." It called on Biden to "abolish" the office. "Christian organizations have been given high preference under previous administrations," FFRF claimed in a February statement. FFRF group filed a lawsuit against George W. Bush's version of the office, a case that went to the Supreme Court in 2007. Top CBP official tells Congress fentanyl seizures at border up 308% in fiscal year 2021 Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment An official with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection told members of Congress Wednesday that fentanyl seizures at the United States-Mexico border have increased by 308% in the fiscal year 2021. Troy Miller, the senior official performing the duties of commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, appeared before the House Appropriations Committees Homeland Security Subcommittee to discuss the continued surge in crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border and the resources that CBP needs to respond to the situation and carry out its duties effectively. Members of the committee asked Miller questions about various topics, including the seizure of illegal drugs by CBP officials. Our fentanyl seizures are up 308% in fiscal year 21, Miller said. He also noted that heroin seizures have increased by 14%, cocaine seizures have increased by 100%, and methamphetamine seizures have increased by 20% in the same period. Miller shared the statistics regarding drug seizures following a question from Rep. Steven Palazzo, R-Miss., about the huge gaping holes in our southern border where we dont know whats coming over. According to Palazzo, The COVID pandemic obviously did not keep the cartels from working overtime. He cited statistics finding that in the fiscal year 2020, CBP seized [58,000] pounds of Cocaine, 5,700 pounds of heroin, 177,000 pounds of methamphetamine and 4,700 pounds of fentanyl. As Palazzo noted, the amount of fentanyl seized by CBP last year is enough to kill every American two times over. The congressman also expressed concern that as our CBP agents and others are misdirected, criminals and hard narcotics have an easier time entering the country. As the amount of drugs seized at the border continues to increase, the number of encounters between immigration officials and migrants continues to rise. CBP Data shows that more than 178,000 migrants were apprehended at the southwest border in April, marking a 3% increase from March, when 173,348 people were apprehended. So far, in the fiscal year 2021, which began last October, there have been 749,613 encounters at the southwest border. In all of the fiscal year 2020, there were just 458,088 such encounters. In all of the fiscal year 2019, there were over 977,000 encounters. Critics of President Joe Biden attribute the surge in border crossings to actions taken by the new administration to reverse the Trump administrations immigration policies, including his rescission of the former presidents national emergency at the border, the reversal of a policy requiring asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while their claims are adjudicated and the suspension of construction of the border wall. While Bidens critics have blamed the president for the surge in crossings at the border, some contend that the rise in border crossings is consistent with a pattern of seasonal changes combined with a backlog created by the border's closing during the pandemic. Former President George W. Bush pointed the finger at Congress for the situation during a recent appearance on Fox News. He alleged that the system is broken because Congress has failed to act. California Pastor Samuel Rodriguez, who heads the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, argued in March that Biden's "words and actions" have given a haphazard and de facto green light to human traffickers around the world to apply their profane trade on the dreams of the most vulnerable. The border surge led to overcrowding at shelters that hold unaccompanied minors who cross the border illegally. The crowding at CBP facilities, including a facility in Donna, Texas, came as the U.S. continued to grapple with the coronavirus. While the pods in the Donna facility had capacities of 260 people, one pod held more than 400 unaccompanied children at one point during the border surge. The overcrowding at the Donna facility and other similar locations raised concerns about the spread of the coronavirus, as migrants tested for the virus earlier this year had a higher positivity rate than the American public as a whole. In Brownsville, Texas, migrant families tested had a 12% positivity rate. At the time, the positivity rate among the American public at large was 3.5%. A group of migrants who arrived at a shelter in Harlingen, Texas, in February reportedly had a 25% positivity rate. The border crisis has seemingly reflected negatively on the Biden administration. A Real Clear Politics average of polls taken over the past month shows that most Americans (51%) express disapproval of the presidents handling of immigration policy. At the same time, the Real Clear Politics average of polls shows that a majority of the American people (53%) approve of Bidens performance as president overall. Texas to lift mask mandate for public schools after reporting zero COVID deaths for first time in over a year Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Two months after President Joe Biden derided state officials like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott as exhibiting Neanderthal thinking for lifting statewide mask mandates, the state celebrated zero covid deaths for the first time in over a year on Sunday. Abbott signed an executive order Tuesday following the health update that bans city and county governments and public school districts from imposing mandatory mask mandates, starting June 5, and makes public officials subject to a $1,000 fine if they impose such mandates. The Lone Star State continues to defeat COVID-19 through the use of widely-available vaccines, antibody therapeutic drugs, and safe practices utilized by Texans in our communities," Abbott said in a statement. "Texans, not government, should decide their best health practices, which is why masks will not be mandated by public school districts or government entities," he continued. "We can continue to mitigate COVID-19 while defending Texans' liberty to choose whether or not they mask up." On Sunday, Abbott tweeted that Texas had achieved zero COVID-19-related deaths for the first time since the data was first tracked in March 2020. The state has also seen the fewest number of infection cases in over 13 months, the lowest seven-day positivity rate, and the lowest number of COVID-related hospitalizations in 11 months. Thanks, Texans! the governor tweeted in response to the states most promising COVID-19 numbers in over a year. Today Texas reported: * 0 Covid related deaths--the only time that's happened since data was tracked in March, 2020. * the fewest Covid cases in over 13 months * the lowest 7-day Covid positivity rate ever * the lowest Covid hospitalizations in 11 months. Thanks, Texans! Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) May 17, 2021 Texas has a population of nearly 30 million people and had close to 50,000 virus-related deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, according to Texas Health and Human Services. The state is experiencing a steep decline in both new COVID-19 cases and deaths. On Thursday morning, however, the state reported 58 deaths related to COVID-19 and 1,461 new infections. But the numbers continue to show a significant drop from peak infections on Jan. 9 that tallied at more than 3,800. Over 41% of Texans have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and over 32% of the population was fully vaccinated as of May 19, USA Facts reported. When Abbott and Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, both Republicans, ended statewide mask mandates and encouraged business to open fully in early March, Biden accused them of Neanderthal thinking to believe that "in the meantime, everything is fine, take off your masks," CBS News reported. "I think it's a big mistake," the president told reporters regarding the lifting of the mask mandates. "Look, I hope everybody's realized by now, these masks make a difference. We are on the cusp of being able to fundamentally change the nature of this disease because of the way with which we're able to get vaccines in people's arms. We've been able to move that all the way up to the end of May to have enough for every American, to get every adult American to get a shot. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki defended Bidens comments, saying the president wasn't comparing red-state governors to Neanderthals but meant to compare their actions to the behavior of a Neanderthal, just to be very clear. The behavior of. Psaki said Biden's remarks were a reflection of [his] frustration and exasperation, Fox News reported. Abbott pushed back against Bidens comments at the time, asserting that Texans don't need government mandates to know best practices. Reeves also pushed back in a post on Twitter: President Biden said allowing Mississippians to decide how to protect themselves is neanderthal thinking. Mississippians dont need handlers. As numbers drop, they can assess their choices and listen to experts. I guess I just think we should trust Americans, not insult them, he added in the post back in March. Former Democratic Senate candidate Beto ORourke, who lost to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, likened Abbotts lifting of the mask mandate to a death warrant for the Lone Star State. A death warrant for Texans, ORourke tweeted on March 2. Add them to the 44,000+ killed as he failed to confront the pandemic & botched the vaccine rollout. And those who froze to death because he cares more about energy companies profits than keeping Texans alive. Abbott is killing the people of Texas. A death warrant for Texans. Add them to the 44,000+ killed as he failed to confront the pandemic & botched the vaccine rollout. And those who froze to death because he cares more about energy companies profits than keeping Texans alive. Abbott is killing the people of Texas. https://t.co/2idUcqSjJT Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) March 2, 2021 Governor of California Gavin Newsom also tweeted on March 2 that Abbotts lifting of the mask mandate was absolutely reckless. CNN and other corporate media outlets slammed Abbotts decision to end the mask mandate as "appalling" and a head-scratching, anti-science decision. The Texas Rangers also announced that the franchise will no longer require fans to wear masks inside its new ballpark following changes to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendations, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. The CDC reports that as of Tuesday, over 60% of American adults have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Over 125 million Americans are fully vaccinated, which is over 37% of the population. Last week it released new guidelines allowing fully vaccinated people to resume pre-pandemic activities without wearing a mask or social distancing while adhering to federal, state and local guidance. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A couple of weeks ago, my wife, Eva, and I thought our house was going to burn down. I had just returned from a trip, and Eva was cooking something delicious in the oven. She walked out of the kitchen and when she came back, flames were shooting out of the oven and they were spreading. Frantic, I looked under the sink for our fire extinguisher which, to our great dismay, was empty. Forgetting all of my knowledge of how to safely extinguish a kitchen fire, I did the worst thing possible: I threw a pan of water on the flames. The fire was growing. My next thoughts were of getting Eva out of the house and whether or not we had time to grab important items or papers. I dialed 911 as the smoke alarm beeped overhead. And then, suddenly, the fire completely extinguished itself, leaving no damage, like it was never there. The night before the fire, I received a text message from one of my friends whom I hadnt talked with in a while: Pastor Sam, for whatever reason, I am praying for a supernatural hedge of protection. The next morning, I received another text message from another friend: Pastor Sam, Im praying for protection right now. God's going before you. Everything's going to be fine. That afternoon, our oven caught on fire. Reflecting on this supernatural provision of God led me to think about Pentecost, when Jesus disciples received the Holy Spirit: Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them (Acts 2:1-4). As we celebrate the birth of the church this Sunday, I think there is a major lesson for believers or, as I like to say, Pentecost people: Pentecost people know how to wait and worship. Before he ascended to heaven, Jesus told his disciples: Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. ...But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:4-5, 8). So, they waited. And then, suddenly, the Holy Spirit rushed upon them. They began speaking in different languages, preaching the gospel to those from other nations who were gathered in Jerusalem. At least 3,000 people were welcomed into the family of God that day. Ill admit it: I have a hard time waiting. Waiting by faith is especially agonizing, since we cant see how God is working or know what his answers to our prayers might be. I experienced this in a very real way last summer when my daughter was critically ill with COVID-19 and for a time, we didnt know if she would survive. Over the years, Ive learned that wait and suddenly are part of the same faith continuum. Throughout Scripture, we see men and women of faith who waited: Abraham. Job. Esther. Daniel. Zechariah and Elizabeth. Mary. Samuel. Anna. The disciples and so many others. Their wait was rewarded when it was least expected. Moreover, all these worshipped while they waited. They prayed, fasted, wept and declared the promises of God. Their waiting literally changed the world, because people who wait are the people who experience a holy suddenly. When it comes to waiting, will we choose to listen to our feelings or to live by our faith? The God who instructs us to wait is the same God who will send us our suddenly. With our ancestors in the faith, we stand upon his promises, believing that we will receive a suddenly for our families, our circumstances and our communities for the glory of God. So as we wait, lets remember to worship, for our waiting is not in vain. I hear the sound of a rushing mighty wind thats about to change everything. France bans 'gender-neutral' wording in schools, warns it's 'harmful' and confusing for children Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Frances ministry of education has prohibited the use of gender inclusive language, asserting that it harms the process of learning the French language. The education ministry sent out a decree to schools across the Western European nation in an effort to end the use of midpoints, period-like dots that are placed in the middle of words, separating most of the word from its ending, which designates it as either masculine or feminine. The midpoints are used in place of both masculine and feminine endings of words. Academie Francaise, which is also known as the French Academy and is the institution entrusted with preserving the language, has stated that the gender-inclusive words are harmful" to the practice and understanding of the French language. In the French language, masculine endings are usually more prevalent in nouns. For example, a group of friends including five women and one man would be written as amis, but a midpoint would change the spelling of the word to ami.e.s." according to Newsweek. The decree from the education ministry stated that the use of midpoints creates confusion while learning the language, especially for children. The decree, translated by Google Translate, states: So-called 'inclusive' writing should be avoided, which notably uses the midpoint to simultaneously reveal the feminine and masculine forms of a word used in the masculine when it is used in one sense." "In addition, this writing, which results in the fragmentation of words and agreements, constitutes an obstacle to reading and understanding the written word. The impossibility of verbally transcribing texts using this type of writing hampers reading aloud as well as pronunciation, and consequently learning, especially for the youngest." In an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche, France's Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer said that using midpoints is a problem, particularly for students with learning disabilities. Putting dots in the middle of words presents a barrier when it comes to teaching the [French] language," he said. In response to the decree, the French teachers union, Solidaires Unitaires Democratiques Education Union accused Blanque of imposing his backwardness upon educators and urged schools to disregard the order. Other education officials say the use of midpoints for the purposes of gender inclusivity signals a defeat of the French language and will discourage people from learning it altogether in light of the growing dominance of English globally. With the spread of inclusive writing, the English language already quasi-hegemonic across the world would certainly and perhaps forever defeat the French language," said Nathalie Elimas, the state secretary for Priority Education, told the Daily Mail earlier this month. Gender-inclusive language does not employ midpoints in English, as many nouns are not gendered. What has transpired in English-speaking countries is the adoption of transgender-friendly terms that obscure the sex of the body, such as saying "pregnant people" or "birthing bodies" to include women who identify as men. The Torggler, which will officially open to the public in mid-September, is here for everyone. In addition to housing Christopher Newports department of fine arts and art history, the Torggler has a mandate to serve the broader region and the Commonwealth of Virginia. Our exhibitions, which will present wide-ranging content, will be free to the publicand will be accompanied by lectures, gallery talks and other educational programs. Well also offer a diverse, year-round schedule of art classes, camps and workshops for audiences of all ages. (Because we cant wait to get started, were running a limited summer camp program for kids this year!) The Torggler will also feature the Art Explorers Gallery a fun, interactive learning space for families and children, which will open in summer 2022. Pastor Artur Pawlowski says arsonists set his property on fire after viral confrontations with police Calgary Fire Department says cause of fire remains 'undetermined' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A Canadian pastor who has repeatedly clashed with the local government officials over worship restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic is alleging that arsonists have targeted his home and set his garage ablaze. Appearing on Rebel Media Sunday, Pastor Artur Pawlowski of Street Church in Calgary, Alberta, recalled how the garage at his private residence was set on fire late Saturday night. About 11:30 p.m., my wife, she hears some commotions and firefighters, I mean, so many cars and police. And first, we thought maybe theyre coming for me in the middle of the night. But no, they came to put the fire down. After heading outside and initially believing that their neighbors house was on fire, the Pawlowskis figured out that it was their garage that was on fire. Pawlowski posted video footage of firefighters working to extinguish the fire on his YouTube channel. Someone set our property on fire. Someone wants us dead, he said. And Im thinking, 'Why? Im feeding the poor. Im feeding Muslims. Im feeding homosexuals. Im feeding whites and Asians and blacks. Im feeding people and Im not hurting anyone, and they want me dead, and they want my children dead?' Describing the fire as shocking, Pawlowski maintained that he "would never imagine that we would be living in a country that our right to be different, our rights to be able to express ourselves in a different way than others would be punishable by death. A spokesperson for the Calgary Fire Department confirmed to The Christian Post that the fire department "attended the fire in question" but a cause has not yet been determined. "The origin of the fire was an area on or adjacent to an external wall of the detached garage," the department said in a statement. "The cause of the fire is at present undetermined. As Rebel News Adam Soos noted, Pawlowski has faced additional harassment since his encounters with local law enforcement have gone viral, including graffiti and dog feces and nails in the parking lot. The pastor, born in Poland, told Rebel News that he shared his belief with Calgary Police that the fire in his garage constituted a hate crime, but they didnt say anything. According to Pawlowski, I dont know where this is going to go with them. While Pawlowski has had tense exchanges with members of the Calgary Police and other local law enforcement officials in recent weeks, he praised the police for acting very professionally." He added: They helped as much as they could. They even came with their trucks to bring the light so we could secure the place. He also thanked the firefighters for doing an amazing job, contending that if not for those men that fought the fire, my house would go down in flames. Pawlowski explained that the exact origin of the fire remains a mystery but concluded that someone put fire into a blue bin that was with cupboards and thats how the fire started. He stated that they pushed the bin to the door the wooden door of the garage and the whole garage started to burn. They dont know who did it, of course. They dont know what caused [the fire]," the pastor added. Pawlowski suggested that it could have been a lighter or someone holding the lighter and putting the bin on fire. He remarked that only God knows at this moment how the fire started. He characterized the fire as another sad day for democracy and another sad day for humanity. Pawlowski acknowledged the right to agree to disagree while lamenting that people want him and his children dead all in the name of tolerance. The fire at Pawlowskis garage came a week after video footage documented the arrest of Pawlowski and his brother, Dawid, by Calgary Police for holding an illegal in-person worship service that did not comply with social distancing and mask requirements implemented to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Multiple officers carried the brothers away into custody as they knelt in the road, refusing to walk on their own after being handcuffed. Following their release Monday night, Pawlowski compared the actions of the local government to communist China. I just woke up in Hong Kong a few days ago, he asserted. I mean, I thought I emigrated to our beloved Canada, but I am in Hong Kong, full force. Before his arrest, Pawlowski had two tense exchanges with local law enforcement, who confronted him at his church for failing to abide by coronavirus restrictions. As a public health officer, accompanied by local police, interrupted a Passover mass, the pastor sternly directed them to get out and compared them to the Gestapo, the Nazi police. The video of that encounter has received millions of views. Three weeks later, Pawlowski received another visit from local authorities seeking to enforce coronavirus restrictions. While they did not enter the church, Pawlowski accused the officials of entering his personal space and called them brown shirts and Nazi Gestapo communist fascists. After they left the property, the pastor alleged that the repeated targeting of churches was part of a broader agenda of medical tyranny that runs afoul of Canadas Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Pawlowski is among other Canadian pastors arrested for holding in-person worship services that do not conform to coronavirus restrictions. Pastors James Coates and Tim Stephens, also of Calgary, have also suffered legal consequences for holding in-person worship services. Click here to read the full article. Republicans are rebuffing President Bidens proposed changes to his infrastructure and jobs plan after the president lowered the spending proposal from $2.25 trillion to $1.7 trillion. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki called the administrations counteroffer the art of seeking common ground, but a spokesperson for the Republican senator leading negotiations said the proposal is still well above the range of what can pass Congress with bipartisan support. Bidens proposed cuts to the initial American Rescue Plan proposal include: Moving portions of the original plan related to small businesses, innovation, manufacturing and research and development into other pieces of pending legislation. Decreasing rural broadband funding from $100 to $65 billion to match the level of funding the GOP has proposed. Lowering the funding request for roads, bridges and major infrastructure projects from $159 billion to $120 billion above current funding levels. Thats still $72 billion more than Republicans proposed. But that is not enough for Senate Republicans, led by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia. There continue to be vast differences between the White House and Senate Republicans when it comes to the definition of infrastructure, the magnitude of proposed spending, and how to pay for it, said Kelley Moore, Capitos communications director. Based on todays meeting, the groups seem further apart after two meetings with White House staff than they were after one meeting with President Biden. The White House told CNN on Saturday that Biden made revisions to the original plan in the interest of finding bipartisan common ground and that he found cuts to his original proposal and a way to pay for it. But Republicans and Democrats are still quite far apart on other portions of the plan, such as Bidens $400 billion in proposed spending on home and community-based elder care, which Republicans say does not qualify as infrastructure. Biden has proposed increasing the corporate tax rate from 21 percent to between 25 and 28 percent, restoring it to pre-2017 levels, to pay for the plan, but Republicans are not willing to give up the tax cuts they passed under Trump. The administration is now waiting for the GOP to respond. As White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates told CNN, The ball is now in their court to respond with a good faith counter-offer. The American Rescue Plan is part of a two-fold idea to booster the economy following the pandemic. In April the White House debuted the second part of the proposal, the $1.8 trillion American Families Plan, which features investments in education, child care and working families with children. Click here to read the full article. New Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations and death rates in the U.S. have dropped to a level unseen since last summer, and health officials are crediting the vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Friday that the seven-day average of new coronavirus cases had dropped by more than 19 percent from the prior seven-day average. The decrease also marks the second day in a row where the seven-day average is less than 30,000 cases per day. The last time the seven-day average of cases per day was this low was June 18th, 2020. The CDC also said the seven-day average of hospital admissions had a decrease of almost 15 percent from the previous seven-day period. And the seven-day average of daily deaths had also declined to a new low of 498 per day. As each week passes and as we continue to see progress, these data give me hope, Rochelle Walensky the director of the CDC said during a White House press briefing. With more than 60 percent of people over 18 having received at least one shot, health officials, local governments and the Biden administration are looking to get even more people past vaccine hesitancy. Several states are offering incentives, like million-dollar lotteries, to residents who get their shot. Additionally this week, the White House put forward an initiative partnering with dating apps like Tinder to encourage young people to get vaccinated. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci said this week that if Americans can reach Bidens goal of 70 percent vaccinated by July 4th, the nation will have a good chance of avoiding a surge this coming fall. If we get to the presidents goal which I believe we will attain of getting 70 percent of people getting at least one dose, adults that is, by July 4, there will be enough protection in the community that I really dont foresee there being the risk of a surge, Fauci said. FRANKFORT The beaches at Frankfort will be safer this summer, with not only the addition of a system of lights that warn people of weather danger, but also volunteers educating people on how the system works and general beach safety. The Benzie Aquatic Center is currently seeking to recruit and train these volunteers, which will be working in three hour shifts at the beach on weekends, starting on Memorial Day weekend and continuing on through Labor day. "The idea is to be supporting of Frankfort's pilot program with the safety warning lights," said Diane Tracy, president of the board of directors of the Benzie Aquatic Center. "They'll be handing out additional water safety information to beachgoers on the weekend. We've got some materials to share from the Great Lakes water Safety Consortium and will also also provide more details about how the safety lights work." They light system, created by Swimsmart Warning Systems, is attuned to the National Weather Service, and will automatically update itself with the most current weather information for Frankfort. Different lights will light up depending on the condition; green for when it is safe to walk on the pier, yellow for when caution is advised and red for when people should avoid walking on the pier due to high wind and waves. Anybody interested in volunteering can contact benzieaquaticcenter@gmail.com. Prospective volunteers will be given a chance to sign up for shifts on a first-come first-serve basis, and there is a donation requirement to help cover the costs of polo shirts, which volunteers will wear. Volunteers will be at the main entrance by the parking lot. "There will be some signage at the lights, but people might not take the time to read them or just walk past them," Tracy said. "We can also talk to people about the Benzie Aquatic Center." Tracy said the reason the volunteers will work on the weekend is there are more visitors on the weekends who might not be as familiar with beach and pier safety as longtime residents. Aquatic safety has always been a priority for the Benzie Aquatic Center, and one of the reasons the group is looking into the possibility of opening a facility somewhere in Benzie County, if the feasibility work supports plans to maintain and create one. "It's a wonderful step toward improving public safety at the beach, which is part of our mission," Tracy said. "We're glad to be partnering with the City of Frankfort." Josh Mills, superintendent for the City of Frankfort, said the partnership is welcome. "It's a no brainer that this is a good thing," he said. "It is another good example of nonprofit and public partnership. It's also a good way for them to get their name and mission out there. We appreciate the opportunity to partner with them and do some educating and make people more aware of the dangers of Lake Michigan. During inclement weather it can be very dangerous." Mills says the Swimsmart system should be in place by Memorial Day weekend. Currently, the Benzie Aquatic Center is still doing a feasibility study on the idea of having an aquatics center in Benzie County, after essentially taking a pause in 2020 due to the pandemic. Tracy said if an aquatic center is in the cards, swimming and water safety classes for children and adults are something she hopes the center could offer. "We specifically, intend to be able to provide learn to swim programs, water safety and water survival skill programs," she said. "Water survival is important. What do you do if you get caught in rip current? Can you recognize the signs somebody is drowning? Do people know a cooler can be tossed to people to use as a flotation device for somebody struggling? Those kinds of programs are what we're interested in." Tracy said the Coast Guard is another prospective partner for the Aquatics Center as programming is planned. PHOENIX (AP) A 65-year-old man has been killed in a hit-and-run collision in west Phoenix, authorities said Sunday. Phoenix police said the pedestrian was struck around 11:45 p.m. Saturday. Officers arrived and found the man in the roadway with life-threatening injuries and he died at the scene. The name of victim hasnt been released yet. Witnesses told police that the man was crossing the street when an SUV struck him and kept on going. Police said they now are searching for the driver. VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) A prominent opponent of Belarus' authoritarian president was arrested Sunday after the airliner in which he was traveling was diverted to the country after a bomb threat, in what the opposition and Western officials denounced as a hijacking operation by the government. Raman Pratasevich, who faces charges that could bring 15 years in prison, was aboard the Ryanair flight from Athens, Greece, to the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius when it changed course to head for Minsk. I saw this Belarusian guy with girlfriend sitting right behind us. He freaked out when the pilot said the plane is diverted to Minsk. He said theres death penalty awaiting him there," passenger Marius Rutkauskas said after the plane arrived in Vilnius following several hours in the Belarusian capital. "We sat for an hour after the landing. Then they started releasing passengers and took those two. We did not see them again Rutkauskas said. Flight tracker sites indicated the plane was about 10 kilometers (six miles) from the Lithuanian border when it was diverted. There were conflicting accounts of the move. The press service of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said the president himself ordered that a MiG-29 fighter jet accompany the airliner after he was informed of the bomb threat. Deputy air force commander Andrei Gurtsevich said the plane's crew made the decision to land in Minsk. But Ryanair said in a statement that Belarusian air traffic control instructed the plane to divert to the capital. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda called the incident a state-sponsored terror act. He said that the European Council would discuss the case Monday and that he would propose banning Belarusian planes from European Union airports and serious sanctions against Lukashenko's government. Belarusian airspace is completely unsafe for any commercial flight, and it should be deemed this not only by the EU but by the international community. Because now, this instrument could be used for any plane crossing Belarusian airspace, said Lithuania's foreign minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis.. Pratasevich is a co-founder of the Telegram messaging apps Nexta channel, which Belarus last year declared as extremist after it was used to help organize major protests against Lukashenko. The protests have dwindled in recent months, but Belarus authorities are continuing to crack down on opposition with arrests. The Belarus presidential press service said the bomb threat was received while the plane was over Belarusian territory. Officials later said no explosives were found on board. Passengers were taken off the plane in Minsk. After the plane arrived in Vilnius, Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas said Pratasevich's girlfriend and four other people did not reboard. We will find out who are the other four that did not travel with the rest. Lithuania has launched an investigation to find out what really happened on that plane, he said on Facebook. Exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya called on the International Civil Aviation Organization to begin an investigation. It is absolutely obvious that this is an operation by the special services to hijack an aircraft in order to detain activist and blogger Raman Pratasevich, she said in a statement. Not a single person who flies over Belarus can be sure of his safety. The ICAO later said it is strongly concerned by the apparent forced landing. Belarusian authorities said there were 123 passengers on the plane. But Landsbergis, the Lithuanian foreign minister, said there were 171. Western countries also expressed alarm. Belarus showed again its contempt for international community and its citizens, U.S. Ambassador Julie Fisher said, calling the event dangerous and abhorrent. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted: It is utterly unacceptable to force @Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius to land in Minsk. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that "such an act cannot be left without definite consequences from the side of the European Union and called for Pratasevich to be released. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the incident shocking and accused Lukashenkas government of endangering the lives of those aboard the aircraft, some of them Americans. He called for the release of Pratasevich and for the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization to review the incident. Independent media are an essential pillar supporting the rule of law and a vital component of a democratic society. The United States once again condemns the Lukashenka regimes ongoing harassment and arbitrary detention of journalists, Blinken said. Months of protests erupted in Belarus after last August's presidential election that official results said gave Lukashenko a sixth term in office. Police cracked down on the protests harshly, detaining around 30,000 people and beating many of them. Although protests died down during the winter, Belarus has continued to take actions against the opposition and independent news media. Last week, 11 staff members of the TUT.by news website were detained by police. ___ Associated Press writers Jim Heintz in Moscow and Sylvia Hui in London contributed to this report. DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) As dusk descended on Grays Lake park in Des Moines, Kavya Parsa pulled a pair of fuzzy brown bats out of a plastic ice cream bucket and placed them onto the bark of a hearty cottonwood tree near the edge of the lake. The bats, two of the 18 released back into the wild last week, sprang from the tree and took flight. After a long year of helping care for the tiny mammals, Parsa, a lawyer and volunteer at the Iowa Wildlife Center in Ames, beamed with joy as the bats navigated their way into the darkening sky. Is your life fulfilled now? asked Marlene Ehresman, co-founder and executive director of the Iowa Wildlife Center. There is something fulfilling about releasing any rehabilitated animal back into the wild, but perhaps for Ehresman none so much as the 18 big brown bats released that Wednesday. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, animal rehabilitation clinics were restricted from releasing any bats due to fear of reverse transmission. Ehresman, whos been rehabilitating bats for 25 years, said the Iowa Wildlife Center was taking care of about 120 bats last March when the pandemic hit. We got a mandate from the state that we couldnt release any of the bats that we got in, Ehresman told the Des Moines Register. She said that her team couldnt do any work with bats in the field until research was done nationally to determine if the bats were vulnerable to COVID-19. To accommodate its bat population, Kevin Cavallin, a volunteer at the Iowa Wildlife Center, said the center built makeshift dwellings using portable greenhouses to house them over the winter months. As you can imagine, its been a task taking care of two seasons worth of bats, Cavallin said. According to its website, a study by the U.S. Geological Survey concluded that the risk of passing SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, on to North American bats was low. In late fall, we were given the greenlight to release some of our 2019 bats, Cavallin said. It was welcome news, as some of the bats had started reproducing in captivity, meaning even more bats for which to care. Most of the bats brought to the Iowa Wildlife Center are recovered from homes all across Iowa. One of the bats released on Wednesday was recovered from a church in Des Moines in 2019. Big brown bats, the species of bat released at Grays Lake park on Wednesday, are termed crevice-dwelling bats and type that are typically found in homes, taking up residency where there is easy access to water and moderate temperatures. People find them where they shouldnt be, or their cats find them or their dogs find them, Ehresman said. In Des Moines, Ehresman advises residents who find bats in their home to call the Des Moines Animal Control. She says that while the bats are protected outside, Iowa changed its law recently to allow the animals to be killed inside residences. But doing so, she believes, removes an important element of pest control. Bats eat mosquitos and other pest insects harmful to agriculture. Once a bat has been removed, Ehresman stresses the importance of closing off openings into your home where they will get back in. And, rest assured, they will. Bats have really good homing instincts. If youre not shutting up your homes, theyll be back, Ehresman said. JERUSALEM (AP) Israeli police escorted more than 250 Jewish visitors Sunday to a flashpoint holy site in Jerusalem where clashes between police and Palestinian protesters helped trigger a war in Gaza, according to the Islamic authority overseeing the site. The 11-day conflict between Israel and Gazas militant Hamas rulers came to a fragile halt Friday, but left behind immense ruin in Gaza, including hundreds of homes in that have been completely destroyed and many more that were badly damaged, according to the U.N. With tensions still high, police cleared young Palestinians out of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and barred entry to Muslims under the age of 45, according to the Islamic Waqf, which oversees the site. Muslims who entered were required to leave their IDs with police at the entrance. It said six Palestinians were detained, with four later released. Israeli police denied there was any age restriction and said they arrested five people who violated the public order. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the site was open for regular visits and that police had secured the area. The visits later ended without any further incident. Israeli police had briefly clashed with Palestinian protesters after Friday prayers in an early test for the truce, which had taken effect hours earlier. The cease-fire in Gaza has held, but violence in Jerusalem could set off another cycle of escalation. The Waqf said Sunday was the first time Jews had been allowed to visit the site since May 4, a week before the war broke out. The Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam. It sits on a sprawling hilltop in Jerusalems Old City that is revered by Jews as their holiest site because it was the location of the biblical temples. The site has often been the scene of Israeli-Palestinian violence over the years and was the epicenter of the 2000 Palestinian intifada, or uprising. Israeli police repeatedly clashed with Palestinian protesters at the site in the days leading up to May 10, when Hamas fired long-range rockets at Jerusalem, saying they were protecting the city in the wake of the skirmishes. The threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families from a nearby neighborhood was cited as another major trigger of the war. In recent years, increasing numbers of religious and nationalist Jews have visited the site. Palestinians fear Israel plans to eventually take over the compound or partition it. The Israeli government has repeatedly said it has no intention of changing the status quo, in which the Waqf oversees the site under Jordanian custodianship. On Sunday, Jordan said it would pay for repairs to Jerusalems Al-Aqsa Mosque, as well as medical aid for Palestinians, including a coronavirus testing and vaccination center in the Gaza Strip. The statement from the Royal Court did not specify the amount of funding. The recent war saw Israel unleash hundreds of airstrikes across Gaza at what it said were militant targets. Hamas and other armed groups fired more than 4,000 rockets toward Israel, most of which were intercepted or landed in open areas. At least 248 Palestinians were killed, as were 12 people in Israel. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken leaves this week for the Mideast. He told ABC News This Week with George Stephanopoulos on Sunday that the cease-fire offers a chance to make a pivot to building something more positive. Blinken said the priorities include addressing the immediate humanitarian situation in Gaza, reconstructing what was lost in the violence and engaging both sides in trying to start to make real improvements in the lives of people so that Israelis and Palestinians can live with equal measures of security, of peace and of dignity. The Israeli strikes leveled a number of large buildings in the impoverished coastal territory, which is home to more than 2 million Palestinians, which has been under a crippling Israeli-Egyptian blockade since Hamas, an Islamic militant group, seized power from forces loyal to the internationally backed Palestinian Authority in 2007. Lynn Hastings, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, said some 300 buildings in Gaza including an estimated 1,000 homes had been completely destroyed. She said hundreds more had been heavily damaged. She cautioned that those were very, very preliminary numbers as the damage is still being assessed. Hastings said a total of six hospitals and 11 primary health care centers were damaged, and that one hospital was not functioning because of a lack of electricity. She said around 800,000 people lack access to tap water and 400,000 people do not have proper sewage treatment because of damage to local infrastructure. Israel says it made every effort to avoid harming civilians and only targeted militant infrastructure, including a vast tunnel network and rocket launchers. It blames the war and its devastation on Hamas. Mark Regev, an adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told Fox News Sunday that Israel had dealt Hamas a heavy blow and hoped it would serve as a deterrent. But he also expressed hope that the truce could last, noting over half a decade of relative peace and quiet after the last round of fighting in 2014. On Sunday morning, hundreds of municipal workers and volunteers started a one-week campaign to clear rubble from Gazas streets. The work began outside a high-rise building that was flattened by Israeli warplanes during the early days of airstrikes on Gaza, with workers loading rubble into donkey carts and small pickup trucks. The International Committee of the Red Cross said Friday that the war may have left hundreds of unexploded munitions, which could cause further casualties and hinder efforts to rebuild. - Associated Press Writer Ilan Ben Zion contributed to this story from Jerusalem. Laredo Medical Center recently reached a significant milestone performing its first orbital atherectomy, an advanced life-saving procedure to clear calcified coronary artery blockages. The procedure was performed on April 12 by Dr. Ricardo J.G. Cigarroa II, who will be the primary physician at LMC to offer this interventional treatment for patients with calcific coronary artery disease. Laredo Medical Center is at the leading edge of innovative cardiac care and selected this modern technology based on studies of its efficacy, safety and lasting results in treating moderately to severely calcified coronary lesions, said Jorge Leal, FACHE, Chief Executive Officer. The coronary orbital atherectomy system provides our patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention procedures with an evidence-based option approved by the FDA, producing better outcomes. Dr. Cigarroa II, a Laredo native who recently returned to his hometown to join the medical staff at Laredo Medical Center, is pleased to provide the community with one of the latest advancements in the treatment of coronary artery disease. Some blockages in the heart arteries have become more complicated to fix than previously due to a number of factors. One of the most challenging issues we face today in cardiology is calcium buildup in coronary artery blockages, Cigarroa said. The calcium can be so hard that it can prevent full opening of the artery with stents. Atherectomy decreases the calcium build up by sanding it away, allowing the best possibility to return full flood flow to the heart by completely opening arteries and providing a more durable result for patients. The new technology uses a guide wire with a 1.25-millimeter diamond-coated crown that sands away calcium in coronary arteries to reduce arterial calcium that can cause complications when treating Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), a life-threatening condition and leading cause of death affecting 68 million Americans. Arterial calcium is a common occurrence and can lead to significant complications, with moderate to severe arterial calcium present in nearly 40% of patients undergoing a percutaneous coronary intervention. For more information on this procedure and other cardiac services at Laredo Medical Center, visit laredomedical.com or call the Marketing and Business Development Office at 956-796-3223. LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) Two convicted murderers who fought Nebraska officials in court for years for the right to marry each other will never have the chance to wed after one of their deaths earlier this year. The death of 40-year-old Nicole Wetherell in February also ended the court case she and Paul Gillpatrick, 49, had waged since 2014 before any precedent could be established. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed their case Wednesday before deciding the state's appeal, according to the Omaha World-Herald. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP or to submit a tip at p3tips.com. CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) An attempt to crack down on firearms in resorts and casinos is dividing Democrats in the Nevada statehouse, pitting gun violence prevention advocates against activists concerned about heavy-handed policing and racial profiling. A state Senate committee passed a measure Saturday to strengthen penalties and make it up to a gross misdemeanor to bring guns into certain resorts and casinos where they are prohibited. Under current law, if resort security confronts an armed person to tell them that firearms are not permitted on the premises and that person refuses to leave, they can call local law enforcement on them for trespassing. The policy would allow resort security to call law enforcement on visitors suspected of carrying the weapons in firearm-free zones to report trespassing without having to give them a verbal warning. Provisions would only apply to large resorts and casinos that choose to opt in and would require they post clear signs about where guns arent allowed both on their premises and on their websites. Sen. Melanie Scheible, a Las Vegas Democrat, said it made sense to enforce firearms bans in large casinos similar to how they are enforced in schools and public libraries given their importance to Nevada and its economy. We should be paying special attention to the resorts, the casinos, the hotels, and all of the places that people come from all over the world to see, and ensure that they can be safe while they are there. We should be able to allow facilities to have this increased and improved amount of safety on their properties, she said. Three-and-a-half years after Las Vegas experienced the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, casinos and unions representing their workers argue that law enforcement officers rather than resort security are better equipped to be the first to respond to visitors carrying guns where they are not allowed. The Oct. 1, 2017, massacre killed 58 people. Last year, a court approved an $800 million settlement from MGM Resorts International and its insurers to victims and their relatives. "At the point at which we become aware that an individual is violating policy, we should be able to engage with Metro; we should be able to engage with law enforcement in order to give assistance to remove that person from the property, MGM Senior Vice President of Public Affairs Ayesha Molino told lawmakers. Molino said that calling law enforcement on visitors openly carrying firearms would be one among many tactics that resorts could use to maintain a safe environment and likely not be used in every instance allowed under the bill. That provoked resistance from gun rights and police reform advocates worried about the rules being applied unevenly and conflicts escalating after police are called. Republicans and Democrats opposed to the bill said enforcing trespassing provisions without warning people they are violating the law could harm law-abiding citizens, particularly people of color. I am very concerned about what I believe this leads to, which is Stop and Frisk, Las Vegas Assemblywoman Shondra Summers-Armstrong said. We are going to have situations where Black folks and brown folks are going to be the ones who are going to be not asked to leave but are going to be the ones that the police are called on. Scheible said officers would still be required to follow laws prohibiting excessive searches and seizures. This has not changed the amount of reasonable suspicion or probable cause that an officer has to have in order to stop somebody, she said. Gun-related legislation routinely divides lawmakers along party lines and draws fiery support and opposition in Carson City. On Saturday, powerful interest groups, including MGM Resorts and the Culinary Union Local 226, testified in favor of the proposal. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department representatives testified as neutral to the proposal. But an atypical coalition of interest groups testified against the gun proposal considered Saturday. Groups that push police reform the ACLU of Nevada and the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada found themselves on the same side as gun rights groups like the NRA and police unions, which said the proposal could create unnecessary and dangerous confrontations between people and law enforcement. The measure now heads to the state Assembly, where it faces a steeper climb. A similar proposal was amended out of a bill introduced earlier in the legislative session after the chamber's Democratic leaders couldn't whip enough to support it. The Legislature is scheduled to adjourn May 31. ___ This story has been corrected to say that the amendment would make it up to a gross misdemeanor to bring guns into certain resorts and casinos where they are prohibited. ___ Sam Metz is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. ISLAMABAD (AP) Militants in Afghanistan fired across the border at a military post in northwestern Pakistan, killing a soldier in a firefight with Pakistani troops, the military said. The cross-border attack took place in the district of North Waziristan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province late Saturday night, the military said in a statement. It said troops returned fire and a young soldier was killed. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack and the military provided no further details. The statement said Pakistan has consistently asked Afghanistan to manage and control its side of the border. Pakistan strongly condemns the use of Afghan soil by militants for attacks against targets inside Pakistan. Afghan Defense Ministry deputy spokesman Fawad Aman said there was no center of terrorism in Afghanistan" and that almost all militant groups fighting in Afghanistan have bases in Pakistan. Terrorists are entering Afghanistan from Pakistan conducting terrorist operations against people, he said. Pakistan has a lengthy, porous border with Afghanistan which is being fenced by Pakistan. Afghanistan Called Durand Line, the border was drawn up during British colonial rule. North Waziristan and other tribal regions that were merged into northwestern Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in 2018 long served as sanctuaries for local and foreign militants. For years the military carried out massive operations to clear them of militants and many fighters crossed into Afghanistan or hid in the mountainous terrain. Earlier this month, militants in Afghanistan fired across the border at troops in southwestern Pakistan, killing at least four soldiers. OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) The state has chosen the district attorney of four southwestern Oklahoma counties to consider sexual misconduct charges against a former judge. The state attorney generals office appointed Jason Hicks on Friday after he agreed to take on the case against former Oklahoma County Judge Tim Henderson, The Oklahoman reported. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation has been investigating sexual misconduct allegations against Henderson involving five women. CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) Some of Tommy Cress greatest passions include ranching, rodeo and reaching young people. For years, the longtime educator served as an assistant principal of East High School. But last year, he decided he wanted a more hands-on role and accepted a position as the agriculture teacher at Cheyennes Central High School. Administration was a great opportunity, Cress said. But I just missed being around kids and really getting to know them. Now that hes back in the classroom, Cress, who grew up on a farm, has embraced his new opportunity to teach and mentor students, the Wyoming Tribune Eagle reported. In addition to teaching traditional classroom lessons on agribusiness management, Cress spends a lot of time getting his students acquainted with the practical aspects of raising livestock at LCSD1s very own district-run farm on the outskirts of town. Although many kids across Wyoming grow up on or around farms, not everyone who lives in Cheyenne has access to one. And thats where the school farm, replete with student-raised pigs and sheep, comes in. Not a lot of districts in the state have something like this, so this is really big for our kids, said Jeffrey Stone, LCSD1s curriculum coordinator for career and technical education. A lot of kids can keep a pig here and learn how to raise it and get it ready to sell. Stone has known Cress for decades, and has always been impressed with his drive and work ethic. When Cress made the switch back to teaching, Stone said Cress hit the ground running and has proven himself to be a solid role model for Wyomings future generation of farmers and ranchers. He is an incredibly hard worker. He researches everything, said Stone. That spills over to the kids. Thats been the experience of Sarah Turner, a junior at Central, who is planning to pursue an agricultural education degree at the University of Wyoming. Watching Cress patient and committed teaching style partly inspired that choice. Although her family owns a farm in Wheatland, living in Cheyenne doesnt allow her to visit that farm every day like she does LCSD1s school farm. So, Cress helped Turner come up with the money to buy two pigs she keeps at the school farm. Hes shown her the ropes of presenting animals at 4-H competitions and has become one of her favorite teachers. Hes not just an everyday teacher, said Turner, who admires Cress patience and commitment to his students education. Cress is someone I can look up to. Hes both competitive and compassionate. For Trevon Gilliam, who also is a junior at Central, Cress hands-on teaching style at the school districts farm has meant an opportunity to keep pursuing his passion for working with animals. Its a passion he developed while growing up on his familys horse farm in Louisiana. He doesnt have his own farm in Cheyenne, so taking Cress class has allowed Gilliam to keep learning the business. Mr. Cress has a very diverse teaching style, said Gilliam, who aspires to work in agriculture after graduation, and admires the lengths Cress goes to in order to show students the many facets of raising livestock. When school lets out for summer early next month, Cress wont be taking a break from teaching. Instead, he plans to spend even more time with his students at the farm, preparing them for the annual Wyoming State Fair competition where theyll hopefully sell the livestock theyve invested so much time and effort in raising. LONDON - British health officials expressed optimism Sunday that the coronavirus restrictions remaining in England can be lifted in June after an official study found that the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines offer effective protection against the variant first identified in India. Authorities in Britain have expressed concern in recent weeks that increasing cases of the Indian variant could jeopardize the U.K.s so-far successful plan to reopen its economy. More than 2,880 cases of the Indian variant have been recorded in England, figures show. The government has said the variant appears to be more transmissible, but there was still uncertainty about how concerning this was. Jenny Harries, chief executive of the U.K. Health Security Agency, said officials in England are on track to proceed with the final stage of unlocking the country from June 21 if the public remains cautious. ___ MORE ON THE VIRUS OUTBREAK: The poor, the rich: In a sick India, all are on their own IOC VP gets backlash saying Olympics are on, no matter virus Pandemic has fueled eating disorder surge in U.S. teens, adults COVID testings value shrinks as vaccines beat back virus ___ Follow more of APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine ___ HERE'S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING: PARIS - The French foreign minister says its possible that France will introduce stricter coronavirus restrictions for British visitors when tourism reopens this summer, to prevent the spread of a worrying virus variant first detected in India and causing concern in Britain. The minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, suggested that Britain could be put in a health category of its own, somewhere in between the strictest measures that France is imposing on visitors from India and 15 other countries, and more relaxed requirements being readied for visitors from elsewhere. Speaking Sunday, Le Drian said health measures that are a bit stronger could be applied for British tourists. ___ ISLAMABAD Pakistans federal authorities on Sunday reported a decrease in COVID-19 deaths and new cases and decided to reopen tourist resorts from Monday but only for those who have either tested negative or got vaccinated. As per the earlier decision of federal body, schools and higher education institution to open by Monday as well except for the southern Sindh province which opted to keep them closed for another two weeks. Federal authorities reported 74 deaths due to COVID-19 and just over 3000 new cases of the virus in a single day. The national body countering the spread of the virus urged people continue to adhere to the precautionary measures of mask wearing and maintaining physical distance at public places and during travel in public transport. They also stressed that people should get vaccinated. ___ BRASILIA, Brazil - Brazils health minister said the government is concerned about the coronavirus variant first identified in India after the first cases of it were confirmed in the South American country. Marcelo Queiroga denied, however, that there was community transmission of the variant, which was first identified in Brazil in the northeastern state of Maranhao, where 100 people are being monitored. A case was also confirmed Saturday in Ceara state. According to Queiroga, 600,000 rapid tests will be sent to Maranhao to monitor the variants possible spread and he said health barriers would be implemented at airports, highways and roads in Maranhao to contain its movement. All passengers passing through airports or borders in the northeastern state will have to take the rapid test. Brazil suspended flights from India last week following the recommendation of the National Health Surveillance Agency. ___ WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. - The Navajo Nation has reported 12 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and two additional deaths. Tribal health officials said the latest figures released Saturday evening pushed the total number of cases since the pandemic began more than a year ago to 30,767 on the vast reservation that covers parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. The known death toll now is at 1,299. On Saturday, there were two new coronavirus cases on the reservation but no reported deaths. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said more than half of the reservations adult population has been vaccinated. ___ BOSTON The number of people fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in Massachusetts is approaching 50%, state officials said. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health said late Saturday that more than 3.4 million people in the state are fully vaccinated. Massachusetts has about 7 million residents. The New England states have paced the nation in vaccinating residents against the virus, which has killed more than 580,000 Americans. Massachusetts has the second highest percentage of fully vaccinated residents in the U.S. after Connecticut, and Maine is number three, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ___ BEAVER TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) The uncle of a man fatally shot by Michigan State Police on Saturday said his nephew grabbed a BB gun as an officer moved toward him. In an interview with WOOD-TV, Harry Pulsipher Sr. said he lived on the Beaver Township property with his ex-wife and his nephew, whom he identified as Johnny Owen King. He said police were called to the mobile home Saturday morning because of a dispute between his ex-wife and King. Richard Branson is getting closer to his trip to space. For years, the British billionaire has dreamed of developing a spacecraft that could fly paying customers to the edge of space and back. And now, after a third successful mission out of the atmosphere Saturday morning, his company Virgin Galactic has said he could get his chance later this year. THIS WEEK IN SPACE: Sounds of Mars, private astronauts in space On Saturday, Virgin Galactic said on Twitter that a pair of its pilots, C.J. Sturckow and Dave Mackay, fired the engine of the spaceplane known as SpaceShipTwo Unity, pointed the nose toward the skies over New Mexico and roared to a height of more than 50 miles, the threshold at which NASA recognizes that a person has reached space. The spacecraft then fell back toward Earth, as the pilots guided it back to the tarmac of Spaceport America, which the company says will be home to its space tourism business. The company did not provide a precise figure for how high the craft flew, but the flight marked a significant milestone for Virgin Galactic and could pave the way for the 600 customers who have put down deposits on tickets to finally get the chance to fly after waiting years for the opportunity. The successful mission comes at a critical time. Branson's venture is facing competition from Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, which is also working to fly paying passengers on suborbital trips to the edge of space. After flying 15 successful missions on its New Shepard rocket and spacecraft, Blue Origin recently announced it would fly people for the first time on July 20, the anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. It is auctioning off a seat on that trip and the proceeds would benefit the company's nonprofit, Club for the Future, which encourages young people to enter the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. The highest bid as of Saturday morning was $2.8 million, but the company expects that to go up during a live auction on June 12. Blue Origin has not said what it would charge for seats. In the past, Virgin has charged as much as $250,000, but it has said that ticket prices are likely to increase, at least in the short term. Saturday's flight was the first time Virgin Galactic has reached space in more than two years. In that time the company moved its operations from Mojave, Calif., to New Mexico. It also went public through a merger with a New York investment firm and appointed a new chief executive, Michael Colglazier, a former executive at Disney who is working to expand the company's operations worldwide as well as build a fleet of spacecraft. GET OUTSIDE: Houston will get to see a lunar eclipse this month His vision he said is in line with "the roots of this company - to open space up," he said in a recent interview with The Post. "It may not happen in the first year, it may not be the fifth year. But 10 years from now, 15 years from now this is going to be a normalized thing, and everyone should be aspiring to go to space." The company's last flight attempt, in December, was aborted just as the engine fired. The company said the abort was triggered by electromagnetic interference from a flight computer system that caused the motor to shut down. The pilots then flew the vehicle back down to the ground safely. That issue had been resolved, the company said, prior to Saturday's flight. The company has said that if Saturday's flight went well, it would follow it with another test flight with two pilots and four company employees on board to test out the cabin. Branson would fly on the flight after that, which the company is planning for later this year. Branson has dreamed of going to space for years and founded Virgin Galactic, what he calls the "world's first commercial spaceline," in 2004. When the company first reached space with a pair of pilots in 2018, Branson was on the flight line with his son watching. When commentators announced that the spacecraft had reached space, he wept openly. "It's been 14 long years to get here," he said at the time. "We've had tears, real tears, and moments of joy. So the tears of today were tears of joy. It was maybe tears of relief as well." For most of us, a job is a source of stability and purpose. A job gives us a steady income and a way to support our family and save for the future. Jobs often come with a predictable schedule that we can plan around. We know when we go to work; when we can rest; when we can buy groceries or see the doctor; and when we can spend time with our families. For many low wage workers in Connecticut, however, jobs are far from a solid foundation. Theyre a source of instability. Hundreds of thousands of workers in our state, many of them women of color, work in low wage industries where they have no input in their work schedules. Corporate retail, hospitality and food service industries, in large part, require employees to keep their schedules open hoping for that call to report to work and earn an income. Employees get shifts assigned with little heads up and their shifts can be cancelled without any notice or compensation. Many workers dont ever get enough hours to qualify for benefits. In the end, they work two or three part-time jobs to be able to earn enough income to pay the rent, feed the kids, pay for childcare, and pay medical and utility bills. If your schedule isnt predictable, youre constantly in a bind between planning for child care or a second job. Unpredictable schedules have devastating ripple effects. Imagine being a parent and having to hold your schedule open for one job and turning down a shift at a second job. Youve already hired a babysitter because you thought you had to work. Then your shift gets canceled. Now, youve lost income opportunities from both jobs and still have to pay child care. Imagine being faced with this every week. These practices are ingrained in the culture of large corporations where unhealthy scheduling practices make it impossible for low wage workers to get by. It could be different if employees had a voice over their own schedules. Current Connecticut wage and hour laws already require employers compensate two hours pay for food service and hospitality workers for lost hours when shifts are canceled. Retail workers get four hours when they show up and their shifts get canceled. Incredibly, this law has been on the books since 1951. Its been too long since this law has been updated. Thats why I championed Senate Bill 668, Connecticuts proposed fair work week legislation. In recent years, the state of Oregon and many cities, including New York City, Philadelphia, and Chicago, have enacted Fair Work Week laws that give workers a seat at the table and foster more communication between workers and bosses. Fair work week laws give workers a voice over their own schedules. Everywhere these laws are in place, employers provide workers with schedules two weeks in advance. They compensate workers for cancelled shifts - something that should already be occurring here. Workers have first right at any new hours that become available so they can qualify for health care and other benefits. And they can breathe easy knowing that they cannot be terminated for declining a shift that their boss forces upon them without their input. Fair work week laws actually create healthier work environments that share flexibility between bosses and workers. Its common sense. When businesses are required to engage employees in a fair scheduling process, businesses and employees experience more stability, less absenteeism, higher productivity and better employee morale. When you have happier employees, it shows at work. Theres plenty of data showing these laws improve a companys bottom line, too. Deputy, a company that provides workforce management technology, has reported that companies in fair work week jurisdictions saw absenteeism and tardiness for workers decline by 30 percent, a 14 percent increase in hours for workers, and, more importantly, a 3 percent reduction in overall labor costs. The fact is that if youre a good employer, youre probably incorporating fair work week practices in your business already. Senate Bill 668 is designed to root out bad corporate behavior. I think we can all agree we dont want to protect bad corporate businesses practices. The fair work week bill updates existing wage and hour laws for the 21st century. The Senate passed Fair Work Week Scheduling this past week; we look forward to its passage in the House and then on to the governors desk for signature. State Sen. Julie Kushner represents Danbury, Bethel, New Fairfield, and Sherman and serves as Senate Chair of the Labor and Public Employees Committee. WASHINGTON (AP) Republicans trying to drive a wedge between Democrats and chip away at President Joe Bidens support are zeroing in on the violence in the Middle East, laying blame on his administration and aiming to make his liberal critics the face of the party heading into the midterm elections. GOP Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Tom Cotton of Arkansas, both potential White House hopefuls in 2024, have focused in particular on Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and other progressives for criticizing Israel amid an escalating volley of missiles and airstrikes in Hamas-controlled Gaza that has killed hundreds of civilians over the last week. IN HOUSTON: Hundreds of Houstonians march in pro-Palestine demonstration outside Israeli consulate The approach represents a new strategy for Republicans who have struggled to land consistent and effective criticism of Biden and his fellow Democrats during the opening months of his presidency. In focusing on the fighting in Gaza, the GOP is aiming to demonstrate staunch support for Israel, an issue of deep importance to many in the party's base. At the same time, Republicans are hoping to draw a contrast with Democrats and leave them appearing divided. Cruz on Tuesday accused Ocasio-Cortez and other hard-left Democrats of regularly engaging in hateful antisemitic and anti-Israel rhetoric, and what theyre saying right now sounds more like theyre acting as press secretaries for Hamas terrorists than as members of the United States Congress defending American national security and the security of our allies. The violence in the Middle East is unfolding at a time when Democratic views on key foreign policy issues are shifting. Beyond Ocasio-Cortez, who has called Israel an apartheid state," and Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, who has labeled Israeli airstrikes terrorism, moderate Democrats have notably grown more willing to question Israeli policy, reflecting the changing views of the party's voters. A Pew Research Center poll from 2018 showed a widening partisan gap in Middle East sympathies, with an overwhelming percentage of Republicans, 79%, saying they sympathized more with Israel than Palestinians, versus just 6% who said they sympathized more with Palestinians. Among Democrats, 27% said they sympathized more with Israel, while 25% sympathized more with the Palestinians. It was a dramatic change from 2001, when 50% of Republicans and 38% of Democrats sympathized more with Israel. So far, Biden has taken a careful approach to the crisis, publicly expressing support for a cease-fire while privately encouraging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials to wind down the bombardment of Gaza as the Israeli and Palestinian death tolls have mounted. While he faced pressure from his left to take a more aggressive stance including from Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who sought to delay a $735 million arms sale to Israel that pressure appeared to have subsided somewhat Tuesday. Among those who declined to criticize Biden were Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who said the administration was conducting robust behind-the-scenes diplomacy. I trust their diplomacy will yield effective results, Menendez said. The divisions have nonetheless caused headaches. In Nevada, the state partys treasurer resigned after its chairperson released a statement that accused the U.S. of too long turn(ing) a blind eye to injustice and violence committed by the Israeli government, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. I have been taking a stand my entire life to stand with the people of Israel to live in peace and to be free of the constant and ongoing terrorism practiced by those who seek its destruction and the annihilation of the Jewish people, Howard Beckerman reportedly wrote in a letter to state party leaders. Former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., a moderate, said progressives calling for a tougher line against Israel are by far a minority voice in the Democratic Party. Republicans are trying to exploit a minority position expressed by a minority number of Democrats, she said. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., another moderate, said strong support for Israel remains the position of an overwhelming number of Democrats and called it shocking that some have been calling Israel a terrorist nation. I find that particularly appalling," he said. In normal times," he added, their comments might have led to a censure resolution, but that's not happening because Democrats dont want to give more attention to the bomb throwers here in Congress. Still, with the 2022 midterms well over a year away and the U.S. beginning to emerge from the pandemic, the long-term political implications of the violence are unclear. GOP pollster Glen Bolger noted that foreign policy issues rarely sway voters, especially so long before an election. While Republicans have tried to paint Democrats as out of the mainstream, there are likely to be 20 more examples of things Republicans will be able to point to and say, Theyre too extreme, including domestic issues that voters tend to care more about, he said. But David Winston, a pollster who advises congressional GOP leaders, said that with Democrats thin House and Senate majorities, their disagreements on this issue could potentially stop the policies their own president wants to put in place. It raises the question, Can you effectively govern? Still, Winston argued the issue wasnt an effective one to use to attack Democrats, especially when it comes to gaining support from independents who are pivotal to winning congressional control and tend to care less about partisan finger-pointing than solutions. They want to know how youre dealing with it, how youre going to make this work, he said. MORE POLITICS: Matthew McConaughey might be making real moves toward running for governor Republicans, meanwhile, have tried to present a united front, echoing Trump's campaign trail attacks that Democrats hate Jews and have become the "anti-Israel party. On Monday, more than a dozen GOP senators announced a resolution "reaffirming the United States unwavering commitment to our ally Israel and its right to take whatever means are necessary to stop the murder of its citizens and foreign nationals residing in Israel. And Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., took to the Senate floor to call on Biden to remain strong against the growing voices within his own party that create false equivalence between terrorist aggressors and a responsible state defending itself. The hand-wringing calls for a cease-fire are tantamount to Hamas propaganda. Both sides are not the same in this conflict, no matter what the Democrats naively imply, echoed Cotton. Former Vice President Mike Pence, another Republican eyeing a presidential run in 2024, also focused on the issue, recording a video and penning an op-ed in the conservative National Review in which he blamed Biden for the violence, calling it "a direct result of the weakness shown by the Biden administration from its first day in office. The fighting is the most intense since a 2014 war between Israel and Hamas. At least 213 Palestinians have been killed in airstrikes, including 61 children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, and 12 people in Israel, including a 5-year-old boy, have been killed. Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., a moderate who voiced his support for Israel on the House floor last week, deflected questions Tuesday about whether Republicans could use progressives criticism to characterize Democrats as extremists. The majority of Democrats in Congress and across the country continue to support Israel as a strong ally, he said. Schneider said Israel benefits when we have bipartisan support for Israel, and neither party is trying to use Israel as a wedge against the other party. ___ Associated Press writers Hannah Fingerhut, Steven Sloan and Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed to this report. Democratic Rep. Leslie Herod had no luck persuading her colleagues in the Colorado Legislature to ban police from using chokeholds after the death of a 23-year-old Black man in suburban Aurora in 2019. She couldnt gather enough support to even introduce a police reform bill that included a ban. That changed when George Floyd died after being pinned under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer and the video set off a summer of protests over police killings and racial injustice. RELATED: George Floyd to be honored with commemorative concert in Houston a year after his death Within a month of Floyds death, Colorado lawmakers took the step they had avoided after the death of Elijah McClain and approved a ban on chokeholds as part of broader police reform legislation. The law overrode more limited chokehold restrictions that were put in place four years earlier. Making it clear that is completely banned in all circumstances has the potential to save lives, said Herod, who is Black. Colorado is among several states to prohibit or severely limit the use of chokeholds and neck restraints by police officers in the year since the world watched Floyd plead for air as he was pinned under the knee of former officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted of murder and manslaughter last month. At least 17 states, including Minnesota, have enacted legislation to ban or restrict the practice, according to data provided to The Associated Press by the National Conference of State Legislatures. Before Floyd was killed, only two states, Tennessee and Illinois, had bans on police hold techniques that restrict the airway or blood flow to the brain when pressure is applied to the neck. A majority of the bans enacted over the past year are in states controlled politically by Democrats, as Colorado is. They include California, Illinois, Nevada, Oregon and Virginia, among others. This past week, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a broad legislative package that will implement numerous police accountability and reform measures, including an outright ban on chokeholds and neck restraints. The efforts also have generated support among some Republicans. Bans or restrictions have been signed into law by GOP governors in Massachusetts and Vermont, which have Democratic legislatures, and have passed in fully Republican-controlled states such as Indiana, Iowa and Utah. Just a month after Floyds death, Utah lawmakers voted to ban knee-to-neck chokeholds, though the legislation stopped short of a ban on all types of neck restraints. The bill was sponsored by Democratic Rep. Sandra Hollins, the only Black member of the Utah Legislature. Our community is feeling unsafe, Hollins said at the time. Thats why youre seeing the protests. They are in fear of their lives. This bill sends a very powerful message as legislators saying, We hear you, and were going to do something about it. Many of the new laws include criminal penalties for officers if a chokehold or neck restraint leads to death or injury, unless they can show it was necessary to protect their life or someone elses. In Vermont, officers can face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000. Those consequences are important to gain compliance, said Lorenzo Boyd, director of the Center for Advanced Policing at the University of New Haven in Connecticut. If we say chokeholds are prohibited, police will still use chokeholds, he said. If we say, Chokeholds are now felonies and if you use a chokehold we can now prosecute you, I think that would change the narrative. Floyds death was not the first police case involving a neck restraint to capture wide public attention. In 2014, a New York City police officer put Eric Garner in what appeared to be a chokehold while arresting him on suspicion of illegally selling cigarettes on Staten Island. On amateur video, Garner can be heard saying I cant breathe. OPINION: The Chauvin verdict makes it clear that abolition is mandatory While the city had previously banned chokeholds, no statewide legislation followed Garners death. It wasnt until the Floyd killing that the New York Legislature passed a bill to effectively ban police use of chokeholds and make it a felony. The lawmaker who pushed the ban said a similar bill introduced in 2014, shortly after Garner died, failed to gain traction. When I came to the Senate, I came looking for this bill, state Sen. Brian Benjamin said of the legislation he introduced in 2019. But it wasnt until George Floyds murder occurred that the nationwide, global energy around Weve got to do something, really changed the dynamics in New York. When asked to speculate why the Legislature didnt act after the Garner death, Benjamin said there was room for detractors to give the officer the benefit of the doubt. He said what happened in Minneapolis was different. With the Floyd video, theres absolutely no wiggle room of any kind around the evilness of what was happening there, he said. The legislation related to chokeholds and neck restraints is part of a broader effort in many states to address police procedures, training and discipline since Floyd's death. Since May 2020, at least 67 police reforms have been signed into law in 25 states related to specific topics the National Conference of State Legislatures analyzed at the APs request. In addition to neck restraints and chokeholds, the laws address police-worn body cameras; disciplinary and personnel records; independent investigations of officer conduct; use of force restrictions; qualified immunity; and no-knock warrants. At least 13 states enacted restrictions on officer use-of-force and at least eight have implemented laws beefing up officer reviews and investigations, according to the NCSL data. While the Floyd killing prompted reforms in many states, legislatures elsewhere took no action or went the other direction and gave police even more authority. City police and county sheriffs departments also have wide leeway to set many of their own rules, including around use-of-force. A number of large cities and police departments banned or restricted the use of chokeholds even before Floyd was killed. But officers still employed the technique and used it disproportionately against Black men, said Paul Weber, a former federal prosecutor and author of the book, Chokehold: Policing Black Men. Even in jurisdictions where restraints and chokeholds are banned, as a practical matter theres no consequence when officers engage in those bad practices, Weber said. A statewide ban would apply to more departments -- but again, the policies arent going to be more effective than the enforcement. ___ Associated Press writers Geoff Mulvihill in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and Sophia Eppolito in Salt Lake City contributed to this report. Amiri, Eppolito and Fassett are corps members for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. ___ Find APs full coverage of the death of George Floyd at: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd Many have lost their livelihoods, parents; a safe haven for their babies, and children; a warm place to call home away from home, the Imagination Land post said. We, at Imagination Land are unsure of the next steps to take but with the Grace of God we will prevail. Matthew Busch, Contributor / For The San Antonio Express-News The Texas Senate voted 25-5 to pass a bill that would raise criminal penalties and require jail time for people who knowingly obstruct emergency vehicles from passing through a roadway or who block a hospital entrance. It now heads to the governors desk to be signed into law. The bill is in response to last years nationwide protests against police brutality, which were sparked by the murder of George Floyd at the hands of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Massive protests erupted in major cities across the country, including in Texas, where demonstrators were arrested for allegedly damaging property or blocking roadways. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form A. Transportation. There's a strong need for a long-term mobility plan, especially on U.S. 19 and State Road 44. B. Resiliency. Crystal River needs blueprints for the future, especially focusing on sea level rise and health of bay waters. C. Downtown. Areas within the city's CRA need more projects like the Town Square. D. Revitalization. Abandoned shopping centers and older structures like the mall need a makeover. E. Residential neighborhoods. Interconnecting communities and maximizing the potential in Crystal River neighborhoods is the key to happy living. Vote View Results Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Claremore, OK (74018) Today Scattered showers and thunderstorms, especially during the evening. A few storms may be severe. Low 72F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Scattered showers and thunderstorms, especially during the evening. A few storms may be severe. Low 72F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Having access to everything inside our own homes is something most of us take for granted. Simply being able to climb stairs, reach counter tops or perform basic tasks around the house is something that comes easy to most people. But for people with reduced mobility from physical or mental d Thanking the PM profusely for standing by the state government in its fight against the Covid-19, Jagan said the recent policy of central government was enabling private hospitals to directly procure vaccines from the producers. (Twitter) VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure enough Covid-19 vaccine supplies to government hospitals to serve the needy. Only after meeting the needs of government hospitals can those of private hospitals be addressed, he stressed in a letter. The Chief Minister strongly opposed supply of vaccines to private hospitals without fully ensuring surplus stocks at the government hospitals. This would only encourage excessive charging by the private hospitals, he expressed concern. Supplying vaccines to private hospitals would be a good idea if there is surplus availability of vaccines in the country but the situation is different and there is severe vaccine scarcity in the country, he reminded the Prime Minister. Thanking the PM profusely for standing by the state government in its fight against the Covid-19, Jagan Mohan Reddy said the recent policy of central government was enabling private hospitals to directly procure vaccines from the producers, through the channel of 50% supply earmarked for other than Government of India. The CM reminded the PM thus: Further, I would like to bring to your kind notice that many Governments including ours have taken a decision to vaccinate people in the 18-44 age group also free of cost. However due to insufficient availability of vaccines under both channels of supply, currently only those who are above 45 years of age are being vaccinated in our State as they are more vulnerable. The policy decision of the Government of India in this regard to allow private hospitals to directly purchase vaccines is sending out wrong signals to the people. Due to the price differential offered to them and also the flexibility available to the private hospitals to fix the price of their vaccines, these hospitals are charging as high as 2000/25000 rupees for each dose from the public. This makes these doses one of the costliest in the world and invites criticism from the general public. Stating that a vaccine is for a public good and ideally it needs to be given free of cost or at least at affordable rates, the Chief Minister said that in a situation where there is not enough supply to cater to even the 45+ age group completely, and no possibility of taking up the free vaccination of the 18-44 years for the next few months, it appears very unreasonable to allow some private sector hospitals to vaccinate people of all age groups at such exorbitant rates. He stated that not only it is disadvantage to the poorer sections of the society who cannot afford such high cost, but it also creates a situation of black marketing of the vaccine, which administratively is a Herculean task to control. The Chief Minister wrote, Making available various options to the public to get vaccinated, in both Government and private hospitals, would be a good idea only if there is surplus supply and availability of vaccines, where anyone can choose any mode as per his/her choice/financial capability. In today's situation, where vaccine supply is very limited, providing this option to the private hospitals, where they charge an exorbitant price, is socially unacceptable and administratively difficult to monitor. I request you to kindly look into the matter about dispensing of vaccines to private hospitals which would help both the Central and State Governments to get vaccines to take up vaccination of all eligible people as per the policies of the both Central and different State Governments. Jagan Mohan Reddy said to Modi, I am confident that such a decision under your leadership will be widely appreciated and generate immense goodwill in favour of the Government and arrest black marketing of vaccines. Celebrating in Spirit Not all of the graduates were able to attend the in-person commencement ceremonies, but they made the best of it. Aashrita Indurti, a master's student in the School of Design, has conducted her entire CMU experience from Bangalore, India, which is 9.5 hours ahead of Pittsburgh. She said she has yet to set foot on the Pittsburgh campus. "It's been a wild ride. Obviously, you miss out on the physical aspect of things, but it's also been really fun," she said. "I see all these futuristic movies and you're telecommuting to uni so it's been a whole different perspective of being virtually present and still being included in everything that's happening." She watched the graduate commencement ceremony and attended her program's diploma ceremony remotely on Saturday. "Design has done a stellar job of making sure we were included in everything. I really appreciate the whole concept of care that's been brought in," Indurti said. Zeja Copes virtually received her bachelor's degrees in art and creative writing. Based in Pittsburgh, she chose to live with her parents and be 100 percent remote for her senior year. "It's not like I needed a lab, which helped my decision to stay remote," Copes said. "It's been an interesting experiment." She watched the livestream of Sunday's ceremony and participated in the virtual diploma ceremonies for the Department of English and School of Art from her living room. "It reminded me of how big the community is, and how many people have been rooting for us to make it to this day," Copes said. "I'm proud to be in the Class of 2021. We pushed through and we deserve our props. This isn't what any of us pictured when we were freshmen, but we kept going. Now we get to wake up Monday morning as alumni. I'm going to count that as a victory." Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 22) The country recorded its highest daily vaccination rate last May 20, almost three months after it started its COVID-19 immunization drive, according to Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. In a statement, Galvez said the government administered 229,769 vaccine doses on Thursday. A total of 3,718,308 doses have so far been administered across the country, as of May 20. Currently, the government is focusing on providing COVID-19 shots to healthcare workers, senior citizens, and people with comorbidities. "I am very confident that with the current pace that we have, we can breach the four million mark by early next week," Galvez said. With the current development on vaccine deliveries, Galvez is optimistic the Philippines can administer "at least half a million doses or more daily." "By June, we will expect to have higher outputs when we all join hands in accelerating the vaccination and open our target population from the economic and government frontliners (A4) and indigent/poor communities (A5)," he added. Galvez said Filipinos can expect that by the start of the third quarter, vaccine shipments to the Philippines will be boosted to 15 to 20 million doses monthly. Earlier this week, Galvez said herd immunity can be achieved in Metro Manila and several other areas dealing with high COVID-19 cases by November. For the second straight day, Republicans in the state House of Representatives slammed the brakes on the chambers agenda, drawing out debate through the first weekend workday of the legislative session and well into the evening. The delaying tactic, an effort to get Democrats to the negotiating table over the agenda for the session's final weeks, may be bearing fruit. A brief recess Saturday night took legislative leaders off the floor for about 30 minutes to begin those discussions, a source told Colorado Politics. Once the recess was over, lawmakers were back to debating the second of two major tax policy bills. But after wrapping up debate on House Bill 1311, the pace noticeably quickened. In a day when the House debated or voted on 10 bills, it took lawmakers nine hours to work through the first five pieces of legislation on their agenda. After the recess, the chamber moved through the last five House Bills 1307, 1209, 1303, 1288 and 1297 in just under two hours with several Republicans saying they had been asked by their leadership to keep their comments brief. Saturdays legislative calendar featured more than two dozen bills scheduled for either a final vote or debate. After kicking off around 10:30 a.m., the chambers Democratic majority was able to conduct a final vote on one bill House Bill 1269, a relatively uncontroversial measure directing the Public Utilities Commission to conduct a study on the wholesale, opt-out model of community choice energy before seeing their Republican colleagues resume stall tactics. In a sign of what was to come, Rep. Ron Hanks asked for another relatively uncontroversial bill seeking to create a public-facing search engine for accessing state agency rules and rulemaking to be read at length. The move from the Canon City Republican is rarely employed on a bills third reading, particularly when factoring in that House Bill 1230 boasts bipartisan sponsorship. A bulk of Saturdays slowdown came over Republican objections to a pair of tax-reform measures that Democrats hope will close loopholes and generate $400 million in revenues. First came the resumption of the fight over House Bill 1312 sponsored by Reps. Emily Sirota, D-Denver and Mike Weissman, D-Aurora, which continued into its final vote on Saturday after debate on the measure stretched through the late evening hours on Friday. The major provision of that bill is to increase to $50,000 the business personal property tax exemption for small businesses. That's property taxes businesses pay on items such as desks, computers, phones and other movable equipment that they use to run their operations. Under the bill the first $50,000 in property would be exempted from those taxes, up from $7,900. And while those taxes are paid to counties, the state would backfill those taxes under the bill. The measure also provides incentives for employee-owned businesses. The bill's cost, about $19 million, according to the fiscal analysis, is paid for by changes in tax policy for insurance companies, oil and gas and coal companies, which could not only eventually generate about $150 million per year but would also result in a TABOR refund in 2022-23 that would be paid the following year. Insurance companies with home or regional offices in Colorado would pay for the biggest tax changes under the bill. Under current law, those companies have been getting tax breaks, worth as much as $200 million per year, according to Sen. Chris Hansen, D-Denver, as a jobs incentive. Another set of changes is in line for the oil and gas and coal industries, applied to tax deductions they currently take. Hansen said that coal companies have been getting breaks on severance taxes that have been on the state books since 1977. It hasnt produced the benefit for taxpayers, which is to encourage investment and employment, Hansen told Colorado Politics recently. After objecting to the bill for nearly nine hours on Friday, Republicans on Saturday rolled out another round of filibustering. That included reading the bill at length after it grew from 18 pages to 21 after Friday's second reading debate. The bill passed on a 37-24 party-line vote after a 90-minute debate and now heads to the Senate. Debate on the second bill of that pair, HB 1311, went even longer. The second bill from Weissman and Sirota seeks to modernize the states tax code, closes special interest tax loopholes for large corporations and wealthy individuals and will benefit small businesses, according to comments from Sirota during the House Finance Committee hearing on May 14. The bill doubles the state Earned Income Tax Credit and for the first time funds the Child Tax Credit. It also limits capital gains deductions for the sale of real property to $100,000 per year, and caps how much families can contribute to a 529 account, which Coloradans use to set aside money for their childrens college education. Under HB 1311, that limit is $10,000 for a single filer and $15,000 for joint filers. The change to the Earned Income Tax Credit, which is for low-wage earners, is in two forms: lowering the age of those who can apply for it from 25 to 19; and increasing the credit from 15% to 20%. Under current law, Colorados Earned Income Tax Credit is available for those who claim the federal EITC; the Colorado credit is equal to 15% of the federal credit. The Child Tax Credit would provide up to $600 in tax credits per child for up to 200,000 families. That credit is intended to help pay for child care and other pre-elementary school expenses. The changes are paid for by capping certain itemized deductions for taxpayers with adjusted gross incomes at $400,000 or more; eliminate the capital gains deduction; and eliminate whats known as a pass through deduction of 20% of business income; created under the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in 2017. Among the lengthiest part of Saturdays debate: Rep. Adrienne Benavidez, D-Adams County, offered an amendment to limit deductions for all tax filers to $10,000 per year, claiming the cap in the bill would still benefit wealthy earners. Im not here to help the high earners, Benavidez said, who she said are those with incomes at $500,000 or more. Her amendment lost. The bill sponsors also had more than a half-dozen amendments of their own, all which passed. Those included changes to how the Earned Income Tax Credit is claimed, and changes to the section on capital gains. An amendment from Rep. Dan Woog, R-Erie, would have denied the Child Tax Credit to undocumented residents. It also failed. Republicans also seized on the cap on deductions for earners at $400,000 or above, claiming it would would hurt nonprofit organizations that have struggled during the pandemic. Sandwiched in between debate on the two tax bills was 2 hours of consideration on a bill from Reps. Chris Kennedy, D-Lakewood, and Leslie Herod, D-Denver, attempting to combat opioid and other substance abuse. Hanks opted to personally read the text of House Bill 1276 from the well of the House, a move his Republican colleague Rep. Richard Holtorf of Akron duplicated with the bills fiscal note. Holtorf also pledged to read the entirety of the text of the fiscal note for each bill considered by the House for the remainder of the legislative session. After the recess and debate on the second tax measure wrapped up, the House returned to a legislative pace more akin to normal. Lawmakers advanced five more bills through second reading and on to a final vote in just under two hours before calling a halt to proceedings to "raucous cheering," according to Rep. Kerry Tipper, a Lakewood Democrat who was chairing the Committee of the Whole at the end of the evening. The House will reconvene on Monday at 10 a.m. Columbia, MO (65201) Today Partial cloudiness early, with scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight. Low around 70F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Partial cloudiness early, with scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight. Low around 70F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Stay up to date on COVID-19 Get Breaking News Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. The Los Angeles Police Department announced Saturday that it has arrested a suspect who was seen attacking Jews dining outside a sushi restaurant in Beverly Hills earlier this week. Police said the unidentified individual was arrested after 10 p.m. Friday on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. City News Service reports, Police Saturday said a man was taken into custody, with the assistance of the U.S. Marshal Service, as one of the primary suspects who allegedly assaulted several Jewish men Tuesday outside a restaurant in the Beverly Grove area of Los Angeles. A video posted on Twitter by Adam Milstein Wednesday showed multiple pro-Palestinian men attacking the Jewish men sitting outside the restaurant. Source:The Christian Post Pastors David Platt and Francis Chan have joined a collective of more than 50 Christian ministries in launching a 33-day prayer challenge on Sunday, the Day of Pentecost, to raise awareness for the one-third of the worlds population that is still without access to the Bible, the church and other believers. The 1:11 Prayer Challenge, which will begin with a Facebook Live event on Sunday at 1:11 p.m. in each U.S. time zone, will ask Christians across the U.S. to pause at 1:11 p.m. each day for 33 days to pray for the third of us who have no access to Jesus. What many people dont understand is that unreached is not the same as unsaved or even unevangelized, explained Marv Newell, executive director of the Alliance for the Unreached, which is hosting the event as part of the A Third of Us movement. The vast majority of people in communities across North America are reached with the Gospel, meaning that they have access to the Good News in their language in some form or another. Newell continued: But this is not true for the 3.2 billion people living in Gospel-destitute areas of the world. They are considered unreached because they have no access to the Good News. They still await the opportunity to hear the message of Jesus for the first time, and based upon the number of professing believers in their community, it is extremely unlikely they will meet or know a Christian personally. Source:The Christian Post Bengaluru: COVID-19 vaccination drive for the 18-44 age group has been halted in Karnataka, with the state government categorically saying the vaccines for the beneficiary category are "currently not available". However, the notification issued by Dr Arundhathi Chandrashekhar, director, National Health Mission (NHM), Karnataka, said the "identified state COVID front line workers, vulnerable group and priority groups" within the 18-44 years age group, will be informed of the date and time of vaccination by the designated nodal officers. Regarding the inoculation of the 45 years and above age group, the notification said the registration for COVISHIELD vaccines will be open online in urban areas and onsite in rural areas for the first dose, and beneficiaries can walk-in to their nearest COVID vaccination center for the second dose. Meanwhile, the state said that the COVAXIN vaccine is not currently available for the first dose of the 45 and above age group also, but the SMS will be sent to beneficiaries due for their second dose. "Beneficiaries should visit the designated COVID vaccination center mentioned in the SMS," the notification said. Earlier, the vaccination for people below 45 years was halted on May 20 except for some categories of frontline workers. However later, Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar had said that vaccination for people in the 18-44 age group will resume from May 22. "State government-identified frontline workers and priority groups will be vaccinated first," he had tweeted. The site of the first English colony in America sits largely overshadowed by the famed beaches on the barrier islands that form North Carolinas Outer Banks. In some ways this is fitting, given that the colony on Roanoke Island explored in 1584 and later settled first in 1585 and then again in 1587 is called the Lost Colony. Behind Englands venture was Sir Walter Raleigh, who held letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I for a swath of remote, heathen and barbarous land along the Atlantic called Virginia in todays North Carolina, Virginia and several other states. Raleigh, along with Sir Francis Drake and other contemporaries, wore multiple hats as courtiers, privateers and explorers during a time when Spains status as the great power in the New World was threatened by the growing ambitions of England. Source:The Christian Post Throughout the extensive history of the Church, there have been numerous events of lasting significance. Each week brings anniversaries of impressive milestones, unforgettable tragedies, amazing triumphs, memorable births, notable deaths and everything in between. Some of the events drawn from over 2,000 years of history might be familiar, while other happenings might be previously unknown to most people. Here are three events that happened this week in Christian history. They include the birth of a prominent liberal preacher, Bob Jones University losing a U.S. Supreme Court case, and Protestants being banned from New France. Source:The Christian Post Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, Australias University of Newcastle was considering a major infrastructure refresh as it went all-in with the cloud. But as students and staff were sent home last year, its investment in adaptive multifactor authentication (MFA) proved critical in helping university staff continue securely teaching its far-flung students despite escalating attention from cybercriminals. And other universitiesincluding Victoria Universityhave likewise upgraded their cybersecurity approaches around access control in response to escalating attacks in the education sector. [ What is multifactor authentication (MFA)? Learn how to enable it and why you should. | Get the latest from CSO by signing up for our newsletters. ] With more than 330 business applications in use across the universitys portfolio, providing a consistent signin process was critical as these applications were shifted to externally accessible cloud platforms, solution architecture manager Jimi Reilly told CSO Australia. We previously had a bunch of small apps that were developed by individual business units, and we wanted to bring that together into a consistent digital channel, he said. Part of that was recognising that, from a user experience perspective, it was going to be much easier in that mobile ecosystem if we had a really robust and reliable single signon (SSO) technology. As it turns out, the timing couldnt have been better: Just two months before COVID hit, the university switched on MFA for users accessing its network using secure virtual private network (VPN) serviceswhich rapidly became the de facto standard for workers as they were shunted back home for what would be nearly a year. LOS ANGELES (AP) The most common COVID-19 variant of concern circulating in Los Angeles County is now the U.K. variant, health officials said Saturday. Previously, two California variants were dominant but in the past week 53% of 40 specimens analyzed by a public health laboratory were the U.K. variant and none were California variants, the county Department of Public Health said. Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP LOS ANGELES (AP) Los Angeles police on Saturday announced the arrest of a suspect in an alleged attack by a pro-Palestinian group on Jewish men outside a restaurant earlier in the week. A police statement, which did not identify the man, said he was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon late Friday at a residence outside the city of Los Angeles with assistance from a U.S. Marshals Service task force. BRIDGEPORT When it comes to the citys historic Park Cemetery, former police Detective Kimberly Biehn knows where the bodies are buried. Until she retired recently from the Bridgeport Police Department, Biehn spent months investigating allegations of mismanagement by the former longtime cemetery manager, Dale LaPrade. The investigation led to LaPrades arrest on larceny and other charges. So, when it came to appointing a new manager for the Lindley Street cemetery, the cemeterys board believed they had the ideal candidate. We are very fortunate because of her very thorough investigation while she was a detective, she developed an incredible knowledge and understanding of the background of the cemetery, said cemetery board member Anthony Monelli. We are extremely pleased with Kim and know she will be an asset for the people who have loved ones buried there. Monelli said Biehn works six days a week at the cemetery on an hourly basis. On Thursday, Biehn was spotted in the back of the cemetery, her shirt smudged with dirt and grass, picking up pieces of windblown flowers. She declined comment. In 2019, Cheryl Jansen, who has four generations of her family buried in the cemetery, complained to police about LaPrade allegedly mismanaging the cemetery. During a civil court trial in which Jansen successfully sued to get LaPrade removed as cemetery manager, Biehn testified that dozens of headstones, some dating to the 1800s, had been moved at Park Cemetery so the newly dead could be buried in plots stacked on old graves. New dirt was put over older graves and new graves were put there, Biehn testified. Biehn also found that LaPrade withdrew more than $670,000 from cemetery accounts between 2016 and 2018, according to court documents, which she allegedly used for her own purposes. LaPrade is awaiting trial in Superior Court. I think her (Biehn) investigation made all the difference for many people who needed answers in a terrible situation, said Jansen. She has an understanding manner with the families who have loved ones buried there, which is important. Theyve been through so much. In May 2019, Probate Judge Paul Ganim asked a Superior Court judge to appoint a board of directors for the cemetery consisting of Monelli, a Trumbull attorney, State Rep. Andre Baker Jr., who owns a funeral home, and Jim Bria, owner of Artista Studio and Monument Works. The three-man board was appointed on a yearly basis. Since they have taken over, the board states in reports to the court that they have spent more than $87,000 to clean up the cemetery. A recent visit found the cemetery nearly completely reformed. Gravestones which were formerly found toppled and appeared placed haphazardly around the cemetery were now evenly lined up on neatly manicured grave sites. The rusted vehicles that littered the grounds were gone, along with piles of trash and downed trees. Weve really made a lot of progress and appreciate the publics support, said Monelli. Although the two-story house just inside the cemeterys entrance still needs a lot of rehabilitation, Monelli said they are making progress with it and that eventually it will again be used as the cemeterys office. Monelli said the board recently hired attorney Raymond Ganim to evict a family who had been living in the house. Ganim said the family was being evicted for nonpayment of rent and they recently left. The familys lawyer declined comment. Recently Dr. Chuma Simukonda, director of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife for the Republic of Zambia, disparaged SB-925, Connecticut legislation that would ban the import and possession of the trophies of Africas Big 5 elephants, lions, rhinos, leopards and giraffes. He claimed communities in Zambia tolerate the wildlife largely because they derive income, social services, and much-needed game meat from regulated hunting. However, he lacks credibility. What he neglected to mention is that in September of 2019 the Community Resources Boards in Zambia released a press statement expressing their deep concern that the communities had not been given their share of either concession fees or hunting revenues. The CRBs withdrew their signatures to all the hunting permits in their areas and refused to sign any others. The communities had received no concession fees since 2016 and no hunting revenue since last 2018, according to president of the Zambia National Community Resources Board. By law, the communities are entitled to 20 percent of the concession fees and 50 percent of the hunting revenue. The chiefs who run the communities are owed a 5 percent share of both. That news came after the halting of a controversial hunt of at least 1,250 hippos in Zambias world-renowned Luangwa Valley. It is clear to the community that this cull was a thinly disguised money-making venture, dressed up as a wildlife management tool, Zambias National Community Resource Boards Association coordinator Isaac Banda told the media. Our hippos, in terms of economic value, are worth more alive than dead, and the impact of this cull on tourism in Zambia would have had significant long-term effects. The truth is, hunting organizations, and the corrupt governments they cozy up to, do not want the public to know that non-consumptive, community-based wildlife watching tourism is what provides incentive for conservation in Africa. It is the silver bullet for protecting African wildlife, not actual bullets. Simukonda claims Zambia has maintained stable or increasing populations of elephant, lion, leopard, and many more species, but the truth is African elephants are just a step away from extinction. That is what a new report from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature revealed in March. The population of savanna elephants has fallen 60 percent since 2008 they are now considered endangered, while forest elephants have declined by more than 86 percent. They are considered critically endangered. Together, there are only 415,000 elephants left in Africa. In recent years, the IUCN also elevated the threat level of giraffes two categories to vulnerable to extinction, estimating there are only 97,500 giraffes remaining in Africa. Leopards have lost 31 percent of their range worldwide in the past 22 years; plus, there has been a 59 percent decline in their prey populations across 78 protected areas in Africa. Lions have disappeared from 94 percent of their African range their numbers have plummeted to 25,000. And overall, the black rhino is critically endangered while the white rhino is classified as near threatened. Some subspecies are already extinct in the wild. However, Connecticut can help ensure their future by passing SB-925. Despite such grim numbers, trophy hunters still kill these animals for recognition like the African Big 5 Grand Slam Award, not conservation. The Safari Club Internationals Record Book ranks biggest tusks, horns, skulls and bodies. And make no mistake, Connecticut residents want bragging rights too. Since 2005, Connecticut residents have killed 71 leopards, 39 lions and a giraffe. They also killed seven elephants. The 2016 near total federal ban on commercial trade in elephant ivory still allows Americans to import two elephant trophies per year. Let that sink in. Trophy hunters want you to believe they are better than poachers because they have a permit from Fish and Wildlife Service. However, Cecil the lion did not suffer any less because the American who shot him with the first arrow at 10 p.m. July 1, 2015, had a permit. Wounded, he was left for at least 11 hours before the hunter found him and finished him off with a second arrow. That was key because the hunter wanted a bow hunting record. (If a rifle were used the record would be disqualified.) And permits do not make a difference to the offspring of dead animals who must survive without parents to teach them about the harsh lessons of nature and avoiding conflicts with humans. Leopard cubs, for example, would normally stay with their moms for two years. Priscilla Feral is president of Darien-based Friends of Animals. Hyderabad: The Government ENT Hospital in Koti, the designated nodal centre for Telangana state for treating cases of mucormycosis, or black fungus, is running on fumes. In a grim tale, the staff at the hospital says they are turning away around 50 such patients every day over the past three days. All of its 150 beds are full with patients suffering from the disease, and another 50 patients are crammed into the facility. We do not have space anymore, a doctor at the hospital told Deccan Chronicle on Sunday. The Covid-19 vaccination centre here is being converted for treatment of black fungus cases, and we can add another 30 beds there, the doctor said. Packed with patients suffering from varying degrees of mucormycosis, the hospital has requested, via the official online request system, for 700 vials of liposomal amphoterecin-B injections. We need these 700 to start with and need more supplies every day. Gandhi Hospital needs another 100 vials urgently, while private hospitals are waiting for 200 more to keep the treatment going, a doctor said. Gandhi Hospital is the nodal centre in Telangana for treating Covid-19 patients. But, it has been designated as a treatment facility for black fungus cases when the patients are Covid-19 positive. The ENT Hospital, with three surgical beds, was never meant to cope with such an influx of emergency cases. The primary and first line of defence treatment for black fungus is debridement -- the cleaning of the sinuses. This takes anywhere up to two to three hours for a patient. Since we have only three beds, we are not able to do more than 10 debridements a day. Ideally, we should be doing around 50 a day so we can repeat the procedures on all patients who need it, within two or three days of the first cleaning. But that requires more surgical beds, and more teams of specialists, the doctor said. The faster the cleaning, the better the chances of healing. The procedure removes the growing mucor from the sinuses, prevents it from eating into the bones, reaching the eyes, or the brain. Once the fungus takes hold of the eyes, and if the treatment is delayed, the infected eye, or both eyes must be removed. This is to prevent the infection from reaching the brain. And if it reaches the brain, then the chances of the patients survival get slimmer by the hour. It is not just the eyes that need to be removed. Sometimes, even the bones around it, sometimes up to the cheek, need to be removed; leaving gaping holes that need complicated reconstruction surgeries something we are not just able to provide the patient, a doctor said. Wait for black fungus patient for a bed could last 10 days The wait for a bed for a black fungus patient at the ENT Hospital here could last 10 days. The 150-bed facility is now treating 200 patients, a hospital staffer said. With the hospital turning away around 50 patients a day, the staff is maintaining a register of those who are on the wait-list. Whenever a bed becomes available, we call as per the list, informing the patient or the family that they can come in, a staffer told Deccan Chronicle. When a patient is asked to return home and wait, he or she is given prescriptions of oral antifungal medications. Families of such patients are desperately seeking admission for the infected at the premier eye-care facility. Many are falling at the feet of doctors, or nurses, or anyone who is willing to lend them an ear. They are so desperate. Surgeons in various private and government hospitals, since Saturday, were forced to remove at least 71 eyeballs from patients in whom the black fungus infection reached the eye and threatened to enter the brain. The state government does not release data on the fatalities from the black fungus infections. It is hard to tell a patients family that we have no bed. They are desperate, they know that the infection can be disastrous and can result in losing the eyes, if not life itself. There is little we can do, a doctor said. We came from Manthani, 300 km from the city. Kindly admit him (a patient), a young man implored even as a doctor tried to explain to him that there was no bed availability. Meanwhile, a young woman, who was handed a prescription with oral antifungals listed on it, edged closer. Despite the advice to take her patient back home and an assurance that the disease is not contagious, she fell at the doctors feet. Fighting back tears, she pleaded with the doctor one more time to admit her ailing man and find a bed for him. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. You are the owner of this article. Paul Kirby is a reporter for the Freeman, covering Kingston politics. He has been at the Freeman since August 1996. KINGSTON, N.Y. Ulster County is on the cusp of having half its population fully vaccinated Tom Polk, bicycle program manager at the YMCA in Kingston, N.Y., works on a donated bicycle in the repair shop on Feb. 24, 2021. On the move Mid-Hudson people On the Move: For the week of May 24, 2021 New York adults over the age of 21 can now possess and use marijuana even in public unde U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia, speaks at Bard Colleges commencement on Saturday, May 27, 2017, in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y. Ashland, KY (41101) Today Isolated thunderstorms this evening with some fog possible late. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Isolated thunderstorms this evening with some fog possible late. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 30%. Dayakar Rao said that Chandrashekar Raos decision to construct a super-speciality hospital on the premises of the Warangal Central Prison augurs well for the people in the erstwhile Warangal as well as neighbouring districts and Maharashtra. DC Image WARANGAL: TRS leaders including panchayat raj minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao, Chief Whip Dasyam Vinay Bhaskar, Warangal East MLA Nannapuneni Narender, MLC Basvaraju Saraiah challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Covid-19 wards in hospitals and extend assurance to the patients instead of shedding crocodile tears to gain sympathy. Addressing a media conference here on Saturday, Dayakar Rao asked if any Chief Minister of the BJP-run states or Union minister had ever stepped inside a Covid-19 ward. Prime Minsiter Modi must take stock of ground realities by visiting Covid-19 wards in hospitals in different states, he demanded. Mr Modi is the Prime Minister of the country and not just for Gujarat, he said. Referring to the short supply of Covid-19 vaccines being sent to the state, he said that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao had decided to procure the vaccines by inviting global tenders. It is high time for the Centre to react and bail out the states that are facing the catastrophic effects of Covid-19. The onus is on Centre to help the states reeling under economic crises, Dayakar Rao said. He said that Chandrashekar Raos decision to construct a super-speciality hospital on the premises of the Warangal Central Prison augurs well for the people in the erstwhile Warangal as well as neighbouring districts and Maharashtra. The plans are ready to complete work on the hospital in one year. The works will start on the 23-acre land parcel behind the prison. As per the CMs decision, the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital (MGMH) will be turned into a modern mother and child health (MCH) centre, the minister said. Referring to the CMs visit to Covid-19 ward at the MGM Hospital on Friday, he said it not only lifted the morale of the Coronavirus patients but also served an ultimatum that any complacency in the treatment would not be spared. Kennett Square Borough narrows down on top candidates for new borough manager Pa. education officials talk about impact of COVID on schools, what future has in store FAO official mourns death of China's "father of hybrid rice" Xinhua) 13:06, May 23, 2021 Qu Dongyu, Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), on Saturday expressed his sadness over the death of Yuan Longping, China's "Father of Hybrid Rice." "Deeply saddened by the death of Prof Yuan Longping, my dear Master. He devoted his life to the research of hybrid rice, helping billions achieve food security," wrote Qu on his Twitter account. "You were my Inspiration. May you rest in peace," Qu added. Yuan, a household name in the country for developing the first hybrid rice strain to substantially raise output and save people out of hunger, died of organ failure at the age of 91 on Saturday. He passed away in the early afternoon in a hospital in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province. Tributes have poured in for the top rice scientist across the nation following the announcement of his death. Some European media also reported Yuan's death. Spanish international news agency EFE said that "the agronomist was considered a hero in the Asian country because of his first hybrid rice crops." The academician helped China work a great wonder with his lifelong dedication to reducing hunger -- feeding nearly one-fifth of the world's population with less than 9 percent of the world's total arable land. (Web editor: Meng Bin, Bianji) Get 25% off of the regular $65 annual All Access rate. With this subscription you will get: Digital access to ElPasoInc.com and archives (value $45) Print subscription home or business delivered (value $65) Book of Lists (annual rate only, value $50) El Paso Inc. Magazine (value $20) El Paso Kids Inc. Special sections - OR - Get 15% off of the regular $45 annual Digital-only rate. With this subscription you will get: Complete digital access to ElPasoInc.com. Years ago, shortly after Tony Hall became director general of the BBC, I was invited to have a cup of tea with him. I found him absolutely charming, a man of intelligence and culture. But although he made all the right noises, I could tell he had no real fire in his belly, no real desire to rock the Corporations boat. He was far too embedded in the internal corporate culture, too much of the problem himself to be able to offer any sort of solution. Yesterday he resigned from his post as chairman of the National Gallery, forced out by the fallout from Lord Dysons damning report into Dianas 1995 Panorama interview. I dont think hes a bad man. But I was struck by his ability to say an awful lot without saying very much at all Back then Hall now Lord Hall was Managing Director of News, and presided over the internal BBC inquiry that initially exonerated Bashir. Either Lord Hall was spectacularly naive, or else he simply didnt want to see what was before his very eyes. In either case, its not a great reflection on his abilities. I dont think hes a bad man. But I was struck by his ability to say an awful lot without saying very much at all. In fact he reminded me of the character played by Jason Watkins in the BBCs own parody of itself, W1A. As Director of Strategic Governance, Watkinss character, Simon Harwood, is an adept operator whose main aim in life is to ensure his own corporate survival, ideally at the expense of his rivals. Hall had that quality, a kind of imperceptible ruthlessness masked by an accommodating smile, which meant you never truly knew what he was thinking. Or if he was thinking anything at all. The BBC has a surfeit of such characters, each one intent on protecting their own interests, regardless of the effects on the BBC or the taxpayers who fund their salaries. Which is why this is not the first time the Corporation has found itself in the dock in this way. What happened with Diana and other BBC disasters such as the Jimmy Savile cover-up is a symptom of a fundamental flaw at its heart. A flaw that, more and more, seems to threaten its very existence. Indeed, it reminds me of the situation facing another once great organisation, the Labour Party. An institution which, through lack of rigour and honesty over the course of successive failed leaderships and because of an inability to examine its failings or listen to anyone outside a very limited echo chamber, finds itself increasingly irrelevant to its once loyal supporters. What happened with Diana and other BBC disasters such as the Jimmy Savile cover-up is a symptom of a fundamental flaw at its heart The same is happening to the BBC. Where once people like me would have been staunch defenders of the licence fee and the need for a public service broadcaster, now Im not so sure. What is the point in paying for impartiality if in its actions it behaves no better than a two-bit scandal-sheet? And this breaks my heart. Because I, like millions in the UK, love not just the great things the BBC produces, but the idea of the BBC itself. I dont want it to fail, to be humiliated by tawdry scandals. I want it to carry on being the BBC I so admired and missed growing up in Italy, the one I would look forward to for weeks when my family came back to the UK during the holidays. After the creative desert that was Italian television, the richness of Radio 4, the quality of the drama, the quirkiness of the comedy and the professionalism of the news were pure delights. And it made me proud to be British. Because whatever else was wrong with this country, there was always the BBC, a shining beacon of honesty, integrity and fairness. That is why this feels like such a tragedy. The BBC isnt just a broadcaster, it is a cultural representation of Britain as a nation. It is who we are. And right now, Im ashamed of it. Whats time done to old Friends? As the cast of Friends announced an on-screen reunion, I was struck by the contrast between the boys and the girls in the new photographs. Jennifer Aniston and co dont look much different from how they did back in the day, whereas the men definitely look their age. Has life really been that much harder for Joey, Chandler and Ross? Or are there some other mysterious forces at work? IS IT really so terrible that the Prime Minister was helped through lockdown by food parcels from upmarket grocer Daylesford Organic? At the time, he was dealing with the biggest national crisis since the war, had almost died from Covid, his fiancee had also had it (while pregnant) and they had a newborn son to take care of. Personally Im rather glad someone was making sure the man whose job is to take care of the entire country was enjoying his five a day. Enough with the phoney pearl-clutching! THE Bury branch of Unite, which largely represents binmen, has come out in support of the Batley Grammar School teacher hounded out of his job for using an image of the Prophet Mohammed in an RE lesson. But not a peep from the teaching unions. Why am I not surprised? ON Thursday, the GPs union passed a vote of no confidence in senior officials at NHS England, effectively rejecting calls to start seeing more patients face to face. Apparently GPs are incandescent with anger at the suggestion, accusing NHS England of ignoring the needs of the profession. And theres me thinking the whole point of being a doctor was to serve the needs of the patient. OF course Oprah Winfrey would defend the Duke and Duchess of Sussexs decision to tell all while at the same time demanding greater privacy. Shes the power (and money) broker at the heart of all this. The last thing she wants is Harry coming to his senses. DESPITE being in the midst of a deeply painful personal and public crisis, Prince William yesterday addressed the Church of Scotland in his capacity as Lord High Commissioner. He spoke of his love of Scotland, of the pain of hearing of his mothers death at Balmoral, and of the solace he found in the Scottish hills. Hes not yet 40 but with each day that passes Im more and more convinced that if anyone can set the Monarchy back on an even keel after the turmoil of recent years, its William. FATTY from the Bash Street Kids has been re-christened Freddie by the owners of the Beano to celebrate the fact that children come in all shapes and sizes. That may be true, but the whole point of publications like the Beano is that they push the boundaries of what is acceptable. Its why children like them. Remove the subversion and you might as well just buy The Guardian. Justice Secretary Robert Buckland says he will carry on wearing a face mask if he gets a cold even after the pandemic. I agree, though for slightly different reasons: mine hides a multitude of chins. Harrys place of paranoia and pain Charles Spencer used the phrase amplifying anxiety to describe what Bashir did to Diana One of the most disturbing things about the Bashir scandal is the unavoidable parallels between Dianas state of mind at the time of the Panorama interview and Prince Harrys current situation. Charles Spencer used the phrase amplifying anxiety to describe what Bashir did to Diana effectively preying on small fears to turn them into huge demons. It seems to me that this is what the Duchess of Sussex has also done to Harry albeit unwittingly and without any malicious intent. In fact the opposite. In encouraging him to explore his emotions at a much deeper level and endlessly revisiting traumatic events from his past, she has led him to a place of paranoia and pain. Add to that the fact that he is now isolated from his family in America, and you have a situation not unlike the one Diana faced in the wake of Panorama. Heartbreaking. A young graphic designer who quit his full-time job to freelance despite having no experience has shared how he made more than $110,000 in one year. Luke Giuffrida, from Melbourne and now living in Vienna, previously worked as an operations manager for a music management and bookings agency, but knew he wanted to pursue other avenues to use his creativity. In June 2015, the 29-year-old discovered online platform Fiverr and started offering his graphic design skills for a decent price to customers. 'I was actually looking to purchase a logo for my own business, but when I saw the platform and the prices I felt like it could be a great opportunity,' Luke told Daily Mail Australia. After two and a half years of using Fiverr as a 'side hustle' to generate more income, Luke decided to take a risk and quit his 9-5 role to focus on his brand. Luke Giuffrida, from Melbourne, (pictured) previously worked as an operations manager for a music management and bookings agency, but knew he wanted to pursue other avenues to use his creativity After two and a half years of using Fiverr as a 'side hustle' to generate more income, Luke decided to take a risk and quit his 9-5 role and focus on his brand At the start Luke faced several challenges as he had no previous experience in design and was working in a completely different industry. 'I was learning graphic design by watching YouTube videos while doing my best to apply the skills I had learned in my bachelor's degree in business, but they didn't teach you about platforms like Fiverr in 2015,' he said. During the initial stages of using the platform, Luke said he was learning how to grow his skills and started selling logo designs, 3D animation and writing services. He was able to attract customers to his profile quickly by offering a range of services before settling on the logo design niche, which he deems to be the 'most popular' offering. 'I was lucky in the way that I had a good flow of customers but at the time I was required to offer a service for a $5 fee,' he said. 'Customers were quite demanding, even at the $5 price point. This was something I really struggled with on a personal level when it came to valuing my own time.' But Luke was determined to offer all his customers a great experience and 'refused to let customers leave with something they didn't love'. Prior to joining Fiverr Luke faced several challenges as he had no previous experience in design and was working in a completely different industry. How did Luke make $110,000 on Fiver? Luke initially started by offering a range of services on Fiverr - including logo designs, 3D animation and writing services But he settled on the the logo design niche as it was the 'most popular' among customers He initially started with a competitive rate of $5 then gradually increased his rate By slowly building a customer base and getting more than 120 positive reviews, Luke was able to eventually leave his full-time role At this point Luke said it 'just made sense' for him to concentrate on Fiverr and quit his 9-5 role He said the gradually progression towards the incredible income of $110,000 over 12 months took time, hard work and dedication to promoting his services online Advertisement He was able to attract customers to his profile quickly by offering a range of services before settling on the logo design niche, which he deems to be the 'most popular' offering Fiverr is used by thousands of copy writers, artists and social media managers offering their creative services for various prices. By slowly building a customer base and getting more than 120 positive reviews, Luke was able to eventually leave his full-time role. Luke said it 'just made sense' for him to concentrate on Fiverr, but he was a 'nervous wreck' before quitting. He is now currently in Vienna with his German girlfriend and is able to continue freelancing overseas, which he says is a massive perk. He is now currently in Vienna with his German girlfriend and is able to continue freelancing overseas, which he says is a massive perk Luke said freelancing provides an array of benefits, including being able to travel and work from anywhere in the world Fiverr launched in February 2010 and now has thousands of active users who buy and sell services. Over the past year the platform has grown exponentially from 2.5million to 3.8million users worldwide - an increase of 56 per cent. Peggy de Lange, VP of International Expansion, Fiverr said: 'Fiverr has witnessed digital skilled professional freelancers from across the world joining the platform and creating new gigs in record numbers throughout the past year; indicating a rise in people's desire to explore new income streams. 'Whether you've set your sights on becoming a full-time freelancer, or you're just using Fiverr as a side hustle, there are so many strategies you can implement to ensure you're well positioned to maximise your earning potential and stand out from your competitors.' Luke's tips when freelancing on Fiverr: Concentrate on communication skills - This is always my first tip, assuming the people selling on Fiverr already have some expertise in what they are selling. People are always more cautious on the internet and having great communication skills solves a lot of problems before they occur Make sure you have expertise or experience in what you're selling - Fiverr is filled with talented people and you need to stand out with great quality work Be patient and try different things - You never know how the algorithm works and what changes Fiverr has made. Search for the product or service you are selling and see what results come up. Try different pricing, copy, portfolio images and keywords Focus on customer service and experience - I believe Fiverr is doing everything they can to measure that and continue giving work to sellers who provide that top-level experience. That being said, respect yourself and the customer Advertisement While freelancing doesn't provide steady security compared to a full-time or part-time role, Luke said there are a number of benefits - including freedom to work anywhere in the world, flexible working hours and being able to challenge yourself. 'Freedom is almost definitely my top perk. The ability to work from anywhere in the world at any time as long as you have a computer and an internet connection,' he said. 'In a freelancing environment you can try lots of different things without restrictions - it's great for creativity and staying innovative.' Luke said he has also worked with clients from over 90 different countries and often receives constructive criticism from customers. Princess Charlene has remained in South Africa to look after rhinos as husband Albert and their twins Gabriella and Jacques enjoy the Monaco Grand Prix. The Princess of Monaco, 43, posted an image on Instagram of her getting up close and personal with the wildlife, having visited the country where she was raised to highlight the fight against rhino poaching. A statement from the palace said earlier this week she was battling an ENT (Ear, nose and throat) infection 'that does not allow her to travel' and join the rest of the family in Monte Carlo, where they watched the Formula One qualifying. The royal father, 63, donned a sharp navy suit jacket and cream trousers while walking alongside his stylish six-year-old twins, who were kitted out in matching red sport jackets. It comes as Charlene praised 'loyal' Prince Albert earlier this year in her first comments since claims arose he is facing a paternity suit over a third love child. The claim, which his lawyers dismissed as a 'hoax', is particularly painful as he was dating Charlene at the time, having met the former Olympic swimmer in 2000. The Princess of Monaco, 43, posted an image on Instagram of her getting up close and personal with the wildlife, having visited the country where she was raised to highlight the fight against rhino poaching Prince Albert of Monaco appeared in great spirits as he joined his children Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques at the Formula One qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix today (pictured) It is thought Prince Albert's wife Princess Charlene (pictured), 43, would also be a guest of honour at the event - but she has been unable to return home from a recent trip to South Africa after contracting an infection After appearing putting on a united front in family pictures over Christmas, Charlene hailed her husband as 'loyal, determined and courageous'. Speaking with Point du Vue, she revealed: 'When my husband has problems, he tells me about it. I often tell him, "No matter what, no matter what, I'm a thousand percent behind you. I'll stand by you whatever you do, in good times or in bad." The mother-of-two went on to say she also often tells her husband she will 'protect him' and will 'always be by his side.' In this weekend's pictures, Prince Albert looked relaxed as he was photographed walking alongside his children, sporting a red face mask and blue cap. He completed his look with a light blue shirt and smart black shoes, while holding on to his son's hand. Meanwhile, his children appeared more vibrant in matching red and white ensembles. The royal father (pictured right), 63, donned a sharp navy suit jacket and cream trousers while walking alongside his stylish six-year-old twins, who were kitted out in matching red sport jackets when in Monte Carlo Prince Jacques donned white jeans and trainers, with a matching face mask and sport jacket. Walking in front of her father and brother, Princess Gabriella appeared confident in a red dress and white shoes, finished with a complementary floral headband. Yesterday, the Palace of Monaco revealed Princess Charlene had extended her stay in South Africa after picking up an ENT infection 'that does not allow her to travel'. In a statement, the palace said: 'During a trip to the African continent as part of a wildlife conservation mission, SAS Princess Charlene contracted an ENT infection that does not allow her to travel. Prince Jacques (pictured) donned white jeans and trainers, with a matching face mask and sport jacket 'Unfortunately, she will not be able to attend the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix. SAS The Princess Charlene sends her best wishes to the Automobile Club of Monaco, organizer of the event, as well as to the drivers and teams involved in this great automobile competition.' Prior to the announcement, Princess Charlene had been sharing images of her conservation efforts on Instagram. She appeared alongside a rhino that had its horns removed in a painless process to try and deter poachers, who would harm the animal for its horns. The royal, sporting a camouflage jumper, was photographed hugging one of the rhinos while it had bandages over its eyes and ears following the procedure. A woman has gone viral after sharing a clip of her incredible hidden walk-in pantry in her kitchen. Loz Markham, from Berry in New South Wales, said every kitchen needs to have a 'secret' - and hers is that her white cupboard hides a spectacular walk-in room. Loz demonstrated how the pantry works by walking over to her cupboard door and gently pulling the cupboard open before pushing the door through and walking in to the room. Scroll down for video A woman has gone viral after sharing a clip of her incredible hidden walk-in pantry in her kitchen (Loz Markham pictured) Loz Markham , from Berry in New South Wales, said every kitchen needs to have a 'secret' - and hers is that her white cupboard hides a spectacular walk-in room (pictured at the cupboard) Loz (pictured with her partner) demonstrated how the pantry works by walking over to her cupboard door and gently pulling the cupboard open before pushing the door through and walking in to the room On the other side of her coastal white door lies a room filled with row upon row of labelled containers filled with everything from grains to pastas, rice and spices. Loz also keeps her kettle and toaster inside her walk-in pantry, so as to avoid any clutter in her minimalist white kitchen. The pantry was designed by McGee Projects. 'What's your home's secret?' the New South Wales woman posted on Instagram alongside the clip that has been viewed more than 350,000 times. 'This is my snack hide-y hole,' she added in the comments section. On the other side of her coastal white door lies row upon row of labelled containers filled with everything from grains to pastas, rice and spices (walk-in pantry pictured) Loz keeps lots of snacks and foods (pictured) in her pantry, as well as her toaster and kettle; this helps to avoid any clutter in her minimalist kitchen Thousands were quick to say they'd love their own walk-in pantry in their kitchen (Loz's pantry pictured) Thousands were quick to say they'd love their own walk-in pantry in their kitchen: 'Omg that's amazing,' one commenter wrote. Another said: 'I love this'. Many said they would love to have a walk-in pantry like Loz's in order to have somewhere to hide their dirty dishes from guests. One commenter added: 'When I build a house its going to have a secret pantry and a secret room just for me that the kids dont know about'. Last year, a hidden walk-in pantry, believed to be located in Portage, Canada, wowed thousands of people around the world (pictured) Many said the area was the perfect solution to hide all their kitchen essentials, cooking appliances and food stash (pictured) This isn't the first hidden pantry to go viral. Last year, a hidden walk-in pantry, believed to be located in Portage, Canada, wowed thousands of people around the world, with many saying it's the perfect storage solution to hide all their kitchen essentials, cooking appliances and food stash. 'The pantry you didn't think you needed,' the admins of I Love Portage Facebook group said in the caption of the post. Pictures of the hidden walk-in pantry went viral, as the post was 'shared' more than 41,000 times, and more than 13,000 people commented. Hundreds of people described the space as a 'dream pantry' for home cooks. The Me You Can't See director Dawn Porter has told how Prince Harry 'volunteered' to go through therapy on camera and was 'game for trying something' to help his mental wellness. The American documentary filmmaker, who is known for her works including Trapped and Gideon's Army, has revealed how she convinced the Duke of Sussex, 36, and Oprah Winfrey to open up in the new five-part AppleTV+ docuseries and what led the royal to go through therapy on film. Speaking to Town and Country magazine, Dawn, who says she already knew a lot about what the royal was doing to maintain his mental wellbeing, said: 'Harry he volunteered, he was game for trying something. 'And we thought well, we have the opportunity to film this [therapy] and maybe this is something that will work for some people, maybe it won't, but the idea is that you don't tick a box and you're done, mental wellness is an ongoing pursuit.' 'You have to continue to try new things and to push yourself, and his volunteering to try something was a great way to emphasize and underscore that point.' The Me You Can't See Director Dawn Porter (pictured) has opened up about what led Prince Harry to go through therapy on camera During the docuseries, Prince Harry (pictured) dropped another nuclear 'truth bomb' on the Royal Family accusing them of 'total silence' and 'neglect' when Meghan was suicidal Dawn Porter said the project was so important to Oprah (pictured) and Prince Harry because both had 'very personal and deep feelings about destigmatizing conversations around mental health and mental wellness' She went on to explain that the project was so important to Oprah and Prince Harry because both had 'very personal and deep feelings about destigmatizing conversations' to do with mental health. She continued: 'This was really important to both of them, and so they were extremely hands on. We had meetings every other week.' Key revelations from Prince Harry's latest bombshell interview on US TV On the Sussexes' cries for help to the Royal Family 'I thought my family would help, but every single ask, request, warning, whatever it is, just got met with total silence, total neglect. We spent four years trying to make it work. We did everything that we possibly could to stay there and carry on doing the role and doing the job. But Meghan was struggling.' On Harry's family 'stopping' them from quitting 'That feeling of being trapped within the family, there was no option to leave. Eventually when I made that decision for my family, I was still told, "You can't do this", And it's like, "Well how bad does it have to get until I am allowed to do this?". She [Meghan] was going to end her life. It shouldn't have to get to that.' On Meghan's wish to 'end her life' 'Meghan decided to share with me the suicidal thoughts and the practicalities of how she was going to end her life. 'The thing that stopped her from seeing it through was how unfair it would be on me after everything that had happened to my mum and to now to be put in a position of losing another woman in my life with a baby inside of her, our baby. 'The scariest thing for her was her clarity of thought. She hadn't "lost it." She wasn't crazy. She wasn't self-medicating, be it through pills or through alcohol. She was absolutely sober. She was completely sane'. On Prince Charles' parenting 'My father used to say to me when I was younger, he used to say to both William and I, 'Well it was like that for me so it's going to be like that for you',' Prince Harry says in the new documentary. 'That doesn't make sense. Just because you suffered doesn't mean that your kids have to suffer, in fact quite the opposite. 'If you suffered, do everything you can to make sure that whatever negative experiences you had, that you can make it right for your kids'. On 'smears' from 'The Firm' 'Before the Oprah interview had aired, because of the combined efforts of The Firm and the media to smear her, I was woken up in the middle of the night to her crying into her pillow because she doesn't want to wake me up because I'm already carrying too much. That's heartbreaking.' And trying to repair the relationship 'I like to think that we were able to speak truths in the most compassionate way possible, therefore leaving an opening for reconciliation and healing' On Meghan helping Harry into therapy 'I saw GPs. I saw doctors. I saw therapists. I saw alternative therapists. I saw all sorts of people, but it was meeting and being with Meghan I knew that if I didn't do the therapy and fix myself that I was going to lose this woman who I could see spending the rest of my life with. 'When she said, "I think you need to see someone," it was in reaction to an argument that we had. And in that argument not knowing about it, I reverted back to 12-year-old Harry.' Using booze and drugs to cope with his mother's death 'I was willing to drink, I was willing to take drugs, I was willing to try and do the things that made me feel less like I was feeling.' The royal said he would drink a week's worth of alcohol on a Friday or Saturday night 'not because I was enjoying it but because I was trying to mask something'. Advertisement Dawn says they would watch footage of different possible participants and discuss their stories, and what each would would bring to the series. She added that they were seeing in 'real time' how the interviewees opened up on sensitive subject matters and as a result, they opened up too. 'They were so involved and it was such a collaborative effort for our team,' she continued. The director went on to say that she was far along with the edits of the docuseries when Oprah's bombshell sit-down interview with Harry and Meghan aired in March. However, she admitted she used 'every bit of intel about them' and was 'glued to the TV' like everybody else.' Dawn says that during the Oprah and Harry conversation, it's clear to see two people who are 'comfortable' in each other's company. Speaking of the docuseries, she says that the conversations took place over a period of time. As a result, their close relationship became evident and it quickly became apparent how detailed they wanted the series to be. Dawn continued: 'So I see that as a product of the work they both put into their friendship as well as their professional relationship.' During the docuseries, Prince Harry dropped another nuclear 'truth bomb' on the Royal Family accusing them of 'total silence' and 'neglect' when Meghan was suicidal, claiming his father Prince Charles made him 'suffer' as a child and insisting he would not be 'bullied into silence' when he alleged 'The Firm' 'trapped', smeared and dumped them - as royal experts warned the latest attack left a 'huge gulf' in the family. In candid interviews, the Duke of Sussex said he and his wife felt abandoned by his relatives and this was one of their 'biggest reasons' for leaving for California last year. He told Oprah: 'Certainly now I will never be bullied into silence', adding: 'I thought my family would help, but every single ask, request, warning, whatever it is, just got met with total silence, total neglect. We spent four years trying to make it work. We did everything that we possibly could to stay there and carry on doing the role and doing the job. But Meghan was struggling.' He added: 'That feeling of being trapped within the family, there was no option to leave. Eventually when I made that decision for my family, I was still told, "You can't do this", And it's like, "Well how bad does it have to get until I am allowed to do this?". She [Meghan] was going to end her life. It shouldn't have to get to that.' Royal biographer Phil Dampier said Harry's trip to unveil a statue of Princess Diana with his brother William on July 1 will now be in 'grave doubt', especially after the Duke of Sussex said London is a 'trigger' for his anxiety. And royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said there is now 'clearly a huge gulf between the Royal Family and the Sussexes', while Harry's biographer Angela Levin called his appearance 'phoney and embarrassing'. Harry said that Meghan described how she would end her life while pregnant with Archie in 2019, adding: 'The thing that stopped her from seeing it through was how unfair it would be on me after everything that had happened to my mum and to be in a position of losing another woman in my life with a baby inside of her, our baby'. The Duke of Sussex also accused his family of smearing them to the press before their bombshell Oprah interview in March, describing being woken in their 11million mansion by his wife 'crying in her pillow' to stifle the noise on the eve of its broadcast. He said: 'Thats heartbreaking. I held her. We talked. She cried and she cried and she cried.' The Apple TV series was released in full online just four hours after his brother Prince William issued an extraordinary attack on the BBC for ruining Princess Diana's life after her Panorama interview with 'rogue reporter' Martin Bashir in 1995. But despite a judge-led inquiry finally confirming their mother was deceived into doing the show her friends say began a chain of events leading directly to her death in Paris less than two years later, Harry launched yet another full-frontal attack on the Royal Family, who are private exasperated and upset about his constant 'pot shots' from across the Atlantic but are unable to respond publicly. Meghan Markle's best friend Jessica Mulroney has said 'speak out for what you believe in when you are ready' in a cryptic Instagram post shortly after Prince Harry dropped another nuclear 'truth bomb' on the Royal Family accusing them of 'total silence' and 'neglect' when Meghan was suicidal. The Canadian stylist, 41, from Toronto, shared a post online with her 400k followers yesterday, writing: 'Speak out for what you believe in when you are ready. No matter how loud the other voices are, yours is the only one that should matter.' It came days after Prince Harry dropped another nuclear 'truth bomb' on the Royal Family during candid interviews with Oprah Winfrey on his new five-part AppleTV+ show, The Me You Can't See, where he accused them of 'total silence' and 'neglect' when Meghan was suicidal. The Duke of Sussex, 36, claimed his father Prince Charles made him 'suffer' as a child and insisting he would not be 'bullied into silence' when he alleged 'The Firm' 'trapped', smeared and dumped them. Meghan Markle's best friend Jessica Mulroney has said has said 'speak out for what you believe in when you are ready' in a cryptic Instagram post shortly after Prince Harry spoke of his health struggles while in the royal family The Duke of Sussex (pictured), 36, claimed his father Prince Charles made him 'suffer' as a child and insisting he would not be 'bullied into silence' when he alleged 'The Firm' 'trapped', smeared and dumped them - as royal experts warned the latest attack left a 'huge gulf' in the family The Canadian stylist shared a post online (pictured) with her 400k followers yesterday, writing: 'Speak out for what you believe in when you are ready. No matter how loud the other voices are, yours is the only one that should matter' During the docuseries, the Duke of Sussex said he and his wife felt abandoned by his relatives and this was one of their 'biggest reasons' for leaving for California last year. He told Oprah: 'Certainly now I will never be bullied into silence', adding: 'I thought my family would help, but every single ask, request, warning, whatever it is, just got met with total silence, total neglect. We spent four years trying to make it work. We did everything that we possibly could to stay there and carry on doing the role and doing the job. But Meghan was struggling.' He added: 'That feeling of being trapped within the family, there was no option to leave. Eventually when I made that decision for my family, I was still told, "You can't do this", And it's like, "Well how bad does it have to get until I am allowed to do this?". She [Meghan] was going to end her life. It shouldn't have to get to that.' Harry said that Meghan described how she would end her life while pregnant with Archie in 2019, adding: 'The thing that stopped her from seeing it through was how unfair it would be on me after everything that had happened to my mum and to be in a position of losing another woman in my life with a baby inside of her, our baby'. The Duke of Sussex also accused his family of smearing them to the press before their bombshell Oprah interview in March, describing being woken in their 11million mansion by his wife 'crying in her pillow' to stifle the noise on the eve of its broadcast. He said: 'Thats heartbreaking. I held her. We talked. She cried and she cried and she cried.' Just last week, Jessica Mulroney took to Instagram and said that 'reframing an experience can keep you alive.' The post came shortly after Prince Harry spoke of his 'genetic pain and suffering' during royal life. The stylist previously encouraged her followers not to put on a 'brave face' and instead 'be honest about not feeling okay' Jessica's latest comments came as palace insiders hit back at Prince Harry's 'unhelpful' podcast swipe at his father for 'treating me the way he was treated' and inflicting 'genetic pain and suffering' before he fled to Los Angeles She penned: 'People who truly understand depression, anxiety and many other mental health issues are stuck. Putting on a brave face is whats expected. However, you can be honest about not feeling okay.' Jessica, who became friends with Meghan during her time filming Suits in Toronto, also shared a paragraph which read: 'Some people think it is dangerous to tell people going through bad mental health that things will change. I'd just like to say I find it far more dangerous to tell someone things wont. 'Perspective doesn't make conditions evaporate. But reframing an experience can keep you alive.' It came days after Prince Harry called royal life 'a mixture between The Truman Show and being in a zoo' and said he quit last year to put his family and mental health 'first' during an appearance on a US mental health podcast. Meanwhile Jessica also tagged mental health advocate and author Matt Haig - who was featured in Meghan's guest edit of British Vogue - in the post. Meghan has previously revealed that she 'loves' Matt Haig's best-selling novel Notes on a Nervous Planet, which deals with how technological advances and social media can exacerbate underlying mental health issues. Earlier this year, Jessica spoke out in support of the royal ahead of the explosive Oprah interview. She said no one 'has ever had to deal with the pressure, the politics and the press' like Meghan in an Instagram post. Uploading a photo of the pair of them, she added: 'In the face of it all, I have never seen her waver from kindness, empathy and love.' It was reported last year that the Duchess had cut ties with Mulroney after influencer Sasha Exeter accused the stylist of 'threatening her livelihood' when she posted a Black Lives Matter call-to-action on Instagram. Meghan remained silent when the Canadian fashion stylist was accused of racist bullying and abusing her white privilege to threaten the career of a black social media influencer. Sasha Exeter alleged that Mrs Mulroney took personal offence when she asked bloggers to use their platform to advance the Black Lives Matter movement and that private messages between the pair had left her paralysed with fear. It comes after the Canadian fashion stylist, 41, said no one 'has ever had to deal with the pressure, the politics and the press' like Meghan in an Instagram post ahead of the Oprah interview Mulroney later faced accusations that she had used Meghan as her 'superpower,' though denied this was the case and refused to speak about the Duchess in interviews. A source had claimed their friendship is no longer 'what it once was,' adding this was not due to the fall-out with Exeter, but because they have 'just grown apart.' However, Mulroney told Page Six in November that she and Meghan are 'constantly' in touch via FaceTime. The stylist assisted Meghan in choosing a wedding dress for the actress' Suits character, Rachel Zane, in 2015. The pair have been close friends for years, with Mulroney's daughter, Ivy, appearing in the Royal Wedding as a bridesmaid. Her two sons, Brian and John, were page boys. It was claimed in August that the Duchess of Sussex was reported to have cut ties with Jessica after black influencer Sasha Exeter (left) accused her of 'threatening her livelihood' after 'taking offence' at a Black Lives Matter video posted by the online star Jessica's latest comments came as palace insiders hit back at Prince Harry's 'unhelpful' podcast swipe at his father for 'treating me the way he was treated' and inflicting 'genetic pain and suffering' before he fled to Los Angeles. A source said: 'They appear to be making careers of talking about their previous ones. It is not helpful.' Insiders also noted 'nothing ever appears to be their own fault'. Prince Harry blasted Prince Charles' parenting as he poured his heart out to a US mental health podcast and said he moved to California with his family to 'break the cycle' of 'pain' he suffered as a member of the Royal Family. The Duke admitted he wanted to quit The Firm in his 'early 20s' due to 'what it did to my mum' and said Meghan Markle encouraged him to have therapy and had herself now concluded: 'You don't need to be a princess'. Prince Harry previously blasted Prince Charles' parenting as he poured his heart out to a US mental health podcast and said he moved to California with his family to 'break the cycle' of 'pain' he suffered as a member of the Royal Family His extraordinary attack on the Royal Family, two months after accusing them of racism towards his son Archie, two, came as he appeared on Dax Shepard's 'Armchair Expert' podcast in another big Hollywood moment. Harry, who is expecting a daughter with Meghan this summer, suggested Charles had 'suffered' because of his upbringing by the Queen and Prince Philip, and the Prince of Wales had 'treated me the way he was treated', calling it 'genetic pain'. During the wide-ranging interview lasting 90 minutes, Harry - who appears to have developed an American twang to his British accent since leaving the UK - said: 'I don't think we should be pointing the finger or blaming anybody, but certainly when it comes to parenting, if I've experienced some form of pain or suffering because of the pain or suffering that perhaps my father or my parents had suffered, I'm going to make sure I break that cycle so that I don't pass it on, basically. 'It's a lot of genetic pain and suffering that gets passed on anyway so we as parents should be doing the most we can to try and say 'you know what, that happened to me, I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen to you'.' Prince Harry wants to forget his similarities to 'legend of banter' Prince Philip and has adopted a 'woke persona' which 'distances him from any wrongdoing or offence,' a royal expert has claimed. According to Thomas Mace-Archer-Mills, founder of the British Monarchists Society, the Duke of Sussex, 36, has attempted to devise a 'new persona' in a bid to put some distance between woke Harry and the fact he was 'heir' to the Duke of Edinburgh, who was renowned for his cheeky one-liners. 'The Duke of Sussex has chosen to ignore and forget his less than favourable gaffes by burying them under several layers of political correctness and woke cushioning, in hope that his newly created persona will distance him from any wrongdoing or offence he caused when his gaffes were knowingly made,' the royal expert claimed, speaking to The Daily Star. 'Harry used to be like his grandfather, he had charisma, and charm - he was able to also use humour as a tool, but this is where the similarities end.' The Duke of Sussex, 36, is trying to forget he was once like 'legend of banter' Prince Philip in favour of 'woke persona,' a royal expert has claimed. Pictured, during new five-part AppleTV+ docuseries The Me You Can't See Prince Philip at the battle of Trafalgar Bicentenary Commemoration Service at St Paul's Cathedral in London on 23 October 2005 He went on to say how there is 'nothing funny' about the Duke any more and that Harry, unlike his grandfather, is unable to use humour in his favour - adding that 'not only have times changed, so has Prince Harry.' The royal expert also recalled how the royal used to be a 'lad's lad' but claimed that the once 'happy go lucky chap' is nowhere to be seen since he took the decision to step back as a senior royal in March 2020, and move to America with wife Meghan Markle and their son, Archie. Paying tribute to his later grandfather when he flew to the UK to attend his funeral last month, Prince Harry light-heartedly summed up Prince Philip as master of the barbecue, legend of banter, and cheeky right til the end. 'If there were any aspirations on the part of Harry to be the heir to Philip's "legend of banter", then those very aspirations are sadly misconstrued, misunderstood, and misguided - a failure,' said the royal expert. 'With the passing of Prince Philip, so went the last of the Windsor's great gaffes.' Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex walks behind Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh's coffin, carried by a Land rover hearse, in a procession during the funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor Castle on April 17, 2021 in Windsor Key revelations from Prince Harry's latest bombshell interview on US TV On the Sussexes' cries for help to the Royal Family 'I thought my family would help, but every single ask, request, warning, whatever it is, just got met with total silence, total neglect. We spent four years trying to make it work. We did everything that we possibly could to stay there and carry on doing the role and doing the job. But Meghan was struggling.' On Harry's family 'stopping' them from quitting 'That feeling of being trapped within the family, there was no option to leave. Eventually when I made that decision for my family, I was still told, "You can't do this", And it's like, "Well how bad does it have to get until I am allowed to do this?". She [Meghan] was going to end her life. It shouldn't have to get to that.' On Meghan's wish to 'end her life' 'Meghan decided to share with me the suicidal thoughts and the practicalities of how she was going to end her life. 'The thing that stopped her from seeing it through was how unfair it would be on me after everything that had happened to my mum and to now to be put in a position of losing another woman in my life with a baby inside of her, our baby. 'The scariest thing for her was her clarity of thought. She hadn't "lost it." She wasn't crazy. She wasn't self-medicating, be it through pills or through alcohol. She was absolutely sober. She was completely sane'. On Prince Charles' parenting 'My father used to say to me when I was younger, he used to say to both William and I, 'Well it was like that for me so it's going to be like that for you',' Prince Harry says in the new documentary. 'That doesn't make sense. Just because you suffered doesn't mean that your kids have to suffer, in fact quite the opposite. 'If you suffered, do everything you can to make sure that whatever negative experiences you had, that you can make it right for your kids'. On 'smears' from 'The Firm' 'Before the Oprah interview had aired, because of the combined efforts of The Firm and the media to smear her, I was woken up in the middle of the night to her crying into her pillow because she doesn't want to wake me up because I'm already carrying too much. That's heartbreaking.' And trying to repair the relationship 'I like to think that we were able to speak truths in the most compassionate way possible, therefore leaving an opening for reconciliation and healing' On Meghan helping Harry into therapy 'I saw GPs. I saw doctors. I saw therapists. I saw alternative therapists. I saw all sorts of people, but it was meeting and being with Meghan I knew that if I didn't do the therapy and fix myself that I was going to lose this woman who I could see spending the rest of my life with. 'When she said, "I think you need to see someone," it was in reaction to an argument that we had. And in that argument not knowing about it, I reverted back to 12-year-old Harry.' Using booze and drugs to cope with his mother's death 'I was willing to drink, I was willing to take drugs, I was willing to try and do the things that made me feel less like I was feeling.' The royal said he would drink a week's worth of alcohol on a Friday or Saturday night 'not because I was enjoying it but because I was trying to mask something'. Advertisement Last week, Prince Harry sparked outrage in the US, the country that welcomed him when he fled from British royal life, after describing the First Amendment - one of the country's most cherished founding principles - as 'bonkers'. Harry - who fled British royal life to live in luxury in California last year and has since made a fortune through American companies like Netflix and Spotify while living in California - made the comments on Dax Shepard's podcast on Thursday. 'I've got so much I want to say about the First Amendment as I sort of understand it, but it is bonkers. 'I don't want to start going down the First Amendment route because that's a huge subject and one which I don't understand because I've only been here a short time, but you can find a loophole in anything. You can capitalize or exploit what's not said rather than uphold what is said.' Many Americans who'd embraced him and reacted sympathetically to his comments on Oprah were angered by the remarks, as were Brits. Speaking of the royal's remarks, Thomas Mace-Archer-Mills told how the previously 'relatable and fun' Prince Harry who could 'appeal to anyone' is now a 'partisan, divisive, talking head that chastises and lectures his home nation and belittles his family.' He went on to say how he missed the old royal before he turned 'too serious' and hit headlines daily. The comments come after Prince Harry dropped another nuclear 'truth bomb' on the Royal Family during his new five-part AppleTV+ docuseries, The Me You Can't See. The Duke accused them of 'total silence' and 'neglect' when Meghan was suicidal, claimed his father Prince Charles made him 'suffer' as a child and insisting he would not be 'bullied into silence' when he alleged 'The Firm' 'trapped', smeared and dumped them. In candid interviews, Prince Harry said he and his wife felt abandoned by his relatives and this was one of their 'biggest reasons' for leaving for California last year. He told Oprah: 'Certainly now I will never be bullied into silence', adding: 'I thought my family would help, but every single ask, request, warning, whatever it is, just got met with total silence, total neglect. We spent four years trying to make it work. We did everything that we possibly could to stay there and carry on doing the role and doing the job. But Meghan was struggling.' He added: 'That feeling of being trapped within the family, there was no option to leave. 'Eventually when I made that decision for my family, I was still told, "You can't do this", And it's like, "Well how bad does it have to get until I am allowed to do this?". She [Meghan] was going to end her life. It shouldn't have to get to that.' Royal biographer Phil Dampier said Harry's trip to unveil a statue of Princess Diana with his brother William on July 1 will now be in 'grave doubt', especially after the Duke of Sussex said London is a 'trigger' for his anxiety. And royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said there is now 'clearly a huge gulf between the Royal Family and the Sussexes', while Harry's biographer Angela Levin called his appearance 'phoney and embarrassing'. Harry said that Meghan described how she would end her life while pregnant with Archie in 2019, adding: 'The thing that stopped her from seeing it through was how unfair it would be on me after everything that had happened to my mum and to be in a position of losing another woman in my life with a baby inside of her, our baby'. The Duke of Sussex also accused his family of smearing them to the press before their bombshell Oprah interview in March, describing being woken in their 11million mansion by his wife 'crying in her pillow' to stifle the noise on the eve of its broadcast. 'He said: 'Thats heartbreaking. I held her. We talked. She cried and she cried and she cried.' The Apple TV series was released in full online just four hours after his brother Prince William issued an extraordinary attack on the BBC for ruining Princess Diana's life after her Panorama interview with 'rogue reporter' Martin Bashir in 1995. But despite a judge-led inquiry finally confirming their mother was deceived into doing the show her friends say began a chain of events leading directly to her death in Paris less than two years later, Harry launched yet another full-frontal attack on the Royal Family, who are private exasperated and upset about his constant 'pot shots' from across the Atlantic but are unable to respond publicly. Twenty-nine weeks pregnant, surrogate mum Leanne Davis, 37, can't wait to meet the IVF baby girl she's expecting. Nor can her excited younger sister Rachael, 34, whose fertilised embryo Leanne is carrying. Delivering this newborn will be very special. A labour of love. 'We're so looking forward to saying hello and giving her a little cuddle,' says Leanne, 37, a single mum to three sons aged 17, 14 and nine. 'We're already joking about whose nose she will have.' Rachael, who as Leanne's birthing partner will hold her sibling's hand and give words of encouragement, agrees: 'It couldn't be more emotional.' Within hours, however, should all go well, both sisters will leave the hospital empty-handed after sharing tears of happiness and saying their goodbyes to the newborn to whom they have given life. Surrogate mother Leanne Davis (right) with fathers Kevin (centre left) and Spencer Tewlis-Allen (left), with their son Sawyer and leanne's sister Rachel Davis (centre right) who was the egg donor Mental health care worker Leanne will return to her own family. Credit controller Rachael will reunite with her partner Steve King and three children aged 14, 13 and three, plus their 14-year-old foster daughter. All they will take home is a memory of the joy on the faces of the baby's parents her delighted father Kevin Tewis-Allen, 47, a creative media company CEO, and his husband Spencer, 31, a lawyer. The sisters are confident the baby will be in safe hands because, remarkably, this is not the first time they have given the married gay couple from Kent the gift of parenthood. In April 2019, Leanne gave birth to their son Sawyer, now aged two. Again, one of Rachael's donated eggs was used, fertilised on that occasion by Spencer's sperm. 'When a baby's born, you always look for little family resemblances but Sawyer came out the spitting image of Spencer, so that made it a little easier to detach,' says Leanne. 'He even had the same comb-over hairstyle.' In April 2019, Leanne gave birth to their son Sawyer (pictured at one month), now aged two. Again, one of Rachael's donated eggs was used, fertilised on that occasion by Spencer's sperm (left) Leanne with Sawyer, a contented, bright, adorable blond toddler who is indeed the image of his father Today, Sawyer is a contented, bright, adorable blond toddler who is indeed the image of his father, whom he calls 'Daddy'. He adores Kevin too 'Dad' and also his two big-hearted 'aunties' who are welcome to give him cuddles whenever they want. One day, when he and his little sister are old enough to understand, Spencer and Kevin intend to explain their remarkable genetic history and the special place the sisters now both close friends hold in their family. 'Sawyer is the miracle child we thought we'd never have and Leanne and Rachael are the angels who made our dreams come true,' says Spencer, who has wanted to be a father from the start of his 11-year-relationship with Kevin. 'They're like sisters to us now. They have transformed our lives in a way we never imagined. We are bonded for ever.' One day, when he and his little sister are old enough to understand, Spencer and Kevin (pictured with Sawyer) intend to explain their remarkable genetic history Pictured: Spencer (right), Kevin (left) and Leanne, with Sawyer - when they discovered they were pregnant with a second baby The foursome meet up regularly (lockdowns permitting) for coffee, dinners and BBQs with all their children and extended families, who apparently get on like a house on fire. Kevin adds: 'I can honestly say that parenthood is the best thing that has ever happened to me, more rewarding than anything else, and I can't wait to meet our new daughter. Actually, I'd love even more children. 'My mum had given up on me ever giving her grandchildren, so to see the joy Sawyer has brought her, too, has been amazing.' Leanne and Rachael are thought to be the only sisters in the UK who have worked as a surrogate team, which must make handing over a child to whom they are both related doubly complicated. Surely they must feel the occasional twinge of regret or envy as they watch Rachael's genetic son run to his daddies instead of to her? They insist not. 'This is one of the most rewarding things I have done. We'd never have gone ahead if we thought we'd ever end up regretting it,' says Rachael. 'I love Sawyer and I care about this new baby but only in the same way I might love and care for a friend's child. The foursome meet up regularly (lockdowns permitting) for coffee, dinners and BBQs with all their children and extended families, who apparently get on like a house on fire 'Perhaps I'd feel a little differently if Sawyer looked like my own three children, but there's absolutely no resemblance. It's crazy; my DNA must be very weak. 'We may share a genetic link but I feel no parental connection to him. All the joy for me is seeing the happiness he gives Spencer and Kevin. 'For me, donating my eggs is just science, a bit like gifting a kidney. You don't turn around and say 'I want it back' or 'Can I just check on how my kidney's doing?' It's not yours any more. 'Just because he shares my DNA, I don't think 'that's my baby'. People say 'but he'll never have a mum', but to me love is everything and Sawyer couldn't be more loved. I love my foster daughter just as much as my own children and we're not biologically related. Parenting isn't just about having a genetic link.' Rachael admits she would have found it much harder to detach if she'd given birth to Sawyer. It would have felt too personal to carry her own genetic child. Sawyer aged ten-months with surrogate mother Leanne (left) and egg donor Rachel (right) Her partner Steve, too, struggled with the idea of watching the woman he loves give birth to a child they would never bring home together. In contrast, Leanne says she could never donate her eggs and would find it impossible to detach from a child that was genetically hers. 'I don't feel it's my child or my sister's child but a child from a donor egg. I completely disassociate,' she says. 'I drill into my own children that I am only growing a baby for someone else, so they don't think of it as a cousin. 'I won't lie, it is difficult giving up a child you've nurtured for nine months. You can't help but wonder, 'Will she look like Rachael?'. I do have a little cry in those first two weeks, until the hormones settle down.' For Rachael, helping others to have children is a 'calling'. She was just 13 when she witnessed the trauma of family friends who struggled to conceive and always dreamt of helping others become parents a feeling that intensified after she had her own children. 'I felt incredibly lucky to conceive so easily and it felt so unfair that there were other people who couldn't have what most of us take for granted,' she says. It was after the birth of her youngest child that Rachael first began to explore the possibility of becoming an egg donor, by joining an internet fertility forum site in December 2017. She struck up a conversation with Spencer, whom she discovered lived close to her, and a friendship quickly developed. 'I was just putting out feelers, asking questions, and everyone on the site was very helpful and respectful and I just clicked with Spencer,' recalls Rachael. 'We got on really well, and we arranged to meet up with my partner Steve and his husband Kevin, and we all just became good friends. They never asked me to be their egg donor but as we got to know each other, I felt 'they're the ones'. The Tewis-Allens had already approached the Care Fertility clinic in London to be placed on their anonymous egg donor waiting list, while also searching for a surrogate willing to carry a future child. Spencer says: 'We always felt a little uncomfortable about using an anonymous donor, because you receive so little information and really know nothing about them. 'All children have the legal right at 18 to find out about their genetic history, and you only have to watch Long Lost Family on TV to see how important it is for them to know about their biological parents. 'We hated the thought of our child tracing their biological mother only to feel disappointed or rejected, so when Rachael offered to be our egg donor it felt a very natural thing to do.' Rachel agrees. 'My dad was brilliant and just said 'this is fantastic',' she says. 'He saw it as science, as I did, but Mum did have some concerns and was worried how she'd feel about a genetic grandchild being brought up outside the family.' But once a big family barbecue was organised so everyone could meet Kevin and Spencer, the family wholeheartedly gave their blessing. They all agreed, the couple would make wonderful parents. Today, Spencer says his mum and the sisters' mum have become friendly, too, regularly exchanging messages via WhatsApp. After undergoing counselling and psychological assessment at the fertility clinic, Rachael who also passed various medical tests was then given drugs to stimulate her ovaries and 29 eggs were harvested. Half were fertilised with Spencer's sperm and half with Kevin's. After five days, nine were considered viable and put on ice. But disaster struck when their original surrogate accidentally fell pregnant by her partner, leaving all their hopes of parenthood crushed. Leanne recalls: 'I first met Spencer and Kevin at a family birthday celebration. I'd heard so much about them from Rachael and we got on straight away. 'Their story saddened me so much. When I got home that night, I couldn't stop thinking about them and asked Rachael, 'What do you have to do?' 'I didn't know much about surrogacy and thought maybe I was too old. Semi-jokingly, I said, 'Maybe I could consider it?' And the more I thought about it, the more I thought 'Why not?' 'The boys never put any pressure on me and we decided to get to know each other on a personal level first. It was paramount to me that my own children and family were 100 per cent accepting of the situation before I decided to go ahead.' The sisters agree that they would never have gone ahead without the full support of their parents, siblings, children and Rachael's partner Steve. Commercial surrogacy is illegal in the UK, so neither sister was motivated by money only altruism. Egg donors can only receive up to 750, while surrogates can only accept legitimate expenses usually between 8,000 and 15,000 to cover travel to medical appointments, pregnancy supplies, food, clothes and loss of earnings. After undergoing counselling and passing a psychological assessment at the fertility clinic, Leanne was thrilled to fall pregnant first time after one embryo was implanted. 'None of us knew what to expect or how we'd all feel, so there had to be so much trust on both sides,' she says. 'As birth mother, I'd legally be responsible for the child if they changed their minds; and they had to live with the fear that I could at any time decide to keep the baby. 'We discussed every eventuality and Spencer and Kevin were very clear that even if the baby had disabilities, they would love him all the same and take him on, as long as he still had some quality of life. 'The boys were so supportive and involved in the pregnancy from the start, attending every scan and medical appointment, even if it was just for five minutes.' They all feared the worst when Leanne's waters broke at 28 weeks. Admitted to hospital, she was given steroid injections to try to mature the unborn baby's lungs and delay labour. But at 32 weeks Sawyer was born prematurely, with an anxious Spencer and Kevin dashing to the hospital just in time to cut his umbilical cord and give their son the briefest of cuddles before he was whisked off to the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). 'Holding our son for the first time was just overwhelming,' says Spencer. 'He looked so tiny and vulnerable and our hearts were bursting with love and fear we might lose him. It was terrifying.' Leanne adds: 'We were all scared. Sawyer was taken away immediately to NICU and naturally I was thinking, as his birth mother, 'Does he need me?' 'You can't help but feel protective. But because we have such a great, honest relationship with the boys, they had no problem with me going down to intensive care to see him whenever I wanted. 'This time round I've asked for a little time on my own with the baby, just to say hello and goodbye and meet this person I have been growing for the past nine months.' After three weeks, Sawyer was well enough to go home with his parents who were thrown in at the deep end, so they welcomed the support of the sisters. 'Because his digestive system wasn't fully developed, he had a lot of intolerances and couldn't feed properly so I had to get up every hour during the night for those first 12 months,' says Spencer, who took a year's paternity leave to care for his son. 'Looking back, I wonder how we managed. But now Sawyer is a very happy, healthy, contented, bright, placid little boy and the love we have for him has made our relationship even more complete.' The couple's quest for parenthood cost them 40,000, including legal fees for the parental order, which was granted seven months after his birth. But the joy Sawyer has brought and their daughter will bring is priceless. Leanne says: 'When Kevin asked me if I'd be willing to have another baby for them, he didn't have to ask twice. It was very important to them, and for us, for the children to share the same genetic history and grow up knowing the same two aunties.' But will there be any more? Not for Leanne, who had morning sickness and fatigue with this, her fifth pregnancy. From now on, she will just be Mum to her own three and auntie to the other two. As for Rachael, she has gone on to donate her eggs to another childless couple, who had a little boy a year ago. The mother carried the baby. Rachael also switched roles and was surrogate mum to a little girl, born last October. Her parent is a 46-year-old single woman who had a tragic history of miscarriage. Rachael has no genetic link to the baby, as both egg and sperm were from anonymous donors. 'I'd love to do it again, but only if the time is right and it fits in with my family,' she says. 'When you have children it's an incredible feeling. But when you have them for someone else, it gives a completely different meaning to life.' Last week I downloaded the NHS App. I don't mean the NHS Covid app I have that too but disabled it months ago because it endlessly pinged messages telling me I'd been exposed to Covid when I hadn't even left the house. The NHS App has, apparently, been knocking around for years, offering a way for patients to book appointments, order repeat prescriptions and view medical records. But I'd never heard of it prior to this month, when it was announced it would become our default Covid passport: a way of displaying our vaccination status. We are likely to need it to go abroad just showing that card they give you when you have a jab won't work. Roughly 50,000 Britons have been downloading it every day since this relaunch, and I decided to join them. I've already used it to order a repeat prescription for my eczema cream, which took seconds. It was ready to collect from my local Boots the next day. It can also be used to search for NHS-backed health advice (type in your condition or symptom and it comes up with a list of web-pages) and contact NHS111. There's access to the eConsult service, too, so you can have a virtual appointment, filling in all your concerns, which is then sent to your surgery that will then get in touch. As soon as I managed to sign in (more about that later) I could click through to a screen that shows that I had my first Covid jab on May 1. It even has the brand (Vaxzevria otherwise known as the AstraZeneca jab) and batch-number. The 'share your Covid-19 status' button takes you to a screen with one of those whizzy QR code images. This can be scanned by the camera on another phone or device held by, say, Border Control officers transferring your Covid status data so it can be read and logged. Nifty, I thought. The NHS App has been knocking around for years, offering a way for patients to book appointments, order repeat prescriptions and view medical records Predictably, there has been a fair amount of shroud-waving by people who say they're deeply concerned about privacy and the creeping hand of Big State as some people have suggested it might also be required for entry to concerts, museums and other venues. Objectors say blocking access to certain areas of life for those not jabbed, in effect, means you're forcing people to have it. And, they add, what about those who can't have the jab? Well, to be honest, there are vanishingly few valid reasons not to get vaccinated, beyond simply not wanting to be. Pregnant women are fine to have it, according to numerous studies. Those who have a specific allergy to Covid vaccine ingredients will need to take medical advice but even then, the ingredients differ between vaccines so there's always a suitable alternative. Likewise, people with blood-clotting problems are being advised not to have the AstraZeneca jab, which has been linked to a slightly increased risk of blood clots, but they can have the Pfizer or Moderna jab. We'll soon have one from Johnson & Johnson, and potentially Valneva, from France, and Novavax, from America. You might be advised to wait if you're currently fighting an infection, or about to have brain surgery. But other than this, there are basically no illnesses or conditions that would preclude someone from having this jab. Should those who 'just say no' be forced? Absolutely not. Should businesses say: no jab, no entry? I can see why they would. There are gaps for the app: roughly one in ten Britons don't have a smartphone, and older phones might not be compatible with the app. But there is an NHS App website where you can do all the same things, such as order prescriptions and talk to a doctor, and print off your Covid status, too. There are about four million Britons over the age of 65 who do not use the internet. But they can call 119 and ask for a letter confirming their vaccine status. Our resident GP, Dr Ellie Cannon, is a huge fan of the app and the whole concept and mentioned it in her column last week. In response, dozens of readers wrote in, pointing out much of what I've mentioned above. Others said they'd downloaded the app but found it difficult to use. I didn't find it all that straightforward either although I was an exception among my colleagues, who all managed to get to grips with it in seconds. But it was worth persevering, and now I'd say I'm pretty much an evangelist. The first thing you have to do is prove your identity. You upload a picture of your passport or driving licence I chose the latter, which I now think might have been a mistake as the picture isn't all that clear and then the app takes a scan of your face, using the camera in your phone. There are all sorts of psychedelic flashing lights emitted by the screen as you do this. It told me I'd not been recognised. I was then asked to record a video of myself saying a series of numbers. A few days later I got an email back saying: still not recognised. I then tried uploading my passport as my proof of identity. The initial scan again didn't recognise me, but the video method did work. I got an email overnight saying I'd been approved. Those who have a specific allergy to Covid vaccine ingredients will need to take medical advice but even then, the ingredients differ between vaccines so there's always a suitable alternative I called my mum, who's 74 and a retired oncologist. She was way ahead of me, having downloaded it 'weeks ago'. Her vaccine status was there, full and complete. She'd already used it to view her GP patient records and order a repeat prescription. But she said a friend had difficulty accessing her hospital test results on it. This latter point is a technical one. creating easily accessible, comprehensive online patient records isn't as simple as it sounds. The data is held in different computer formats depending on where you are treated. This makes aggregating it a tricky job. Some local health authorities have employed third-party tech companies to help them with this. Others have not, and so service, when it comes to records viewable via the app, is patchy. My colleague, Deputy Health Editor Eve Simmons, could see her notes going back decades, including childhood vaccinations. I, on the other hand, having recently changed GP surgery, could see only my current medications. I have contacted my practice, via the app, to try to remedy this, so fingers crossed. My (younger) colleagues have rolled their eyes at my struggles, although I'm no Luddite. I suppose it's always a bit of a headbanger, trying to learn a new 'system'. But the NHS App is intuitive especially the Covid passport bit, prescriptions and contacting your GP. I can imagine there will be some who just give up so might need some extra support. I'm saying this with my dear old dad in mind. A retired GP, aged 75, he has a smartphone which we bought him a few years back. He was very resistant to this, and said his 1996 Nokia was just fine. And he barely used his new device for anything except phone calls. He was particularly resentful about WhatsApp: 'I don't want people sending me texts whenever they feel like it.' But he was recently in hospital for an operation, and finally started to respond to our messages. He even took a few selfies, which was helpful as we weren't allowed to visit and see how he was. Yesterday, I messaged him on WhatsApp asking if he'd got the NHS App. He replied: 'No... don't know much about apps and suspect I don't want any.' He followed this with: 'Bet you didn't know there is now a pill to transfer the pain of childbirth to the father... video to follow.' My point is, this is something else he's got the hang of with a bit of persistence. So I do hold out hope for the NHS App. Banks are being urged to come clean about how often they reimburse customers who fall victim to money transfer scams. Nearly 150,000 customers lost savings to bank transfer scams last year. Many lost life-changing sums. But while some were fully reimbursed, others received nothing. Today, Which? is giving banks until Friday to reveal their reimbursement rates. The consumer watchdog believes that as long as banks keep quiet about these figures, customers will continue to be treated unfairly and inconsistently. Victims: Nearly 150,000 customers lost savings to bank transfer scams last year - many lost life-changing sums Bank transfer scams also known as Authorised Push Payment scams are when a bank customer hands over their savings because a fraudster has tricked them into believing they are switching money to a trusted organisation, such as the police, a Government body or their bank. They often rely on people being law-abiding and wanting to do the right thing by convincing them they are helping to tackle crime. Friday marks the two-year anniversary of a voluntary code of conduct agreed by banks and designed to stamp out this type of scam. The code states that blameless victims should be reimbursed. However, in cases seen by The Mail on Sunday, some victims are being fully reimbursed while others do not receive a penny. Earlier this month, Barclays said it had reimbursed 74 per cent of fraud victims in the first two months of the year. It is the only bank to release details so far. Banking body UK Finance says that 47 per cent of all losses last year were reimbursed. Gareth Shaw, head of money at Which?, says: 'A total lack of transparency in how firms deal with victims of bank transfer scams has led to many people being treated unfairly and inconsistently. The chances of getting your money back is a lottery.' He adds: 'We have asked banks to commit to publishing reimbursement rates. This should be a first step in an effort by the industry to give information on how banks protect their customers against fraud.' The Payment Systems Regulator is also looking at forcing banks to disclose their reimbursement figures if they do not publish them voluntarily. Consumers can save hundreds of pounds in the wake of the pandemic with little effort by embracing new shopping schemes. The latest example comes from Swedish superstore Ikea. Anyone with an old Billy bookcase destined for the scrapheap should cancel their trip to the tip. Ikea will now reclaim old furniture and pay customers in store vouchers with no expiry date. War on waste: Ikea will now reclaim old furniture and pay customers in store vouchers with no expiry date The company launched its buyback scheme in the UK this month in a bid to limit the number of its products going to landfill. Items are resold as a bargain, and shoppers can earn up to 250 from the environmentally-conscious effort. The percentage paid on the original price tag ranges from 30 to 50 per cent, depending on an item's condition. It's available at full-sized UK stores. Customers request an offer on the company's website, then take the item to their nearest store. Amazon's 'second chance' webpage allows customers to trade in old Amazon electronics such as Kindles or Echo devices in exchange for gift vouchers. Discounts also apply to previously used or refurbished items. But one of the best kept secrets for cheaper shopping is employee benefits schemes. Employees can buy vouchers for specific stores, but pay less than the face value. Adam Bullock, director of website TopCashback, recommends signing up as the UK reopens for business post-lockdown. He says: 'You may find a round of drinks could be free, there's a discount on a meal out, or maybe there's a free product simply for signing up to a newsletter.' It's a hidden perk of work that can produce savings of around 500 a year on average. That's according to Reward Gateway, which provides the platform to employers. Catrin Lewis, of Reward Gateway, says: 'Many workers would be surprised to know their company offers this. It's a great way for employees to save money whether on the weekly shop, home improvements, broadband, holidays or home essentials.' Anyone interested should ask their company's HR department if they run such a scheme. Alternatively, websites such as TopCashback and Quidco are available to all regardless of employment status. They ask customers to use their websites to shop for popular brands, returning discounts and cashback into customer accounts as a reward. Banks also offer cashback when customers use their debit cards to pay partner companies. Customers have to activate offers in their online accounts first. But people trying to spend less could get lucky with their savings instead. Halifax and The Family Building Society pay monthly cash prizes to savers who meet certain criteria. The latter is currently only for existing customers. Nationwide Building Society customers can get a free six-month membership to energy switching service Switchd, helping save money on gas and electricity bills. New and existing customers of online investment service Wealthify could win 20,000 tax-free cash if they sign up to a prize draw by June 9. And users of the Moneybox app can take advantage of its Moneybox Plus scheme. Cashback is paid on money spent with the company's retail partners. This money diverts into a customer's savings account, where it will grow further. Even the most vanilla of financial products come with bonuses. People who purchase insurance through comparison website comparethemarket can get food and film deals with Meerkat Meals and Meerkat Movies. Buy car insurance through GoCompare before June 30 and you can get an MOT for 10, and free excess cover worth 250. Excess cover is the sum you pay if you claim on a policy. Buying life insurance or an investment plan through Vitality can cut a gym membership with Virgin Active, Nuffield Health Gyms and David Lloyd Clubs by 40 per cent. And staying active earns you extra rewards, such as free coffees, films to stream at home, and free cinema tickets. For leisure at a more leisurely pace, Ricky Willis founder and editor of the Skint Dad blog recommends the joy of a National Trust membership. He says: 'Joining online gets you access to more than 500 historic places, a free pair of binoculars and free parking.' Non-members can also visit historic locations for free as part of Heritage Open Days in September. However, there's a crucial warning for thrifty shoppers. Bullock says: 'The bottom line is it's only a benefit if you were willing to spend the cash in the first place.' Remember the 'Charlie bit my finger' video? Today, 14 years since it was uploaded to YouTube and 881million views later, it will be deleted. The short clip of Charlie, one, biting the finger of his older brother, Harry, three, made history when it became one of the first videos to go viral. Now the Davis-Carr family, who own the video, plan to auction it online as a non-fungible token (NFT) this weekend and the footage will be taken down when it closes. NFTs are essentially digital receipts proving ownership of something online, such as a piece of art, song, or even a tweet. In this case, the new owner will receive a digital receipt that will be stored on a virtual ledger known as blockchain. This is the same technology that cryptocurrencies use. Mind-boggling: Non-fungible tokens are essentially digital receipts proving ownership of something online, such as a piece of art, song, or even a tweet Every day, there are more stories like this, which reveal how block chain and digital technology are changing the world we live in. We hear of cryptocurrency investors making and losing millions of pounds overnight, and of NFTs of digital racehorses and clothes being bought and sold. Earlier this year, even the Bank of England revealed it may launch a digital currency. To me, much of this sounds at best mind-boggling, at worst completely ridiculous. But I think we dismiss these digital trends at our peril. It is amidst these strange developments that big ideas which will shape all of our futures are being forged ideas about what money is and who can create it, about what value is, and about what ownership is in a world of digital assets. Many of the trends may fade away. No doubt plenty of investors will lose a lot of money buying digital assets that they would not have touched if they had remembered the cautionary message of the Emperor's New Clothes. But I have no doubt that there will be a lasting legacy. What will remain is a shift in the way we see money, value and ownership. I may not be interested in investing just yet, but I still want to join in the conversation. That's why I won't be bidding for the Charlie Bit My Finger NFT. But I will be logging on with interest to see how much it sells for. How does your bank treat fraud victims? Very few people bother to change current accounts, even though it is easier than ever to do so. But that could be set to change. Today, consumer watchdog Which? is giving banks until Friday to disclose how they treat their customers who fall victim to fraud. I know from speaking to fraud victims that there are huge discrepancies between banks. Some give full reimbursements, others don't hand over a penny. I don't know about you, but how my bank treats fraud victims is a deal-breaker. I want to be with a bank that would support me if I were scammed out of my life savings. If I found out that my bank had a poor record of reimbursing its customers, I would switch to another with a good one. Which? is absolutely right that banks must reveal their reimbursement data. That way, we can switch if we don't like our bank's record. And banks will be incentivised to help their customers, or risk losing them to more sympathetic rivals. It has been a bumpy couple of weeks for Bitcoin and the other cryptocurrencies. Expect much bigger bumps to come. On Friday two weeks ago, Bitcoin was trading at about $58,000. On Friday, it was trading at $36,000. That is a pretty meaty decline, but the real story was one of mad, raging volatility, for last Wednesday it dipped below $33,000. This is not a currency. It fulfils none of the three classic requirements of money. It is not a price denominator because its value moves around so much. Fool's Gold?: Bitcoin is not a currency - it fulfils none of the three classic requirements of money It is not a medium of exchange, with one of its cheer-leaders, Elon Musk, now not letting you buy a Tesla with it. And anyone who bought a couple of weeks ago will acknowledge it has not been a great store of value. So it is an asset class, just like shares, bonds, gold, works of art and so on. It is an asset class that has been stunningly successful in attracting buyers, and it has many believers who hold that it will continue to be successful. The fact that governments and central bankers hate it, is for many an argument in its favour. It takes the power to create money away from them and if you distrust governments and banks that is just fine. Those of us, like myself, who believe that Bitcoin could have zero value have so far been proved wrong. But in the past few days two things have happened that have stripped away its appeal. One is that the governments of two of the most important countries in the world, the US and China, have started to bare their teeth. On Tuesday, China banned financial institutions and payment companies from providing services for cryptocurrency transactions. It also warned investors against speculative cryptocurrency trading. Then on Thursday the US Treasury set out plans for all cryptocurrency transactions of more than $10,000 to be reported to the Internal Revenue Service. So not only would any legitimate gains be taxed just like everything else, but funds that were the result of illegal activities would come into the authorities' sights. The other development was a sudden focus on the environmental costs of running cryptocurrencies, and particularly the amount of electricity needed to power the computers that create or 'mine' these digital assets. This is something that central bankers and finance ministers have been pointing out for years, but their objections have been largely ignored, I suspect because they are seen as establishment figures. What changed things was Elon Musk. He drew attention to this when he said that Tesla would halt the purchase of vehicles with Bitcoin due to concerns over the 'rapidly increasing use of fossil fuels for Bitcoin mining'. So how much power? The Judge Business School at Cambridge University does a running tally. It gives a wide estimate range, with the current mid-point a bit below the energy consumed by Sweden. At the bottom end it is about the same as Portugal, while at the top, it could be using more electricity than the UK. Where are these Bitcoins being 'mined' and therefore using all this power? The answer is that two-thirds of them are coming from computers in China. Since China generates about 58 per cent of its electricity from coal, anyone buying or holding Bitcoin is adding to air pollution in China and global carbon emissions. Up to now the environmental movement has directed its activities at softer targets. It is much easier to stage a demo outside the offices of an oil company or a bank than to challenge an amorphous but fashionable entity such as Bitcoin. But it is pretty clear cryptocurrencies will be caught in a pincer movement between national authorities on the one hand and everyone who cares about the environment on the other. While they were a fringe activity they were under the radar. Now the big guns are being trained on them. So what will happen? Well, I don't think one should exclude the possibility that Bitcoin will recover. Some US supporters, such as Scott Minerd of Guggenheim Investments, think it will reach $400,000. The US hedge fund pioneer Paul Tudor Jones likens cryptocurrencies to investing in high-tech before the sector took off. Cathie Wood, of Ark Investment Management, said last week she thought Bitcoin would go to $500,000. But, equally, cryptocurrencies may be totally worthless. Andrew Bailey, Governor of the Bank of England, warned this month: 'I'm going to say this very bluntly again: buy them only if you're prepared to lose all your money.' I would march with the Governor on this one. Tony Hetherington is Financial Mail on Sunday's ace investigator, fighting readers corners, revealing the truth that lies behind closed doors and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket. Find out how to contact him below. Ms C.L. writes: I'm writing on behalf of my nephew, who has been trying since July last year to get hold of his money. Santander says a tax refund paid into his account is fraudulent and it needs more information, even though staff have been given documents from Revenue & Customs. Desperate: Santander says a tax refund is fraudulent and it needs more information, even though staff have been given documents from Revenue & Customs Tony Hetherington replies: The paperwork you sent me shows that your nephew is a self-employed road worker, caught under 'IR35', the tax rule that has covered the construction industry for many years and which has just been widened to catch many more self-employed people in its net. In a nutshell IR35 means employers who take on anyone who is self-employed may have to deduct income tax from their earnings, with no tax allowances or reliefs. Some self-employed workers escape the net if they can jump through various hoops, such as showing that they choose their own hours. The rest must fight each year to reclaim the excess tax deducted from their pay. Your nephew did just this and, in April last year, the Revenue wrote to say that a refund of 3,190 was on its way to his Santander account. But when the money arrived, the bank was suspicious, perhaps because this was more than his usual deposits. Your nephew went to the branch and produced payslips and tax documents, but nothing was enough. I explained to the bank just how the IR35 system operates, and that a big slice of your nephew's pay had been withheld, so it was no surprise he was due a big refund. Santander replied: 'The Revenue payment into Mr S's account flagged on our fraud prevention systems as being unusual based on his previous account activity.' The bank would only accept the refund was genuine if it was given a complete year's supply of payslips or a certain Revenue assessment form showing all income from all sources, and all tax allowances. Your nephew had supplied all the payslips he held, but had difficulty getting the right Revenue form from his accountant. Despite all this, Santander suddenly decided: 'Having completed a further review of this payment, the funds can now be released to Mr S.' The bank declined to say what its further review involved, or what new information it had uncovered, if any. The question remains as to whether Santander was right to freeze a genuine deposit from the taxman when there was no evidence to suggest it was fraudulent. Your nephew now has his 3,190 but, as the IR35 net widens, I wonder how many more taxpayers will face a fight with their bank as well as with the tax office. WE'RE WATCHING YOU Unmade: The pair behind the Henry 5 film will not be charged Two men behind a multi-million pound film project that collapsed in controversial circumstances are to escape prosecution after police ruled that their own expert witness was unreliable. Michael Cowan, 56, from Peacehaven in East Sussex, and Steven Wilkinson, 50, of Ockley in Surrey, raised more than 5million from investors who believed they were backing a star-studded modern remake of Shakespeare's Henry V. In 2013, I warned that salesmen marketing shares in the film called Henry 5 claimed that it would star Michael Caine, Ray Winstone, Gerard Depardieu and Vinnie Jones. But the stars themselves knew nothing about the film and had never agreed to appear in it. An investigation by the Insolvency Service found 3.4 million had been paid to salesmen as commission, and more than 1million had been transferred to firms run by Cowan. In 2015, the High Court ordered the winding-up of Warlord Productions, the company supposed to produce the film. Sussex Police opened an investigation into alleged fraud. Now, after years of work, police have told investors they are dropping the case. Detective Inspector Mark O'Brien of the Economic Crime Unit told investors that 'financing in the film industry can be high risk'. He added: 'In order to completely understand the film industry norms, we identified and engaged a potential expert witness. 'However, after careful consideration, it was clear we cannot rely on this individual for a number of evidential reasons. 'This leaves the police unable to effectively prove the issue of dishonesty to the necessary standard, and whether the activity of individuals was criminal.' A police spokesman declined to give details of the expert witness, or to explain why another expert could not be hired. But he said if new evidence appeared, police could reconsider, and that 'in the meantime there is nothing to prevent investors seeking civil redress'. The Financial Conduct Authority had said the investment scheme was unauthorised, an offence in itself which could be prosecuted by the FCA. However, the City watchdog says it will take no action as 'the decision not to proceed was properly made by the police'. The only penalties suffered by Cowan and Wilkinson are that both are currently banned from acting as company directors. 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. BMO Commercial Property Trust has experienced a gruelling 15 months. It invests in prime UK property and specialises in three of the sectors hardest hit by national lockdowns: office, retail and leisure space. As a result, an investment of 100 in the fund at the beginning of last year would be worth just 75 today. However, as shops, restaurants and offices open up again, the share price has started to rise steeply. It has already increased by 14 per cent since the beginning of this year, but still has some way to go before it hits levels seen before the pandemic. Fund manager Richard Kirby believes the depressed share price presents an interesting opportunity for investors. 'It's been a very challenging year with the pandemic and lockdown,' he says. 'Although we're hopefully coming out of it now, our shares are still trading at a discount, which looks very attractive.' Shares are currently trading at 82p, which is a 31p discount on the value of the fund's underlying assets. The fund also has an attractive dividend yield of just over five per cent. It contains over 30 properties, the majority of which are located in London and the South East. Some have already bounced back. BMO Commercial Property Trust's biggest holding is St Christopher's Place, a small, stylish shopping and leisure district in London's West End. During the national lockdowns, the area's biggest strengths became its weaknesses, but thankfully this trend is quickly reversing once again. 'All of the positives of St Christopher's Place turned negative in the pandemic,' says Kirby. 'It's heavily exposed to the hospitality, food and beverage and retail sectors. Plus, it's in Central London and relies on office workers, tourism and public transport. 'But, it has enjoyed a successful reopening it's been very hard to book a table in the capital in recent weeks. With more businesses reopening, we're hopeful it will be able to capitalise and stabilise.' A lot rests on its success: St Christopher's Place makes up more than 20 per cent of the value of the fund. BMO Commercial Property Trust's out-of-town retail holdings are also picking up. Locations with plentiful, free parking in particular are proving attractive. Kirby adds: 'We've seen continued growth in online sales especially in fashion. But I think people are fed up with ordering online and then having to return merchandise that doesn't fit or is different to how it looked online.' Office spaces could take longer to recover. Kirby thinks there will still be strong demand for them in future although he admits that he and his team are still successfully working from home, as they have for over a year. Expectations of office space are changing, however, and the fund is working with the tenants of its properties to adapt. For example, it is working on monitoring air quality in its buildings. 'The issue of wellbeing has really moved up the agenda,' says Kirby. 'People also value quality, flexible space, with good local amenities.' The composition of the fund has hardly changed in the last couple of years. But as we emerge from the pandemic, Kirby plans to make some changes to benefit from new trends, considering sales of retail properties to reinvest in other sectors. Top of the list for purchases will be warehouses, which are benefiting from the online shopping boom. Student accommodation could also be on the list. BMO Commercial Property Trust features on wealth platform Interactive Investor's Super 60 best-buy fund list. Dzmitry Lipski, head of funds research, says: 'With rent collections continuing to improve, the portfolio is well positioned to begin its recovery once Covid restrictions are lifted.' NatWest faces 'significant' damage to its reputation this week as it becomes the first bank to appear in court on criminal charges over money laundering, lawyers say. It has been slammed by the City watchdog for its role in an alleged 365million scandal, and its legal team will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday when it is expected that the case will be sent to the Crown Court. NatWest might also be asked how it intends to plead. A sign of things to come: NatWest has been slammed by the City watchdog for its role in an alleged 365million scandal The state-backed bank has been accused of failing to properly monitor large sums deposited in the account of a customer, believed to be gold dealership Fowler Oldfield. The firm is alleged to have deposited 365million 264million in cash in 'increasingly large' sums from November 2011 to October 2016. Experts said more than five million laundered notes were deposited into the account. The dealership was shut down after a police raid in 2016. Twelve people were arrested and charged with money laundering offences. The Financial Conduct Authority investigated the case for four years. It alleges NatWest failed to conduct proper due diligence and monitoring of its dealings with customers to prevent money laundering. NatWest's bankers could be quizzed in court over what systems it had in place to prevent criminality. Nicola O'Connor, director at Bird & Bird law firm, said the bank faced 'significant' reputational damage over the claims. The charges come after chief executive Alison Rose changed the bank's name from RBS to NatWest last year to rebuild its reputation in the wake of the financial crisis. Experts said the FCA was 'flexing its muscles' by bringing criminal charges instead of levying NatWest with a fine signalling a tougher stance by the regulator under its new chief executive Nikhil Rathi. He was previously chief executive of the London Stock Exchange. Sarah Crowther, partner at law firm DAC Beachcroft, said the case could indicate regulators were willing to go after individual bankers if fines did not work. She added: 'The FCA has sent a clear message that it has taken its fight to the next level. 'Perhaps it has come to the conclusion that imposing ever increasing fines on faceless corporations does little to deter the people who, whether willingly or unwittingly, allow financial institutions to be used to launder money. 'In pursuing criminal proceedings, a warning is delivered to the individuals that the possibility of criminal sanctions applies to the cogs, as well as the wheel.' NatWest and the FCA declined to comment. High-speed broadband builder CityFibre is nearing the sale of a 1billion stake in the company as it plots an expansion to ramp up pressure on rival BT, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. CityFibre chief executive Greg Mesch said he is in talks with 20 pension and infrastructure funds from the UK, North America, Europe and Australia about a deal which will help to fund its UK rollout. His company's fibre cables are used by customers including TalkTalk and Vodafone. CityFibre is the UK's third largest telecoms infrastructure firm and the biggest of a string of smaller 'alternative networks' challenging BT's Openreach arm and Virgin Media. Under pressure: CityFibre is the UK's third largest telecoms infrastructure firm and the biggest of a string of smaller 'alternative networks' challenging BT's Openreach arm and Virgin Media Mesch is busy hunting for a partner to join existing shareholders West Street Infrastructure Partners, which is backed by Goldman Sachs, and Antin Infrastructure Partners, which hold 35 per cent each. A deal for 30 per cent of the company would value CityFibre at about 3billion and is expected to be struck within the next two months. The Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System is among the bidders vying for the stake. Mesch said: 'You've got 20 different firms that want to be in fibre infrastructure in the UK. It's a hot place to be. It's a great market.' He is seeking the firepower to increase CityFibre's presence across the UK. The company is currently operating in 66 cities, towns and villages. It is estimated that 2.5million homes will soon be able to hook up to its services. The firm is investing 4billion to connect up eight million homes and businesses, covering 30 per cent of the population across 285 locations, by 2025. Mesch said this could be upped to 10million if it was successful in an imminent bid for funding as part of the first phase of the Government's 5billion Project Gigabit programme to connect one million hard-to-reach homes and businesses. Mesch said: 'We're going faster than we ever have. The pandemic was a plus for us [from a business perspective]. We thought at first it could be a very, very bad thing. But it turned into an accelerator. 'We were able to build quicker because the pandemic had everybody off the roads or at least out of the way. And unlike BT and unlike Virgin, we didn't stop. We remobilised, we recommitted, we went stronger.' The race to roll out super-fast broadband has been heating up. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has publicly stated his ambition for all UK households to be hooked up to full-fibre. Johnson met with bosses of Openreach, Virgin Media, CityFibre and TalkTalk last month to discuss Project Gigabit. Meanwhile, BT has announced that it now aims to connect up 25million homes by 2026 five million more than its original target. Around 4.6million premises have full-fibre connections. BT chief Philip Jansen, who this month bought a further 2million of its shares, pledged to create 7,000 jobs as part of the rollout. Mesch said the announcement did not alter CityFibre's course. 'That was already in our plans,' he said. 'We think we can get our build rate equal to or greater than BT's build rate within the next 24 months.' Mesch is an American who cofounded the business in 2011 and has built it through acquisitions. He claims its services are cheaper and faster than rivals. He argues that its connections will help low income renters to access rapid internet. The UK parent company of Boots paid a dividend of 488million to its American owners while the chemist chain was struggling to cope with the Covid-19 crisis. Superior Holdings Limited made the payment last November just months after Boots drew a 300million Government loan. Superior Holdings which is the parent company of The Boots Company Plc and a complex web of other entities is ultimately controlled by giant US corporation Walgreens Boots Alliance. Payout: Superior Holdings Limited made the payment last November just months after Boots drew a 300million Government loan In January, Walgreens Boots Alliance drew fire from politicians after The Mail on Sunday revealed it paid its billionaire Italian boss Stefan Pessina a share-related payment of 50million. This was despite The Boots Company Plc having accepted the emergency taxpayer-backed loan provided by the Bank of England. Walgreens has paid dividends to US shareholders including Pessina of about 300million every quarter throughout the pandemic. The loan appears to have been repaid in the past ten days. Last night, Walgreens insisted that 'no dividend directly or indirectly was paid by Boots UK [the retail arm] to the group in 2020'. It added: 'Walgreens Boots Alliance is a global company and the dividend payment reflects the company's long-term prospects.' Walgreens has blamed the pandemic for a drop in UK profit and retail sales. Since the crisis began the company has slashed the workforce at its core Boots UK chemist business by 6,500 about one in ten of its staff. A Tory MP has warned the Treasury that the implosion of the doorstep lending industry could force borrowers into the hands of criminal gangs and even into prostitution. The Mail on Sunday revealed earlier this month that the biggest doorstep lender, Provident Financial, is quitting the market. Anxious: Fears are growing that a compensation frenzy could send other firms to the wall, leaving a vacuum that criminals are certain to exploit Fears are growing that a compensation frenzy could send other firms to the wall, leaving a vacuum that criminals are certain to exploit. Sir David Amess has written to Economic Secretary to the Treasury John Glen 'expressing concerns' over reports that many poor families could be forced to resort to using illegal loan sharks and then coerced into criminal activity. HOW THIS IS MONEY CAN HELP How to choose the best (and cheapest) DIY investing platform and stocks and shares Isa In an interview today, the boss of doorstep lender Morses Club warns that the crackdown by the Financial Services Authority on the mis-selling of high-cost loans may become the City regulator's 'biggest disaster'. The Channel Tunnel is launching a 57 Covid testing service for holidaymakers going to France. Getlink, which transports cars and trucks through the England-France tunnel, is offering customers a 'testing bundle' in partnership with Prenetics, which also provides testing to Premier League clubs. For the 57 fee, customers get a pre-departure PCR test which will deliver results within 24 hours. Tunnel vision: Getlink is offering customers a 'testing bundle' in partnership with Prenetics More expensive packages are available for those requiring multiple tests. UK travellers to France, which is on the 'amber' travel list, only need to present a negative PCR test carried out less than 72 hours before departure to gain entry. Those arriving from France must quarantine for ten days and test on the second and eighth days, or pay extra to be released on the fifth. Getlink director John Keefe said that from next month passengers would be able to show border agents a 'digital wallet' on a smartphone linked to the NHS and French authorities' systems. This will display passengers' Covid test results. Asked if the app could be expanded to include vaccine certificates, Keefe said: 'We will be able to do that. They're not valid for travel yet. 'The French have said they're going to introduce vaccine certificates for the inbound travel. We hope the UK will do that soon, too.' Keefe said Channel Tunnel travellers were 'reassured' by the fact they could remain in their cars 'from your front door to the door of your gite' without mingling with other passengers, unlike on planes. Violinist Clara-Jumi Kang / Courtesy of Vincero Poster for violinist Clara-Jumi Kang's "Bach Complete Sonatas & Partitas" / Courtesy of Vincero By Park Ji-won Playing "The Complete Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin" has been one of the most challenging works for violinists as it is technically difficult to execute and of long duration at approximately 2 hours. But award-winning violinist Clara-Jumi Kang is set to take on the challenging task. She will be performing Bach's notable work throughout the country as part of her lifelong project from May 25 at the Daejeon Arts Center and from June 1 at the Gyeonggi Arts Center. Noting that playing Bach's "Complete Sonatas and Partitas" is something she wanted to do since she was in her early 20s, Kang said, "It is a project that I want to keep doing, because I can play the repertoire anywhere with the violin. I would like to visit various places such as churches, museums, orphanages and hospitals. I also want to record it more than one time in my life," she said in a recent written interview with The Korea Times. Since the coronavirus pandemic, the winner of the 1st prizes at the Seoul Violin Competition in 2009 and the Sendai Violin Competition in 2010 who has been active across Korea and Europe, held many performances in Korea. Regarding the project, Kang tried to play the complete sonatas and partitas in a single performance during the Marvao International Music Festival in Portugal in 2019, but could not as she was only given one hour on stage per day. When asked why she chose to play the repertoire amid the pandemic, she stressed that the difficult musical pieces express freedom during a time of suffering and resonate with those who were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. "I feel the loneliness, disconnect, and frustration which we feel during this pandemic while playing Bach's piece. Whenever I need to meditate, I want to listen to the work and practice it. Nobody had a choice but to spend a lot of time during the past year feeling that way. Bach's complete works may seem very difficult and laborious on the surface, but if you explore them, you encounter a world of freedom, abundance, and happiness." "Even though we are trapped in this pandemic, I think we should also be able to learn and feel something, find happiness, and develop within that frustration and loneliness little by little. I think Bach's repertoire suits this situation very well." Kang says performing Bach's works is still a difficult task for her, but also motivates her to keep improving as an artist. "I think no one can say that he or she fully understood Bach in their lifetime. There is no single answer for music, but the complete work gives me, a musician, inspiration and motivation to keep working. That's why a musician keeps studying a piece; to feel the emotion." She has been trying to achieve new goals every year. But the pandemic gave her time to revisit that thought. "Since last year, musicians had to face a situation where they cannot perform. I ended up realizing how much of a blessing it is to perform. My goal is to play music until I die and to make continuous progress and efforts as a musician throughout my entire life. The 34-year-old highlighted the value of classical art in this digital and pandemic era. "In the era of digital media, especially when we continue to want visual stimulation rather than sounds, I think many people may have felt the greatness of music and art during the COVID-19 pandemic. In history, it always was art and literature that people turned to for comfort during the times of war and tribulation. And during such difficult times, the greatest works of art were created." Top British companies have been forced to pump 200billion into their pension schemes to avoid a drop in funding, figures reveal. Law firm Lane Clark & Peacock said the sum equivalent to the economic output of Czechia was needed to counter tumbling share prices and bond yields. 'Running just to stand still': Law firm Lane Clark & Peacock said the 200billion sum was needed to counter tumbling share prices and bond yields It warned that firms were 'running just to stand still' and that the overall surplus stood at just 10billion in 2020 broadly similar to 2007. The findings come amid fears that forthcoming changes to pension regulations could worsen the situation. Firms may have to double their pension contributions and prioritise them over other demands such as dividend payments. LCP partner Jonathan Griffith said further 'challenges on the horizon' included market volatility and the uncertainty of the impact of Covid on life expectancies. Proud: Frank Cottrell-Boyce was 'honoured' to work on the 2012 opening ceremony Children's book author and screenwriter Frank Cottrell-Boyce worked on the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games with director Danny Boyle for a year and earned absolutely nothing for it. Despite this, Cottrell-Boyce, 61, said it was an honour to be asked. His latest novel for nine to 12-year-olds, Noah's Gold, was published this month by Macmillan Children's Books. What did your parents teach you about money? To know when you have got enough of it, and to be happy with that. Both of my parents left school at the age of 14. My dad became a clerk at a shipping firm on the docks, and then went to night school to study to become a teacher. My mum was a stay-at-home mother. For a long time when I was a child, we lived with my gran. Then eventually my parents bought a house of their own. They were the first in their family to do so. To buy your own house, instead of living in a council property, was seen as this wild, reckless move. My father felt like a duke living in that house, on an aspirational housing estate. My parents were content with what they had. Have you ever struggled to make ends meet? Not really. The year I earned the least was 2011, because I was mainly working on the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. I didn't get paid for that, but Danny Boyle asked me and it was an honour to accept. I ended up getting a tax rebate because my earnings were lower than expected. That helped us get through the year. My wife and I lived within our means and had savings. So even though I don't think I earned anything that year, I wouldn't say we struggled or worried about paying our bills. It was a financial extravagance to accept the job, because it was a lot of fun I had one of the most fulfilling years of my life. I'll probably never do anything I'm so proud of again. Have you ever been paid silly money? Yes, in 1985, for writing my first script for the soap opera Brookside. It took a week to write and, because the episode was repeated, I earned 3,700. I had always wanted to be a writer and I couldn't believe I was being paid that much to write. In today's money, it would be like earning nearly 12,000 for a week's work. What was the best year of your financial life? It was 1985, the year that I started writing television scripts. I earned around 25,000, which is the equivalent of making around 80,000 today. My wife and I thought money was coming out of taps. We were a young married couple with a baby and another on the way, and we couldn't believe it. What is the most expensive thing you have bought for fun? A drawing of people sunbathing on a beach by Edward Ardizzone, an artist who illustrated classic children's books. I love his work. It cost quite a lot, around 1,000, I think. I bought it about 15 years ago, around the time that my first children's book, Millions, came out. What is your biggest money mistake? In purely financial terms, turning down big Hollywood jobs because I don't want to be away from home. There's one big franchise I really love where that happened. I won't name it because the screenwriter who took the job will know they were second choice. But, I could have done one of those films every year and got a bigger and bigger pay cheque. The best money decision you have made? Buying a gorgeous six-bedroom Victorian house in Sefton Park, Liverpool. in 1983 for 38,000. Our monthly mortgage payments were far less than the rent we had been paying as students the year before. When we sold it 14 years later, it had almost tripled in value. Do you save into a pension? Yes. I'm obsessed with saving into a pension. I started when I was 25. I always knew income from writing would be volatile and, as I have seven children, I'm responsible for a lot of people and wanted to have savings. I have a good amount saved, all in ethical funds. Honour: Frank Cottrell-Boyce says it was a financial extravagance to accept the London 2012 job, because it was a lot of fun Do you invest directly in the stock market? No. I don't have the time or the inclination to do that. The thought of it makes my ears bleed. Do you own any property? Yes, we have our eight-bedroom home in a posh part of Liverpool, right by the sea, which we bought for around 100,000 in 1997. It's now worth about 500,000. To cut the cost of holidaying with seven children, we bought a whacking great big holiday home in south-west Scotland. I go there a lot to write. What is the one luxury you treat yourself to? Doing what I like for a living. There isn't a huge amount of money in children's novels, unless you're JK Rowling. If you were Chancellor what is the first thing you would do? I would simplify the tax laws and stop people setting up pretend companies, so there is less genteel tax avoidance. Do you donate money to charity? Yes. I donate to Mary's Meals, a charity that gives kids in developing countries one good meal at school each day, made with locally sourced ingredients. It's a way of drawing children to school and injecting money into the economy. What is your number one financial priority? To make sure we get rid of all our money before we die. As the industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie said: 'The man who dies rich, dies disgraced.' Hundreds of bank branches and free-to-use cash machines are being shut and taken out of service every month, hurtling the country towards a cash crisis at terrifying speed. So what bright solution have the banks come forward with to tackle the issue? A new 'action group'. Seven big banks and building societies agreed this month to form an Access to Cash Action Group to discuss ideas about how cash access could be protected. But when we asked the banks if their involvement with the group would stop or slow down their plans to shut branches, not one of them said 'yes'. Mass shutdown: The country is hurtling towards a cash crisis at terrifying speed Critics warn that without the Government stepping in with legislation, this talking shop could prove no more than a smokescreen allowing banks to use their involvement to appear as if they care about access to cash all the while ploughing on with shutting branches. Derek French, former director of the Campaign For Community Banking Services, says: 'Banks are not interested in supporting communities this is all just balderdash. It is all about making a profit. 'This new group could be used as a cover by banks to pretend they care while frantically axing branches.' Anabel Hoult, chief executive at consumer group Which?, believes that without legislation to ensure nationwide access to cash and banking services, the action group is doomed to fail customers. She says: 'There is a risk that without the Government playing its part, the effort of this group will go the same way as other initiatives insufficient to tackle the creaking cash infrastructure. Legislation is needed for effective action.' Many people are happy making payments solely by card and doing all of their banking online. However, more than five million adults are reliant on cash, and could be left financially excluded if the country's cash system shrinks further or even collapses. Millions of small businesses are also still heavily dependent on cash sales. Legislation to protect access to cash was promised more than a year ago, but has been delayed for a number of reasons, including the pandemic. There were hopes that plans for legislation would be set out in the Queen's Speech earlier this month, but it did not include so much as a whisper about cash. Economic Secretary to the Treasury John Glen said earlier this month that a consultation on cash legislation would be launched this summer though it might not be until October that its findings are announced. In the meantime, the Financial Conduct Authority has urged banks not to shut branches 'where this could impact vulnerable customers'. However, the City watchdog does not have the teeth to enforce these demands. Experts warn that the threat of legislation but with no concrete plan announced is actually escalating the cash crisis. Derek French believes banks are speeding up branch closures before any legislation that could curb their closure plans or require them to cough up for an alternative, such as a shared banking hub. He says: 'There is a mad dash to shut banks because of a fear the Government will eventually bring in cash access rules that make it hard to close branches still open. Those still in towns may be forced to foot the bill for a shared bank.' He adds: 'You just have to look at the places where closures are being made to see such tactics. Many banks are now quitting busy towns and not just isolated communities. They fear becoming the last bank in town.' The banks signed up to the action group are Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, NatWest, Santander and TSB. Nationwide Building Society and industry body UK Finance, have also joined. The new group has signed up to five commitments. These are ensuring cash is available to all who need it; being supportive of any community access-to-cash pilot schemes; working with other banks to consider possible models for future access to cash; protecting the current infrastructure until alternatives are available; and finding potential 'cold spots' where poor cash access is found. Their support should be commended, but in the meantime Santander plans to axe 111 branches by the end of this August, while TSB is half way through closing 164 branches. HSBC is cutting 82 branches this year while Barclays is culling 63. Lloyds shut 56 branches in 2020 and intends to close a further 27 this year. Lost bank branches are not the only way in which access to cash is being withdrawn. Free-to-use cash machines are also disappearing. About 8,700 have been ripped out since 2018, according to Which?. When a bank closes a branch it usually takes away its cash machine too. Banks have a lot to gain by supporting alternative ways to access cash that do not rely on bank branches, as it helps justify their closure plans. However, there is no substitute for a high street bank that offers face-to-face advice and support for those who need it, and a trusted alternative to cash machines for those who do not feel comfortable withdrawing their cash on the street. The newly-formed action group is being chaired by 'community access to cash' campaigner Natalie Ceeney, who has separately helped to set up two shared bank pilot schemes one in Rochford, Essex, and the other in Cambuslang, South Lanarkshire, which are being run until September. As part of her pilot scheme six free cash machines are also being installed in locations nationwide and new cashback initiatives are being trialled. Ceeney is hopeful banks will support her call to save cash, even if the solution does not stretch to keeping branches open. She believes the group could provide a great forum to find cost-effective ways to solve the crisis. She says: 'We have found there is a way forward using the pilot scheme model of shared banking hubs, cashback facilities being offered by retailers and new ATMs where deposits and withdrawals can be made.' Ceeney adds: 'Such solutions will save the banks money in the long term if laws are brought in that demand that access to cash continues to be offered.' For high street bricks and mortar businesses, the impact of multiple lockdowns has been devastating - leaving many SMEs struggling to survive. Before the pandemic hit, trade was booming for Tom Hallahan, 32, who opened Aitch & Aitch hair salon in Beckenham, Kent, five years ago. He had a team of 35 experts, was open every day, and saw about 200 clients a week. Then in March 2020, Tom and other non-essential shop owners were told to close their doors. 'We went from taking an average of 50,000 a month to nothing, but I still had to pay wages. It ate through all the reserves I had pretty quickly,' he said. Tom Hallahan, of Aitch&Aitch hair salon in Beckenham, Kent, worried about his staff 'When they announced the furlough scheme I remember crying. I thought "At last there's an option so I don't have to let everybody go and close the doors forever".' After losing out on what's normally the busiest time of the year by having to close over Christmas, Tom reopened his salon in April this year - around the same time MailOnline's new advertising platform Ad Manager launched. Ad Manager has been designed to help SMEs, which have been the hardest hit by lockdown, target local customers with an incredibly easy-to-use system - and it takes just minutes to set up. AD MANAGER: THE RESULTS Cost: 3999.96 Ad impressions (how many times the ads were viewed): 1,052,620 Web clicks: 687 Results: Huge increase in web traffic. Rise in new customers Tom says: 'It's a brilliant opportunity for small businesses' Advertisement It allows small businesses to advertise on the UK's biggest, most engaged newsbrand, and a campaign can be live in less than 24 hours - all at an affordable cost. When Tom reopened Aitch & Aitch (aitchlondon.com) on April 12, the salon was fully booked for weeks, however, he noticed numbers starting to drop after that. He said: 'The Ad Manager campaign came at the perfect time for us. I found the platform pretty easy to use, and I'm not that talented on a computer. 'It's really good. I was able to do quite a wide advertising campaign. 'But even if your budget is restricted, there are some great tools on there so you can really target it down and reach the right audience.' Tom said throughout his week-long Ad Manager campaign, he noticed a surge in interest both on and offline. 'We've seen 100% growth in our web traffic - about 100 clicks a day, which is incredible,' he said. 'The phone has rung more, and we've seen a huge increase in the amount of new customers - including people who live locally but who used to get their hair done close to where they work; now they're working from home, they're giving us a try. Back at work: Tom says he and his clients now feel optimistic about the future Tom's team is back in the salon and seeing increased business after advertising on MailOnline 'Lockdown has been really, really tough but I feel optimistic - I think our clients do, too. People feel there's an end in sight. 'I'm hoping we can get used to some sort of normality now. But, most of all, we're still here! And we've been extremely busy. Advertising on MailOnline with Ad Manager allows you to target more people in your area than your local titles can reach. Most of all, you're in control - from the budget to the creative design. You decide how many of our 25 million consumers you would like to reach, and how - by postcode, interests and life stage. Here's how you can advertise YOUR small business on MailOnline: A survivor of one of China's modern-day concentration camps has revealed the beatings, rapes and 'disappearances' she witnessed behind the barbed wire. Sayragul Sauytbay was born in China's north-western province and trained as a doctor before being appointed a senior civil servant. As a Kazakh she belonged to one of China's ethnic minorities who lived in what was known as East Turkestan until it was annexed and renamed Xinjiang by Mao Zedong in 1949. The mother-of-two's life was upended in November 2017 when she was ordered into a concentration camp to teach prisoners, mostly Kazakhs and Uyghurs, in one of the region's estimated 1,200 gulags. A survivor of one of China's barbaric modern-day concentration camps has revealed the beatings, rapes and 'disappearances' she witnessed behind the barbed wire. Members of the Uyghur ethnic minority are pictured in a camp in Lop County, Xinjiang, in April 2017 Working from witness statements, teacher Sayragul Sauytbay made a sketch to illustrate how detainees are tortured in underground water prisons. Shackled at the wrists, they spend weeks with their bodies immersed in dirty water The internment camps are estimated to house three million Kazakhs and Uyghurs who are subjected to medical experiments, rape and torture. Pictured is a watchtower at what is believed to be a 'red-education camp' on the outskirts of Xingiang The internment camps of Xinjiang are estimated to house three million Kazakhs and Uyghurs who are subjected to medical experiments, torture and rape. International observers believe China is trying to exterminate ethnic minorities. China says the camps are 'vocational training centres' and residents are there of their own free will. Sauytbay was put to work in one of these camps 're-educating' inmates in Chinese language, culture and politics. She has now bravely exposed the barbaric system in The Chief Witness: Escape From China's Modern-Day Concentration Camps, written with journalist Alexandra Cavelius. Inmates had their heads shaved and stank of sweat, urine and faeces as they were kept in cramped conditions and allowed to shower once or twice a month. Sayragul Sauytbay (pictured) has written about her experiences in a book called The Chief Witness: Escape From China's Modern-Day Concentration Camps with journalist Alexandra Cavelius. The 44-eyar-old is physically broken and has nightmares about her time in the gulag Sayragul Sauytbay was ordered into a concentration camp to teach prisoners, mostly fellow Kazakhs and Uyghurs, in November 2017. She is pictured with Melania Trump and then US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the International Women of Courage Awards in March 2020 Sauytbay saw evidence of organ harvesting and recounts an 84-year-old woman having her fingernails pulled out after she denied making an international phone call. She was made to watch guards pack-rape a woman in her early 20s after she had confessed to texting Muslim holiday greetings a friend when she was in Year 9. Sauytbay was literally forced to sign her own death warrant, agreeing she would face the death penalty if she revealed what happened in the prison or broke any rule. During her internment Sauytbay also gained access to secret information that revealed the Communist Party's long-term plans to undermine its minorities and democracies around the world. Among the state secrets she read in papers stamped 'Classified Documents from Beijing' was the real purpose of the Xinjiang camps as outlined in a three-step plan. Sayragul Sauytbay was born in China's north-western province and trained as a doctor before being appointed a senior civil servant and once ran five kindergartens. She is pictured at college in May 2007 Sayragul Sauytbay was put to work in a camp 're-educating' inmates in Chinese language, culture and politics. She is pictured with her son, Ulagat, at the Kazakh City Court in Zharkent Step one for 20142015 was to 'assimilate those who are willing in Xinjiang, and eliminate those who are not.' Step two (20252035): 'After assimilation within China is complete, neighbouring countries will be annexed.' Step three (20352055): 'After the realisation of the Chinese dream comes the occupation of Europe.' After her release in March 2018, Sauytbay escaped from Xinjiang into Kazakhstan where she was reunited with her husband and children before fleeing to Sweden. Having revealed what Sauytbay describes as 'the biggest systematic incarceration of a single ethnic group since the Third Reich', she still lives with the constant threat of reprisals. Sauytbay, now 44, is physically broken and has nightmares about her time in the gulag, hearing tortured prisoners scream out 'save us, please save us' in her sleep. The following is an edited extract from The Chief Witness: Escape from China's Modern-Day Concentration Camps by Sayragul Sauytbay and Alexandra Cavelius. Published by Scribe ($35). HARVESTING 'HALAL' HUMAN ORGANS They paid special attention in the medical department to the files of young, strong people. These were treated differently and marked with a red X. At first, I was so naive - only later did I wonder why they always earmarked the files of fundamentally healthy people. Had they preselected these individuals for organ harvesting? Organs that doctors would later remove without consent? It was simply a fact that the Party took organs from prisoners. Several clinics in East Turkestan traded in organs. In Altai, for instance, it was common knowledge that lots of Arabs preferred the organs of fellow Muslims, because they considered them 'halal'. Perhaps, I thought, they were trading in kidneys, hearts, and usable body parts at the camp as well? After a while, I realised that these young, healthy inmates were disappearing overnight, whisked away by the guards, even though their point scores hadn't dropped. When I checked later, I realised to my horror that all their medical files were marked with a red X. Sayragul Sauytbay is pictured at her desk, working as a teacher at the school her father built for Kazakh children. She was made to watch a woman in her early 20s be pack raped by guards after she confessed to texting Muslim holiday greetings a friend when she was in Year 9 Sauytbay saw evidence of organ harvesting, witnessed countless prisoners 'disappear' and recounts an 84-year-old woman having her fingernails pulled out. Pictured is the Artux City Vocational Skills Education Training Service Centre north of Kashgar in the Xinjiang region 'THE RAW CRIES OF A DYING ANIMAL' I was on sentry duty till one in the morning. At midnight, I had to stand in my assigned spot in the vast hall for an hour. Sometimes we would switch sides with the other sentries. We were always positioned behind a line drawn on the floor. On rare occasions there would be a few inmates lined up there, too, but there would always be a guard by each of them. 'We cannot under any circumstances allow a break-out!' they insisted. Not that escape seemed likely. All of the doors had multiple locks. Nobody was ever getting out. I'd never heard anything like it in all my life. Screams like that aren't something you forget If, by some chance, one of the prisoners did manage to escape, they continued, we were not to let the news spread around the camp. I stared at the glass-walled guardhouse opposite. Behind it was the stairwell. I had quickly realised that there must be several lower levels, because administrative staff often took ages fetching things from 'the bottom floor', even when they were ordered to hurry. The stairwell was also near the 'black room', where they tortured people in the most abominable ways. After two or three days at the camp, I heard the screams for the first time, resonating throughout the enormous hall and seeping into every pore of my body. I felt like I was teetering on the edge of some dizzying chasm. I'd never heard anything like it in all my life. Screams like that aren't something you forget. The second you hear them, you know what kind of agony that person is experiencing. They sounded like the raw cries of a dying animal. Sauytbay was literally forced to sign her own death warrant, agreeing she would face the death penalty if she revealed what happened in the prison or broke any other arbitrary rules. Pictured are Chinese flags on a road leading to a facility believed to be a re-education camp Xinjiang is the Chinese province closest to Europe and borders Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan. The provincial capital Urumqi is about 3,000km west of Beijing by train and Xinjiang is considered the largest surveillance state in the world. MAKING THE DEAD DISAPPEAR I've described one type of confidential document already - the type that ended up crumbling into ash. But some controversial subject matter wasn't intended for teaching, so they took a different approach. Not even the guards in the room were allowed to know what these documents contained, and thus one night I found myself standing motionless in a small office, silently reading Instruction 21. Here, too, officers observed my facial expressions, trying to work out how I was reacting to the contents. But I'd learned my lesson. No matter how appalling the message, my face betrayed no response. 'All those who die in the camp must vanish without a trace.' There it was, as plain as day, in bald, official jargon, as though they were talking about disposing of spoiled food. There should be no visible signs of torture on the bodies. When a prisoner was killed, or died in some other way, it had to be kept absolutely secret. Any evidence, proof, or documentation was to be immediately destroyed. Taking photos or video recordings of the corpses was strictly forbidden. Family members were supposed to be fobbed off with vague excuses as to the manner of death; and in certain cases, they explained, it was advisable simply never to mention they had died at all. Desperate Kazakhs who have lost relatives in the neighbouring region of Xinjiang, which is kept strictly hidden from the outside world, hold up photographs of their loved ones, hoping for news of their whereabouts 'THE BLACK ROOM' TORTURE CHAMBER During 'class', I noticed a number of prisoners groaning and scratching themselves until they bled. I couldn't tell if they were genuinely ill or had gone mad. As my mouth opened and closed - I was barely even listening to myself talk about our self-sacrificing patriarch Xi Jinping, who 'passes on the warmth of love with his hands' - several of the 'students' collapsed unconscious and fell off their plastic chairs. Many inmates, bound at the wrists and ankles, they strapped into chairs that had nails sticking out of the seats In threatening situations, human beings have a kind of switch in our brains that functions like a fuse in an electrical circuit. As soon as the level of anguish we're experiencing exceeds the capacity of our senses, we simply switch off: to stop us going out of our minds with fear, we lose consciousness in extremis. When this happened, the guards would summon their colleagues outside, who rushed in, grabbed the unconscious person by both arms, and dragged them away like a doll, their feet trailing across the floor. But they didn't just take the unconscious, the sick, and the mad. Suddenly, the door would spring open, and heavily armed men would thunder into the room. For no reason at all. Sometimes it was simply because a prisoner hadn't understood one of the guard's orders, issued in Chinese. The Chief Witness: Escape from China's Modern-Day Concentration Camps by Sayragul Sauytbay and Alexandra Cavelius. Published by Scribe ($35) These people were among the unluckiest in the camp. I could see in their eyes how they felt - that raging storm of pain and suffering. Hearing their screams and cries for help in the corridors afterwards made our blood freeze in our veins, and brought us to the verge of panic. They were drawn-out, constant, virtually unbearable. There was no more sorrowful sound. I saw with my own eyes the various instruments of torture in the 'black room'. The chains on the wall. Many inmates, bound at the wrists and ankles, they strapped into chairs that had nails sticking out of the seats. Many of the people they tortured never came back out of that room - others stumbled out, covered in blood. During her internment Sauytbay also gained access to secret information that revealed the Communist Party's long-term plans to undermine its minorities and democracies around the world. Pictured is a camp on the outskirts of Hotan, in China's north west PULLING OUT FINGERNAILS AND TOENAILS The space, roughly twenty metres square, looked a bit like a darkroom. A messy black strip about thirty centimetres wide had been painted on the wall just above the floor, as though someone had smeared it with mud. In the middle was a table three or four metres long, crammed with all kinds of tools and torture devices. Tasers and police cudgels in various shapes and sizes: thick, thin, long, and short. Iron rods used to fix the hands and feet in agonising positions behind a person's back, designed to inflict the maximum possible pain. The walls, too, were hung with weapons and implements that looked like they were from the Middle Ages The walls, too, were hung with weapons and implements that looked like they were from the Middle Ages. Implements used to pull out fingernails and toenails, and a long stick - a bit like a spear - that had been sharpened like a dagger at one end. They used it for jabbing into a person's flesh. Along one side of the room was a row of chairs designed for different purposes. Electric chairs and metal chairs with bars and straps to stop the victim moving; iron chairs with holes in the back so that the arms could be twisted back above the shoulder joint. My gaze wandered across the walls and floor. Rough cement. Grey and dirty, revolting and confusing - as though evil itself was squatting in that room, feeding on our pain. I was certain I would die before dawn. The Chief Witness: Escape from China's Modern-Day Concentration Camps by Sayragul Sauytbay and Alexandra Cavelius. Published by Scribe ($35). Constantine Arvanitis was living the high life when his addiction to drugs saw his life spiral out of control. It is something the high flying IT guru fully admits. Choking back tears, the 48-year old recalled the moment he hit rock bottom and had to enter rehab. Constantine Arvanitis and Melanie Thornton leave the County Court of Victoria on Thursday. Mr Arvanitis claims he has been the target of a savage attack to destroy his reputation Selina Holder is defending allegations she defamed her former partner Selina Holder walks from a Melbourne court. On Wednesday, the court heard she had sent some horrendous text messages to her ex-partner It came only months after he had hooked-up with Sydney business development manager Selina Holder. This week, the lives of the now bitterly estranged couple have been splashed across newspapers, websites and tv bulletins across the country. Their bust-up has been described as among the messiest Australians have ever been privy to. While Mr Arvanitis accepts he indeed was once a drug addict, it is a perceived slur by his ex-partner that he is a sex addict that has really ground his gears. So much so, he filed a defamation case against Ms Holder that has played out at the County Court of Victoria for days. So adamant is Ms Holder that what she claims is true, she refused to back down when offered a chance to settle with her ex for a paltry $5000 and promise never to slag him off again. On Thursday, the matter needed to be adjourned off while a conflicting court battle by the pair carried out in NSW. The expenses of the combined court actions will be costing the pair hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal expenses each. Yet Mr Arvanitis claims Ms Holder can walk away, without an apology or covering his legal expenses, should she retract her comments and return to Sydney. The anger Ms Holder feels for her ex-partner has been hard for her to contain. Throughout last week, she gasped, laughed, cried and muttered to herself as Mr Arvanitis allegedly buried her reputation in the mud. For her part, Ms Holder claims Mr Arvanitis to be a pathological liar, cheat, thug and rampant pants man. Selina Holder (left) Melanie Thornton (centre) have all become embroiled in a messy court case in Melbourne So rampant, she claims, that he has a full blown sex addiction. Initially, she had some support behind her claims. Two other women, Sydney woman Suzanne Stretton-Brown, and Melbourne woman Michelle Langford, had been hit with similar legal action by Mr Arvanitis. Unlike Ms Holder, the pair retracted their comments and offered an apology to Mr Arvanitis to make the matter go away. If last week's proceedings were any indication, it was a wise decision. Win or lose, the stain of the ongoing civil trial on Ms Holder and Mr Arvanitis is likely to haunt them both for years to come. If Ms Holder's claims are to be believed, Mr Arvanitis is nothing short of violent criminal and a total pig. On the other hand, Mr Arvanitis would have Judge Julie Clayton believe Ms Holder is cold-hearted, callous and more than a little unhinged. In short, the trouble centres about the dissemination of damning allegations about Mr Arvanitis to people he knows. More to the point, to his current fiance Melanie Thornton and her high-flying sister Dr Chantel Thornton - the wife of luxury car dealer Srecko Lorbek. Dr Chantel Thornton is married to luxury car dealer Srecko Lorbek Dr Chantel Thornton allegedly received some damning information about Con Arvanitis and shared it with her husband Letter To Mr Arvanitis' fiance Melanie Thornton Court documents allege Selina Holder shared a document with Mr Arvanitis' current fiancee that stated: 'He is dangerous and violent and sex addict (sic). He goes to Sydney and cheats on you. He will beat you up. (redacted) We have the police investigating him. We want to warn you. We are the sisterhood. We have to expose him. He will take all your money. He has to be stopped. We have evidence of his abuse. We are trying to save you. You must contact us so we can protect you from this evil person. We all want to help you. We are in Melbourne together so please meet with us. Advertisement Mr Arvaniti had been enjoying a privileged ticket into Melbourne's inner sanctum of the rich and famous on the coattails of the Thornton clan. He has been looking at a business start-up with one member and 'joining certain fraternities' with another. Dr Thorton would refer to him as 'Ken' and her sister 'Barbie' and reference them on her Instagram page, which enjoys thousands of followers. He was dropped like a hot potato when Dr Thornton received the disturbing document and has never returned despite his ongoing relationship with her sister, who had received a hand-delivered letter all of her own. The letter had been signed-off by Ms Holder, Ms Stretton-Brown and Ms Langford - aka 'The Sisterhood'. All three would later deny they were the postie. None-the-less, Ms Holder maintains the content of the letter was largely true. A defence document filed by Ms Holder reads like an episode of 'Cheaters'. 'The plaintiff cheated on Suzanne Stretton-Brown when he was in sexual relationships with other women including but not limited to the defendant, Michelle Langford, Sandra Penna and Melanie Thornton,' one paragraph reads. 'The plaintiff cheated on Michelle Langford when he was in sexual relationships with other women including but not limited to the defendant, Michelle Langford, Sandra Penna and Melanie Thornton.' Constantine Arvanitis was Ken to Melanie Thornton's Barbie back when they met. Melanie's top surgeon sister Dr Chantel Thornton had posted this pic on her Instagram page in 2016 Dr Chantel Thornton (left) and her sister Melanie Thornton. Constantine Arvanitis claims he was banished by the Thornton clan after they read a damning document supposedly about him Selina Holder (right) will return to court next week where she is likely to enter the witness box and give her version of events It continues on and on. The documents state Mr Arvanitis' ex-wife Katerina Avramakis shares similar disdain for her ex. Among Ms Holder's claims is that Mr Arvanitis stole funds which were secured in an investment account in the names of his ex-wife and himself and snorted it up his nose to the tune of $220,000. 'Please note this percentage does not reflect how I see the breakdown of the separation of the total assets as this percentage does not factor all the negative contributions that were made by you which includes the $220k that you snorted and the money that you spent this year which contributed to your double life,' Ms Avramakis allegedly wrote in an email after they split. Mr Arvanitis' trouble with drugs at the time was allegedly so bad he had been cautioned by his ANZ bosses after his work became a hot mess. Selina Holder has presented as a confident figure as she enters and leaves the County Court of Victoria. Inside, she has been brought to tears while hearing her ex-partner give evidence Melbourne man Constantine Arvanitis claims the one-page letter was sent to his partner Melanie Thornton and warned her that he was dangerous, violent and a sex addict He was warned for using the company email system to source Viagra - a medication used to treat erectile dysfunction. Mr Arvanitis has told the court he kicked his drug habit after four-and-half-years at Narcotics Anonymous. Ms Holder alleges he used the meetings to hook up with even more women and at one point entered himself into Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous. Mr Arvanitis told the court he attended one meeting for sex addicts before determining 'it was not for him'. On Thursday, Mr Arvanitis was scheduled to continue giving evidence to the court. Up until now, the only person to question him has been his own high-priced barrister, Paul Hayes QC. Next week, Ms Holder's barrister Barrie Goldsmith will be cut loose on him. Selina Holder walks from a Melbourne court. Broad smiles outside hide tears within the courthouse Con Arvanitis has also been brought to tears recalling the hatred his ex-partner showed towards him Already he has indicated that he plans to grill Mr Arvanitis for at least two full days - maybe more. He was furious he had not been allowed the chance to begin his cross-examination last week. Judge Clayton had reluctantly adjourned the hearing to allow the conflicting court hearing to play out. Mr Goldsmith could hardly contain his disgust at the delay. 'In the interest of justice we aim to rebut the serious and scurrilous evidence (Mr Arvanitis) gave against my client,' he said. Mr Goldsmith said he had an 'enormous' amount of ground to cover with Mr Arvanitis. 'I'm geared up.' The matter is expected to continue on Monday. A dog which tore chunks of flesh from a man's body in a terrifying daylight attack has won a reprieve from a stringent control order and is free to walk the streets. Optometrist Wendy Ho was set to appeal against a dangerous dog declaration made against her Akita on Friday but the notice was withdrawn before a hearing. Akitas are a powerfully-built large breed of dog originating from the mountainous regions of northern Japan trained to hunt elks, wild boar and brown bear. Waverley Council wrote to Ms Ho on Monday stating the dangerous dog declaration against her imposing pet, called Hachi, was invalid - meaning she did not have to abide by a string of restrictions. Optometrist Wendy Ho was set to appeal against a dangerous dog declaration made against her Akita on Friday but the notice was withdrawn before a hearing. Her pet, called Hachi, tore chunks of flesh from a man's body in a terrifying daylight attack in Sydney's eastern suburbs Ms Ho still intends fighting a $1,320 fine for owning a dog that attacks after Hachi savaged her onetime friend Neal Alexander (pictured) last year. Hachi had bitten two other strangers in separate attacks before he leapt out of her four-wheel drive and mauled Mr Alexander Waverley Council wrote to Ms Ho on Monday stating the dangerous dog declaration against her imposing pet, called Hachi, was invalid - meaning she did not have to abide by a string of restrictions. Hacchi is pictured The owner of a dangerous dog must keep the animal in a secure purpose-built enclosure at home and muzzled at all times when in a public place. Warning signs must be placed at the owner's home and the dog must wear a distinctive red and yellow striped collar, and be walked on a secure chain or lead. Ms Ho still intends fighting a $1,320 fine for owning a dog that attacks after Hachi savaged her onetime friend Neal Alexander in Sydney's eastern suburbs on April 22 last year. Hachi had previously bitten two other strangers in separate attacks before he leapt out of her four-wheel drive and mauled Mr Alexander yet Ms Ho maintains he is not dangerous. Downing Centre Local Court heard Ms Ho would be calling three witnesses to attest to Hachi's good nature for an estimated five-hour hearing in September. The 53-year-old, who runs Wendy Ho Optique and describes herself as 'one of Australia's leading optometrists', declined to discuss the case outside court. He is concerned if Hachi had attacked a smaller adult or child in the manner it mauled him, the victim might not have survived. Mr Alexander's injured wrist is pictured Mr Alexander's injuries (pictured) were so severe he spent a week in hospital followed by six more as an outpatient. He is still in pain a year after he was mutilated and suffers from PTSD Mr Alexander's injuries were so severe he spent a seven nights in hospital followed by six more weeks as an outpatient. On Friday he was waiting outside court ready to give evidence about the attack. Mr Alexander, who has permanent nerve damage, is still in pain more than a year after he was mutilated and suffers from PTSD. He is concerned if Hachi had attacked a smaller adult or child in the manner it mauled him, the victim might not have survived. Following the attack, Mr Alexander learnt Hachi had previously set upon two other victims when Ms Ho was living in Sydney's inner-west at Marrickville. Mr Alexander, a sunglass wholesaler, and Ms Ho had once been work colleagues and were friends before his encounter with seven-year-old Hachi. He says he had suggested Ms Ho move into his apartment after she sold her home at Marrickville and needed somewhere to stay temporarily. Mr Alexander had only seen pictures of Hachi as a pup and was under in the impression he was a 'large, placid Saint Bernard-type animal'. Hachi is pictured in Mr Alexander's home Ms Ho, who runs Wendy Ho Optique and describes herself as 'one of Australia's leading optometrists', is challenging a fine and disputing her pet is dangerous. Ms Ho is pictured Mr Alexander had only seen pictures of Hachi as a pup and was under in the impression he was a 'large, placid Saint Bernard-type animal'. He says on the day he was attacked Ms Ho brought Hachi around to his house about 11.30am with instructions to be cautious and for the dog to be muzzled at all times. After spending some hours with Hachi, Mr Alexander says he called Ms Ho to say her pet appeared agitated and asked her to collect him as soon as possible. He says when Ms Ho arrived at his house about 4.30pm they had a glass of wine together and while chatting she told him Hachi was a 'trained personal protection dog'. Mr Alexander says after leaving his house Ms Ho ushered Hachi into the back of her Range Rover, closed the bottom back door and left the top-half glass window open. He stepped off the curb to wave goodbye to Ms Ho and Hachi, unaware she had removed his muzzle, and when he raised his left hand she screamed, 'NEEEEAAL!' Hachi's head whipped around and he bit down on Mr Alexander's wrist, tearing open a 5cm gash and leaving deep punctures in his palm. As the dog prepared to bite down again Mr Alexander turned and ran Hachi then leapt out of the vehicle and dragged Mr Alexander to the ground. The dog bit into Mr Alexander and ripped open his lower back, tearing chunks of flesh from his body Hachi's head whipped around and he bit down on Mr Alexander's wrist, tearing open a 5cm gash and leaving deep punctures in his palm. As the dog prepared to bite down again Mr Alexander turned and ran. Hachi then leapt out of the vehicle and dragged Mr Alexander to the ground. The dog bit into Mr Alexander and ripped open his lower back, tearing chunks of flesh from his body. Mr Alexander says Ms Ho attempted to pull Hachi off him but was at first unable to do so because of her small stature and the dog's large size. Witnesses called Triple Zero. Heavily bleeding and in shock, Mr Alexander locked himself in his house before an ambulance took him to St Vincent's Hospital where the next morning he underwent surgery. So much tissue was missing from Mr Alexander's lower back the stitches were later removed, the wound stuffed with sponge and a negative pressure bandage applied. Mr Alexander (pictured) says Ms Ho attempted to pull Hachi off him but was at first unable to do so because of her small stature and the dog's large size. Witnesses called Triple Zero Ms Ho will be calling three witnesses to attest to Hachi's good nature for an estimated five-hour hearing in September. The 53-year-old declined to discuss the case outside court For six weeks after his discharge Mr Alexander had to return to hospital every second day to have the pressure bandages replaced and was prescribed the powerful painkiller Endone. Mr Alexander says police told him Hachi would have to be put down because 'he'd now have a taste for blood' and he would have to contemplate whether he wanted to press charges against the dog's owner. He says a Waverley Council ranger told him when she attempted to contact Ms Ho a barrister called back and requested she refer all communications to him. Mr Alexander says when he called Ms Ho to ask why she had engaged legal counsel she responded in a distressed state: 'They'll take my Hachi, he's attacked two other people.' Council records show a penalty infringement notice was issued to Ms Ho after Hachi attacked a dog and its owner on May 6, 2014 at Marrickville Oval. Mr Alexander (pictured) has permanent nerve damage, and is concerned if Hachi had attacked a smaller adult or child in the manner it mauled him, the victim might not have survived For six weeks after his discharge Mr Alexander had to return to hospital every second day to have the pressure bandages to be replaced and was prescribed the powerful painkiller Endone On that occasion Hachi had rushed at and bit a Weimaraner and it owner was bitten while trying to separate the dogs. Another fine was issued four months after Hachi injured a man on December 10, 2015 in Livingstone Road, Marrickville. That time Hachi had jumped up and bit a pedestrian on the upper right arm when a woman walking her dog passed by him. After the attack on Mr Alexander a Waverley ranger issued a fine and notice of intention to declare Hachi dangerous about June 1 last year. On June 29 the ranger reported to council she would no longer be trying to have the dog declared dangerous but would still be imposing the fine. A second investigation resulted in the $1,320 fine and a dangerous dog declaration in October, before that notice was withdrawn this week. Barrister Scott Corish, for Ms Ho, said on Friday that Waverley Council intended to seek a court-ordered dangerous dog declaration in September. A council spokeswoman said: 'Council is currently considering its legal position in relation to the matter and is unable to make further comment as it is still before the court. ' Wearing a French maid-inspired lingerie costume and high heels, dancer JoJo Hamner waited patiently to get her COVID-19 vaccine in a line that snaked past a glittery hostess stand under a red-light chandelier. When it was her turn, Hamner sat in a chair and held onto a small feather duster that completed her costume while a nurse administered the shot into her already-exposed arm. Hamner then waited nearby for the required 15 minutes of observation, sitting with other vaccine recipients in leather chairs between plush purple booths, vacant stages and empty poles at this strip club in Las Vegas. 'This is just the most Vegas thing I've ever seen,' she said of the experience. Larry Flynt's Hustler Club, with a spinning disco ball casting rainbow colors on the walls but more lights turned on than usual, was an unconventional site for a walk-in vaccination clinic. But as government officials and health workers try to address the slowing demand for COVID-19 vaccines, they're increasingly turning to creative ways to incentivize people to show up and get a shot. 'This is just another way to access our population,' said JoAnn Rupiper, the chief nurse of the Southern Nevada Health District, who monitored the walk-in clinic. 'It might attract some people who like the novelty of it, I suppose.' Dancer JoJo Hamner raises a feather in the air to celebrate receiving her Pfizer vaccine at the Larry Flynt's Hustler Club in Las Vegas on Friday night Roberto Montti gets a shot from a Southern Nevada Health District nurse during a pop-up COVID-19 vaccine event at Larry Flynt's Hustler Club in Las Vegas on Friday About 100 people lined up to get their shots at Larry Flynt's Hustler Club on Friday The clinic opened for several hours Friday night, administering shots to about 100 people before the strip club opened for its usual business. Several workers at the club, including Hamner, a dancer at a topless revenue, got their shots at the clinic along with members of the public. Some people who showed up to get shots admitted they were reluctant to get the vaccine but decided to go for it if it meant visiting a strip club. Roberto Montti, who lives near the club, said he had been putting off getting his shot but realized he should get it in order to resume his love of traveling. Montti said he probably would have gotten his shot at a more humdrum venue but decided to go to the Hustler Club because it felt familiar. 'I've been here so many - I've been here a few times. ... Maybe 10 times, give or take,' he said with a laugh. 'I was going to wait, I tell you that,' said Las Vegas resident Michael Myers as he stood between a full-length picture of a naked woman and a sign promoting social distancing and other behaviors to mitigate the virus spread. JoJo Hamner, a cast member of the 'Sexxy After Dark: Where Dinner Meets Play' show, gets the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine during a pop-up vaccine clinic at Larry Flynt's Hustler Club on Friday Jeff Cantrell waits at Larry Flint's Hustler Club strip club after getting his second dose of coronavirus vaccine on Friday Savannah Wilkinson receives the Pfizer vaccine from Sarah Lugo, senior community health nurse with the Southern Nevada Health District, during a pop-up COVID-19 vaccine clinic at Larry Flynt's Hustler Club on Friday Myers' wife, Lisa Harper, said he changed his mind when she told him they could both get it at the Hustler club. 'I said, "Flynt's Hustler?" She said "Yeah." I said, "Oh! Let me consider,"' Myers said with a laugh. 'A lot of people that wouldn't ordinarily do it, a lot of guys, they said, they came here because it's Hustler,' his wife Harper said. 'To take away the stodginess of it, to make it Hustler, it's very clever.' 'Nothing says vaccinations like a stripper pole,' said the couple's friend George Stoecklin, who joined them to get his shot. Myers, 70, said he was reluctant to get the shot and worried about how quickly it had been developed. But he noted his age, and said he was concerned about his ability to spread the virus and infect others, including his wife. Myers said he was disappointed there were no dancers on the stage while he got his shot but said, 'at least I got the scope of it.' 'Sexy After Dark' performer JoJo Hamner waits as Southern Nevada Health District nurse Guadalupe Perez looks over her intake form during the pop-up COVID-19 vaccine event Larry Flynt's Hustler Club general manager Ralph James receives the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at a pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the club on Friday Flight attendant Jennifer Gentry gets a shot form Southern Nevada Health District nurse Joy Antonio during a pop-up COVID-19 vaccine event at Larry Flynt's Hustler Club Flight attendant Jennifer Gentry takes an intake form form Southern Nevada Health District nurse Guadalupe Perez during a pop-up COVID-19 vaccine event at Larry Flynt's Hustler Club People line up to receive vaccinations at a pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Larry Flynt's Hustler Club on Friday in Las Vegas More than 46 percent of the state's population age 12 and over has received at least one shot of the vaccine, but Nevada health officials said this week that a steep drop-off in demand for shots may make it impossible for the state to reach a goal of vaccinating 75 percent of the eligible population. Nevada officials have been increasingly turning to pop-up clinics in places like churches, schools and senior centers - and now strip clubs - to try to get more shots in arms. As demand has slowed across the country, governments and businesses are turning to other creative ways to get shots in arms. Marijuana dispensaries have offered 'joints for jabs,' breweries have offered 'shots and a chaser,' and Ohio next week plans to debut a lottery system for residents who get vaccinated with a $1million prize and five full-ride college scholarships. Las Vegas officials said the Hustler Club approached them about holding the clinic after hosting in a similar vaccination site at the company's New Orleans location. The club offered its own incentives to those who show proof of vaccination: a membership card giving them and five friends free admission, a complimentary bottle of alcohol, dances from 'a vaccinated entertainer' and other perks. Ralph James, the general manager, said the business thought it would be a good chance to help the community and get back to normal faster. He acknowledged people may not typically think of the strip club as a public health partner but said: 'This gives everyone a chance to see how clean it is and it's a normal business just like any other business.' A California mayor resigned his post after reality star Farrah Abraham became the ninth woman to accuse him of sexual assault and misconduct. Dominic Foppoli, the mayor of the small town Windsor in Sonoma County, finally caved in to calls for him to resign on Friday - six weeks after The San Francisco Chronicle first revealed sexual assault allegations from a number of women. A lawyer for Abraham, who rose to fame after starring in MTV's hit reality show 16 and Pregnant, filed a police report on her behalf with the Palm Beach Police Department in Florida on April 2, 2021, the outlet reported. Abraham's lawyer Spencer Kuvin called the police report documents a 'very serious' allegation of sexual assault stemming from a March encounter in Palm Beach and said she provided police with photos, video and audio evidence. 'This is not a 'he said, she said' situation. She has physical proof. We believe it is in felony territory,' Kuvin told The San Francisco Chronicle. Dominic Foppoli, left, the mayor of the small town Windsor in Sonoma County, finally caved in to calls for him to resign on Friday after reality star Farrah Abraham, right, accused him of sexual assault and misconduct Farrah Abraham posted an Instagram story about sexual assault in April 2021 Windsor city council member Esther Lemus, left, and Rachel Hundly, the former mayor of Sonoma, right, have also accused Foppoli of sexual assault and misconduct Foppoli announced his resignation in a written statement to the outlet. 'I have always and will always maintain that I did not engage in any non-consensual sexual acts with any woman,' he said. Foppoli said in his statement that he 'recently learned that a woman in Palm Beach' had accused him of 'non-consensual acts' while he was visiting in March. He alleged that she made her allegations after she learned of the original story from The San Francisco Chronicle on April 8. 'I have no doubt she is making these allegations in an attempt to leverage the situation to her advantage,' his statement reads, according to the outlet. That allegation could not be true because the police report was filed on April 2 and the first story was published on April 8. Abraham also filed her report three days before the newspaper first confronted Foppoli about allegations from other women. The outlet reviewed social media posts from Abraham and Foppoli, whose posts are no longer public, showing that they both had been in Palm Beach in mid-March. Foppoli made two posts placing him in Palm Beach around the time of the alleged sexual assault. 'Continuing a tradition of having a Boss Hog Manhattan at Lola's. Day 1 of a weeklong market visit. Wine events start tomorrow. Let me know if anyone is around to meet up for drinks,' Foppoli wrote on March 15. The San Francisco Chronicle reviewed social media posts from Abraham and Foppoli, whose posts are no longer public, showing that they both had been in Palm Beach in mid-March Abraham posted a video to Instagram of herself and her 12-year-old daughter at the Mar-a-Lago Club in West Palm Beach on March 14 for a 'Wine Women & Shoes' fundraiser. Former President Donald Trump is pictured in the background Abraham's posts are believed to have been posted around the time of the alleged sexual assault He posted pictures of himself on March 19 at a number of businesses in the area featuring Christopher Creek wines. Abraham posted a video to Instagram of herself and her 12-year-old daughter at the Mar-a-Lago Club in West Palm Beach on March 14 for a 'Wine Women & Shoes' fundraiser. Further details about Abraham's allegations were not known. Some of Foppoli's other accusers rejoiced after the news of his resignation was revealed. One of his first accusers, Rose Fumoso, said: 'I feel so much more peaceful now, even if it's not the end of the story at all, because I think he still has to pay for his crimes. I am sure the fight is not finished.' Esther Lemus, a colleague of Foppoli on the Windsor Town Council who also serves as a Deputy District Attorney for Sonoma County, has accused him of sexual assault in a report to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office Lemus claims she was drugged and put into sexually compromising positions that she doesn't remember An advertisement on April 10, 2021 targets Dominic Foppoli to resign Sign posted across from the police station regarding Windsor Mayor Dominic Foppoli Former Sonoma Mayor Rachel Hundley praised the resignation in a post made to Facebook Council member Debora Fudge, left, was seen arguing with Dominic Foppoli, right, before he huffily signed himself out of a Zoom meeting on April 15, 2021 as town leaders prepared to vote him out and listen to women's accounts in a Facebook livestream The once up-and-coming politician is pictured in a tweet from Steve Harvey Rachel Hundley, a former mayor of Sonoma who has accused him of sexual misconduct, praised the other 'heroic women' that came forward with allegations. 'We did it! Thank you to the heroic women that stood up and let their stories be heard. Thank you to the Windsor community for your united and persistent pressure against the disgraced, now-former(!!!) Mayor of Windsor,' she wrote on Facebook. 'Thank you to all of you who used your voices and your keyboards to keep this critically important problem at the front of our collective mind.' The Town Council formally voted to demand Foppoli's resignation last month - but could only oust him with a recall election or a felony conviction. Debora Fudge, a member of the town council, said she heard about his resignation through his statement to the media. It was not the proper way to do it, so I see it as a game that Dominic is playing, a sick game. But at least he resigned, Fudge told the outlet. Advertisement The family of a six-year-old boy who died after being shot during a suspected road rage attack while he was sitting in his car booster seat on a Southern California freeway on Friday morning have thanked the public after more than $130,000 was raised in just 24 hours. Aiden Leos was in the rear of the family car being driven to school by his mother when another motorist cut her off while traveling in the car pool lane of the northbound side of State Route 55, in Orange, southeast of Los Angeles. Aiden's mother Joanna Cloonan was said to have given the other driver the finger in her rear view mirror, but the gesture set off a deadly and tragic chain of events. A GoFundMe page set up for Aiden's family and to help with her child's burial costs had raised more than $130,000 just 24 hours after it was set up. On Saturday evening, Aiden's mother, father and sister gave said they wanted to express their appreciation for the 'loving support'. 'While their lives are shattered in a million pieces they are strengthened knowing the world is wrapping their arms around them! THANK YOU!' A second fundraising page has been set up by a friend of Aiden's father which revealed the heartbreaking moment he was told of his son's death. 'Aiden Leos also had a loving father whom was very much in his life,' wrote Lily Dinh on the GoFundMe page. Six-year-old Aiden Leos was killed by a bullet while riding in the back of his mother's Chevy sedan on Friday morning Aiden, center, in a photo posted to a GoFundMe page to raise money for his family. His mother Joanna Cloonan, believed to be the woman on the left, and sister Alexis, right, are said to be distraught Aiden's distraught family are begging for justice with Aiden's older sister, Alexis Cloonan, pictured center, describing him and someone who was full of 'love, joy and laughter' A GoFundMe page set up for Aiden's family and to help with her child's burial costs had raised more than $130,000 just 24 hours after it was set up Aiden's father 'is now trying to figure out what is left for him when he worked long days and even took on extra work to help provide for his son,' she wrote. 'To get a phone call while at work from the CHP, to his heart racing only to think something happened to his son and then finally rushing to the hospital but it was too late. 'No last goodbye and no more smiles, hugs, or I love yous. This is something a parent should never have to go through. He is so heart broken that even a picture or the thought of his lil boy makes him break down.' Nearly $4000 had been raised on the second GoFundMe page by Saturday evening. On Saturday, mourners left teddy bears, flowers, and messages of support for the family at the E. Walnut Avenue overpass near where Aiden was shot. Signs saying 'Rest in peace baby boy,' and 'You were loved more than you know', were left, along with handwritten notes to the family. 'This is a single mom with two kids, she's broken, and she's going to need help,' Aiden's aunt, Carol Ybanez, told NBC Los Angeles. A family is asking for the publics help in identifying the suspects who shot and killed 6-year-old Aiden. The little boy was with his mother, driving to school on the 55 freeway in Orange, when they were shot at during an apparent road rage incident. https://t.co/Sr1hYV5n88 pic.twitter.com/fVvfNkfZl6 FOX 11 Los Angeles (@FOXLA) May 22, 2021 'Please help us find the people that did this to my little brother. he's only six and he was so sweet. He was a very loving boy so please help us find who did this to him,' Alexis pleaded through tears Aiden's mother quickly pulled over to the shoulder of State Route 55 following the shooting A single bullet hole can be clearly seen following the shooting on Friday morning A single bullet hole can be clearly seen following the shooting on Friday morning The horror unfolded around 8:10am during the school run. Aiden was being taken to his kindergarten class at Calvary Chapel Yorba Linda. After gesturing to the driver who had cut her off, Joanna Cloonan shifted into a right. As she moved over to to her right, a gunman , possibly sitting in the passenger seat of the suspect's car, suddenly fired into Aiden's vehicle, striking the boy in the back. 'Mommy my tummy hurts!' the youngster is said to have cried out. After pulling over to the side of the road, Aiden's mother picked him up and cradled him in her arms until an off-duty police office stopped to perform CPR and paramedics arrived on the scene. 'She had blood on her clothes and he started turning blue and that's when the ambulance took him and that was the last time my mom saw him alive,' said Alexis Cloonan, the boy's sister, during a tearful family press conference on Friday. Authorities are looking for a man and a woman. The male passenger is believed to have fired the fatal shot while his female accomplice was driving the vehicle, believed to be a newer model white Volkswagen wagon sedan. California Highway Patrol spokesman Florentino Olivera told the Orange County Register officers were working around the clock trying to identify the suspects. They were working to obtain dashcam footage from passing motorists and follow up on tips from the public, Olivera said. 'Aiden Leos also had a loving father whom was very much in his life,' wrote Lily Dinh on the GoFundMe page Police investigators walk along the closed northbound lanes of the 55 freeway south of Chapman Avenue looking for evidence following a shooting on Friday Police officers conducted a search along the freeway on Friday following the shooting The California Highway Patrol closed the northbound lanes of the 55 freeway as police investigators walk the freeway looking for evidence following the shooting Fighting back tears, Aiden's sister Alexis Cloonan pleaded for help from the public to find the killers. 'Please help us find the people that did this to my little brother. He's only six and he was so sweet. He was a very loving boy so please help us find who did this to him,' Alexis said. '[My mom] had to hold her little boy as he died so she is very distraught right now,' Alexis explained. 'He was a rare toddler. I just loved having him in my life,' she said as she paid tribute to the kindergartener who would often come to her room to tell her that he loved her. 'You can tell it was a cowardly way of doing it because they shot her in the back pretty much,' said the boy's uncle John Cloonan. 'You have no idea what you took from us today. You took her son away, her boy. This boy was full of love and joy and laughter,' he continued. 'I hope someone knows something and that whoever did this, I hope you can see what you've done to this family. Not that it matters much now because my nephew is dead. We're never going to be full again.' 'She [Aiden's mother] was merging to the right side to get away from this person, and as you can see if you go online and look at the photos, there's one bullet shot in the trunk that went through the trunk and right through my nephew,' Cloonan explained. Yellow crime scene tape stretches across the northbound lanes of the 55 freeway A 6-year-old boy seated in the backseat of his mother's car on a Southern California freeway was shot to death by another motorist on Friday Traffic traveling northbound on the 55 freeway was diverted to the westbound 22 freeway as police investigators walked the freeway looking for evidence following the shooting A six-year-old boy was shot and killed in what California police are calling an isolated road-rage incident that occurred on State Route 55 Friday morning The child's mother was driving this silver Chevy sedan when she flipped off another motorist for cutting her off, as she later told Good Samaritans who stopped to help Late Friday night, police had not released the names of any wanted suspects. 'It was an isolated road rage incident between the mom and another driver from a white sedan,' California Highway Patrol Officer Florentino Olivera told KTLA-TV at the scene. Olivera said the deadly gunshot came from a white sedan and struck the rear of a silver Chevrolet Sonic that was traveling ahead of it. 'Unfortunately, the child that was seated in the right rear seat was struck,' he said. Aiden was pronounced dead at Children's Hospital Orange County. 'If your vehicle has a dashcam, we're asking you, please call our CHP office in Santa Ana, provide that video,' Olivera said. 'If you were driving by, you saw something that was not right, call it in - even if it wasn't something major - call our office. We want to hear from witnesses.' Reyes and Joanna Valdivia told Orange County Register they were taking their children to school when they saw the visibly distressed driver of the Chevrolet pull her wounded son from the backseat and collapse to the ground. Police are pictured on the scene of the road-rage shooting, in which a bullet when through the back of the Chevy and struck the six-year-old who was in his booster seat The freeway was shut down for hours as about a dozen investigators slowly walked the lanes looking for evidence When the couple pulled over to offer help, Reyes said the mother, whom he described as 'hysterical,' told them she had showed the middle finger to the driver of the white sedan who cut her off in the carpool lane. The mother told the Good Samaritans that when she veered to the right, the white sedan followed her and a gunshot went off. The freeway was shut down for hours as about a dozen investigators slowly walked the lanes looking for evidence. CBS Los Angeles reported that there have been nearly a dozen pellet and BB gun shootings on freeways across Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties over the past three weeks, but Olivera said Friday's road-rage killing was unrelated to those earlier incidents. Tips may be provided by calling the CHP's Santa Ana office at (714) 567-6000. SpaceX founder and Tesla CEO Elon Musk holds a helmet as he visits the construction site of Tesla's gigafactory in Gruenheide, near Berlin, Germany, May 17. Reuters-Yonhap First he loved them, then he doubted them, but is he manipulating them? Tesla boss Elon Musk's tweets about cryptocurrencies like bitcoin are annoying their devotees and raising eyebrows among market watchers. The saga started in February when Musk's company Tesla announced it would buy $1.5 billion worth of bitcoin and later said it would accept the virtual currency as payment for its electric cars. But in mid-May, he broke hearts with tweets questioning the digital asset, particularly its vast consumption of electricity produced from polluting substances like coal. That sent bitcoin on a downward spiral causing it to plunge to $30,000 from nearly double that 10 days earlier. It later regained some strength, climbing to about $37,000 as of Friday. "The fact that more people aren't outraged at #ElonMusk for purposefully crashing the cryptos is astonishing. Stop worshipping him," one Twitter user said. The post, typical of the backlash the flamboyant executive has caused, included a hashtag combining an unprintable insult with his surname and another Musk detractor went as far as to start a cryptocurrency using the hashtag. Musk, who is most vocal on Twitter, continues to support dogecoin, another virtual currency that was created as a joke but has grown in popularity. However, his tweets and their influence on prices are drawing increasing attention from analysts. "You have to prove that his tweets has actually moved the market and it certainly seems that way. It does raise a host of issues," Todd Cipperman of Cipperman Compliance Services told AFP. Trouble abroad Days after his online missives caused trouble for bitcoin, Musk on Thursday made the value of dogecoin jump by tweeting "how much is that Doge in the window?" "I lost everything because of your crypto tweets and today I live under a bridge," on Twitter user replied. "I hope you are proud." Kristin Boggiano, president of digital asset investment firm CrossTower, said the problems facing cryptocurrency are bigger than just tweets of one electric car executive. But she said "there is clearly a conflict of interest" regarding Musk's role the market. "He's been advising dogecoin, and clearly has an interest in dogecoin and he is making comments about bitcoin," she said. Still, though Musk "may influence retail, I don't think he has the ability to influence institutional clients," she said. The risk to bitcoin, the most popular digital asset, is from overseas, Boggiano said. This week, around $8.5 billion in bitcoin was liquidated in 24 hours on Wednesday after several Chinese banking federations warned against cryptocurrency speculation. "A lot of volatility in bitcoin is coming from offshore," Boggiano said, adding that to Chinese business leaders, the digital assets "are not supported by real value." Cipperman described the regulatory climate in the United States as "the wild west." The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the country's stock market regulator, thus far has shrugged off the crypto turbulence, and Cipperman calls that "a mistake." "The crypto market would benefit substantially if it was more regulated," he said. "It would give people a lot of comfort that this is not a dangerous manipulation, it's a financial asset like others." More regulation? It remains to be seen if the SEC or the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), which oversees derivatives, will take a more active role in regulating digital money. The Internal Revenue Service tax authority has started asking taxpayers to declare their holdings of these assets, and President Joe Biden's government has proposed expanding tax reporting of digital asset transfers between businesses. Another bill in Congress would have the SEC and CFTC create a group with industry professionals to look at regulation of the sector. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve this week said it is exploring its options when it comes to digital payments and even issuing an official, central bank-backed virtual currency. Aaron Klein, an expert in financial technology at the Brookings Institution, cautioned that "It's not the place for the government to regulate the value of bitcoin anymore that it should regulate the value of an Amazon stock or the price of gold." Instead, "The goal is to make the market transparent and honest and protect the investors, not to focus on the price of the asset." (AFP) A new investigation into the background of Australia's worst-ever mass murderer, Martin Bryant, claims the gunman was responsible for the deaths of his father and closest friend - years before his murderous rampage through Port Arthur. Helen Mary Elizabeth Harvey, 59, and her two dogs died in a fatal car crash on October 20, 1992 - four years before the Tasmanian massacre in 1996 which claimed the lives of 35 men, women and children and saw all semi-automatic weapons banned from sale in Australia. Ms Harvey, who was an heiress to the Tattersall's lotteries fortune, left her sprawling property and inheritance to Bryant, with his father, Maurice, to act as a trustee. Martin Bryant (pictured) killed 35 people and injured a further 23 when he went on a rampage in Port Arthur in Tasmania In 'Martin Bryant's Dark Secrets', a Seven documentary to air on Sunday, Ms Harvey's neighbour, Barry Featherstone, provides chilling details about the killer's erratic behaviour when he was in the car with her. Mr Featherstone said his neighbour told him she had to drive at 35km/h because Bryant would often grab the steering wheel off her while they were driving - often causing the car to crash. When he was walking with her to remove the car from the drain after one crash, she told him Bryant had caused 'multiple' accidents when she was driving. Ms Harvey then told him 'one of these days the little b****** is going to kill me'. After Ms Harvey and her two dogs were killed in a fatal crash in 1992 that injured Bryant, Mr Featherstone was asked to identify his neighbour's body. Barry Featherstone (pictured) a former neighbour of Helen Harvey, revealed he reported the gunman's erratic behaviour to authorities after she confided in him Wealthy benefactor Helen Harvey (third left) died in a car crash in 1992 that left Bryant, a passenger in the vehicle, with injuries He gave a statement to police about Bryant's manic behaviour inside the car. However Mr Featherstone doesn't believe the soon-to-be mass murderer was ever questioned about the fatal crash. Bryant told police that it was her dogs roaming loose in the car that day that caused the crash. But another suspicious death was to happen just a year later in August 1993. Bryant's father Maurice was found dead in a dam on the family property, after going missing in mysterious circumstances. Police found Maurice's body face down with a diving belt around his neck - with officers also finding a suicide note and a large sum of cash in a car nearby. Following the deaths of his father and close friend, Bryant inherited Ms Harvey's sprawling estate and received a large sum, which he spent on holidays and lavish shopping sprees Following the deaths Bryant continued inappropriate behaviour - like befriending local children and then having the friendship cut after showing them pornographic material Maurice's death was deemed a suicide. He left a large sum of money to Bryant in his will. The money Bryant collected from the deaths of his father and Ms Harvey saw the murderer blow large sums of money on holidays and lavish shopping sprees. He would become involved in angry clashes with neighbours and built up a large collection of pornography, some of which featured bestiality. Bryant was also known to act inappropriately around children - often befriending them and then showing them porn. Investigative reporter Denham Hitchcock speaks to new witnesses in the documentary who claim Australia's worst mass murderer was 'settling scores' and was left unchecked to carry out his crimes. Ms Harvey left her sprawling Hobart mansion (pictured) farm and money to Bryant, with his father Maurice to act as trustee New evidence has revealed the gunman can be linked to two other deaths, his father and Maurice, left, and his closest friend Helen Harvey Hitchcock questions the validity of Maurice Bryant's suicide, reveals new evidence about what happened and questions if the gunman could have been involved. He also speculates if the Port Arthur massacre could have been avoided if authorities had acted on information regarding the death of Bryant's father and close friend at the time of their deaths. On April 28, 1996, Bryant, then 28, killed 35 people and injured 23 more at a historic site in Port Arthur, Tasmania, which at the time was the world's worst-ever massacre. Bryant, now 53, will serve the rest of his life in a small mental health unit in Tasmania's Risdon Prison on the outskirts of Hobart, where he has been jailed for 25 years. He is now obese and is reviled in prison, where he is known to swap sexual favours for chocolates with other inmates. Pictured: A prison photo of a pudgy-faced mass murderer Martin Bryant as he serves 35 life sentences in Tasmania's Risdon Prison A former neighbour to the wealthy benefactor revealed she had confided in him that Bryant had caused multiple car accidents. Pictured: The grave of Helen Harvey at Hobart Cemetery Bryant is serving 35 life sentences and will die in prison. The murderer has never explained his actions but investigators have speculated the murders were sparked out of retribution for grievances while others were collateral damage. The shooting prompted significant gun reform under then-Prime Minister John Howard via the 1996 National Firearms Agreement. The laws banned rapid-fire guns from civilian ownership except under certain, restricted licences and tightened requirements for firearms licensing, registration and safe storage. Last month marked 25 years since the gunman's devastating rampage, with a small ceremony held at the historic site to pay respect to the victims. Pictured: Isabelle Deltore, who is the only Australian to win Miss Nude World twice A glamorous ex-prison guard and 'sci-fi nerd' with a passion for ferrets has been crowned Australia's best porn actress at the adult industry's equivalent of the Logie Awards. Isabelle Deltore was one of the big winners at the glittery Australian Adult Industry Awards at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Sydney on Thursday. Top names in the nation's X-rated scene gathered to watch the diamond-shaped crystal trophies handed out to best entertainers, filmmakers and venue owners in categories including the best escort, best pageant and best MILF. The 39-year-old Melburnian, who has been named Miss Nude World twice, delved into porn 11 years ago after quitting her job as an officer at a high security jail. At 29, she was sick of being catcalled by inmates and her colleagues but decided that if she was going to be objectified, she might as well get paid for it. Ms Deltore decided to be a 'secret stripper' to earn some money on the side while she looked for another job, but quickly realised she had found her calling. Isabelle Deltore worked for years as a prison guard before she took up stripping while deciding on a new career path, and fell in love with it Ms Deltore says she is just like any other sole trader. She pays her taxes, buys property and leads a 'normal life' 'I made in one night what I would make in two weeks working at the maximum security facility and I sent them an email at 4am saying, "See you later, bye",' Ms Deltore preciously told Daily Mail Australia. At the prison, she would complain when someone made a sexual comment about her, but men who catcalled her or made inappropriate comments when she stripped were thrown out on the spot. 'That doesn't happen in normal workplaces,' she said. 'If your boss sexually harasses you, you have to tolerate it. But in this industry, it's not tolerated.' Eventually she moved into international X-rated films and started her popular OnlyFans account. Ms Deltore loves her job because she has the power to choose who she works with and the acts she performs on set. Isabelle wowed audiences in 2018 with one routine that involved a 2m fibreglass horse on a spinning disc for a cowgirl performance Isabelle spent four to six hours, five days a week, practicing her routines, and worked with four different choreographers to prepare for the competition in 2018 Isabelle Deltore pictured second right, after taking the crown) began competing in showgirl competitions 'I have had a situation where I was asked to film a certain thing and I said, "No. I am not a pretzel, this is physically impossible," and gave them 15 seconds to change their plans,' she said, according to the Herald Sun. The entertainer also said she is no different to any other sole trader and pays her taxes, buys properties and has a steady income. 'I have a very normal life,' she said. 'I have no drug dependency or alcohol addiction, I've got a normal relationship with a normal person. I'm really boring at home! 'I just wanted to be good at something, and I happened to be good at this.' She believes the awards night has helped demystify and unify the adult industry. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's vaccine safety group is investigating reports that a 'small number' of teens and young adults who have been vaccinated against coronavirus have experienced heart problems days after receiving their second jab. The condition, known as myocarditis, results in an inflammation of the heart muscle which can occur following certain infections. Very little detail was provided by the safety group which stated there were 'relatively few' cases which may even be completely unrelated to vaccination. Nevertheless, several dozen cases in kids and young adults have been reported after taking their second dose of one of the mRNA vaccines, which are Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech. The CDC looking into reports that a small number of teens and young adults vaccinated against the coronavirus that may have experienced heart problems days after the second dose The CDC is said to be reviewing the reports and is still in the early stages of examining the data before it can determine for sure whether there is a link between the vaccine and sudden heart condition. Doctors were first alerted to the possible link between myocarditis and vaccines on May 14. The working group then reviewed the data on myocarditis on May 17. The cases seem appear to be be occurring mainly in adolescents and young adults around four days after their second dose. The symptoms also seemed to be affecting males more than females. The condition, known as myocarditis, results in an inflammation of the heart muscle which can occur following certain infections 'Most cases appear to be mild, and follow-up of cases is ongoing,' the vaccine safety group said. The C.D.C. strongly recommends Covid vaccines for Americans ages 12 and older. Guidance has been posted on its website for doctors to be on the alert for the heart symptoms which are unusual among young people. 'It may simply be a coincidence that some people are developing myocarditis after vaccination,' said infectious disease specialist Dr. Celine Gounder to the New York Times. 'It's more likely for something like that to happen by chance, because so many people are getting vaccinated right now.' The CDC are looking to uncover more data regarding the cases in order to better understand if they are directly related to the vaccine or if they are simply a coincidence. The agency has so far not detailed the ages of the patients involved. Doctors have attempted to stress that the side effects of getting myocarditis pale in comparison to the potential risks of catching Covid. Acute Covid itself can cause myocarditis. The latest figures detail how more than 3.9 million children have been infected with coronavirus with more than 16,000 hospitalized. 300 children died from Covid-19 making it once of the top 10 causes of death in children since the start of the pandemic. Generally, between 10 to 20 people out of 100,000 suffer from myocarditis. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been administered to those 16 and above since December. while the Food and Drug Administration has since allowed children between the ages of 12 and 15 to receive the jab The symptoms include fatigue and chest pain alongside arrhythmias (a problem with the rate or rhythm of the heartbeat) and cardiac arrest. The CDC say that so far, the numbers of those reporting myocarditis is no greater than would normally be seen in young people. The agency's vaccine safety group decided to communicate the information to vaccine providers out of an abundance of caution. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been administered to those 16 and above since December. while the Food and Drug Administration has since allowed children between the ages of 12 and 15 to receive the jab. So far, more than 161 million people across the country have been vaccinated with around 4.5 million of them between the ages of 12 and 18. More than 600,000 American children between ages 12 and 15 were vaccinated against COVID-19 last week, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr Rochelle Walensky said during a Tuesday White House briefing. U.S. regulators last week authorized Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for use in children as young as 12. That widened vaccine eligibility to about 17 million more Americans, a step that U.S. officials would hope speed the nation's progress toward herd immunity. Children generally face low risks of Covid, with the fatality rate well below zero, which has raised questions about whether getting them vaccinated against COVID-19 is for kids' own protection or to protect more at-risk adults. In total, more than four million people under 17 have been vaccinated in the United States so far, Dr Walensky said. Top U.S. infectious disease specialist Anthony Fauci said he expects that by the end of 2021 the United States will have enough safety data to vaccinate children of any age. Trials are underway to test whether both Pfizer's and Moderna's vaccines are safe and work well against COVID-19. Pfizers shot is the first to be cleared in the United States for children 12 to 15. Vaccinating younger ages is considered important for getting children back into schools safely. U.S. President Joe Biden has asked states to make the vaccine available to younger adolescents immediately. COVID-19 MAY INFLICT THE SAME DAMAGE AS A HEART ATTACK By Natalie Rahhal Acting Us Health Editor Coronavirus may leave the heart with lasting, dangerous damage, two new studies suggest. It's become clear that the respiratory virus also attacks the cardiovascular system, as well as numerous other organs, including the kidneys and brain, but the new studies shed light on worrying damage to the heart itself. One German study found that 78 percent of patients who recovered from COVID-19 were left with structural changes to their heart, and 76 of the 100 survivors showed signs of the kind of damage a heart attack leaves. Arrows point out areas of the hearts of coronavirus survivors that became thicker and inflamed after infection. The study found blood markers in these survivors typically only seen after someone sufferers A second study, also conducted in Germany, found that more than half of people who died after contracting COVID-19 had high levels of the virus in their hearts. It's not yet clear how long the damage might last, or how it might, in practice, increase survivors' risks of heart attack, stroke or other life-threatening cardiovascular issues, but the studies may help explain why even previously healthy survivors are left weak and fatigued for weeks or months. Beyond that, the authors and experts equally urge that doctors may need to monitor the heart health of COVID-19 patients long after they've cleared the virus. Led by researchers at University Hospital Frankfurt in Germany, the first study examined measures of cardiac health in 100 people who had survived coronavirus infection. Fifty of the study participants were healthy prior to contracting coronavirus. Another 57 who were otherwise similar (in terms of age, race and gender) had risk factors for heart problems. The researchers could see signs of heart damage in MRIs taken of 78 out of the 100 survivors. Nearly as many - 76 percent - had high levels of a protein called troponin, comparable to what is seen in a person who has suffered a heart attack. Sixty of the participants had signs of heart inflammation, even though it had been 71 days, on average, since they'd been diagnosed with coronavirus. In the second study, the researchers from University Heart and Vascular Centre, in Hamburg, Germany, analyzed heart tissue from 39 people who died of after catching coronavirus. Of those 39, pneumonia from COVID-19 was listed as the cause of death for 35. The patients' hearts were not quite damaged or infected enough to qualify for acute myocarditis, a severe viral infection of the heart, most had clear signs that the virus had reached their hearts. The scientists found virus in heart tissue taken from 24 of the coronavirus victims. Sixteen had high concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 in their hearts, and the scientists found signs that the virus was actively replicating itself inside the tissue up until the patients' deaths. Doctors in the US have noticed a disturbing trend of heart problems in coronavirus patients. Even young people with no history of high blood pressure or other risk factors have suffered heart attacks and strokes at alarming rates after contracting coronavirus. But the effects of coronavirus upon the body have proven so disparate and widespread, often involving a domino effect of issues, it has remained hard to say if the virus is directly affecting the heart. With the new pair of studies, it's starting to look a though the attacks may be more direct than previously thought. 'These new findings provide intriguing evidence that COVID-19 is associated with at least some component of myocardial injury, perhaps as the result of direct viral infection of the heart,' wrote Northwestern University and UCLA cardiologists Dr Clyde Yancy andDr Gregg Fonarow in an editorial accompanying the studies in JAMA Cardiology. 'We see the plot thickening and we are inclined to raise a new and very evident concern that cardiomyopathy and heart failure related to COVID-19 may potentially evolve as the natural history of this infection becomes clearer.' They added that if more research continues to provide similar findings, the COVID-19 pandemic could trigger a wave of heart problems down the line. If that happens, 'then the crisis of COVID-19 will not abate but will instead shift to a new de novo incidence of heart failure and other chronic cardiovascular complications,' the commentators wrote. Advertisement More than 60 per cent of Daily Mail Australia readers disagree with the country's richest property developer after he called bosses who let their employees work from home 'parasites' More than 60 per cent of Daily Mail Australia readers disagree with the country's richest property developer after he called bosses who let their employees work from home 'parasites'. The founder of hotel giant Meriton Harry Triguboff slammed companies who provide flexible working arrangements at a business breakfast in Sydney on Wednesday. The 88-year-old said employees needed to return to offices because they were only 'working half the time' at home and laid the blame on 'parasite' bosses. Daily Mail Australia conducted its own poll to canvass the opinion of its readers and found 66 per cent believe they are not less productive working from home. One reader claimed Mr Triguboff's comment was 'out of touch' while another person said bosses could easily track productivity of their employees when working from home. 'I think this is simply a case of someone who is stuck in the past ways,' they wrote. Another person added: 'The same amount is done in half the time at home, instead of the incessant interruptions in an office which just get in the way of progress.' The founder of hotel giant Meriton Harry Triguboff slammed companies who provide flexible working arrangements at a business breakfast in Sydney on Wednesday Daily Mail Australia conducted its own poll to canvass the opinion of its readers and found out a staggering 66 per cent believe they are not less productive working from home One reader suggested Mr Triguboff to 'step aside or move with the times'. Social media platforms also lit up with users divided over his comments and many defending the property developer. 'He's totally correct now when we deal with people working from home we hear children in the background, the clanging of kitchen utensils, them moving around multitasking, and probably in their pyjamas,' one person wrote. Another one added: 'Businesses like cafes that rely on the traffic that comes from people coming to work are suffering.' 'I'd be on the p*** all the time if I worked from home,' another social media user said in a tongue-in-cheek comment. Mr Triguboff argued remote working was wasting office space in the city, which would stall Sydney's recovery from Covid-19, the Daily Telegraph reported. 'We have to also stop this work from home,' Mr Triguboff said. 'The bosses of the banks cannot tell me anymore that they are very careful, that nobody gets sick. Poll Are you less productive working from home? YES NO Are you less productive working from home? YES 282 votes NO 580 votes Now share your opinion 'Nobody's sick and nobody got sick in their lousy banks so, forget about that. They should stop being parasites - they have to work.' The growing trend of working from home has also divided overseas bosses. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Chief Executive Officer David Solomon said remote work was an 'aberration' and that workers will be returning to the investment bank as 'quickly as possible.' However, Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg said it allowed his company to hire employees across the country and that he has no plans to get rid of remote work. Atlassian service provider Adaptavist surveyed employees working from home across Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada in September 2020. A staggering 85 per cent said they believed they were either as productive or more so when they weren't working in the office. Australia's richest property developer Harry Triguboff (pictured) slammed working from home A survey from corporate communications firm Redback Connect from June last year found 86 per cent of Australians want to work from home at least part of the time. Of the 1,000 employees who spent at least some time working from home during the pandemic, 28 per cent never want to come back to the office. Another 39 per cent want to work from home one or two days a week, and 20 per cent for three or four days a week. Staff were confident they could pull it off with 73 per cent believing their employer would be open to them working from home. Younger workers were more worried about raising the issues and with good reason - just 15 per cent of staff under 30 have been offered the option while double that number of over-50s have. Two million more Australians a week will be able to get the Pfizer jab from October as the government ramps up the Covid vaccine rollout. Health Minister Greg Hunt announced on Sunday that 4.5 million doses will be available by the end of June, before another shipment of seven million doses will arrive come October. Australian Medical Association (AMA) president Omar Khorshid said the Pfizer supply means the nation's adult population could be fully vaccinated by Christmas. 'Because two doses of Pfizer are closer together it actually speeds up the rollout, though we have to wait for them to arrive,' he told the Sydney Morning Herald. 'We could have everyone have both doses by the end of year.' Australians could be fully-vaccinated by the end of the year as the federal government announces two million Pfizer shots a week will arrive on shore during the last quarter of this year. Pictured: A nurse receives a Covid-19 vaccine in Townsville in March Another 20 million Pfizer shots will arrive onshore during the last quarter, which Mr Hunt said will provide 'an available pool of two million doses a week' for the last 13 weeks of 2021. Mr Hunt said the news should reassure over-50s who are concerned about receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine, after it was linked to rare blood-clotting condition. However, Mr Hunt urged those who qualify for the vaccine not to wait and to get the jab now. Last month, the Pfizer vaccine was declared the recommended shot for people under 50 by the federal government after AstraZeneca was linked to thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS). The rare side effect has led to vaccine hesitancy among older residents, despite AstraZeneca being deemed safe for over 50s, with a recent survey finding 29 per cent of respondents were 'not very likely' or 'not at all likely' to get the jab in coming months. Experts says vaccine hesitancy data indicates the country may not meet the required vaccination rate of 80 to 85 per cent of the population which is needed to safely reopen borders. 'We're going to need more people vaccinated than are currently saying they want to,' Associate Professor James Wood, of the University of NSW, said. Associate Professor Wood and James McCaw of the University of Melbourne, have been modelling the pandemic for state and federal authorities. Australian Medical Association (AMA) president Omar Khorshid said the supply boost could see the country's adult population fully-vaccinated by Christmas. Pictured: Pfizer vaccines They said the latest evidence shows Pfizer and AstraZeneca can reduce Covid-19 transmission by 90 per cent - significantly more than previously expected. While the development offered an opportunity for Australia to reopen its borders earlier, Associate Professor Wood and Professor McCaw cautioned that the decision would hinge on vaccine uptake. The new details about Australia's vaccine plan offers fresh hope for when the country may reopen its borders after the nation's vaccine program was setback by supply issues. The federal government had abandoned jab targets after drastically falling short of the 4million vaccinations that were due to be administered by the end of March. The latest announcement comes as Australia passed a major milestone in its Covid-19 vaccine program, with more than 3.5 million doses now delivered nationwide. NSW rolled out 12,485 doses in the 24 hours to 8pm on Friday, another one-day record for the state. Some 5000 of them were administered at its Olympic Park mass vaccination hub alone. There have been 3.56 million vaccines administered in Australia so far. Meanwhile, there are only about 100 active cases of the virus Australia wide, 50 of them in NSW. Five were added to the count on Saturday, all in hotel quarantine. American-style digital travel checks are set to be introduced in the UK to provide the ability to count people in and out. Visitors coming to work, study and holiday will need electronic documents, creating a fully digital border by the end of 2025. The plan will be unveiled tomorrow by Home Secretary Priti Patel, who has vowed to get a grip on borders and block the entry of foreign criminals. Visitors coming to work, study and holiday will need electronic documents as part of plans by Home Secretary Priti Patel Speaking ahead of the announcement, she said: Security is at the very heart of our immigration strategy. Our new fully digital border will provide the ability to count people in and out of the country, giving us control over who comes to the UK. It is expected there will be 30 million electronic travel authorisation checks each year for visitors without a settled visa or immigration status. The Government said it would streamline the system, making it easier for firms and those arriving legally to contribute to our society and economy. Border Force officers are pictured checking passports of passengers arriving at Gatwick Airport Ms Patel will also set out how the immigration system needs wholesale reforms, including bringing people smugglers to justice and the quick removal of dangerous criminals. Latest figures show a record 10,373 foreign criminals live in the UK. Prince William left his Royal troubles behind briefly yesterday when he took an electric car for a high-speed spin around a race track. He grinned as he donned a helmet and fireproof racesuit before slipping behind the wheel of the Extreme E electric vehicle at the Knockhill circuit in Fife, part of a programme of visits to innovative projects north of the border aimed at tackling climate change. Later the 38-year-old Duke of Cambridge, a former air ambulance pilot, looked happy and relaxed as he grabbed a pint with members of the emergency services at a rooftop bar near Edinburgh Castle to watch the Scottish Cup Final. Prince William, 38, is seen wearing a helmet and full protective gear as he prepares to test drive electric vehicle in Fife The Knockhill Racing Circuit visit was part of a programme of tours to innovative projects north of the border aimed at tackling climate change The Duke of Cambridge knocks the barrier on his last lap as he test drives the Extreme E Odyssey 21 electric vehicle There, he managed to talk about the pressures of lockdown and even made a joke about his family. Speaking to a table of first responders, William asked how they had kept in touch with families during lockdown. He said: The funny thing is, when I spoke to my family I found it so good to catch up, but then you havent anything to catch up on because no one had done anything. Prince William (pictured driving) visited Extreme E today, a racing programme that sends electric SUVs to remote parts of the world impacted by climate change Later, the 38-year-old Duke of Cambridge, a former air ambulance pilot, looked happy and relaxed as he grabbed a pint with members of the emergency services at a rooftop bar near Edinburgh Castle (above) When one guest said they had not seen their in-laws for a year, William joked: Some people are quite happy they havent seen their in-laws for a year. After laughter, he added: I love my in-laws. The Duke, who was on the second day of his Scotland tour, chatted while watching St Johnstone defeat Hibernian 1-0. Heartfelt tributes have poured in for a young woman who tragically had her life cut short after being attacked and stabbed with a hunting knife. Kayla Golding, 29, was found in a pool of blood on the footpath outside her Townsville home in Far North Queensland around 7.20pm on Friday night. Heartbroken friends and family continue to post tributes to Ms Golding after she was identified as the victim of the fatal stabbing attack. Kayla Golding, 29, (pictured) was found in a pool of blood on the footpath outside her Townsville home in Far North Queensland around 7.20pm on Friday night 'It hurts so much knowing you're gone, I remember all the times we spent time together like it was yesterday,' one of her friends wrote. 'I am so devastated to find out such an amazing person has been taken so soon. 'You always brought out the crazy in me, fly high you beautiful angel, you will be forever missed.' Another devastated friend said they couldn't believe Ms Golding was gone. 'You were always so beautiful, your cheeky mouth and smile will be something I never forget,' they wrote. Heartbroken friends and family continue to flood social media with tributes to Ms Golding (left) 'Our random pub crawls late at night will be something I always cherish. Thank you for being a beautiful friend, you will always be loved and missed.' Another woman who said she had known Ms Golding for over a decade described their friendship as 'one of a kind'. 'It was a pleasure knowing you all these years, from turning 18 and running amuck in town to late night drives blasting the music, drawing and colouring in all night, to finding little letters from you in my books. 'When I needed someone you were there, thank you for looking after my dog Storm when I had nowhere for her.' 'You always brought out the crazy in me, fly high you beautiful angel, you will be forever missed', one friend wrote of Ms Golding (left) Officers attended a unit block on Riverway Drive at Condon where they found Ms Golding suffering from a serious neck wound. According to Detective Acting Inspector Jason Shepherd the 29-year-old had lost 'a lot of blood on the floor'. Ms Golding was rushed to Townsville University Hospital in a critical condition and later died just before 9pm. At least four people of interest are being sought by police, with signs of blood inside the unit that led to the footpath a vital clue. Police launched a murder investigation after Kayla Golding, 29, was found on the footpath outside her Townsville home (pictured) in Far North Queensland around 7.20pm on Friday Ms Golding (pictured) was rushed to Townsville University Hospital in a critical condition and later died just before 9pm 'It would appear that the initial injury has occurred (inside) and that the lady has walked outside onto the footpath where she collapsed,' Inspector Shepherd said. Inspector Shepherd has ruled out the possibility of domestic or family violence given the woman wasn't in a relationship. He believes the vicious attack came from a person known to the victim. 'There is still a large number of possibilities that could have occurred, but it's not an incident where we think other members of the community should be concerned for their safety,' Inspector Shepherd said. Police revealed the offender was a person known to Ms Golding, and confirmed they had recovered a large hunting knife they believe was used in the attack Police also confirmed they had recovered a large hunting knife they believe was used in the attack. Police minister Mark Ryan labelled the incident a tragedy. 'Our condolences are with the woman's family and friends,' he said. 'The police will do their job, they will catch the offenders and obviously bring them before the court.' Anyone with information or who has CCTV or dashcam footage from in or around the area is urged to contact police. A New Yorker who was part of a gang of four pro-Palestinian men that used his crutch to pummel a Kippa-wearing Jewish man on his way to a pro-Israel rally on Thursday has shown no remorse for the brutal beatdown, prosecutors said. Waseem Awawdeh, 23, was arrested for kicking, macing, and pummeling 29-year-old Joseph Borgen during the attack and was arraigned before Judge Kathryn Paek in Manhattan Criminal Court on Saturday. Prosecutors said during the arraignment that Awawdeh confessed to battering the man to one of his jailers, the New York Post reported. 'If I could do it again, I would do it again. I have no problem doing it again,' he allegedly said. On Friday, the NYPD identified 23-year-old Waseem Awawdah as one of the suspects in the attack Awawdah, of Brooklyn, is charged with assault as a hate crime, gang assault, menacing, aggravated harassment as a hate crime and criminal possession of a weapon Exclusive DailyMail.com photos show Awawdeh wearing a black t-shirt with 'Palestine' emblazoned on the front, as he was led out of the 5th Precinct in handcuffs on Friday Wassem Awawdah is walked out of the 5th Precinct and into Central Booking for the attack on a Jewish Man during a Palestinian/Israeli Protest on 47th Street in Manhattan Awawdeh, who did not enter a plea, was ordered to be held on a $10,000 bail and was charged with assault as a hate crime, gang assault, menacing, aggravated harassment as a hate crime and criminal possession of a weapon, cops said. His attorney said Awawdeh is enrolled in college and is not a flight risk, the New York Post reported. Awawdeh's friends told the outlet that he was attacked first and that 'they picked somebody that was weak, that was on crutches.' The NYPD announced on Friday that Awawdeh had been arrested and and up to six others are being sought in connection to the violence. Exclusive DailyMail.com photos show Awawdeh wearing a black t-shirt with 'Palestine' emblazoned on the front, as he was led out of the 5th Precinct in handcuffs on Friday. The alleged confession comes after the NYPD on Saturday issued photos of the four other men they claim pummeled Borgen while yelling anti-Semitic epithets. One of the men, wearing a black and red striped shirt, appears to be the same suspect tied to another attack in New York City on Thursday, the images reveal. Cops said that he threw an explosive device from the back of a pickup truck which detonated and burned a 55-year-old woman near 37 West 47 Street around 6pm on Thursday - just minutes before the attack on the Jewish man. That suspect appears to be wearing the same outfit in the new photos from the NYPD released of the attack on Borgen. Borgen, an accountant who lives on the Upper East Side, was wearing a grey kippa and walking toward Times Square around 6:30pm Thursday when he alleged that a young man with a black bandana started chasing him. 'I turned around to try to figure out what was going on and the next thing I knew I was surrounded by a whole crowd of people who proceeded to physically attack me, beat me, kick me, punch me, hit me with crutches, hit me with flag poles,' he told DailyMail.com Friday afternoon from his apartment after being released from Bellevue Hospital. Police released pictures of four suspects who allegedly beat a Jewish man in New York City. The third and fourth images from left appear to be the same person One of the men, wearing a black and red striped shirt, appears to be the same suspect tied to another attack in New York City on Thursday Joseph Borgen, 29, spoke to DailyMail.com one day after he was left bruised and battered by a group of pro-Palestinian men in Midtown Manhattan on Thursday The Jewish man, who lives in the Upper East Side, had been wearing a kippa as he headed to a pro-Israel rally when he was suddenly targeted by the group who kicked, punched, and beat him with crutches and flag poles on the street. Pictured: Borgen's bruised and battered face 'I don't even want to look in the mirror,' said Borgen, his face and body bruised, and head throbbing from a possible concussion. Video of the assault showed Borgen was left defenseless on the ground as he was battered by the angry mob outside of 1604 Broadway. 'After I wound up on the ground, I was literally just in a fetal position, trying to guard my head and face, literally just trying to make it out of their alive,' Borgen said. 'I thought I was going to die. I thought I was really going to die.' Borgen said there were eight to 10 people taking part in the beatdown and they were shouting anti-Semitic slurs such as: 'You filthy Jew. We're going to f*****g kill you. Go back to Israel. Hamas is going to kill you.' He said the most painful part occurred toward the end, when they pepper sprayed him. 'I thought I was getting urinated on because I felt a stream on my face. 'They maced me or pepper sprayed me for like a minute straight. Video of the assault showed Borgen was left defenseless as he was kicked, punched, and beaten with crutches and flag poles by a mob of eight to 10 people Borgen recalled lying on the ground in a fetal position, 'trying to guard my head and face, literally just trying to make it out of their alive' 'My whole face was on fire. I couldn't see. In the hospital, they literally had to drain out my eyes. My skin's still on fire in certain places,' he added. Borgen said the ruthless beatdown finally came to an end when police officers showed up and dispersed the crowd. 'It could have been worse. If you've seen the video, especially, it could have been much worse,' he added. He said he was expecting it be a peaceful demonstration as he headed to midtown, where friends were gathering for a rally to support Israel in its conflict with Hamas. Borgen, pictured in the hospital, said the most painful part occurred toward the end of the beatdown, when he was pepper sprayed Borgen, an accountant, recalled hearing his attackers call him a 'filthy Jew' and say 'Hamas is going to kill you' as they pummeled him Violent clashes have erupted between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the city over the last week as tensions in the Middle East flared. 'I was going there to show my support, show my pride in Israel, let them know we have their back even though we're 6,000 miles away,' Borgen said. He said there were no real problems last week when he joined a similar demonstration. He believes the mere fact he was wearing a kippa triggered a mob to attack him. Besides the actual culprits, he blamed 'certain politicians' for creating an atmosphere that encourages such attacks, citing US Rep. Ilham Omar's tweet accusing Israel of committing an 'act of terrorism' as an example. 'They feel like they can get away with more because they have politicians backing them up,' Borgen said. 'Some of the things I see in the news and on social media, it's just sickening to me' 'I would never think I'd ever have to worry about my religion or my skin color or my ethnicity being a problem in New York city,' he continued. 'Beyond just the Jewish perspective, the amount of hate that's going on these days is really just mind blowing to me. 'I have a coworker who is of Asian descent who is afraid to ride the subway at night. It's just sickening.' The Anti-Defamation League this week reported almost 200 attacks on American Jews in the seven days from May 10 - the date that Hamas first fired rockets at Israel. That number represents an almost 40 percent increase on the 131 anti-Semitic incidents that were clocked in the US the week before. 'As the violence between Israel and Hamas continues to escalate, we are witnessing a dangerous and drastic surge in anti-Jewish hate right here at home,' ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said Thursday. An urgent recall has been issued for a Toyota Hilux Rogue model over fears faulty wiring could spark a fire. Toyota issued the recall for the GUN126 models that were sold between November 20, 2020 and April 30, 2021. Product Safety Australia warned there could be a flaw in the design of the 683 vehicles that were sold. A power wire could have been incorrectly installed and chafe against the battery clamp post, wear down the insulation and cause a short circuit. An urgent recall has been issued for a Toyota Hilux Rogue model over fears faulty wiring could spark a fire Toyota issued the recall for the GUN126 models that were sold between November 20, 2020 and April 30, 2021 Toyota has sent notifications to car owners via text, email or letters and urged them to arrange an appointment to get it fixed as soon as possible. They have promised to repair the fault free of charge. It is the second manufacturer to recall a model this week after Kia issued a recall for its QL Sportage MY2016-2021 and CK Stinger MY2017-2019 models. More than 60,000 vehicles have been recalled over fears the cars could burst into flames if the vehicle is switched off. The defect was found in the Anti-lock Braking System, Electronic Stability Control System and Traction Control System. The car manufacturer said that if water enters it then it could cause an electrical short circuit and spark a fire in the engine compartment. In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un delivers a closing speech at the Sixth Conference of Cell Secretaries of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang, North Korea, April 8, 2021. AP U.S. President Joe Biden has demonstrated a clear commitment to engaging with North Korea by appointing a special envoy to specifically deal with North Korea issues, but whether the North will come to the table in the near future remains to be seen, U.S. experts said Friday. In a joint press conference with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Biden announced his appointment of Acting Assistant Secretary of State Sung Kim as "U.S. special envoy for the DPRK" to "help drive all these efforts" toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. DPRK is short for North Korea's official name, Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Biden described Kim as a "career diplomat with deep policy expertise." "Appointing Sung Kim as special envoy to North Korea is one pragmatic step. He is an experienced diplomat and, along with the other Biden appointments for posts that might affect issues related to North Korea, indicates a high priority for President Biden," said Celeste Arrington, associate professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University. Kim is a career diplomat who has also served as U.S. ambassador to South Korea. He also held his newly appointed position as special U.S. representative for North Korea between 2014 and 2016 under the Barack Obama administration. Biden said the U.S. will take "pragmatic" steps toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. "Our two nations also share a willingness to engage diplomatically with DPRK, to take pragmatic steps that will reduce tensions as we move toward our ultimate goal of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," he told the joint press conference. Arrington noted that Kim, along with other members of Biden's North Korea team, are "well-equipped with expertise and experience to try to take pragmatic steps to reopen dialogue with the North." Still, she cast doubt over the resumption of U.S.-North Korea dialogue in the near future. "The summit strongly reaffirmed the U.S.-ROK alliance, aspects of which the DPRK perceives as threatening. President Biden also stated that the North would have to show a serious commitment to discuss its nuclear arsenal. That seems unlikely to happen soon," said Arrington. Frank Aum, a senior expert on North Korea at the U.S. Institute of Peace, a government-run think tank based in Washington, argued the North may even return to its old habit of provocations before returning to dialogue. "The bad part with this approach is that it continues to focus more on North Korea as a bad actor that needs to be contained and deterred rather than as a mutual partner," he said of Biden's new approach toward Pyongyang. A new type of a tactical guided missile was launched from the North Korean town of Hamju, South Hamgyong Province, in this file photo from March 26, 2021, released by the Korean Central News Agency. Yonhap The glamorous model wife of billionaire Pornhub tycoon Bernd Bergmair has today made an extraordinary public put down of her husband's site, as she urged him to think of the children who could be exposed to explicit videos. Brazilian fashion blogger Priscila Bergmair said she 'really hopes' her elusive porn baron husband will sever ties with the sex video website that his company owns. Mr Bergmair, 52, is a majority owner of Montreal-based porn firm MindGeek, the company behind Pornhub. The site, which boasts 120million visitors a day across the world and has more online traffic than Netflix and Amazon, has been come under criticism over abusive content such as videos of rape and 'revenge porn'. Priscila, who regularly posts about her glamorous jet-setting life as a model on her now-hidden Instagram page, also called on Governments to make more rules about accessing online content. Brazilian fashion blogger Priscila Bergmair (pictured) said she 'really hopes' her elusive porn baron husband will sever ties with the sex video website that his company owns Priscila (pictured), who regularly posts about her glamorous jet-setting life as a model on her now-hidden Instagram page, also called on Governments to make more rules about accessing online content Bernd Bergmair: The elusive billionaire porn baron who is increasingly coming under the spotlight He is the head of a massive online empire which makes money from videos of an act many consider private. But unlike the world-famous pornographic models his website provides a platform for, Austrian-born porn baron Bernd Bergmair is himself a private man. Little is known about his life and few pictures of him exist on the internet. What is known about the 52-year-old is that he is incredibly rich - a billionaire - as the majority owner of MindGeek. The firm, based in Canada, is thought to be worth 1.2billion - and may now be worth 2billion according to the Sunday Times. It owns porn website Pornhub, which boasts around 120million visits a day, along with RedTube and YouPorn. The company posts revenues of around 325million-a-year. It is not clear where Bergmair lives. While is company is based in Montreal, Bernd is said to be an Austrian national. However, some reports suggest he now lives in China. Last week, Tortoise media tracked him down to London. He was found to be living in a mansion on one of the capital's richest streets - where houses often cost 30million or more. He is also married to Brazilian model Priscila Bergmair, who blogs about her experience online and often posts about her jet-setting life-style on Instagram. But despite the size of his website - which has more traffic that Netflix and Amazon - his own existence online is incredibly minimal. Earlier this month a report found just three Google search hits on Bergmair's name - two of which were court filings in the early 2010s and the other an investigation by the Financial Times. Until recently there was just one photograph of him online - a photograph from old university alumni magazine. Interest in Bergmair's life has significantly increased in recent months, following calls to combat abusive content on his porn websites. The company last year banned video downloads from Pornhub and now only accepts content from verified users who have had their identities verified. But the company, and Bergmair as it's majority shareholder, continues to face scrutiny. In February this year politicians in Canada held a two-hour Q&A with top executives of MindGeek where they called on the firm to turn over financial and tax records amid criticism over abusive content. And earlier this month more than 700 victims advocates and survivors of sexual exploitation have sent a letter to the US Congress, urging lawmakers to launch a criminal investigation into Pornhub and MindGeek. Advertisement In December, MindGeek cracked down on its unverified users following a newspaper report claiming it was profiting from abusive content - including child exploitation. Priscila - speaking from her multimillion-pound West London home - insisted that her husband knew nothing about any alleged wrongdoing on the site. However the model told The Sunday Times: 'Everyone wants the best to be done. 'Because people have children. I have children now. So I dont want children, you know ... none of us want that. We all want things to be right.' Priscila, a mother-of-three, has previously spoken about own experiences of being a model. Writing in a blog, she said a photographer pushed her to pose for sexual photographs when she wasn't comfortable doing so. The images left her feeling ashamed and she asked for her name to be taken off his website. But the photos had already been shared widely online. She said: 'Because he (the photographer) was doing a free shoot, he kept pushing me to do more and more sexy poses and trying to get me topless. 'In the end, the pictures were great, but I was ashamed of them, because they were so sexy. 'I asked the photographer to remove my name from his website, even though they are some of the best pictures I have ever done. 'It was useless, because by the time he removed my name, the pictures went viral and its very easy to find them everywhere.' In the blog post Priscila also talked about the ups-and-downs of the industry, saying the upside was working with 'talented and creative' people, travelling the world and attending glamourous celeb-filled parties. But she said the downsides included sexual harassment, 'jealous' girls, anorexia and pushy agents. 'I have worked as a model for many years,' she said in her blog. 'It was very different from the supermodel lifestyle you see on TV. 'There are a handful of supermodels that become celebrity and live a life that is far from the reality that most models experience.' She continued: 'One of the worst things for me is being compared with prostitutes, or being called stupid. Thats really common.' Her husband's firm MindGeek is facing an FBI investigation after 132 sexual exploitation survivors called on the bureau to probe claims of sex trafficking breaches. Alongside Pornhub, MindGeek, also owns porn sites RedTube and YouPorn. The company is thought to be worth 1.2billion, with revenues in the region of 325million a year. Mr Bergamir is the majority stakeholder of MindGeek. Pornhub - which attracted 42 billion views in 2019 - said that it doesn't knowingly allow images of sexual abuse of children. But it was forced to remove more than 10 million unverified videos - the majority of its content following a report by the New York Times. Even after the videos were flagged and removed, downloaded copies continued to circulate, often with severe personal consequences, the paper said. Credit card companies Visa, Mastercard and Discover have since blocked their customers from making purchases on Pornhub. Pornhub (pictured library image) - which attracted 42 billion views in 2019 - said that it doesn't knowingly allow images of sexual abuse of children. Last year the company limited uploads to just verified users The firm responded last year by banning downloads from the site. They also stopped videos being posted by unverified users. It means only people who have been verified by the site - known as 'content creators' - will be able to post content. The company says it will also be releasing its first transparency report in 2021, outlining the results of moderation from the previous year. In a statement in December 2020 the company said that 'every online platform has the moral responsibility' to join in the fight against depictions of child sexual abuse or non-consensual activity. MailOnline has contacted Pornhub for a comment. The findings of the Tortoise investigation are to be released as part of a podcast called Hunt for the Porn King, which is set to be released tomorrow. Thousands of apartment owners in Sydney and Melbourne are expected to sell in the coming months, giving first-home buyers the chance to snap up a bargain. Fresh figures released by Digital Finance Analytics showed that more than 4,000 property investors across both cities plan to flood the market with units due to the mortgage repayment holiday ending in March. Financial regulators allowed lenders to give borrowers the option to pause mortgage repayments from March 2020 to ease the strain for those affected by the Covid-19 economic downturn. Investors have battled to fill units while Australia's borders remain shut, with high vacancy rates forcing owners to accept rent at discounts of about 40 per cent - driving some unit prices down below $600,000. It comes in stark contrast to housing prices, which have soared by an eye-watering 7.4 per cent nationwide to a median $643,203. Pictured: Units in Sydney, which have fallen in value by more than 8 per cent. Experts say it could be a good opportunity for first home buyers Pictured: An auction in Paddington in Sydney's inner-east. Housing prices have soared by 7.4 per cent In the Sydney suburb of Arncliff, the value of apartments has fallen by 6.2 per cent to $701,000. Prices in Lane Cove have plunged by 6.3 per cent to $834,000, in Croydon they've fallen by 8.1 per cent to $733,000, and in northern suburbs like St Leonards and Chatswood they've dropped by 8.4 per cent to about $1.2million. The value of an apartment in the Melbourne suburb of Moonee Ponds has plummeted by 9.7 per cent to $566,000. Units in Ascot Vale have also fallen by 9.7 per cent to $570,000, in Kew they've dropped by 8.2 per cent to $769,000, and in Essendon units have plunged by 7.8 per cent to $577,000. The value of an apartment in the Melbourne suburb of Moonee Ponds has plummeted by 9.7 per cent to $566,000. Pictured: Units in Melbourne CBD Andrew Wilson, chief economist of Archistar, said holiday rentals, such as those listed on Airbnb, were also affected by border closures which further inflamed the problem. According to Mr Wilson, it means units will go on sale at reduced prices. 'It will be interesting to see if more stress sales will be coming on to the market from investors given high vacancy rates and the end of mortgage rates holiday,' he told news.com.au. Along with high vacancy rates, experts say the extraordinary price drops are due to an oversupply of apartments in each city, with some 45,000 new units currently being constructed across NSW and Victoria at a time when the demand is low. But CoreLogic head of research Tim Lawless said it could be a great time for first home buyers to enter the market. Pictured: People gathering at an auction in Sydney. While the housing market booms, the apartment market falls Best places to buy an apartment Digital Finance Analytics has forecast thousands of apartment owners will sell their properties in Sydney and Melbourne due to the mortgage repayment holiday ending in March. Investors have battled to fill units while Australia's borders remain shut, with high vacancy rates forcing owners to accept rent at discounts of about 40 per cent. Below is a list of the hottest Sydney and Melbourne suburbs where apartment prices have been slashed. Sydney: Arncliff - down 6.2 per cent to $701,000 Lane Cave - down 6.3 per cent to $834,000 Croydon - down 8.1 per cent to $733,000 St Leonards - down 8.4 per cent to $1.2million Chatwood - down 8.4 per cent to $1.2million Melbourne Moonee Ponds - down 9.7 per cent to $566,000 Ascot Vale - down 9.7 per cent to $570,000 Kew - down 8.2 per cent to $769,000 Essendon - down 7.8 per cent to $577,000 Advertisement 'If people are buying to live, prices are low and it may be a good time to get into an inner city location as there is bit of a bargain around units, especially if people are in a good financial position, can negotiate hard and can shop around,' he said. Buyer's agent Wendy Chamberlain told the publication that first-time buyers have to know the area they want to buy in to, and be ready to jump on a good deal when they see it. 'It is only going to be a bargain if the property holds its value over time and doesn't come with a surprise down the track that could blow your budget such as flammable cladding or special levies to fix issues, she said. 'Remember, not every cheap property is a bargain.' A mother who was allegedly strangled and suffocated by her husband before she fled the family home forever claims she later learned he had repeatedly sexually abused their daughter. Catherine* had suffered more than 20 years of abuse at the hands of her ex-husband when she took their four children and fled to a Sunshine Coast women's refuge in 2018. As they made their escape, she said he pinned her down, choked her, and threatened to defecate on her in front of their youngest daughter. 'When he couldn't [strangle me], he tried to suffocate me. He was just screaming the whole time "go to sleep you f***ing b****",' Catherine told the Sunshine Coast Daily. 'If I hadn't been able [to break free and] jump that fence, I believe I wouldn't even be here today. We left that day and we never went back.' Although they were safe from his abusive outbursts, a devastating secret would leave the family shattered again almost two years later. Catherine* claims she was almost killed when she fled from her husband in 2018 after more than 20 years of domestic abuse (stock image) Early last year, Catherine's 11-year-old daughter Georgia* told her mother she had been molested by her father three times in 2017. Catherine said the abuse took place during a two-week period when her husband had 'kidnapped' their three youngest children. The revelation left her shocked. 'I know it happened, but I can't quite grasp the fact that a dad would do that to a daughter,' Catherine said. Catherine asked police to conduct welfare checks, but they were not completed because no formal custody arrangements were in place at the time. If they had been, Catherine believes her children may have been brought home sooner and her daughter could have been spared being sexually abused. The mother-of-four is seeking justice but her ex-husband remains on the run. She believes he is somewhere in NSW. Both Catherine and Georgia have made statements to police, who say they are working to track him down. Sunshine Coast District Detective Inspector Dave Drinnen said they would do everything in their power to bring him to justice. Catherine said she was sharing her story to raise awareness about domestic violence and what happens behind closed doors. The Queensland mother said she often asks herself why she didn't leave earlier, but said she felt they had nowhere else to go. She said he was charming and charismatic when they first met, but warning signs developed when she was pregnant with their first child. As the abuse escalated, she said her and the kids would be kicked out of the house if she disagreed with him. With nowhere to stay, there were nights they resorted to sleeping in the car before returning home when Catherine felt there was no other option. Last year, Catherine's 11-year-old daughter revealed that she had been sexually abused by her father on three occasions in 2017 (stock image) After undergoing counselling, Catherine said she has been able to let go of her guilt and has learnt to accept that she was not to blame. Catherine's experience is not isolated. According to data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, one in four women in Australian (23 per cent) have experienced physical or sexual violence by current or former intimate partner since age 15. On average, one woman is murdered each week by a current or former partner while almost ten women are hospitalised a day for assault injuries at the hands of a spouse or domestic partner. *The names in this story have been changed in order to protect those involved. If you or someone you know is experiencing sexual abuse or family violence contact: 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) NSW Domestic Violence Line (1800 65 64 63) The second repatriation flight from India has landed in Australia with all 165 passengers onboard. The Qantas flight left the International Airport at New Delhi before landing in Darwin, in the Northern Territory, at 10am on Sunday. All the passengers have been ushered into the Howards Springs quarantine facility where they will begin their two week quarantine. They will join the 80 other residents who were placed into quarantine after arriving on the first repatriation flight from India on May 15. The Qantas flight left the International Airport at New Delhi before landing in Darwin, in the Northern Territory, at 10am on Sunday (pictured) Airport crew load the Qantas flight ahead of its departure from New Delhi in India It was the first plane to touch down in Australia in several weeks after the federal government imposed a travel ban on flights to and from India. The country is grappling with a deadly Covid-19 outbreak and recording 4,000 deaths and more than 250,000 new cases a day. The first flight's capacity had been reduced to 150 passengers due to social distancing, and was cut down to 80 after 48 passengers tested positive to Covid-19 and 24 others were identified as close contacts. Stranded citizens and permanent residents must test negative for Covid-19 twice before getting the green light to board a flight home. Among those booked on the flight were Melbourne man Sunny and his elderly mother, who have been stuck in India for the last 12 months. The pair were unable to board the flight after Sunny tested positive. 'We just want to know what is going on,' he told the ABC. 'If I die, the Australian government will be responsible.' Australia's High Commissioner to India Barry O'Farrell said he was disappointed for the Australians who were be unable to board. All 165 passengers boarded the flight from New Delhi in India (pictured) before landing in Darwin on Sunday morning 'My team has worked hard across India to get them bookings on this flight because they are vulnerable,' Mr O'Farrell told the ABC. 'Regrettably those people will have to return home and deal with the Covid that they have, or continue to isolate to prove that they don't have Covid.' Around 10,000 Australians, permanent residents and immediate family members remain stranded in India, desperate to remain home. Around 1,000 of those stranded are identified as 'vulnerable.' A man is in hospital after a group of men allegedly assaulted him during a violent home invasion and set his granny on fire. Police were called to a home on Ringrose Avenue in Greystanes, in Sydney's west, just after 11pm on Saturday night after reports of a blaze. A 45-year-old man was found inside suffering from cuts, bruises and abrasions - claiming he'd been attacked by three men who then proceeded to set his house on fire. A 45-year-old man was found inside a Greystanes granny flat claiming he'd been attacked by three men who then proceeded to set his house on fire Emergency services treated the man at the home in before taking him to Westmead Hospital were he is in a stable condition. Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the break in. The three men have not yet been found. Despite the fire the granny flat is not badly damaged. Cumberland Police Area Command have established a crime scene and are continuing their investigation. Anyone with information is being urged to come forward and contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. A Florida woman documented on Twitter how she flew across the country to win over the love of her life - but ended up heartbroken. Rebecca Renner, 31, posted a series of tweets as she prepared to fly from Orlando to declare her love for a man named Francois Wolmarans before ultimately finding herself alone in a 'sh*tty' motel in Ashland, Oregon. 'Last night, a personal tragedy reminded me that life is uncertain and too godd**n short. So I booked a plane ticket, and I'm about to fly across the country to tell the love of my life how I feel. Wish me luck!' she wrote on Friday. She added: 'And don't wait another day to tell those you love that you love them.' Rebecca Renner, 31, posted a series of tweets as she prepared to fly from Orlando to declare her love for a man named Francois Wolmarans Renner, left, posted excited photos about the adventure from the plane on Twitter Renner utimately finding herself alone in a 'sh*tty' motel in Ashland, Oregon People on Twitter were quick to express wonder at her 'romcom moment' and wished her good fortune on her 'wonderful adventure.' 'I have lived an entire romance novel in the past month, down to the plot structure. it's truly wild,' Renner responded to someone who had commented on the thread. Renner also posted pictures of herself on the flight with the caption: 'I'm not there yet. One more flight to go!' When someone on Twitter asked for further detail about Renner and Francois' backstory, she linked back to tweets indicating that the pair had recently run off together on a road trip to the Grand Canyon. She wrote on May 3: 'Last week, I ran off on an road trip with someone I thought I was falling in love with. I saw the Grand Canyon for the first time. Then things started to implode. 'Now I have an epic story about how the chance I took on love unraveled as I sped in a Mustang down Route 66,' she added. Two weeks later, on May 16, she indicated he was going to visit her in Florida's Everglades - calling it a 'plot twist.' Then, before touching down in Oregon on Friday, she wrote that the two kept kept talking after the Route 66 trip. 'He tried to fix me up with someone bc he wanted me to be happy. I was conflicted for a while. Then I realized the choice was obvious,' she tweeted. However, her followers were surprised by a significant turn of events less than 24 hours later when Francois rejected her. 'Well, this is me in my sh*tty motel room after getting rejected. I don't know whether to be sad or angry, but I'll live to love another day. Hopefully that love will be for someone who values it. Sorry to disappoint you, Twitter,' she wrote. One Twitter user appeared to side with Francois, writing: 'And the people calling HIM the a**hole are genuinely confusing me. Unless he was leading her on behind closed doors, he did absolutely nothing wrong.' 'He was,' she responded. Renner, a contributor to National Geographic, tweeted her saga of unrequited love which went viral She shared on Twitter that she had previously run off with Francois on a road trip to the Grand Canyon She later indicated that he had been leading her on behind closed doors, but said that the two had decided to forgive each other and got breakfast together Renner, a contributor to National Geographic, told the New York Post in an interview after the tweets went viral that she asked him if the pair could 'try again' for a relationship and that they had dated earlier in the year. 'I asked him if we could try again and he said no. So much worse has happened in life than somebody saying no to me. My heart is a little broken, but it will mend,' she told the outlet. Renner also revealed that the her and Francios met for breakfast and that the story may have a happy ending with two forgiving each other. 'We both think it's worth it to make an effort to be kind,' she told the outlet. She also said she was 'really surprised' by the outpouring of support she received on Twitter as others recounted their own stories of 'making big leaps and having failed.' 'It makes me feel better that this touched so many people. That wasn't my intention. I was just throwing something out there online,' she said. 'To have so many people tell me about making big leaps themselves and having failed, only to later meet the real loves of their lives, that feels really powerful to me.' DailyMail.com has reached out to Renner for more information and additional comment. Contact information for Francois was not immediately available. Elon Musk appeared to show renewed support for cryptocurrencies on Saturday, and the so-called Dogefather's boost may have helped stabilize a precipitous drop in Bitcoin's value. In a Twitter thread posted early Saturday morning, the billionaire tech mogul said 'any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology'. His legion of followers interpreted it to be a reference to cryptocurrency, whose values have been on a steep decline since Musk Tweeted about the enormous environmental impact of mining them. When someone asked what the Tesla CEO thought about people 'who are angry at you because of crypto,' Musk tweeted that the 'true battle is between fiat & crypto. On balance, I support the latter.' A fiat currency is defined as being backed by the government that issued it, rather than something that is intrinsically valuable like gold. All the world's major currencies, from the US dollar to the Japanese Yen, are fiat money. After Musk's post Bitcoin's price rose slightly to $38,150 before easing to $37,600 late on Saturday night. The price is still down more than 30% in May after a barrage of bad news. Tesla has announced it will no longer accept the currency as payment, and Chinese officials said they would no longer accept it in their financial systems. Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of Tesla and outspoken crypt booster, has been tweeting his support of crypto over 'fiat' currencies Elon Musk appeared to show renewed support for cryptocurrencies in a tweet Saturday, saying he supported it over 'fiat' currencies Bitcoin's value dropped as low as $32,000 earlier this week before recovering some of its losses In a Twitter thread on Thursday night, Musk argued that the cryptocurrency could be environmentally friendly in the future, so long as the biggest 'miners' revealed how much renewable energy they used. 'This *can* be done over time, but recent extreme energy usage growth could not possibly have been done so fast with renewables. This question is easily resolved if the top 10 hashing orgs just post audited numbers of renewable energy vs not,' he said. He went on to say that Bitcoin mining was starting to use more energy than small countries. 'Bitcoin hashing (aka mining) energy usage is starting to exceed that of medium-sized countries. In a Twitter thread on Thursday night, Musk argued that the cryptocurrency could be environmentally friendly in the future, so long as the biggest 'miners' revealed how much renewable energy they used 'Almost impossible for small hashers to succeed without those massive economies of scale.' Bitcoin mining sees new 'coins' generated by extremely sophisticated computers solving complex mathematical problems. Although no physical mining is involved, and no actual coins are minted, the technology involved uses huge amounts of electricity, which in turn burns large quantities of fossil fuels. In a report issued on Thursday, the Treasury described new compliance proposals from President Joe Biden, including mandatory tax reporting for transactions of $10,000 or more for Bitcoin and its rival cryptocurrencies. Explaining the proposal, a Treasury Department spokesman said: 'Cryptocurrency already poses a significant detection problem by facilitating illegal activity broadly including tax evasion. 'This is why the President's proposal includes additional resources for the IRS to address the growth of cryptoassets. Musk was a cryptocurrency champion but earlier this month tanked the price by expressing concern about good it was for the environment. 'Within the context of the new financial account reporting regime, cryptocurrencies and cryptoasset exchange accounts and payment service accounts that accept cryptocurrencies would be covered. Further, as with cash transactions, businesses that receive cryptoassets with a fair market value of more than $10,000 would also be reported on.' The measure, set to take effect in 2023 if passed, would require businesses to report crypto transactions over the threshold to the IRS, as they are currently required to do with cash, in a bid to crack down on tax evasion and money laundering. According to CNBC, financial analysts believe the Security and Exchange Commission - a financial regular separate to the Treasury Department - will likely be granted jurisdiction over cryptocurrency by Congress. Bitcoin dropped 6 percent on the news to just under $40,000, a day after Wednesday's turbulent trading that saw the coin whipsaw up and down 30 percent within hours, with support from Tesla CEO Elon Musk fueling the rebound. Analysts believe that Thursday's proposal could bolster the value of cryptocurrency long term, by granting Bitcoin, Ether and their rivals true legitimacy, as well as making transactions using the currencies safer. Before Thursday's IRS announcement, Bitcoin had earlier regained some lost ground to trade above $40,000 on Thursday morning. The increase in value came a day after a brutal selloff on concerns over tighter regulation in China and unease over the extent of borrowing in the cryptocurrency world. A woman has successfully tracked down the mystery man she met at a popular Sydney bar after appealing for help tracking him down on social media. Mikayla Nardella posted her story to Facebook group Bondi Local Loop on Sunday morning after failing to get the name and number of an Irish man she was speaking to at Strawberry Hills Hotel. 'Okay so I was at Strawberry Hills and I met I guy named Jason from Derry and I was calling him Egg! Hoping he has this page so I can get his number,' she wrote. 'He begins to tell me he's ''just yolking'' haha like just joking but in his amazing accent! And the name egg just stuck after that,' Mikayla told Daily Mail Australia. Mikayla Nardella posted her story to Facebook group Bondi Local Loop on Sunday morning after failing to get the name and number of an Irish man she was speaking to at a Sydney bar Mikayla Nardella posted her story to Facebook group Bondi Local Loop after failing to get the name and number of an Irish man she was speaking to at Strawberry Hills Hotel The pair met in the early hours of Sunday morning at the Straberry Hills Hotel - a pub popular with Sydneysiders because it stays open well into the morning The pair met in the early hours of Sunday morning at the Surry Hills pub popular with Sydneysiders because it stays open well into the morning. Mikayla and Egg 'had a few laughs' but when he went to get them drinks staff began ushering people out to shut the bar. 'He went to get us drinks but it was closing and we all had to leave and were separated. I never got a chance to get his details!' She told Daily Mail Australia. Mikayla headed home and wasted no time looking for Egg, posting to Bondi Local Loop at 5:44am in the hopes of tracking him down. Members of the group leapt into action, with one describing the situation as 'an egg hunt'. 'You've cracked it,' one person commented. 'I hope you ain't poaching someone else's fella,' another added. One member asked Mikayla why she didn't ask for his number on the spot, to which someone replied: 'Her brain was ...scrambled'. Mikayla headed home and wasted no time looking for Egg, posting to Bondi Local Loop at 5:44am in the hopes of tracking him down An admin from another Facebook page Irish Around Sydney saw Mikayla's request and offered to share it in their group, saying: 'He will be found' Mikayla confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that Egg was indeed found thanks to the post on the Irish Around Sydney page An admin from another Facebook page Irish Around Sydney saw Mikayla's request and offered to share it in their group, saying: 'He will be found'. Mikayla confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that Egg was indeed found thanks to the post on the Irish Around Sydney page. She said she's not too concerned if her interest isn't reciprocated because 'the comments have made it all worth it either way'. Model Paloma Elsesser has been blasted for wading into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, telling her legion of followers on Instagram not to post about anti-Semitism as it 'delegitimizes the Palestinian struggle'. The plus-sized model, who appeared on the cover of Vogue magazine in January, made the comments as violence flared again between Israelis and Palestinians, and waves of protests around the world sparked angry scenes. Elsesser, 29, posted a statement written by Anna Rajagopal which called on people to think twice before posting about anti-Semitism. The comment said: 'No one is saying you have to be silent on anti-Semitism, but before you post about anti-Semitism during this time ask yourself... will people be able to use this to delegitimize the Palestinian struggle'. Elsesser was slammed on Instagram for the post. 'You know nothing about Israel about Palestinians or about Jews. Stay out of our affairs if you aren't going to educate yourself,' wrote one user. 'You're the biggest anti-Semite', wrote another. 'Get it through your head, anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism. You use your platform to divide. It's disgusting, you should be ashamed.' Another called on Elsesser to 'stop spreading lies'. 'We don't tell you what racism is. Don't tell us what anti-Semitism is.' It comes days after supermodel sisters Bella and Gigi Hadid sparked a firestorm over an Instagram post that said Israel was not a country, but rather a land settled by colonizers. Paloma Elsesser, 29, a plus-sized model from Britain, shared comments from a controversial outspoken critic of Israel to her Instagram account In her Instagram stories, Elsesser shared the post written by Anna Rajagopal which asked her 342,000 followers not to post about anti-Semitism in case it was used to 'delegitimize' the Palestinian struggle Elsesser appeared on the cover of Vogue magazine in January 2021, and is a highly successful plus-sized model Bella Hadid, who has nearly 42 million followers on the platform, published the series of cartoons Wednesday that called Israel 'occupiers' and called Palestinians 'oppressed.' Her sister Gigi then liked the post, amplifying the cartoons riddled with historic inaccuracies and anti-Semitic tropes to her 66.2 million followers. Israel's official social media channels hit back at the superstar sisters. 'When celebrities like @BellaHadid advocate for throwing Jews into the sea, they are advocating for the elimination of the Jewish State,' the State of Israel's official Twitter account wrote Sunday. 'This shouldn't be an Israeli-Palestinian issue. This should be a human issue. Shame on you,' along with the hashtag Israel Under Attack. Meena Harris, the niece of vice president Kamala Harris, has also been an outspoken supporter of Palestine. 'If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the oppressor,' she wrote on Instagram. Sobbing selfie: Bella Hadid, 24, posts sobbing selfie and talks about 'deep sense of pain' she feels for Palestine as she continues to takes sides on the geopolitical conflict It was said that her post inflamed the very fraught geopolitical situation and contributed to rising anti-semitism on a global scale 'Israel colonization': The supermodel shared a 10 slide graphic which said Israel was responsible for 'ethnic cleansing' and was not a country but a land settled by colonizers On Saturday, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in New York City holding 'Abolish Israel' signs to show their support for Palestinians, with protests also planned in other US cities following intense demonstrations around the world. The 'Rally to Defend Palestine' on Saturday afternoon in the Sunnyside neighborhood of Queens was organized by the New York group Within Our Lifetime (WOL). In Queens, one car displayed a poster branding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 'the biggest terrorist in the world!' Marchers were pictured holding various flags, including one that appears to show a red target over Israel's flag - though the meaning of the flag was not entirely clear. Another man held a sign that called to 'Abolish Israel' while another protester held a sign that reads 'End the Ongoing Nekba', a reference to the day Israel became a nation. Meanwhile, anti-Semitic attacks are surging across the United States. The Anti-Defamation League reported almost 200 attacks on American Jews in the seven days from May 10 - the date that Hamas first fired rockets at Israel. That number represents an almost 40 percent increase on the 131 anti-Semitic incidents that were clocked in the US the week before. 'As the violence between Israel and Hamas continues to escalate, we are witnessing a dangerous and drastic surge in anti-Jewish hate right here at home,' ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said Thursday. It came after a wave of violence against Jewish people across the United States. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA The LAPD are investigating a link between two anti-Semitic attacks that took place on consecutive nights in the heavily Jewish neighborhood of Beverly Grove. On Monday evening, two cars bearing Palestinian flags chased down a 'terrified' Orthodox Jew before he ran to the safety of a nearby synagogue. Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles said the father-of-six - who is too scared to be publicly identified - 'literally had to run for his life'. LOS ANGELES, MONDAY MAY 17: Two cars bearing Palestinian flags chased down a 'terrified' Orthodox Jew before he ran to the safety of a nearby synagogue LOS ANGELES, TUESDAY MAY 18: Pro-Palestinian protesters were caught on camera brawling with diners at a kosher restaurant in the same neighborhood LOS ANGELES, THURSDAY MAY 20: Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Center denounced the dangerous uptick in violence during a press conference with LA Mayor Eric Garcetti The following evening, pro-Palestinian protesters were caught on camera brawling with diners at a kosher restaurant in the same neighborhood. The protesters pounced after allegedly asking the patrons if they were Jewish. 'We do believe that these two incidents are related, by some evidence that's available,' Dominic Choi, a deputy chief in the Los Angeles Police Department, said Thursday. He added said investigators have reached a 'critical point' in the cases. The FBI is also involved in the probe. MIAMI, FLORIDA Police in Miami have launched an investigation after a Jewish family were pelted with garbage and subjected to vile slurs as they left a synagogue. Eric Orgen was walking with his wife and daughter on Monday when a group of men slowed down their car and began yelling 'Free Palestine', 'Die Jew' and 'I'm gonna rape your wife'. The harassers only stopped when a stranger in another car intervened, brandishing a gun to scare them off. 'I mean he was almost there as our guardian angel just protecting us. I think once they saw him they just took off,' Orgen told CBS12 News. It comes after a van was seen cruising through Miami earlier this week sporting Palestinian flags and the words 'HITLER WAS RIGHT' written across a side window. MIAMI, MONDAY MAY 17: Eric Orgen was walking with his wife and daughter on Monday when a group of men slowed down their car and began yelling 'Free Palestine', 'Die Jew' and I'm gonna rape your wife' MIAMI, SUNDAY MAY 16: A van was seen cruising through Miami earlier this week sporting Palestinian flags and the words 'HITLER WAS RIGHT' written across the window MANHATTAN, NEW YORK Jewish people had fireworks thrown at them during competing pro-Israel and pro-Palestine demonstrations in New York City on Thursday night. A number of vehicles carrying people waving Palestinian flags and shouting racial slurs were captured on videos, driving through Manhattan's Diamond District, home to many Jewish-owned businesses. The NYPD's Hate Crime Task Force said it was investigating the assault of a Jewish man in Times Square, with video posted to social media purporting to show him being kicked as he lay on the street. He was taken to hospital with minor injuries. More than two dozen people were arrested in the skirmish. One Big Apple resident told Fox News: 'My eyes are swollen from crying. This is not the New York City I recognize'. Another told the network:' Stop telling me this is about Israel and Gaza. My people are being targeted across the United States in broad daylight. This is textbook anti-Semitism, and we will continue to live in danger until the public starts to recognize it for what it is.' Meanwhile, Jewish man Joseph Borgen, 29, was hospitalized after being set upon by a group of pro-Palestinian protesters during the dueling demonstrations . Video shared to social media shows him being pushed to ground before he was kicked by multiple people. 'They were punching me, kicking me all over my body. I have bruises on my ribs, my back, all over... I got a slight concussion,' Borgen told FOX 5 following his release from hospital. NEW YORK, THURSDAY MAY 20: Jewish man Joseph Borgen, 29, was hospitalized after being set upon by a group of pro-Palestinian protesters during the dueling demonstrations NEW YORK, THURSDAY MAY 20: Borgen is seen in the hospital after the attack on Thursday NEW YORK, THURSDAY MAY 20: Pro Palestinian protesters burn the Israeli flag during a demonstration in Times Square SKOKIE, ILLINOIS It is not just big cities where Jews have been subjected to the abhorrent attacks. On Sunday, one synagogue in Skokie, Illinois - a heavily Jewish town north of Chicago - had its windows smashed in. A man brandishing a Palestinian flag was caught on buildings security camera also leaving a pro-Palestine sign outside. The same day, a group of demonstrators chanted 'Intifada!' (a cry for violence) across the street from Temple Beth Israel. One resident told Fox News that she is 'scared' to be visibly Jewish in the town - a particularly sad fact given that Skokie has long been a safe haven for Jewish. In the mid-1960s, more than half of its 65,000 residents were Jewish, and many were Holocaust survivors. SKOKIE, SUNDAY MAY 16: On Sunday, one synagogue in Skokie, Illinois - a heavily Jewish town north of Chicago - had its windows smashed in. A man brandishing a Palestinian flag was caught on buildings security camera also leaving a pro-Palestine sign outside TUCSON, ARIZONA In Tucson, Arizona, a rock was thrown through a window of a synagogue on Tuesday morning. No one was injured, and the offender or offenders have not yet been found. It prompted an outcry from Democrat Rep. Alma Hernandez, who is Jewish. 'I'm a complete mess in tears as I write this. I just got off the phone with my Rabbi and our synagogue was vandalized. Someone through a rock at our glass door. This was NOT and accident! I feel numb,' she posted on Twitter. Hernandez believes the attack was designed to 'intimidate' members of the congregation. Jews only make up a small number of Tucson residents. TUCSON, TUESDAY MAY 18: A rock was thrown through a window of a synagogue in a targeted attack SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH A synagogue in Salt Lake City was vandalized with a swastika on Sunday morning, prompting outrage from the local community. Rabbi Avremi Zippel told local reporters: 'A swastika is not a political statement. A swastika is an image of hate. A swastika represents one thing and one thing only and that is death to the Jews'. Zippel said politicians have not been vocal enough in condemning the surge in anti-Semitic attacks. 'The silence surrounding the cheapening of Jewish blood is deafening and downright sad,' he told Fox News. Rabbi Cooper in Los Angeles even blamed some US politicians for inciting attacks on Jews with their anti-Israel rhetoric. 'Political leaders like 'The Squad' and those who agree with them including influencers and entertainers and the media are giving a moral equivalency and parroting talking points of Hamas, a terrorist organization,' he stated. Anti-Semitic attacks in the United States were at near historic highs even before the recent eruption of violence in the Middle East. Last year, the ADL reported 2,023 anti-Semitic instances - the third-highest on record since they began tracking data back in 1979. But as the attacks now increase in both their frequency and brazenness, many Jewish Americans fear a dark new chapter is not only on the rise, but has already arrived. The vicious stabbing of a father-of-two by three large hooded men is being treated as a case of mistaken identity by detectives. Police rushed to the Western Sydney home of Warren Scott, 45, just after 11pm on Saturday where they found his Ringrose Avenue granny flat in Greystanes in Sydney's west billowing with smoke. First responders also discovered blood spattered across the walls and floors of the home and on the doorstep. The LED technician who had to be taken to Westmead hospital for cuts, bruises and abrasions, told police his home had been set on fire after intruders barged in and stabbed him. Police rushed to the Western Sydney home of Warren Scott, 45, just after 11pm on Saturday where they found his Ringrose Avenue granny flat in Greystanes billowing with smoke. Pictured: Ringrose avenue Investigators have not been able to establish any motive for the bizarre crime and say Mr Scott is 'not known to police'. 'It's an unusual set of circumstances but obviously quite violent,' Chief Inspector Adam Phillips told reporters on Sunday. 'At this point in time we believe it is a case of mistaken identity. We do not believe this male person was the intended victim. 'We surmise they were potentially looking for someone else as opposed to that person.' Police said the intruders first knocked on the door before forcing entry to the suburban property. Once inside they obtained a knife from the kitchen and stabbed the victim. One of the men then 'set alight one of the bedrooms' before the trio fled. Neighbour Luke Hackett, 41, told the Daily Telegraph he could hear Mr Scott's 'bloodcurdling' screams for help. The vicious stabbing of a father-of-two by three large hooded men is being treated as an unfortunate case of mistaken identity by detectives (stock image) He ran next door and saw smoke pouring from the home so he started hosing it down. Shortly after, Mr Scott came out of the front door with a gash across his face and said: 'I think I've been stabbed'. NSW Fire were able to put out the blaze quickly and the property was not badly damaged. Police are now calling on anyone with any information to come forwarded and contact police immediately. 'The only thing we have been able to establish so far is that we've got three large males all wearing hooded jumpers entering the property,' Chief Inspector Phillips said. South Korean President Moon Jae-in waves before boarding his Air Force one at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, the U.S., to depart for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, on May 23. Yonhap Sung Kim, the United States' special representative for North Korea Policy / Yonhap President Moon Jae-in said Sunday he is returning home with "surprise gifts" from the United States, citing U.S. President Joe Biden's announcement on COVID-19 vaccine provision and pick of a new special envoy on North Korea. The two leaders had their first summit talks at the White House on Friday. "The outcome of the talks couldn't have been better," Moon wrote on his social messaging accounts. "It was better than expected." The U.S. tried to understand South Korea's position on the pending issues and reflect it in the summit agreement, Moon added. A drug dealer has been jailed for more than 13 years after police got his ID from fingerprints he left on a block of Stilton. Carl Stewart, 39, from Vauxhall, Liverpool, used the EncroChat encryption service to evade detection as he supplied class A and B drugs. He used the handle 'Toffeeforce' to hide his identity, but law enforcement agencies managed to crack the encryption device. Carl Stewart, 39, from Vauxhall, Liverpool, was jailed for more than 13 years after police got his ID from fingerprints he left on a block of Stilton Stewart was identified after he shared an image of a block of cheese in the palm of his hand, and his fingerprints were analysed. He was jailed for 13 years and six months on Friday 21 May after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine and conspiracy to supply heroin at Liverpool Crown Court. Stewart also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply MDMA, conspiracy to supply ketamine and transferring criminal property. Detective Inspector Lee Wilkinson of Merseyside Police said: 'Today we have seen another significant sentencing as part of national Operation Venetic, which came about after law enforcement officials in Europe managed to crack the 'encrochat' service being used by criminals involved in serious and organised crime to carry out their business. 'Carl Stewart was involved in supplying large amounts of class A and B drugs, but was caught out by his love of Stilton cheese, after sharing a picture of a block of it in his hand through encrochat. 'His palm and fingerprints were analysed from this picture and it was established they belonged to Stewart.' Stewart was identified after he shared an image of a block of cheese in the palm of his hand, and his fingerprints were analysed from the image He continued: 'As part of Operation Venetic, Merseyside Police has so far arrested more than 60 people, many of whom have been charged with serious drug trafficking or firearms offences. 'This year will see a number of these people continuing to appear before the courts, and we welcome each and every one. 'Stewart was handed a substantial sentence of 13 years and six months, and this should serve as a stark warning to anyone involved in this criminality that there are serious consequences. 'Merseyside Police, along with law enforcement agencies across the world, will leave no stone unturned in our pursuit of those people who think they are above the law, and we will continue to target anyone involved in serious organised crime to keep this positive momentum going.' Around 60,000 users of encrochat have been identified worldwide, with about 10,000 of them in the UK. They are all involved in coordinating and planning the supply and distribution of drugs and weapons, money laundering and other criminal activity. Police are searching for a group of teenagers after a 17-year-old boy was stabbed in a violent brawl. The stabbing occurred at about 9.30pm on Saturday night after a fight between two large groups of teenagers in Elsternwick Park in Brighton, Melbourne. It's believed that the incident took place when the 17-year-old from Elwood and his friends were approached by a group of about 20 youths who they did not know. The 17-year-old was stabbed at about 9.30pm on Saturday night in Elsternwick Park (pictured) A verbal argument broke out sparking the violent brawl ending when the 17-year-old was stabbed in the stomach. The group then fled the scene through the park and into the surrounding streets. Emergency services attended the scene and the boy was rushed to hospital with serious injuries. A waitress, Claire, who works in a restaurant opposite the park told the Herald Sun she felt something serious had happened after she saw the emergency services arriving. Police are urging anyone with information or CCTV footage to come forward 'I put all of my girls in an Uber when they arrived at the train station (on their way home), you know when you just get that feeling something has gone wrong?,' she said. A resident who lives across the road from Elsternwick Park, said he heard a 'helicopter flying around for about 20 minutes' around 11pm on Saturday. Police have established a crime scene and are continuing to search for evidence today. They are urging witnesses or anyone with any information or CCTV footage from the area to come forward. A senior Government minister has called for the unelected House of Lords to be overhauled and replaced with a more democratic upper chamber. Penny Mordaunt, who currently serves as the Paymaster General having previously served in two secretary of state roles, argues in a new book in favour of a massive shake-up of Parliament. Ms Mordaunt, who works out of the Cabinet Office which oversees matters of constitutional reform, said the current version of the Lords is 'as out of touch with modern democracy as it is possible to be'. Penny Mordaunt, who currently serves as the Paymaster General having previously served in two secretary of state roles, argues in a new book in favour of a massive overhaul of Parliament At the moment there are approximately 800 peers compared to 650 MPs in the House of Commons She labelled Parliament a 'relic' and a 'mausoleum' which must be updated, according to extracts from 'Greater: Britain After The Storm' seen by The Sunday Times. The book, written when Ms Mordaunt was outside government, sets out how Britain could change and reposition itself after Brexit. The book has been endorsed by Boris Johnson as well as former prime minister Tony Blair and other prominent public figures. Ms Mordaunt and her co-author, Chris Lewis, suggest that the House of Commons and the Lords are 'anachronisms'. On the Lords specifically, they ask: 'What kind of democracy allows the majority of its parliamentarians to be appointed rather than elected? Reforms floated during the years of the Coalition Government suggested moving to a system of 15-year terms in the House of Lords. But Ms Mordaunt suggested that reforms should result in a system of regular elections. The book argues in favour of a majority of parliamentarians being elected but leaves open whether some peers could still be appointed. The comments come after the new Lord Speaker called for the number of peers to be 'vigorously' reduced and demanded a 'face to face' meeting with Mr Johnson to discuss plans to shake up Parliament. Lord McFall, who has taken over from Lord Fowler, said at the start of May that the upper chamber should be continuing to look at shrinking to the size of the House of Commons. At the moment there are approximately 800 peers compared to 650 MPs in the Commons. The government has been accused of failing to act on early warning data in Bedford that showed a rise in Covid cases two weeks before measures were brought in. Public health officials have claimed tests of the town's sewage water had indicated a rapid rise in infections at the start of May, possibly linked to the Indian variant that was also hitting Bolton and Blackburn and Darwen at the time. But despite seeing the potential for an outbreak in the 107,000-population, the government kept its focus on rising cases in the north-west to avoid claims the virus was having 'localised' surges that could derail unlocking the country. The government has been accused of failing to act on early warning data in Bedford that showed a rise in Covid cases two weeks before measures were brought in. Pictured: Swab tests being processed at the town's Faraday Community Centre Bedford had the second-highest rate of Covid-19 in England and was doubling every five days due the spike in variant cases Surge testing was introduced last week, but by that time Bedford was already had the second-highest rate of Covid-19 in England and was doubling every five days. Health Secretary Matt Hancock this week said the town was the 'next biggest cause of concern' after the north-west, adding: 'I would urge everybody in Bedford to exercise caution and engage in testing.' A source told The Observer: 'Wastewater analysis certainly did show a problem two weeks before Hancock decided we were a priority. They were very slow to respond to Bedford's situation at a government level.' Councillor Louise Jackson, Bedford borough council's lead on public health and wellbeing, confirmed she had written to Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi over a week a ago to ask for a 'rapid acceleration of the vaccination programme' for the borough, saying the data was 'deeply worrying'. Health Secretary Matt Hancock this week said the town was the 'next biggest cause of concern' after the north-west, adding: 'I would urge everybody in Bedford to exercise caution and engage in testing' Reacting to claims of the government's delay she told the publication: 'We were second in the country in terms of infection rates and they were still talking about Bolton, Blackburn and Darwen. 'Why on earth would you want to miss Bedford off the list? Unless of course you were doing it because we are so close to London. They didn't want anybody to think it was anything other than a localised issue. She also reiterated concerns aired last week that the government had not shared vital data about the whereabouts of flight passengers returning from India to the UK. Some 20,000 people arrived in the UK between the detection of the Indian strain of coronavirus and when the country was finally added to the travel 'red list' on 23 April. The government has since ramped up its programme to test sewage to assess the prevalence of different Covid-19 variants and now covers two thirds of England's population. The Department of Health and Social Care said the programme had helped identify the need for surge testing in areas such as Bristol and Luton. Yesterday's case total of 2,694 - 667 more than the 2,027 recorded last Saturday - comes as England passes its 50million coronavirus jabs milestone Britain's death toll stood at six yesterday, a decrease of one on the seven recorded this day last week. It comes as a new 'triple mutant' Covid variant with a 'strange combination' of genes is probed by virologists in Yorkshire The DHSC said: 'We have worked closely with local authorities throughout our pandemic response and have always been transparent and open around sharing data to inform local decision making. 'Once the variant of concern was identified in wastewater samples, it was shared with the local authority in good time and local action was rapidly taken. 'Earlier this week, the government announced new decisive local actions, including in Bedford, to halt the spread of the variant of concern first identified in India. 'This includes enhanced genomic sequencing, surge testing and driving vaccine uptake in most affected areas.' It comes after Ministers faced questions over why arrivals were not banned immediately from India, which is now dealing with a second wave of the virus, despite the Covid variant being under investigation for almost three weeks. Home Secretary Priti Patel was grilled on why India was added to the travel 'red list' after its neighbours, but she was criticised when she gave a garbled answer India was added to the list on April 23 but neighbouring Pakistan and Bangladesh were put on it on April 9. On the Andrew Marr Show today, Home Secretary Priti Patel was grilled on why India was added to the travel 'red list' after its neighbours, but she risked confusion as she gave an unclear answer. In a garbled answer Ms Patel said: 'You have to remember as well, there were many measures put in place at the borders even before those countries were red list, and even before the posititative rates were identified, and even before the particular variant of concern. 'So people coming into the country were subject to upstream checks, being checked in terms of Covid tests, and also having to quarantine as well, so very, very strict. 'But of course Andrew we work with the data, and we do know of course when it comes to positivity, rates of concern, and the data, we work with the system, and that information was presented to ministers in the right way for the decisions to be made around red listing of all of the countries in particular.' Priti Patel today hailed the success of the UK's vaccination drive after Public Health England announced the current set of coronavirus jabs are effective against the Indian variant. PHE's findings have boosted hopes that Boris Johnson will be able to go ahead with his June 21 'freedom day' as planned as fears of the PM's roadmap being delayed shrink. The Home Secretary said this morning that the vaccine rollout is 'gradually enabling us all to live our lives' and that the current data on the pandemic is 'good'. She said ministers will 'continue to look at the data' ahead of the final stage of lockdown easing but 'we should absolutely just reflect upon the success of the vaccine'. However, she did urge caution on the June 21 date as she said that positive data now does not mean it is 'the green light all the way'. Priti Patel today hailed the success of the UK's vaccination drive after Public Health England announced the current set of jabs are effective against the Indian variant The Home Secretary said this morning that the vaccine rollout is 'gradually enabling us all to live our lives'. A vaccination centre is pictured in Hexham. PHE found that the Pfizer vaccine is 88 per cent effective against the Indian variant after two doses. Both the Pfizer and AstraZeneca jabs were found to be almost as effective against symptomatic disease from the B1617.2 strain as they are against the Kent variant after the second dose. However, they were only 33 per cent effective three weeks after the first dose. Asked on Sky News whether PHE's findings mean the June 21 unlocking will go ahead as planned, Ms Patel said: 'I think we should all really just look at the success of the vaccine programme and how that is gradually enabling us all to live our lives. 'The reopening of society unlocking of aspects of our economy clearly that is exactly what the roadmap is all about and the Prime Minister himself has been clear that there are key tests and key stages in the run up to the 21st of June. 'We will always continue to look at the data when it comes to the next stage of the roadmap, that is sensible, that is responsible and I think we should absolutely just reflect upon the success of the vaccine and how that is giving people, individuals, society, businesses confidence to be back out there again at what is a very critical time, a year after lockdown and very tough decisions that have been made by the Government.' Ms Patel later told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show that the current data is 'good' when asked whether June 21 will go ahead as planned. She said: This is an important time for us all. We had May 17 in the last week or so, unlocking, people getting back and living their lives. I think we are all quite reflective right now as well over the past 12 months, how we have been locked down, the economy shut down and how we are now getting back to normal. She added: The data, obviously we follow the data, we listen to the advice from scientists in government, we will continue to do that. But I think at this stage I wouldn't want to preempt anything other than to say the data is good and we all need to carry on being very conscientious in our behaviours. However, the Home Secretary did urge caution as she suggested there is still some uncertainty about 'freedom day'. The data is positive in terms of where we are and look at the vaccine information that has been published today about the level of protection against specific variants,' she said. But that doesn't mean of course that, you know, its the green light all the way, there are stages which we will follow. The final stage in Mr Johnson's lockdown roadmap is expected to see a return to something close to normal life amid hopes that social distancing rules will be scrapped. Health Secretary Matt Hancock described the vaccine outcome as 'groundbreaking', while PHE said it expects to see even higher levels of effectiveness against hospital admission and death. The study, which took place between April 5 and May 16, found that the Pfizer vaccine was 88 per cent effective against symptomatic disease from the Indian variant two weeks after the second dose, compared with 93 per cent effectiveness against the Kent strain. Meanwhile, the AstraZeneca jab was 60 per cent effective, compared with 66 per cent against the Kent variant over the same period. Both vaccines were 33 per cent effective against symptomatic disease from the Indian variant three weeks after the first dose, compared with about 50 per cent against the Kent strain. Some 12,675 genome-sequenced cases were included in the analysis, but only 1,054 were of the Indian variant. The study included data for all age groups from April 5 to cover the period since the strain emerged. New data from PHE shows there have been at least 2,889 cases of the Indian variant recorded in England from February 1 this year to May 18. Of those, 104 cases resulted in a visit to a hospital emergency department, 31 required an overnight hospital admission and six resulted in a death. The most common strain in England, according to the data, is the Kent variant, with 132,082 cases recorded over the same period. Today's case total of 2,694 - 667 more than the 2,027 recorded last Saturday - comes as England passes its 50million coronavirus jabs milestone Britain's death toll stands at six today, a decrease of one on the seven recorded this day last week. It comes as a new 'triple mutant' Covid variant with a 'strange combination' of genes is probed by virologists in Yorkshire Some 1,569 people have died with the variant, while 2,011 cases resulted in an overnight hospital admission and 5,238 required a visit to a hospital emergency department. Dr Jamie Lopez Bernal, consultant medical epidemiologist at PHE and the study's lead author, said there was more confidence in the data from the first vaccine dose compared with that from the second. He told journalists yesterday: 'There are bigger numbers that have been vaccinated with one dose. So I think we classify that as moderate certainty around the first dose, but low levels of confidence around the second dose.' However, Professor Susan Hopkins, PHE's Covid-19 strategic response director, said the data trend was 'quite clear' and was heading in the 'right direction'. PHE said the difference in the effectiveness between the vaccines may be due to the AstraZeneca second dose being rolled out later than the Pfizer vaccine. Data also show it takes longer for the AstraZeneca jab to reach maximum effectiveness. There are insufficient cases and follow-up periods to estimate vaccine effectiveness against severe outcomes from the Indian variant but this will be evaluated over the coming weeks, PHE added. Asked about how the data could affect the easing of restrictions from June 21, Prof Hopkins said it was 'too early to say'. She said: 'One week post the last restriction lifting, we will be monitoring it very carefully.' Mr Hancock said: 'This new evidence is groundbreaking and proves just how valuable our Covid-19 vaccination programme is in protecting the people we love. 'We can now be confident that over 20 million people more than one in three have significant protection against this new variant, and that number is growing by the hundreds of thousands every single day as more and more people get that vital second dose.' Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at PHE, added: 'This study provides reassurance that two doses of either vaccine offer high levels of protection against symptomatic disease from the B1617.2 variant. 'We expect the vaccines to be even more effective at preventing hospitalisation and death, so it is vital to get both doses to gain maximum protection against all existing and emerging variants.' Responding to the findings, Professor Adam Finn, professor of paediatrics at the University of Bristol, said: 'Overall the results are encouraging in that the vaccines are continuing to provide useful protection. 'However, protection after the first dose appears to be reduced to a potentially important degree.' Prof Finn, who sits on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, also warned that the new vaccine data does not guarantee that the UK will proceed with a planned further easing of coronavirus restrictions on June 21. He told BBC Breakfast on Sunday: 'I think there are uncertainties around the situation at the moment. I think, in a way, there's been uncertainties all the way along. 'It's always been a sort of provisional timetable and it has to be, or may have to be, adjusted according to events as they occur. 'When we get to June, whatever happens on that date, this global pandemic will not be over. It will still be going on. 'There'll still be cases going on in this country, through Europe and around the world, so life is not suddenly going to go back to normal in June, because life won't be really normal until this is brought under control. 'Life's going towards normal but it's not normal yet.' Separate analysis by PHE indicates that the vaccination programme has so far prevented 13,000 deaths and about 39,100 hospital admissions in older people in England, up to May 9. Latest figures show that more than 50million doses of coronavirus vaccine have now been given in England. A total of 50,246,402 Covid-19 vaccinations took place between December 8 and May 21, according to NHS England data, including first and second doses. Five of Australia's most baffling murder mysteries will be re-examined with the launch of a new cold case hub, set up to find new leads from members of the public. Victoria Police unveiled the purpose-built website portal on Saturday in the hopes it will shed light on the state's 200 unsolved cold cases currently gathering dust in the Homicide Squad's file archives. Members of the public can log onto the cold case hub and assist police by providing information that may have been missed by investigators or forgotten over time. The first five cases to be examined include the fatal shooting of mother Jane-Thurgood Dove, 34, in 1997, the murders of hitchhiking teenagers Fiona Burns and John Lee in 1990 and the gruesome violent sexual assault of Samantha Mizzi in 1994. Victoria Police are also looking into the mysterious death of 42-year-old Christopher Phillips at his home in 1990 and the shooting of Christos Saristavros in the car park of a pub in 2000. Detective Inspector Tim Day said when it comes to cracking historic cases, 'a fresh set of eyes can make all the difference'. 'With each passing year investigating methodology improves, particularly in the area of forensic science, but what doesn't change is the human element and the understanding that it is people that solve cold cases and not just science.' 'Everyday we are uncovering new facts, new leads and new opportunities to allow you to help us solve these cases.' Two new cold cases will be added to the hub every week. Jane Thurgood-Dove - 1997 Jane Thurgood-Dove, 34 (pictured), was gunned down in front of her children on the driveway of her home in 1997 Detectives are hoping that new information will help uncover who was behind the daylight murder of Jane Thurgood-Dove in 1997. The mother-of-three was gunned down in front of her children on the driveway of her Niddrie home in northwest Melbourne at about 3.40pm. A stolen blue Holden Commodore believed to be the vehicle used by the killers was found torched nearby shortly after. Despite a one million dollar reward on offer for anyone with information leading to prosecution, no one has ever been charged. Fiona Burns and John Lee - 1990 The bodies of the young couple Fiona Burns, 15, (right) and John Lee, 14, (left) were found dumped near bushland at a truck stop about 1.6km from the Victoria and South Australian border The hub's second case is the murders of teenagers Fiona Burns, 15, and John Lee, 14, who were stabbed to death back in 1990. The bodies of the young couple were found dumped near bushland at a truck stop about 1.6km from the Victoria and South Australian border. Police said the pair were last seen hitch hiking between Adelaide and Melbourne along the Western Highway between October 9 and 11. Over the years, investigators have received a number of calls and pieces of information from residents in both Victoria and South Australia, however detectives have not yet been able to make a breakthrough on the case. Samantha Mizzi - 1994 Samantha Mizzi (pictured) was left to die in 1994 after being horrifically beaten and sexually assualted on the streets of St Kilda in Melbourne Police are also asking the public's help to find out what happened to Samantha Mizzi, who was fatally beaten with an object and sexually assaulted in 1994, before being stripped and left to die in Melbourne's St Kilda. Samantha had travelled to the red light district from Castlemaine to try and earn some money to support her children, who were at home being cared for by a friend. Witnesses said Samantha was seen speaking with a Caucasian man in his 40s prior to the attack but no one has ever been charged. Christopher Phillips - 1989 Christopher Phillips, 42 (pictured), was bludgeoned to death in his Melbourne home in 1989 For decades police have been puzzled by the strange murder of Christopher Phillips in Cheltenham, southeast Melbourne, in 1989. The engineer and family man, 42, was found by his wife with 'significant head trauma' after being beaten with a heavy blunt object and stabbed. Mr Philips was wearing a tracksuit at the time, which investigators believe indicated he was about to head out for a run. He had no defensive wounds and police believe he was likely attacked from behind. The house had been ransacked, however nothing appeared to have been stolen. There is a one million dollar reward for any information leading to a conviction. Christos Saristavros - 2000 Christos Saristavros, 45 (pictured), was shot dead in mysterious circumstances after leaving a charity event at a pub in 2000. The murder of Christos Saristavros, 45, who was gunned down in the car park of a Box Hill pub in Melbourne's east in 2000 is also on the radar of cold case detectives. He had been attending a charity event with his wife at the Athenian Tavern when a person approached his driver's door and shot Mr Saristravos after a short struggle. Police said the offender ran from the vehicle and was chased down and caught by Mr Saristavros, however during this second altercation, Mr Saristravos was fatally shot. Det Insp Day said behind each unsolved case is a grieving family and friends left without answers or justice. 'These complex cases are investigated by a team of dedicated and experienced, highly trained detectives, but to do better we need your help,' he said. 'It is never too late to speak up and come forward with what you know.' The Defence Secretary has said that Russia's submarines are 'circling Britain's entire coastline' and warned that Putin's force remain our 'number one adversary threat'. Ben Wallace, 51, attacked Russia for 'regularly' sending their ships to UK waters, and claimed Moscow had carried out 'a number of operations, deliberately at Britain'. Mr Wallace, who has been the Secretary of State for Defence since 2019, also told The Telegraph that a Russian kilo-class submarine was spotted in the Irish Sea for the first time in a 'very, very long time' at the end of last year. He told the publication: 'We're regularly visited by nosy Russian ships, and we are regularly visited now by a number of Russian warships.' Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, 51, (pictured) said Russia's submarines are 'circling Britain's entire coastline' and warned that Putin's force remain our 'number one adversary threat' It is the first time that the Government has confirmed the presence of Russian vessels in the Irish sea. Russian ships are normally spotted in either the English Channel or the North Sea, with at least 150 occasions of Russian vessels being detected by the UK since 2013. Mr Wallace added: 'We have tried de-escalation, we have tried methods but at the moment until Russia changes its attitude, it's quite hard to see where we're going to go.' While confirmed sightings of Russian vessels are rare, it was reported that at least seven Russian naval ships and a submarine were spotted off the UK last year. Meanwhile in February, Portsmouth-based patrol ship HMS Mersey tracked a Russian kilo-class submarine as it moved through the North Sea and the English Channel on a journey from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean. Mr Wallace's comments come after the Royal Navy flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth departed from Portsmouth for Asia on Saturday evening for a 28-week operational deployment. Mr Wallace, 51, attacked Russia for 'regularly' sending ships to UK waters, and claimed Moscow had carried out 'operations, deliberately at Britain'. Pictured: Russian submarine being monitored by HMS Mersey He told The Telegraph that the deployment showed Britain was 'back' as a global military force, and denied claims that the voyage will avoid travelling between China and Taiwan. Mr Wallace said: 'We are going there [to Japan] in a confident manner, but not a confrontational manner.' The deployment of the fleet, named the Carrier Strike Group (CSG) will cover 26,000 nautical miles travelling through the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, then from the Gulf of Aden to the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean to the Philippine Sea. It has been organised as part of the 'UK's tilt to the Indo-Pacific region' in a bid to 'bolster deep defence partnerships' as well as to take part in an exercise to mark the 50th anniversary of the Five Powers Defence Agreement with Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. Mr Wallace previously said the deployment 'will be flying the flag for Global Britain - projecting our influence, signalling our power, engaging with our friends and reaffirming our commitment to addressing the security challenges of today and tomorrow'. Kilo-class attack submarine Armament: 6 x 21 in torpedo tubes 18 x torpedoes 4 x land-attack cruise missile, anti-ship missile and anti-submarine missile 24 x mines 8 x surface-to-air missiles Range: With snorkel: 6,0007,500 nmi (6,9008,600 mi) at 7 kn (8.1 mph) Submerged: 400 nmi (460 mi) at 3 kn (3.5 mph) Full run: 12.7 nmi (14.6 mi) at 21 kn (24 mph) Speed: Surfaced: 17 knots (20 mph) Submerged: 20 knots (23 mph) Size: 70.073.8 m Crew: 52 Advertisement The CSG will carry out visits to 40 countries including India, Japan, South Korea and Singapore with more than 70 engagements, including sailing alongside the French carrier Charles De Gaulle in the Mediterranean. As well as the UK military units involved in the CSG, HMS Queen Elizabeth will also have a squadron of 10 US Marine Corps F35B Lightning II jets embarked and be accompanied by the US destroyer USS The Sullivans and the Dutch frigate HNLMS Evertsen. Accompanying HMS Queen Elizabeth is also a surface fleet made up of Type 45 destroyers HMS Defender and HMS Diamond, Type 23 anti-submarine frigates HMS Kent and HMS Richmond, and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary's RFA Fort Victoria and RFA Tidespring. The Royal Navy Astute-class submarine will also be deployed, armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles. As well as the stealth fighters, four Wildcat maritime attack helicopters, seven Merlin Mk2 anti-submarine helicopters and three Merlin Mk4 commando helicopters will be embarked - the greatest quantity of helicopters assigned to a single UK Task Group in a decade. Before its departure, the Queen, 95, toured the 3billion warship, which is affectionally called 'Big Lizzie', on Saturday afternoon in Portsmouth to bid her well-wishes to Royal Navy personnel. The carrier had not been expected to return to Portsmouth after taking part in a major exercise off the coast of Scotland while the CSG had been expected to gather in the Solent prior to departure. But heavy winds led to the unscheduled stop in the naval base in Portsmouth with most of the other ships waiting at Devonport to regroup before sailing for the Mediterranean on Saturday. It comes just months after Portsmouth-based patrol ship HMS Mersey tracked Russian surfaced submarine, RFS Rostov Na Donu, as it moved through the North Sea and the English Channel in February. The Kilo-class diesel powered attack submarine was moving through on its journey from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean. A navy spokesman said at the time: 'Mersey reported on the movements of the Russian Black Sea Fleet submarine, so that Nato allies could track her progress as she continued her onward journey.' Launched in 2003, HMS Mersey is one of the busiest ships in the Royal Navy Fleet, averaging 220 days at sea every year. It comes after patrol ship HMS Mersey tracked a Russian submarine, RFS Rostov Na Donu (pictured), as it moved through the North Sea and the English Channel in February Mr Wallace's comments come after the Royal Navy flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth (pictured) departed from Portsmouth for Asia on Saturday for a 28-week operational deployment The patrol ship predominantly works on fishery protection missions, ensuring that fishing boats and trawlers stick to agreed quotas and regulations on behalf of the Marine Management Organisation. Given her regular presence in home waters, Mersey is also frequently involved in monitoring the movements of foreign warships as they pass the UK. River-class offshore patrol vessel HMS Mersey was also on duty when a kilo-class submarine made a reverse journey in October last year, as it returned from operations in the Mediterranean back to the Baltic. The Royal Navy also shadowed nine Russian warships around the UK towards the end of November in 2020. The ships - which included a surfaced submarine, a destroyer and a patrol ship - were spotted in the English Channel, the Celtic Sea and the west coast of Scotland. Navy patrol ship HMS Severn shadowed Russian corvette Boikiy, while HMS Northumberland was seen watching Udaloy-class destroyer the Vice-Admiral Kulakov. In July last year, a Russian submarine carrying land attack missiles was also intercepted in the Channel by two Royal Navy warships. A telecoms tycoon whose family fled unrest in Zimbabwe, who took on Robert Mugabe in order to start his businesses, and who is now helping to provide Covid vaccines to Africa, has been named as Britain's first black billionaire. London-based Strive Masiyiwa, 60, has clinched the accolade according to the Sunday Times Rich List. However the Zimbabwe-born businessman, who sits on the boards of Netflix and Unilever, has a more pressing goal in mind - attempting get Covid vaccines to Africa. Mr Masiyiwa, considered as one of Africa's most generous humanitarians, is currently the African Union's special envoy on the pandemic. And the businessman, a father of six, has recently secured 400 million doses of the Covid vaccine for the continent - home to 1.3billion people. Strive Masiyiwa (pictured with wife Tsitsi in 2016), who fled unrest in Zimbabwe, took on Robert Mugabe in order to start his businesses, and is now helping to provide Covid vaccines to Africa, has been named the first black billionaire Mr Masiyiwa (pictured with Tony Blair in 2013) moved to the UK as a child, attended secondary school in Scotland and has an engineering degree from the University of Wales Mr Masiyiwa owns high profile properties in New York, including two adjacent apartments atop the 29-storey Eldorado Towers (pictured) - which have been at various points home to stars such as Michael J. Fox, Moby and Alec Baldwin Mr Masiyiwa rise to wealth is a remarkable one, with his parents having fled Rhodesia when he was a child. The top 10 richest people in Britain, according to the 2021 Sunday Times Rich List These are Britain's top 10 richest people, according to the 2021 Sunday Times Rich List: 1) Sir Leonard Blavatnik: 23bn 2) David and Simon Reuben: 21.465bn 3) Sri and Gopi Hinduja and family: 17bn 4) Sir James Dyson and family: 16.3bn 5) Lakshmi Mittal and family: 14.68bn 6) Alisher Usmanov: 13.406bn 7) Kirsten and Jorn Rausing: 13bn 8) Roman Abramovich: 12.101bn 9) Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken and Michel de Carvalho: 12.013bn 10) Guy, George, Alannah and Galen Weston and family: 11bn Advertisement He was born in the country - now modern day Zimbabwe - in 1961. When he was aged 7 his parents fled the country amid the unrest after Ian Smith's government declared independence from Britain. His family moved to Zambia, where Mr Masiyiwa attended primary school, before moving to the UK aged 12. He attended a private secondary school in Scotland - paid for by his entrepreneur mother - before later earning an engineering degree from the University of Wales. For a short time he worked in Cambridge in the computer industry, but later returned to Africa. Upon returning to Zimbabwe in 1984, four years after it had gained independence from Britain, Mr Masiyiwa began working in telecoms. He set up his company Econet in 1993. In 1998, despite opposition from then Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe - who died in 2019 - he launched a mobile phone network. Mugabe refused to give him a license to operate his business. But Mr Masiyiwa took on the controversial leader to the Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe. After a five year legal battle, which took him to the brink of bankruptcy, he won and was given the green light to set up the network. Today the company, known as Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, is the second-largest by market capitalisation. He later told Forbes that the launch of the network took place 'at a time when 70 per cent of the country inhabitants had never heard a ringtone'. Mr Masiyiwa (pictured with Barack Obama in 2016) was born in the Rhodesia - now modern day Zimbabwe - in 1961. When he was seven his parents fled the country amid the unrest the country's declaration of independence from Britain After fleeing persecution from the local authorities, Masiyiwa left Zimbabwe, initially to South Africa - where he launched a new Econet Wireless group. The Econet Wireless group now operates in Africa, Europe, South America and the East Asia Pacific Rim. After living in South Africa for several years, Mr Masiyiwa moved to London in 2010 and has lived in the capital ever since. He still maintains a significant business interest in South Africa. While in the UK, Mr Masiyiwa lives in a detached 2.5million mansion on an exclusive private estate in Surrey. He also owns high profile properties in New York, including two adjacent apartments atop the 29-storey Eldorado Towers - which have been at various points home to stars such as Michael J. Fox, Moby and Alec Baldwin. He bought the two properties for $24.5million in 2016. According to 2019 reports, he also owns a 24million mansion, with 24 rooms - including nine bathrooms with ensuite bathrooms. Mr Masiyiwa also owns high profile properties in New York, including two adjacent apartments atop the 29-storey Eldorado Towers - which have been at various points home to stars such as Michael J. Fox (pictured left), Moby and Alec Baldwin (pictured right) Mr Masiyiwa shared a picture of himself with an American bishop, author and filmmaker T.D Jakes in Ghana in 2018 Mr Masiyiwa is a member of the Netflix board. Here he is in a picture her shared on Instagram with the company's co-founder Reed Harrison in 2019 Mr Masiyiwa is also known as one of the most prolific African philanthropists, focusing in particular on young people. He founded the Higherlife Foundation together with his wife Tsitsi, which pays school fees for some 40,000 students in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Burundi and Lesotho who are either orphaned or from low-income families. He has provided scholarships to more than 250,000 young Africans over the past 20 years through his family foundation. The couple also established the Ambassador Andrew Young Scholarship, which enables African students to attend the Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, US. In 2012, President Barack Obama invited Masiyiwa and four other business leaders to attend the 38th G8 summit at Camp David to address them on strategies on how to increase food production and end poverty in parts of Africa. And in 2014, Fortune Magazine named Masiyiwa as one of the 50 most influential business leaders in the world. He made the Forbes billionaire sheet in 2018, with his total worth then estimated to be around $2.3billion. This month is the time he has been listed on the Sunday Times Rich List as a billionaire. Advertisement Revellers hit Britain's city centres last night for the first Saturday when they can sit inside pubs and restaurants under relaxed Covid rules. Partygoers across the country enjoyed their first night on the town after months of strict lockdown rules, many donning dresses and high heels to celebrate their new-found freedom. The streets of London, Leeds, and Liverpool were packed full as people swapped a night in at home to hit the numerous bars in the country's cities and prepared to celebrate with their friends into the small hours. The scenes follows pubs and bars in England being allowed to open their indoor seating areas and welcoming back groups of up to six people, or two households. Jubilant revellers were spotted donning their beer jackets as they enjoyed the first Saturday night out in Leeds city centre since the latest easing of lockdown rules. Revellers hit Britain's city centres last night for the first Saturday when they can sit inside pubs and restaurants under relaxed Covid rules (pictured, partygoers in Leeds) Partygoers across the country enjoyed their first night on the town after months of strict lockdown rules, many donning dresses and heels to celebrate their new-found freedom The streets of London, Leeds, Birmingham, and Liverpool were packed full as people as revellers sought to make up for months of lost time It comes after a warning from UK Hospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls that many venues have not made it through the shutdown, which means the look of the high street will change as Covid-19 restrictions lift. She told BBC Breakfast: 'There has been a contraction of one in 10 restaurants across the UK but in our high streets it is as high as one in five, so our high streets are going to look very different - that's overall including pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels, and the contraction has been right across the board in those areas. 'All of our businesses are suffering and sadly we have lost 660,000 members of staff. 'Furlough and business support has kept those numbers as low as we can but there is a big risk as we come out of this pandemic, as these businesses are going to be very heavily in debt. 'They are much more indebted than any other sector of the economy. In particular, they have got high levels of rent debt so the shadow of Covid is going to hang over these businesses for about six months before we know that we can get them through.' She suggested that the amount of business and premises losses, particularly among independent firms, could escalate further if the Government's road map is changed and as business support tapers off in the summer. The scenes follows pubs and bars in England being allowed to open their indoor seating areas and welcoming back groups of up to six people, or two households Jubilant revellers were spotted donning dresses and high heels as they enjoyed the first Saturday night out in Leeds city centre since the latest easing of lockdown rules Six partygoers pose for a picture as they enjoy going out in Liverpool on Saturday night for the first time in several months Jubilant revellers enjoyed going out in Liverpool on Saturday night, on the first weekend pubs and restaurants were able to welcome punters indoors since November Partygoers messed around in Soho, London, on Saturday night, enjoying their first night out since Covid restrictions eased on Monday It comes as cases rose slightly in the UK as fears grow the spread of the Indian Covid variant could slow lockdown easing The number of Covid deaths per day has remained low, despite concerns over the spread of the Indian variant of the virus The jubilant scenes come after a warning from UK Hospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls that many venues have not made it through the shutdown, which means the look of the high street will change as Covid-19 restrictions lift Partygoers were seen on their way home after a enjoying their first night out in Leeds city centre after months of Covid lockdowns A second night of partying took place in Leeds on Saturday as revellers enjoyed their first trips to pubs and bars in months The latest easing also means the return of small in-home meetings and groups of up to 30 people can now meet outdoors in England and Scotland Hugging is also permitted between close family and friends across the UK, except in Northern Ireland, where they remain in place until at least May 24 Revellers in Soho, London, made the most of the first Saturday night out after Covid lockdown restrictions eased Street marshalls were out in force in Leeds on Saturday night as revellers enjoyed returning to the pubs for the first time since Covid restrictions eased Revellers made the most of Saturday night in Leicester Square, central London, as easing of lockdown restrictions continue The latest restrictions lift also means the return of small in-home meetings and groups of up to 30 people can now meet outdoors in England and Scotland. Hugging is also permitted between close family and friends across the UK, except in Northern Ireland, where they remain in place until at least May 24. Other recreational venues such as cinemas, museums, theatres and concert halls will be allowed to reopen, although there will be capacity limits on large events. Speaking before the restrictions were eased, Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged families to adopt a 'heavy dose of caution' when enjoying their new found freedom in a bid to prevent a spike in new Covid cases. Four revellers pose for the camera as they hit the streets of Leeds for a rainy night out on Friday evening Two people are caught out in the heavy rain, sheltering under their purse and jacket, as they move between bars on the first Friday evening that bars are open in Newcastle city centre after the latest easing of lockdown restrictions In Newcastle, revellers braved the heavy downpours as they took to the city centre and prepared to celebrate with their friends Despite the torrential rain, revellers took to the streets of Newcastle (left) and Manchester (right) to enjoy a night out Revellers braved the wind and rain as they walking into Manchester city centre and prepared to enjoy their first Friday night since lockdown rules were relaxed to allow people inside at pubs and bars In Cardiff, another reveller was spotted using her jacket to protect herself from the elements as rain and wind continues to hit the city Last night, revellers cross the country were spotted braving the rain in their hordes as they enjoyed their new freedom by toasting the return of pubs and restaurants. Pictures showed people flocking to pubs and bars while doing their best to avoid the downpours of rain with some desperately held pieces of clothing over their heads. Drinkers also hit the streets in Newcastle, Leeds and other cities across the UK to see their friends after months of lockdown. It came despite the Met Office issuing a yellow weather warning and predicted gusts of up to 60mph in Wales and southern England over the weekend. Hundreds of homes have also been left without power as the nation was battered by 85mph gusts in a weekend washout. The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for strong winds on Friday in south-east England - stretching from Norwich to Southampton. The bad weather comes as Britons are allowed to meet indoors for the first weekend since early November. Large parts of the country were plunged into Tier 2 or 3 restrictions at the end of the second lockdown on December 2, with only pubs in Tier 1 - Cornwall, the Isle of Wight, and the Scilly Isles - open to groups from mixed households. Those in Tier 2 were able to meet inside pubs, provided they had a substantial meal. But in Tier 3, all pubs were closed. A dated home in one of Sydney's most sought after suburbs has been sold at auction for almost $1million above the reserve as developers battled over the sought-after land. Around 100 potential buyers flocked to the city's upper north shore on Saturday to see a three bedroom Roseville home with an original listing price of $4million go under the hammer. Most of the large crowd were developers not interested in the dated condition of the property but in the huge 910 square metre block of land with stunning district views. Around 16 bidders registered at the auction and after some fast and furious bidding, the Marjorie Street property sold for $5.2million, well above the $4.35 million reserve. This Roseville home attracted a crowd of 100 auction attendees on Saturday as it went under the hammer for $5.2million 'The bids were all over the place. There was a lot of bidding and a super strong result,' auctioneer Chris Scerri told the Sunday Telegraph. It's highly likely the home will be demolished to make way for a dream family home. 'This solid home offers a rare opportunity to knock down and build the home of your dreams with no heritage or conservation restrictions,' the property description states. 'With an exclusive east-side address, a stroll to Roseville/Lindfield village, rail and schools, it is in the perfect lifestyle location.' The property was previously rented for almost two decades with the last price listed in 2016 at $980 a week. In the slim chance the successful bidder doesn't want to knock down, the existing house comes with a light-filled living room and adjoining dining room, while the modern kitchen has been updated with stainless steel appliances. The huge backyard includes an outdoor toilet, workshop and storeroom. The property will likely be knocked down, despite the kitchen (pictured) being updated with stainless steel appliances Agent Jill Henry from Stone Real Estate described the home as in good nick but is much smaller than the newer homes it's surrounded by in the quiet family friendly street. 'The 910sqm block was undercapitalised. It can have a much bigger house,' she told the publication. The auction was one of more than 1200 across Sydney this week the second highest weekly figure recorded so far this year. It comes two weeks after hundreds of potential homebuyers flocked to a leafy suburban street to attend another auction on the North Shore, believed to be in North Sydney. The house (lounge room pictured) was previously rented by the owner for almost two decades The footage shows both sides of the street packed with potential homebuyers, including young families. The video was later uploaded to TikTok where it has since gone viral, attracting more than 200,000 views and hundreds of comments. Viewers were stunned by the crazy scenes. National property values climbed by 1.8 per cent in April, a sharp comedown from March's 2.8 per cent pace which was the fastest since October 1988, where Sydney's median house climbed by 4.3 per cent in one month to a whopping $1.112million, according to CoreLogic data. House and apartment prices have soared by 10.2 per cent since the short-lived Covid downturn in property prices ended in September last year. Sydney house prices are expected to skyrocket over the next few years with 140 suburbs tipped to lead the biggest property boom in the city. Between January and April Sydney's median price for a home with a backyard increased by 11.2 per cent. But upmarket suburbs on the Upper North Shore, the Northern Beaches and the Sutherland Shire had price growth that was double that in the same period of time, CoreLogic data showed. Another Sydney suburban street was flooded with potential homebuyers (pictured) on May 10 Data from real estate research group Hotspotting has flagged the regions around the New South Wales capital that homebuyers should keep their eye on. The suburbs stretch from Bondi, in the eastern suburbs, to Mount Druitt, in western Sydney, and from Chatswood, in northern Sydney, to Cronulla, in Sydney's south. Sydney's northern beaches leads the way, followed by the Central Coast, the Sutherland Shire, the North Shore and Ryde with the Hills District in the city's north-west rounding out the top six regions across the state. Another batch of the new coronavirus vaccine by U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, enough to inoculate 219,000 people, arrived in South Korea on Sunday, as the country aims to speed up its inoculation program. South Korea and Pfizer earlier signed a direct contract to secure 66 million doses that can vaccinate 33 million people. A total of 3.75 million doses of two-dose Pfizer jabs have been shipped in as of Sunday, with another batch of 3.25 million doses set to arrive here by the end of June. South Korea currently provides Pfizer jabs to seniors age 75 and above, or those working at facilities for elderly citizens. The country has so far secured shots for 99 million people, which is more than enough to inoculate the 52 million population. (Yonhap) Dominic Cummings today claimed the Government's initial response to the coronavirus crisis was 'total and utter chaos' as he stepped up his attacks ahead of a bombshell evidence session with MPs this week. Boris Johnson's former top aide said that the early plan for dealing with the pandemic was a 'disaster' but insisted this was 'not just' the fault of the Prime Minister. Mr Cummings has claimed the Government's 'Plan A' in the early months of last year was to pursue a strategy of 'herd immunity' - a claim vehemently denied this morning by the Home Secretary Priti Patel. He said this afternoon that the initial plan was 'disastrously misconceived' and senior figures did not understand that a policy of 'herd immunity' would result in hundreds of thousands of people 'choking to death' and 'no NHS for *anybody* for months'. The latest claims made by Mr Cummings come ahead of his appearance in front of MPs on Wednesday when he is due to answer questions on the Government's handling of the crisis. Ms Patel said it was 'absolutely not' the case that ministers had initially chosen a strategy of 'herd immunity'. Meanwhile, Dr Jenny Harries, the chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, said she had 'never been in any Government meeting where herd immunity was put forward at that point of the pandemic as a mechanism of control'. Mr Cummings made the original accusation in a series of tweets posted last night as he said the Government had first intended to let Covid-19 spread through the community so that people could build immunity to the disease. He said the strategy was only abandoned in early March last year after Downing Street was warned it would lead to a 'catastrophe'. Mr Cummings refused to back down after Ms Patel rejected the claim, as he restated his assertion that 'herd immunity' was the 'official' strategy and it was dropped after the phrase caused 'panic' and the Government shifted to an approach of trying to suppress the disease. Ms Patel was also grilled this morning on why India was added to the travel 'red list' after neighbouring Pakistan and Bangladesh but she risked confusion as she gave an unclear answer. Dominic Cummings today claimed the Government's initial plan for tackling the coronavirus crisis was 'total and utter chaos' Mr Cummings' latest intervention came as he prepares to give evidence to a joint session of the Commons health and science select committees. Downing Street is braced for a potentially highly damaging onslaught following his acrimonious departure from Number 10 at the end of last year. The Sunday Times reported that Cabinet Office officials are worried Mr Cummings will accuse Mr Johnson of missing crunch meetings in the early stages of the pandemic to work on a biography of William Shakespeare. Ms Patel was asked on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show whether she could now admit that 'herd immunity' was the Government's initial policy. She replied: 'Not at all, no. Absolutely not.' Asked why Mr Cummings has said that it was the strategy, Ms Patel replied: 'Well, I can't speak for Mr Cummings and one individual.' Ms Patel said the Government's strategy 'was always about protecting the public health, saving lives and protecting the NHS' when she was asked whether she believes Mr Cummings could produce hard evidence to back up his claim. 'I am not going to comment on what Mr Cummings is going to say or also what is being speculated about right now,' she said. 'I think it is important, and the British public will know this, we all remember the intensity of the pandemic when the pandemic hit last year and the decisions that were undertaken in government and by our prime minister, rightly so, collectively, he showed great leadership at a very difficult time, closing the economy down, locking the country down as well. 'Big, big unprecedented decisions that were based on data and evidence and our strategy was always about protecting the public health, saving lives and protecting the NHS.' Dr Harries, the former deputy chief medical officer for England, told the same programme: 'I can categorically say I have never been in any Government meeting where herd immunity was put forward at that point of the pandemic as a mechanism of control.' She added: 'I haven't been in any of those meetings, but bear in mind I would not have been in most of the high-level ones as the deputy CMO. 'I think being really clear what we mean by herd immunity, what you're looking at in a population is to try and see at which point your population would be safe, and this is what we do with this very successful vaccination programme that we have. 'That's not the same as saying, which I think has been misinterpreted in many places, that the aim would be to allow people to become infected and develop herd immunity. 'That has never been on the agenda but you would always look to see how safe you can get your population through a vaccination programme.' Mr Cummings said in his tweets last night that 'herd immunity' by September was 'literally the official plan in all docs/graphs/meetings until it was ditched'. In a BBC interview at the time, the Government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance had said that if they tried to suppress the disease 'very, very hard' it would simply bounce back when restrictions were released. Instead, he suggested the aim was to 'build up some kind of herd immunity' so more people were resistant to the disease and transmission was reduced. Ministers have long maintained that 'herd immunity' was never the Government's strategy. Following Ms Patel's comments, Mr Cummings restated his claim at lunchtime that achieving 'herd immunity' was the Government's initial plan. He said it was not a 'secret strategy' but rather the 'official public explained on TV/Radio strategy'. Mr Cummings said the Government's 'plan A was to get herd immunity by summer' and avoid a second peak during the winter. Downing Street is braced for a potentially highly damaging onslaught on Wednesday following Mr Cummings' acrimonious departure from Number 10 at the end of last year 'What happened is a/ panic about the phrase, "comms disaster". b/ We ditched the herd immunity plan and shifted to Plan B, suppression, which previously the Gvt said/thought would be worse cos it wd lead to a 2nd peak in winter 2020 during the annual NHS crisis,' he tweeted. Mr Cummings then made further claims this afternoon as he tweeted it 'became clear' in the second week of March last year that neither the Health Secretary Matt Hancock or the Cabinet Office understood the impact of 'herd immunity' which he said would have led to the NHS being completely overwhelmed and an economic 'implosion'. He said the Government then 'moved to Plan B' - a combination of trying to suppress the virus, rolling out test and trace, and the development of vaccines. He said: 'Critical as I am of the PM in all sorts of ways, it's vital to understand the disaster was not just his fault: the official plan was disastrously misconceived, DHSC/CABOFF did not understand this or why, & a PlanB had to be bodged amid total & utter chaos.' The former aide also criticised the decision to promote Dr Harries to her new role after she suggested in March last year that wearing a face mask was not a good idea. Ms Patel was also questioned today on the timing of the Government's decision to add India to the travel 'red list' amid growing scrutiny of how the Indian variant has spread across the UK. India was added to the list on April 23 but neighbouring Pakistan and Bangladesh were put on it on April 9. Ms Patel told the BBC: 'Well, you have to remember as well there were many measures put in place at the borders even before those countries were red listed and even before the positivity rates were identified and even before the particular variant became a variant of concern. 'So people coming into the country were subject to upstream checks, being checked in terms of Covid tests and also having to quarantine as well. Our rules are very, very strict. 'But of course, Andrew, we work with the data and we do know, of course, when it comes to positivity, variants of concerns, and the data, there is a lag, so we work with the system and that information was presented to ministers in the right way for the decisions to be made around red listing of all of the countries in particular.' Despite being much larger and more cunning, Tom rarely appears to have the upper-hand over his much smaller rival, Jerry, in the famous MGM cartoons inspired by the real-life rivalry of cats and mice. But just how are these rodents escaping from the clutches of death? The answer may have more to do with sweat than nimble feet, according to the latest research from University of California's School of Veterinary Medicine. From this: Tom and Jerry's famous escapades are inspired by the real-life rivalry of cats and mice, but scientists wanted to know how rodents are able to escape their predators To this: Scientists believe one of the reasons mice can escape is because of a sweat molecule that confuses the cats and makes them temporarily forget their predatory instincts When mice are caught they produce lactones, a sweat chemical which confuses cats and gives them time to hatch an escape plan. The effect is similar to that seen in catnip, a perennial herbacious plant which contains nepetalactone and has sedative properties. When a cat senses this plant, they will rub against it, roll on the ground, paw, lick and chew the plant, causing them to drool, feel sleepy, and purr. Scientists believe that lactones work in a parallel way, causing the cat to become playful with the mouse and momentarily forget its more predatory instincts. Mice may have developed the ability to generate this sweat chemical over many years of evolution as a way of surviving a predator attack. Research shows that lactones released by mice have a similar affect on felines as catnip Lead researcher Professor Benjamin Hart told The Sunday Telegraph: 'Mice produce lactones in the skin, which are excreted when mice are stressed. 'I hypothesised that mice evolved an alteration in the lactone to resemble nepetalactone and evoke catnip reactions in cats. 'Because the catnip, nepetalactone, induces playful behaviour, this gives mice a chance to escape'. The sweat molecule is however not foolproof. Catnip can affect domestic cats, as well as larger cats including leopards, cougars, servals and lynxes, but lions and tigers are not always consistently affected. It's also thought that one-third of cats are not affected at all, meaning mice might just have to rely on a decent amount of cunning as well as sweat to escape a predator attack. John McDonnell today claimed Sir Keir Starmer must draw up a Labour Party manifesto even 'more radical' than the one Jeremy Corbyn stood on at the 2019 general election. The former shadow chancellor risked worsening the party's civil war as he said it was a 'valid criticism' that many voters at the recent 'Super Thursday' elections did not know what Sir Keir stands for. He said 'no one expects' Sir Keir to 'slavishly' follow the policies of his predecessor but argued the current leader should 'go further' and 'radicalise' Labour's 2019 offering. The comments are likely to cause anger among Labour moderates after Mr Corbyn's approach resulted in the party's crushing defeat at the ballot box two years ago. Mr McDonnell's intervention came as Labour is set to announce its candidate for the Batley and Spen by-election after Sir Keir's critics said it will be 'curtains' for his leadership if the party loses. Kim Leadbeater, the sister of the constituency's murdered former MP Jo Cox, is widely tipped to be selected to fight the seat. John McDonnell today claimed Sir Keir Starmer must draw up a Labour Party manifesto even 'more radical' than the one Jeremy Corbyn stood on at the 2019 general election Mr McDonnell told Sky News it was a 'valid criticism' that many people do not know what Sir Keir stands for. He said: 'What Keir said when he was elected leader is that he'd use the last manifestos as the sort of foundational documents upon which to build upon, no one expects him to follow slavishly past policies, of course you don't. 'In fact the past policies now I think we do need to radicalise them and go further so therefore we should be having, we should have had already, but we should be having now the policy debate about where we go forward, what is our policy programme, what is the narrative, what is the vision of the society that we want to create.' Mr McDonnell said Sir Keir needed to set out plans to tackle 'grotesque levels of inequality and poverty'. 'The reason we need to be more radical is because we are facing in this country an existential crisis of climate change,' he said. 'We are coming through Covid hopefully but we are still faced with the same problems, grotesque levels of inequality and poverty, we have seen today that last year more billionaires were made in this country than in the last 30 years and yet in my constituency and elsewhere we are having families struggling just to make sure they can put food on the plates for their children.' It came as Labour prepares to unveil its candidate for the Batley and Spen by-election, with Ms Leadbeater viewed as the favourite. If selected she will be up against the Leeds councillor Ryan Stephenson, chairman of the West Yorkshire Tories. Labour is set to announce its candidate for the Batley and Spen by-election. Kim Leadbeater, the sister of the constituency's murdered former MP Jo Cox, is widely tipped to be selected to fight the seat The contest was triggered by the decision of Labour MP Tracey Brabin to quit Westminster following her election as the first mayor of West Yorkshire. It was previously represented by Mrs Cox until she was shot and stabbed by a far-right extremist in June 2016. Labour is desperate to hold on to the seat following the party's crushing defeat in another 'red wall' by-election in Hartlepool earlier this month. The result triggered a bitter round of recriminations, with the Labour left marginalised under Sir Keir gunning for the party leader. No date has been been set for the contest although Labour which is defending a majority of 3,525 from the 2019 general election is widely expected to delay until late July. Australia's military is 'weak,' 'insignificant' and will be the 'first hit' in any potential conflict over Taiwan, Chinese propagandists have warned. The chilling message in the Communist Party mouthpiece, the Global Times, comes as Australian naval forces completed war game exercises with the US, France and Japan held between May 11 and 17 in the East China Sea. The first ever training drill between the four nations called Exercise Jeanne d'Arc 21 - or ARC21 - practiced amphibious assaults, urban warfare and anti-aircraft defence - and was met with fury by Beijing. Australia's military is 'weak,' 'insignificant' and will be the 'first hit' in any potential conflict over Taiwan, Chinese propagandists have warned. Pictured: Exercise ARC21 Australian naval forces completed war game exercises with the US, France and Japan held between May 11 and 17 in the East China Sea. Pictured: Exercise ARC21 'The People's Liberation Army doesn't even need to make pointed responses to the joint drill since it's insignificant militarily,' the article said. 'Australia's military is too weak to be a worthy opponent of China, and if it dares to interfere in a military conflict for example in the Taiwan Straits, its forces will be among the first to be hit. 'Australia must not think it can hide from China if it provokes. 'Australia is within range of China's conventional warhead-equipped DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missile.' Over the past year China has slapped more than $20billion worth of arbitrary trade bans and tariffs on Australian exports as an apparent punishment for calling for an independent inquiry into the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic - which first appeared in Wuhan in 2019. Tensions were further strained last month when various figures including the likes of Defence Minister Peter Dutton, Former Defence Minister Christopher Pyne and Home Affairs secretary Michael Pezzullo, all suggested the 'drums of war' in the region are getting louder. Shocking disparities between Australia and China's military power shows we would struggle in a war, amid fears that tensions both nations are nearing tipping point Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen (pictured in a grey suit) has remained staunch in the face of Chinese aggression - with many nations now at loggerheads with the communist superpower Is Taiwan a country or a part of China? Taiwanese soldiers hoist the flag of Taiwan in Taipei on May 10. China considers Taiwan as a part of its territory, but many Taiwanese people want the island to be independent China and Taiwan have a long-standing dispute over the island's sovereignty. China considers Taiwan as a part of its territory, more precisely a province, but many Taiwanese want the island to be independent. From 1683 to 1895, Taiwan was ruled by China's Qing dynasty. After Japan claimed its victory in the First Sino-Japanese War, the Qing government forced to cede Taiwan to Japan. The island was under the Republic of China's ruling after World War II, with the consent of its allies the US and UK. The leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party, Chiang Kai-shek, fled to Taiwan in 1949 and established his government after losing the Civil War to the Communist Party and its leader Mao Zedong. Chiang's son continued to rule Taiwan after his father and began democratising Taiwan. In 1980, China put forward a formula called 'one country, two systems', under which Taiwan would be given significant autonomy if it accepted Chinese reunification. Taiwan rejected the offer. Taiwan today, with its own constitution and democratically-elected leaders, is widely accepted in the West as an independent state. But its political status remains unclear. Advertisement There are grave fears Beijing will use its ever-growing military might to 'reunify' Taiwan with mainland China. China-watchers say annexing the island backed by the US and Japan is a strategic goal of President-for-life Xi. In recent weeks, China repeatedly incurred on Taipei's airspace and maritime borders, sending 25 military aircraft into its defence 'identification zone'. Pressure has been mounting democratic nations like Australia to keep Beijing's forces at bay as tensions escalate. The authoritarian state has become increasingly aggressive in its disputed territories, stamping out pro-democracy groups in Hong Kong and cracking down on Muslim minorities in Xinjiang under its 'One China' policy. 'Australia must not think it can hide from China if it provokes,' a Chinese propaganda article said (pictured, nuclear-capable missiles on display in Beijing) Australia is within range of China's conventional warhead-equipped DF-26 intermediate-range ballistic missile (pictured) The communist regime also continues to encroach on Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, and Brunei in the South China Sea and even had a deadly border skirmish with India last year. With tensions simmering between China and democratic nations, the UK will send the largest 'signal of maritime and air power' in a generation to the region. Aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has set sail for its first operational deployment in a move set to infuriate Russia and China. The $5billion warship, with eight RAF F35B stealth fighter jets on board, will set off for Asia on May 23 accompanied by six Royal Navy ships including HMS Defender and HMS Diamond, a submarine, 14 naval helicopters and a company of Royal Marines. The Carrier Strike Group will visit India, Singapore and then to Japan via the South China Sea during the seven-month voyage. Chairman Baroness Falkner said the Equality and Human Rights Commission has left Stonewall's Diversity Champions programme BRITAIN'S equalities watchdog has cut ties with a Stonewall scheme for 'woke' workplaces after claims that it curbs free speech among staff. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) decided earlier this year to leave the charity's Diversity Champions programme. Their decision comes amid accusations the scheme is encouraging public bodies and firms to adopt policies that create a 'culture of fear' among workers who disagree with transgender ideology. A letter to the feminist campaign group Sex Matters from new commission chairman Baroness Falkner reveals: 'We wrote to Stonewall in March to let them know that we would not be renewing our membership, and this has now expired.' An EHRC spokesman said: 'We have extensive expertise in this area and concluded that, for us, the Diversity Champions programme did not constitute best value for money.' Baroness Falkner insisted earlier this month that people must have the right to question transgender identity without being abused. The EHRC have also recently intervened in the employment tribunal appeal of Maya Forstater. Ms Forstater lost her job over her comments on social media that biological sex was real and that men could not transition to become women. The EHRC intervened after Maya Forstater lost her job over her comments on social media that biological sex was real and that men could not transition to become women A judge presiding over her employment tribunal ruled that her view were not worthy of respect in a democratic society. But Baroness Falkner argued that the judge incorrectly interpreted the law, stating The principles are absolutely clear, which is why we took a position to intervene in the case. The principles are that freedom of belief is protected. According to Stonewall there are more than 850 organisations, including 250 government departments and public bodies such as police forces, local councils and NHS trusts, signed up as diversity champions. Stonewall chief executive Nancy Kelley said it was 'not biased to make your workplace accepting of LGBTQ+ people' Membership to the scheme starts at around 2,500, which according to the LGBT charitys website, buys employers access to expert advice and resources to make their workplaces inclusive. In an open letter, Sex Matters claimed that the EHRCs membership of the Stonewall scheme compromised its ability to uphold freedom of speech and belief. The campaign group argued that the diversity programme is contributing to a culture of fear among employees who disagree with trans activism. They added that the scheme denies that there should be protection to the right of freedom of belief or speech when it comes to issues such as gender identity. Last night, Stonewall chief executive Nancy Kelley said: 'It is not biased to make your workplace accepting of LGBTQ+ people.' Israeli police on Sunday escorted more than 120 Jewish visitors to a flashpoint holy site in Jerusalem where police actions in recent weeks had ignited protests and violence that triggered war in Gaza, according to the Islamic authority overseeing the site. The U.N. humanitarian coordinator meanwhile said hundreds of homes in Gaza had been completely destroyed and many more had been badly damaged in the 11-day war, which was brought to a fragile halt on Friday. Police cleared young Palestinians out of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and barred entry to Muslims under the age of 45, according to the Islamic Waqf, which oversees the site under Jordanian custodianship. Muslims who entered were required to leave their IDs with police at the entrance. It said six Palestinians were detained, with four later released. Israeli security forces take into custody a Palestinian at Al-Aqsa Compound in East Jerusalem on May 23 Israeli police arrest a Palestinian at the Al-Aqsa Compound Jewish police escorted more than 120 Jewish visitors at the Al-Aqsa mosque Security forces watch over the visitors in the mosque compound Jewish visitors at the Al-Aqsa mosque in East Jerusalem on May 23 Israeli police denied there was any age restriction and said they arrested five suspects who 'violated the public order'. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the site was open for 'regular visits' and that police had secured the area to prevent 'incidents.' Israeli police had briefly clashed with Palestinian protesters after Friday prayers in an early test for the truce, which had taken effect hours earlier. The Waqf said Sunday was the first time Jews had been allowed to visit the site since May 4, a week before the war broke out. The Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam. It sits on a sprawling hilltop in Jerusalem's Old City that is revered by Jews as their holiest site because it was the location of the biblical temples. The site has often been the scene of Israeli-Palestinian violence over the years and was the epicentre of the 2000 Palestinian intifada, or uprising. Visits to Al-Aqsa compound resumed after 3-week suspension Security officers monitor visitors at the Al-Aqsa mosque Israeli police repeatedly clashed with Palestinian protesters in the days leading up to May 10, when Gaza's militant Hamas rulers fired long-range rockets at Jerusalem. The threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families from a nearby Jerusalem neighbourhood was cited as another major trigger of the 11-day war, which was halted by a cease-fire on Friday. In recent years, increasing numbers of religious and nationalist Jews have visited the site. Palestinians fear Israel plans to eventually take over the compound or partition it. The Israeli government has repeatedly said it has no intention of changing the status quo, in which the Waqf oversees the site under Jordanian custodianship. The Gaza war saw Israel unleash hundreds of airstrikes across Gaza at what it said were militant targets. Hamas and other armed groups fired more than 4,000 rockets toward Israel, most of which were intercepted or landed in open areas. More than 250 people were killed, the vast majority of them Palestinians. A child stands inside a severely damaged building neighbouring the crater where the home of Ramez al-Masri was destroyed by an air-strike prior to a cease-fire reached after an 11-day war Pictured: A child's slipper is partially buried under rubble of a severely damaged building beside the crater where the home of Ramez al-Masri was destroyed by an air-strike Pictured: Palestinian women pose for a 'selfie' picture in front of a demolished building on May 23 in the Al-Remal commercial district in Gaza City recently targeted by Israeli air strikes Pictured: Neighbours gather to watch the clean-up of a crater full of water and sewage The Israeli strikes levelled a number of large buildings in the impoverished coastal territory, which is home to more than 2 million Palestinians. Gaza has been under a crippling Israeli-Egyptian blockade since Hamas, an Islamic militant group, seized power from forces loyal to the internationally backed Palestinian Authority in 2007. Lynn Hastings, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, said some 300 buildings in Gaza - including an estimated 1,000 housing units - had been completely destroyed. She said hundreds more had been heavily damaged. She cautioned that those were 'very, very preliminary numbers' as the damage is still being assessed. Hastings said a total of six hospitals and 11 primary health care centres were damaged, and that one hospital was not functioning because of a lack of electricity. She said around 800,000 people lack access to tap water and 400,000 people do not have proper sewage treatment because of damage to local infrastructure. Pictured: A Palestinian man covers his face as he sits by a tent across from the rubble of buildings destroyed by Israeli strikes, in Gaza City, as Gazans start to piece back their lives Palestinian volunteers clean up the streets in the Al-Remal commercial district in Gaza City Palestinian volunteers clean up the streets in the Al-Remal commercial district in Gaza City Palestinian volunteers clear the rubble in the Al-Remal commercial district in Gaza City The International Committee of the Red Cross said Friday that the war may have also left hundreds of unexploded munitions, which could cause further casualties and hinder efforts to rebuild. Israel says it made every effort to avoid harming civilians and only targeted militant infrastructure, including a vast tunnel network and rocket launchers. It blames the war and its devastation on Hamas. On Sunday morning, hundreds of municipal workers and volunteers started a one-week campaign to clear rubble from Gaza's streets. The work began outside a high-rise building that was flattened by Israeli warplanes during the early days of airstrikes on Gaza, with workers loading rubble into donkey carts and small pickup trucks. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Saturday defended comparing mask mandates to the Holocaust by claiming 'any ration Jewish person' doesn't like either. 'I think any rational Jewish person didn't like what happened in Nazi Germany and any rational Jewish person doesn't like what's happening with overbearing mask mandates and overbearing vaccine policies,' Greene told Arizona TV outlet 12 News on Saturday. Anti-Semitism is on the rise in American and the world after a massive conflict broke out between Israel and Hamas operating in Gaza earlier this month. The conflict has left several hundred dead so far as bombings increase. 'Happening in Joe Biden's America,' Greene, 46, wrote on Twitter Sunday morning of a man beating a yarmulke-wearing Jewish man in New York. The 23-year-old suspect said: 'If I could do it again, I would do it again. I have no problem doing it again.' Greene, who represents Georgia's 14th congressional district in the House, compared Speaker Nancy Pelosi's new rule on face masks to the Holocaust. Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene doubled-down on comparing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi requiring non-vaccinated lawmakers to wear masks to the gold star of the Holocaust 'I think any rational Jewish person didn't like what happened in Nazi Germany and any rational Jewish person doesn't like what's happening with overbearing mask mandates and overbearing vaccine policies,' Greene told 12 News on Saturday She blamed President Joe Biden for the rise in anti-Semitic attacks. 'Happening in Joe Biden's America,' Greene wrote on Twitter of a man beating a yarmulke-wearing Jewish man in New York She claimed Pelosi's decision to require proof of vaccination before members are allowed to take their masks off on the House floor to the 'Gold Star' Jewish people were forced to wear during the Holocaust. 'You know, we can look back at a time in history where people were told to wear a gold star, and they were definitely treated like second class citizens, so much so that they were put in trains and taken to gas chambers in Nazi Germany,' Greene told David Brody on his Christian Broadcasting Network podcast 'The Water Cooler.' Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney, who was recently ousted from her Republican Conference chair position for not backing voter fraud claims, lashed out at Greene's comments in a tweet Saturday saying: 'This is evil lunacy.' A reporter with News 12 asked Greene on Saturday: 'Do you understand, though, why some would be upset and offended by the comment?' 'Do you understand how people feel about being forced to wear masks, or being forced to have to take a vaccine, or even have to say whether they've taken it or not,' Greene shot back. 'These are just things that shouldn't be happening in America, this is a free country and it's just ridiculous to have these kind of conversations,' she continued. Greene traveled to Arizona on Saturday with embattled Florida Representative Matt Gaetz as part of their 'America First' roadshow. Arizona is currently undergoing a massive recount effort as Donald Trump allies push the former president's claim that the 2020 election was 'rigged'. 'Here's what I stand by, we shouldn't be having this kind of treatment,' Greene said of Pelosi' requiring those in the lower chamber who opt not to get vaccinated to continue wearing a mask. 'No one should be treated like a second class citizen for saying, 'I don't need to wear a mask,' or saying that 'my medical records are my privacy based on my HIPPA rights.' And so I stand by all of my statements, I said nothing wrong.' Greene compared a House of Representatives mask-wearing rule to the Holocaust on David Brody's podcast 'The Water Cooler' The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released guidance last earlier this month saying all fully vaccinated individuals no longer have to wear a mask indoors or outdoors. Someone qualifies as a fully vaccinated individual two weeks after they received their final dose of the COVID-19 shot whether it be the one or two-shot inoculation. Republicans claim this is just another way to weed out anti-maskers and try to force them to get the vaccine. Former Representative Denver Riggleman was among those who condemned Greene for her comments last week comparing the mandates to the genocide of 6 million Jewish people. 'Comparing wearing masks to the abuse of the Holocaust is a not so subtle diminution of the horrors experienced by millions,' he tweeted. 'It's a grotesque idiocy mixed with a neurotic lack of self awareness. What do you expect from a truther, Q believer, and gaslighting conspiracy theorist?' Several Jewish groups, like the American Jewish Congress, and other individuals were quick to condemn the comparison MTG says Speaker Pelosi wanting Members of Congress to get vaccinated and if not to wear masks is exactly the type of abuse as murdering Jews in gas chambers during the Holocaust and David Brody nods along. No follow up. pic.twitter.com/inXfD8UBiG Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) May 22, 2021 Political scientist Jasmin Mujanovic wrote: 'This is antisemitism of a most despicable and deranged sort. 'This is a woman whose own politics can credibly be described as fascist trivializing the actual, historical facts of the Holocaust. 'And I repeat my prediction: she's a front runner for the 2024 GOP nomination.' And Rhode Island Congressman David Cilline said: 'The Holocaust: The systematic murder of 6 million Jews. Mask-wearing: A simple act that costs you nothing and saves lives. Marjorie Taylor Greene: A troubled person who is unfit to serve in Congress.' Jewish groups, like the American Jewish Congress, and many others quickly condemned the comments on social media as diminishing the six million Jewish people who died during the Holocaust. 'You can never compare health-related restrictions with yellow stars, gas chambers and other Nazi atrocities,' The American Jewish Congress tweeted on Friday. 'Such comparisons demean the Holocaust and contaminate American political speech.' The group called for a retraction and apology from Greene, which she hasn't done to date. Former Representative Denver Riggleman said this on Twitter in reaction to Greene's comments Political scientist Jasmin Mujanovic responds to Greene's comments Rhode Island congressman man responds to Greene's comments The American Jewish Congress' response to Greene's comments Meanwhile, Greene took to Twitter Saturday morning to accuse fellow Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of supporting anti-Semitism. She also branded AOC a 'terrorist' for supporting a cease in military funding for the Israeli government. '.@AOC you're responsible for attacks on Jewish people bc of your hate-Israel stance against Israel's right to defend itself from from terrorists Hamas, calling Israel an apartheid state, & supporting terrorists groups. Aligning yourself with terrorists means your [sic] a terrorist,' Greene said in the tweet. At the bottom of the tweet, Greene shared an image of AOC's call to end antisemitism next to a headline about her resolution that would cut funding for Israeli bombs. Greene shot to fame for pushing a series of bizarre QAnon conspiracy theories before she was elected as a representative for Georgia's 14th congressional district in November 2020. In a 2018 Facebook post, she claimed a 'Jewish space later' controlled by the Rothschild banking family had been used to ignite California wildfires. A $47,000-a-year private school once attended by Barron Trump forced juniors to attend a compulsory workshop on porn which included lessons on incest roleplay and OnlyFans. The students at Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School (CGPS) on Manhattan's Upper West Side were told to watch a slideshow entitled, 'Pornography Literacy: An intersectional focus on mainstream porn.' That workshop was held on May 5 by Justine Ang Fonte, the director of Health & Wellness at another Manhattan private school, Dalton, where she teaches first- and second-grade health. Juniors at the Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School were forced to attend a lecture about porn on May 5 Justine Ang Fonte ,the director of Health & Wellness at Dalton, taught the lesson Barron Trump, son of former President Donald Trump, attended the $47,000-a-year Manhattan private school before he moved into the White House in 2017 As part of the May 5 lecture at Columbia, students learned how porn takes care of 'three male vulnerabilities.' Youngsters were also shown statistics on the 'orgasm gap' showing straight women have fewer orgasms with their partners than gay men or lesbians, and photos of partially-nude women, some of whom were in bondage to analyze 'What is porn and what is art?' Another slide cited various genres of porn, such as 'incest-themed,' consensual or 'vanilla,' 'barely legal,' 'kink' and BDSM. Additionally, the slideshow included a list of the most-searched pornographic terms in 2019, including 'anal,' 'gangbang' and even 'stepmom,' and discussed OnlyFans, where 'content creators' share photos and videos of themselves naked or having sex with subscribers for a monthly fee. 'We were all like 'What?' an unnamed student told The New York Post, which obtained the slideshow. 'Everyone was texting each other: 'What the hell is this? It's so stupid.' The slideshow presented to students included images of partially-nude women, asking students if it was 'art or porn?' It included a list of the most searched terms on pornography websites in 2019, including 'gangbang,' 'anal' and 'step mom' The lesson also included statistics on the 'orgasm gap' showing straight women are less likely to orgasm than straight or gay men and gay women The student added that the lesson took place 'not long before' Advanced Placement tests and 'I had to miss both my AP classes for this.' Most of the 120 students, between the ages of 16 and 17, who attended the lecture watched it on Zoom from home. Some of those students' parents were able to sit in on the workshop, and were stunned by what unfolded. Students who were at the school were ordered in to the gym to watch it on laptops. They were asked to answer questions about the lesson in the Zoom chat, a student said, 'but we were all side-chatting in group chat nd tons of kids thought it was so dumb that they sent the link to their friends all over the city and they were logging on with the password.' Many parents were appalled by the discussion, with one telling the Post, 'none of the parents knew this was planned. We were completely left in the dark. 'It makes us wonder what else the school is up to,' the unnamed mother said. Another added: 'It's outrageous that the school is introducing pornography into a mainstream classroom and starting to indoctrinate kids. 'The goal of this is to disrupt families,' she said, questioning, 'Why is the school making porn a priority as opposed to physics, art literature or poetry?' According to her website, Fonte, 35, likes to revel 'in disrupting health education,' and believes 'it is the responsibility of comprehensive health education to be about social justice because health is a human right.' 'When I'm building with schools, I develop health programs that are intersectional, anti-racist sex positive, multidisciplinary, stigma-busting and relevant.' Her workshop appears to have been based on a 2016 program on 'pornography literacy' developed by Boston's Health Commission. School officials later apologized to parents for the lecture, with headmaster Dr. William Donohue saying they were not aware of what the lesson would entail. He wrote that the 'context and tone of the presentation did not represent our philosophy, which is to educate our students in ways that promote personal development and overall health, as well as to express respect for them as individuals. The Dalton School, where Fonte teaches health, has come under fire in recent months for its use of the Critical Race Theory and the headmaster had to step down 'It was unfortunate that we did not better inform ourselves of the speaker's specific content in advance,' Donohue continued in his email to parents. 'In this case, the speaker did not align with our unique CGPS mission and for this, I apologize. 'Going forward, we will certainly learn from this experience.' Parents at CGPS say the school has so-far held out on many of the 'woke' policies that have caused clashes at other elite US schools. The school is said to be on the verge of hiring a diversity, equity and inclusion director, with parents pushing back against such an appointment over fears it will lead to extreme lessons on social issues. Officials at Dalton - the other Manhattan private school where Fonte works - insisted their establishment 'does not teach ... the type of curriculum that is being suggested. 'Our health classes do teach students important lessons related to body positivity, consent and boundary setting with friends and others,' a spokesman told the paper. Dalton is one of a number of schools that has come under fire over the last year for its decision to teach critical race theory. Parents were also outraged at the school's decision to continue with online-only lessons after other pricey rivals had gone back to in-person teaching, amid concerns over staff 'safety.' Columbia Grammar was subpoenaed by investigators probing Donald Trump, over payments Trump CFO Allen Weisselberg, pictured, made for his grandkids' fees there In December, the school published an anti-racism manifesto, saying the school hired 12 diversity officers and proposing 'Black liberation' courses and classes challenging white supremacy. It also suggested that if black students were not performing at the same level as white students by 2023, it would abolish some of its courses entirely. In response, some parents wrote an anonymous letter to school officials claiming 'Every class this year has had an obsessive focus on race and identity,' and 'many of these classes feel more akin to Zoom corporate sensitivity-training than to Dalton's intellectually engaging curriculum.' Dalton headmaster Jim Best stepped down last month amid the controversy, and a math teacher at Grace Church School was pulled from his classes after criticizing the school's use of the Critical Race Theory. This appears to be the first time Columbia has come under fire for its lesson plans, but it is currently facing other controversies. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance issued a subpoena against the school earlier this month over $500,000 in fee payments the Trump Organization made for its CFO's grandchildren. Donald Trump's CFO, Allen Weisselberg, allegedly paid school feeds for his grandkids as a form of 'financial assistance' to his son Barry. Prosecutors now want to know if those payments should have been declared as gifts or donations, which would have made them eligible for tax. Insiders say investigators are trying to put pressure on Weisselberg in the hopes he will turn on the former president. There is no suggestion that Weisselberg has done anything wrong. Kamala Harris was condemned for wiping her hand on her trousers immediately after a handshake with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. The Vice President met with Moon Jae-in on Friday as part of Joe Biden's second in-person session with a foreign leader since coming to office, because of the coronavirus pandemic. Footage that has since gone viral on Twitter shows Democrat Harris appearing to immediately wipe down her hand after the pair ended their joint press conference. One user wrote: 'This is the USA VP? Not only disrespectful, but it would be 'racist' if this was a Republican, all over the news for sure.Double standards on full display.' Another called the move an insult, writing: 'Kamala Harris insults the South Korean President Moon Jae-in by wiping her hand off after shaking his hand.' @F_O_R_D_NATION added: 'Wow! That's so embarrassing!' @JoeV75613226 added: 'Is South Korea are not our ally anymore.' The footage was even discussed on Sky News Australia where host Rowan Dean noted: 'Had it been Donald Trump can you imagine the outrage that would have occurred. It would have been the end of the world.' Kamala Harris wiped her hand on her trousers after meeting the South Korean president in a move that has been criticized online The Vice President met with Moon Jae-in on Friday as part of Joe Biden's only second in-person session with a foreign leader because of the coronavirus pandemic Footage that has since gone viral on Twitter shows Democrat Harris appearing to immediately wipe down her hand after the pair ended their joint press conference But others noted the event came in the middle of a pandemic and was one of the first events to be held at the White House since Joe Biden to office without masks since the onset of the pandemic. Harris is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and was given her second dose of Moderna's shot in January. The administration is now adhering to the new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advice that allows vaccinated people to gather mask-less indoors. One Twitter user commented: 'We are living in covid. I immediately wash my hands after touching someone else's.' One user wrote: 'This is the USA VP? Not only disrespectful, but it would be 'racist' if this was a Republican...double standards on full display' Another called the move an insult; others called it 'so embarrassing' It was even discussed on Sky News Australia where host Rowan Dean noted: 'Had it been Donald Trump can you imagine the outrage that would have occurred?' But others noted the event came in the middle of a pandemic, with one user commenting: 'I immediately wash my hands after touching someone else's' Following the meeting Harris tweeted: 'Today, I met with Republic of Korea President Moon. We discussed North Korea, global health, and how we can address the root causes of migration from the Northern Triangle. 'We look forward to working with President Moon to address the challenges we face.' Moon came to Washington seeking renewed diplomatic urgency by the U.S. on curbing North Korea's nuclear program, even as the White House signaled that it is taking a longer view on the issue. He also discussed coordination on vaccine distribution, climate change and regional security concerns spurred by China with Biden. Moon started his day at the White House complex by meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris and top Biden advisers. He also participated in a Medal of Honor ceremony for Ralph Puckett, a 94-year-old Army veteran who was celebrated for his gallantry during the Korean War more than 70 years ago. Canada wants the UK to grant high levels of access to the British market for its farmers as it seeks to secure similar trading terms to those offered to Australia, it was claimed today. Ottawa is said to be pushing for increased access to the UK for its agriculture sector as it looks to follow the lead of Canberra in trade talks later this year. The generous terms offered to Australia have sparked fears among British farmers of being undercut by cheap imports of beef and lamb from abroad. The suggestion that Canada is seeking similar terms has ignited concerns that the Australia deal will be viewed as a benchmark by other nations. UK farming bosses fear the Australia deal could cause a domino effect and that if other countries demand the same terms then the future of many British farms could be put at risk. Ottawa is said to be pushing for increased access to the UK for its agriculture sector as it looks to follow the lead of Canberra in trade talks later this year. Cattle are pictured at an auction in Dalby, West Brisbane in May 2013 The terms of the Australia deal have caused a furious row between free trade advocates like International Trade Secretary Liz Truss, and ministers like Michael Gove and George Eustice who favour a more protectionist approach in certain sectors The UK has reportedly offered Australia a deal which would see a 15-year transition to zero-tariffs and zero-quotas. UK farmers are against zero-tariff access because they believe they could be undercut by cheap Australian beef and lamb imports. Australia has been pushing for a five-year transition, but the 15-year period is said to have been signed off by the Cabinet sub-committee in charge of the negotiations. The terms of the Australia deal have caused a furious row between free trade advocates like International Trade Secretary Liz Truss, and ministers like Michael Gove and George Eustice, who favour a more protectionist approach in certain sectors. Boris Johnson is said to have come down on the side of Ms Truss, with ministerial sources confident the agreement with Australia is now within reach. The PM said last week that the deal with Australia should be seen as an 'opportunity' and not a 'threat'. The Sunday Telegraph reported that Canada wants similar terms to those offered to Australia, with greater access for agriculture than was agreed in the country's deal with the EU. A Canadian source told the newspaper: 'There are areas where we think we can move further on agriculture with the UK, since we are only negotiating with one country rather than 28. 'We would learn from that [Australia] agreement. It would help inform some areas where the UK is looking to position themselves.' Claire Citeau, head of the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance, said: 'Securing better, meaningful and competitive access to the UK market is a top priority for our exporters.' Nick Fenwick, head of policy at the Farmers' Union of Wales, suggested the industry fears the Australia deal will open the floodgates for cheap imports from other countries. He said: 'We've set our bar so low, that that's what the other nations will be looking at when they walk into the negotiating room.' Australia and the UK are hoping to have finalised the trade deal before the G7 summit in Cornwall next month. Some in Whitehall believe a deal with Australia will then pave the way for a deal with New Zealand in a matter of weeks. A Department for International Trade spokesman said: 'No deal sets a blueprint for future deals, all trade deals are different and are tailored to the relationships and markets of the countries involved - there is no one size fits all. 'Any deal we sign will include protections for the agriculture industry and will not undercut UK farmers or compromise our high standards. Typically, any tariff liberalisation is staged over time.' A healthcare worker prepares a dose of the Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination center in Seoul, May 14. Yonhap South Korea, touted as one of most successful countries in containing the new coronavirus pandemic without lockdowns, is gearing up for its next step to emerge as a global vaccine hub, with four COVID-19 vaccines already being or set to be produced here. The country's vision to become a global vaccine hub got a boost as Samsung BioLogics signed a deal to manufacture Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine at its local factory, in line with President Moon Jae-in's four-day visit to Washington. Under the deal, the pharmaceutical arm of Samsung Group will produce the Moderna vaccine from the third quarter at the earliest. Moderna will become the fourth COVID-19 vaccine to be produced in South Korea, following AstraZeneca, Novavax and Sputnik V vaccines. AstraZeneca and Novavax vaccines are currently manufactured here by pharmaceutical firm SK Bioscience Co., while other smaller players are producing the Russian vaccine, although not all of the vaccines produced here are supplied locally. The country's drug safety agency has already approved the use of AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna vaccines. South Korea hopes that the deeper ties with global vaccine producers will not only speed up the local inoculation program, but also help the world overcome so-called vaccine nationalism and ease supply shortages. Since its first confirmed virus case in late January 2020, the country has so far reported 135,929 COVID-19 cases, which hovers far below other major economies that have reported millions of infections. Despite the notable achievement, only around 3.4 percent of South Korea's 52 million population has been fully vaccinated. South Korea aims to achieve herd immunity by November as planned. "We expect the agreement to speed up the global supply of vaccines and help in eradicating the COVID-19 pandemic for the normalization of everyday lives of the world," Vice Health Minister Kang Do-tae said. "Through the cooperation between South Korea and the United States, we can significantly increase the production and supply of COVID-19 vaccines, which will eventually ease the supply shortages around the globe," Kang added. South Korea said it will negotiate with Moderna to have some parts of the volume produced by Samsung be supplied locally as well. So far, the country has secured enough shots to fully vaccinate 99 million people, more than enough to vaccinate all of its population, including doses from the COVAX Facility project. A convoy truck carrying AstraZeneca's vaccine leaves SK Bioscience factory in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, May 17. Yonhap Kate Middleton's uncle has slammed Harry and Meghan's behaviour in recent bombshell interviews, doubling down on his criticism that the two are acting like 'muppets'. Gary Goldsmith, the 55-year-old brother of Kate's mother Carole, told Australia's 60 Minutes everyone was 'massively disappointed' when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle decided to throw the firm 'under a bus' in a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey. The self-made millionaire IT recruiter also took aim at the Sussexes for claiming that Kate reduced Meghan to tears in a row over bridesmaids' dresses. Kate Midleton's uncle, Gary Goldsmith, slammed the behaviour of Harry and Meghan (pictured), doubling down on his criticism that the two are acting like 'muppets' After the bombshell interview aired in March, Mr Goldsmith posted a message on LinkedIn branding Harry and Meghan 'muppets craving attention'. He pleaded with them to 'shut the F up' and let Britons get on with 'saving lives' and the 'economy' during the height of the coronavirus pandemic in the UK. When asked about the infamous post, he said 'I'm embarrassed about doing it but I stand by it'. 'I'm just very disappointed with them and there's a whole nation that's massively disappointed with them,' he said in the interview on Australian TV on Sunday night local time. 'We all love Harry, the whole world loves Harry, but you just don't do what they did. 'You just don't do what they did and then go on Oprah and talk like that. It's just not the way the world works.' Among the proud uncle's biggest gripes with the couple is Meghan's incendiary claim the Duchess of Cambridge made her cry in an emotional row leading up to her 2018 wedding. 'I don't believe a word of it,' he told the Channel Nine program. Mr Goldsmith said he doesn't not believe that Kate (pictured with Prince William) made Meghan cry in 2018 The Queen (pictured) is said to be 'deeply upset' by what she considers a series of 'very personal' criticisms of her family by Prince Harry 'There were a lot of things in that interview I didn't believe. 'Kate would always be the peacemaker in those situations. I think we saw at the funeral (for Prince Philip) that Kate is always trying to make peace. He said Kate is 'even lovelier on the inside than on the outside' and that if anyone had a hissy fit that day it was certainly Meghan. The Queen is said to be 'deeply upset' by what she considers a series of 'very personal' criticisms of her family by her grandson. Royal sources say the Monarch has been shaken by Harry's repeated comments since the devastating interview that he and wife Meghan gave to Oprah in March. One source said: 'Harry's grandmother has taken this very personally and is deeply upset by what Harry has said, in particular his comments about Charles's parenting and suggesting his father knows no better because of how he was brought up. It has been a very upsetting time.' The Mail on Sunday last week revealed mounting fury at Harry among palace aides who called for the Duke and Duchess to give up their titles. The anger is said to have grown further after his latest barbs during his appearance on The Me You Can't See, his TV series about mental health. Prince Harry continued to lob grenades at the Monarchy from a TV studio in California The aides, already taken aback by Harry's 'shocking' criticism of Prince Charles's parenting skills and by implication those of the Queen and the late Prince Philip were stunned when he returned to the theme by suggesting his father had allowed him and Prince William to 'suffer' as children. 'My father used to say to me when I was younger, 'Well, it was like that for me, so it's going to be like that for you',' he said, adding that efforts to get help for Meghan when she felt suicidal were 'met with total silence or total neglect'. Despite the sustained attacks, Charles is understood to maintain hope of a reconciliation with his younger son. 'I don't think the Prince will cut his son off despite what Harry has said,' one friend said. 'Charles will want to engage, but it's fair to say what Harry has said in both interviews with Oprah has been seen as very callous within the family. If Harry was to attack the Queen in a more personal way, Charles would close ranks with the Queen without a doubt and Harry would be out in the cold.' The friend added: 'Charles is such a gentle man and a dedicated father first and foremost. He'll be feeling wretched. He wants to seek a reconciliation. He is not vindictive at all.' Advertisement A mother whose young son was shot dead in his car booster seat after she gave another driver the finger for cutting her off trembled with emotion as she recalled his final moments. Joanna Cloonan struggled to hold back tears as she described six year-old Aiden Leo's horrific final moments along the 55 Freeway in Orange, California, on Friday She told Good Morning America: 'I was driving on the freeway, and there was a car behind me that cut me off abruptly. I was in the carpool lane with my son, and as I started to merge away from them, I heard a really loud noise, and my son said, "ow", and I had to pull over, and he got shot.' Aiden was struck by a bullet that whizzed through the trunk of his mom's Chevy. It hit him in the back, fatally wounding him. He is said to have been killed by a male passenger in a car being driven by a woman. Cloonan pulled over to try to save her son, but to no avail. His final words were 'Mommy, my tummy hurts.' Aiden Leo's mom Joanna Cloonan sobbed as she recalled her son's final moments after he was shot by a road rage driver Cloonan told Good Morning America how she pulled over after Aiden said 'ow', and tried unsuccessfully to stop blood pouring from his gunshot wound Addressing her son's killers, Cloonan said: 'You killed him for no reason.' She says she wants 'justice' for Aiden Speaking on Sunday, Cloonan said she was driving Aiden to school when he was killed. She continued: 'I pulled over and I took him out of the car, and I - I tried to put my hand on his wounds while calling 911 because he was losing a lot of blood.' Addressing her son's killers, Cloonan said: 'They took my son's life away. He was beautiful, and he was kind, and she was precious, and you killed him for no reason. And I want to find them, and I want there to be justice to be served for my son.' Cloonan, who was uninjured in the shooting, added: 'I hope that people see this [interview] and understand that this is not OK, whatever and whoever these people are and for whatever reason, this is not OK. 'It should never happen again. So whatever help this does, that's my intention for my son. 'He sang all the time, and the children at the preschool, everybody loved him. He's a once in a lifetime kid. I miss him, and the person that did this can't get away with it' Police are continuing to hunt for Aiden's killer, and have yet to make any arrests. He was in the rear of the family car being driven to school by his mother when another motorist cut her off while traveling in the car pool lane of the northbound side of State Route 55, in Orange, southeast of Los Angeles. Aiden's mother was said to have given the other driver the finger in her rear view mirror, but the gesture set off a deadly and tragic chain of events. Six-year-old Aiden Leos was killed by a bullet while riding in the back of his mother's Chevy sedan on Friday morning Aiden's distraught family are begging for justice with Aiden's older sister, Alexis Cloonan, pictured center, describing him and someone who was full of 'love, joy and laughter' As she moved over to to her right, a gunman, possibly sitting in the passenger seat of the suspect's car, suddenly fired into Aiden's vehicle, striking the boy in the back. 'Mommy my tummy hurts!' the youngster is said to have cried out. After pulling over to the side of the road, Aiden's mother picked him up and cradled him in her arms until an off-duty police office stopped to perform CPR and paramedics arrived on the scene. 'She had blood on her clothes and he started turning blue and that's when the ambulance took him and that was the last time my mom saw him alive,' said Alexis Cloonan, the boy's sister, during a tearful family press conference on Friday. A family is asking for the publics help in identifying the suspects who shot and killed 6-year-old Aiden. The little boy was with his mother, driving to school on the 55 freeway in Orange, when they were shot at during an apparent road rage incident. https://t.co/Sr1hYV5n88 pic.twitter.com/fVvfNkfZl6 FOX 11 Los Angeles (@FOXLA) May 22, 2021 'Please help us find the people that did this to my little brother. hes only six and he was so sweet. He was a very loving boy so please help us find who did this to him,' Alexis pleaded through tears Aiden's mother quickly pulled over to the shoulder of State Route 55 following the shooting A single bullet hole can be clearly seen following the shooting on Friday morning A single bullet hole can be clearly seen following the shooting on Friday morning 'Please help us find the people that did this to my little brother. He's only six and he was so sweet. He was a very loving boy so please help us find who did this to him,' Alexis pleaded through tears. '[My mom] had to hold her little boy as he died so she is very distraught right now,' Alexis explained. 'He was a rare toddler. I just loved having him in my life,' she said as she paid tribute to the kindergartener who would often come to her room to tell her that he loved her. A GoFundMe page set up for Aiden's mother and to help with her child's burial costs had raised close to $150,000 as of Sunday morning. The horrific incident happened around 8:10am during the school run. Aiden was being taken to his kindergarten class at Calvary Chapel Yorba Linda. Authorities are looking for a man and a woman. The male passenger is believed to have fired the fatal shot while his female accomplice was driving the vehicle, believed to be a newer model white Volkswagen wagon sedan. Police investigators walk along the closed northbound lanes of the 55 freeway south of Chapman Avenue looking for evidence following a shooting on Friday Police officers conducted a search along the freeway on Friday following the shooting The California Highway Patrol closed the northbound lanes of the 55 freeway as police investigators walk the freeway looking for evidence following the shooting 'You can tell it was a cowardly way of doing it because they shot her in the back pretty much,' said the boy's uncle John Cloonan. 'You have no idea what you took from us today. You took her son away, her boy. This boy was full of love and joy and laughter,' he continued. 'I hope someone knows something and that whoever did this, I hope you can see what you've done to this family. Not that it matters much now because my nephew is dead. We're never going to be full again.' 'She [Aiden's mother] was merging to the right side to get away from this person, and as you can see if you go online and look at the photos, there's one bullet shot in the trunk that went through the trunk and right through my nephew,' Cloonan explained. Yellow crime scene tape stretches across the northbound lanes of the 55 freeway A 6-year-old boy seated in the backseat of his mother's car on a Southern California freeway was shot to death by another motorist on Friday Traffic traveling northbound on the 55 freeway was diverted to the westbound 22 freeway as police investigators walked the freeway looking for evidence following the shooting A six-year-old boy was shot and killed in what California police are calling an isolated road-rage incident that occurred on State Route 55 Friday morning The child's mother was driving this silver Chevy sedan when she flipped off another motorist for cutting her off, as she later told Good Samaritans who stopped to help Late Friday night, police had not released the names of any wanted suspects. 'It was an isolated road rage incident between the mom and another driver from a white sedan,' California Highway Patrol Officer Florentino Olivera told KTLA-TV at the scene. Olivera said the deadly gunshot came from a white sedan and struck the rear of a silver Chevrolet Sonic that was traveling ahead of it. 'Unfortunately, the child that was seated in the right rear seat was struck,' he said. Aiden was pronounced dead at Children's Hospital Orange County. 'If your vehicle has a dashcam, we're asking you, please call our CHP office in Santa Ana, provide that video,' Olivera said. 'If you were driving by, you saw something that was not right, call it in - even if it wasn't something major - call our office. We want to hear from witnesses.' Reyes and Joanna Valdivia told Orange County Register they were taking their children to school when they saw the visibly distressed driver of the Chevrolet pull her wounded son from the backseat and collapse to the ground. Police are pictured on the scene of the road-rage shooting, in which a bullet when through the back of the Chevy and struck the six-year-old who was in his booster seat The freeway was shut down for hours as about a dozen investigators slowly walked the lanes looking for evidence When the couple pulled over to offer help, Reyes said the mother, whom he described as 'hysterical,' told them she had showed the middle finger to the driver of the white sedan who cut her off in the carpool lane. The mother told the Good Samaritans that when she veered to the right, the white sedan followed her and a gunshot went off. The freeway was shut down for hours as about a dozen investigators slowly walked the lanes looking for evidence. CBS Los Angeles reported that there have been nearly a dozen pellet and BB gun shootings on freeways across Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties over the past three weeks, but Olivera said Friday's road-rage killing was unrelated to those earlier incidents. Tips may be provided by calling the CHP's Santa Ana office at (714) 567-6000. A man and woman have been charged two days after a much-loved hospitality worker was allegedly stabbed to death with a hunting knife. Heartfelt tributes continue to pour in for Kayla Golding, 29, who was found in a pool of blood on the footpath after she was allegedly stabbed in the neck shortly before 7.30pm on Friday night. She was rushed to hospital but died a short time later after the alleged attack outside her Townsville housing complex in Far North Queensland. A 39-year-old man surrendered himself to police on Sunday afternoon. A man and woman have been charged over the death of Kayla Golding (pictured) who was allegedly stabbed in the neck in Townsville Detectives later conducted a search of a West End property where a Condon woman, 29, was arrested and has since been charged with murder. The 39-year-old Townsville man was charged with accessory after the fact to murder. Both were denied bail to appear in Townsville Magistrates Court on Monday, with police alleging the pair were known to Ms Golding. Police confirmed late Sunday investigations are ongoing as the search for 'three to four' more suspects allegedly involved in the fatal stabbing continues. Meanwhile, distressed friends and family have flooded social media with tributes to Ms Golding, who graduated from Pimlico State High School in 2008 and worked in the hospitality industry, according to her LinkedIn bio. Friends have also rallied around her heartbroken mum Michelle, who has changed her profile photo to one of her enjoying a drink with her daughter. Kayla Golding, 29, (pictured) was found in a pool of blood on the footpath outside her Townsville home in Far North Queensland around 7.20pm on Friday night, police say 'You and your family in our thoughts and prayers my friend, our hearts are heavy with sorrow for your loss,' one person commented. Other friends have started a shrine of handwritten notes and bouquets of flowers in memory of Ms Golding outside her unit block. 'You will forever be missed. You had a such a kind heart,' one note read. Meanwhile, the outpouring of social media tributes continues to grow. 'It hurts so much knowing you're gone, I remember all the times we spent time together like it was yesterday,' one of her friends wrote. 'I am so devastated to find out such an amazing person has been taken so soon. 'You always brought out the crazy in me, fly high you beautiful angel, you will be forever missed.' Another devastated friend said they couldn't believe Ms Golding was gone. 'You were always so beautiful, your cheeky mouth and smile will be something I never forget,' they wrote. Devastated friends have remembered Kayla Golding (pictured) as having a kind heart Heartbroken friends and family continue to flood social media with tributes to Kayla Golding (left) Police were called to a housing commission complex, where Ms Golding was allegedly found lying on the footpath in a pool of blood. Pictured are police at the scene on Friday night 'Our random pub crawls late at night will be something I always cherish. Thank you for being a beautiful friend, you will always be loved and missed.' Another woman who said she had known Ms Golding for over a decade described their friendship as 'one of a kind'. 'It was a pleasure knowing you all these years, from turning 18 and running amuck in town to late night drives blasting the music, drawing and colouring in all night, to finding little letters from you in my books. 'When I needed someone you were there, thank you for looking after my dog Storm when I had nowhere for her.' Officers attended a unit block on Riverway Drive in the suburb of Condon after being called to the scene by neighbours. According to Detective Acting Inspector Jason Shepherd Ms Golding had lost 'a lot of blood on the floor'. 'The neighbours have heard a noise, they've looked out and they've seen the lady laying on the footpath,' he told reporters on Saturday. Distressed friends and family have flooded social media with tributes to Ms Golding (pictured), who graduated from Pimlico State High School in 2008 Police launched a murder investigation after Kayla Golding, 29, was found on the footpath outside her Townsville home (pictured) in Far North Queensland around 7.20pm on Friday Ms Golding (pictured) was rushed to Townsville University Hospital in a critical condition on Friday night where she later died 'It would appear that the initial injury has occurred (inside) and that the lady has walked outside onto the footpath where she collapsed. Inspector Shepherd has ruled out the possibility of domestic or family violence given the woman wasn't in a relationship. 'There is still a large number of possibilities that could have occurred, but it's not an incident where we think other members of the community should be concerned for their safety,' Inspector Shepherd said. Police believe the man and woman charged on Sunday are known to Kayla Golding (pictured) Police confirmed they had recovered a large hunting knife they allegee was used in the attack. Police minister Mark Ryan labelled the incident a tragedy. 'Our condolences are with the woman's family and friends,' he said. 'The police will do their job, they will catch the offenders and obviously bring them before the court.' Anyone with information or who has CCTV or dashcam footage from in or around the area is urged to contact police. Advertisement Britain last night strongly condemned the dictator of Belarus after he scrambled a fighter jet to force a Ryanair flight travelling from Greece to Lithuania to land in Minsk so he could arrest a dissident journalist who is now facing the death penalty following an 'outlandish' bomb scare. Ryanair flight FR4978, carrying 171 passengers, had been flying from Athens to Vilnius yesterday when its crew was warned by Belarusian air traffic control that there had been a report of a bomb on board. The pilot of the Soviet-era MiG-29 ordered to intercept the airliner signalled that it should make an emergency landing in Minsk Airport. When it did, state security officers arrested Roman Protasevich, a vocal critic of 'Putin puppet' Alexander Lukashenko who founded Poland-based opposition news outlet Nexta. Protasevich, 26, is wanted in Belarus on charges of extremism and of organising mass riots and inciting social hatred after he broadcast footage of the huge anti-regime protests via the Telegram messenger app last year - allegations which he denies. If convicted, the blogger could be sentenced to death. Britain, the US, Ireland, Germany, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and the Czech Republic all lined up last night to denounce the 'state-sponsored terror act', and called for the toughening of existing sanctions against the Lukashenko regime as well as the release of Protasevich. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab tweeted: 'The UK is alarmed by reports of the arrest of journalist Roman Protasevich & circumstances that led to his flight being forced to land in Minsk. We are coordinating with our allies. This outlandish action by Lukashenko will have serious implications.' Tom Tugendhat, Tory chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, joined foreign counterparts in condemning the Belarus action as 'an act of piracy' and calling for the suspension of all overflights. 'This act of state terror and kidnapping is a threat to all those who travel in Europe and beyond. It cannot be allowed to stand,' they thundered in a joint statement released last night. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the incident 'shocking' and accused Lukashenko's regime of endangering the lives of those aboard the aircraft, some of them Americans. He also called for the release of Pratasevich and for the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization to review the incident. US Ambassador Julie Fisher called the hijacking 'dangerous and abhorrent', and added that Belarus had 'showed again its contempt for international community and its citizens'. Brussels is set to discuss strengthening sanctions against Belarus, imposed over the crackdown on opposition protesters, at a pre-planned summit on Monday. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen tweeted: 'The outrageous and illegal behaviour of the regime in Belarus will have consequences. Those responsible for the Ryanair hijacking must be sanctioned. Journalist Roman Protasevich must be released immediately.' German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that 'such an act cannot be left without definite consequences from the side of the European Union' and called for Pratasevich to be released. Polish premier Mateusz Morawiecki denounced Belarus's actions as 'an act of state terrorism', while French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian called for a 'strong and united response' from the EU. Lithuania and Latvia have called for international flights not to use Belarusian airspace. A Ryanair flight was forced to land in Belarus following a 'bogus bomb threat' that was allegedly used as a ploy to arrest an opposition activist Roman Protasevich (pictured) The airliner full of tourists made an emergency landing at Minsk Airport yesterday after being escorted by a MiG-29 fighter jet amid reports of a bomb on board NEXTA, Protasevich's outlet, was closely involved in reporting a wave of opposition protests that last year threatened to topple Lukashenko, before he was given backing by Vladimir Putin Journalists and Belarusian activists wait to see passengers of the Ryanair plane carrying opposition figure Raman Pratasevich at the International Airport outside Vilnius, Lithuania Ryanair flight FR4978 had been flying from Athens in Greece to Vilnius in Lithuania when it was escorted by a Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jet to Belarus amid fake reports of an IED on board. It was forced to make an emergency landing at Minsk Airport, where authorities arrested dissident journalist Roman Protasevich Was Ryanair hijacking a KGB sting? Ally of arrested blogger claims Russian spies 'initiated fight with cabin crew by insisting there was a bomb on board' A member of the Nexta team, Tadeusz Giczan, said on Twitter that representatives of the Belarusian security agency had been on the flight with Protasevich. 'Then when the plane had entered Belarus airspace, the KGB officers initiated a fight with the Ryanair crew insisting there's an IED onboard,' he said. A spokeswoman for state company Lithuanian Airports, Lina Beisine, told AFP that Minsk airport had said the flight was redirected 'due to a conflict between a member of the crew and the passengers'. Ryanair said the flight's crew had been notified by Belarus air traffic control of 'a potential security threat on board' and were instructed to divert to Minsk, the 'nearest' airport. The EU and the United States have sanctioned Lukashenko and dozens of officials and businessmen tied to his regime with asset freezes and visa bans. The opposition protests in Belarus, which left at least four people dead, have now subsided, but journalists and activists continue to receive prison sentences in the aftermath. Advertisement Greek premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis denounced the Belarusian intervention of the Ryanair flight. He said: 'The forced landing of a commercial plane to detain a journalist is an unprecedented, shocking act. 'We demand all passengers' immediate release. Tomorrow's #EUCO [European Council] must address the need to step up pressure on Belarus. Enough is enough.' NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg also said he was closely monitoring the situation, tweeting: 'Closely monitoring forcible landing in Belarus of flight to Vilnius and reported detention of opposition figure Roman Protasevich. 'This is a serious & dangerous incident which requires international investigation. Belarus must ensure safe return of crew & all passengers.' Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda called the incident a 'state-sponsored terror act.' He said that the European Council would discuss the case Monday and that he would propose banning Belarusian planes from European Union airports and 'serious sanctions' against Lukashenko's government. He also described Belarus's actions as 'abhorrent' and prosecutors said they had opened a criminal investigation for the hijacking of a plane. 'Belarusian airspace is completely unsafe for any commercial flight, and it should be deemed this not only by the EU but by the international community. Because now, this instrument could be used for any plane crossing Belarusian airspace,' said Lithuania's foreign minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis. Meanwhile, the International Civil Aviation Organization - the UN's civil aviation agency - said the forced landing 'could be in contravention of the Chicago Convention', which protects nations' airspace sovereignty. Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte came to Vilnius Airport for the plane's arrival, as did dozens of Belarusian opposition supporters. Some were draped in the flags used by the opposition, while others held up signs supporting him, including one that read 'Ryanair, Where is Roman?!'. 'We have to show our solidarity in order to avoid being broken one by one,' said one of the opposition supporters, 36-year-old Aleksandr Glachkov. He called the detention of Protasevich a 'crime'. Simon Coveney, foreign minister of Ireland, where Ryanair is based, said on Twitter: 'EU inaction or indecision will be taken as weakness by Belarus.' Flight tracker sites indicated the plane was about six miles from the Lithuanian border when it was diverted. However, there were conflicting accounts of the move. The press service of Lukashenko said the president himself ordered that a MiG-29 fighter jet accompany the airliner after he was informed of the bomb threat. Deputy air force commander Andrei Gurtsevich said the plane's crew made the decision to land in Minsk. But Ryanair said in a statement that Belarusian air traffic control instructed the plane to divert to the capital. The Belarus presidential press service said the bomb threat was received while the plane was over Belarusian territory. Officials later said no explosives were found on board. Passengers were taken off the plane in Minsk. After the plane arrived in Vilnius, Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas said Pratasevich's girlfriend and four other people did not reboard. 'We will find out who are the other four that did not travel with the rest. Lithuania has launched an investigation to find out what really happened on that plane,' he said on Facebook. Ben Hodges, former commander of U.S. Army forces in Europe, said the air defenses of Belarus were closely integrated with those of Russia. 'If you had anything happening in the Belarus airspace, it would be impossible for the Kremlin - or at least Russian military forces - not to know about it,' he said. The Belarus authorities claimed its bomb-disposal squad was examining the plane Belarusian dog handler checks luggage from the Ryanair flight in Minsk International Airport on May 23 Mantas, a Lithuanian passenger of Ryanair flight FR4978, speaks to the media after arriving at Vilnius Airport, Lithuania A woman covered with an old Belarusian national flag holds a phone with a sticker in colors of an old Belarusian national flag as she waits to see passengers of the Ryanair plane carrying opposition figure Raman Pratasevich Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte came to Vilnius Airport for the plane's arrival on Sunday, as did dozens of Belarusian opposition supporters 'Dangerous and abhorrent': US Secretary of State condemns Belarus President Lukashenko for faking a bomb threat and sending fighter jets to arrest a journalist United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has condemned Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko after Belarusian authorities hijacked a Ryanair flight. 'We strongly condemn the Lukashenka regime's brazen and shocking act to divert a commercial flight and arrest a journalist,' Blinken said in a statement Sunday evening. Blinken called for the immediate release of Roman Protasevich, 26, an opponent of President Lukashenko was taken off the plane and arrested. 'We demand an international investigation and are coordinating with our partners on next steps. The United States stands with the people of Belarus.' Julie Fisher, the US Ambassador to Belarus, earlier voiced her anger at the provocation. 'Lukashenko and his regime today showed again its contempt for international community and its citizens. Faking a bomb threat and sending MiG-29s to force @RyanAir to Minsk in order to arrest a @Nexta journalist on politically motivated charges is dangerous and abhorrent.' Advertisement An official Belarus Telegram channel claimed they saved Europe from a terrorist incident in bringing down the Ryanair plane bound for the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. The Belarus defence ministry confirmed the detention of Protasevich, who had been living in exile. Human rights centre Vesna also said: 'Roman Protasevich was detained. He was on the Ryanair flight Athens-Vilnius.' Data from the flightradar24.com website showed the plane was diverted just two minutes before it was due to cross into Lithuanian airspace. After several hours in Minsk, the plane took off again for Vilnius, a top EU official said. Protasevich was not on board the flight this time. After finally landing in Vilnius several hours after the scheduled time of arrival, some passengers described seeing the blogger looking nervous as the flight was diverted to Belarus. 'He just turned to people and said he was facing the death penalty,' Monika Simkiene, a 40-year-old Lithuanian, told AFP. Edvinas Dimsa, 37, said: 'He was not screaming, but it was clear that he was very much afraid. It looked like if the window had been open, he would have jumped out of it.' Other passengers said Protasevich reacted immediately to the news that the plane was diverting to Minsk without explanation. They described seeing him standing up from his seat, reaching into the overhead locker, pulling a laptop computer from his hand luggage and passing it to a female companion - his girlfriend - along with his mobile phone. 'When it was announced they were going to land in Minsk, Roman stood up, opened the luggage compartment, took luggage and was trying to split things,' said the Lithuanian passenger, who gave his name only as Mantas. 'I think he made a mistake. There were plenty of people so he could give the things to me or other passengers and not the girlfriend, who was also I think arrested.' Mantas was speaking to Reuters after a day-long ordeal that began in Athens and finally ended late in the evening in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, after a stopover of more than seven hours in Minsk. Another exhausted passenger, speaking to reporters without giving her name, said Protasevich looked 'super scared'. 'I looked directly into his eyes and he was very sad,' she said. Protasevich, 26 was immediately separated on arrival in Minsk and checks of luggage using sniffer dogs turned up nothing. 'We saw that Roman was stopped due to some things in the luggage,' Mantas said, adding that the other passengers also had their luggage checked and were taken by bus to the terminal where they spent several hours waiting to reboard the plane. 'We saw from the window that Roman is standing alone, and one policeman with dog was trying to find something (in his luggage).' Another passenger, who also did not give his name, told Lithuanian media that Protasevich had identified himself to Belarusian security officials on arrival. 'I saw how his passport was taken away. He took off his mask and said: "I'm so-and-so and I'm the reason why all this is going on".' The other passengers looked weary on arrival in Vilnius, with Mantas saying they had spent hours in queues for luggage and passport checks in Minsk before being allowed into a lounge to await takeoff. Passengers on the Ryanair flight filmed Belarusian officials walking towards the plane before Protasevich was arrested (left) while sniffer dogs searched bags (right) Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, widely seen to have won last year's presidential election against Lukashenko before being forced into exile, said: 'It is absolutely obvious that this is an operation by the special services to hijack an aircraft in order to detain the activist and blogger Roman Protasevich. 'The regime endangered the safety of passengers on board and all civil aviation for the sake of reprisals against a man who was the editor of the largest Belarusian independent Telegram channels. 'Only for this he was recognised as a terrorist, and only for this now in Belarus Roman can face the death penalty. 'We have already informed the Ryanair office and the International Civil Aviation Organisation, demanding to start an investigation into the incident and take measures up to the exclusion of Belarus from ICAO,' Tikhanovskaya added. She warned: 'From now on, not a single person flying over Belarus can be sure of their safety. After all, the regime is abusing the rules of air traffic in order to capture those who disagree.' Meanwhile the Prime Minister of Estonia Kaja Kallas said: 'Absolutely inexplicable and shocking reports from Belarus about detaining Roman Protasevich and forcing the plane to land. 'All passengers should be immediately released and a thorough international investigation should follow. EU must take a stand together. The Ryanair flight is parked at Minsk International Airport on Sunday after it was stopped by authorities ROMAN PROTASEVICH: OPPOSITION BLOGGER FORCED INTO EXILE Protasevich, 26, has long been a thorn in the side of Belarus's hardline dictator Alexander Lukashenko. He worked as an editor at the Poland-based Nexta Live channel, which is based on the Telegram messenger app and has over 1 million subscribers. The channel, which is openly hostile to Lukashenko, played an important role in broadcasting huge opposition protests against the President last year. Nexta also helped coordinate those same protests, which were sparked by anger over what the opposition said was a rigged presidential election. The channel's footage, which showed how harshly police cracked down on demonstrators, was used widely by international media at a time when the Belarusian authorities were reluctant to allow foreign media in. In November Protasevich published a copy of an official Belarusian list of terrorists on which his name figured. The listing said he was accused of organising mass riots while working at Nexta. He also stands accused of disrupting social order and of inciting social hatred. He regards the allegations, which could see him jailed for years, as unjustified political repression. Protasevich fled Belarus for Poland in 2019 due to pressure from the authorities, according to Media Solidarity, a group that supports Belarusian journalists. He moved his parents to Poland too after they were put under surveillance. He later relocated to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, where opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya is also based. Protasevich is currently editor-in-chief of a Belarusian political outlet hosted on the Telegram messaging app called 'Belarus of the Brain' which has around a quarter of a million subscribers. He was flying back to Vilnius from Greece where he had spent time taking photographs of a visit there by Tsikhanouskaya. He had posted the pictures to social media before flying back. - By REUTERS Advertisement MEP Roberta Metsola also called for Europe to act now in response to the forced landing. She said: 'Now is the time for Europe to act in unison. Extended sanctions, independent international investigations and immediate release of dissidents. 'We must be able to guarantee safety and security of air passenger travel. Leaders meeting at #EUCO tomorrow must act.' The incident is certain to worsen already dire relations between the West and Belarus, which has been tightly controlled since 1994 by President Alexander Lukashenko. Opponents accuse him of rigging a presidential election in his own favour last year and of then cracking down violently on the opposition. He denies electoral fraud. British Conservative MP Damian Collins condemned the 'hijacking' in a statement. He said: 'This is an appalling act of hijacking by a rogue state. 'Belarus must release Roman Protasevich, give him safe passage to Lithuania and compensate the airline and passengers. Without this they should face serious sanctions.' Ryanair said in a statement that the plane's crew was notified by Belarus of a potential security threat on board and were instructed to divert to the nearest airport, Minsk. The plane landed safely, passengers were offloaded and security checks were made by local authorities, it said, saying it expected the aircraft to resume its journey later on Sunday. Protasevich worked for an online opposition news service Nexta, a Telegram channel that broadcast footage of mass protests against Lukashenko last year at a time when it was hard for foreign media to do so. He is wanted in Belarus on extremism charges and stands accused of organising mass riots and of inciting social hatred, allegations he denies. Protasevich and Nexta founder Stepan Putilo, 22, were added to Belarus's list of 'individuals involved in terrorist activity' last year. The two bloggers - both now based in Poland - were accused of causing mass unrest, an offence punishable by up to 15 years in jail. Belarus also labelled the Nexta Telegram channels and its logo 'extremist' and ordered them blocked. With close to two million subscribers on Telegram, Nexta Live and its sister channel Nexta are prominent opposition channels and helped mobilise protesters. Police officers detained Roman Protasevich after he was attempting to cover a rally in Minsk, Belarus on 26 March 2017 Belarusian news agency BelTA reported that Lukashenko had personally ordered the warplane to escort the Ryanair plane to Minsk. No explosives were found, it said. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda called for an international response. 'I call on NATO and EU allies to immediately react to the threat posed to international civil aviation by the Belarus regime. The international community must take immediate steps that this does not repeat,' Nauseda said. Lithuanian presidential adviser Asta Skaisgiryte said the operation to force the plane carrying around 170 people from 12 countries to land seemed to be pre-planned. Protasevich had said that at Athens airport a bald Russian-speaking middle-aged man had attempted to film the main page of his passport. He then turned and left. The Ryanair plane, which was carrying blogger Roman Protasevich and was diverted to Belarus, lands at Vilnius Airport in Vilnius, Lithuania on Sunday NEXTA was closely involved in reporting a wave of opposition protests that last year threatened to topple Lukashenko, before he was given backing by Vladimir Putin A message being retweeted in Russia read: 'Detention of Protasevich (NEXTA) is a splendid, beautiful, complicated, (operation) in the best traditions of the Soviet KGB, the work of the Belorussian CHEKA (state security). You are cool!' NEXTA reported: 'Protasevich was on board a flight heading from Athens to Vilnius. He faces the death penalty in Belarus. 'The Lukashists [derogatory term for supporters of embattled President Lukashenko] seized the plane in order to arrest Protasevich,' the channel said. The Belarus authorities claimed its bomb-disposal squad was examining the plane. The official Minsk version said: 'Belarus defended Europe. Information has been received that the plane has been mined.' The plane had almost left Belarus air space but was forced to land in Minsk. 'The situation was immediately reported to the President. Lukashenko gave an unconditional command to turn the plane around and receive it. 'In this situation, the most important thing is the safety and lives of people.' The Belarusian department for organised crime control reported that Protasevich had been detained before deleting the statement from its Telegram channel. Around 35,000 people have been detained in Belarus since August, human rights groups say. Dozens have received jail terms. Authorities say that more than 1,000 criminal cases have been launched. English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson has been spotted at a pro-Israel demonstration in London this afternoon. Footage from the demonstration in Kensington High Street shows Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, holding a Free Gaza from Hamas sign. A second video shows 38-year-old Robinson, a prominent anti-Islamic activist, draped in an Israeli flag and laughing and joking with fellow demonstrators. Police officers were forced to step in after a small group of people chanting 'free Palestine' tried to enter the gathering of pro-Israel protesters. The large crowd of hundreds waved large Israeli flags and banners and chanted loudly, while a number of speeches were made. Placards bearing the messages 'Free Gaza From Hamas' and 'Israel has the right to defend itself' were held aloft as music was played loudly. Leaders of the Jewish community have criticised Robinson for attending the protest and said he and other members of far-right groups 'are not welcome at our community's events'. English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson has been spotted at a pro-Israel demonstration in London this afternoon Pictured: Far right activist Tommy Robinson, also known as Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has been pictured at a pro-Israel demonstration in Kensington High Street, London, this afternoon Tommy Robinson holds a Free Gaza from Hamas sign while attending a demo in London Pictured: Stephen Yaxley-Lennon is filmed draped in an Israeli flag and holding pro-Israel sign The protests were largely peaceful - however, a small group of men, many wearing masks and hoods, tried to enter the protest area chanting 'free Palestine'. They waved Palestinian flags and goaded members of the protest, before police officers tried to move them away. The group then started throwing objects at police and chanting back at the pro-Israel protesters. A number of people were taken to police vans. Officers then cornered the group and members of the public were ushered away. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: 'The demonstration that took place in the vicinity of the Israeli Embassy this afternoon has concluded without incident. 'A small group of counter-protesters also attended and were monitored by officers. 'They have since left the immediate area. There were no arrests in relation to the demonstration.' Robinson has been criticised by Jewish leaders and activists for attending the protest today. The Board of Deputies of British Jews said in a statement: 'Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (aka Tommy Robinson) & supporters of of far-right extremist organisations like the English Defence League are not welcome at our communitys events. 'Their message of hate and division must be confronted and defeated. We utterly reject their bigotry.' Two women attending a pro-Israel demonstration raise their hands in the air as they travel through London today Pro-Israeli demonstrators attend a protest following a flare-up of Israeli-Palestinian violence The Jewish Leadership Council said in a statement: 'Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, or Tommy Robinson as he likes to be called was not invited today. Nor was he in any way welcome. 'We do not want his "support" and we ask him to stay away from future events. Today is about supporting Israel, not spreading hate.' Meanwhile Nick Lowes, the chief executive of HOPE not hate, the UK's largest anti-racism and anti-extremism movement, said: 'Depressing to see Stephen Yaxley Lennon (aka Tommy Robinson) on the pro-Israeli demo in London today. 'Just as we called out antisemites on the pro-Palestinian demo yesterday, so we need to call out Islamophobes on todays pro-Israel demo.' The demonstration comes after a large pro-Palestine rally took place yesterday. The rally attracted wide-spread criticism after protesters were pictured waving signs referring to Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust during protests against Israeli actions in the Middle East. Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Kensington High Street, London, waving Israeli flags The demonstration took place outside the Israeli embassy in London on Sunday afternoon Police maintain a cordon as demonstrators rally in support of Israel outside the Israeli Embassy This is the second consecutive week that protestors have flooded the streets of the capital One man standing in Trafalgar Square yesterday held a Palestinian flag with a placard reading: 'Stop doing what Hitler did to you', while a poster held by a woman read, 'Israel, the new Nazi state.' Another sign in London referred to 'Holocaust Part 2' and another - referring to Israel's Prime Minister - read 'Netanyahu surpasses Hitler in barbarism'. Responding to the signs, Lord Mann, the government's anti-Semitism tsar, told the Sunday Times: 'The disgusting racist abuse against Jewish people on the streets of London requires an effective and strong response by all politicians and will be treated with contempt by all decent citizens.' Meanwhile, the Campaign Against Antisemitism spoke of 'yet another antisemitism-infested rally' and said Jews had been threatened with 'rape and murder' in recent weeks. MPs and campaigners have condemned pro-Palestine protesters for waving signs referring to Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust during protests against Israeli actions in the Middle East One man standing in Trafalgar Square yesterday held a Palestinian flag with a placard reading, 'Stop doing what Hitler did to you', while another read 'One Holocaust does not justify another' Two pro-Israeli demonstrators stand on a street lamp pole as they attend a protest in London today Demonstrators take part in a pro-Israel rally adjacent to the Israeli embassy in Kensington High Street today Pro-Israeli demonstrators attend a protest following a flare-up of Israeli-Palestinian violence today Pro-Palestinian demonstrators attempted to attend the pro-Israel demonstration in London today It came as Pro-Palestine activists burned Israeli flags outside the nation's embassy in the capital yesterday, as London saw a consecutive weekends of anti-Israel protests. Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered in central London for a second weekend in a row as they called for an 'urgent' resolution to the Israeli-Palestine conflict. Cars were smashed up by protesters, with pictures showing a traffic cone shoved through the rear window of one parked vehicle surrounded by activists waving Palestinian flags. Loud chants of 'Israel is a terrorist state' could be heard as the activists weaved their way through the capital, setting off flares and blocking traffic in the process. Pro-Palestine activists burned Israeli flags (pictured) outside the nation's embassy in the capital on Saturday, as London faces consecutive weekends of anti-Israel protests Cars were smashed up by protesters on Saturday, with pictures showing a traffic cone shoved through the rear window of one parked vehicle surrounded by activists waving Palestinian flags Meanwhile, last week four men were arrested after pro-Palestine demonstrators were filmed shouting anti-Semitic slurs while driving through London. The convoy cruised through St John's Wood in the capital shouting: 'F*** the Jews... F*** all of them. F*** their mothers, f*** their daughters.' Footage showed a convoy of cars covered with Palestinian flags on Finchley Road, with passengers heard using offensive language and issuing threats against Jews. A convoy of cars bearing the Palestinian flag drove through a Jewish community in north London yesterday while the passengers screamed 'f*** their mothers, f*** their daughters The Metropolitan Police said the incident took place in the St John's Wood area of the city on May 16. Officers traced the car to the A40 in Hillingdon and four men were arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated public order offences. All four, who were part of the 'Convoy 4 Palestine' rally, have been released on bail 'pending further inquiries'. The incident received cross-party criticism, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemning the acts as 'shameful racism' that have 'no place' in society. Onlookers were left horrified after the convoy yelled: ''F*** all of them. F*** their mothers, f*** their daughters and show your support for Palestine. Rape their daughters and we have to send a message like that. Please do it for the poor children in Gaza' In response to reports of anti-Semitic abuse, Mr Johnson said: 'There is no place for anti-Semitism in our society. 'Ahead of Shavuot, I stand with Britain's Jews who should not have to endure the type of shameful racism we have seen today.' Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer described the incident as 'utterly disgusting'. 'Anti-Semitism, misogyny and hate have no place on our streets or in our society,' he said. There must be consequences.' In the Middle East fighting, Israel unleashed hundreds of air strikes against militant targets in Gaza, while Hamas and other militants fired more than 4,000 rockets towards Israel. Over 250 people have died - mostly Palestinians. Gaza City's busiest commercial area, Omar al-Mukhtar Street, was covered in debris, smashed cars and twisted metal after a 13-floor building in its centre was flattened in an Israeli air strike. Merchandise was covered in soot and strewn inside smashed stores and on the pavement. Municipal workers are removing broken glass and twisted metal from streets and pavements. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday giving Palestinians a state is the only way to reach peace in the region as he lauds ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. 'President Biden's been very clear that he remains committed to a two-state solution,' Blinken told ABC 'This Week' host George Stephanopoulos. 'Look, ultimately it is the only way to ensure Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state, and, of course, the only way to give Palestinians the state to which they're entitled,' he added. 'That's where we have to go. President Biden underscored Friday that the 'only answer' to reaching peace in Israel is to establish two states as he faces pressure from Democrats to do more to protect Palestinians. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that a two-state solution is the only way to ensure the future of Israel 'There is no shift in my commitment, commitment to the security of Israel,' he said during a press conference to mark the visit of South Korean President Moon Jae-in. 'It is the only answer,' Biden said of the two-state solution. Blinken painted the compromise, however, as a long-term solution. 'That, I don't think, is something necessarily for today,' he said of establishing a state for the Palestinians. 'We have to start putting in place the conditions that will allow both sides to engage in a meaningful and positive way toward two states.' This week, Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire after several nations publicly called for it including the U.S. 'It was critical to get to the cease-fire,' Blinken said. 'And President Biden's focus on relentless, determined, but quiet diplomacy is what got us to where we needed to be, which was to get the violence ended as quickly as possible, to stop more human suffering, and to at least put ourselves in a position to make a turn, to make a pivot to building something more positive.' Both Hamas and Israel and lauding the cease-fire as a victory for their respective sides of the conflict. The rocket-fire between Israel and the Gaza Strip led to more than 250 deaths and thousands more wounded. Now, the region and American officials are concerned with recovering from the destruction and working toward a more permanent solution. Israel and Hamas reached a cease-fire this week. Above, a Palestinian man looks at the damage from a building destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on May 18, 2021 An Israeli soldier sits on top of a tank at a staging ground near the border with Gaza Strip, southern Israel on Friday, May 21, 2021. Both Israel and Hamas are claiming the ceasefire as a win for their respective sides 'That has to start now with dealing with the grave humanitarian situation in Gaza, then reconstruction, rebuilding what's been lost, and, critically, engaging both sides in trying to start to make real improvements in the lives of people, so that Israelis and Palestinians can live with equal measures of security, of peace and of dignity,' Biden's secretary of state told ABC on Sunday morning. Biden is facing a sticky situation as he attempts to strike a balance between America's historically pro-Israel stance, but also appeal to the progressive base who want more solutions for Palestinians. The president announced Friday that plans to help Palestinians in Gaza rebuild their lives so long as Hamas militants, who rained rockets on Israel, were not able to rebuild their armaments. 'I am prepared to put together, and am going to attempt to put together, a major package with other nations who share our view to rebuild the homes and - without providing Hamas the ability to rebuild their weapons systems - rebuild Gaza,' he said. 'They need help and I'm committed to get that done.' Prince William has ignored a question about Martin Bashir's apology over the Panorama interview with his mother as he continued his visit to Scotland today. The Duke was trying his hand at woodworking as he visited the Grassmarket Community Project - which provides sanctuary and support for vulnerable people through community innovation and social enterprise - in Edinburgh. As he left the venue, he was asked by a reporter whether he had seen Martin Bashir's apology over the 1995 interview with his mother but did not respond. The Prince earlier this week gave a scathing statement about the controversial interview after an inquiry found the broadcaster covered up the former BBC journalist's 'deceitful behaviour'. Speaking to today's Sunday Times, Bashir said he 'never wanted to harm' Diana, Princess of Wales, with the Panorama interview, adding: 'I don't believe we did.' The Duke of Cambridge ignored a question about Martin Bashir 's apology over the Panorama interview with his mother as he continued his visit to Scotland on Sunday Addressing the princesses' sons Princes William and Harry - both of whom issued statements blasting the deceit and the BBC's cover up - Bashir said he is 'deeply sorry'. He said he 'can't imagine what their family must feel each day, although I know a little of that myself having lost a brother and father prematurely'. But the journalist disputed the Duke of Cambridge's charge that he fuelled Diana's isolation and paranoia, saying: 'Even in the early 1990s, there were stories and secretly recorded phone calls. 'I wasn't the source of any of that.' He also denied responsibility for his death, saying: 'I dont feel I can be held responsible for many of the other things that were going on in her life, and complex issues surrounding those decisions. As he left the venue, he was asked by a reporter whether he had seen Martin Bashir's apology over the 1995 interview with his mother but did not respond But speaking on Thursday, Prince William hit out at Bashir, who he labelled a 'rogue reporter', and said the interview was at leats partially to blame for the worsening of his mother's relationship to Prince Charles. 'It is my view that the deceitful way the interview was obtained substantially influenced what my mother said. 'The interview was a major contribution to making my parents' relationship worse and has since hurt countless others. 'She was failed not just by a rogue reporter, but by leaders at the BBC who looked the other way rather than asking the tough questions.' The Duke was trying his hand at woodworking as he visited the Grassmarket Community Project - which provides sanctuary and support for vulnerable people through community innovation and social enterprise - in Edinburgh It came as William visited the Grassmarket Community Project's workshop, which makes furniture from recycled pews and other responsibly-resourced wood. The project was developed in partnership between Greyfriars Kirk (Church of Scotland) and Grassmarket Mission in 1982 and became a standalone charity in 2010. He met chief executive Jonny Kinross and Richard Frazer, founder and Greyfriars Kirk minister. He heard how the project works with people who are dealing with a wide range of complex issues including mental and physical health problems, disabilities, learning difficulties, poverty, substance misuse, abuse and social isolation. William began a week-long visit to Scotland on Friday and the Duchess of Cambridge will join him on Monday for the rest of the tour. Advertisement Owners of homes that were caught up in a volcanic eruption paused to take selfies in front of their burning properties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Residents of Goma posed in front of the wreckage as the lava came to a halt on the outskirts of the city on Sunday 23 May, sparing it from disaster after the night-time eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano. Thousands of other residents fled as the molten rock swallowed up houses, heading towards Goma airport on the shores of Lake Kivu. But the military governor of North Kivu province said 'the city was spared' by a matter of a few hundred yards after 'the lava halted near Buhene on the outskirts of Goma'. People pause to snap selfies in front of their burning homes as thousands flee rivers of boiling lava as a the Nyiragongo volcano in DR Congo erupts Residents of Goma posed in front of the wreckage as the lava came to a halt on the outskirts of the city on Sunday 23 May, sparing it from disaster after the nighttime eruption of the volcano But the military governor of North Kivu province said 'the city was spared' by a matter of a few hundred yards after 'the lava halted near Buhene on the outskirts of Goma' Five people were killed in accidents during the evacuations, said General Constant Ndima, appointed governor early this month when the province was placed under a 'state of siege' to combat violence by armed groups. Ndima reported some thefts from shops and an attempted escape of inmates from Goma prison but said 'the situation is under control.' Many families slept on pavements surrounded by their belongings after they frantically grabbed mattresses and fled towards the frontier. Ndima said around 7,000 people fled overnight to neighbouring Rwanda before returning. 'All the Goma residents returned home without incident this morning after spending the night in emergency shelters which Rwanda set up, mainly schools,' said Rwanda's minister for emergency management, Marie Solange Kayisire. She added: 'Only about 100 of them are still in Rwanda but they are people who have cars who spent the night in hotels.' Five people were killed in accidents during the evacuations, said General Constant Ndima, as many others stood by the molten rocks for pictures One resident poses with debris on the smoking ground the molten rock swallowed up houses, heading towards Goma airport on the shores of Lake Kivu Lava from the eruption of Mount Myiragongo is seen in Buhene, on the outskirts of Goma, Congo in the early hours of Sunday Bright red lava flows from the volcanic eruption of Mount Nyiragongo inbetween buildings in Goma, DR of Congo on Saturday Civilians watch the smoke and flames of the volcanic eruption near Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo The morning brought around a dozen earth tremors, prompting Pope Francis to offer a special prayer for Goma in his Sunday Vatican address. 'This morning we saw the whole district had gone up in smoke, the flames came right down here from Nyiragongo,' said one resident. Despite a relative return to calm Goma residents remained wary. 'There is a smell of sulphur. In the distance you can see giant flames coming out of the mountain,' added another resident. Tourists who were near the crater when the volcano erupted are safe, the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN) tweeted. They added the rare mountain gorillas in the Virunga National Park, where Mount Nyiragongo is located, were likewise not threatened by the eruption. A few cars were on seen on the streets Sunday, but no police or military presence was visible. People congregated after the volcano had stopped but there were a dozen earth tremors in the morning, prompting Pope Francis to mention the city in his prayers The eruption has turned the sky red over the city of Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Saturday An aerial view shows lava flowing from the volcanic eruption of Mount Nyiragongo is pictured on Saturday night A building burns after the volcanic eruption of Mount Nyiragongo, which occurred late on May 22 in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo A person attempts to extinguish fire on a building after the volcanic eruption of Mount Nyiragongo on May 22 On Saturday, Communications Minister Patrick Muyaya had said that the government had activated an evacuation plan and was 'discussing the urgent measures to take at present.' The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, said he would 'interrupt his stay in Europe to return home this Sunday to supervise the coordination of aid'. General Ndima said Monusco, the UN mission in the country, NGOs and international organisations in the DRC would hold an emergency meeting on the crisis later Sunday with local and regional authorities. The first departures from Goma city came even before the official confirmation that Mount Nyiragongo had erupted at around 7:00 pm Saturday. Power was already cut in large parts of the city when hundreds of residents began leaving their homes. Some headed out of the southern end of Goma towards the nearby border post with Rwanda, while others headed west towards Sake, in the neighbouring Congolese region of Masisi. Electricity was cut off in a large part of the city as thousands of people - carrying mattresses, food and parcels - streamed towards the Rwandan border. Lava flows from the volcanic eruption of Mount Nyiragongo, creating a red sky, on Saturday Electricity was cut off in a large part of the city as thousands of people - carrying mattresses, food and parcels - streamed towards the Rwandan border Several planes, belonging to Monusco and private companies, took off on Saturday evening, according to an airport source, with a local adding they had also seen the unusual nighttime activity. In a May 10 report, the Goma Vulcanology Observatory warned seismic activity around the volcano had increased and warranted careful monitoring of a region with six volcanos in all. The Observatory's Adalbert Muhindo said ongoing tremors meant people had to remain vigilant and warned it would be dangerous for locals who had fled to think of returning to the vicinity for now. The last time Nyiragongo erupted was January 17, 2002, killing more than a hundred people and covering almost all of the eastern part of Goma with lava, including half of the airport's landing strip. During that eruption, the victims were mostly sick or elderly abandoned to their fate in the northern districts of the city with some looting also taking place. A woman is in hospital with life-threatening injuries after she was shot in the early hours of Sunday. The Metropolitan Police said the woman, who is thought to be in her 20s, was found after officers were called to reports of gunshots in Consort Road in Peckham, south-east London, shortly before 3am. Officers, including firearms officers, and London Ambulance Service attended the scene in Southwark. A woman in her 20s is in hospital with life threatening injuries following a shooting in Consort Road, Peckham, in the early hours of Sunday morning Detectives from the Met's Specialist Crime Command (Trident) are leading the investigation. Detective Chief Inspector Jimi Tele said: 'We are all hoping that this young woman's condition improves. Our investigation is in its early stages and urgent inquiries are under way to establish the circumstances. 'I would appeal to the residents of Consort Road and the surrounding area to check any doorbell or dashcam footage for any suspicious activity that may relate to this investigation.' A police spokesman said there is a significant police presence in the area and a number of roads are closed. No arrests have yet been made. Anybody with information about the incident is asked to call police on 101, tweet @MetCC, quoting CAD 1172/23May or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Priti Patel is considering appointing a retired judge or a senior QC to oversee a new investigation into Operation Midland. The Metropolitan Police's 16-month investigation into false claims of a VIP paedophile ring from fantasist Carl Beech included raids on the homes of former home secretary Lord Brittan, as well as D-Day veteran Lord Bramall and ex-Tory MP Harvey Proctor. The probe ended in 2016 without a single arrest, after Beech made a series of lurid claims, all later proved to be untrue, including three murders. Home Secretary Priti Patel is considering appointing a retired judge or a senior QC to oversee a new investigation into Operation Midland Scotland Yard and the Independent Office for Police Conduct faced stern criticism following the conclusion of the 2.5million inquiry. Options for the Home Secretary include appointing a senior QC or retired judge, according to the Sunday Times. A source said Patel is very anxious to do something. Earlier this week it was reported the police watchdog could consider reopening its probe into how officers conducted themselves during the failed Operation Midland if 'new and compelling' evidence was presented, its boss has said. Michael Lockwood, director general of the IOPC, told MPs the body is now allowed to reopen cases if fresh information indicates its original findings were flawed. Fantasist Carl Beech Speaking to the Commons Home Affairs Committee, he said: 'If somebody provides me with compelling, new information - significant new information - which would come to the view that the original decision was flawed, then I would scope that, talk to the individual parties and make a decision (as to) whether that is something we do. We have done that in other cases.' The force was heavily criticised for believing Beech too readily despite inconsistencies in his evidence, including naming witnesses that did not exist. One of the most serious accusations levelled at investigators was that they allegedly misled a district judge when applying for search warrants. Earlier this year Lady Diana Brittan - who was given compensation and an official apology by The Met - told the committee those affected by the failed investigation had still not received justice. Her homes in London and Yorkshire were raided in 2015 as part of Operation Midland amid the allegations against her late husband. Minister of Health and Welfare Kwon Deok-cheol and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra pose at a meeting held in Washington, Friday. Courtesy of the Ministry of Health and Welfare By Lee Hyo-jin While the Korean and U.S. health authorities have agreed to build a comprehensive partnership on the production and development of COVID-19 vaccines, it remains to be seen whether such an agreement will speed up vaccine arrivals here as a much-anticipated vaccine swap deal is missing, according to experts, Sunday. South Korean Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol and his U.S. counterpart Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, held a meeting in Washington, Friday, with President Moon Jae-in in attendance, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The event came on the sidelines of the summit between Moon and U.S President Joe Biden. Based on a mutual understanding that the speedy supply of COVID-19 vaccines is crucial to overcoming the pandemic, the two sides vowed to cooperate in the development and production of vaccines by combining the U.S.'s technology and supply of raw and subsidiary materials with Korea's biopharmaceutical production capacity. Under the agreement, Samsung Biologics will roll out U.S. drugmaker Moderna's vaccine at the Korean firm's plant through a contract manufacturing organization (CMO) deal. The large-scale production of tens and thousands of doses is expected to begin from the third quarter, the ministry said. Another US vaccine maker, Novavax, reaffirmed its earlier license agreement with SK Bioscience, under which the latter has the right to manufacture and sell the vaccine here through a technology-transfer deal. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), for its part, announced that it will conduct joint research with the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. Such deals are expected to help Korea become a "global vaccine production hub" and contribute to bringing about an end to the pandemic in the long term. Elderly citizens aged over 75 wait to receive a vaccine against the coronavirus at a vaccination center in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, Saturday. Yonhap A BBC journalist who tweeted '#HitlerWasRight' seven years ago has sparked an investigation after the post was unearthed. Tala Halawa had claimed 'Israel is more Nazi than Hitler' and told the Israeli Defence Force to 'go to hell' in an online post dated July 20, 2014, before she was a digital reporter at the BBC. Halawa, whose Twitter biography identifies her as located in Ramallah, Palestine, had used the hashtag '#PrayForGaza', along with '#HitlerWasRight' in the tweet. A screenshot of the historic post was today uploaded online by the Honest Reporting Twitter account, which describes itself as promoting 'fairness and accuracy in media coverage of Israel'. The account posted: 'Halawa directly influences and creates news content watched by many millions around the world. 'In what world can someone like this work for a professional news outlet?' A BBC Spokesperson told MailOnline: 'These tweets predate the individual's employment with the BBC but we are nevertheless taking this very seriously and are investigating.' Tala Halawa, a Palestine Specialist for BBC Monitoring, had been covering the recent conflict in Gaza this week, and had done a piece to camera in a video covering Bella Hadid's stance on the conflict in the region Tala Halawa had claimed 'Israel is more Nazi than Hitler' and told the Israeli Defence Force to 'go to hell' in an online post on July 20, 2014, before she was a digital reporter at the BBC Halawa, a Palestine Specialist for BBC Monitoring, had been covering the recent conflict in Gaza this week, and had done a piece to camera in a video covering Bella Hadid's stance on the conflict in the region. She had also previously tweeted 'ur media is produced by ur zionist government in order 2 produce ignorant people', '#Zionists can't get enough of our blood' and 'they're are crying the holocaust every single moment but they're practicing it every single moment as well,' Honest Reporting revealed. MailOnline have contacted Halawa for comment. Ms Halawa, whose Twitter biography identifies her as located in Ramallah, Palestine, had used the hashtag '#PrayForGaza', along with '#HitlerWasRight' It comes after the Associated Press fired a young journalist over her pro-Palestinian social media activity. Emily Wilder, 22, had started at the AP on May 3 as a news associate for the Western U.S., based in Phoenix. On Wednesday, just over two weeks later, the AP informed her that she was being terminated for violations of its social media policy that took place after she became an employee. Her Twitter feed since joining the AP contains a few retweets that appear sympathetic to Palestinians in the current Gaza conflict, including a video clip of demonstrators chanting, 'Free, free Palestine!' On Sunday, she tweeted: '`objectivity' feels fickle when the basic terms we use to report news implicitly take a claim. using `Israel' but never `Palestine,' or `war' but not `siege and occupation' are political choices - yet media make those exact choices all the time without being flagged as biased.' AP prohibits employees from openly expressing their opinions on political matters and other public issues for fear that could damage the news organisation's reputation for objectivity and jeopardize its many reporters around the world. Three researchers from China's Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) sought hospital care in November 2019, months before China disclosed the COVID-19 pandemic, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing a previously undisclosed U.S. intelligence report. The newspaper said the report - which provides fresh details on the number of researchers affected, the timing of their illnesses, and their hospital visits - may add weight to calls for a broader probe of whether the COVID-19 virus could have escaped from the laboratory. The report came on the eve of a meeting of the World Health Organization's decision-making body, which is expected to discuss the next phase of an investigation into the origins of COVID-19. Three researchers from China's Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) sought hospital care in November 2019, months before China disclosed the COVID-19 pandemic A previously undisclosed U.S. intelligence report adds weight to growing calls for a fuller probe of whether the Covid-19 virus may have escaped from the laboratory A National Security Council spokeswoman had no comment on the Journal's report but said the Biden administration continued to have 'serious questions about the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, including its origins within the Peoples Republic of China.' She said the U.S. government was working with the WHO and other member states to support an expert-driven evaluation of the pandemic's origins 'that is free from interference or politicization.' 'We're not going to make pronouncements that prejudge an ongoing WHO study into the source of SARS-CoV-2, but we've been clear that sound and technically credible theories should be thoroughly evaluated by international experts,' she said. The Journal said current and former officials familiar with the intelligence about the lab researchers expressed a range of views about the strength of the report's supporting evidence, with one unnamed person saying it needed 'further investigation and additional corroboration.' China's foreign ministry noted that a WHO-led team had concluded a lab leak was extremely unlikely after a visit in February to the virology institute. Pictured, an aerial view shows the P4 laboratory at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province The United States, Norway, Canada, Britain and other countries in March expressed concerns about the WHO-led COVID-19 origins study, and called for further investigation and full access to all pertinent human, animal and other data about the early stages of the outbreak. Washington is keen to ensure greater cooperation and transparency by China, according to a source familiar with the effort. The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday. On Sunday, China's foreign ministry noted that a WHO-led team had concluded a lab leak was extremely unlikely after a visit in February to the virology institute. 'The U.S. continues to hype the lab leak theory,' the ministry said in response to a request for comment by the Journal. 'Is it actually concerned about tracing the source or trying to divert attention?' The Trump administration had said it suspected the virus may have escaped from a Chinese lab, which Beijing denies. A State Department fact sheet released near the end of the Trump administration had said 'the U.S. government has reason to believe that several researchers inside the WIV became sick in autumn 2019, before the first identified case of the outbreak, with symptoms consistent with both COVID-19 and common seasonal illnesses.' It did not say how many researchers. China refused to give raw data on early COVID-19 cases to the WHO-led team probing the origins of the pandemic, according to one of the teams investigators, Reuters reported in February, potentially complicating efforts to understand how the outbreak began. The World Health Organization's decision-making body is expected to discuss the next phase of an investigation into the origins of COVID-19 at a meeting later this week Earlier on Sunday, Dr Anthony Fauci revealed he is 'not convinced' that COVID-19 developed naturally and called for an open investigation into its origins as China faces mounting pressure to provide transparency on the issue. Fauci, the nation's leading expert in infectious diseases, explained his uncertainty during a PolitiFact event on May 11 entitled: United Facts of America: A Festival of Fact-Checking. 'There's a lot of cloudiness around the origins of COVID-19 still, so I wanted to ask, are you still confident that it developed naturally?' PolitiFact managing editor Katie Sanders asked Fauci. 'No actually,' he replied. 'I am not convinced about that, I think we should continue to investigate what went on in China until we continue to find out to the best of our ability what happened.' Dr Anthony Fauci revealed he is 'not convinced' the novel coronavirus developed naturally during a PolitiFact event on May 11 (pictured) Fauci continued: 'Certainly, the people who investigated it say it likely was the emergence from an animal reservoir that then infected individuals, but it could have been something else, and we need to find that out. 'So, you know, that's the reason why I said I'm perfectly in favor of any investigation that looks into the origin of the virus.' Fauci's appearance at the event came hours after he was grilled on the same topic during a tense Senate hearing. 'Will you in front of this group categorically say that the COVID-19 virus could not have occurred by serial passage in a laboratory?' Sen Rand Paul (R - Kentucky) had asked Fauci. The NIH director replied: 'I do not have any accounting of what the Chinese may have done, and I'm fully in favor of any further investigation of what went on in China.' Fauci also unequivocally refuted Paul's suggestion that the NIH had funneled money to the Wuhan Institute of Virology - the Chinese lab accused of playing a role in the COVID-19 outbreak. Republicans have claimed to have 'significant circumstantial evidence' linking COVID-19 to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (pictured). Senator Rand Paul clashed with Fauci over the origins of COVID-19 at a hearing a Senate hearing on May 11 During his segment at the PolitiFact event Fauci slammed Paul for 'conflating in a way that's almost irresponsible' Chinese scientists with collaborative research into Sars-Cov-1, which emerged in China in the early 2000s. Fauci's appearance at the event received little media attention at the time but was pulled back into the spotlight over the weekend after the White House renewed its call for an independent and 'transparent' investigation into the origins of the COVID. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Thursday called for exploring the 'root causes' of the pandemic after Republicans issued an interim report saying there was 'significant circumstantial evidence' that the virus emerged from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. 'I would caution you against disproving a negative there which is never the responsible approach in our view when it comes to getting to the bottom of the root causes of a pandemic that has killed hundreds of thousands of people in the United States,' she said in response to a question about the report. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki called for a transparent investigation into the origins of the coronavirus 'Our view continues to be that there needs to be an independent, transparent investigation,' she said. She said the investigation required the 'cooperation and data provided from the Chinese government' which has denied administration requests to fully share it. 'We don't have enough info at this point to make an assessment,' she continued. Fact check on funding for Wuhan lab USA Today found it 'false' that any US funding led to the COVID outbreak. In 2014, NIH approved a grant to EcoHealth Alliance designated for research into 'Understanding the Risk of Bat Coronavirus Emergence.' The project involved collaborating with researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology to study coronaviruses in bats and the risk of potential transfer to humans. In total, $3,378,896 in NIH funding was directed from the government to the project. Over the course of the two grants approved by the NIH for EcoHealth Alliance, the Wuhan Institute received about $600,000 from the NIH, according to Robert Kessler, a spokesperson for EcoHealth Alliance. The funding was a fee for the collection and analysis of viral samples, the group said. It was directed toward SARS research. In the grant approved in 2014, about $133,000 was sent to the institute in the first four years and about $66,000 in the past year. In the second grant approved in 2019, about $76,000 was budgeted for the Wuhan Institute, though no money was sent before the grant's termination. The grant was terminated in April 2020. - USA Today fact check Advertisement Asked when Biden would call Chinese President Xi Jinping, Psaki responded that 'We have made that call publicly many times' and 'conveyed that privately. And we have certainly communicated that they were not transparent from the beginning.' The Republicans on the panel made their claim after infectious Fauci clashed with Sen Paul over his claims about a Chinese lab leak and statements about a conspiracy theory that US backing was involved. Many top scientists, while not ruling out the possibility of a human-caused event, point to the likelihood of the virus mutating and jumping form animals to humans, as has happened with numerous previous coronaviruses. The report says U.S. agencies and academic institutions 'may have funded or collaborated in' gain of function research after Fauci specifically denied government backing. 'Based on publicly available information, the possibility that the outbreak originated from an accidental exposure at the WIV has not been disproven,' it says. It cites competing theories including the virus originating from a Chinese wet market, jumping over from human contact with a bat or other species, or even through handling of imported frozen food but then says it focuses on just one. 'While Committee Republicans acknowledge there are differing theories on the origins of COVID-19, this review focuses on the WIV as a possible origin source,' it says, referencing the Wuhan lab. The report was released publicly Wednesday after first being obtained by Fox News. The report, though cites 'significant circumstantial evidence raises serious concerns that the COVID-19 outbreak may have been a leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology,' without providing any direct evidence that it did. It says China has a 'history of research lab leaks resulting in infections' and says the lab conducts 'dangerous research,' which risks the 'accidental outbreak of a pandemic.' The report follows repeated attacks by President Donald Trump on China after the virus outbreak. He frequently called covid-19 the 'China virus' in the run-up to the election and called it the 'kung flu.' It cites public reporting that Chinese researchers were sickened in the fall of 2019 with 'COVID-10-like symptoms.' 'By contrast, little circumstantial evidence has emerged to support the PRC's claim that COVID-19 was a natural occurrence, having jumped from some other species to human' according to the report, although it is not just the Chinese Communist Party making the claim. Chinese virologist Shi Zhengli (L) is seen inside the P4 laboratory in Wuhan, capital of China's Hubei province on February 23, 2017. Two Chinese labs are located close by a wet market in Wuhan that scientists believe allowed covid-19 to proliferate Earlier this month, Paul and Fauci got in a tense exchange during a Senate hearing, where Paul accused the US of potentially funding 'gain-of-function' research bats that could have gone awry. 'This gain-of-function research has been funded by the NIH. Dr. Fauci, do you still support funding of the NIH funding of the lab in Wuhan?' 'Senator Paul, with all due respect, you are entirely and completely incorrect that the NIH has not never and does not now fund gain-of-function research in the Wuhan Institute of Virology,' shot back Fauci. 'Could you rule out a laboratory escape? The answer in this case is probably not. Will you in front of this group categorically say that the COVID-19 could not have occurred through serial passage in a laboratory,' Paul asked Fauci. 'I do not have any accounting of what the Chinese may have done and I'm fully in favor of any further investigation of what went on in China,' Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, responded. 'However I will repeat again, the NIH and NIAD categorically has not funded gain of function research to be conducted in the Wuhan Institute.' Fauci also told him: 'I fully agree that you should investigate where the virus came from. But again, we have not funded gain of function research on this virus in the Wuhan Institute of Virology. No matter how many times you say it, it didn't happen.' A report by the World Health Organization with the collaboration from China called a 'zoonotic transmission' from animals to humans 'likely to very likely' as the cause, although the administration has faulted the report as incomplete. Joe Biden will skip a commencement ceremony traditionally attended by presidents amid a row over his pro-abortion views at the Catholic university. Biden's administration will be the first since Bill Clinton's to skip the University of Notre Dame's commencement ceremony, after more than 4,000 students and alumni signed a petition urging school officials not to invite the president over his pro-choice view on abortion. A White House official told the Catholic News Agency on May 11 that the president was invited to give a commencement speech and receive an honorary degree from the school but would not attend due to a scheduling conflict. Instead, school officials announced earlier this month, finance executive and trustee Jimmy Dunne would address the graduates at Sunday's commencement. President Joe Biden will not speak at the University of Notre Dame graduation, breaking a tradition in which administration officials speak to the graduates in their first year in office. He previously spoke to students at the school in 2016 The University of Notre Dame is a private Catholic School in Indiana It marks the first time since the Clinton administration in the 1990s that neither a president or vice president would give the commencement address in his or her first year in office. President Trump also skipped the ceremony - traditionally attended by presidents in their first year in office - to go to Saudi Arabia in 2017. But Trump, who painted himself as a staunchly anti-abortion president, sent his Vice President Mike Pence instead. It is unclear whether Vice President Kamala Harris was invited to speak. 'While Notre Dame has had more presidents serve as commencement speakers than any university other than military academies, we have not always hosted a president in his first year in office or at all,' a school spokesman told the CNA, noting John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon and Donald Trump never addressed Notre Dame's graduates. Former Vice President Mike Pence gave the commencement speech instead in 2017, after Notre Dame President Fr. John Jenkins expressed concerns about inviting former President Donald Trump over his views on immigration. Biden has said he is staunchly pro-choice, and has condemned recent efforts by US states to limit access to abortion. He has done so despite being a devout Catholic, with the president's church famed for its vocal and staunch position against abortion in almost all circumstances. Former President Barack Obama's invitation was also met with scrutiny due to his views on abortion, but students and alumni wrote in a letter to Jenkins the case against honoring Biden 'is immeasurably stronger than it was against honoring President Obama,' arguing Biden has a goal of 'providing direct federal funding to abortions. George W. Bush spoke at Notre Dame's graduation in 2001, praising the faith-based school President Barack Obama was invited to speak in his first year in office, in 2009 Obama's invitation was met with backlash from anti-abortion advocates 'He rejects Church teaching on abortion, marriage, sex and gender and is hostile to religious liberty,' the students, alumni and other community members of the Catholic university wrote in their online petition. 'He embraces the most pro-abortion and anti-religious liberty public policy program in history.' They argued his 'actions already taken and those promised will result in the killing of countless innocent unborn both here and abroad through federal funding of abortion and abortion organizations,' and 'by honoring Biden, Notre Dame would make a bad situation worse.' 'The university would be seen as little troubled by Biden's actions,' the petition, which was signed by 4,300 Notre Dame community members, reads, adding: 'Catholics including especially Catholic politicians and others who share Bidens views would be confirmed in their ruinous error while others would be newly led astray. 'We suggest that [the university's] responsibility ... is to guard Church teachings that are crucially important in today's society by conferring its honors upon those who support them rather than upon those who oppose them, especially the one person above all who has the will and the power to undermine them.' White House officials said they hope the president can speak at the Catholic school in the future. He has already done so in 2016, when he joined former House Speaker John Boehner at its commencement ceremony. Liz Cheney said in an interview that will air Sunday evening that the Republican Party needs to move forward without Donald Trump because it's 'right'. During an interview with 'Axios on HBO', the Wyoming congresswoman was asked why she has hope that charting a new course without the former president will work out. 'Because I love this country,' Cheney told Jonathan Swan. 'Because I believe in our Democracy and I believe in our constitutional process and system.' 'And because I look at it from the perspective of what's right.' Cheney was recently ousted from her post a Republican Conference chairwoman for repeatedly breaking with Trump and refusing to back his claims of a 'rigged' election riddled with widespread voter fraud. Liz Cheney said it's doing 'what's right' to try and forge a path for the Republican Party that doesn't involve Donald Trump But Swan pointed out: 'It just seems like there aren't people willing to buy what you're selling.' He isn't wrong. A CBS News/YouGov poll taken immediately after Cheney lost her No. 3 leadership spot in the House GOP revealed 80 per cent of Republican voters back the decision. And in another sign of the Republican Party deepening the ties with Trump, 52 per cent of Republican respondents said the party was right to boot Cheney because she 'didn't support Trump,' while 69 per cent said she is no longer 'on message with the party.' Of the 951 Republicans polled May 12-14, 66 per cent say a GOP lawmaker being loyal to Trump is important to them. The Friday after Cheney was voted out, New York Representative Elise Stefanik was chosen to replace her. Stefanik has a less conservative voting record than Cheney, but did vote against certifying the electron for Joe Biden on January 6 and was one of Trump's biggest defenders during his second impeachment shortly after. The Republican Conference held a voice vote on May 12 where Cheney was ultimately removed from leadership although she remains congresswoman for the at-large Wyoming district. She spoke to reporters following the vote where she said her new mission would be to keep Trump out of the White House. 'I will do everything I can to ensure that the former president never again, is anywhere near the Oval Office,' she vowed. She also told fellow lawmakers after the vote: 'I promise you this, after today, I will be leading the fight to restore our party and our nation to conservative principles, to defeating socialism, to defending our republic, to making the GOP worthy again of being the party of Lincoln.' Cheney is facing backlash from her own constituents, as well. There are already at least five Republicans who launched a bid to replace Cheney as Wyoming's representative in the U.S. House. Trump is expected to get involved in the race and endorse a candidate against Cheney. The United States looked to nuclear strikes on China in 1958 to protect Taiwan from an invasion by Communist forces, classified documents reveal. Military leaders also assumed that the Soviet Union would aid China and retaliate with nuclear weapons -a price they deemed worth paying to protect Taiwan, according to the document, first reported by The New York Times. The documents were posted online by Daniel Ellsberg. The now 90-year-old is famous for his 1971 leak to US media of the Pentagon Papers, a top-secret study on the Vietnam war. Ellsberg told the Times he copied the top-secret Taiwan crisis study in the early 1970s, and is releasing it as tensions mount between the United States and China over Taiwan. Former military analyst Ellsberg said: 'As the possibility of another nuclear crisis over Taiwan is being bandied about this very year, it seems very timely to me to encourage the public, Congress and the executive branch to pay attention to what I make available to them.' He posted online the classified portion of a top-secret document on the crisis that had been only partially declassified in 1975. Daniel Ellsberg - seen here in 2019 - is best known for his leak of the so-called Pentagon Papers in 1971. Ellsberg told the Times he copied the top-secret Taiwan crisis study in the early 1970s, and is releasing it as tensions mount between the United States and China over Taiwan Spikes placed on the coast of Taiwan's Kinmen islands - located just two miles from mainland China - to help prevent a military invasion. The United States looked to nuclear strikes on China in 1958 to protect Taiwan from an invasion by Communist forces, classified documents reveal Had an invasion taken place, General Nathan Twining, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the time, 'made it clear that the United States would have used nuclear weapons against Chinese air bases to prevent a successful air interdiction campaign,' the document's authors wrote. If this did not stop an invasion, then there was 'no alternative but to conduct nuclear strikes deep into China as far north as Shanghai,' the document said, paraphrasing Twining. The report shows American forces acknowledged millions of people could die. Nationalist Chinese soldiers on Quemoy Island in 1958. Ellsberg told the Times he copied the top-secret Taiwan crisis study in the early 1970s, and is releasing it as tensions mount between the United States and China over Taiwan A wounded soldier being flown off the island of Quemoy to Taiwan during a ceasefire between the Nationalist forces and the Chinese Communists in 1958 Dwight D Eisenhower, addressing the nation on American intervention in Taiwan in 1958 In the event, US president Dwight D. Eisenhower pushed back against leaders including Gen. Laurence S. Kutner, secretary of state, John Foster Dulles and Twining and decided to rely initially on conventional weapons. But there was 'unanimous belief that this would have to be quickly followed by nuclear strikes unless the Chinese Communists called off this operation.' Yale University historian Odd Arne Westad told the Times: 'This confirms, to me at least, that we came closer to the United States using nuclear weapons [in 1958] than what I thought before.' In the context of today's escalating tensions Westad said the documents should be 'sobering for everyone involved'. Daniel Ellsberg. He told the Times using the Espionage act 'to criminalize classified truth-telling in the public interest' is unconstitutional The 1958 crisis ended when Communist forces halted artillery strikes on islands controlled by Taiwan, leaving the area under the control of Nationalist forces under Chiang Kai-shek. China considers Taiwan to be a rebel province that will one day return to the mainland's fold, by force if necessary. Washington has recognized Beijing since 1979, but maintains relations with Taipei and is its most important military ally. In recent months the Chinese air force has increased incursions into Taiwan's air defense identification zone. The United States also frequently conducts what it calls 'freedom of navigation' operations in the flashpoint Taiwan Strait waterway. President Joe Biden is expected to announce his strategy toward China soon, and calls are growing for him to make a clear public commitment to defend Taiwan militarily. A US law requires Washington to help the island defend itself in the event of a conflict, but America has pursued a policy of 'strategic ambiguity' for decades, refraining from clearly stating what circumstances would lead it to intervene militarily on Taiwan's behalf. President Joe Biden and South Korea's President Moon Jae-in react during a joint news conference after a day of meetings at the White House, in Washington on Friday Chinese President Xi Jinping. He and his party want Taiwan to become part of Communist China again - by force, if necessary The US and South Korea will work together more closely to safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Friday after a meeting with Biden. 'As for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, we agreed how important that region is, especially considering the special characteristics between China and Taiwan,' Moon told reporters at a joint news conference with Biden. 'We just decided to work more closely on this matter going forward.' Ellsberg told the Times that he now hopes to be prosecuted under the Espionage Act, adding: 'I will, if indicted, be asserting my belief that what I am doing like what I've done in the past is not criminal.' He said using the act 'to criminalize classified truth-telling in the public interest' is unconstitutional. Advertisement A leading British Black Lives Matter campaigner is fighting for her life in hospital today after being shot in the head in the early hours of Sunday close to a London house party with her supporters insisting it was 'a result of her activism'. Sasha Johnson, the self-styled 'Black Panther of Oxford', was 'brutally' attacked after receiving multiple death threats, her political party said. But the Metropolitan Police insists there is nothing to suggest it was a targeted attack or that the victim had received any credible threats against her before the shooting at around 3am yesterday. Detectives said the shooting took place close to a house party in Peckham, south-east London, and are appealing for witnesses who were in Consort Road in the early hours. Forensics officers had sealed off an area of the street outside a large Victorian property next to one of the area's famous railway arches. Ms Johnson, a mother-of-two Oxford Brookes graduate who rose to prominence after organising BLM protests last summer, is said to be currently in intensive care and in a critical condition in a South London hospital following the attack. Sasha Johnson, co-organiser of the Million People March, during a demo in London, August 2020, has been shot in the head and is fighting for her life The Metropolitan Police said they are investigating after a woman in her 20s was shot in Peckham, in the capital's south-east, at 3am. Sky News reported this was understood to be the incident involving Ms Johnson, 26. No arrests have been made Officers remain at the site of the shooting this morning with Consort Road still sealed off with red tape A policeman is guarding the scene close to railway arches and a large Victorian property on Monday morning The Taking the Initiative Party, which Ms Johnson founded, said she had previously received death threats as a result of her BLM campaigning. In a statement on Instagram, TTIP said: 'It is with great sadness that we inform you that our own Sasha Johnson has been brutally attacked and sustained a gunshot wound to her head' In a statement, the TTIP wrote: 'It is with great sadness that we inform you that our own Sasha Johnson has been brutally attacked and sustained a gunshot wound to her head. 'She is currently in intensive care and in a critical condition. The attack happened in the early hours of this morning, following numerous death threats as a result of her activism. 'Sasha has always been actively fighting for black people and the injustices that surround the black community, as well as being both a member of BLM and a member of Taking the Initiative Party's Executive Leadership Committee. 'Sasha is also a mother of 3 and a strong, powerful voice for our people and our community. 'Let's all come together and pray for Sasha, pray for her recovery and show our support to her family and loved ones. #prayforsashajohnson'. As well as her activism, Ms Johnson has worked as a youth worker and cafe owner. Police said the Peckham shooting occurred in the vicinity of a house where a party was taking place and that a number of people may have been in the area. Officers said there is 'nothing to suggest' that the woman shot there was the subject of a targeted attack. Black Lives Matter activist Sasha Johnson is in a critical condition after sustaining a gunshot wound to her head, Taking the Initiative Party (TTIP) has said Sasha Johnson, at a meeting point in Hyde Park in London during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in June 2020 BLM UK tweeted in solidarity with the activist yesterday and said they would be holding a vigil outside the hospital in south London on Monday at 3pm. Did YOU see the incident? Email: tips@dailymail.com Advertisement Claudia Webbe, Labour MP for Leicester East, was among those who went online to express 'solidarity' with Ms Johnson. Ms Webbe said: 'We were all out last year for Black Lives Matter. I only know her as an activist on these issues of Black Lives Matter. I support Black Lives Matter and therefore support what she was doing. 'As a member of Parliament I stand in full solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and I stand with her work in the Black Lives Matter movement.' Police have so far refused to confirm the Peckham incident is the one involving Ms Johnson, nor have they speculated as to a motive for it or issued any description of a suspect. In the Peckham incident, police said detectives from the Met's 'Specialist Crime Command (Trident)' are leading the investigation. They said there was a 'significant police presence in the area as enquiries continue and a number of roads are currently closed'. Who is Sasha Johnson? June 13, 2020 file photo Sasha Johnson, of the Black Lives Matter movement attends a protest at Hyde Park in London Ms Johnson played a leading role in the summer BLM protests, including the Million People March, and rose to notoriety shortly before when videos showed her confronting a black man she was arguing with and repeatedly calling him the racial slur 'c**n'. The 27-year-old is now an executive committee member of the new BLM-inspired Taking the Initiative Party, in charge of activism. She is also a UK representative of the Black Panthers Party - modelled on a far-Left sub-set of protesters who campaigned against police brutality in 1960s America. Ms Johnson, an Oxford Brookes graduate, has campaigned for statues to be removed and is part of the secretive group Forever Family Force. Footage on Instagram shows her parading with female FFF members in military-style garb during a march in Brixton earlier this year for African Emancipation Day. Ms Johnson, a youth worker and cafe owner, has called for the establishment of a 'black militia' in the UK. In a video posted in July, she compared the police to the Ku Klux Klan and dismissed ethnic minority politicians David Lammy, Priti Patel and Sadiq Khan as 'tokenistic'. The mother of two also led chants of 'f*** the police' and 'one solution, revolution' in a fresh campaign to remove the statue of Cecil Rhodes from Oxford University. Advertisement Detective Chief Inspector Jimi Tele said: 'This was a shocking incident that has left a young woman with very serious injuries. Our thoughts are with her family who are being provided with support at this terribly difficult time. 'A dedicated team of detectives is working tirelessly to identify the person or persons responsible for this shooting. They are making good progress but they need the public's help. 'If you saw anything suspicious in the Consort Road area in the early hours of Sunday morning or if you have heard information since that could help detectives, it is crucial that you get in touch. 'Finally, I recognise that this incident will have shocked those in the local community and further afield. 'I would ask people to avoid speculating as to the motive or the circumstances behind it. 'If anyone does have information, the most responsible and helpful action is to share it with the police or, to remain anonymous, with Crimestoppers.' Officers said anybody with information could call police on 101 or tweet @MetCC providing the reference CAD1172/23MAY. Information can also be provided to Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111. Ms Johnson came to prominence as an organiser of the BLM protests last summer, where she was seen addressing crowds while wearing camouflage trousers, a black beret and a stab-proof-style vest. She has called for a 'race offenders' register' that would see people barred from jobs based on having been accused of 'micro-aggressions' in the workplace, saying the list would be 'similar' to the sex offenders' register - which is used to bar paedophiles from professions like teaching. Speaking exclusively to MailOnline late last year, Ms Johnson called for a 'race offenders' register' that would see people barred from jobs based on having been accused of 'micro-aggressions' in the workplace. She came to prominence as an organiser of the BLM protests earlier this year, where she was seen addressing crowds while wearing camouflage trousers, a black beret and a stab-proof-style vest. She explained the racial offenders list would be 'similar' to the sex offenders' register - which is used to bar paedophiles from professions like teaching. She also called for 'Holocaust-style' reparations for black people on the basis that capitalism racially discriminates against them, called for the 'defunding' of Britain's police forces and attacked ethnic minority politicians such as Labour MPs David Lammy and Diane Abbott, saying 'as black people... they have been tokenistic'. Ms Johnson, who is a TTIP executive committee member in charge of activism, said TTIP was 'not just a party for black people' and would also represent the working class. Sasha Johnson, at a meeting point in Hyde Park in London during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in June 2020 Sasha Johnson from the Rhodes Must Fall campaign speaks at Parliament Square in London, July 12, 2020 The party operates a system of 'coalition leadership' so there is no one specific person in charge and different spokesmen sometimes air views that contradict the official party line. Outlining the party's manifesto in what was her first interview with a national publication, she called for a national register of alleged racists that would ban them from living near people from ethnic minorities. 'Brutally attacked': The statement from her party 'It is with great sadness that we inform you that our own Sasha Johnson has been brutally attacked and sustained a gunshot wound to her head. 'She is currently in intensive care and in a critical condition. Ms Johnson founded the Taking The initiative Party 'The attack happened in the early hours of this morning, following numerous death threats as a result of her activism. 'Sasha has always been actively fighting for black people and the injustices that surround the black community, as well as being both a member of BLM and a member of Taking the Initiative Party's Executive Leadership Committee. 'Sasha is also a mother of 3 and a strong, powerful voice for our people and our community. 'Let's all come together and pray for Sasha, pray for her recovery and show our support to her family and loved ones. #prayforsashajohnson.' Advertisement This would include people guilty of 'micro-aggressions', which the Oxford Dictionary defines as 'indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalised group'. 'It's similar to the sex offenders register,' she told MailOnline. 'If you were to be racially abusive to someone, [the register] would question whether someone is fit enough to hold a particular job where their bias could influence another person's life. 'A lot of racism happens at work and places of education in a micro-aggressive way. If you exhibit an element of bias at work, you should probably receive a warning first [before later being added to the register] so people know in future that you hold these views.' Ms Johnson said inclusion on the list would mean you could be excluded from 'certain fields' of employment - or even banned from living near people from ethnic minorities. 'If you live in a majority-coloured neighbourhood you shouldn't reside there because you're a risk to those people - just like if a sex offender lived next to a school he would be a risk to those children,' she said. Ms Johnson acknowledged that the idea came as a contribution from Black Lives Matter, and it was presented to TTIP at a party conference where BLM representatives were present. While the party does not provide a list of specific offences which would warrant inclusion on the register, its manifesto does state that anyone merely 'accused' of an offence would be added, as well as anyone 'charged' with a race crime. The Taking the Initiative Party was formed in summer in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests. The organisation previously called itself the first 'black-led' political party in the UK, although Ms Johnson now insists it is merely 'black founded'. Ms Johnson also believes that black people should be given reparations by the British Government due to the legacy of slavery and because capitalism 'holds us down'. She said current constraints on the national budget meant black people should not receive direct payments, but tax breaks instead. 'Reparations can take the form of tax free periods, which would give time to build back up economic stability in black communities,' she said. 'We have to remember that the Jewish community received reparations for the Holocaust, and no one speaks about forgetting the Holocaust.' Ms Johnson also discussed her views of black and minority MPs, including Labour politicians Diane Abbott and David Lammy. 'I commend the work they attempt to do, but sometimes it's tokenistic,' she said. 'Diane Abbott has a seat at the table, but it gives us no confidence she has any decision-making power, or the ability to bring those issues to the forefront. 'How many reports, how many pieces of paper does it take before you come to the realisation that they know exactly what's happening.' June 13, 2020 file photo Sasha Johnson, of the Black Lives Matter movement attends a protest at Hyde Park in London Sasha Johnson, co-organiser of the Million People March, during a demo in London, August 2020 She then vowed to keep articulating things that were 'not politically correct', 'like saying that Diane Abbot, as a black person, has been tokenistic [and] David Lammy has been tokenistic'. Ms Johnson also spoke in favour of 'defunding the police' - although the TTIP manifesto specifically excludes this. Ms Johnson played a leading role in the summer BLM protests, including the Million People March, and rose to notoriety shortly before when videos showed her confronting a black man she was arguing with and repeatedly calling him the racial slur 'c**n'. In the past, her Twitter account have been suspended for tweets which discussed enslaving white people. She told us these tweets were 'fake' and an 'attack from the Far Right'. Ms Johnson has campaigned for statues to be removed and is part of the secretive group Forever Family Force. Footage on Instagram shows her parading with female FFF members in military-style garb during a march in Brixton earlier this year for African Emancipation Day. Comparisons have been made with the Black Panthers, the radical far-Left protesters who wore similar uniforms as they campaigned against police brutality in 1960s America. Ms Johnson is also the UK's representative of a new organisation called the New Black Panthers Party and has called for the establishment of a 'black militia' in the UK. In a video posted in July last year, she compared the police to the Ku Klux Klan. Ms Johnson also led chants of 'f*** the police' and 'one solution, revolution' in a fresh campaign to remove the statue of Cecil Rhodes from Oxford University. Did YOU see the incident in Peckham? Email: tips@dailymail.com Advertisement A band of rain is set to continue the May 'monsoon' across the UK this week as a sunny Spring Bank Holiday Monday leading into a scorching two-week heatwave is promised for the following week. From a week Monday, May 31, Britons can finally expect some respite from the heavy downpours and gale-force winds - but until then the damp and blustery weather is largely expected to continue. Central, northern and western parts of the UK are predicted to see heavy rain well into the middle of the week, with thunder expected in parts of southern Wales and southern England along with downpours tomorrow - and highs of 12C (53F) in London. Rain showers and cold temperatures are also expected to continue into the coming week in the north and midlands, as temperatures are predicted to remain well below average for the time of year at a low of 6C (42F) in cities including Manchester, Newcastle and Edinburgh. The rain will eventually slow by Wednesday in Cardiff and southern Wales, with the rest of the UK predicted to dry up on Thursday as the rain eases off, making way for slightly brighter weather and warmer temperatures - with highs of 19C (66F) in London. A heatwave bringing a possible string of 22C (73F) days could follow after the Spring Bank Holiday weekend if Southerly winds bring sub-tropical Atlantic air - as the Met Office predicts 'much drier' weather for June. Last year: Visitors enjoy hot weather on June 25, 2020 in Bournemouth, as the UK experienced a summer heatwave Met Office meteorologist Annie Shuttleworth said more settled springtime weather is predicted for the following week. She added: 'We're pointing towards seeing things settling down from the middle of next week onwards, particularly in the south. 'There is a good deal of uncertainty in the forecast, but we're hoping by the end of May we will have much drier and settled weather across the UK.' She said the long-term forecast suggests June will be much drier than May. 'The most likely scenario at the moment is looking like predominantly dry weather, at quite a contrast to what we've seen with the wet weather in May, so that would be an improvement,' she added. Domestic holiday hotspots in the South West have been deluged by downpours amid one of their rainiest Mays on record. Weather forecast: Tomorrow, Monday May 23, will see rain across most of the UK with thunder expected in south west England and southern Wales. Tuesday will see slightly warmer temperatures in the south east but further rain for most of central and northern UK. Wednesday will see rain begin to east in Wales and the west coast of England, but storms in the east A wet and windy weekend has seen many battle with a brolly. Here a woman shields herself from rain during winds in London Kite surfers enjoy with windy conditions in Camber, East Sussex. Sunday, May 23. As rain covers most of the UK Met Office's Ms Shuttleworth said the UK as a whole has seen 131 per cent of the usual month's rainfall already While people in the UK have been encouraged to holiday at home amid international travel restrictions, popular retreats in Devon and Wales have been ravaged by potentially record-breaking levels of rain. This comes amid a particularly wet spring for the UK as a whole, the Met Office has said. Wales has seen almost double the average levels of rainfall for the entire month so far. The nation has been hammered with 170mm of rainfall so far, making this month already Wales' fourth dampest May on record. On average, the nation normally sees 86mm of rain in May, with the record being 184.2mm. Devon has also been hammered by 146.5mm of rain, which is 194 per cent of the region's 75mm May average. This makes it the eighth wettest May for the south-west pocket of the UK, against a record of 190.3mm. Last year: Sun-seekers cool off in the water and sunbathe on the riverbank at Hackney Marshes in east London on June 24, 2020 Last year: Girls jump from a jetty into the sea as crowds of people gather on the beach on June 25, 2020 in Southend-on-Sea, Essex Met Office's Ms Shuttleworth said the UK as a whole has seen 131 per cent of the usual month's rainfall already. However, with an average 91.2mm across the nation so far, the UK is well off hitting the record 131.7mm recorded in May 1967. Ms Shuttleworth said: 'We have seen a lot of rain in Devon and Wales over the past week. 'They have seen well above those average in those sorts of regions. She added: 'If this drier weather does come in, it looks like it will scupper any rainfall carrying on and accumulating as it has at this point in the month.' Lifeguards have urged dogwalkers to take care when walking near cliffs, including keeping their pets on a lead and bringing fully-charged phones with them. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution has recommended that anyone who does enter the sea checks tide times daily and ensures any equipment and lifejackets are in full working order beforehand. Andrew Giuliani claimed Sunday that the New York Police Department informed him they were ordered by Mayor Bill de Blasio to not provide protection for pro-Israel demonstrators at a rally in Times Square. 'We have been told by NYPD that they have been told by the @NYCMayor Office not to protect the pro-Israel rally in Times Square @3pm,' Giuliani wrote on Twitter. 'We will not be intimidated, we will not back down and we will ALWAYS STAND with our Israeli brothers and sisters! Rally ON!' he continued. Both the NYPD and mayor's office have not yet weighed in to DailyMail.com on the claim. Large demonstrations from both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian sides have broken out in New York City in recent weeks as the conflict between Israel and Hamas escalated leading to several days of attacks between the two. In recent days there has been a rise in anti-Semitic attacks and sentiments. Andrew Giuliani claimed the NYPD told him New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio banned the force from protecting pro-Israel demonstrators in Times Square on Sunday afternoon A few pro-Israel demonstrators pose in Times Square on Sunday with the Israeli flag An attendee who works for Nikki Haley's advocacy group, claimed on Twitter there was a smaller-than-expected turnout due to pressure on Jewish leaders to cancel the event In a video posted to Twitter, some of the pro-Israel demonstrators started dancing in Times Square as they encouraged passerbys to 'stand up to anti-Semitism' A 29-year-old Jewish man was heading to a pro-Israel rally last week when a gang of pro-Palestinian demonstrators assaulted him in Midtown Manhattan. Video of the event was caught where the yarmulke-wearing man was shown being punched and pummeled to the pavement as they yelled anti-Semitic epithets, including they were going to 'kill him and Israel.' 'I turned around to try to figure out what was going on and the next thing I knew I was surrounded by a whole crowd of people who proceeded to physically attack me, beat me, kick me, punch me, hit me with crutches, hit me with flag poles,' he told DailyMail.com Friday afternoon after being released from Bellevue Hospital. The Times Square rally on Sunday appeared to be much smaller than others, apparently due to pressure on Jewish leaders to cancel. 'Small pro-Israel rally starting up in Times Square!' wrote Twitter user Kassy Dillon, who worked for Stand For America, which was founded by Nikki Haley to 'promote freedom at home and strength abroad.' 'It was supposed to be a lot bigger but the mayor put immense pressure on Jewish community leaders and a few groups helping organize cancelled but there are still others showing up,' Dillon wrote of the rally along with an image of her and some other rally-goers holding up the Israeli flag. There has been a rise in anti-Semitic attacks and sentiments as the conflict between Israel and Hamas escalated this month. Joseph Borgen, 29, spoke to DailyMail.com the day after he was left bruised and battered by a group of pro-Palestinian men in Midtown Manhattan on Thursday Video of the assault showed Borgen was left defenseless as he was kicked, punched, and beaten with crutches and flag poles by a mob of eight to 10 people Borgen was wearing a kippa as he headed to a pro-Israel rally when he was suddenly targeted by the group who kicked, punched, and beat him with crutches and flag poles on the street On Friday, the NYPD identified 23-year-old Waseem Awawdah as one of the suspects in the attack This week, Israel and Hamas announced a ceasefire marking it a win for their respective sides. More than 250 people have died as a result of the conflict and thousands others were injured. There is also tens of millions in destruction from bombings. Donald Trump lauded himself as the most pro-Israel president in history, formally recognizing Jerusalem as the capital and working toward peace deals in the Middle East. His daughter Ivanka converted to Judaism when she married her husband Jared Kushner. Joe Biden's administration, on the other hand, has found itself in a predicament between maintaining a pro-Israel stance and appeasing the progressive branch of the Democratic Party who feel the U.S. needs to do more to help Palestinians. NYPD and Mayor de Blasio's office have not responded to a request on whether the police force was ordered to steer clear of the pro-Israel demonstration on Sunday. Above NYPD officers stand guard as pro-Palestinian protestors faced off with a group of Israel supporters in New York City on May 20 On Friday, Biden said he is committed to the 'two-state' solution. About 13 per cent of the population of New York City is Jewish, which is the largest Jewish community in the world outside of Israel. Giuliani, the son of former NYC Mayor and Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, announced May 18 that he is launching a primary bid to be the Republican candidate in the 2022 gubernatorial race in New York. It's not yet clear if current embattled Governor Andrew Cuomo will run for a fourth term. GOP Representative Lee Zeldin has already announced a primary run for the seat, and has already garnered a lot of support from local Republicans in New York. It marked the second stabbing at Union Square in two days and the 17th subway attack in NYC in two weeks The stabbing happened at Union Square station in Manhattan on Wednesday night Advertisement Video captured the horrifying moment a woman was stabbed in an unprovoked attack on the subway before a passing journalist jumped in to save her. The stabbing unfolded at Union Square station on Wednesday night when 54-year-old Kelli Daley was jumped by a man identified as 22-year-old Joshua Nazario. Police said Nazario slashed Daley across her left shoulder, collarbone, and upper chest while she was waiting on the southbound N, Q, R platform for the train around 10.10pm. Sean Conaboy, 52, a freelance cameraman for the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC), was finishing a 12 hour shift in Times Square when he saw what was happening and jumped in to stop the attack - tackling Nazario to the ground and restraining him until police arrived. The incident marked the second stabbing at the station in as many days - and the 17th such attack in the subway over the past two weeks. Video captured the horrifying moment a woman was stabbed in an unprovoked attack on the subway before a passing journalist jumped in to save her The suspect is seen crossing the subway platform moments before the stabbing Witness Sean Conaboy heard the victim screaming and jumped in to tackle her attacker The stabbing suspect, 22-year-old Joshua Nazario, is pictured above Daley, who was taken to Bellevue Hospital in a stable condition for treatment of multiple stab wounds, recounted the horror attack in an interview with the New York Daily News. 'I just put my glasses on and was just looking at my phone,' Daley said. 'Somebody came up behind me kind of like when you see a long lost friend and they hug you.' Next thing she knew she was being slashed by someone she'd never met. 'I felt stabbing,' Daley said. 'I screamed loud. I kept screaming. 'My first thought was: "This can't be happening." I thought it was like a hug, like someone who knew me. I think he just wanted to stab me. It was very strange.' Conaboy said before the attack he had noticed something odd about Nazario standing on the subway platform: he was wearing winter clothes, despite scorching weather outside. 'I looked at his face, as he walked past me,' Conaboy said. 'He looked in my eyes.' Moments later he heard Daley screaming and jumped in to help. 'It was in that instant that I saw a woman,' he told the Daily News. 'She got pulled back out of my line of sight, away from the platform edge, and I heard a scream. And then I saw the knife come out from behind the column, in a full grip in a downward jagged position. 'I immediately ran to that spot, then I just jumped on his back and I tackled him. Then I was on top of him. Sean Conaboy, 52, a freelance cameraman for the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC), was finishing a 12 hour shift in Times Square when he saw what was happening and jumped in to stop the attack - tackling Nazario to the ground and restraining him until police arrived 'At this point, I don't know where the knife is. At some point in the scuffle, the woman got out and escaped.' Conaboy described it as a 'substantially sized knife' and said he feared that he could be stabbed by Nazario, but thankfully someone had kicked the knife out of his hand before he was wrestled to the ground. 'I knew as long as he had that knife that I was in very serious danger,' Conaboy said. 'I knew if he turned to face me that I'm going to be stabbed.' Both Conaboy and Daley said the incident is proof that crime is out of control on the subway. 'This unprovoked violence is inexcusable,' Conaboy said. 'The mayor said it's safe to ride the trains but he has security detail and he's 6 feet tall. This was a 50-year-old woman. 'I'm mostly angry at the fact that people can't simply wait on a crowded platform without getting attacked from behind.' Daley said of Nazario: 'I just wish he would've gotten the help he needs. I wish I would've understood why he was so angry at a stranger.' Nazario was expected to be charged and arraigned on Thursday. Police said it was his first arrest in New York City. Police set up tape to stop the public from entering the platform where Daley was stabbed Blood was seen on the floor of the station platform and the victim was taken to Bellevue hospital where she is now 'conscious and alert' 'This unprovoked violence is inexcusable,' Conaboy said. 'The mayor (pictured) said it's safe to ride the trains but he has security detail and he's 6 feet tall. This was a 50-year-old woman' The incident with Nazario marked the second stabbing at Union Square in two days after a commuter was slashed in the neck with a pocket knife on a platform. A 45-year-old man was stabbed following an argument with another man on the L line platform at around 4pm on Tuesday, police said. The victim was slashed in the neck by the suspect, who was wearing black pants, a neon shirt and a black hat, the Daily News reported. Blood was seen on the floor of the station platform and the victim was taken to Bellevue hospital where he is now 'conscious and alert'. The stabbing comes just days after last Friday's subway slashing spree which left five people injured. Four teenagers, aged 17 to 19, were arrested. Statistics show that there have been 119 felony assaults on New York City's subway system since January - the highest number for the first three months of the year since 1998. Eyewitness Maria Paz Alegre said that police swarmed the station after Tuesday's stabbing. 'The platform was way more crowded than usual,' she said. 'A bunch of police officers started storming in. 'One of them knelt down, my view was blocked by benches and people, so I didn't see why he bent down. When his head popped up he yelled, 'Everyone out! Get out!'' A 45-year-old man was attacked after an argument broke out between him and and another man on the L line platform at around 4pm on Tuesday. Pictured: Investigators speak to witnesses at the station Last weekend, five people - including two police officers- were violently attacked on the New York City subway in just a four-hour period on Sunday May 16. From 5.30am to 9.30am a 41-year-old man was attacked and robbed of his cellphone by three men and two police officers were injured chasing fare dodgers, ABC 7 News reported. While on Friday four people were randomly stabbed and a fifth sucker punched in the subway slashing spree. The suspect was caught with a bloodied knife and a victim's backpack prosecutors say. Joseph Foster, 18, was charged last Sunday with first-degree robbery, two counts of second-degree robbery and criminal possession of a weapon over his alleged role in the shocking attacks which left one victim blind in one eye. Surveillance footage shows another victim trying to escape from a train before Foster allegedly dragged him back inside, according to Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Katherine Byrns, who suggested the attacks were part of a gang 'initiation'. The backpack which Foster was holding belonged to the blinded victim and had a bloodied kitchen knife inside, it is claimed. Foster has a three-year-old daughter and was previously arrested on January 13 on first-degree robbery charges for an alleged knifepoint mugging and stabbing of a cyclist. He was released without bail, the New York Post reported. Three men have now been charged and police are hunting a fourth suspect (pictured in a surveillance camera image) Two other suspects have been charged over the incident: a 16-year-old minor and Taquarious Soto-Burgos. NYPD has released a surveillance camera image of a fourth suspect they are hunting; they have not released images of the suspects who were apprehended. Prosecutors say Foster and his co-conspirators 'embarked on a violent robbery spree' just after 4am Friday that began with several thefts at 53rd Street and Lexington Avenue before continuing south. The first attack took place at around 4.20am, when a 44-year-old man on the southbound 4-train was slashed in the left side of his cheek, police said. He got off at the 14th Street/Union Square station, but the suspects stayed on the train beat two sleeping men about five minutes later. One man, 41, was woken up with sucker punch to the face, and the second man, 40, was slashed across the face, police said. They got off the train at Astor Place in Manhattan. The suspects continued to wreak havoc on the train by slashing a fourth man, 44, across the face while he boarded the train from the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall station at 4.30am and threw his phone on the tracks, police said. About 30 minutes later, a fifth victim, 48, told police in the area of Yankee stadium that he had been stabbed in the eye, slashed in the back and left side of his neck, and robbed of his backpack in the area of 79th Street-Broadway subway station. The brazen acts of violence were the latest of 15 assaults on the subway system last week alone, according to Transit Worker Union boss Tony Utano, and appear to part of the epidemic of violence that has gripped New York City's underground rail lines. Friday's attack happened two days after four commuters were beaten over the course of three hours in unprovoked subway attacks, including a victim who was spat on and slashed in the face. The unnamed victim was seated on a bench at the Times Square station on the southbound platform for the No. 1, 2 and 3 lines when he was approached by an unidentified man Wednesday morning. He told police the assailant began talking to him, at which point he removed his headphones and asked: 'Are you talking to me?' Statistics show murders and serious crimes are rocketing on the NYC subway, with figures revealing that 119 felony assaults have taken place so far this year - the highest number for the first three months of the year since 1998. Last year saw 106 felony assaults recorded over the same period, with 91 reported in 2019. Murders doubled between 2019 and 2020 - from three, to six, with the 2021 figure now on track to eclipse the previous two years. Meanwhile, felonies - serious crimes including murders, rapes and assaults - saw a steep 53.7 per cent increase over the last two years. For every million riders in the first three months of this year there were a reported 1.63 felonies. That was up from 1.06 reported felonies per million riders in 2019 - a 53.7 per cent increase. The numbers for the early part of 2021 are also up on the 1.48 reported felonies per million riders for the same period in 2020 - an increase of 10.1 per cent in just a year, according to The New York Times. There have also been seven racist attacks on Asian-Americans so-far in 2021, compared to none recorded over the same period the previous year. The total number of major felonies has dropped overall - with 335 reported this year so far, versus 697 for the same period in 2020, and 559 for the same period in 2019. But safety advocates say the overall number of riders was far greater for the same period last year and the year before, pre-COVID shutdowns, and that the felonies per million riders offer a more useful snapshot of rising crime figures. New York City crime statistics show that violent crimes, including felonies and felony assaults, have risen dramatically in the first few months of 2021. Murders on the subway system have been up 25% since 2019 and are on track to beat 2020 numbers Around 2.1 million people a day now ride the subway system, well down on the 5.4 million average weekday riders, before COVID-19 saw people switch to working from home, and limited socializing opportunities. Anecdotally, there has also been an uptick in people being shoved onto the subway tracks. NYPD Data shows that since Christmas Eve 2020, six people have been pushed onto the subway track by someone with mental health issues, the New York Daily News reported. In an effort to combat the rise in violence, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced plans to deploy 250 additional police officers to the subway, bringing the number up to over 3,000 cops, the largest force the subway system has seen in 25 year, NYT reported. De Blasio has insisted that the subway is relatively safe. But state Governor Andrew Cuomo - who is in charge of the MTA - said he would not let his daughters ride the subway due to safety concerns. 'I think we have been underpoliced for quite some time,' the governor told reporters on Monday. The mayor and the governor, who frequently clash over big issues, are not the only two city officials in disagreement over subway safety. Kathryn Wylde, the president and chief executive of the Partnership for New York City, an influential business group, said that subway safety is the biggest obstacle in getting New Yorkers back into the office full-time. 'I don't think there's any question that fear of crime is way up,' she told the NYT. 'You can't reopen offices if people aren't comfortable taking mass transit.' While Kathleen O'Reilly, the Police Department's transit bureau chief, has slammed the 'continued fearmongering' surrounding the subway. 'It's a disservice to New Yorkers to advance a narrative that crime is soaring in the subways when it's simply not the case,' the NYT reported she told transit officials at an agency board meeting in April. Many officials say crime rates should drop as vaccinated people return to work and the subways become busier, meaning there is 'safety in numbers' from potential attacks. A Florida high school is offering outraged parents refunds after clumsily photoshopping 80 female students' yearbook photos to make them more conservative. Officials at Bartram Trail High School in St. John will pay back the $100 cost of the yearbook to anyone upset over their photoshopping - which was not applied to photos of male students in speedos. The school initially ordered its yearbook committee edit the photos because they were 'inappropriate' and violated the school's dress code. Girls had the necklines of their sweaters raised - with one girl even having her shoulders covered up. But school staff were forced into a humiliating U-turn after snaps of their poorly-executed photoshop attempts went viral. They said that in order to receive a refund, parents must return the yearbook. There has been no comment on whether another, uncensored, print run is planned, leaving scores of students with the option of keeping a yearbook that upsets them - or not having one at all. In a statement to News4Jax, district officials said they used to just exclude student pictures that they deemed in violation of the student code of conduct 'so the digital alterations were a solution to make sure all students were included in the yearbook.' The district's website also included a disclaimer saying that student images might be altered to fit with the Bartram Trail High School dress code. 'All images in ads and all individual student pictures must be consistent with the St. Johns County School District Student Code of Conduct or may be digitally adjusted,' the disclaimer reads. The parents of Bartram Trail High School students are demanding an apology after their daughters' yearbook photos were edited to cover up their chests. Ninth-grader Riley O'Keefe is seen in the original (left) and edited (right) photos 'I felt confident that day and I looked good, in dress code': Ninth-grader Zoe Iannone similarly had her yearbook snap edited. Before (left) and after (right) Several of the photos leaked to the internet shows that girls' shirts were photoshopped to bring their necklines higher. However, photos of boys in skimpy speedos were left unedited. Ninth-grader Riley O'Keefe says she was left stunned when she saw her outfit had been altered in the printed edition of the yearbook, particularly because it had been approved by the school before she had her photo taken. O'Keefe's mom, Stephanie, told First Coast News Friday: 'Yesterday she happened to be wearing the shirt again so after school, we went up to the school and asked if she was in dress code and they said yes. 'So, my next question was if the shirt is in dress code and is good enough for school and your school ID, why is it not enough for the yearbook?' Other students say they have been left feeling 'sexualized' by the school, claiming the outfits they were wearing were not inappropriate in any way. 'I felt confident that day and I looked good, in dress code,' ninth grader Zoe Iannone told Action News Jax. 'When I sent it to my mom and all of us saw it, I felt very sexualized.' Another of the edited images is seen above. Parents are now demanding an apology A mother told Nes4Jax she thought the school was sending young girls the 'wrong message' by editing out their cleavage, saying it 'sends the message that our girls should be ashamed of their growing bodies,' and another said she thought a refund on the $100 yearbooks was not enough. 'Our daughters of Bartram deserve an apology,' she stated. 'They are making them feel embarrassed about who they are.' The school had previously come under fire for singling girls' dress styles out in March, when teen girls said they were taken out of class and sent to the deans office to change clothes or face suspension. The incident sparked an online petition created by students calling for change, which had more than 4,000 signatures. A subsequent investigation by News4Jax found the number of recorded violations of the St. Johns County School Districts student dress code skyrocketed during the 2020-21 school year, according to data provided by the district. Across the district, 78% of dress code violations went to female students. Korean President Moon Jae-in, left, listens to an employee of SK Innovation's electric vehicle battery factory as he visited the factory in Atlanta, the U.S., to tour on May 23. Yonhap South Korean President Moon Jae-in visited a plant construction site of SK Innovation, the country's leading battery maker, in the United States on Saturday. The facility in the state of Georgia is regarded as symbolizing close partnerships between the two countries in the electric vehicle (EV) battery sector. The Joe Biden administration is pushing to secure stable supply chains in such high-tech industries as semiconductors and EV batteries. SK is partnering with Ford Motor for a joint venture to manufacture EV battery cells. Priti Patel has ordered an inquiry into a prominent Muslim cleric paid by the Government to combat extremism after he told an angry crowd that Israel is a 'terrorist state'. The Home Secretary was responding to a Mail investigation into Imam Irfan Chishti MBE, who has played a leading role in the country's Prevent programme designed to combat radicalisation since 2013. His company, Me and You Education, gives training to the police, the NHS and in schools on how to spot extremists and neutralise radicalisation. On its website, Mr Chishti says that his goal is to heal divisions between communities. But this newspaper has obtained a video of him addressing a crowd of hundreds at a rally in Rochdale eight days ago to support Palestinians. The audience responded with cheers and chants as Mr Chishti described non-Muslims at the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem as 'vile human beings' who were 'desecrating' it. Imam Irfan Chishti MBE addressed a crowd of hundreds at a rally in Rochdale eight days ago to support Palestinians and said Israel is a 'terrorist state'. Pictured: Mr Chishti in 2017 He said he was not referring only to the recent conflict, but the 'historic' loss of Palestine. Under Muslim rule it had been peaceful, but Israel was 'this terrorist state forcing terror upon our brothers and sisters'. Mr Chishti said Muslims must be smart, adding that 'our Jewish brethren' are 'a lot smarter than us'. He said Muslims knew 'exactly the strategy that those Jewish, Zionist politicians are doing and we also know how to respond. It's got to be long term, it's got to be economic, it's got to be with strategy'. Mr Chishti suggested that if they wanted to become 'mujahideen', holy warriors, then they should emulate the Muslim general Saladin, who expelled the Crusaders from Palestine in 1187. 'Where is the modern-day Saladin?' he asked repeatedly. The term 'mujahideen' can also mean those who engage in purely spiritual struggle. He also praised shahids, or martyrs, saying: 'We ask you Allah that you accept every single shahid who has given their life for Palestine.' Militant groups such as Hamas use this term both for civilians and those killed as suicide bombers or in combat. Priti Patel has ordered an inquiry into Imam Irfan Chisthti MBE after he told an angry crowd that Israel is a 'terrorist state' Miss Patel ordered the inquiry after the Mail showed a transcript of Mr Chishti's speech to Home Office counter-terrorism officials. The probe has been endorsed by Downing Street. A Home Office spokesman said: 'These comments are completely unacceptable and risk damaging community relations and undermining Prevent's important work. We have launched an urgent internal investigation and will take appropriate action. 'There is no place for hatred in our communities and anti-Semitism will not be tolerated.' Home Office sources say Mr Chishti's Prevent role will now be reviewed. Yesterday, he issued an extraordinary apology. The cleric was a member of the Government's Task Force on Tackling Extremism, whose 2013 report warned that 'it is often too easy for extremist preachers to spread extremist views which can lead people into terrorism'. He says that through his company he is 'part of the solution', and he has been a Prevent partner since 2013. He got his MBE for services to Muslim communities in 2009. An official Prevent catalogue says his firm fights radicalisation. For up to 1,500 a day it will 'present some counter-narratives to extremist ideologies'. His speech caused dismay among Jewish organisations, who pointed out that police say the conflict between Israel and Hamas that ended in a ceasefire on Thursday appears to have provoked a surge in anti-Jewish incidents. Extremism expert Dr Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society think-tank, welcomed the Home Office inquiry, saying: 'Provocative comments like these are the very antithesis of what Prevent is supposed to be about. 'Nobody who makes incendiary speeches that inflame community tensions and damage social cohesion in the UK should be allowed anywhere near this programme.' Yesterday Mr Chishti said: 'Reading my speech from the protest back in print, really jolted me, and whilst my objective was to encourage the expression of opinions within democratic and lawful norms, upon reflection I recognise that I could have chosen better and less equivocal words for communicating that message. 'Some of my words reflect a clear error of judgment, in the heat of the moment and do not reflect my sentiments or the sentiments of the audience. 'I now appreciate that my ill-chosen words will have caused offence and hurt to the Jewish community and I tender my most profound apologies.' Kieran Sidhu, 36, (pictured) was subjected to a litany of bullying and insults in his 46,000-a-year job at tech company Exertis A Sikh office worker who was mocked as an 'Arab shoe bomber' in a sustained campaign of racist abuse by colleagues is calling for 6.6million in damages. Kieran Sidhu, 36, who was subjected to a litany of bullying and insults in his 46,000-a-year job at tech company Exertis, has already won claims of race discrimination, racial harassment and constructive dismissal against the firm. The British-born salesman, who is of Scottish and Indian descent, was told he was the 'only ethnic on the team', and called a 'temperamental Syrian immigrant' who was 'f***ing for Isis'. The psychological harm he suffered in the Basingstoke office was so bad he may be unable to work again, according to a psychiatrist who assessed him. He is seeking 6,638,938 million for lost earnings, injury to feelings and aggravated damages at a remedy hearing in September. If the full amount is awarded it would far exceed the current record tribunal payout of 4.7million. Mr Sidhu told an employment tribunal in Southampton how the sales team would sing: 'Sidhu, Sidhu, he works at O2. Sidhu, Sidhu, he's an Arab too and he's got a bomb in his shoe...' to the tune of Que Sera Sera. Having joined the firm in 2012, Mr Sidhu's harassment escalated from January 2016 when he became an account manager selling tech products. The tribunal found that 'crude sexual innuendo and express sexual reference' were considered 'entertaining banter' at the male-orientated workplace. It found that three of Mr Sidhu's former colleagues Glynn Smith, Stuart Smith and John Cleary racially harassed him. A tribunal found that three of Mr Sidhu's former colleagues Glynn Smith (pictured), Stuart Smith and John Cleary racially harassed him Mr Sidhu told the tribunal how his team repeatedly taped McDonald's adverts and a spoof male escort business card to his monitor, saying it was what he would be doing once he was sacked. One colleague referred to Mr Sidhu as 'f***ing for Isis' and after looking up his house on Google Maps declared he lived in a 's**t area that looks like a terrorist war zone', adding: 'What's that place called, Aleppo?' After Mr Sidhu was asked how it felt to be the 'only ethnic on the team' the same racist colleague said: 'You will be the last ethnic if you are anything to go by.' On other occasions, Mr Sidhu's team would put his laptop in the bin, hide his mouse and chair and stand to applaud whenever he arrived at work late. Mr Sidhu said: 'They thought this was funny but it was embarrassing and disruptive for me.' Mr Sidhu told the tribunal how his team repeatedly taped McDonald's adverts and a spoof male escort business card to his monitor, saying it was what he would be doing once he was sacked. Pictured: Stuart Smith He recalled one humiliating incident when he was told that a work event to which he had been invited at the last minute could be black tie. He rushed out and returned with a 180 tuxedo, only to receive an email copied in to his colleagues saying: 'Kieran, spot the fatal dress code error...' and highlighting the dress code, which was 'smart (not black-tie)'. He went to his manager to complain about his treatment, saying: 'When they're Googling my name going, 'You live in a terrorist area' and all this nonsense, that's draining... for me mentally I'm thinking, where have I gone wrong? Once is a joke, twice is a joke... there hasn't been once in three days where that hasn't happened.' The tribunal found that manager Matthew Rumsey showed 'little interest' in Mr Sidhu's complaints of bullying, caring far more about the team's sales targets. Instead, Mr Rumsey took client accounts off him and tried to force him out of the firm 'because he did not fit with the team', the tribunal ruled. Mr Sidhu quit his job in the firm's Basingstoke office in May 2017 suffering from extreme depression and anxiety. After Mr Sidhu was asked how it felt to be the 'only ethnic on the team' the same racist colleague said: 'You will be the last ethnic if you are anything to go by.' Pictured: John Cleary After assessing Mr Sidhu, psychiatrist Dr Jonathan Ornstein concluded he has a 'very low chance of recovery' and is 'unlikely to be able to work again'. Mr Sidhu's solicitor Lawrence Davies said: 'The size of my client's compensation claim reflects not only the gravity of the ordeal he suffered but the psychiatric assessment that, in all probability, his career is over.' In a statement, Exertis said Mr Sidhu's experience was a 'unique case across a business of more than 1,800 employees'. The firm said it had taken 'appropriate disciplinary action', adding: 'Certain behaviours within a part of our business fell short of the standards we expect.' Last year the Royal Bank of Scotland was ordered to pay a record 4.7million to a 31-year-old worker known only as AB at Nat West, one of the bank's subsidiaries, for harassment and disability discrimination. A spokesperson for Exertis said: 'The employment tribunal decision relates to Exertis and a breach of the Equality Act 2010 within a specific area of the business. We fully respect the tribunal's decision. 'This was a unique case across a business of more than 1,800 employees. However, Exertis takes any such concerns extremely seriously. 'On this occasion it was clear that certain behaviours within a part of our business fell short of the standards we expect. However, our response makes sure that this should never happen again. Exertis prides itself on being an inclusive employer and continues to invest heavily in increasing awareness in relation to diversity.' The father of a decorated soldier who fought alongside Prince Harry has criticised defence chiefs for excluding him from the nation's Armed Forces Memorial after his death. Derek Hunt's son Nathan was ordered to locate Taliban mines when he served with Harry in a desert reconnaissance unit in 2008. The job left him traumatised and a decade later Mr Hunt found his Royal Engineer son dead with a ligature around his neck aged only 39. Prince Harry wrote a private letter of condolence to the father-of-one's family. But Mr Hunt, 70, was shocked when his bid to have Nathan's name included on the memorial in Staffordshire was rejected. It makes provision for troops who have taken their own lives to be remembered alongside those fallen in battle when there is proof their service led to their death. Derek Hunt's son Nathan (bottom right) was ordered to locate Taliban mines when he served with Prince Harry (back centre) in a desert reconnaissance unit in 2008. The job left him traumatised and a decade later Mr Hunt found his Royal Engineer son dead with a ligature around his neck aged only 39 But Mr Hunt, 70, was shocked when his bid to have Nathan's name included on the memorial in Staffordshire was rejected Last night he said: 'My son suffered for years as a result of his frontline experiences, he was a wreck because of them. He also saved lives. There would be more named on that memorial of people blown up by the Taliban if it wasn't for him. That's why he received a Mention in Dispatches. 'Prince Harry recognised Nathan's sacrifices for others, himself included. But it took its toll. In the end he couldn't cope any more.' Nathan's medical reports indicate he was suffering from a depressive disorder before he was sent to the war zone. Doctors concluded this was 'exacerbated by the stresses of recent tours in Afghanistan'. Nathan, from Lincoln, also demonstrated 'elements of post-traumatic stress disorder' on his return to UK and told psychiatrists he wanted to 'self-harm'. But Admiral Jim Macleod wrote to Mr Hunt last week, saying: 'I know this will come as a great disappointment but the panel members were unanimous Nathan's name should not be added to the memorial. 'This was because the circumstances of his death were not judged to have met the strict criteria for those who are named on the memorial. 'We were unable to establish sufficient linkage between Nathan's service in the British Army and his untimely death.' Nathan, who was survived by his wife Lainey and their daughter Megan, 13, was poorly trained for the bomb-finding role he filled in Prince Harry's unit, according to colleagues. Apparently this lack of preparedness increased his stress. Nathan, who was survived by his wife Lainey and their daughter Megan, 13, was poorly trained for the bomb-finding role he filled in Prince Harry's unit, according to colleagues. Pictured: Lainey and Megan in 2019 Veterans say he described the treatment he was receiving for his PTSD symptoms from the Army as 'useless'. He remained a serving soldier at the time of his death in January 2018. An inquest that year found he died from hanging at his home but a coroner reached a narrative verdict after deciding there was insufficient evidence that Nathan took his own life. Last night former head of the Army, Lord Dannatt, said: 'The coroner's verdict seems strange as how else did he die with a rope around his neck? This then comes down to the MoD's naming panel who, I suspect, have a predisposition not to add suicide cases.' The memorial records the sacrifice of 16,000 troops since the end of the Second World War including those who died in battle, of disease or who killed themselves. Last night the MoD confirmed that the names of two individuals who had committed suicide have been added since 2015. A spokesman said: 'There are strict criteria regarding the inclusion of names. Each case is carefully considered by a panel of senior military officers.' Joe Biden will not include student loan forgiveness in his upcoming Budget, after pledging to cancel $10,000 from loans on the campaign trail. Biden, who was seen arriving back at the White House on Sunday from a weekend at Camp David, is due to announce his latest budget at the end of next week, and claims he has grown suspicious of wiping out the loans. The shift in policy is a major blow for the more than 42 million Americans who have student loans. Biden had been pressured by progressives in the Democrat Party including Elizabeth Warren and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to forgive up to $50,000 in debt. Chuck Schumer, the Senate Majority Leader, was also in favor. In an interview with the New York Times Friday, Biden said he had grown 'suspicious' of canceling the debt. 'The idea that you go to Penn and you're paying a total of 70,000 bucks a year and the public should pay for that? I don't agree,' Biden told the Times. The White House has previously said Biden wanted to see Congress pass legislation to wipe away student debt, rather than through executive order. Joe Biden campaigned on canceling up to $10,000 of debt per student, but has since fallen out of favor of issuing an executive order. He and the First Lady are seen arriving back at the White House on Sunday Biden arrived back at the White House on Sunday from a weekend at Camp David Biden and the first lady wave as they walk from Marine One upon arrival on the Ellipse outside the White House Students demonstrate against higher education debt at a protest at Hunter College in New York City in 2015. After campaigning to cancel $10,000 debt, Biden has now dropped it Progressive Democrats including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (left) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (right) have pressed the Biden administration to erase $50,000 in debt load from every student borrower The announcement marks a shift from the White House's previous position last month when Biden's chief of staff Ronald Klain said the president was considering canceling up to $50,000 in debt. Klain told a Politico Playbook event that Biden has asked Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to figure out if the president has the legal authority to wipe out their balances. In March, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said they were still 'exploring options' around student loan policy. 'The President continues to call on Congress to cancel $10,000 in debt for student loan borrowers,' she said. 'That's something Congress could take an action on, and he'd be happy to sign.' Warren had previously called on Biden to wipe away the debt using executive order. 'Biden-Harris can cancel billions of dollars in student loan debt, giving tens of millions of Americans an immediate financial boost and helping to close the racial wealth gap,' Warren Tweeted in November, days after the election was called in Biden's favor. 'This is the single most effective executive action available for a massive economic stimulus.' In February, White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced the President preferred for Congress to pass legislation for student debt relief In February, AOC claimed Biden's 'case against student loan forgiveness is looking shakier by the day' and pointed out that the Senate's Democratic Leader, Sen. Chuck Schumer, is on board with the $50,000 amount of debt relief In February, AOC attacked Biden for refusing to write off the full $50,000 figure she and Warren had been seeking. That month, Biden told a CNN town hall attendee, 'I will not make that happen,' when she said $50,000 should be the number and not his proposed $10,000. The president argued that it would be hard to tell a community he was going to write-off debt from Harvard or Yale instead of investing in childhood education. AOC complained, saying: 'Entire generations of working class kids were encouraged to go into more debt under the guise of elitism. This is wrong.' According to Government statistics released in January, 42.3 million people, or one in six adults, in America have a student debt. The average outstanding loan amount is $36,520. Single mothers on low incomes and older women at risk of homelessness were overlooked in the Federal Budget, advocacy groups claim. The Australian Council of Social Service found the Budget provided a boost for women's safety but fell short of helping women achieve economic security. ACOSS said the budget locked in gender inequality by failing to address the fact tax, employment and superannuation systems were stacked in favour of men. The Morrison Government was accused of spending 30 times more on tax cuts than it did on women's economic security. Advocacy groups claim single mothers and older women at risk of homelessness were overlooked in the federal budget 'It does nothing to specifically support single mothers on low incomes or older women struggling to find paid work and facing homelessness,' the ACOSS found. 'To help women on low incomes, we needed to see social security payments brought above the poverty line, employment services that deal with gender and age discrimination, and investment in affordable housing. 'Instead, $30 billion a year is being spent on income and business tax cuts, which will further entrench gender inequality and endanger future funding for services that women rely on.' The National Foundation for Australian Women has released a separate analysis identifying shortfalls in the Federal Budget handed down on May 11. The foundation has recommended the coalition establish a women's ministerial forum to guide spending and incorporate a gender lens as part of its decision making. The twin reports were released ahead of two weeks of budget estimates hearings, where senators will grill ministers and department officials on what was billed as a 'women's budget'. United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has blasted Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko after Belarusian authorities hijacked a Ryanair flight. 'We strongly condemn the Lukashenka regime's brazen and shocking act to divert a commercial flight and arrest a journalist,' Blinken said in a statement Sunday evening. Blinken called for the immediate release of Roman Protasevich, 26, an opponent of President Lukashenko who was taken off the plane and arrested. 'We demand an international investigation and are coordinating with our partners on next steps. The United States stands with the people of Belarus.' Blinken added initial reports suggest the involvement of the Belarusian security services and use of Belarusian military aircraft to escort the plane. He said the development was 'deeply concerning'. The passenger plane full of tourists had been flying from Athens in Greece to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, when it was escorted by a Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jet, which reportedly had clearance to shoot, amid reports of a bomb on board. The airliner was forced to make an emergency landing at Minsk Airport in Belarus, where authorities arrested Protasevich, a critic of Lukashenko who founded opposition news outlet Nexta in Poland. The US's top diplomat Antony Blinken blasted Belarus for faking a bomb threat on a Ryanair flight to kidnap a journalist 'We strongly condemn the Lukashenka regime's brazen and shocking act to divert a commercial flight and arrest a journalist,' Blinken said in a statement Sunday evening Blinken called for the immediate release of Roman Protasevich, 26, an opponent of President Lukashenko who was taken off the plane and arrested Aviation experts have claimed the Belarus Air Force threatened to shoot down the passenger plane to force it to divert to Minsk. The claim was publicized by leading Belarus opposition figure Pavel Latushko who said: 'The air traffic controllers of Minsk-2 airport threatened to shoot at the Ryanair civilian plane with passengers on board. For this reason, a military fighter MiG-29 of Belarus Air Force was sent. 'This proves again that this incident was an act of state terrorism It demands an immediate reaction of European authorities and the entire world community.' The claim was backed by Vadim Lukashevich, a Moscow-based aviation expert, who said: 'To make it crystal clear - the pilots of the Ryanair plane that was forced to land in Belarus were pulling towards the destination Vilnius until the last possible moment. 'They had to turn back under the threat of a fighter jet when the distance to Vilnius airport was only 45 miles away and only 19 miles to the Lithuanian border.' He claimed the Ryanair pilots were 'heading towards Lithuania without slowing down they were escaping from the fighter jet, and they turned back just two minutes before crossing the Lithuanian border. ' The Ryanair flight left Athens bound for Vilnius in Lithuania Sunday morning, but it was intercepted by a MiG-29 fighter jet over Belarussian airspace and ordered to land at Minsk Aviation experts have claimed that Belarus threatened to shoot down the Athens to Vilnius Ryanair flight unless it did not land immediately (pictured: a MiG-29 fighter jet involved in the incident arriving back at base in Belarus) Flightradar data showed the plane had not slowed to descend at the usual height on this route but appeared to be flying as fast as possible to the border - before abruptly turning back, seemingly on the orders of the MiG-29. Lukashevich said he is convinced that 'the fighter had permission to shoot'. 'And I am absolutely sure that the crew of the passenger aircraft turned around only after receiving a notification from the Belarusian fighter that, in case of disobedience, it would open fire before the passenger plane left the airspace of Belarus', he said. Such an order could only be given by the Belarus president, dictator Alexander Lukashenko, he added. Several European airlines including AirBaltic, Air Austria and Wizz Air were avoiding Belarusian air space today as EU leaders were set to meet in Brussels to discuss furthers sanctions against Lukashenko. But, Moscow's spokeswoman has backed the Belarusian strong man, saying it was Russia that ought to be 'shocked that the West calls the incident in Belarusian air space "shocking."' The airliner full of tourists made an emergency landing at Minsk Airport today after being escorted by a MiG-29 fighter jet amid reports of a bomb on board Suspicions have fallen on four Russian passengers who voluntarily departed in Minsk, not continuing with the flight when it travelled on to its final destination, the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius. Their presence has stoked fears that Kremlin agents were involved in a murky operation to arrest Protasevich who had begged the crew not to follow the order, saying 'they will kill me' and telling a fellow passenger on the ground that he faced 'the death penalty.' A leading Russian investigative journalist Roman Dobrokhotov said four Russian passengers who had been on the flight from Athens, Greece, to Lithuania left it in Minsk. He claimed: 'Four citizens of Russia did not continue the flight to Vilnius... This operation was escorted by Russian special services.' One of Russia's most respected independent journalists Alexey Venediktov, editor-in-chief of Echo Moscow radio, also said: 'Four more Russians didn't follow on to Vilnius, but left the plane in Minsk, and dissolved into the nature.' A member of the Nexta team, Tadeusz Giczan, also claimed on Twitter that representatives of the Belarusian security agency had been on the flight with Protasevich. 'Then when the plane had entered Belarus airspace, the KGB officers initiated a fight with the Ryanair crew insisting there's an IED onboard,' he said. A spokeswoman for state company Lithuanian Airports, Lina Beisine, told AFP that Minsk airport had said the flight was redirected 'due to a conflict between a member of the crew and the passengers'. Ryanair said the flight's crew had been notified by Belarus air traffic control of 'a potential security threat on board' and were instructed to divert to Minsk, where Protasevich and his girlfriend Sofia Sapega were arrested. Sapega is a student of the European Humanities University, now based in Vilnius, after its forced closure by Lukashenko's authorities in Minsk. She is a Russian citizen, and the university where she studies international law has expressed deep concern for her fate as political detainees in Belarus are frequently tortured by the KGB secret service and police. Opposition journalist Roman Protasevich's girlfriend Sofia Sapega who was also detained Julie Fisher, the US Ambassador to Belarus, joined a wave of condemnatio Julie Fisher, the US Ambassador to Belarus, earlier voiced her anger at the provocation. 'Lukashenko and his regime today showed again its contempt for international community and its citizens. Faking a bomb threat and sending MiG-29s to force @RyanAir to Minsk in order to arrest a @Nexta journalist on politically motivated charges is dangerous and abhorrent.' European countries have joined in the wave of condemnation against Belarus, with Britain calling Lukashenko a 'Putin puppet'. 'Lukashenko and his regime today showed again its contempt for international community and its citizens. Faking a bomb threat and sending MiG-29s to force @RyanAir to Minsk in order to arrest a @Nexta journalist on politically motivated charges is dangerous and abhorrent,' said Julie Fisher, US Ambassador to Belarus Former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul said: 'This Lukashenko action is completely outrageous. Time for Europe to act.' Garry Kasparov, the former chess world champion and outspoken critic of Putin, said: 'I assume that Lukashenko's explanation will be 'go to hell' as usual. And then what? Action, finally? The EU enables such terrorism with inaction, and it inevitably goes from domestic to international terror.' Reports say Protasevich's activism has led to him being included on a terror list, for which he could face the death penalty. Belarus is the last country in Europe to use the death penalty. Critics of Lukashenko, regarded by many as the so-called last strongman of Europe, claimed the incident was confected by Minsk in order to detain Protasevich. They also claim Lukashenko would never have dared the move in EU airspace without receiving a green light from Vladimir Putin, his closest ally. Garry Kasparov, the former chess world champion and outspoken critic of Putin, said: 'I assume that Lukashenko's explanation will be 'go to hell' as usual. And then what? Action, finally? The EU enables such terrorism with inaction, and it inevitably goes from domestic to international terror' Former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul said: 'This Lukashenko action is completely outrageous. Time for Europe to act' The Ryanair flight was forced to land in Belarus following a 'bogus bomb threat' that was allegedly used as a ploy to arrest an opposition activist Roman Protasevich (pictured) Ryanair boss O'Leary (left) described the act as 'state-sponsored hijacking,' while British MP Tom Tugendhat (right) called it 'a warlike act,' ROMAN PROTASEVICH: OPPOSITION BLOGGER FORCED INTO EXILE Protasevich, 26, has long been a thorn in the side of Belarus's hardline dictator Alexander Lukashenko. He worked as an editor at the Poland-based Nexta Live channel, which is based on the Telegram messenger app and has over 1 million subscribers. The channel, which is openly hostile to Lukashenko, played an important role in broadcasting huge opposition protests against the President last year. Nexta also helped coordinate those same protests, which were sparked by anger over what the opposition said was a rigged presidential election. The channel's footage, which showed how harshly police cracked down on demonstrators, was used widely by international media at a time when the Belarusian authorities were reluctant to allow foreign media in. In November Protasevich published a copy of an official Belarusian list of terrorists on which his name figured. The listing said he was accused of organising mass riots while working at Nexta. He also stands accused of disrupting social order and of inciting social hatred. He regards the allegations, which could see him jailed for years, as unjustified political repression. Protasevich fled Belarus for Poland in 2019 due to pressure from the authorities, according to Media Solidarity, a group that supports Belarusian journalists. He moved his parents to Poland too after they were put under surveillance. He later relocated to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, where opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya is also based. Protasevich is currently editor-in-chief of a Belarusian political outlet hosted on the Telegram messaging app called 'Belarus of the Brain' which has around a quarter of a million subscribers. He was flying back to Vilnius from Greece where he had spent time taking photographs of a visit there by Tsikhanouskaya. He had posted the pictures to social media before flying back. Advertisement The US and Britain are calling for toughening existing sanctions against Belarus, as European leaders from Germany, the Baltic states and the Czech Republic slammed the 'outlandish' Ryanair hijacking as 'outrageous', 'illegal' and an 'act of state terrorism'. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab tweeted: 'The UK is alarmed by reports of the arrest of journalist Roman Protasevich & circumstances that led to his flight being forced to land in Minsk. We are coordinating with our allies. This outlandish action by Lukashenko will have serious implications.' The airline's boss Michael O'Leary has condemned 'state-sponsored piracy' by Belarus, adding that 'we believe there were some KGB agents offloaded at the airport as well.' Tory MP Tom Tugendhat called it 'a warlike act,' joining the British and US governments, among other Western nations, who have condemned the grounding of the Ryanair flight. 'This was a flight between two NATO members and between two EU members,' the Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman told Radio 4. 'If it's not an act of war, it's certainly a warlike act.' Brussels is set to discuss strengthening sanctions against Belarus, imposed over the crackdown by the Lukashenko regime on opposition protesters, at a pre-planned summit on Monday. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen tweeted: 'The outrageous and illegal behavior of the regime in Belarus will have consequences. Those responsible for the Ryanair hijacking must be sanctioned. Journalist Roman Protasevich must be released immediately.' Polish premier Mateusz Morawiecki denounced Belarus's actions as 'an act of state terrorism', while French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian called for a 'strong and united response' from the EU. Lithuania and Latvia have called for international flights not to use Belarusian airspace. Greek premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis denounced the Belarusian intervention of the Ryanair flight. He said: 'The forced landing of a commercial plane to detain a journalist is an unprecedented, shocking act. 'We demand all passengers' immediate release. Tomorrow's #EUCO [European Council] must address the need to step up pressure on Belarus. Enough is enough.' NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg also said he was closely monitoring the situation, tweeting: 'Closely monitoring forcible landing in Belarus of flight to Vilnius and reported detention of opposition figure Roman Protasevich. 'This is a serious & dangerous incident which requires international investigation. Belarus must ensure safe return of crew & all passengers.' An official Belarus Telegram channel claimed they saved Europe from a terrorist incident in bringing down the Ryanair plane bound for the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. The Belarus defense ministry confirmed the detention of Protasevich, who had been living in exile. Human rights center Vesna also said: 'Roman Protasevich was detained. He was on the Ryanair flight Athens-Vilnius.' Secretary of State Antony Blinken's full statement on Belarus's diversion of a Ryanair passenger flight Data from the flightradar24.com website showed the plane was diverted just two minutes before it was due to cross into Lithuanian airspace. After several hours in Minsk, the plane took off again for Vilnius, a top EU official said. Protasevich was not on board the flight this time. After finally landing in Vilnius several hours after the scheduled time of arrival, some passengers described seeing the blogger looking nervous as the flight was diverted to Belarus. 'He just turned to people and said he was facing the death penalty,' Monika Simkiene, a 40-year-old Lithuanian, told AFP. Edvinas Dimsa, 37, said: 'He was not screaming, but it was clear that he was very much afraid. It looked like if the window had been open, he would have jumped out of it.' Opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, widely seen to have won last year's presidential election against Lukashenko before being forced into exile, said: 'It is absolutely obvious that this is an operation by the special services to hijack an aircraft in order to detain the activist and blogger Roman Protasevich. 'The regime endangered the safety of passengers on board and all civil aviation for the sake of reprisals against a man who was the editor of the largest Belarusian independent Telegram channels. 'Only for this he was recognized as a terrorist, and only for this now in Belarus Roman can face the death penalty. 'We have already informed the Ryanair office and the International Civil Aviation Organisation, demanding to start an investigation into the incident and take measures up to the exclusion of Belarus from ICAO,' Tikhanovskaya added. She warned: 'From now on, not a single person flying over Belarus can be sure of their safety. After all, the regime is abusing the rules of air traffic in order to capture those who disagree.' Belarusian dog handler checks luggage from the Ryanair flight in Minsk International Airport on May 23 Journalists and Belarusian activists wait to see passengers of the Ryanair plane carrying opposition figure Raman Pratasevich at the International Airport outside Vilnius, Lithuania Mantas, a Lithuanian passenger of Ryanair flight FR4978, speaks to the media after arriving at Vilnius Airport, Lithuania Protasevich (pictured at 'Freedom Day' rally in Minsk in 2012 was taken off the Ryanair flight and into custody on Sunday Meanwhile the Prime Minister of Estonia Kaja Kallas said: 'Absolutely inexplicable and shocking reports from Belarus about detaining Roman Protasevich and forcing the plane to land. 'All passengers should be immediately released and a thorough international investigation should follow. EU must take a stand together. MEP Roberta Metsola also called for Europe to act now in response to the forced landing. She said: 'Now is the time for Europe to act in unison. Extended sanctions, independent international investigations and immediate release of dissidents. 'We must be able to guarantee safety and security of air passenger travel. Leaders meeting at #EUCO tomorrow must act.' The incident is certain to worsen already dire relations between the West and Belarus, which has been tightly controlled since 1994 by President Alexander Lukashenko. Opponents accuse him of rigging a presidential election in his own favor last year and of then cracking down violently on the opposition. He denies electoral fraud. The Ryanair flight is parked at Minsk International Airport on Sunday after it was stopped by authorities British Conservative MP Damian Collins condemned the 'hijacking' in a statement. He said: 'This is an appalling act of hijacking by a rogue state. 'Belarus must release Roman Protasevich, give him safe passage to Lithuania and compensate the airline and passengers. Without this they should face serious sanctions.' Ryanair said in a statement that the plane's crew was notified by Belarus of a potential security threat on board and were instructed to divert to the nearest airport, Minsk. The plane landed safely, passengers were offloaded and security checks were made by local authorities, it said, saying it expected the aircraft to resume its journey later on Sunday. Protasevich worked for an online opposition news service Nexta, a Telegram channel that broadcast footage of mass protests against Lukashenko last year at a time when it was hard for foreign media to do so. He is wanted in Belarus on extremism charges and stands accused of organising mass riots and of inciting social hatred, allegations he denies. Belarusian news agency BelTA reported that Lukashenko had personally ordered the warplane to escort the Ryanair plane to Minsk. No explosives were found, it said. Police officers detained Roman Protasevich after he was attempting to cover a rally in Minsk, Belarus on 26 March 2017 The Ryanair plane, which was carrying blogger Roman Protasevich and was diverted to Belarus, lands at Vilnius Airport in Vilnius, Lithuania on Sunday Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda called for an international response. 'I call on NATO and EU allies to immediately react to the threat posed to international civil aviation by the Belarus regime. The international community must take immediate steps that this does not repeat,' Nauseda said. Lithuanian presidential adviser Asta Skaisgiryte said the operation to force the plane carrying around 170 people from 12 countries to land seemed to be pre-planned. Protasevich had said that at Athens airport a bald Russian-speaking middle-aged man had attempted to film the main page of his passport. He then turned and left. Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte came to Vilnius Airport for the plane's arrival on Sunday, as did dozens of Belarusian opposition supporters A woman covered with an old Belarusian national flag holds a phone with a sticker in colors of an old Belarusian national flag as she waits to see passengers of the Ryanair plane carrying opposition figure Raman Pratasevich Protesters holding signs reading 'Where is Roman?' were at Vilnius airport when the diverted flight landed Pro-opposition supporters gathered in Vilnius airport in a show of support for Protasevich NEXTA was closely involved in reporting a wave of opposition protests that last year threatened to topple Lukashenko, before he was given backing by Vladimir Putin NEXTA was closely involved in reporting a wave of opposition protests that last year threatened to topple Lukashenko, before he was given backing by Vladimir Putin. A message being retweeted in Russia read: 'Detention of Protasevich (NEXTA) is a splendid, beautiful, complicated, (operation) in the best traditions of the Soviet KGB, the work of the Belorussian CHEKA (state security). You are cool!' NEXTA reported: 'Protasevich was on board a flight heading from Athens to Vilnius. He faces the death penalty in Belarus. 'The Lukashists [derogatory term for supporters of embattled President Lukashenko] seized the plane in order to arrest Protasevich,' the channel said. The Belarus authorities claimed its bomb-disposal squad was examining the plane. The official Minsk version said: 'Belarus defended Europe. Information has been received that the plane has been mined.' The plane had almost left Belarus air space but was forced to land in Minsk. 'The situation was immediately reported to the President. Lukashenko gave an unconditional command to turn the plane around and receive it. 'In this situation, the most important thing is the safety and lives of people.' The Belarusian department for organised crime control reported that Protasevich had been detained before deleting the statement from its Telegram channel. Around 35,000 people have been detained in Belarus since August, human rights groups say. Dozens have received jail terms. Authorities say that more than 1,000 criminal cases have been launched. Landlords who offer accommodation in exchange for sexual favours could be easier to prosecute under plans to change the law. At present, landlords offering such arrangements can only be prosecuted under Section 52 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. This law requires the victim to legally define as a prostitute to secure a conviction, which MPs argue deters young women from coming forward. But Labour MP Peter Kyle has tabled an amendment to the policing Bill to target rogue landlords and the companies that facilitate them. If passed in the coming weeks, requiring or accepting sexual relations as a condition of accommodation would become a specific offence helping facilitate prosecutions with sentences of up to seven years in prison. And websites that host adverts for 'sex for rent' arrangements could be fined 50,000 per post to tackle the blatant exploitation of vulnerable young women. Labour MP Peter Kyle has tabled an amendment to the policing Bill to target rogue landlords and the companies that facilitate them It comes after a Daily Mail investigation revealed landlords were using website Craigslist to offer free accommodation in exchange for sexual favours. Research from the housing charity Shelter revealed that more than 30,000 people had been propositioned by 'sex for rent' landlords during the pandemic. Websites such as Craigslist continue to host adverts for 'free' accommodation. A search yesterday revealed scores of posts for 'free rent for females' across the country with many specifying board will be 'in exchange for some favours'. Fredrick Allard, 70, sent texts to an undercover reporter, demanding massages in exchange for accommodation in his six-bedroom Wiltshire home Tory safeguarding minister Victoria Atkins said: 'We will continue to work closely with the police to ensure they have the tools they need to tackle this issue.' But Labour's schools spokesman Mr Kyle said: 'Sex for rent' is exploitation pure and simple. This government is refusing to act even when it sees routine sexual exploitation like this. 'Labour have acted. We've drafted powerful new offences to crack down on these vicious landlords, and on the websites that host them. Now it's up to the Government to help us pass these amendments.' Holidaymakers visiting amber list countries risk invalidating their travel insurance amid confusion over government advice, experts warned last night. Spain will accept British tourists without a negative Covid test from today but their travel cover is likely to be void if they visit the country, they said. It means families could be hit with bills of thousands of pounds if they suffer illness or an accident while abroad. The risk also applies to the United States, Italy and most of Greece. The validity of policies is governed by travel advice from the Foreign Office and not the 'traffic light system' introduced a week ago, said Malcolm Tarling of the Association of British Insurers. Spain will accept British tourists without a negative Covid test from today but their travel cover is likely to be void if they visit the country, experts said. Pictured: Stock image of Malaga, Spain And he said the parallel systems had lulled holidaymakers into a false sense of security: 'If you travel to a country against Foreign Office advice then you are likely to invalidate your travel insurance. 'There has been some confusion around the perception of the Government's travel advice. What is important is not whether a country is on the amber list, it's whether the UK Government advises against all but essential travel. Don't be seduced by the traffic light system.' Data shows 1,841 flights have been scheduled from the UK to France, Spain, Italy and Greece in the first two weeks of the traffic light system. Despite Spain welcoming UK tourists the Foreign Office warns against 'all but essential travel' to the country, apart from to the Canaries. Families could be hit with bills of thousands of pounds if they suffer illness or an accident while abroad. The risk also applies to the United States, Italy and most of Greece. Pictured, Monterosso al Mare, Italy, in 2019 International travel appears to be picking up across Europe, with Airbnb bookings across the continent only four per cent below 2019 levels, according to holiday market monitors AirDNA. Last week the UK's traffic light policy descended into farce, with ministers accused of sowing 'mass confusion'. On Tuesday, the system's second day in force, Environment Secretary George Eustice suggested trips to amber countries to see friends and family were acceptable. But hours later the PM insisted such travel was off limits, and later hardened his stance by saying trips to amber nations should only take place in 'extreme circumstances'. Meanwhile, health minister Lord Bethell claimed holidays anywhere abroad were 'dangerous', bringing even tourism to green list destinations into doubt. Its George Osbornes 50th birthday today and my sources say hes getting his dream present: chairmanship of the Royal Opera House. Carphone Warehouse co-founder David Ross has just stepped down from the role less than a year after pipping the former Chancellor to the position. Handily, Sir Simon Robey, Georges boss at investment bank Robey Warshaw, is temporary chairman while he looks for Rosss replacement. He need look no further than the front row of Monday nights performance of La clemenza di Tito, where Osborne was seated. George Osborne, left, was spotted talking to journalist Sasha Slater, right, who he has known since Oxford, at the Royal Opera House on Monday night Osborne had previously applied to become chairman of the Royal Opera House, pictured, while friends have said he has put his name forward for a second time My source said: Georges circle of friends have been saying he applied for a second time to chair the ROH, and sure enough he turned up alongside journalist Sasha Slater on Monday night. George has recently been socialising with friends he knew during his 21-year marriage to wife Frances, whom he left in 2019 shortly before dating former adviser Thea Rogers, who is now expecting their first child. Though my spies didnt see Thea at the opera, they did spot him chatting animatedly to journalist Sasha, 49, during the interval. Adds my source: They met at Oxford, where he also got to know Peter Davies, who was best man at his wedding. Peters wife Genevieve happens to be on the board of the ROH, and was also there. George has catholic tastes in music: as well as opera, he loves listening to house music in Ibiza. After he split with Frances, he took their son Luke, 19, to the islands Pacha club, where he hung out with new friends leaving Luke to tackle the dancefloor alone. Last night an ROH spokesman said, Were not commenting on rumoured board movements. The Countess of Mornington Jemma Kidd has been flirting with billionaire Arpad Arki Busson over dinner at London club 5 Hertford Street. Its good timing for leggy Jemma, 46, whose marriage to Arthur Wellesley, the 9th Duke of Wellingtons son, recently ended. Their body language suggested theyre more than just friends, my mole tells me. Jemmas spokesman refused to comment but the model is certainly Arkis type the 58-year-old financier is father to Elle Macphersons two sons and was once Uma Thurmans fiance. The Countess of Mornington Jemma Kidd has been flirting with billionaire Arpad Arki Busson over dinner at London club 5 Hertford Street My lips are sealed, but... Which famous man loves clairvoyants so much he decided to get married after a high society psychic on Londons Kings Road told him that his girlfriend was the reincarnation of his mother? Overjoyed with this creepy information, he proceeded to pop the question to the girlfriend he fancied so much! Royals insist The Crown is fiction but the scene where it was revealed that Prince Charles has a soft-boiled egg with every meal is spot on just ask Jamie Oliver and his protege Anna Jones. Charles came to Fifteen [Jamies now-defunct restaurant chain] and insisted we poach an egg on the side, says veggie TV chef Anna. If youre the future king you can ask for what the f*** you want, cant you? He needs that extra protein with every meal, which I found quite funny. Anna also revealed that Brad Pitt ate at Fifteen and gave the biggest tip ever left which was in the thousands. Jenson Button had no fears during his Grand Prix racing career, but admits hes now terrified... of having the vasectomy his fiancee is insisting on. The 2009 F1 champion said now they have a 21-month-old son, Hendrix, and a four-month-old girl, Lenny, he and model Brittny Ward, 31, both left, have decided they dont want another child. Jenson, 41, said: I had an hour-long conversation with the doc. He explained it all. I was like, Wow, that does not sound nice. My missus had to have two C-sections, shes been cut open while she was awake, so she said, Its the least you can do! Between babies and the pandemic, the couple have had to cancel wedding plans three times, but hope it will be fourth time lucky later this year with a ceremony near their California home. Biden, Moon discuss situation on Korean Peninsula at White House Xinhua) 13:17, May 23, 2021 Photo/Xinhua WASHINGTON, May 22 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden met Friday at the White House with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, discussing a range of issues, including the situation on the Korean Peninsula. Moon is the second leader invited to the White House after Biden took office, after Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. During a joint press conference at the White House following their meeting, Biden said he and Moon discussed the shared approach to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). "Our two nations also share a willingness to engage diplomatically with the DPRK, to take pragmatic steps that will reduce tensions as we move toward our ultimate goal of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," he said. "We're under no illusions how difficult this is, none whatsoever," Biden told reporters. "And the past four administrations have not achieved the objective. It's an incredibly difficult objective." Biden announced that career diplomat Sung Kim will serve as the U.S. Special Envoy for the DPRK to drive diplomatic efforts. Moon, in his remarks, called achieving complete denuclearization and permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula the "most urgent common task" that the two allies must undertake. He noted that Biden expressed support for the inter-Korean dialogue and cooperation. "Under close cooperation with the U.S., we will work to facilitate progress in inter-Korean relations, so as to achieve a virtuous cycle with U.S.-DPRK dialogue." Biden did not rule out a meeting with DPRK leader Kim Jong Un, but stressed a precondition of the meeting would be Pyongyang's commitment to discussing its nuclear weapons. The two leaders also discussed cooperation on issues of regional security, emerging technology, climate change and COVID-19 vaccines. The two countries agree to establish a comprehensive vaccine partnership, and the United States will provide vaccinations for 550,000 South Korean troops working in close contact with American forces. "This meeting is all about setting the stage for the Biden administration's relationship with South Korea," Jenna Gibson, an expert on the Korean Peninsula at the University of Chicago, told Xinhua. Gibson said that while the DPRK issue is on the priorities list of the Biden administration's agenda, it's not near the top. "Even setting aside domestic issues like COVID recovery, Biden still has an extremely full plate at the moment," Gibson said. "I don't anticipate him delegating too much energy into actively working on the DPRK nuclear issue at this moment in time." Troy Stangarone, senior director at the Washington-based non-profit Korea Economic Institute, agreed with Gibson. The DPRK "is one of the administration's foreign policy priorities, but it will likely fall behind efforts to restore the nuclear deal with Iran and climate change. The unanswered question is whether negotiations are a priority for Pyongyang," Stangarone said. He also raised the issue that Biden might be out of step with Moon on dealing with the DPRK. "Timing is perhaps the main difference in the approaches of Biden and Moon. Biden is open to making incremental progress, something South Korea is likely to support," said the expert. "But with only a year left in office, Moon faces more pressure to restart talks" with the DPRK sooner, said the expert, adding "Biden is likely to be more deliberative and wants to see progress on a working level before moving forward." The Biden administration at the end of April completed its policy review towards the DPRK. The White House said it had reached out to Pyongyang through several channels but had not yet received any response. Kim Jong Un and former U.S. President Donald Trump held their first summit in Singapore in June 2018, agreeing on a complete denuclearization of and a lasting peace settlement on the Korean Peninsula. Denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington have been stalled since the second Kim-Trump summit ended without agreement in February 2019 in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi. (Web editor: Meng Bin, Bianji) South Korean President Moon Jae-in waves before boarding his Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, the U.S., to depart for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on May 23. Yonhap South Korean President Moon Jae-in left the United States on Saturday following a four-day trip for summit talks with U.S. President Joe Biden. Earlier in the day, he flew to Atlanta from Washington, D.C. to make a brief visit to a Georgia plant construction site of SK Innovation, a South Korea-based battery maker. It marked Moon's first overseas travel since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said he is returning home with "better-than-expected" results from his first summit with Biden held at the White House on Friday. He was accompanied by a group of South Korean business leaders, who announced plans to invest a combined total of US$39.4 billion in the U.S. They included the chief executives of Samsung Electronics, LG Energy Solution and SK innovation. Moon said he has also received "surprise gifts" from the U.S. He cited Biden's announcement on coronavirus vaccine provision and pick of a new special envoy on North Korea. "The outcome of the talks couldn't have been better," Moon wrote on his social messaging accounts. "It was better than expected." Korean President Moon Jae-in, left, listens to an employee of SK Innovation's electric vehicle battery factory as he visited the factory in Atlanta, the U.S., to tour on May 23. Yonhap Sung Kim, the United States' special representative for North Korea Policy / Yonhap Heartbeat star Tricia Penrose and husband Mark Simpkin are believed to have split after 18 years of marriage Penrose, 51, and former actor Simpkin, 48, are now thought to be living separately in Cheshire after parting ways, The Sun reports. A source told the publication: 'They decided to go their separate ways after realising they had grown apart and it would be better for everyone that they ended the marriage. Split: Heartbeat star Tricia Penrose and husband Mark Simpkin are believed to have split after 18 years of marriage (pictured together in 2005) The couple married in 2003 after a picturesque ceremony at Adlington Hall in Cheshire. Penrose, who played Gina Ward in Heartbeat, and Simpkin renewed their vows in 2013, with the actress saying at the time that the event was a 'celebration' a decade together. Speaking to Hello! magazine at the time, she said: 'For us it was an opportunity to celebrate how our marriage has grown stronger and stronger.' The former couple met when they both attended the National Television Awards in 2001. On screen: The actress, 51, is best known for her role as Gina Ward in Heartbeat (pictured on the series) Beginnings: Tricia first met Mark when they both attended the National Television Awards in 2001 (pictured together in 2006) They dated for three years before tying the knot in Cheshire and jetting off to Bermuda for a tropical honeymoon. Simpkin told Northern Life Magazine in 2015: 'I know this sounds really tacky, but as well as Tricia being my wife, shes also my best friend.' 'We dont fall out; we work well as a team,' he added. Penrose shot to fame with her role in Heatbeat. She also appeared in spin-off show The Royal as well as soaps Brookside, Coronation Street and Emmerdale. The actress has also appeared on Comic Relief Does Fame Academy as well as Celebrity Big Brother in 2013 where she was evicted in the semi-final. She has since moved into radio presenting and works on Radio Wirral. She spent the night partying with her family to celebrate her sister Kendall Jenner's new 818 Tequila. But Kim Kardashian appeared to be reinvigorated on Saturday when she highlighted her enviable curves in a bikini and a crop top on Instagram. The 40-year-old Keeping Up With The Kardashians star showed off her incredible hourglass figure in the snap, in which she was surrounded by a pool and palm trees. Woke up like this: Kim Kardashian, 40, flaunted her hourglass figure in high-waisted amber-colored bikini bottoms with a sunburst crop top after she 'woke up in paradise' on Saturday Kim wore a pair of amber-colored high-cut bikini bottoms that emphasized her slim waist. She put on a busty display in a matching bikini top which she wore under a crop top that revealed her flat tummy. The skimpy shirt had a sunburst design going from the same shade of dark yellow at the bottom to black at the collar. The reality star may have decided to end her marriage to Kanye West, but she's apparently still a fan of his footwear, as she sported the intriguing spider-web design of his Yeezy 450 Slide Ophani shoes, which looked breathable on her feet. Kim capped off the sultry snap by wearing her long raven locks in playfully messy strands cascading down the front of her shoulders. It wasn't clear if the photo was new or a throwback, with the star having enjoyed several getaways since announcing her split from West in February. Party time: On Friday night, Kim joined her sisters Khloe Kardashian and Kylie Jenner, plus her mother Kris Jenner, to celebrate Kendall Jenner's launch of her new 818 Tequila label in West Hollywood Behind the scenes: Kim was the unofficial videographer of the bash as she filmed her friends and family enjoying their dinner and the tequila, though she mostly stayed off camera It wasn't clear if the photo was new or a throwback, but the KUWTK star likely needed some time to recover after a lively evening in West Hollywood celebrating her younger sister Kendall Jenner's new tequila venture, 818 Tequila. She joined her sisters Khloe Kardashian and Kylie Jenner, plus her mother Kris Jenner, to celebrate the spirit's launch at a star-studded party featuring appearances from Kendall's good friend Hailey Bieber and her husband Justin, along with Kate Hudson, Katy Perry and even a late appearance from Drake. Kim was the unofficial videographer of the bash as she filmed her friends and family enjoying their dinner and the tequila. Although she most kept herself off camera, she got plenty of testimonials from the guests. Despite the fun at the party, Kendall's tequila has come under fire from tequila connoisseurs, who pointed out that the similarities between the name and design of her 818 Tequila and the Austin-based 512 Tequila. The beverages are both made at the same Mexican distillery, but Kendall's tequila is only twice distilled compared to 512's triple-distilled tequila, yet 818 costs twice as much. Old friends: Kim was in a nostalgic mood earlier on Friday when she shared a photo of herself with five of her childhood friends on Instagram Kim was in a nostalgic mood earlier on Friday when she shared a photo of herself with five of her childhood friends on Instagram. They were all seated on the steps in front of an entrance, with Kim taking the prime position up front and wearing a short striped dress with an orange-patterned front. She referred to the group as her 'Lifers.' Among the shapewear mogul's pals was Allison Statter, whom she has known since elementary school and whose mother is friends with Kris Jenner. Also joining the group was Sarah Meyer Michaelson, whose father is former NBCUniversal Vice Chairman Ron Meyer. Zoe Winkler, daughter of Happy Days starmHenry Winkler, was among the pals included in the picture. Kim was also joined by her old friend Simone Harouche, whom she has known at least since they were in high school. Scary: Kim revealed in the promo for next week's episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians that her son Saint West had tested positive for coronavirus Worrying: In the clip, it sees the reality star, 40, talking to an unknown person on the phone where she says that her daughter North, seven, is also feeling sick - although it is unknown if she also tested positive and other family members (Kim and Saint pictured in 2019) Pandemic: Kim says: 'Sainty just tested positive for Covid and North is saying she's feeling sick' On Thursday, a promo for next week's episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians featured the revelation that Kim's oldest son Saint had gotten sick with Covid-19 last year. It had already been revealed that her sister Khloe Kardashan and her soon-to-be ex-husband Kanye West had come down with the coronavirus, but it wasn't previously known that other family members had been sick. 'Sainty just tested positive for Covid and North is saying she's feeling sick,' Kim reveals in a clip of her talking to an unknown person on the phone. So far, it's unclear if any other children came down with the illness, but everyone in the family appears to have made a full recovery since then. Early case: In October, Kim spoke about her estranged husband Kanye West, 43, whom she is currently divorcing, contracting Covid-19 early on in the pandemic to Grazia Hospitality mogul Justin Hemmes looks to be expanding his property portfolio after splashing $100million on venues in Sydney's Leichhardt, Melbourne and Lorne in Victoria. The Sydney based pub baron is said to be 'close' to snapping up two venues including Byron Bay hotspot Cheeky Monkey's, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. The second is The Whale, a hotel and restaurant located in Narooma, on the South Coast of NSW. New project: Pub baron Justin Hemmes (pictured) is said to be 'close' to snapping up two venues, Byron Bay hotspot Cheeky Monkey's and The Whale, located on the NSW South Coast Cheeky Monkey's closed its doors on March 23 last year amid the global pandemic and has not been open since. The restaurant and bar, which also houses backpacker accommodation, is located on Byron's popular Johnson Street. The Byron Bay property market has become a hot-spot for rich investors, particularly since the Covid pandemic hit, with many hoping to buy a slice of Australia's hottest holiday destination. New venue: According to a new report, the Merivale boss has registered interest in acquiring Byron Bay's Cheeky Monkey's (pictured) Closed: Cheeky Monkey's closed its doors on March 23 last year amid the global pandemic and has not been open since Popular: The Byron Bay property market has become a hot-spot for rich investors, particularly since the Covid pandemic hit, with many hoping to buy a slice of Australia's hottest holiday destination Location: The restaurant and bar, which also houses backpacker accommodation is located on Byron's popular Johnson Street The town's value is expected to soar even more once international tourists return to Australia. However, there has also been a local rebellion, with locals refusing to sell to cashed-up investors despite big offers. Just last week, Hemmes confirmed that he also nabbed Norton's Irish Pub in Leichhardt for $22million and will take over the venue next month. 'This is simply a continuation of our growth strategy pre-COVID, which was focused on acquiring great properties like The Royal and 3 Weeds, and creating new experiences in existing venues,' he said. Nice digs: Just last week, Hemmes purchased Norton's Irish Pub (pictured) and will take over the venue next month Interest: Meanwhile, Hemmes is also said to be eyeing The Whale, a hotel and restaurant located in the town of Narooma, on the South Coast of NSW It's clear the Merivale Group is determined to expand out of Sydney with all of its recent purchases outside the Harbour city. On Thursday, the Merivale boss was revealed to have splurged $38milion on the oceanfront Lorne Hotel in Victoria. The Lorne Hotel is 145 years old and is one of the best known regional pubs. On April 27, Hemmes announced he would be opening his first Melbourne venue after buying Tomasetti House in Flinders Lane precinct for more than $40million. Iconic: The oceanfront Lorne Hotel is 145 years old and is one of the best known regional pubs in the state of Victoria Hemmes has since promised Melburnians that he plans to 'embrace' what was on offer, rather than transplant his Merivale model into Victoria. 'We have to embrace what makes Melbourne special, not bring Sydney with us,' he told The Age. 'I love that the city is so different to Sydney; its an exciting challenge that we really want to get right.' Promise: Speaking of his plans to expand into Victoria, the hospitality mogul told The Age: 'We have to embrace what makes Melbourne special, not bring Sydney with us' Expansion: On April 27, Hemmes announced he would be opening his first Melbourne venue after buying Tomasetti House in Flinders Lane precinct for more than $40million The historic building was acquired from the Sydney-based Millett family who bought Tomasetti House (pictured) for $16.2million in 2014 The Rich-Lister described Melbourne as a 'very special city, with a unique energy'. 'Its local hospitality industry is one of the best in the world ... we are honoured to open our first venue in Melbourne, and cannot wait to work alongside so many local industry greats,' he said. The billionaire acknowledged the 'terrible' sufferings of the Melbourne CBD over the last year and vowed to help turn it around for local businesses. Hemmes' family fortune is worth about $1.06 billion. His property portfolio includes the Beresford Hotel in Surry Hills, which he bought in 2010, the Queen Victoria Hotel in Enmore in 2015 and Bondi's Royal Hotel, which he bought in 2017. Hemmes also recently bought his ex Kate Fowler a $7.5 million mansion Dover Heights, which is one of Sydney's most exclusive suburbs. Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Justin Hemmes for comment. The acclaimed photographer Chi Modu, who captured iconic images of some of the greatest figures in hip hop in the 1990s, has died at age 54. Modu's death was announced Saturday afternoon on his Instagram account. 'Our hearts are broken... We continue the fight,' read a post featuring a photo of the late photographer. Defined the look of hip hop: The legendary hip hop photographer Chi Modu has died at age 54. His death was announced Saturday afternoon on Instagram He was seen beaming joyfully while looking off into the distance. The post also included a black image with what appeared to be Modu's signature and his life span: '1966 2021.' The post also featured a request for privacy from his family. So far, no details have been released about the nature of his death. Saying goodbye: 'Our hearts are broken... We continue the fight,' read a post featuring a photo of the late photographer, along with his signature and life span: '19662021' Classic: No cause of death was given, though his family requested privacy. Modu's iconic images included the cover of Mobb Deep's 1995 classic The Infamous Modu's pictures have become an essential part of documenting 1990s hip hop culture, and they've been used everywhere from album covers to magazine spreads. His most famous photo of the rappers Prodigy and Havoc of the duo Mobb Deep. The closeup image would be used as part of the cover of their hit 1995 album The Infamous, which is now regarded as one of the key text of rap's East Coast Renaissance. He also contributed to album covers from Snoop Dogg and and Wu-Tang Clan's Method Man. He also regularly snapped photos of East and West Coast luminaries The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur. A whose-who of rappers: He regularly snapped photos of East and West Coast luminaries The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur, and documented Wu-Tang Clan members, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg and many others; seen in 2012 in NYC with Dr. Lee Gause (L) After starting at the New York Amsterdam News, Modu got his big break at the hip hop magazine The Source, which commissioned him to take some of his most famous portraits. He became the director of photography for the publication and shot over 30 covers for the magazine, according to The History Makers. He immortalized a number of rappers, including Snoop Dogg, NWA's Eazy-E, Nas, various members of the Wu-Tang Clan, Diddy, Ice Cube, LL Cool J, Mac Miller, Eminem and Dr. Dre, among many others. In 2016 he published the photography book Uncategorized, which featured unpublished pictures of Tupac. Early start: After starting at the New York Amsterdam News, Modu got his big break at the hip hop magazine The Source, where he shot more than 30 covers The photographer wasn't just limited to hip hop photography, as he traveled the globe and took pictures from his trips through Africa, Asia and the Middle East, according to TMZ. Modu was born in Nigeria but spent his early years in New Jersey, before attending Rutgers University, where he graduated in 1989 with a degree in economics, according to Complex. He had other plans, though, and also nabbed a certificate in photojournalism and documentary photography from the university. In addition to his photography for The Source, Modu also contributed to Rolling Stone and The New York Times. Elsa Hosk and her beau Tom Daly, who she first began dating back in 2015, looked every inch the doting first-time parents during a stroll with their baby girl on Friday. As the couple soaked in some quality time with their newborn daughter, Tuulikki, the 32-year-old supermodel cut a stylish figure in a classic white button-down and pair of beige trousers, which showcased her toned post-baby body. Just three months after giving birth, the former Victoria's Secret Angel was at ease as she drank an iced coffee and walked around her Los Angeles neighborhood while shielding her eyes with Vehla Eyewear sunglasses. Family-of-three: Elsa Hosk and her beau Tom Daly, who she first began dating back in 2015, looked every inch the doting first-time parents during a stroll with their baby girl on Friday Her man, who is the co-founder and creative director of Running Vision, sported a red jacket, black trousers and a pair of matching sunglasses for their outing. Daly dutifully pushed their infant, who was born first child via home water birth with help from midwife Abby Vidikan and HypnoBirthing trainer Nina Phelan, in a black stroller. Tuulikki is a Finnish name that means 'little wind' and is the middle name of the Stockholm-born runway star's mother. Doting parents: As the couple soaked in some quality time with their newborn daughter, Tuulikki, the 32-year-old supermodel cut a stylish figure in a classic white button-down and pair of beige trousers, which showcased her toned post-baby body During a Q&A session on her Instagram story, Elsa, who is half-Finnish, said that she and Tom loved the unique moniker and call their little one Tuuli for short. In December, the lovebirds moved out of her $3.5M 1,750-square-foot, two-bedroom apartment in Manhattan to raise their daughter on the West Coast. Elsa has been dating partner Tom since 2015 after he first shared a photo of them together during Halloween that year. They were friends first. Oh baby! Hosk welcomed her first child with partner of five years Tom Daly in February Three-months-old: The couple's infant, who was born first child via home water birth with help from midwife Abby Vidikan and HypnoBirthing trainer Nina Phelan The duo appear to be a perfect match as they both share a love for the arts with Elsa a supermodel and Tom founding a company that focused on holistic-inspired products for runners. Hosk's new addition comes as fellow Victoria's Secret Angels Romee Strijd and Gigi Hadid welcomed their own baby girls just a few months prior. The supermodel announced she was pregnant in September as she posted a stunning photoshoot by photographer Sante D'Orazio, where she went nude and displayed her growing baby bump with a fur coat draped over her. Constance Wu is sharing some rare details about her daughter, who she and her partner boyfriend Ryan Kattner welcomed to the world last summer. During a virtual appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Friday, May 21, the Crazy Rich Asians star gushed about her baby girl, and in particular, one unique feature of her daughter's anatomy. 'I had a beautiful baby girl in August,' she said as the live studio audience cheered. And when asked how motherhood is going, she casually replied: 'Oh, she's the best, she's the best. She has a full head of hair. You know, she has a blue butt.' Gushing: Constance Wu, 39, made rare comments about her nine-month-old daughter, who she revealed has a 'blue butt' during a virtual appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Friday, May 21 At first, Fallon 'skipped over' Wu's blue butt revelation and went right on to his next question for the first-time mother. But after being called out by Wu for not following up on her comment, the host admitted he thought he misunderstood her. 'Wait she has a blue butt?' Fallon asked with a confused grin and smile on his face. Keeping her poker face, the Hustlers star again shot back casually: 'Yes, her butt is the color blue.' 'Is it for printing purposes? Like they put it in ink? Why is her butt blue?' Fallon responded, all while still sounding confused. Over his head: At first, Fallon 'skipped over' Wu's blue butt revelation about her daughter because he thought he misheard her, which got laughs from the actress and the audience Cats out of the bag: After keeping a poker face about her baby girl's blue butt with Fallon, Wu revealed that it's actually 'a Mongolian spot' Medical term: Mongolian spots are congenital birthmarks that are most commonly found in individuals with an Asian or African ethnic background; this is a generic example of blue butt After joking about wanting to look into how she could benefit from her daughter's blue butt, Wu finally shared the meaning behind a baby's bluish anatomy. 'There's this thing, I had never heard of it before. But it's called a Mongolian spot. Apparently, it happens in a lot of Asian babies, and my boyfriend and I are both Asian. And it's where your butt is blue for like the first two years of your life, and then it just goes away.' Seemingly not convinced Wu was telling the truth, the host pondered whether she was leading into some sort of joke or bit. After asking for assistance from the audience, it was revealed that one person had a blue butt when they were an infant. Wu added, 'Well, I just think it's a very special thing, and it's not something she gets to show off while she's walking down the street. Not that she's walking yet. But I thought I would just tell you about her little blue butt. It's very special.' Their daughter's blue booty was special enough that Kattner, who's the frontman for the rock band Man Man, wrote a song about it that will be on his next studio album. The result: Mongolian spots typically disappear within a year or two after birth Blue butt song: Wu said her partner Ryan Kattner, the frontman for the rock band Man Man, wrote a song about their daughter's blue butt that will be on his next studio album According to the U.S. National Library Of Medicine - National Institutes Of Health, Mongolian spots (MS) are congenital birthmarks seen most commonly over the lumbosacral area, which is the area near the small of the back and the back part of the pelvis between the hips. They are bluish-green to black in color and oval to irregular in shape. They are most commonly found in individuals with an Asian or African ethnic background. Wu is currently promoting the new anthology drama series Solos, which premiered on Amazon Prime Video on Friday. The seven-episode series ponders what it means to be human, arguing that we are connected to others through shared experiences, even in our most isolated moments. It also also stars Morgan Freeman, Anne Hathaway, Helen Mirren, Uzo Aduba, Anthony Mackie, Dan Stevens and Nicole Beharie. In recent months, the Virginia native has been shooting the upcoming thriller drama series The Terminal List alongside Chris Pratt, Taylor Kitsch, Riley Keough, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Patrick Schwarzenegger. He is voicing the benevolent father character in DreamWorks brand new animated feature. And Jake Gyllenhaal is now ready to discuss the possibility of becoming a father in real life, as seen on Access Hollywood this week. The Donnie Darko star, 40, chatted with the outlet while promoting his new film Spirit Untamed alongside voice costar Julianne Moore. 'I think that its getting to be time': Jake Gyllenhaal is now ready to discuss the possibility of becoming a father in real life; seen in 2019 When asked if she could see Jake as a father, the Oscar-winning actress exclaimed, 'Oh my God, I think hed be the perfect dad, period!' She then teased Jake directly, 'What's the hold up Jake? Come on man!' Gyllenhaal then replied in kind, 'Thats a bigger question I think, one that I think is important for Access Hollywood to know about!' Dad to be? The Donnie Darko star, 40, chatted about fatherhood while promoting his new film Spirit Untamed alongside voice costar Julianne Moore; seen in 2020 In the film: He is voicing the benevolent father character in DreamWorks brand new animated feature Then he got a little more serious, reflecting, 'Truly, I dont know I think that its getting to be time.' The Bubble Boy actor has been linked to his French girlfriend Jeanne Cadieu, 25, since at least the end of 2018, when sources told Us Weekly that the relationship has become serious. 'Jeanne is very mature for her age. She's quirky, smart and loves history, reading; she's a really great and well-rounded person,' a source told the magazine. Seen on Instagram: The Bubble Boy actor has been linked to his French girlfriend Jeanne Cadieu, 25, since at least the end of 2018 The source added, 'She and Jake really took things slow, but are now pretty serious.' The couple have spent many vacations together including trips to Martha's Vineyard, London, Greece and Paris. In 2019, Jeanne attended the opening night of Jake and Tom Sturridge's Broadway play Sea Wall/A Life. They also went to several events together but walked the red carpet separately. In August 2019, Page Six even reported that the stunning brunette had met the Spiderman: Far From Home star's family. Over the past year, Australia has become inundated with Hollywood A-listers making their home Down Under, either permanently or temporarily. With coronavirus cases soaring in America, a slew of Hollywood stars and their families are fleeing to Australia to work and enjoy a safer lifestyle. A-listers including Zac Efron, Julia Roberts and Natalie Portman have been able to relocate Down Under under a 'significant investor visa', which allows US citizens to move as long as they invest at least $5million in local government-approved funds. Money talks! Inside Australia's 'Hollywood visa' allowing rich celebrities like Zac Efron, Julia Roberts (pictured) and Natalie Portman to relocate Down Under after fleeing Covid-stricken US This visa allows the holder to remain in Australia for up to four years and three months, and costs $7,880 to purchase - a drop in the ocean for those applying. Further, only those who are invited may apply for this ultra-exclusive visa. According to The Daily Telegraph, the amount of these visas granted in the past 12 months have increased significantly from 6000 to 14,000. Did Zac apply? A-listers have been able to relocate Down Under under a 'significant investor visa', which allows US citizens to move as long as they invest at least $5million in local government-approved funds. Pictured Zac Efron It comes amid a wave of A-list arrivals in recent months, with a steady stream of Hollywood stars relocating and shifting their projects to all largely coronavirus-free Australia. The cast of Thor: Love and Thunder led by Natalie Portman, Matt Damon, Chris Pratt and Christian Bale touched down in Sydney earlier this year to film the new Marvel blockbuster. Julia Roberts and Sean Penn also jetted into Australia earlier this year, ahead of filming their new political thriller Gaslit. A-list invasion! Julia Roberts and Sean Penn (pictured) also jetted into Australia earlier this year, ahead of filming their new political thriller Gaslit Another Hollywood heavyweight, Zac Efron, has been living Down Under since last year. In August 2020, it was reported that the 33-year-old had been quietly living in Byron Bay for 'months', with sources suggesting he moved there to escape the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. Sources have alleged that the actor was 'planning to list his Los Angeles home in the near future' and is 'burnt out living in and around Hollywood'. Earlier this year, Zac confirmed his hit Netflix show, Down To Earth, would return for a second season and he has been travelling around Australia to film the series. Carla Zampatti won't be given a posthumous hurrah at Australian Fashion Week this year. The late designer, who tragically died on April 3, is said to have finished her last ever collection in February, but never intended to show the range at the annual catwalk event. 'That was a decision made months ago,' Kellie Hush, the label's official, told Confidential. 'That was a decision made months ago': Carla Zampatti's (pictured) final collection won't be shown at Australian Fashion Week - following the iconic designer's tragic death 'We are shooting the campaign next week and then images will be selected and the campaign launches as the collection goes into store,' Ms Hush added. Carla last showed at Australian Fashion Week in 2019, closing the entire week with her collection. She is also the last ever designer to show at Australian Fashion Week, as last year's event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Legendary: Carla last showed at Australian Fashion Week in 2019, closing the entire week with her collection Meanwhile, the largest space at Carriageworks in Sydney is set to be officially named after Carla in honour of her huge contribution to Australian fashion. Carla died on April 3, a week after falling down the stairs at the opening night of the La Traviata opera on Sydney Harbour. Born in Italy in 1942, Zampatti migrated to Australia with her parents in 1950 at age nine, and set up her fashion famous label at 24. Famous threads: Her designs have been worn by some of Australia's most influential women. Pictured: Supermodel Miranda Kerr wearing Carla Zampatti on the catwalk in 2010 Her designs have been worn by some of Australia's most influential women, including Princess Mary of Denmark, Australia's first female prime minister Julia Gillard, Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman and Ms Berejiklian. Last month, New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said Carla was a role model for generations as Australians. The trailblazing fashion designer was farewelled at a state funeral at Sydney's St Mary's Cathedral on Thursday. Carla was named Australian Designer of the Year in 1994, awarded the Australian Fashion Laureate in 2008 and a year later was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia, Australia's highest civilian honour. One of musics biggest nights is taking place on Sunday, and these music superstars are leading the charge of those preparing for the blockbuster event. Both Pink and Nick Jonas were seen at rehearsals for the 2021 Billboard Music Awards on Saturday, in Los Angeles, California. Pink, 41, took the stage and belted away with her band, dressed in all black with her trademark blonde mohawk. Belting away: Pink was seen at rehearsals for the 2021 Billboard Music Awards on Saturday, in Los Angeles Her backup dancers swung behind her on swings suspended from above. The Raise Your Glass songstress will be receiving the Icon award on Sunday, which 'recognizes outstanding artists who have achieved excellence on the Billboard charts and have made an indelible mark on music itself,' according to the music charting service. Other musicians who have received the distinction before her include Cher, Celine Dion, Jennifer Lopez, Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey and Prince. Jonas, 28, will be hosting the awards show live on Sunday night on NBC at 8 PM. Host to be: Nick Jonas will be hosting the awards show live on Sunday night on NBC at 8 PM He was seen at the rehearsal on Saturday rocking a fabulous yellow silk Hawaiian-style shirt with roosters and flowers printed on it. He paired this with brown slacks. He posed for photos while holding a binder with both the events name on it as well as his own. Nick, as it turns out, is depending on his wife Priyanka Chopra at the event, as he is still dealing with a rib injury from a bike accident. Pink took the stage and belted away with her band, dressed in all black with her trademark blonde mohawk: Her backup dancers swung behind her on swings suspended from above Fabulous and on the mend: Jonas was seen at the rehearsal on Saturday rocking a fabulous yellow silk Hawaiian-style shirt with roosters and flowers printed on it '#BBMAs rehearsals. See you TOMORROW at 8pm ET / 5pm PT on @NBC!! @bbmas,' Nick captioned an Instagram video of himself adjusting his sunglasses Promoting: In the recording, The Jonas Brothers' new track Leave Before You Love Me can be heard in the background Exciting: Within eight hours, the post received 87,432 likes and hundreds of supportive comments According to Page Six, Chopra will be making an appearance as a presenter at the show in order to support him. 'Priyanka is coming to LA from working in London to help Nick with his injury and to give him support. They have limited time in LA together, so she wanted to be there to support him,' a source told the outlet. Other presenters at the awards show will include Cynthia Erivo, Chelsea Handler, Dixie DAmelio, Gabrielle Union, Henry Golding, Kathryn Hahn, Kelsea Ballerini, Lena Waithe, Leslie Odom, Jr., Lil Rel Howery, Padma Lakshmi, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Swizz Beatz, and Beyonces mother Tina Knowles-Lawson. In addition to Pink, performances at the BMA's will include Glass Animals and AJR. Former first lady Kwon Yang-sook, center, who is the widow of late former President Roh Moo-hyun, walks with political leaders following behind during a ceremony to mark the 12th anniversary of Roh's death at Bongha Village in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province. Yonhap Late former President Roh Moo-hyun, left, talks with late former President Kim Dae-jung at Cheong Wa Dae in this 2007 October file photo. Korea Times file South Korea held a ceremony Sunday to commemorate former President Roh Moo-hyun, marking the 12th year of his death. It took place at Bongha Village in Gimhae, Roh's hometown located 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, bringing together a number of key government and political figures. They included Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum; Song Young-gil, head of the ruling Democratic Party (DP); Kim Gi-hyeon, acting chief and floor leader of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP); and Lee Cheol-hee, senior presidential secretary for political affairs, as well as several governors. Having served as South Korea's president from 2003-2008, Roh is still an iconic figure in the country's liberal bloc. He pushed for far-reaching reform measures and endeavored to eliminate authoritarianism and regionalism rooted in the nation's politics. Prime Minister Kim pointed out that, "It was Roh's belief that the politics of divisions should be liquidated and win-win politics should be achieved." Unlike his aspiration, however, South Korea is faced with polarization, increased ideological conflicts and generational and gender rifts, Kim said, delivering a memorial speech. "We won't let go of hope for creating a world of national unity beyond division and conflict as shown by Roh's life," he added. The leader of the PPP described Bongha as a "site of a painful history," apparently referring to the tragic death of Roh. He jumped to his death from a cliff behind his retirement home on May 23, 2009, amid a corruption probe by state prosecutors into his family and aides. Many liberals believe that Roh suffered de facto political oppression after his retirement under a conservative administration. The PPP chief cited the lack of "bold communication" and "spirit of unity" in today's politics and proposed that the political community set what Roh has left via his life as a "milestone." The annual memorial ceremony used to be attended by thousands of mourners and supporters. This year, the number of attendees was minimized due to COVID-19. Rhyu Si-min, head of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation, expressed hope that he can hold the event along with citizens next year. President Moon Jae-in, who was a longtime friend of Roh, meanwhile, sent condolence flowers. Attending a ceremony four years ago, Moon said it would be the last time for him to do so as a sitting president. (Yonhap) Scout Willis showed off her wild side in pair of tiger print pants as she ran errands with her beloved rescue pup Grandma in Los Angeles on Friday afternoon. The 29-year-old middle child of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore styled her chic outfit with a long sleeve white t-shirt, black flats and a reusable tote bag on her shoulder. She completed her look with a black face mask with a red beaded lanyard amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. On the prowl: Scout Willis showed showed off her wild side in pair of tiger print pants as she ran errands with her beloved rescue dog Grandma in Los Angeles on Friday afternoon Looking every inch the doting dog mom, the Brown graduate cradled her Chihuahua and Dachshund mix in her arms as they walked back to her car. On May 7, she reflected to her 222,000 Instagram followers about the day she found her fur baby four years ago. 'Grandma and I are very devoted to one another, perhaps codependently so!!' the raven-haired beauty joked of their inseparably bond. Dog mom: The 29-year-old middle child of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore styled her chic outfit with a long sleeve white t-shirt, black flats and a reusable tote bag on her shoulder Her outing comes just weeks after her younger sister Tallulah, 27, got engaged to Dillon Buss, 32. The close siblings, including Rumer, 32, all got to celebrate the exciting news with a fun pool party at Tallulah's home earlier this month. 'Im so buoyed by this JOYOUS LOVE CELEBRATION!!!! HIP HIP HURRAY!!!!! @buuski @dillonbuss today is a blessing because of your love! 5/4/21 Welcome the first official WILLIS BROTHER,' Scout captioned a slideshow. Such fun: Her outing comes just weeks after her younger sister Tallulah, 27, got engaged to Dillon Buss, 32 Tallulah joyously announced on social media this month that she has gotten engaged to her beau of one year with a heart-melting album of herself accepting his proposal. In one sweepingly romantic photo she leapt into his arms and wrapped her legs around him while they shared a passionate kiss. An apparently hidden photographer captured several snaps of the moment he got down on one knee and popped the question. Happy day: Tallulah joyously announced on Instagram this month that she has gotten engaged to her beau of one year with a heart-melting album of herself accepting his proposal She is one of Australia's most in-demand models. And on Wednesday, Montana Cox showed off her incredible figure as she posed for a lavish photo shoot in Sydney. During the shoot, the 27-year-old model flaunted her sensational physique in a series of night gowns for a luxury sleepwear brand. Beauty in blue! Montana Cox showed off her incredible figure as she posed for a lavish photo shoot on the beach in Sydney on Wednesday Turning up the heat! During the shoot, the model flaunted her sensational physique in a series of night gowns Montana showed off her long pins in a short navy blue night dress as she posed up a storm on the shore. Her short brunette hair was styled straight and she appeared to be wearing a neutral palette of makeup for the shoot. After posing for several photos, Montana changed into a short pink lace nightdress. Glamorous:Montana showed off her long pins in a short navy blue night dress as she posed up a storm on the shore Natural beauty: Her short brunette hair was styled straight and she appeared to be wearing a neutral palette of makeup for the shoot Pretty in pink: After posing for several photos, Montana changed into a short pink nightdress She then joined another model as they laughed and posed for candid photos on the beach. The beauty also changed into another glamorous white halter neck dress as she ran along the shore. She then enjoyed a break from filming and wore a black puffer jacket as she relaxed in the sun. All eyes on them: She then joined another model as they laughed and posed for candid photos on the beach Wind in her hair! The beauty also changed into another glamorous white halter neck dress Time's up! After the photo shoot, she walked back with a member of the crew Montana returned from the UK back home to Melbourne in December last year. She completed two weeks of mandatory quarantine before reuniting with her family for Christmas. In February, Montana revealed that she'd contracted coronavirus twice while living in London last year. Candid: Montana ran along the shore during the shoot Strike a pose! She looked into the distance as a photographer took a photo Soaking up the sun! She then enjoyed a break from filming and wore a black puffer jacket as she relaxed in the sun Back home: Montana returned from the UK back home to Melbourne in December last year The 27-year-old model told the Herald Sun, she tested positive after travelling from New York to the UK for a job. 'I had it early on and then got it again in October,' she said. Montana added she's very grateful to be back in Australia because 'there's nothing like coming home'. Xmas Down Under: She completed two weeks of mandatory quarantine before reuniting with her family for Christmas Covid-19: In February, Montana revealed that she'd contracted coronavirus twice while living in London last year Global pandemic: The model told the Herald Sun, she tested positive after travelling from New York to the UK for a job Actor Sam Worthington and his model wife Lara Worthington (nee Bingle) have sold their Sunset Strip home. The Los Angeles-based mansion, which they bought in 2018, went for a whopping $10.6 million, a little less than their original asking price of $12.57 million. According to MSN, the buyer was ex-Geffen Records president Neil Jacobson, who is now the CEO of his own agency, LA-based Hallwood Media. Just sold! Actor Sam Worthington and his model wife Lara have sold their Sunset Strip home. The Los Angeles-based mansion, which they bought in 2018, went for a whopping $10.6million, a little less than their original asking price of $12.57million. Both pictured Sam, 43, and Lara, 32, initially bought the property in late 2018 for a whopping $10.9million. The five-bedroom palatial mansion had originally been listed at $19.71million (US$14million), but the pair managed to secure it for almost half the asking price. In November, the two put it on the market for the second time, in the hopes of making a profit on the stunning property. Nice digs: Lara, 32, and the Avatar star Sam, 43, previously bought the property in late 2018 for a whopping $10.9million Second time's a charm: In November, the two put it on the market for the second time, in the hopes of making a profit on the stunning property Luxury: The home blends modern LA luxury with Scandinavian style, which is evident in the hardwood floors and minimalist design The home was built in 2015 and boasts several impressive features, including a guest house, state-of-the-art cinema, wine cellar, spa, sauna and fire pit. Spanning an an impressive 6,128 square feet, the two-storey residence has five spacious bedrooms and eight bathrooms. It blends modern LA luxury with Scandinavian style, which is evident in the hardwood floors and minimalist design. The luxe life: The mansion is a private abode which is surrounded by sky-high hedges and manicured topiary Luxury abounds inside, with a stylish living room kitted out with a marble fireplace, skylights and a huge flat screen television. The property also features a guest house, where the Australian expats have no doubt hosted many overseas visitors. Lara and Sam were based in the US with their family for years but relocated back to their native Australia for an 'extended stay' in January. The couple, who married secretly in 2014, have three sons: four-year-old Rocket Zot, three-year-old Racer, and 11-month-old River. Arabella Del Busso was showing off her famous figure on Sunday. In a post shared to Instagram Stories, the former NRL WAG posed topless in a pair of lacy, white underpants, shooting a sultry look at the camera. The 30-year-old shared a serious message alongside the seductive selfie, declaring that she'd had a revelation. Racy: Arabella Del Busso (pictured) was showing off her famous figure on Sunday. In a post shared to Instagram Stories, the former NRL WAG posed topless in a pair of lacy, white underpants, shooting a sultry look at the camera Arabella wrote in her caption: 'At some point you have to decide to be that woman you have always known you could be.' The model is never one to shy away from flaunting her figure in skimpy attire. She again left little to the imagination recently, while posing for a racy mirror photo in her bedroom. Arabella wrote in her caption: 'At some point you have to decide to be that woman you have always known you could be' Arabella smiled seductively while completely topless in the image, as she tactically hid her bosom from view with a teacup and her phone. The SAS Australia star's gym-honed pins were on full display in the stunning shot, with the pretty brunette wearing nothing but a pair of black knickers for the occasion. It comes after the beauty addressed swirling rumours she's romantically involved with Married At First Sight star Cameron Dunne. Top of the morning! The model again left little to the imagination recently, while posing for a racy mirror photo in her bedroom Speaking to Woman's Day magazine earlier this month, Arabella admitted she has known Cameron for the past 10 years. 'He's such a lovely person and down to earth,' she said of the Victorian tradie. 'I've known him for 10 plus years.' Arabella wouldn't be drawn on whether the pair had a romantic connection, but teased, 'I can't kiss and tell'. Nikki Grahame's mother Sue has revealed she begged nurses not to discharge her daughter from hospital, in the lead-up to her death. The Big Brother star, 38, passed away last month and her body was discovered in her London home, a day after she was discharged from Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester following a three-week stay to treat her for anorexia. And in an emotional interview with the Sunday Mirror, Nikki's doting mother Sue, 66, has told how she and the star's father David who lost his own battle with pancreatic cancer just nine days after her death stated it was vital she remain in treatment. Sue explained: 'The nurses were amazing but I told every single one, "She mustn't go home. She's too ill". Her father even called and told the hospital, "If you let her leave, Nikki will die".' 'She was so poorly and her OCD was so bad. I couldnt get near her as she was so worried about germs. A group of us got her sectioned under the Mental Health Act. It was awful but we had to do it.' Reflecting on Nikki's last few weeks, Sue said that while she and her ex-husband David had concerns, Nikki was determined to go home to her flat. Sue also detailed how she wasn't aware of some medical conditions Nikki had when she was discharged, telling the publication her daughter had bradycardia, hypoglycemia, and a cracked pelvis. The doting parent continued that Nikki had been admitted to hospital two weeks prior after fracturing her lower spine during a fall at a pharmacy. She recalled how Nikki rang her with the news and that doctors had told her Nikki's condition was 'life-threatening' and that she was at her lowest weight she 'had ever been since adulthood'. Speaking about her loss, Sue said: 'I am destroyed. There's part of me that's lost for ever. My fight to get Nikki well started 30 years ago. In the end, I lost her. It has been the fight from hell.' Health chiefs recently launched an investigation into Nikki's death, after her family claimed she was released too early, having weighed just five stone when she died. Family: David passed away nine days after Nikki, with his ex-wife and Nikki's mum Sue saying he was fighting to get their daughter help in his final weeks (Sue and Nikki are pictured) Now Dorset County Hospital Foundation Trust, the trust which runs the hospital where the star had received treatment prior to her death, have launched a review into the case, according to the Sun. A spokesperson for the hospital told the paper: 'Staff at the Trust were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Miss Grahame, and our thoughts are with the family and friends of Miss Grahame at this very difficult time. 'A full internal investigation into the circumstances of Miss Grahame's death is currently underway. This is in line with standard procedures following any sudden death.' After Nikki was discharged from Dorset County Hospital, Sue said they spoke on the phone several times and she chatted with Nikki at 3.30am on the day her daughter's body was found. Candid:Speaking about her devastating loss, Sue said she is 'destroyed' and a 'part of me that's lost for ever' (Nikki's final photo with ex Pete Bennett is pictured above) However when she didn't hear from the reality star in the morning, Sue contacted a pal who could go to Nikki's flat and check on her, with her learning the awful news that Nikki had passed away around 4.30pm that day. Sue also reflected on the moment she was told Nikki had died, revealing she was on a train and two men helped her catch connections so she would make it to London. Sharing a very candid insight into their last moments, Sue said that she cuddled and kissed her daughter, as Nikki didn't like to be kissed because of her OCD. And looking ahead, Sue revealed she wants to take Nikki's ashes to Tahiti to mark what would have been her 40th birthday in 2022 as the star 'loved the Marlon Brando film Mutiny on the Bounty'. Tribute: Sue also revealed that she's planning to take Nikki's ashes to Tahiti to mark what would have been her 40th birthday in 2022 (the star is seen in 2017) Nikki shot to fame on the 2006 series of Big Brother and gained an army of fans with her iconic phrase 'who is she?'. She was pictured with Big Brother winner Pete Bennett in one of her final images, as she cuddled up to her ex-boyfriend in the poignant snap. Nikki had struggled with anorexia for much of her life and was first admitted to a psychiatric hospital at age 12. Last month, Nikki's friends reactivated her fundraiser to help her heartbroken family pay for her funeral and help others with eating disorders. The fundraiser was initially set up a month ago by Nikki's friends and raised 65,000 for the Big Brother star to have specialist treatment for her eating disorder. Iconic: Nikki became a Big Brother icon when she appeared on the reality show in 2006 Pip Edwards was continuing her self-care journey on Sunday. The 41-year-old designer took part in an event for her fashion label, P.E Nation, in Brisbane. Demonstrating some yoga positions, Pip lay on the floor, her hands clasped in prayer, during the event. Popular: Pip Edwards (pictured) was continuing her self-care journey on Sunday. The 41-year-old designer took part in an event for her fashion label, P.E Nation, in Brisbane She also enthusiastically addressed the gathered audience, laughing and showing off her moves. Pip flaunted her gym-honed figure in skintight activewear, her taut abs on display in a pink and black crop top. She paired it with a pair of leggings bearing the logo of her P.E Nation brand, and went barefoot. Brave: Demonstrating some yoga positions, Pip was quite animated Star power: She enthusiastically addressed the gathered audience In her element: She stretched out her arms and arched her back for one pose And... breathe! She then moved her arms outward and dipped her chin to her chest Giggles: Pip was heartily laughing and showing off her moves Looking good: Pip flaunted her gym-honed figure in skintight activewear Completing her casual ensemble, Pip had her hair pulled back off her face and appeared to have on minimal makeup. Earlier, she arrived at the event covered up in a pink t-shirt with long sleeves, and a cardigan. Her face shielded with sunglasses, a smiling Pip waved to her fans. A look: Her taut abs were on display in a pink and black crop top Tough gal: She paired it with a pair of leggings bearing the logo of her P.E Nation brand, and went barefoot Say your prayers: Pip lay on the floor, her hands clasped in prayer, during the event The blonde has been keen on gentle workouts of late, sharing a photo to Instagram on Tuesday, in which she was taking part in a relaxing Pilates exercise. She claimed the exercise, which involved her lying on her back with her weighted feet against a wall, helps to 'restore balance'. 'Restoring Balance #pilates #penation #metime,' she wrote in the caption. Posing: She posed alongside other attendees at the event A look: Completing her casual ensemble, Pip had her hair pulled back off her face Natural: She appeared to have on minimal makeup Meanwhile, the designer is said to have moved on with Bondi restaurateur Cameron Northway following her split with Michael Clarke. The fitness mogul found herself in the headlines earlier this month after being pictured with Cameron leaving his home in Sydney. The sighting came several hours after they'd celebrated her 41st birthday with an intimate dinner at French restaurant Hubert the night before. Welcome: Earlier, she arrived at the event covered up in a pink t-shirt with long sleeves, and a cardigan Hi everyone: Her face shielded with sunglasses, a smiling Pip waved to her fans Days prior, Pip had shut down rumours she was dating Cameron - who had been spotted leaving her Bondi home on two occasions late last month. When approached for comment on the sightings, Pip's representative Louise Gaffikin told Daily Mail Australia: 'Pip and Cameron are friends. No further comment.' Pip and Michael, 40, are said to have split in February, less than a year after they went public with their whirlwind romance. She was one of the most talked about Married At First Sight brides this season. And on Saturday Rebecca Zemek celebrated her 28th Birthday. The blonde bombshell kicked off celebrations with friends over a cheese platter, before heading out to Baxter's Supper Club in Perth. Married At First Sight brides reunite! Beck Zemek [left] partied with Booka Nile [right] as she celebrated her 28th birthday on Saturday Also in attendance was fellow MAFS bride Booka Nile, 31, who was by her side for the majority of the night. For the occasion, Beck seemed happy to show ex Jake Edwards what he was missing as she donned a multi-colored dress with tie-up detailing. The former reality star dialed up the glamour with a flawless makeup palette. To fully enjoy her night of dancing, the blonde beauty wore her hair back in a low ponytail. Stylish: For the occasion, Beck seemed happy to show ex Jake Edwards what he was missing as she donned a multi-colored dress with tie-up detailing Party! The blonde bombshell kicked off celebrations with friends over a cheese platter, before heading out to Baxter's Supper Club in Perth Mirror selfie time! Beck and Booka even posed for a mirror selfie in between celebration drinks This comes after Beck sparked rumours she may join OnlyFans after sharing a series of sexually suggestive Instagram posts. The influencer uploaded a topless shower selfie last week, prompting some followers to question her next career move. She was completely naked except for a white G-string, and covered her chest with a thin layer of pink Booby Tape firming lotion. 'OnlyFans is weeks away': Married At First Sight's Beck Zemek had her Instagram followers questioning her next career move after sharing a topless shower selfie last week Despite applying the lotion to her chest, Beck's nipples were still clearly visible behind the partially steamed-up shower screen. Her followers was quick to react to the image, with one commenting: 'OF [OnlyFans] is only weeks away. I can feel it in me waters.' However, Beck was quick to shut down the possibility. 'Ninety per cent of my audience is females and I want everyone to accept themselves,' she responded. Speculation: Beck's followers were quick to react to the image, with one commenting: 'OF [OnlyFans] is only weeks away. I can feel it in me waters' Amy Childs put on a typically fashionable display on Saturday when she attended a screening of Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway with her three-year-old daughter Polly and her rarely-seen boyfriend Tim. The TOWIE star, 30, wore a patterned silk dress for the occasion, teaming the thigh-skimming frock with white heels, while little Polly looked lovely in a Burberry dress and Tim cut a dapper figure in jeans and a grey top. Ferne McCann was also in attendance with her three-year-old daughter Sunday, as was Love Island's Jack Fincham and his little sister Ruby alongside Welsh model Imogen Thomas and her two daughters. Glam: Amy Childs, 30, put on a typically fashionable display in London on Saturday when she attended a screening of Peter Rabbit 2 with her three-year-old daughter Polly Happy family: Amy and Polly were joined by Amy's rarely-seen boyfriend Tim who cut a dapper figure in jeans and a grey top Presenter Olivia Cox was also at the event, as was radio host Angie Greaves plus Sally Wood, who brought her two daughters Alice and Gracie along, and Mick Jagger's partner Melanie Hamrick, who brought their four-year-old son Dev Jagger. Ferne, 30, put her toned midriff on display in a plunging baby blue crop teamed with jeans, and dressed her little girl in a sweet popcorn-print dress. Jack, 29, looked typically dapper in black trousers and a white zip-up top. Imogen, 38, wore ripped jeans and a white blazer as she posed for photographers with her lookalike daughters. On point: Amy wore a patterned silk dress for the occasion, teaming the thigh-skimming frock with white heels Day out: Ferne McCann, 30, was also in attendance with her three-year-old daughter Sunday - who wore a sweet popcorn print dress Toned abs: Ferne put her toned midriff on display in a plunging baby blue crop teamed with grey trousers Friends: Amy and Ferne made sure to pose together for photos Big brother: Love Island's Jack Fincham and his little sister Ruby also stepped out with Jack wearing black trousers and a white zip-up top Amy and Polly's fun outing comes after the TV personality admitted she would let her daughter Polly, three, go on a show like Love Island when she's older but insisted shes' not 'one of those pushing mums'. Speaking on FUBAR Radio's Access All Areas, she said: 'Polly, you know, if she said to me: "Look, mum, it's [TV] something I want to go into", I'd never say no because that's where I've come from. 'She's only three, she's a baby still. And if she said she was tired and she had to film, I never would push her and go, "You've got to film". I'd never do that. Looking good: Welsh model Imogen Thomas, 38, wore ripped jeans and a white blazer as she posed for photographers Doting mother: The raven haired beauty stepped out to enjoy the film with her two daughters Lookalike: Imogen shares her lookalike daughters, Ariana Siena and Siera Aleira, with her Australian city trader ex Adam Pretty in pink: Ronnie Wood's husband Sally looked radiant in a pink coat as she attended the screening with four-year-old twins Alice and Gracie Sweet: Sally was joined by Mick Jagger's partner Melanie Hamrick, who brought their son Dev Jagger, four, along 'I'm not one of those pushing mums, but I know that she loves seeing herself on the TV. And I just, yeah, I love it. It makes me really happy.' Host Bobby Norris said: 'Yeah, definitely. I can always tell when I'm filming with you, she comes in, she genuinely loves it. You know, like, she gets excited. We done that lovely Mother's Day scene together.' Amy replied: 'I know she loves it. She sits there and, no she loves it. And, like I said, if she didn't like it, I'd never do it. But you know, if she wants to go on Love Island when she's older.' The TV star shares daughter Polly with her builder ex Bradley Wright, and son Ritchie Jr, two, with businessman ex Ritchie. Imogen Thomas wowed on Sunday morning as she attended the gala screening of the Peter Rabbit 2 film with her two daughters. The 38-year-old model and TV personality had a big grin on her face as she arrived at the red carpet event at the Picturehouse Central Cinema, in London, with her children Ariana, eight, and Siera, five. Opting for a smart-casual outfit for the event, Imogen flashed her ample assets in a cream-coloured top. Family: Imogen Thomas looked every inch the doting mother as she attended the Peter Rabbit 2 red carpet event with her two daughters on Sunday She also wore a white blazer on top and distressed blue denim jeans, ripped at the knee. To finish her ensemble off, Imogen also wore a pair of all-white trainers. Meanwhile her daughters arrived at the event holding onto Peter Rabbit toys as they awaited the start of the screening. The girls wore fluffy cream-coloured jackets over the top of pink tops and finished their looks off with black bottoms and all-black trainers. Smart-casual: Imogen flashed her ample assets in a cream-coloured top and also wore a white blazer on top and distressed blue denim jeans, ripped at the knee Screening: Her daughters arrived at the event holding onto Peter Rabbit toys as they awaited the start of the showing This isn't the only red carpet event that Imogen has attended in recent times, with the model also having dazzled at a lockdown-free screening of A Quiet Place Part II at Cineworld Leicester Square in London on Thursday. Big Brother's Imogen looked ravishing in a red belted blazer dress paired with black heels and a small black purse slung over her right shoulder with a gold chain strap. It comes after Imogen said that her late friend Nikki Grahame 'made her laugh even til the end' and that 'not a day goes by that she doesn't think about her' in a new post. On Friday the model - who met the reality icon on Big Brother in 2006 - reflected on their best memories together after her death last month following a battle with anorexia. Busy: This isn't the only red carpet event that Imogen has attended in recent times, with the model also having dazzled at a lockdown-free screening of A Quiet Place Part II at Cineworld Leicester Square in London on Thursday Taking to her Instagram Story Imogen said that the pair 'got along amazingly' and always 'had each other's backs' before adding that she 'misses her so much'. Her words came in response to a question from a fan during a Q&A which read: 'Favourite memory of Nikki during BB 2006? You and her got along great from the start'. Imogen replied saying: 'Omg I have so many. But during the house time she was the star. We got along amazing we both had each other's backs. Loves all her one liners she always made me laugh even til the end. 'God I miss her so much. Not a day goes by that I don't think about her. Miss our daily chats. But I take comfort in knowing she's at peace now prob with an espresso martini in hand. RIP my beautiful girl.' Nikki's body was discovered on April 10 in her London home, a day after she was discharged from Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester after a three week stay to treat her for anorexia. For help and support with eating disorders contact SEED on (01482) 718130 or visit www.seedeatingdisorders.org.uk. On Sunday's premiere episode of Celebrity Apprentice Australia, Michael 'Wippa' Wipfli was brought to tears when discussing his charity. The radio host, 41, was representing the Cooper-Rice Brading Foundation, in honour of his friend Cooper-Rice Brading, who died at the age of 18. Cooper died in 2017, just 18 months after being diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer. Tragic: On Sunday's episode of Celebrity Apprentice Australia, Michael 'Wippa' Wipfli (pictured) wept when discussing his charity. The radio host, 41, was representing the Cooper-Rice Brading Foundation, in honour of his friend Cooper who died at the age of 18 'He passed away at the age of 18, within sort of 18 months when he received the news that he had osteosarcoma, which is a young person's cancer,' Wippa said during a charity auction on the show. 'That is why I'm here doing this. You know, I always think, if I'm having a bad day or I need to dig deep, "Cooper had tougher days than this". 'And I push through it, because some people out there are fighting for their life,' he added, breaking down in tears, his voice wobbling. Loss: Cooper (pictured) died in 2017, just 18 months after being diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer 'And he... He was a fighter. Absolutely, he was a fighter. A very brave young man,' Wippa added, in tears. For the auction, the radio star had a cast of his body made, which he sold to raise money for the foundation. As Team Leader, he pulled strings and managed to lead his group to a roaring victory. When all the bids came in at the live auction, as well as the later bids on the silent auction, Wippa had raised $184,500 for his charity. Moved: 'That is why I'm here doing this. You know, I always think, if I'm having a bad day or I need to dig deep, "Cooper had tougher days than this",' he said It's art! For the auction, the radio star had a cast of his body made, which he sold to raise money for the foundation The others were impressed, with the radio personality having pulled in big name sponsors like Coles supermarkets. 'Wippa has pull!' Married At First Sight star Martha Kalifatidis whispered in the boardroom. Professional surfer and Instagram star Alex Hayes was fired, with his selfie failing to raise enough at auction to keep his team safe. By Choe Chong-dae When one travels abroad there is an endless array of accommodation options. According to my experience, however, a classically-styled hotel is more romantic and attractive than many contemporary hotels. Hotels have played a significant role for travelers over the course of many centuries. It is believed that medieval inns in Europe have transformed over time into our modern hotels. In the middle of the 18th century, the number of hotels rapidly increased throughout North America and Western Europe and some other countries. Since Korea opened its doors to the outside world in 1876, many foreign commercial vessels with passengers entered our country, resulting in the need for accommodation facilities. Consequently, modern Western-style hotels were first built in the western port city of Incheon. Daebul Hotel was Korea's first Western-style hotel, built in 1888. It was constructed in Incheon rather than Seoul, because transportation between Incheon and Seoul was very inconvenient at that time. Due to financial problems, the hotel was sold in 1918 to a Chinese person who operated it as a Chinese restaurant until 1978. The old Daebul Hotel was located near the present-day Chinatown in Incheon from 1888 to 1978. It was later renovated into an Exhibition Hall and has replicas of the old hotel rooms. Fourteen years after establishment of Daebul Hotel in Incheon, the second Western-style hotel, the Songtag Hotel, was built in Jeongdong, Seoul, in 1902. It was sold in 1917 and ultimately demolished in 1922. Currently, the Westin Josun Hotel in Seoul is Korea's oldest existing Western-style hotel, built in 1914. Over the past century, it helped foster cross-cultural understanding and promote international relations between Koreans and Westerners by introducing people here to Western culture, such as elevators, ice cream, Western-style buffets, weddings and parties. Nestled in the heart of Seoul, the red brick building of the Westin Josun Hotel is considered to be a symbol of ultra-modern Western architecture and one of Korea's first standout buildings when it was built. After Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial occupation in 1945, the hotel suffered from political turmoil and the widespread destruction of infrastructure. However, it did not suffer severe damage during the 1950-53 Korean War. In the wake of Korea's industrialization during the 1960s and 1970s, the Westin Josun underwent a wide range of renovations that transformed it into a modern facility. The original building was replaced and the hotel became more modern, while retaining much of the legacy of its history. On Nov. 16, 1984, I had the pleasure of attending a gala reception commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Westin Josun Hotel held in its Grand Ballroom. As a permanent record of the occasion, a book titled, "On the Center Stage for Seventy Years," was published, authored by Dr. Jon Carter Covell, a renowned Asian art historian. The book portrays the past glory of the hotel and will assist present-day patrons and guests in realizing how memorable the site of the Josun Hotel has been for many decades. I provided the author some materials on this history. If it were to survive as a classically-styled hotel, reviving the original form via renovation, it would have been an example of even more precious and unique architectural heritage although it was built during Japan's colonial rule of Korea (1910-45). Choe Chong-dae (choecd@naver.com) is a guest columnist of The Korea Times. He is president of Dae-kwang International Co., and director of the Korean-Swedish Association. Eyal Booker and his girlfriend Delilah Belle Hamlin packed on the PDA on Saturday when they leant across the table to share a kiss during their romantic date night at an upmarket Mayfair restaurant. Love Island star Eyal, 25, looked typically dapper for their outing, donning an all-black outfit, while model Delilah, 22, flashed her toned midriff in a white crop top teamed with leather trousers and a cropped biker jacket. Delilah was sporting natural-look make-up for their night on the town and wore her glossy hair swept up into a ponytail. Sweet: Eyal Booker, 25, and and girlfriend Delilah Belle, 22, enjoyed a romantic date night at an upmarket Mayfair restaurant on Saturday Sweet: The pair leant across the table for a smooch as they tucked into an al-fresco dinner in the capital She accessorised with a beaded choker alongside a delicate silver necklace and adorned her ears with statement gold hoops. Delilah added height to her frame in a pair of open-toe, nude-hued sandals and toted her belongings in a beige handbag. Eyal wore the top buttons on his black shirt open, revealing a silver chain necklace. It comes days after Eyal and Delilah celebrated their two-year anniversary with a romantic weekend away. Always on point: Eyal looked typically dapper for their romantic outing, donning an all-black outfit In love: The loved-up couple shared a series of kisses and weren't shy when it came to packing on the PDA Glam: Delilah was sporting a natural-look face of make-up for their night on the town and wore her glossy hair swept up into a ponytail Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, Eyal shared a gushing post about his girlfriend as he detailed their stay at the Chewton Glen Hotel & Spa in Hampshire, England. Alongside a montage of snaps, he penned: 'We had the most beautiful staycation. Thank you @chewtonglen 'Submersed in nature staying in one of the treehouses. Jacuzzi on our balcony. Way too much cheese & wine. Forest walks that turned into beach walks and spending quality time with the person I love @delilahbelle. Pucker up! She accessorised with a beaded choker alongside a delicate silver necklace and adorned her ears with statement gold hoops and couldn't keep her lips off Eyal's 'This staycation market a milestone in our relationship & I couldnt have wished for a better place to spend it. 'Peace & Love [sic]'. In the snaps, Eyal could be seen showing off his muscular figure as he enjoyed a dip in a hot tub on their terrace. Couples who strip off together! Eyal looked truly smitten with Delilah as they celebrated their two-year anniversary with a romantic weekend away The couple also enjoyed plenty of country walks, with the pair cuddling up together for snaps. Delilah also took to Instagram to share some scantily clad snaps, posing in a skimpy pink lingerie set that sent her followers wild. Eyal certainly approved, captioning the snap with a rocket emoji. Cute couple: Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, Eyal shared a gushing post about his other half as he detailed their stay at the Chewton Glen Hotel & Spa in Hampshire Eyal found fame on the 2018 series of Love Island and started dating Delilah, in May 2019, after she slid into his DMs. The couple declared their love for one another after just six months of dating and juggled a long-distance relationship at first before becoming inseparable. The couple returned to London earlier this year after spending the coronavirus lockdown in Los Angeles with Delilah's family. The pair shared an insight into their long-distance relationship while speaking to the New York City-based fashion magazine Paper last month. Eyal admitted: 'COVID was going to either make or break mine and Delilah's relationship, and we weren't always sure if we would be able to see each other and spend time with each other but somehow we managed to get through it, make it work and come out even stronger.' He continued: 'COVID is not over yet, but we've made it this far and that's pretty special to me considering at the beginning we weren't sure how we would navigate through it.' Dua Lipa has slammed an organization that paid for a full-page ad in The New York Times that called her anti-Semitic for supporting Palestine in the ongoing conflict with Israel. In the ad, Dua, 25, and models Gigi and Bella Hadid were named by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, the head of the World Values Network, as three 'mega influencers' who have 'accused Israel of ethnic cleansing' and 'vilified the Jewish state'. Dua - who is dating the Hadid sisters' brother Anwar - released a statement condemning the ad which she said contained 'blatant misrepresentations of who I am'. Hitting back: Dua Lipa has slammed an organization that paid for a full-page ad in The New York Times that called her anti-Semitic for supporting Palestine in the ongoing conflict with Israel Statement: Dua released a statement on Sunday hitting out at the ad which she said contained 'blatant misrepresentations of who I am' She wrote: 'I utterly reject the false and appalling allegations that were published today in the New York Times advertisement taken out by the World Values Network. 'This is the price you pay for defending Palestinian human rights against an Israeli government whose actions in Palestine both Human Rights Watch and the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem accuse of persecution and discrimination. 'I take this stance because I believe everyone - Jews, Muslims and Christians - have the right to live in peace of equal citizens of a state they choose. 'The World Values Network are shamelessly using my name to advance their ugly campaign with falsehoods and blatant misrepresentations of who I am and what I stand for. 'I stand in solidarity with all the oppressed people and reject all forms of racism.' The full-page New York Times ad slamming Dua and the Hadid sisters is shown above In response to Dua's post, a spokesperson The World Values Network released a statement that read: 'I could not be more proud of our ad in the New York Times which called out Dua Lipa and the Hadid sisters for their despicable hatred toward Israel and the gross defamation of calling the only democracy in the Middle East an apartheid state. 'Dua Lipa is throwing tantrums on social media. It seems she can dish out the anti-Semitic hatred, but freaks out when called out for her bias and bigotry. She should learn that when the Jews say Never Again, they mean it. 'We will not allow the Jewish people to be demonized by the likes of Dua Lipa. Let her overcome her absolutely irrational hate.' Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, the head of the World Values Network, poses with the ad Dua faced claims of anti-Semitism after voicing her support for Palestine on social media with the hashtag #SaveSheikhJarrah - in reference to the Jerusalem neighborhood where Palestinians are facing eviction. Tensions increased in the Middle East since May 10, when Hamas militants in Gaza fired long-range rockets toward Jerusalem. The barrage came after days of clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. A cease-fire was declared Friday. The 11-day war left more than 250 dead - the vast majority Palestinians - and brought widespread devastation to the already impoverished Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. Dua wrote in her statement: 'I utterly reject the false and appalling allegations that were published today in the New York Times advertisement taken out by the World Values Network' The conflict has also spilled over into US soil with rallies for both sides occurring nationally. Bella previously received criticism for sharing a graphic that said Israel was not a country, for which she was accused of anti-semitism. Taking to Instagram after, she shared a teary-eyed selfie and wrote: 'I feel a deep sense of pain for Palestine and for my Palestinian brothers and sisters today and everyday. watching these videos physically breaks my heart into 100 different pieces. 'You cannot allow yourself to be desensitized to watching human life being taken. You just can't. Palestinian lives are the lives that will help change the world. And they are being taken from us by the second. #FreePalestine' Bella Hadid posted this photo of herself at a pro-Palestine protest in New York City Criticism: Bella Hadid previously received criticism for sharing a graphic that said Israel was not a country, for which she was accused of anti-Semitism Dangerous rhetoric: It was said that Bella's post inflamed the very fraught geopolitical situation and contributed to rising anti-semitism on a global scale 'Israel colonization': The supermodel shared a 10 slide graphic which said Israel was responsible for 'ethnic cleansing' and was not a country but a land settled by colonizers Retracting her statements: The graphic caused her receive a lot of backlash online prompting her to delete it Days ago the Malibu-raised socialite found herself in hot water after she shared a graphic which was criticized by Instagram users for containing anti-Semitic tropes the multi-slide post reading (among other things) that Israel was not a country and was a land settled by colonizers. Her post about the nation state which was established in 1948 was said to have inflamed the very fraught situation and contributed to rising anti-Semitism on a global scale. Sister Gigi Hadid also was accused of perpetuating anti-Semitic sentiments on social media, to which she responded by posting a screen grab of her comments section on Saturday morning. Public stance: 'I stand with my Palestinian brothers and sisters, I will protect and support you as best as I can,' she said in her post Firing back: Sister Gigi Hadid also was accused of anti-semitism on social media, to which she responded on Saturday by posting a screen grab of her comments section Heating up: One follower wrote on the post 'Another anti-Semitic celebrity,' and someone else commented: 'We gonna stay in Israel, no matter how much u try to kill us its our land and our country and we don't give up on her' One follower wrote on the post 'Another anti-Semitic celebrity,' and someone else commented: 'We gonna stay in Israel, no matter how much u try to kill us its our land and our country and we don't give up on her.' Gigi fired back: 'I condemn anti-Semitism. "I" am not trying to kill you, nor would I ever want that. I do not wish any more deaths upon Israelis, just as I feel about Palestinians. What I do want is equal rights for Palestinians. She continued: 'There are also Jewish Palestinians and Christian Palestinians, as there was, coexisting, with my father's Muslim Palestinian family when he was born in Palestine in 1948. I wish you peace.' They returned to the UK last month after an 'extended stay' in Dubai during the last lockdown. And Gabby Allen and her boyfriend Brandon Myers made the most of being home as they headed for a romantic roast dinner at No 29 Power Station in Battersea on Sunday. The Love Island star, 28, mixed things up in a smart-casual ensemble, as she flaunted her taut abs in a black crop top underneath an oversized blazer. Home comforts: Gabby Allen and her boyfriend Brandon Myers stepped out for a romantic roast dinner at No 29 Power Station in Battersea on Sunday after returning to London The blonde bombshell sported a pair of mom jeans for the meal out, which she tucked into a pair of knee-high lace-up black military boots. She wore her tresses slicked back in a chic low pony tail and decorated her ears with a pair of large gold hoop earrings. Gabby accessorised with a monochrome shoulder bag and kept off the chill with a silk black neckerchief. Meanwhile, her fitness fanatic beau sported jeans and a baby blue padded jacket, which he layered over a white T-shirt. Laidback look: The Love Island star, 28, mixed things up in a smart-casual ensemble as she flaunted her taut abs in a black crop top underneath an oversized blazer The pair put on a loved-up display as they headed out for Sunday lunch, with Brandon sweetly kissing Gabby on the cheek on their way to the restaurant. Gabby jetted to Dubai in the first week of December last year and stated she was staying 'for the foreseeable' for work reasons. Over the past few months, Gabby has been sharing stunning sun-soaked snaps on social media from her getaway. Cute: The pair put on a loved-up display as they headed out for Sunday lunch, with Brandon sweetly kissing Gabby on the cheek on their way to the restaurant In January, the fitness fanatic had to defend her reasons for being in Dubai, telling her fans that her boyfriend Brandon's business is based in the city and that she would also be working there for the 'foreseeable.' The TV personality wrote: 'Hey guys, just to let you know, we made the decision to fly out to Dubai as my boyfriends business is based here & luckily allows us to travel. 'We were both fit to travel with negative PCR tests [for COVID-19]. I wanted to come on here and acknowledge this to my followers as it was a difficult decision for me. I really hope you can understand that it was an opportunity I had to take. 'I will be working over here for the foreseeable until we decide what to do next. Sending so much love to you all. Gabby x.' Their trip came at a time when reality stars and influencers were greatly criticised by the public after jetting off to sunnier climes such as Dubai while the country was in another lockdown. John Krasinski surprised moviegoers when he arrived at an advance screening of A Quiet Place Part II on Saturday night. The actor-director, 41, made a special appearance at the Cinemark at Valley View in Cleveland, Ohio, and chatted with his fans after the end of the soon-to-be-released horror film. Krasinski has been traveling around the country promoting the forthcoming feature, which is set to be released later this week. Showing up: John Krasinski surprised a group of moviegoers in Cleveland after the end of an advance screening of the upcoming feature A Quiet Place Part II on Saturday night Krasinski was dressed in a white-and-blue striped button-up shirt that remained tucked into a pair of navy pants during the event. The longtime cast member of The Office also appeared to be enjoying his time with the film's fans as he took a few snaps with several audience members following the feature's end. He also shared a video that was taken during the event to his Instagram account, where he expressed contentment with the fact that he was 'all dressed up with somewhere to go.' Prior to his surprise appearance in Ohio, the actor made a similar visit to a theater in Miami to promote the soon-to-be-released movie. Making the rounds: The actor-director has been traveling around the country in order to promote his soon-to-be-released film Second in a row: Krasinski previously made a surprise appearance at a theater in Miami to thank his fans for showing their support Development on A Quiet Place Part II began shortly after the original film's 2018 release when Krasinski began coming up with ideas for a sequel. The actor went on to write the screenplay for the feature by himself after having co-written the first film with Bryan Woods and Scott Beck. The original film received much critical attention for its usage of American Sign Language during much of its runtime. In February of 2019, the performer was confirmed to fill the director's chair for a second time, and several cast members from A Quiet Place, including his wife, Emily Blunt, expressed that they would be returning to their roles. That same year, it was reported that Cillian Murphy and Bryan Tyree Henry had joined the film's cast, although the latter was eventually replaced by Djimon Honsou. Rapid turnaround: Development on a sequel to 2018's A Quiet Place began just months after its initial premiere A Quiet Place Part II follows the Abbott family as they attempt to navigate a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by sound-sensitive aliens following the death of their patriarch in the original feature. Krasinski also briefly reprises his role as Lee Abbott in a flashback sequence. Shooting began in June of 2019 at various locations in Upstate New York before production wrapped that September. Paramount Pictures released an official trailer for the film on the first day of 2020, and it had its official premiere at the Lincoln Center in New York City in March of that year. The movie received positive critical reception, with many viewers applauding the well-written script and performances of its cast. Starting strong: A Quiet Place Part II had its original premiere in March of last year and the film was met with positive critical reception The studio began heavily marketing the project ahead of its then-planned wide release date, although the studio chose to postpone the feature's release until September due to the onset of the global pandemic. A Quiet Place Part II was pushed back several times until it was eventually decided that it would premiere on May 28th. The feature will also be made available for streaming on the Paramount+ service 45 days after its wide release. Last year, it was revealed that Krasinski was collaborating on a spinoff with filmmaker Jeff Nichols that would be connected to the events of the original films. Neither plot details nor a potential release date for the upcoming feature have been made known to the public as of yet. Ackley Bridge star Sunetra Sarker has admitted that she missed out the 'job of a lifetime' appearing in a Sacha Baron Cohen mockumentary because she locked herself out of her home on the day of the audition. Sunetra, 47, revealed that she was one of two actresses being considered for the role of a mother in the fly-on-the-wall mockumentary about an Indian family emigrating to America. But she did the 'worst audition' of her life in front of the Ali G star and Seinfeld producer Larry David after being stranded in the street in a Gap hoodie, pyjama bottoms and socks. Epic fail: Ackley Bridge star Sunetra Sarker has admitted that she missed out the 'job of a lifetime' appearing in a Sacha Baron Cohen mockumentary because she locked herself out of her home on the day of the audition Speaking to Susannah Constantine on her podcast My Wardrobe Malfunction, she said: 'The audition, would you believe, was the day before Christmas Eve - December 23, 2004, at one o'clock. 'I got up in the morning and where I lived in London in Streatham there was a launderette just down the road. I had my pyjama bottoms on and my Gap hoodie and I had my white shirt that needed drying in the launderette 'So I was going to the dryer, closed the door behind me, and as I'm running to the launderette, I thought: 'I haven't got the keys and I've left the bath running.' 'Right? So everything is going through my head now. I'm like: 'How? What the hell? What the hell? S**t.' Missed out: Sunetra, 47, revealed that she was one of two actresses being considered for the role of a mother in the fly-on-the-wall mockumentary about an Indian family emigrating to America [Baron Cohen is pictured in 2020's Borat 2] 'I've got this wet white shirt in my hand, which needs drying, I'm in my pyjama bottoms, I'm looking at the time and it's like getting onto 12. I've got like, maybe an hour and a half. 'I go to the police station and say: 'I need to make a phone call. I need to ask the waterboard to switch off my water and I need to speak to my agent and let her know.' 'I have no money, no keys, literally no shoes - I was running over to the launderette in my socks And the policeman's going: 'Sorry love. I'm sorry love. That's not an emergency.' I was like: 'I have to be in Leicester Square at one o'clock and look at me.' Nightmare: She did the 'worst audition' of her life in front of the Ali G star and Seinfeld producer Larry David after being stranded in the street in a Gap hoodie, pyjama bottoms and socks 'I mean, I'd just about brushed my teeth probably. So I'm speaking on the phone like this going: "Sarah. I've been locked up my house, I'm wearing my pyjamas and I've got a wet shirt in my hand. I've got no money." 'She was like: "Get in a taxi. I'll meet you on the other side and we'll pay for it." So black cab. Ridiculous 40 to 50 worth of taxi journey. 'Sarah, my agent's meeting me outside the agency. She gives me 100 pounds cash and goes: 'Go and get some clothes and get to that audition now.' 'I'm literally running around with a white crunched up blouse in my hand, running through Boots, using the samples. I'm sticking makeup on - literally foundation, the lot, looking for clothes. Chat: She was speaking to Susannah Constantine on her podcast My Wardrobe Malfunction 'It's 23rd of December, Susannah. Oxford Street was manic. It was the worst day you could ever try and buy clothes. So I couldn't buy a whole outfit and I was running out of time. 'So I just had to stick with the Gap hoodie and just get out of my pyjama bottoms - proper checked, like checked, you couldn't pretend - and buy some shoes. 'It was either Monsoon or River Island, one of those which had the smallest queue - and I just ran, took everything, 'Could you take the tags off?' and ran into this audition with a plastic bag with a wet white shirt in and sat down and was like: 'Hi.' 'And they looked at me like: 'How seriously are you taking this job Sunetra? You've come in a loungy Gap hoodie and a pair of really badly-fitting grey trousers.' And it was the worst audition of my life.' Sunetra, who partnered Brendan Cole in the 2014 series of Strictly Come Dancing, also revealed that she landed her first major role as Nisha Batra in Brookside after being spotted on the street. She thought she would only appear in two episodes but remained for two years from 1998 until 1990 and then returned a decade later for another three years. 'It was a one off,' she said. 'It was such a lucky (break). I mean, I got spotted on the street and dragged in because Channel 4 couldn't find an Indian girl to play an animal rights activist for one or two episodes.' Inamorata CEO Emily Ratajkowski shared yet another glimpse at her slim post-baby body while promoting her three-year swimwear brand. The new mother - turning 30 next month - flexed her taut tummy in a $95 'Luciana' underwire top and matching $85 'Luciana' bottom from her satin swim collection, which restocks this Tuesday. Emily spent Saturday afternoon in Central Park with her two-month-old son Sylvester Apollo Bear and German Shepherd Colombo. Always posing: Inamorata CEO Emily Ratajkowski (pictured Saturday) shared yet another glimpse at her slim post-baby body while promoting her three-year swimwear brand 'You ready?' The new mother - turning 30 next month - flexed her taut tummy in a $95 'Luciana' underwire top and matching $85 'Luciana' bottom from her satin swim collection, which restocks this Tuesday. It's the first child for Ratajkowski and her husband of three years, Uncut Gems co-producer Sebastian Bear-McClard. On October 19, Metropolitan Books will publish the London-born SoCal native's literary debut - a 256-page nonfiction book of essays - titled My Body. 'Now available for pre-order. I don't think I've ever been this excited to share something before,' Emily - who boasts 37.4M social media followers - wrote on February 25. 'Thank you to all who have shared, ordered and made me feel so supported today. Can't wait for you all to read these essays.' 'Tiny angel!' Emily spent Saturday afternoon in Central Park with her two-month-old son Sylvester Apollo Bear and German Shepherd Colombo May 8 family portrait: It's the first child for Ratajkowski and her husband of three years, Uncut Gems co-producer Sebastian Bear-McClard In March, Deadline reported that the 39-year-old Independent Spirit Award nominee, the Safdie Brothers, and Emma Tillinger Koskoff will co-produce Matt Wolf's two-part documentary on Paul Reubens for HBO. It will cover the life and career of the 68-year-old Daytime Emmy winner, who's most famous for creating the iconic children's show character Pee-wee Herman. Sebastian will also produce former child star Owen Kline's long-delayed feature directorial debut - a 2021 comedy called Two Against Nature - with the Safdie Brothers and Scott Rudin. 'Now available for pre-order!' On October 19, Metropolitan Books will publish the London-born SoCal native's literary debut - a 256-page nonfiction book of essays - titled My Body Rob Lowe revealed that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's much-discussed interview with Oprah Winfrey did not take place at his residence in Montecito. The 57-year-old actor spoke to E! News' Daily Pop on Friday and confirmed that the sit-down was not filmed at his house, as many speculated that he had let the production crew shoot the discussion in his yard. Lowe also told the media outlet about his thoughts on the situation and gave his opinion on where the interview was actually taped. Clearing the air: Rob Lowe revealed that Oprah's much discussed interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was not shot at his Montecito residence during his appearance on Friday's episode of Daily Pop Lowe explained, 'Here's my thing and I have no idea: I think they just plain old shot it at Oprah's. I swear to you, and they just said it was a mystery location.' He also noted that many viewers falsely speculated that one of his acquaintances, who also resides in the affluent enclave, also made his house available for the interview. 'It's so funny. Everybody thinks the interview is shot at my house and then my friend Ted Sarandos who runs Netflix, everybody thought they shot it at his house,' he said. The St. Elmo's Fire actor commented that the high-profile couple had raised Montecito's profile substantially ever since the sit-down originally aired. Speaking his mind: The actor expressed that the interview's production crew 'plain old shot it at Oprah's...and they just said it was a mystery location' High exposure: Lowe also expressed that the royal couple had substantially raised the profile of his city of residence following the interview's airing 'They definitely have brought a lot of attention to my sleepy little town,' he observed. The performer sardonically remarked that the arrival of any members of a family of nobility in a residential area would inevitably change every resident's way of life. 'Let me tell you something, once the royals move into your neighborhood, the neighborhood is never going to be the same,' he said. Lowe also noted that the much-reported-on couple resides just 'over the fence' from his house and generally try to 'keep a low profile.' Adjusting to change: The St. Elmo's Fire actor commented that the royal couple had 'brought a lot of attention to my sleepy little town'; he is seen in 2019 He also observed that the town, which lies just outside of Santa Barbara, was heavily impacted after the daytime talk show host took up residence in the area. The 9-1-1: Lone Star actor recalled, 'Once Oprah moved in, that began the sort of resurgence of Montecito.' Lowe humorously concluded that, although he is happy that his residence is worth more with the troubled couple living nearby, his coffee runs have become much harder to complete as a result. 'Now that the royals are here: The good news is property values go up, the bad news is the line is longer at Starbucks,' he said. Serious work: Lowe also observed that Oprah created a 'resurgence' of interest in Montecito after she moved to the area; she is pictured in 2019 The interview, which was referred to as Oprah with Meghan and Harry, originally aired on CBS in early March. During the discussion, the royal couple discussed their controversial distancing from the rest of the Prince's family and the effects that it had on their relationship. They also went over several other topics, such as the sex of their soon-to-arrive second child, personal mental health struggles, and racially charged comments that were allegedly made by an unnamed member of the royal circle. The television special was met with heavy media coverage and received a widespread adverse reaction from political figures and the general public. Newly single Katie Holmes stepped out with daughter Suri Cruise, 15, in NYC over the weekend for some quality one on one time. The 42-year-old actress has been back in the city after wrapping her second directorial feature which filmed in upstate Connecticut. Upon returning back, Katie's eight-month relationship with boytoy Emilio Vitolo Jr, 33, fizzled out, her rep confirming that they split 'amicably' but 'remain friends.' Quality time: Newly single Katie Holmes, 42, steps out with daughter Suri Cruise, 15, as they enjoy an outing together in NYC The Dawson's Creek star was seen strolling in an overall-inspired denim jumpsuit with tiny white polka dots looking to embrace warmer spring weather in the city. She opted for a cohesive look, throwing a basic white T-shirt underneath and matching the outfit with white Gucci loafers. The brunette left her tresses down freely and remained suited up in a face mask as she strolled next to Suri while carrying a black leather purse. The daughter of she and Tom Cruise was seen with girlish braids and a stylish knit tank top with striped accents, which she paired with dark denim jeans and a pair of Converse sneakers. Single lady: Katie's eight-month relationship with boytoy Emilio Vitolo Jr fizzled out about a month ago, her rep confirming that they split 'amicably' but 'remain friends' And the ladies appeared to have enjoyed an outing together to a nail salon as they both sported matching red manicures. As her love life recently took a turn she has been 'focusing on being a mom and her upcoming projects,' according to Us Weekly. Katie and Emilio began dating in September and seemed to go full speed ahead with reports emerging that she thought the relationship could go 'all the way.' He was said to be 'incredibly charismatic' according to Katie's friends and even got on good with Suri, with the chef treating Katie like a 'princess,' throughout the relationship. But in April it was alleged the pair were 'taking space,' before their official split was revealed less than a month later. Not meshing: It was said that their split was prompted in part by 'different schedules and different commitments'; pictured November 2020 It was reported that 'different schedules and different commitments,' were partially to blame, with Katie filming an untitled romantic feature upstate and Emilio trying to nurture his own acting career on top of working at his family's restaurant. And after the split, Emilio was said to be leaning on friends for support but as the breakup was confirmed he was glimpsed by single New Yorkers on the celebrity dating app Raya. 'It's not just Raya he's on a bunch of other dating apps too. He didn't exactly hide the fact that he's broken up from Katie,' an insider told Page Six. Prior to Katie Emilio was engaged to a woman named Rachel Emmons, breaking things off with her via text just days before photos of he and Katie emerged on a PDA-packed date in SoHo. Katie has enjoyed two six-year relationships a marriage to the Mission Impossible actor and a very private partnership with Jamie Foxx which ended in 2019. Keeping Up with the Kardashians star Kendall Jenner shared more behind-the-scenes snaps of her star-studded 818 Tequila launch party at West Hollywood hotspot The Nice Guy last Friday. The 25-year-old Society Management Model stuck her tongue out as she photobombed her younger sister Kylie pretending to kiss her BFF Anastasia 'Stassie' Karanikolaou. Kendall - whose father Caitlyn is running for California governor - struck a sultry pose alongside fellow model, Winnie Harlow. 'The other night': KUWTK star Kendall Jenner (2-L) shared more behind-the-scenes snaps of her star-studded 818 Tequila launch party at West Hollywood hotspot The Nice Guy last Friday She donned a promotional 818 Tequila hat to pose with Grammy Award-winning rapper Tyler, The Creator. Jenner - who boasts 218.6M social media followers - also posed with rapper Travis 'Taco' Bennett and family friend Fai Khadra. The Calabasas socialite - who limited comments on the Instagram slideshows - danced along to the beats of DJ Daniel Chetrit while clutching a bottle of her new four-years-in-the-making liquor. Kendall posted a picture of two-time Grammy winner Justin Bieber hanging out with Field Trip Records co-founder Zack Bia and another guy pal. Sapphic moment: The 25-year-old Society Management Model stuck her tongue out as she photobombed her younger sister Kylie (L) pretending to kiss her BFF Anastasia 'Stassie' Karanikolaou (R) Hey girl! Kendall - whose father Caitlyn is running for California governor - struck a sultry pose alongside fellow model, Winnie Harlow Secrets: She donned a promotional 818 Tequila hat to pose with Grammy Award-winning rapper Tyler, The Creator Weee! Jenner - who boasts 218.6M social media followers - also posed with rapper Travis 'Taco' Bennett (L) and family friend Fai Khadra (R) The 27-year-old Candian crooner - posing beside eight-time Grammy nominee Benny Blanco - famously enlisted Jenner to appear in his Stuck With U music video. Also partying with the Givenchy SS/21 stunner were Grammy winner Kid Cudi and Grammy winner Travis Scott, who has a three-year-old daughter Stormi Webster with her 23-year-old sister Kylie. Kendall made sure to share a blurry, double-exposed picture of her momager Kris Jenner as well as H.Wood Group co-founder John Terzian, who owns The Nice Guy. Capital Records A&R director Carter Gregory let out a laugh in front of a pan of pizza while childhood friend Jaden Smith paired a black blazer with a pastel sweater. Limited comments on the Instagram slideshows: The Calabasas socialite danced along to the beats of DJ Daniel Chetrit while clutching a bottle of her new four-years-in-the-making liquor Partygoers: Kendall posted a picture of two-time Grammy winner Justin Bieber (L) hanging out with Field Trip Records co-founder Zack Bia (R) and another guy pal Candid moment: The 27-year-old Candian crooner (L) - posing beside eight-time Grammy nominee Benny Blanco (M) - enlisted Jenner to appear in his Stuck With U music video Babydaddy: Also partying with the Givenchy SS/21 stunner were Grammy winner Kid Cudi (L) and Grammy winner Travis Scott (R), who has a three-year-old daughter Stormi Webster with her 23-year-old sister Kylie Blurry: Kendall made sure to share a blurry, double-exposed picture of her momager Kris Jenner (L) as well as H.Wood Group co-founder John Terzian (2-R), who owns The Nice Guy Three-time Grammy nominee Quavo Huncho held up his middle finger alongside his Migos bandmates. Kendall flashed a big smile while chatting with K5 Global founder Michael Kives. Also at Jenner's 818 Tequila launch were Daniel Caesar, Katy Perry, Drake, Chris Brown, Kate Hudson, Hailey Bieber, Odell Beckham Jr., and Doja Cat. The ex-Pepsi spokesmodel's 818 Tequila has already sold out online, and it's only available in California stores. Scenes from the party: Capital Records A&R director Carter Gregory let out a laugh in front of a pan of pizza while childhood friend Jaden Smith paired a black blazer with a pastel sweater Single-finger salute: Three-time Grammy nominee Quavo Huncho held up his middle finger alongside his Migos bandmates Cheesing: Kendall flashed a big smile while chatting with K5 Global founder Michael Kives Star-studded: Also at Jenner's 818 Tequila launch were Daniel Caesar (L), Katy Perry, Drake, Chris Brown, Kate Hudson, Hailey Bieber, Odell Beckham Jr., and Doja Cat And while much ado has been made over Kendall's so-called 'cultural appropriation' of the Jalisco-brewed beverage - no one protested when George Clooney, Rande Gerber, LeBron James, and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson founded tequila brands. Last Wednesday, nine-year-old Texan company Tequila 512 blasted Jenner for using a similar design and bottle for 818 Tequila, which is made at the same Mexican distillery and agave farm. 'If there's a money grab going on here, it's the other brand trying to charge loyal followers double for a lesser grade tequila,' Tequila 512 CEO Nick Matzorkis wrote via Instastory on Sunday. Denied! The ex-Pepsi spokesmodel's 818 Tequila has already sold out online, and it's only available in California stores Sexist: And while much ado has been made over Kendall's so-called 'cultural appropriation' of the Jalisco-brewed beverage - no one protested when George Clooney, Rande Gerber, LeBron James, and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson founded tequila brands 'Note the similarities': Last Wednesday, nine-year-old Texan company Tequila 512 blasted Jenner for using a similar design and bottle for 818 Tequila, which is made at the same Mexican distillery and agave farm Tequila 512 CEO Nick Matzorkis wrote on Sunday: 'What would have been cool [of] her to do is what we're doing. Namely, bring a world-class sipping quality tequila to market for an incredible affordable price, rather than bilking fans for what she could obviously be selling for half the price of what she is charging. That said, we have nothing against Kendall' 'What would have been cool [of] her to do is what we're doing. Namely, bring a world-class sipping quality tequila to market for an incredible affordable price, rather than bilking fans for what she could obviously be selling for half the price of what she is charging. That said, we have nothing against Kendall. We're just speaking truth.' The former Fyre Festival spokesmodel currently stars in the 20th (and final) season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, which airs Thursdays on E! On December 10, Kendall and her famous family signed a new multi-year global content deal with Hulu/Star, which starts streaming in late 2021. She previously admitted that gastric sleeve surgery was 'the best thing' she'd ever done. And Kelly Osbourne looked almost recognisable when she showcased her incredible six stone weight loss transformation on Instagram on Saturday. 'Suns out buns out,' wrote the reality TV star, 36, alongside the stunning portrait where her lilac tresses were styled into two cute plaited buns. Wow: Kelly Osbourne looked almost recognisable when she showcased her incredible six stone weight loss transformation on Instagram on Saturday The daughter of rock legend Ozzy Osbourne and wife Sharon Osbourne sported a sultry winged eyeliner look and accentuated her lips with lashings of liner. Kelly donned an all-black ensemble and kept things casual in a loose T-shirt and leather rucksack. The TV personality, who boasts 2.3million followers on Instagram, often shares glamorous self portraits to her page. And she revealed in August last year that she had undergone secret gastric sleeve surgery in a bid to lose weight. Transformation: The reality star revealed in August last year that she had undergone secret gastric sleeve surgery in a bid to lose weight (pictured left in 2003) Kelly said defiantly: 'I had surgery. 'I don't give a f**** what anyone has to say. I did it, I'm proud of it, they can suck s****. I did the gastric sleeve.' She added: 'All it does is change the shape of your stomach. I got that almost 2 years ago. I will never ever ever lie about it ever. It is the best thing I have ever done.' Speaking to the Hollywood Raw with Dax Holt and Adam Glyn, Kelly also detailed the injections she'd had to change the shape of her face, and make her jaw look 'skinnier', after suffering with TMJ (temporomandibular joint dysfunction). 'I had surgery. 'I don't give a f**** what anyone has to say. I did it, I'm proud of it, they can suck s****. I did the gastric sleeve' Kelly said defiantly of her procedure 'One thing I did that changed my face,' she added. 'I had really bad TMJ. One of the things they did to stop it was they gave me injections in my jaw. It kinda made my jaw look skinnier.' 'That's when people started to notice that I had really lost weight because it changed the shape of everything. 'I found out Its called buckle fat. It changed everything on my face! How the f*** did I not know about this sooner?' Self image: In her memoir Kelly detailed her struggles with weight gain and described herself as having had a 'little dumpling body' In her 2017 memoir, Kelly wrote about her struggles with weight gain, as well her substance abuse issues, and described herself as having had 'a little dumpling body' which put her off going to the gym and exercising around thinner people. Before she decided to get surgery, Kelly said that she had to fix her mind and get sober before she made any big decisions. She explained on the podcast: 'The number one thing I had to do was get happy. I had to fix my head before I could fix my body. You can never go into this if youre not in a good mindset.' 'I stopped drinking, which is the best thing I've ever done. I really wanted to fix the things that were broken in me. I'm not perfect. I still make a lot of mistakes. I have bumps in the road, I fall down, I get back up again.' Addiction struggles: Before she decided to get surgery, Kelly said that she had to fix her mind and get sober before she made any big decisions (pictured in 2013) Kelly recently opened up on details about her sobriety relapse, illustrating the extent of how rapidly she fell back into bad old habits. 'I went away with my friend and people were by a pool, drinking champagne,' she told The Sun. 'I was like, "I can have a glass of that." And I had one glass and I was fine. But it went from having one drink here, one drink there to literally three bottles of champagne and 24 White Claws a day.' In a recent interview on Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast, Kelly elaborated: 'I can't drink the same that I used to.' 'It wasn't fun ... it wasn't until I found myself last weekend covered in ranch dressing by my friend's pool, sunburnt, looking like a piece of s*** that I was like, "Maybe I don't have this under control."' The Osbournes star also spoke with Extra late last month about the relapse, which came amid the lockdown as things were opening back up again. 'I'm that girl that when everything is going great I need to f*** it up a little and make everything a little bit worse in my life,' said Kelly. 'I am an addict and had thought that I had enough time under my belt and I could drink like a normal person, and it turns out I cannot and I will never be normal.' Allies agree on vaccine partnership, dialogue with North President Moon Jae-in walked away with a successful result from his summit with U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington, D.C., over the weekend. It is good to see the two leaders narrow their differences over North Korea and agree on how to deal with the reclusive state. They also agreed to form a global partnership for the supply of COVID-19 vaccines. What's notable is that Biden promised to uphold an agreement signed by his predecessor Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their summit in Singapore in June 2018. Biden had earlier hinted at discarding this as part of his efforts to undo the policies of Trump. However, he changed his stance as far as North Korea was concerned. Such a change is seen as a clear message to the North that the U.S. will maintain policy coherence whoever occupies the White House. Biden also agreed to respect the Panmunjeom Declaration which was issued in April 2018 during the summit between Moon and Kim to promote inter-Korean reconciliation. The two presidents agreed to solve the North Korean nuclear issue through diplomacy and dialogue based on these previous inter-Korean and Washington-Pyongyang commitments. The U.S. appears to have made a practical and realistic decision to pick up where Trump left off to achieve the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Now the two leaders should work together more closely to lead the North back to the stalled denuclearization talks. We welcome Biden's appointment of Acting Assistant Secretary of State Sung Kim as U.S. special envoy for the North. The move is seen as an overture for dialogue toward Kim's regime. We call on Pyongyang to return to negotiations soon and move toward denuclearization and peace. It is fortunate that Moon and Biden managed to avoid any disagreement over the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, better known as the Quad, an informal strategic alliance composed of the U.S., Japan, Australia and India. Washington had apparently wanted Seoul to join the group aimed at containing China's rise. But both sides compromised without revealing any discord over the issue. Moon only acknowledged the importance of open, transparent and inclusive regional multilateralism including the Quad. Another important outcome of the summit was a vaccine partnership agreement. This partnership will enable South Korea to emerge as a global vaccine production hub by combining its production capacity with advanced U.S. technology. As Moon said, the project can help accelerate the end of the COVID-19 pandemic by increasing vaccine supply to the world. Although the two allies failed to reach a vaccine swap deal, Biden promised to provide vaccinations for all 550,000 South Korean troops in a symbolic move to strengthen the bilateral alliance. Moon and Biden also laid the groundwork for broadening the alliance by stepping up cooperation in industrial fields. Four Korean firms Samsung Electronics, LG Energy Solution, SK Innovation and Hyundai Motor announced plans to invest a combined $39.4 billion (44 trillion won) in the production of semiconductors, electric cars, and batteries in the U.S. Yet, the outcome of the summit alone cannot automatically guarantee a better alliance and partnership between the two countries. Moon and Biden should engage in closer consultations and coordination to implement their commitments faithfully to realize their common goals. Britney Spears' boyfriend Sam Asghari talked about his dedication to acting in a new interview with Variety. While the 27-year-old entertainer admitted his 'ultimate goal' was to work across genres, Sam said he has his eyes on making action movies at the moment. Asghari said: 'Action is something that I want to do action, drama, thriller thats a genre that I want to really get into. But if you can do comedy, you can do anything.' Big plans: Britney Spears' boyfriend Sam Asghari recently opened up about his ambition to become an action star during an interview with Variety; he is seen in 2020 But he made it clear that he can be as versatile as a performer as possible. 'My ultimate goal is to really become a well-rounded actor,' he went on. 'I want to do action, but I want to be able to do drama as well. This is my craft, and I want to accomplish it 100 percent,' he stated. Asghari has big aspirations, telling Variety he wants to 'be the first Middle Easterner that plays a superhero. 'Marvel or anybody they should give me a call,' he quipped. Working hard: Asghari wants to be a 'well-rounded' actor above all else. He is seen with Spears at the 2019 premiere of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood Sam said he's been inspired by watching masters of the craft on screen. The influencer said: 'When I do cardio for 45 minutes or up to an hour when Im on the treadmill, Im studying watching.' 'I consider it as my craft. I no longer watch a story of the film: I watch performances,' he added. Britney's beau recalled his first urge to start acting, telling Variety he was inspired after losing over a hundred pounds following his college graduation. Developed method: Asghari told the media outlet that he now watches films when he is working out in order to study various performances 'I was doing theater and arts, but as a hobby it was never as a profession. 'But once I started seeing a certain physical change... I started really actually getting into acting,' he remarked. He eventually landed a role on the Showtime series Black Monday. Things happened quickly, as Asghari remembered: 'It was such a quick audition a couple of lines. And then a couple of weeks later, they booked me. I was in Italy on a project, and I heard they needed me to fly back.' Change-up: The bodybuilder also expressed that he first became seriously interested in acting after finishing college and losing a substantial amount of weight Sam said he's looking forward to proving he's more than just Spears' boyfriend. 'Id rather them not know who I am, so that way they can actually see the character,' he said. 'So they dont see Sam Asghari...that way they can actually judge my acting abilities rather than my fame, or my presence on social media,' the bodybuilder noted. Serious performer: The social media personality expressed that he wanted producers to 'judge my acting abilities rather than my fame' 'I dont consider myself an influencer. I consider myself an actor: My finances come from acting and from my fitness program. 'And, yes, I do deals here and there, but I try to not do the deals that are cheesy or influencer type things,' Asghari said. The media personality has been featured in smaller roles in various films and television projects over the last few years. Earlier this year, he portrayed Sexy Santa during an episode of the HBO Max dark comedy series Hacks. You can watch Black Monday only on Stan in Australia. He's known for showcasing her rock-solid abs and fit physique in the Magic Mike films. And Channing Tatum was back to getting in shape on Sunday when he shared a video of himself after a two-mile swim in the ocean to Instagram. The 41-year-old actor looked as buff as ever from a distance, though he joked in his caption that his personal trainer 'didn't make it' after the rough swim. Staying in shape: Channing Tatum, 41, worked on his chiseled figure on Sunday when he posted a short video fo himself emerging from the sea after a two-mile swim Channing appeared to have on nothing but some tight black swim trunks and a dark swimming cap with goggles perched on his forehead. In the clip, he was seen lumbering out of the water toward the shore after finishing up his aquatic expedition. 'I have done all kinds of bulls*** to get in or stay in shape. Almost everything you can think of,' he said. 'And i have to say nothing yet has been more suffocating and exhausting and effective than freestyle wrestling or open ocean water swimming. 'There are moments in both that i am always like i think I might die haha. Yup pretty sure i cant go on let go would be better than this. Haha,' he wrote. Tiring: 'I have done all kinds of bulls*** to get in or stay in shape,' he said, but 'nothing yet has been more suffocating and exhausting and effective than freestyle wrestling or open ocean water swimming' Having a laugh: He added, 'There are moments ... that i am always like i think I might die,' and joked that his trainer wasn't so lucky. 'as you can see Im coming in by myself Arin didnt make it. 2mile ocean swim bruh' 'And Im not even i professional athlete [sic]. I cant imagine the depths in which they push themselves. Unreal. I do it for movies Hahahaha very different motivation,' he continued. 'Either way get after it everyone. Its good to be alive. There are so many people that cant say that. Im so blessed.' Channing ended the caption with some gallows humor about his trainer Arin Babaian, who famously helped him get in shape for the Magic Mike films. 'P.s as you can see Im coming in by myself Arin didnt make it. 2mile ocean swim bruh,' he joked. In 2019, Babaian shared his experience training Tatum for the first of the stripper-themed films, which was released in 2012. Best shape of his life: Channing's trainer Arin Babaian is responsible for getting him in shape for his two Magic Mike movies; seen in January 2020 Making a change: 'When I showed up, he was a little overweight, and didn't want to work out,' Babaian told Men's Health during a workout session at the actor's house. 'We had to change our plan. We turned our day into a fit lifestyle.' 'When I showed up, he was a little overweight, and didn't want to work out,' he told Men's Health during a workout session at the actor's house. 'We had to change our plan. We turned our day into a fit lifestyle.' The trainer's intense workout regimen for Tatum includes a 20 mile bike ride, 10 to 20 laps in the pool, plus water burpees and situps, followed by 400 meters on the treadmill at the gym and several other exercises. Channing revealed to Jimmy Fallon that he had put on 10 pounds early in the pandemic, though he was able to get back to his workout routines to shed the extra weight. Although he's been focused on pumping iron and bulking up, the Hail, Caesar! actor has also been getting in touch with his feminine side while spending time with his daughter Everly, whom he let give him a magical makeover earlier this month. Letting loose: Although he's been focused on pumping iron and bulking up, the actor has also been getting in touch with his feminine side while spending time with his daughter Everly, who gave him a makeover this month Author: He celebrated his new status as a New York Times bestselling author with his children's book, The One And Only Sparkella The actor turned author recently topped the New York Times Best Sellers list with his children's book The One And Only Sparkella, which was inspired by conversations he had with his daughter. Channing was left 'speechless' after seeing the books popularity with families. 'Ten year old me would never believe this,' he tweeted earlier this month. 'Evie and I want to thank each and every one of you for all of the #Sparkella love. I couldn't be more excited right now! THANK YOU!!' Cara Kilbey has revealed that she's back in hospital for a second time after having emergency surgery for a ruptured ectopic pregnancy. The former TOWIE star, 33, shared a snap of her arm with a cannula in to Instagram on Sunday, explaining that she's been admitted again with kidney stones. Updating her fans on why she's been quiet on social media in recent weeks, the mother-of-two candidly detailed her recent health woes. Candid: Former TOWIE star Cara Kilbey has revealed that she's back in hospital for a second time after having emergency surgery for a ruptured ectopic pregnancy Cara, who starred in four series of The Only Way Is Essex before her exit at the end of 2012, wrote: 'I've been quiet on Instagram recently 'Last month I found out I had an ectopic pregnancy that had ruptured and caused an internal bleed, so was rushed into theatre for an emergency op. 'Now I'm back again, but this time with kidney stones... Think I'm overdue a holiday.' An ectopic pregnancy happens when a fertilised egg implants itself outside of the womb, usually in one of the fallopian tubes. 'I was rushed into theatre': The former TOWIE star, 33, shared a snap of her arm with a cannula in to Instagram on Sunday, explaining that she's been admitted again with kidney stones A ruptured fallopian tube is very serious and surgery to repair it needs to be carried out as quickly as possible, according to the NHS. Cara joined TOWIE in 2011 and was introduced to the cast by her pal Billie Mucklow however has since left reality TV behind her. She now runs a pre loved designer good business, often sharing branded items to Instagram at discounted prices. And after leaving the show, Cara met her boyfriend Daniel Harris in 2014 and in 2015 she suffered a miscarriage when she was five months pregnant. Doting mama: Cara is mum to daughter Penelope and son Hunter (pictured together) The couple now have two children, daughter Penelope Blu and son Hunter, with their little boy being born after Daniel served time in prison. Daniel was accused of masterminding a drugs empire, but was cleared of drugs charges and instead found guilty of stashing 116,000 in ill-gotten gains in 2017. Cara had been patiently waiting while her partner languished in jail, shortly after the birth of Penelope, who she brought to visit him one to two times a week. Daniel was accused of making 'vast profits' by sending drug couriers on mopeds disguised as trainee cab drivers around central London over three-and-a-half years. Couple: She shares her children with beau Daniel Harris who was jailed in 2017 after being found guilty of stashing 116,000 in ill-gotten gains They announced they were expecting Hunter in June 2017, just two months after Daniel was released. The couple met while Harris was living out in Spain with his father and she was on holiday there. They returned to the UK in September 2015 when she fell pregnant. It was previously reported that other men, some of whom were his friends, went on to plead guilty to their part in the plots and have been jailed for more than 68 years. Cara still shares snaps of her beau and their children, with her last posting a lovely image of Daniel and Penelope in the sea to mark his birthday in March. Lady Gaga was bestowed West Hollywood's key to the city on Sunday to mark her hit 2011 single and album Born This Way's 10th anniversary. The pop star, 35, was awarded the accolade by West Hollywood Mayor Lindsey P. Horvath for the cultural impact of her music and she declared that May 23 to be Born This Way Day. Horvath told Gaga: 'Thank you for encouraging us to love ourselves and be proud!' Amazing: Lady Gaga was bestowed West Hollywood's key to the city on Sunday to mark her hit 2011 single and album Born This Way's 10th anniversary Gaga looked incredible as she also attended the unveiling of a Pride-inspired painting of the album's title on Robertson Boulevard, in honour of the LGBTQIA+ community, which is right outside the legendary LA gay bar The Abbey. The singer donned a baggy grey T-shirt, ripped fishnet tights and her signature purple platform boots as she vowed to 'always be here for this day'. Gaga said: 'Thank you for this key. You've been - I'm sure this will sound cheesy to some people, not to me - you've been the motherf***** key to my heart for a long time. I'll honour this and I'll treasure this, and I promise I'll always be here for this day. Iconic: The pop star, 35, was awarded the accolade by West Hollywood Mayor Lindsey P. Horvath for the cultural impact of her music and she declared that May 23 to be Born This Way Day Musical milestone: The musical artist's 2011 release sold more than 5.2 million albums, has been streamed 5.8 billion times and sold more than 31 million digital tracks 'I will be here on this day to celebrate with you, to feel joy with you, to cry with you, to laugh with you, because you know what we are? We're poets, and we're just talking to each other. I love you, let's have a good time!' Gaga also took to Instagram to share a collection of photos, which she captioned with: 'Born This Way, my song and album, were inspired by Carl Bean, a gay black religious activist who preached, sung and wrote about being "Born This Way." 'Notably his early work was in 1975, 11 years before I was born. Thank you for decades of relentless love, bravery, and a reason to sing. Sweet: Gaga said: 'Thank you for this key. You've been - I'm sure this will sound cheesy to some people, not to me - you've been the motherf***** key to my heart for a long time.' Amazing: Gaga looked incredible as she also attended the unveiling of a Pride-inspired painting of the album's title on Robertson Boulevard, in honour of the LGBTQIA+ community, which is right outside the legendary LA gay bar The Abbey 'So we can all feel joy, because we deserve joy. Because we deserve the right to inspire tolerance, acceptance, and freedom for all. (sic)' Gaga looked incredible for the special day in her edgy ensemble which she teamed with a thick silver chain necklace. The star styled her brunette locks into a voluminous halfback beehive hairdo, she added a slick of dramatic make-up which included winged eyeliner and red lipstick. Details: Gaga looked incredible for the special day in her edgy ensemble which she teamed with a thick silver chain necklace Amazing: The star styled her brunette locks into a voluminous halfback beehive hairdo, she added a slick of dramatic make-up which included winged eyeliner and red lipstick The unveiling of the street art was in conjunction with the beginning of Pride season and the city's One City One Pride LGBTQ Arts Festival. The celebration spans from Harvey Milk Day on May 22 until the final day of June. The musical artist's 2011 release sold more than 5.2 million albums, has been streamed 5.8 billion times and sold more than 31 million digital tracks. Haus of Gaga fashion director Nicola Formichetti spoke on Sunday with Vogue about the cultural impact the top-selling album had, and how Gaga redefined the way musical artists use social media. Important: Gaga said of the accolade: 'I'll honour this and I'll treasure this, and I promise I'll always be here for this day.' She added: 'I will be here on this day to celebrate with you, to feel joy with you, to cry with you, to laugh with you, because you know what we are? We're poets, and we're just talking to each other. I love you, let's have a good time!' 'She started communicating with her fans and getting to know their problems,' Formichetti told the outlet. 'She was the first pop star to build this kind of relationship through social media. I remember her saying, "We need to do more. We need to create music and messages that are much deeper." She continued: 'Gay rights, gender equality, racial equality were all being talked about and fought for during that time, and they still are now.' Born This Way: The unveiling of the street art was in conjunction with the beginning of Pride season and the city's One City One Pride LGBTQ Arts Festival Formichetti said that with the album, the songstress, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, 'wanted to create a celebration of equality, one that would resonate with the listeners.' Formichetti said that while the album's title track as 'an incredibly powerful song ... it could be seen as cheesy because its so celebratory and not trying to be cool. 'At the time, it all felt so new and strange. When we were discussing the looks, we didnt have one specific concept in mind, but we wanted to show multiple versions of Gaga, all different but given equal importance.' Gaga recently returned to the U.S. after a two-month stint in Rome where she was on location filming the upcoming movie House Of Gucci, in which she plays Patrizia Reggiani. Magda Szubanski has denied rumours the premiere date for her new Channel Nine quiz show The Weakest Link was delayed because of her controversial tweets. The former Kath & Kim star was widely condemned last month for her tweets comparing the Prime Minister's wife Jenny Morrison to a character from dystopian TV series The Handmaid's Tale. However, Szubanski on Monday rubbished any link between her Twitter controversy and Nine's decision to push back The Weakest Link's launch by several weeks. Hitting back: Magda Szubanski has denied rumours the premiere date for her new Channel Nine quiz show The Weakest Link was delayed because of her controversial tweets She was asked about the rumours by radio host Kyle Sandilands on The Kyle and Jackie O Show. 'By the way, was it true you screwed up the launch of this thing by the Twitter comments?' Sandilands asked. 'No, no, no,' the 60-year-old comedian replied. 'The production schedule was really tight and that's why it got moved. Controversy: The former Kath & Kim star was widely condemned last month for her tweets comparing the Prime Minister's wife Jenny Morrison to a character from The Handmaid's Tale She then accused reporters of putting words in her mouth during the Jenny Morrison scandal, adding: 'It just gained a whole life of its own.' Szubanski then jokingly asked Sandilands to 'move on' because her errant tweets were now 'old news'. In late April, Nine delayed the premiere date for The Weakest Link, which is being hosted by Szubanski, taking over the role famously held by the late Cornelia Frances. The network had originally scheduled the program to launch on Tuesday, May 4, at 8:50pm, but it's now going to start on Tuesday, May 25. 'The production schedule was really tight and that's why it got moved': Szubanski on Monday rubbished any link between her Twitter controversy and Nine's decision to push back The Weakest Link's launch by several weeks At the time, A Nine spokesperson blamed the programming change on the 'tight production schedule'. But it's possible the delay was a blessing in disguise for the network, as Szubanski had made headlines for all the wrong reasons earlier that month when she fired off a series of bizarre and hurtful tweets about Jenny Morrison. The funnywoman, who won fame for her roles on comedy shows Fast Forward, Full Frontal and Kath & Kim before becoming a prominent activist, had retweeted a photo of Mrs Morrison in a high-neck black dress as she watched her husband Scott sign a condolence book for the late Prince Philip. Szubanski captioned the image: 'I genuinely thought this was a photoshopped Handmaids Tale meme. But no. Its 21st century Aussie life.' Based on the novel by Margaret Atwood, HBO series The Handmaid's Tale is set in a totalitarian society in which women are treated as property of the state. Szubanski had retweeted the photo with a message from a left-wing Twitter account, which read: 'Good morning to everyone else to whom this feels creepy, chilling, terrifying, ominous, enraging, despairing and utterly, completely f**king depressing.' She faced widespread backlash for her commentary, which suggested Ms Morrison was part of the machinery of a misogynist society, and was criticised by a number of conservative female politicians. Odd: Szubanski had last month retweeted a photo of Mrs Morrison in a high-neck black dress as she watched her husband Scott sign a condolence book for the late Prince Philip. She faced backlash for her commentary, which suggested Ms Morrison was part of the machinery of a misogynist society because she supposedly resembled a character from The Handmaid's Tale She later defended her tweets by arguing the PM's wife was fair game for criticism because she had 'opted in' to public life by offering her husband policy advice. Szubanski also suggested the outrage was distracting from ousted Australia Post boss Christine Holgate's scorching testimony against the PM at a Senate Inquiry - even though this had been covered extensively by news outlets at the time. Responding to criticism from Liberal MP Nicolle Flint - one of several conservative female politicians who took issue with her Handmaid's Tale tweet - Szubanski wrote: '1) seriously, my comment is "appalling" says Flint. "Appalling"?! '2) I never said a single word about Jenny. 3) why is this headline news when... Christine Holgate is testifying?! Blatant attempt to use "sisterhood" to distract. Now THAT'S appalling.' She then denied any suggestion she was 'walking back' her initial comments about Mrs Morrison. Szubanski tweeted: 'Oh no you don't! I'm not "walking back" from anything! Simply stating facts. Nor will I be forced into an apology for... nothing. 'I see what the "Christian Soldiers" are doing here. They have drawn a "pink line" and I'm the Big Game. Let the fat shaming begin! 'THIS is what this is really all about. Well, I'm not backing down. The infiltration of the religious far right into Australian politics is... disturbing.' Scott and Jenny Morrison are evangelical Christians and have made no apologies for their strong beliefs, with the Liberal leader having met his future wife at a Christian youth camp. Damage control: During a subsequent interview on A Current Affair - which was viewed by many as Nine's attempt at 'damage control' ahead of the launch of The Weakest Link - Szubanski reiterated her position that her tweets were not about Jenny personally but about the influence of the Christian right in politics During a subsequent interview on A Current Affair - which was viewed by many as Nine's attempt at 'damage control' ahead of the launch of The Weakest Link - Szubanski reiterated her position that her tweets were not about Jenny personally but about the influence of the Christian right in politics. 'That was a mild way of drawing attention to the fact I do have concerns about, and trust me this is not about the majority of Christians, but the element of the far-right,' she said. 'And - they are really going to come for me now - I think that is a concern. I think that is quite legitimate to say in this country. I don't like extremes of any kind is my stance.' Usain Bolt's Australian ex-girlfriend Holly Young is rumoured to have split from her new beau DJ Carnage. The 28-year-old started dating the international DJ in June last year, shortly after she returned to Australia following a period living overseas. Holly and DJ Carnage, whose real name is Diamante Anthony Blackmon, had spent the past year travelling and partying with American stars including Chris Brown. Is it over? Usain Bolt's ex-girlfriend Holly Young (right) has reportedly split from her boyfriend DJ Carnage (left) after less than one year of dating However, the social media sensation hasn't posted any photos of the pair to Instagram since returning to New York in March. It seems Holly is now focusing on her modelling career while living in the Big Apple. Holly Young declined to comment when contacted by Daily Mail Australia. The stunner first made headlines when she was pictured with the fastest man on earth, Usain Bolt, on several nights out in Munich in 2017. Single? The 28-year-old started dating the international DJ in June last year. However, Holly hasn't posted any photos of the pair to Instagram since returning to New York in March Images of the pair appeared on social media at the time, with Usain dancing during a live chat on Young's account. Holly is believed to have ended her 12-month romance with the Olympian in 2018. Usain and Holly fell head over heels after meeting in the lobby of Crown Melbourne in April 2017 and the inseparable pair spent four days together. Former flame: The stunner first made headlines worldwide when she was pictured with the fastest man on earth, Usain Bolt, on nights out in Munich in 2017 Holly has also previously been linked to UK Premier League player Phil Jagielka. Meanwhile, Usain started dating his girlfriend Kasi Bennett shortly after his split from Holly. The pair welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Olympia Lightning, on June 14 last year. WASHINGTON (AP) - With a showdown vote looming, Senate Republicans are misrepresenting the timeline of a proposed independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection. The House easily approved the bill last week with 35 Republicans signing on. But the measure faces an uncertain fate in the evenly divided Senate. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is opposed and former President Donald Trump is demanding the effort be quashed. On Sunday, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, suggested that a roadblock to gaining GOP support is the commissions timing, echoing concerns from Republican leaders last week that the panels final report could extend into the 2022 midterm election year. Thats not the case. COLLINS, citing issues that could lead her to oppose the panel: "I see no reason why the report cannot be completed by the end of this year. The commissioners have to be appointed within 10 days. Theres plenty of time to complete the work. And Im optimistic that we can get past these issues based on recent conversations Ive had with" Democrats. - interview Sunday on ABCs "This Week." SEN. JOHN CORNYN, R-Texas, suggesting that Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will drag the commissions work well into the middle of 2022: "Well, part of the concern is thats the plan. Thats Pelosis plan ... That would be the Democrats dream." - interview with CNN on May 19. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, speaks during a Senate Appropriations committee hearing to examine domestic extremism, Wednesday, May 12, 2021 on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Alex Wong/Pool via AP) THE FACTS: Those claims of a delayed report are untrue. The bill calls for the report to be complete by the end of this year. According to the legislation, the "final report" from the bipartisan commission, whose members would be evenly divided among Democrats and Republicans, must be submitted to the president and Congress "not later than December 31, 2021." There is a subsequent 60-day period for the commission to finish administrative tasks, such as to distribute the report and provide testimony to congressional committees, which would come in the early part of 2022. But the panel's investigation, including all findings, conclusions and recommendations, would need to be fully complete this year. So there has not been a roadblock to Senate Republican support for the panel based on the reports timing as Collins and others describe it. Collins said she wants an independent commission and is talking with House leaders about her issues with the bill, including how staffing is handled. She wants assurances that the panels staff, along with commission members, will be bipartisan. The legislation calls for the chairperson, who would be appointed by Democrats, to hire staff "in consultation with the vice chairperson," who would be chosen by Republicans. Collins said Sunday that staff should be either jointly appointed by both parties or staffed in equal numbers by both sides. If approved, the bipartisan commission is expected to look at Trumps role in stoking the Jan. 6 riot, including his persistent false claims in the months beforehand that the November election was "stolen." ___ EDITOR'S NOTE - A look at the veracity of claims by political figures. ___ Find AP Fact Checks at http://apnews.com/APFactCheck Follow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., right, and Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., prepare for a Senate Rules Committee hearing at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, May 11, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., right, speaks to the media next to Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., Tuesday, May 18, 2021, after a meeting with Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Support local journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. Dancehall star Agent Sasco has released a father-daughter musical collab with eight-year-old Lauren LC Campbell. The heartwarming, inspirational track titled If Caterpillars Can Fly So Can I and its accompanying lyric video, was released on Friday, which was celebrated as Childrens Day in Jamaica and, so far Agent Sascos fans are not only loving it, but pointing out that it would be perfect for a Disney Childrens movie soundtrack and an ideal childrens graduation song. Today is National Childrens Day and I will celebrate the day in a very special way! A song featuring my own child!!! @thelcshow Inspired by @alvin.day and his amazing book If Caterpillars Can Fly So Can I. See it at 12 Noon!!! #CaterpillarsCanFly #GiveThanks, the deejay, whose given name is Jeffrey Campbell said. The responses from the Winning artists fans have been filled with wonder and amazement, about LCs exceptional vocals, and the switching between singing and deejaying by the duo in the song. Extremely beautiful , his Dancehall/reggae compatriot Romain Virgo, himself a father of twin girls, posted in response. Chills all overwith a dad like Sasco, shine LC, shine , macsue.1 wrote, while prettyjamaicangirl1 noted: Heard this on Miss Kittys show a few minutes ago, the perfect song for Childs month Sasco you did an awesome job, LC you did a phenomenal job!! Continue spreading positivity and love . Both Sascos Instagram page and YouTube channel and his wife Nicole Mclaren Campbells Instagram page were flooded with declarations that the song was deserving of being featured in Disney childrens movie and this should be pursued. Disney have fi link you or some executive producer for some cartoons or something this one nah go suh, Pierre Bennett said. International cartoon movie deal coming..memba mi tell.yu! silmadelbennett predicted while fontisha_gardner wrote: I really do think her dad should push this song, Because it sound like something belong in one of those Disney animated movies . Why this sound like Disney gonna buy the audio for a movie song so Awwwee @agentsasco @thelcshow nailed it , tesharasounique added. If the song does become featured as a movie soundtrack, it should come as no surprise as Sasco already has a foothold where that is concerned having done work for Paramount Pictures where he made his vocal presence heard in two soundtracks in the blockbuster movie Baywatch, in 2017. Sasco was featured on two compositions in the Baywatch movie, Off the Jetty and Leeds To the Tower in The Paramount Picture which starred Dwayne The Rock Johnson and Zac Efron. As for the If Caterpillars Can Fly So Can I book author, Alvin Day, the past student of Edwin Allen High School and Knox College, said that it was his grandmothers words of life that formed the concept behind his widely acclaimed book. The Frankfield, Clarendon native who is the founder and Executive Director of Global Empowerment Institute said, that he grew up in a poor household with his grandmother after his parents migrated said he did not have the privileges or the respectability of people around me, and in fact, many people didnt expect me to make it. We didnt have electricity in our home. I studied for my exams using lamplightHome Sweet Home! We didnt have running water so I used to bathe in the Rio Minho to go to school, he said at a presentation of 26,000 copies of the book valued at approximately US$129,000.00, to public school teachers in Jamaica on Read Across Jamaica Day. My grandmother would say Dont worry about the children who tease you. You may look like a little caterpillar on the outside, but youre going to grow up to be a good man one day, if you trust in God and do the right things. You are going to burst out wings and learn to fly. Because of that, I was able to grow up and pursue my dreams, he added. Day had also encouraged teachers to take exceptional care of the children that fall under their supervision. Take solace in the fact that in your hands you have the next generation Treat them well. Do everything that you can, because they think of you as a parent, friend, counsellor and guide. You have an important role in shaping the next generation and I want to encourage you, when the pain is hard, remember that you too have wings and you can fly, he said. By Mark Peterson A friend of mine, Cho Byounggap, called and asked me to write a Korea Times article and prepare a "Frog Outside the Well" YouTube video on the "Miracle at Gapyeong". I had heard of it but didn't know the details. I have now researched the history of the famous battle in the Korean War and am ready to write about it and prepare the YouTube video. The reason it's called a "miracle" is that in the battle between American and Chinese soldiers, 350 Chinese were killed, 830 Chinese were captured, but on the American side not one soldier died. There were some wounded, but there were no fatalities. We use the word "miracle" loosely sometimes, but this was truly a miracle. The Chinese soldiers said, "We shot them, but they did not fall." The American soldiers were members of an artillery unit that was part of a Utah National Guard battalion that had been activated for the Korean War. Originally, they were to be sent to Germany to replace a regular army artillery battalion in Germany that would go to Korea. But the soldiers were so skillful and so well disciplined, that after a training session at Ft. Lewis, Washington, it was decided that they would go directly to Korea. The Utah National Guard unit had "batteries" (artillery has batteries, not companies) in Fillmore, Richfield, Beaver, Cedar City and St. George small towns in rural areas of the state. Some of the leadership had served in World War II, and that was the case for the commanding officer, now a Lt. Colonel named Frank Dalley. Dalley knew many of the parents of the soldiers and some of the soldiers were 18- and 19-year-olds. He said that he could not face the parents of any boys that would be killed, so he set out to be sure all 600 men in his unit would return alive. And they did! They were all very religious. And one of their Church leaders, an older man who lived in St. George, gave them a blessing before they departed and promised them that if they lived righteous and moral lives while deployed to Korea, their lives would be spared. Lt. Colonel Dalley was known as a man given to careful planning and much prayer. In fact every morning, as he planned the activities for the day, he would take time, alone, to pray. He put a white flag outside his tent when he was praying, and the orders were that no one would disturb him when the flag was outside his tent. He said he was getting his orders from his "commander-in-chief" on high. We are now at the 70th anniversary of the battle between the forward-deployed units, two batteries with 240 men, and the 4,000-man Chinese brigade. It was May 26, 1951, early in the morning when the Chinese attacked. Artillery units are supposed to be behind the lines, with infantry and armor in front of them. But the infantry and armor were not there, due to some oversight. And the Chinese came right upon the artillery men in hand-to-hand and close fire combat. The soldiers were using their rifles, in addition to the artillery. Since there were no infantry units deployed in front of them, they could fire their artillery at close range, and they were able to beat back the assault. One battery commanded by Captain Randy Cox, with 18 men on a motorized howitzer pursued the retreating Chinese. With artillery raining down in front of them, they turned to retreat, and with the artillery now behind them they rained down artillery in front of their retreat so that they were trapped. The Chinese couldn't go forward, and they couldn't go backward 350 died, and the remainder of the trapped soldiers, 830 men, surrendered. Before they took the prisoners to the prisoner of war camp, they stopped to allow for the burial of the Chinese dead. Chinese soldiers later reported that they appreciated the humanitarian action that allowed them to give their dead an honorable burial. The rifles and other Chinese weapons filled two trucks, they reported. It was one of the most lop-sided battles in all of military history. It's is usually called the "Miracle of Gapyeong" because there was another battle just one month before, where Chinese soldiers tried to come south and met a combined Canadian-Australian-New Zealand force. That battle in April, 1951, is called the "Battle of Kapyong" and it had similar results for the Chinese, but the combined Canadian-Australian-New Zealand forces suffered casualties. There are two monuments in Gapyeong, one for the Canadian-Australian New Zealand battle, and one for the Utah National Guard battle. The "Miracle of Kapyong (to use the old spelling) was the "second" battle of Gapyeong, fought on May 26, 1951 and it might be confusing to those looking back on the war. But the major difference was that in the second battle, the American force the 213rd Field Artillery Battalion of the Utah National Guard was the miracle battalion. Colonel Dalley returned with all 600 men alive, including the 240 that were the witnesses to, and fighters in, the "Miracle of Gapyeong." Today only a handful of those soldiers survive old age the youngest is 88, most are in their 90s. And not one died in combat. A real miracle. Mark Peterson (markpeterson@byu.edu) is professor emeritus of Korean, Asian and Near Eastern languages at Brigham Young University in Utah. WASHINGTON (AP) The Biden administration is facing new pressure to resolve a mystery that has vexed its predecessors: Is an adversary using a microwave or radio wave weapon to attack the brains of U.S. diplomats, spies and military personnel? The number of reported cases of possible attack is sharply growing and lawmakers from both parties, as well as those believed to be affected, are demanding answers. But scientists and government officials arent yet certain about who might have been behind any attacks, if the symptoms could have been caused inadvertently by surveillance equipment or if the incidents were actually attacks. Ramon Espinosa/AP Whatever an official review concludes could have enormous consequences. Confirmation that a U.S. adversary has been conducting damaging attacks against U.S. personnel would unleash calls for a forceful response by the United States. For now, the administration is providing assurances that it takes the matter seriously, is investigating aggressively and will make sure those affected have good medical care. The problem has been labeled the Havana Syndrome, because the first cases affected personnel in 2016 at the U.S. Embassy in Cuba. At least 130 cases across the government are now under investigation, up from several dozen last year, according to a U.S. defense official who was not authorized to discuss details publicly. The National Security Council is leading the investigation. People who are believed to have been affected have reported headaches, dizziness and symptoms consistent with concussions, with some requiring months of medical treatment. Some have reported hearing a loud noise before the sudden onset of symptoms. Particularly alarming are revelations of at least two possible incidents in the Washington area, including one case near the White House in November in which an official reported dizziness. The new higher number of possible cases was first reported by The New York Times. CNN first reported the case near the White House and an additional incident in November. Advocates for those affected accuse the U.S. government of long failing to take the problem seriously or provide the necessary medical care and benefits. The government has a much better understanding of it than it has let on, said Mark Zaid, a Washington lawyer who represents several people affected. Zaid has obtained National Security Agency documents noting it has information dating to the late 1990s about an unidentified hostile country possibly having a microwave weapon to weaken, intimidate, or kill an enemy over time. Chris Miller, the acting defense secretary during the last months of the Trump administration, created a Pentagon team to investigate the suspected attacks. That was after he met a soldier late last year who described how, while serving in a country Miller wouldn't identify, he had heard a shrieking sound and then had a splitting headache. He was well-trained, extremely well-trained, and hed been in combat before, Miller told The Associated Press. This is an American, a member of the Department of Defense. At that point, you cant ignore that. Defense and intelligence officials have publicly promised to push for answers and better care for people with symptoms. Lt. Col. Thomas Campbell, a Defense Department spokesman, said the causes of any incidents are areas of active inquiry." Officials have not identified a suspected country, though some people affected suspect Russian involvement. CIA Director William Burns testified before Congress that he would make the investigation a very high priority to ensure that my colleagues get the care that they deserve and that we get to the bottom of what caused these incidents and who was responsible. Burns receives daily updates on the investigation, which covers employees who have reported cases this year. He has met with those reporting injuries as have other top CIA officials. The agency has worked to reduce the wait time for its employees to receive outpatient treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The CIA also replaced its chief medical officer with a doctor seen internally as more sympathetic to possible cases. We were treated so awfully in the past," said Marc Polymeropoulos, a 26-year CIA veteran who was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury following a 2017 visit to Russia. "Now theyre putting people in place who not only believe us but are going to advocate for our health care. One key analysis identified directed, pulsed radio frequency energy as the most plausible culprit. Published in December by the National Academy of Sciences, the report said a radio frequency attack could alter brain function without causing gross structural damage. But the panel could not make a definitive finding on how U.S. personnel may have been hit. And a declassified 2018 State Department report cited a lack of senior leadership, ineffective communications, and systemic disorganization in responding to the Havana cases. The report says the cause of the injuries was currently unknown. The document was published by George Washington Universitys National Security Archive. The report also noted that the CIA ultimately closed its Havana station, a victory for a potential adversary. Dr. James Giordano, a neurology professor at Georgetown University, consulted with the State Department on the Havana cases and has been briefed on more recent incidents in the U.S. and abroad. In reviewing records of people affected in Havana, Giordano noted evidence of neurological injuries in several people, suggesting they may have been hit with radio waves. He identified two possible culprits: a device intentionally used to target potential victims or a tool that used directed energy waves to conduct surveillance that may have unintentionally harmed the people targeted. One of the November attacks outside the White House had substantial similarities to the Havana cases, Giordano said, adding that he was not authorized by the government to be more specific. Its very difficult, if not impossible, to fake or misrepresent certain findings to objective clinical evaluations, Giordano said. I mean, there are certain things you cant make your nerves do or not do. Other scientists remain skeptical. Dr. Robert Baloh of the University of California, Los Angeles, argued that scans of healthy peoples brains sometimes display mini-strokes and that any possible weapon would be too large or require too much power to be deployed without detection. Baloh said the growing number of cases considered directed energy attacks is actually linked to mass psychogenic illness, in which people learning of others with symptoms begin to feel sick themselves. Many people are hearing about it and thats how it gets propagated, Baloh said. Lawmakers from both parties are pushing the Biden administration to take this seriously. A bill introduced in both the House and Senate on Wednesday would bolster the payment of disability benefits for traumatic brain injuries suffered in the incidents. There's no greater priority than ensuring the health and safety of our people, and the anomalous health incidents that have afflicted our personnel around the world are of grave concern, said Rep. Adam Schiff, the California Democrat who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, in a statement. Rep. Devin Nunes, the committee's top Republican, said the people reporting symptoms were apparently subject to attack. Polymeropoulos, the former CIA officer, said he believed the U.S. would ultimately identify what was behind the incidents and who is responsible. The actual intelligence is going to take us to the truth on this, he said. If we find that a certain adversary did this, theres going to be uncomfortable decisions on what to do." remaining of SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription and are still unable to access our content, please link your digital account to your print subscription If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. The positive inflow is expected to continue in the financial year 2021-22. (Photo: PTI/File) New Delhi: Gold saving funds and gold exchange traded funds (ETFs) witnessed net inflows of Rs 864 crore in April amid uncertain economic environment in the wake of the second wave of COVID-19. The positive inflow is expected to continue in the financial year 2021-22 as the precious metal remains an under allocated asset in investor portfolios in these uncertain times, Chirag Mehta, Senior fund manager- Alternative Investments at Quantum Mutual Fund, said. Gold saving funds and gold ETFs have seen net inflow to the tune of Rs 184 crore and Rs 680 crore, respectively in the month of April, according to data provided by Morningstar India. This comes following net inflow of over Rs 3,200 crore in gold funds in the entire 2020-21, while the same for gold ETFs was more than Rs 6,900 crore as per the data. "The sharp and intense surge in coronavirus cases this year has fanned hopes that, as an asset class, gold may continue to perform well in the current environment. This has kept investors interest intact in the asset class," Himanshu Srivastava, Associate Director, Morningstar India. Quantum Mutual Fund's Mehta said that the inability of investors to invest in or liquidate physical gold due to the COVID-19 social restrictions, though painful in the short term, turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It seems like many investors were finally compelled to acknowledge the drawbacks of physical gold and give up their inefficient preference for holding it, he said. Further, they chose to optimise their gold holdings by switching to the more efficient gold ETFs or gold saving funds which let them sit in the safety and comfort of their home and enable them to buy and sell gold as and when they want, he added. Moreover, these instruments have delivered 13-14 per cent annualised CAGR return in the last three years, more than 8 per cent in past five years. Morningstar India's Srivastava said that the investment environment over the last few years have been extremely conducive for gold as an asset class. "Threat of an economic downturn and tough market environment provided gold enough reason to unlock its true potential. It did so and delivered superior performance since 2019, consequently helping gold ETFs and gold funds to clock impressive returns over three- and five-year period," he added. Gold saving fund is a mutual fund that invest in gold ETFs and such fund do not directly invest in physical but indirectly through gold ETFs. An investor can invest in gold saving fund through systematic investment plan (SIP). On the other hand, gold ETFs are basically exchange-traded funds that invest in gold. They are traded on the stock market and make direct investments in gold. Ashraf Rizvi, founder and CEO, Digital Swiss Gold & Gilded, said that demand for digital gold that allow access to the yellow metal with ease of use would continue in the current financial year. "Digital products will continue to grow and crowd out demand for physical gold bars/coins and jewellery as they make the buying and selling process easier, safer, more efficient and less costly," he said. Going forward, Morningstar India's Srivastava said gold may continue to perform well under the prevailing uncertain environment consequently, gold saving funds and gold ETFs may continue to see traction from investors if this scenario persists. According to him, gold functions as a strategic asset in an investor's portfolio, given its ability to act as an effective diversifier and alleviate losses during tough market conditions and economic downturns. "The second wave of coronavirus pandemic and the resulting restrictions are taking a toll on the fragile economic recovery, which could trigger pullbacks in risk assets like equities. Gold could benefit from the resulting risk aversion, just like it did last year," Rizvi said. He said that the preparation cannot be prescribed for Covid-19 as the formula is one among hundreds of local remedies for different ailments. (Representational image) Nellore: The Ayush department team studying the concoction prepared by Bonigi Anandaiah at Krishnapatnam and hawked as a cure for Covid-19 cannot be termed an Ayurvedic medicine. They said that Ayush protocols and guidelines do not accept these preparations as Ayurvedic drugs. They felt that the preparations were similar to traditional local medicines, hinting that there is no need for any licence. Speaking to this newspaper, Commissioner of Ayush and head of the team, Col. V. Ramulu, said that there are no harmful ingredients in the substance being given by Anandaiah, including the eye drops. Anandaiah prepared all them before us and the process is very simple for anyone to produce. Moreover, he is willing to share the formula with the public, he said. The Ayush official said that Anandaiah has been using herbs including locally available leaves such as neem, mango and jamun apart from honey, pepper, green camphor, nutmeg, black cumin, turmeric and cinnamon among many other items, which we use daily for preparing food items. In the eye drops, Anandaiah has been using pepper, mulla vankaya and honey, Col Ramulu noted. He said that the preparation cannot be prescribed for Covid-19 as the formula is one among hundreds of local remedies for different ailments. Citing an instance, he pointed to the popular Puttur treatment for broken bones. Col Ramulu said they would submit a report to the government on their study. It is up to the government to take a decision, he added. Several food delivery executives from Zomato and Swiggy, apart from other e-commerce services were caught at Mehdipatnam, Asifnagar, Nampally, MJ Market, Charminar, Mir Alam Mandi, Shah Ali Banda and other places. DC Image HYDERABAD: As part of stricter implementation of the lockdown, the city police seized 205 vehicles that violated Covid norms laid down by the state government in the South Zone on Saturday. Motorists were seen arguing with policemen at several places in the Old City when their vehicles were seized for violating the lockdown norms. They complained that the police did not allow them to proceed even after showing valid reasons and proof. Senior police officials were seen in action on roads in different places. Vehicles of those who tried to argue with the police were seized. Several food delivery executives from Zomato and Swiggy, apart from other e-commerce services were caught at Mehdipatnam, Asifnagar, Nampally, MJ Market, Charminar, Mir Alam Mandi, Shah Ali Banda and other places. Special check posts were established at Madina Circle, Azakhana Zehra Circle, City College, Mir Chowk, Falaknuma, Lal Darwaza, Shah Ali Banda, Hussaini Alam and Bahadurpura Road. At Azakhana Zehra, cops intercepted three transgenders coming on a Scooty. They initially pleaded with the policemen to allow them to proceed, and when their request was refused, they created a scene, the police said. A little later, they were allowed to go, but there was no clarity whether they were booked for violating the lockdown or not. Syed Ali Jeffery, a resident of Chaderghat, said he was returning home from the hospital after administering chemotherapy to his mother, when he was intercepted at three places at Masab Tank, Koti and Abids. The cops were not ready to verify the prescription and patients. He could not convince them that he was coming from the hospital, he said. DCP South Zone, Dr Gajarao Bhupal said a special drive was launched on Saturday to ensure strict implementation of lockdown. In the South Zone, 205 vehicles were seized till 4:00 pm and the riders were booked under the Disaster Management Act and Pandemic Act. He said it was observed that the pandemic situation was coming under control after imposing the lockdown. If we implement lockdown strictly, we can get rid of Corona cases and we hope that the cases will be under control by May end, he said. Meanwhile, AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi objected to the police action on vehicle users. Vikram Narayana (name changed), a sanitary worker, said the corporation did not pay him 20-day wages last month, while five members in his team had contracted Covid-19. PTI HYDERABAD: Over 200 sanitation workers who contracted the deadly Covid-19 virus while performing their duties have not been paid their wages while they were either in home isolation or undergoing treatment. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) officials are said to have marked them absent. About 18,000 sanitation workers have been hitting the city roads every day during the lockdown. Already 20 of them have fallen prey to the deadly virus. Over 200 sanitary workers have contracted the virus during the last couple of months while carrying out containment activities at VIP houses, who were tested positive. Though they were informed by their circle and zonal officers, the higher authorities sitting at the GHMC headquarters decided to deduct their. Narrating his story, Vikram Narayana (name changed), a sanitary worker, said the corporation did not pay him 20-day wages last month, while five members in his team had contracted Covid-19. "We have lost a colleague who succumbed to the deadly virus last month. All of them were deeply depressed until tested Covid-19 negative. However, to our shock, the corporation authorities have deducted our salaries for not attending duties," he said. Narayana said despite their efforts, the higher authorities did not respond to their requests and were instead threatening that they would to sack the workers from service. Echoing his concern, another worker, Niranjan, said despite the government releasing a GO to pay full salaries to frontline workers if they catch Covid-19 and go on leave, the higher authorities have been ignoring the orders. "Unlike the Karnataka government, the state government is not paying Rs 20 lakh compensation for those who succumbed to Covid-19. We are just asking for our wages while we are undergoing treatment for Covid-19," he added. When tried to reach GHMC authorities, they were unavailable for comment. Remdesivir is in great demand for the treatment of COVID-19 infected patients at hospitals. (Photo: PTI/File) Bengaluru: Karnataka which is battling the second wave of COVID-19, has put in place a SMS-based Remdesivir allocation and information system, aimed at curbing its blackmarketing and misuse. "In order to bring transparency in the allocation of Remdesivir a tech-driven system has been developed and now the patient will get a SMS informing which hospital is provided the medicine against the SRF ID," Health Minister K Sudhakar said on Sunday. "In case if the #Remdesivir is allocated against the SRF ID & the hospital has not provided it to the patient, a facility is provided in the same link to report it to the government. This will help govt in curbing blackmarketing & misuse of Remdesivir," he said in a tweet. Citizens can also check information on Remdesivir using the link https://covidwar.karnataka.gov.in/service2. Deputy Chief Minister C N Ashwath Narayan too in a tweet said, "In case if Remdesivir is allocated against the SRF ID and hospital has not provided it to patients, you can report it to the Govt. This is largely to reduce misuse of the drug." Remdesivir is in great demand for the treatment of COVID-19 infected patients at hospitals. Aimed at ensuring optimal use of Remdesivir, the state government had recently even issued guidelines directing all healthcare facilities in the state to follow it in letter and spirit. It had also called for each healthcare facility to form a Remdesivir Audit Committee and submit a report on the use to the expert committees constituted. KT CEO Ku Hyeon-mo, left, and Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) President Lee Kwang-hyung, pose after signing an agreement to jointly set up a research institute for artificial intelligence (AI) and software development, at the KAIST main campus in Daejeon, Sunday. Courtesy of KT By Yi Whan-woo KT, one of the country's leading telecom operators, and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), will jointly set up a research institute for artificial intelligence (AI) and software development by the end of the year, KT announced Sunday. It said the two sides accordingly signed an agreement for business cooperation at the KAIST main campus in Daejeon, Sunday. KT CEO Ku Hyeon-mo and KAIST President Lee Kwang-hyung inked the deal, and were joined by their respective executives and scholars. The deal comes as part of KT's efforts to nurture AI business, as seen from establishment of the AI To Everything Lab (AI2XL) and AI robot project team, early this year, and hiring of Dennis Hong, a world-renowned robotics engineer and founding director of the Robotics & Mechanisms Laboratory at UCLA, in an advisory role. The company also has been supporting prospective AI startups. KT CEO Ku Hyeon-mo, fourth from left in the front row, and Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) President Lee Kwang-hyung, fifth from left in the front row, pose with KT executives and KAIST professors during a ceremony at the KAIST main campus in Daejeon, Sunday, to mark an agreement on establishing a research institute for artificial intelligence (AI) and software development. Courtesy of KT Cyclone Yaas, which is gathering strength in the Bay of Bengal, is likely to cross the north Odisha-West Bengal coast between Odishas Paradip and Sagar Island in West Bengal by May 26. (Photo: India Meteorological Department) Kolkata/Bhubaneswar: As Cyclone Yaas is feared to strike the Odisha and West Bengal coasts in a very severe shape, as deadly as last years Amphan, at a maximum wind speed of 155-165 kmph gusting to 185 kmph on May 26 evening, the Indian Air Force has assigned nearly a dozen transport aircraft and more than two dozen helicopters from its fleet for large-scale humanitarian aid and disaster relief operations in the two eastern states. Cyclone Yaas, which is gathering strength in the Bay of Bengal, is likely to cross the north Odisha-West Bengal coast between Odishas Paradip and Sagar Island in West Bengal by May 26 (Wednesday) evening as a very severe cyclonic storm, the India Meteorological Department forecast on Sunday. Satellite imageries and ocean buoy observations indicate that Saturdays low pressure area which became well-marked over the east-central Bay of Bengal in the same evening has concentrated into a depression. It is now concentrated over the same east-central Bay of Bengal about 560 km north-northwest of Port Blair (Andaman Islands), 590 km east-southeast of Paradip, 690 km south-southeast of Balasore and 670 km south-southeast of Digha (West Bengal). It is very likely to move north northwestwards and intensify into a cyclonic storm by May 24 morning, the IMD said in its afternoon bulletin on Sunday. The bulletin added that the cyclonic storm will further intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm during the next 24 hours. And then it would continue to move north northwestwards, intensify further and reach northwest Bay of Bengal near West Bengal and north Odisha coasts by May 26 morning. During landfall, the cyclone will be accompanied by squally winds with a velocity of 120 kmph to 165 kmph, gusting up to 185 kmph. It implies that Yaas will cause no less damage than Amphan, which had hit the Odisha and West Bengal coasts on May 2, 2020, with a wind speed of 155-165 kmph and gusting up to 185 kmph. The IMD has warned of extremely heavy rainfall in parts of seven West Bengal districts, including Kolkata, and heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places in five districts on May 26 due to the cyclone. The Indian Air Force said it has kept one C-17 Globemaster, one IL-76, three C-130J Super Hercules, four Antonov-32s and two Dornier transport aircraft on readiness. Additionally, 11 Mi-17V5 helicopters, two Chetaks and three Cheetah helicopters, two Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopters and seven Mi17 helicopters are also on alert for any eventuality, it said. During the day, the IAF airlifted 21 tons of disaster relief equipment and 334 National Disaster Response Force personnel from Patna and Varanasi to Kolkata, and from Arakkonam to Port Blair, utilising five C-130J aircraft. This is in preparation for the approaching Cyclone Yaas, and the operations are ongoing since May 21. Till date, the IAF has airlifted 606 personnel and 57 tons of NDRF material for this purpose, it added. In view of the weather forecast, the Mamata Banerjee government has relaxed its lockdown norms in some sectors for the protection of stock and other measures. It said: All activities relating to agricultural, horticulture and floriculture, including transport, storage and sale of seeds, fertilisers, pesticides and agri-machines/equipment shall be allowed. Rural development work, including emergency flood control and pre-monsoon essential work, shall be allowed. The Odisha government on Sunday dispatched 18 NDRF teams to the coastal districts that are most likely to be affected by the cyclonic storm. Special relief commissioner P.K. Jena said seven NDRF teams were sent to Balasore district, four to Bhadrak, three to Kendrapara, two to Jajpur and one each to Jagatsinghpur and Mayurbhanj districts. Mr Jena himself went to the coastal districts to oversee cyclone preparedness by the local administration. Due to the cyclonic effect, north coastal districts of Odisha are likely to receive heavy to extremely heavy rainfall. The districts of Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara and Mayurbhanj will be most affected. Similarly, the districts like Jajpur, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Khurdha and Puri district will most probably receive heavy rainfall during the period, IMD director-general Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said on Sunday. As the low pressure turns into a depression and takes the shape of a very severe cyclonic storm, the Indian Navy has geared up to assist the state administrations in Odisha and West Bengal. Eight flood relief teams and four diving teams have been deployed in both states to augment existing resources. Four naval ships are on standby with humanitarian assistance and disaster relief bricks, diving, and medical teams to render assistance. Naval aircraft have also been kept ready at Naval Air Stations INS Dega at Visakhapatnam and INS Rajali near Chennai to undertake aerial surveys of the affected areas, casualty evacuation, and airdrop of relief materials as required. The government has also said that in case of any errors in the students' pass memos, the SSC Board can be informed by the concerned school principals, and added that the matter would be rectified immediately. (Representational image) Hyderabad: Fate of at least 60 students of St Adam's High School in Musheerabad hangs in balance, as the Board of Secondary Education has withheld their SSC results because the school management chose not to remit the exam fee despite collecting it from students, deputy DEO Hyderabad, Samuel Raj, confirmed. The school failed to pay the board though it collected fees from students, after which the education department refused to release the results of these students. The deputy DEO said that results would be released only after the school paid the amount. "We have received the exam fee from all other schools in the district, other than St Adam's. Ask them where they used all this money?" he said. Though this correspondent tried to reach the authorities of the school, they were unavailable for a comment. Sources said the owners of the school had fled the place since the results were announced. In the SSC results that were announced on Friday, over 2,10,000 students out of the 5,21,000 registered to sit for the exam this year, secured a 10 CGPA in 535 schools. Of these, 5,16,578 were regular students while 4,495 were students who had previously failed. Details of the grades allotted to students on the basis of internal assessment are available on the official website bse.telangana.gov.in and results.bsetelanagana.org. The government has also said that in case of any errors in the students' pass memos, the SSC Board can be informed by the concerned school principals, and added that the matter would be rectified immediately. For the second consecutive year, the Telangana government has cancelled the SSC exams due to the Covid-19 spread in the state now. There has been no update on the conduct of Class 12 or Intermediate exams that were earlier postponed until further notice. KARIMNAGAR: Ousted minister Eatala Rajendar and his future course of action continue to be the topic of hot discussion across the state. The talk revolves around whether his expulsion from the Cabinet was a good mone, whether he will quit the Legislative Assembly, if and by when he is likely to float a political party and whether he will join a national party. However, impression is gaining ground since the time he changed his Twitter account cover picture and the developments in Huzurabad, that Rajendar is poised to launch a political party. In the new cover photo, he is in a green kanduva, with Telangana Talli and statues of martyrs on the right side while photos of Jyothirao Phule, Dr B.R. Ambedkar and Prof. A. Jayashankar on the left along with an image of Telangana state and a fist symbolizing the statehood movement also to the left set in blue, green and yellow background. The photograph indicates that Rajendar is keen on having Backward Class (BC), Scheduled Caste (SC) and Tribes (ST) in his party. Rajendar emerged as a strong BC leader with a considerable hold over BCs, SCs, STs, employee and caste-based unions and students. On several occasions, he has maintained that he never craved for any post or position and at the same time gave indications that he would not tolerate anyone hurting his self-respect, a slogan on which he is, ostensibly, preparing ground for his new party. He is likely to announce it at a massive public meeting in the near future. Towards this, and to garner political support, he has met some key leaders of BJP and Congress and disgruntled leaders from the TRS. It is also learnt that Rajendar is likely to resign as MLA during the public meeting. As people are bearing the brunt of a deadly Covid-19 second wave, he has decided to wait till the situation returns to normalcy. Sensing this, TRS boss K. Chandrashekar Rao initially handed over the responsibility of taking care of the party cadre of Huzurabad constituency to BC welfare minister Gangula Kamalakar. However, when Rajendar attacked Kamalakar, the CM brought trouble-shooter T. Harish Rao into Huzurabad politics. When the TRS started focusing on his supporters, Rajendar asked them to pretend as if they were with the TRS and subsequently come in open support of his party. Political analysts point out that Rajendar is set to do a Chandrasekhar Rao, who,on being denied a Cabinet berth by N. Chandrababu Naidu had established hte TRS. If one were to go with the projections of good support from BCs, SCs, STs and student unions, Rajendars outfit could be a big thorn to TRS and upset the applecart of Chandrasekhar Rao. The 2014 mandate that catapulted Narendra Modi into the prime ministership of the worlds largest democracy was essentially due to three factors -- Mr Modis personal charisma, the united grassroot efforts of the BJP and the Sangh Parivar cadre and the failures of the previous UPA-2 government headed by Dr Manmohan Singh. When the general election took place five years later, in 2019, the third factor was no longer there. Yet, the mandate that Mr Modi secured in the 2019 general election was even bigger than the 2014 mandate. Mr Modis charisma continued to be a factor. Under Amit Shahs leadership, the party organisation had also grown in strength and expanse. But the most important factor for the favorable mandate in 2019 was the five-year performance track record of the Narendra Modi government. Two qualities that distinguished Mr Modis government in its first term were decisive and hands on. Unlike his predecessors who largely stayed dormant, Mr Modi led from the front. He not only demonstrated courage in taking strong and decisive action, but also clearly showed that he was the boss. As he began his second term after the landslide in 2019, the decisive and hands-on approach continued. The bill for the abrogation of triple talaq was introduced and passed in July. And in early August came the historic abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A of the Constitution. Towards the end of the year, another big step was taken by passing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). In November the same year, the Supreme Court had delivered its final verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute allowing for the construction of a temple at the site under question. Mr Modi did not waste any time in constituting a trust led by people not only dedicated to the cause but also involved in the temple movement for decades. Speaking on the completion of the first 100 days of his Modi 2.0 government last year, Prime Minister Modi said that development, trust and big changes mark the performance during the period. That people have trusted the Prime Minister massively is beyond dispute. The country has overwhelmingly supported Mr Modi on all these issues. In the eyes of his core supporters, Mr Modi has acquired the stature of a supreme leader. However, there are four areas in which the government faces major challenges. Covid-19 pandemic: At a time when the government was preparing to embark on a major development drive with $5 trillion GDP as the target, the country and the rest of the world were hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. The strict measures like lockdowns together with the Prime Ministers continuous monitoring and engagement with the masses had helped in India successfully overcoming the deadly impact of the first wave of Covid-19. India also led in the manufacture of vaccines and their supply to many countries. However, the deadly second wave has caught the country off guard. One important lesson that the coronavirus crisis has taught was the need for empowering grassroots institutions. The way forward is not hyper-centralisation, but cooperative federalism. Economy: As the government entered the second term, it moved fast on the reforms front. New and broad-based reforms in the agriculture and banking sectors, together with the push to dispense with the public sector bulge, indicate the governments commitment to further liberalise the economy. The bold push for encouraging market forces to take the lead in the agriculture sector has led to some resistance from a section of farmers. For the long-term benefit of Indias agriculture sector, these reforms are going to be a turning point for the farmers of the country. At a time when the Indian economy was all set to take off, the pandemic struck, significantly crippling it. The second wave is going to further delay the recovery. However, the determination shown by Modi 2.0 to forge ahead with policies for greater liberalisation can certainly help in the process of economic recovery. Security and foreign policy: One important area where Modi 1.0 came out with flying colours was security and foreign policy. On the foreign policy front, the first four years of Modi 1.0 had been a runaway success for the country, with Prime Minister Modis and Indias stature going up in the world. However, Modi 2.0 started with mounting security and foreign policy challenges. While the Narendra Modi government has a strong and stable military security apparatus in place and is able to counter its recalcitrant neighbours like Pakistan and China effectively, its diplomatic endeavours need further sharpening. Indian diplomacy, right from the time of the nations first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, has had two undeclared priority commitments. These are Asian pre-eminence and non-alliance. Indian diplomacy must pursue these twin commitments vigorously. While Indias relations with the United States have improved substantially under Mr Modis government, it is imperative for India to pursue a policy of being a frontline state in its Asian neighbourhood. Perception: The greatest challenge that the Modi 2.0 government faces is the perception challenge. Modi 1.0 saw Mr Modi himself aggressively pushing for a major image makeover for India through various initiatives. His initiatives at the UN, bilateral engagements with senior world leaders, the hosting of Bimstec and the African Leaders Summit have all helped in creating a positive perception about Mr Modi. There was a time when he was projected by many international magazines as an important global statesman. However, in the last couple of years, the perception-related challenge has certainly become serious for the Indian leadership. Some interest groups like the radical left-liberal cabal, are in the forefront in the campaign of misinformation. The Indian response varied from who-cares smugness to innuendo-filled angry outbursts. Neither will help India address this perception challenge. India must step up its efforts to engage with global public and civilian institutions in a more proactive and constructive way in order to be able to address this perception challenge. Despite these challenges, Prime Minister Modi continues to be popular with the masses primarily because of his direct connect with them and also because they see in him a leader genuinely and selflessly committed to the welfare and well-being of the country. In order to overcome all the challenges that lie ahead, Modi 2.0 needs to put greater focus on decentralism and cooperative federalism domestically and proactive engagement globally. The writer has served as the national general secretary of the BJP and is a member of the national executive of the RSS In this Oct. 2, 2019, photo, an abortion opponent sings to herself outside the Jackson Womens Health Organization clinic in Jackson, Miss. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a potentially ground-breaking abortion case, and the news is energizing activists on both sides of the contentious issue. They're already girding to make abortion access a high-profile issue in next years midterm elections. LETTER TO THE EDITOR elco has been denied over $195M over the last six years Police investigating an incident in Derry on Friday night during which masked men fired shots in a residential area of the city are appealing for witnesses and information. The PSNI say he incident involving at least 12 masked men who had gathered in Ardfoyle, just off Bishop Street, was reported to police just before 9pm on Friday. Police subsequently became aware of video footage circulating on social media showing masked men firing shots into the air. The shots were fired during a commemoration event for Derry hunger striker Patsy O'Hara. Friday was the 40th anniversary of his death. Derry City & Strabane Area Commander, Chief Superintendent Darrin Jones said: "An investigation is underway to establish who is responsible for this brazen armed show of strength that was carried out when it was still light outside, and in front of a significant crowd of people, including young children. "The fact this occurred in the middle of a built-up area is even more shocking because any of the bullets fired could have ricocheted or strayed at any moment and into the nearby crowd, among which young children were present. "It is extremely worrying these masked gunmen thought it was acceptable to carry out this reckless act and it illustrates the contempt they have for people in their community. What occurred was utterly appalling and has no place in today's society, nor is there any justification for such scenes. "Our officers have been in the Ardfoyle area conducting enquiries today, and I am appealing to anyone who can assist our investigation to get in touch. In particular, we want to hear from anyone who witnessed what occurred. "Did you see the masked men in the area? Did you see how did they got there? Did you see how they left? Do you know who organised the event? Do you know what vehicles were in the area on Friday night and have you any CCTV, or do you know of any in the area? Did you capture what occurred on dash cam, or on your mobile phone? "If you have information, I would urge you to get in touch with us and tell us what you know. The number to call is 101, quoting reference number 1969 of 21/05/21." A report can also be made online using our non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/ makeareport/You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/ Chief Superintendent Darrin Jones added: "The sight of armed and masked men on the streets of Derry/Londonderry is unacceptable. The recklessness of discharging firearms in a crowded residential area with young children actually present is beyond belief. "That such actions would be applauded by onlookers is also deeply concerning. However, the public can be assured we will continue to work with communities and our partners in the Paramilitary Crime Task Force to disrupt those involved in such criminal activities and reduce the harm they cause in our communities." Samsung, Hyundai, SK, LG to invest $39.45 bil. in chip, battery sectors By Kim Bo-eun Korea's top conglomerates are set to play a larger role in the U.S. supply chain for key sectors including semiconductors and electric vehicles (EVs), after promising to invest around $40 billion to establish manufacturing plants and related infrastructure in the coming years. This is an achievement for President Joseph Biden's administration which is seeking to secure critical high-tech supplies via building value chains on the continental U.S. as a means to contain China's growing influence. It is also a win-win situation for the Korean companies, as they get to play a substantial role in the supply chain for cutting-edge sectors, and subsequently acquire an increased market share. An upper hand in these industries is now considered par to military strength, as chips and electric batteries have become essential components in most, if not all devices used in the "digital era." The pledged $39.45 billion in investments by Samsung, Hyundai, LG and SK came on the sidelines of the summit between President Moon Jae-in and his U.S. counterpart President Biden in Washington D.C., Friday. SK Group Chairman and Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief Chey Tae-won, Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Kim Ki-nam, Hyundai Motor Group President Kong Young-woon and LG Energy Solution CEO Kim Jong-hyun were among the Korean businessmen present at a business roundtable at the U.S. Department of Commerce, also held in Washington. Samsung Electronics is pouring $17 billion into building a new foundry plant in the U.S.; while Hyundai Motor said it would invest $7.4 billion into producing EVs, establishing charging infrastructure, and developing technology for future vehicles incorporating hydrogen, robotics and autonomous driving. LG Energy Solution and SK Innovation are spending a combined $14 billion to build EV battery production plants of their own and also in the form of joint ventures with U.S. firms. SK hynix is investing $1 billion into setting up a large-scale R&D center focusing on artificial intelligence and NAND solutions in Silicon Valley. President Moon Jae-in, third from right, speaks during a business roundtable with executives from Korea and the U.S., at the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington D.C., Friday (local time). Yonhap Rakul Preet Singh Talks About Working With Amitabh Bachchan In Mayday; Shares Update On Thank God, Doctor G The gorgeous Rakul Preet Singh is currently soaring high on the success of her latest release Sardar Ka Grandson, co-starring Neena Gupta and Arjun Kapoor. She played the role of Radha in the film, who the actress could easily relate with because she feels she is a walking talking time table much like her character. Well, Rakul now has quite an exciting line up of films for the coming year and will be sharing the screen with many superstars. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rakul Singh (@rakulpreet) One of her most awaited projects is Mayday, alongside her De De Pyaar De co-star Ajay Devgn and megastar Amitabh Bachchan. Mayday marks her very first film with Big B and Rakul could not have been happier. In a recent chat with Spotboye, she shared her experience of working with him and stated, Mr. Bachchan is constantly rehearsing; he is constantly in his character. I would think should I speak to him or no, do I disturb him or no. It's amazing to see someone putting so much effort. He is what he is because of the person he is. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Amitabh Bachchan (@amitabhbachchan) The beauty also shared an update about two other upcoming projects-- Thank God with Sidharth Malhotra and Doctor G opposite Ayushmann Khurrana. Rakul was quoted saying, I was shooting for Thank God, and a lot of shoot is left. Then I was supposed to get into shooting for Doctor G end of April but the entire lockdown situation happened. Mayday I have finished, we just have about two-three days of work which will either happen in Abu Dhabi or Dubai that will depend on when we can go and shoot. Which film are you most excited to see Rakul in? Zaid Darbar Dedicates A Special Song To Gauahar; Rubina Shares An Important Life Lesson In Her Quirky Style After announcing their engagement with a beautiful pre-wedding shoot, love birds Gauahar Khan and Zaid Darbar tied the knot on 25th December last year. Ever since then the couple have been busy with work commitments and were later stuck at home during the lockdown. They recently got a chance to take a short getaway and jetted off to Siliguri, from where they have been treating fans with lovely snaps and clips on social media. Well, last night Zaid shared a special post for his lovely wife in which he dedicated a romantic song to her. Take a look: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Zaid Darbar (@zaid_darbar) Bigg Boss 14 winner Rubina Dilaik, on the other hand, shared an important life lesson on her official handle. The actress recently recovered from coronavirus and has been spending quality time with her parents and sister at their Shimla house. Well, in her latest post the Shakti - Astitva Ke Ehsaas Ki star made us realize that life is too short to wear boring clothes, especially at a time like now when most of us are cooped up at home in our pajamas. So Rubina decided to give us some major inspiration with her gorgeous outfits. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rubina Dilaik (@rubinadilaik) While Rubina recovered from COVID-19, her doting husband Abhinav Shukla travelled to Cape Town, South Africa to participate in Khatron Ke Khiladi season 11. Rubina recently revealed that she was also approached for the stunt reality show but by then she had already committed to return to her show Shakti. Duncan, OK (73533) Today Thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low 73F. Winds SE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%.. Tonight Thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low 73F. Winds SE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Chey Tae-won, second from left, SK Group chairman and also chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), listens to President Moon Jae-in as he is greeted by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, left, during Moon's visit to the site of a battery plant being built by SK Innovation in Georgia, Saturday (local time). Yonhap By Yi Whan-woo The summit between leaders of Korea and the United States last week marked the first overseas visit of Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Chairman Chey Tae-won after he began his term in March. Also chairman of SK Group, Chey was the only chief from Korea's major business lobby groups to accompany President Moon Jae-in during his five-day U.S. trip that ended Sunday (KST). Chey was also the highest-ranking business executive to join the economic delegation from Korea's four biggest companies Samsung, Hyundai Motor, LG and SK that announced plans to invest a combined 44 trillion won ($39 billion) in the U.S. on the occasion of Moon's summit with U.S. President Joe Biden. Chey accordingly played an active role, meeting government officials, entrepreneurs and leaders of think tanks and business lobby groups to enhance economic cooperation with the U.S. that seeks to spur domestic investments in semiconductor chips, large-capacity batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) and bioscience. The U.S.' efforts are largely designed to "outcompete" China through cooperation with Korea and other allied countries. Chey Tae-won, chairman of both the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and SK Group, attends a business roundtable hosted by the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C., Friday (local time), on the occasion of the summit between the leaders of the two countries. Yonhap From sailors, surfers, scientists and seafarers, to those who prefer to wade in the shallows or watch the wildlife, the sea means so many different things to different people. As part of the Oceans of Learning campaign, the Marine Institute is celebrating this connection to the sea, and its importance to people's lives with its Sea to Me social media competition. There will be some great weekly prizes on offer, inspired by the sea. Patricia Orme, Joint Acting CEO of the Marine Institute said: With 1.9 million people in Ireland living close to the coast, the sea has an impact on all of our lives every day. Many people also rely on the sea for their livelihood, from fishing, tourism and transport to our seafood industry. "To celebrate our connection to the sea, we are asking you to share what the sea means to you. Together, we can celebrate our seas and oceans and Irelands valuable marine resource. Anyone who wishes to enter the Sea to Me competition can simply share what the sea means to them on social media using the hashtag #SeaToMe. Those taking part can draw a picture, take a photo, upload a video, make some music, share a photo from a past holiday by the sea or favourite place along Irelands coast, or be inspired to write a poem, or quote about what the sea means to you. The Sea to Me competition is part of the Marine Institutes Oceans of Learning series, a collaboration with Irelands marine sector to celebrate the seas and shared marine resource. Over four weeks, the Marine Institute will be sharing ocean inspired news and online interactives, videos and downloadable resources from rich marine biodiversity, to the changing ocean climate, and oceans future. Through Oceans of Learning, the Marine Institute is working with Government Departments and organisations across Ireland including Bord Bia, Met Eireann, Irish Chamber Orchestra, Irish Naval Service, SEAI, NUI Galway, UCC, Maynooth University, Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, Codex Beauty, Seavite, GOAL and the European Commission to celebrate and highlight the vital role the ocean plays in everyone's lives . More information on Oceans of Learning and the Sea to Me competition is available at www.marine.ie People are invited to follow #SeaToMe and #OceansOfLearning on the Marine Institute Facebook page, Twitter @MarineInst and Instagram @marineinstiuteireland For inspiration check out some of last years #SeatoMe competition entries https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=BF_6MuCFJyA North Andover, MA (01845) Today A few showers early becoming a steady rain overnight. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.. Tonight A few showers early becoming a steady rain overnight. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. Vaccination freebies: Get rewarded for your COVID-19 shot with these Oregon deals and discounts Yemenis hold Palestinian flags and banners during a demonstration in Yemen's third city Taez on May 22, 2021, celebrating the victory of the Palestinian resistance against Israel following a ceasefire. AFP-Yonhap The UN Security Council on Saturday called for "full adherence to the ceasefire" in the conflict between Israel and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip in its first statement since violence erupted on May 10. Security Council members also stressed "the immediate need for humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian civilian population, particularly in Gaza." The statement received backing from the US delegation which had blocked earlier drafts only after the removal of a paragraph condemning the violence, a sensitive issue since it raised the question of blame. An earlier draft said that "Security Council members condemned all acts of violence against civilians, including acts of terror, as well as acts of provocation, incitement and destruction." That draft also "expressed concern about the tensions and violence in east Jerusalem, especially in and around the holy sites, and urged for the respect of the historic status quo at the holy sites." In a statement Saturday, the Israeli Foreign Ministry thanked the United States "for its continued support for Israel and its right to defend its citizens," and it placed "full blame" for the recent violence on Hamas militants for firing thousands of rockets at Israel. 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Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. Emporia, VA (23847) Today An isolated thunderstorm possible this evening, then occasional showers overnight. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight An isolated thunderstorm possible this evening, then occasional showers overnight. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%. In this Oct. 22, 2019, file photo, a sign that reads, "HELP," is posted in the window of an inmate cell during a tour along with state officials at Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Ala. The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020, against Alabama over conditions in the state prisons, saying the state is failing to protect male inmates from inmate-on-inmate violence and excessive force at the hands of prison staff. The ransomware attack that hobbled the Irish healthcare system was far from an isolated incident. BleepingComputer and Gizmodo note that the FBI has issued a flash alert warning that the ransomware group behind the Ireland attack also targeted "at least" 16 healthcare and emergency networks, including police and 911 dispatch centers. The group used Conti ransomware that steals files, encrypts systems and pressures victims into paying through a portal lest their data be sold or published online. The FBI didn't identify the victims or say if they'd paid ransoms. The Conti ransomware is believed to be under the control of the Russia-based Wizard Spider cybercrime gang. The code shares some connections with the Ryuk ransomware and even uses that malware's distribution channels. The perpetrators behind the Irish attack released a free decryptor after realizing the nature of their victim, but they still said they'd release or sell data. They'd originally demanded a ransom. The issue, of course, is that this group might use similar tactics. Healthcare operations and personal data might be at risk even if attackers waive ransoms, and those that do pay might inadvertently encourage future attacks. Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College New Richmond Campus Applications are presently being accepted from qualified candidates to provide general support on an as-needed, call staff basis at WITC New Richmond Campus. The duties for this Call Staff position will include, but not be limited to the following tasks: Greeting the public, directing traffic, answering a multi-line phone system, sending and receiving faxes, general clerical duties, light cleaning to high touch surfaces to stay in accordance with the CDC guidelines, special request project assignments, and other duties as they are available or assigned. For a complete job description, list of qualifications, and to apply please click on "Apply" to visit our website Deadline to apply: May 31, 2021 WITC is an Equal Opportunity/Access/Affirmative Action/Veterans/Disability Employer and Educator TTY 711 recblid 3qcehvkp993a51t9v6lwaduu3ofc6p People have used app ratings to object to company policies in the past, but an ongoing campaign may be doing significant damage. NBC News has learned that pro-Palestinian activists are succeeding in a campaign to trash Facebook's ratings in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store through "thousands" of one-star reviews. Many of the participants have accused Facebook of silencing Palestinians as they speak out about the recent escalation of violence with Israel. The social network is taking the campaign very seriously, according to message board info NBC obtained. It's marked as a "severity 1" issue, or just below a full-fledged site outage. A senior Facebook engineer reportedly said that users felt they were "censored" and otherwise suppressed. Notably, though, the store operators weren't necessarily intervening. A Facebook employee claimed that Apple declined to pull the one-star reviews. It's not clear how Google has responded. We've asked Apple and Google for comment. Facebook rejected accusations of censorship in a statement to NBC, claiming that its policies provide "everyone a voice" and that it applied them irrespective of beliefs. Spokesperson Andy Stone pointed to a team that was "closely monitoring" the Israeli-Palestinian situation to both pull harmful content and correct enforcement mistakes. This won't necessarily lead Facebook to change its approach. However, it's notable that the campaign is having an effect in the first place and that app store hosts might be staying out of the fray. It wouldn't be surprising if more campaigns like this emerge in the future, even if they don't ultimately lead to company action. Enid, OK (73701) Today Scattered thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 71F. ESE winds shifting to NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 71F. ESE winds shifting to NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Criminal charges were handed down to two former Colorado police officers after they forcefully detained an elderly woman with dementia last year. Karen Garner was arrested for shoplifting but ended up with a broken arm and dislocated shoulder. Turkey has banned most plastic waste imports after Greenpeace uncovered mountains of trash in the south generated by trash exports from EU countries. The Pound Australian Dollar (GBP/AUD) exchange rate had been steady heading into the weekend as Sterling found support in the latest retail sales figures from the UK. The GBP/AUD exchange rate was trading around the AU$1.8267 level heading into the weekend as the Australian Dollar saw a fall in flash PMI data from Australia for May. Pound (GBP) Supported by Surge in UK Retail Sales The Pound spent the last week steadily rising against the Australian Dollar, at the beginning of the week Sterling found support from the latest stage of lockdown easing across the UK. Though throughout the week the Pound stumbled over worries that the Indian variant of the virus could cause the UKs roadmap out of lockdown to be derailed, and caused investors to pullback from the currency shy away from GBP. Friday saw Sterling regain some of those losses, as a surge in retail sales figures during April and a fast-growing flash services PMI from the UK saw Sterling supported heading into the weekend. Analysts at IHS Markit, who compiles the PMI survey commented on the UKs economic performance: Business expectations for the next 12 months edged up to a new record high during May, largely reflecting a surge in order books and a faster than anticipated recovery in demand since the lockdown period. Among the small minority of firms citing downbeat expectations, this was mainly attributed to Brexit-related issues. Some also cited worries about the prospect of prolonged international travel restrictions. However, there was a notable easing of concerns about future lockdowns and adverse impact on business activity from COVID-19. Australian Dollar (AUD) Steady on Australian Flash PMI The Australian Dollar was trading in a mixed range for much of last week as risk-on trade and a slew of positive data from Australia bolstered the Aussie. More so, towards the end of the week the Australian Dollar found added support from the latest flash PMIs from Australia for May. Although edging lower from 58.9 in April to 58.1 in May, the Australia Composite Output Index recorded its 9th month in expansion territory. Jingyi Pan, Economics Associate Director at IHS Markit, commented on the PMI saying: Australias private sector growth eased from Aprils survey record. That said, growth remained sharp to affirm the continued improvement in economic conditions following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions. The outlook for activity over the coming year remained optimistic, particularly in the service sector in May. GBP/AUD Forecast: Coronavirus Developments in Focus A quieter economic week for both the UK and Australia will instead see investors keep an eye on any coronavirus developments. Sterling traders will want to make sure any indication that a surge in Indian variant cases of the coronavirus does not hamper the UKs lockdown easing in the coming weeks. Australian Dollar investors will focus on the global market mood, as much of the globe begins to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, investors may begin to take more risks. CONTACT: Pamela D. Wilson +1 303-810-1816 Email: Inquiry_For_Pamela@pameladwilson.com Golden, Colorado May 22, 2021 The Caring Generation What is 24 7 Care for the Elderly? Golden CO- Caregiving expert Pamela D. Wilson hosts The Caring Generation podcast show for caregivers and aging adults. This coming Wednesday, May 26, 2021, the subject is 24 7 Care for the Elderly. Wilson releases a new podcast in The Caring Generation series every Wednesday, sharing tips and conversations about aging, caregiving, and family relationships to help caregiving families plan for what lies ahead. The podcasts are available on Wilson's website and all major podcast sites. 24 7 Care for the Elderly What is 24 7 care? The term 24 7 care is a recommendation provided by staff employed by in-home care companies, Medicare home health care providers, care communities, nursing homes, and hospitals. When an aging parent or another loved one is said to need 24 7 care, this means that the parent may be at risk of injury or safety concerns if left alone for any time during a 24 hour period. 24 7 care can also apply to the care needed by family members with dementia, Alzheimer's disease, or another cognitive impairment that makes it unsafe for this person to live alone. On this week's show, Wilson answers questions about the considerations and decisions to be made around 24 7 care for elderly parents who want to live independently at home. Wilson shares information for adult children who ask when is it safe to leave a parent at home alone? Also discussed are daily activities that help all adults remain physically independent to avoid accidents and hospitalizations that may result in 24 7 care. Dr. Joseph Cafazzo Talks About Healthcare Technology to Avoid Hospitalizations Dr. Joseph Cafazzo is the Lead of the Centre for Global eHealth Innovation at the University Health Network, a state-of-the-art research facility hosting 70 staff and students devoted to the evaluation and design of healthcare technology, based at Toronto General Hospital. He joins Wilson on this week's show to discuss advances in healthcare technology, including managing heart disease and diabetes and the potential to detect Alzheimer's disease. As a biomedical engineer, Dr. Cafazzo observes healthcare delivery from the inside-out and works on ways to keep people out of the hospital by creating technologies that allow for self-care at home. Over his career, he has built a network of clinicians, designers, engineers, and researchers that challenge healthcare norms and empower patients and their families. Together they push the boundaries of what's possible, which has led to creating technologies that act to facilitate patient self-care of complex chronic conditions. Dr. Cafazzo is a Professor at the University of Toronto in clinical engineering, human factors, and health informatics and is the recipient of the Career Scientist award by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. He serves as a Chair for the Scientific Advisory Committee of Health Canada for Digital Health. Wilson works with family caregivers, groups, and corporations worldwide to educate about the role strain that caregivers experience, managing, and planning for health and aging issues. More about Wilson's online courses for elderly care, individual elder care consultations, caregiver support, webinars, and speaking engagements are on her website www.pameladwilson.com. Pamela may also be contacted at +1 303-810-1816 or through the Contact Me page on her website. # BBC still operates on deceit, from Diana to Xinjiang Chinadaily.com.cn) 13:24, May 23, 2021 A girl holds flowers in front of the Gate of Kensington Palace on the 20th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana in London, Britain, Aug. 31, 2017. (Xinhua/Han Yan) On Thursday local time, after an inquiry confirmed it, Prince Harry of the British royal family blamed the BBC for deceit in an interview with his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, that fueled her paranoia, worsened her relationship with husband, and led to her losing her life. In the statement, he picked words such as, "a culture of exploitation and unethical practices", and stressed they "are still widespread today". Harry has hit the exact point by mentioning today. Even today, the BBC is still on its old path of corruption by fabricating reports about "forced labor" in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and spreading naked lies about Wuhan more than one year after it reopened after the lockdown. The BBC boss and its "rogue reporters", to quote Prince Harry, might be glad to find that some Hong Kong media outlets have copied the dirty tricks from them. When the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government tried to amend the extradition bill to better fight crime, some media falsely claimed it would hurt Hong Kong's judiciary. When riots happened due to their instigation, they sent large numbers of "reporters" wearing yellow press V-jackets who lied that the police beat them. The rioter they claimed was beaten to death was found alive in London, while their claimed "police violence" left police officers hurt and rioters holding weapons. The worst of them, Apple Daily, even received as many as 130 complaints from Hong Kong police, which was supported by the Hong Kong Press Council. So is there any difference between certain Hong Kong media and the BBC? They both threaten the interviewee of their dignity and even their lives under the cover of "press freedom". Now the riots have been pacified, and Apple Daily suspended its print edition in Taiwan due to poor business. That's solid evidence of losing public trust, and the next step will be them buried in the dust of history, totally forgotten by the public. That applies both to the BBC as the teacher and some Hong Kong media as the student. (Web editor: Meng Bin, Bianji) Position Objective: VP, Supply Chain and Real Estate is responsible for the health system supply chain and materials management functions while maintaining compliance with applicable government regulations and Joint Commission. Responsible for developing and implementing opportunities to form relationships and create economic value across the Luminis Health system. The VP develops cost reduction opportunities, realize savings and efficiencies through purchasing volume and leveraging discounts with manufacturers, distributors and other vendors. The VP, Supply Chain and Real Estate plays a lead role in the strategic and financial planning for the Real Estate business function. This person will be a key member of the leadership team and partners closely with the Chief Financial Officer. This individual must be able to manage and optimize reporting, forecasting, and budgeting processes, while proactively identifying opportunities for improved results and providing the necessary analysis to guide a wide range of decisions. This role also drives change management and accountability through process, systems, and reporting improvements to provide more transparency and visibility into current and future financial results. Essential Job Duties: Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions Directs the acquisition process for goods and services, including the Major Capital/Construction Renovation and capital equipment assuring that group purchasing, standardization, regulatory agencies, administrative and departmental requirements are met. Develops policies and procedures to facilitate the acquisition process. Directs the control/management as well as the physical inventory processes for Supply Chain Management. Directs the purchasing function to assure compliance with group contracting, implementation of new products or services, adherence to health system requirements. Leads strategy for Supply Chain including purchasing, value analysis, contracting, supplier diversity and inventory management Leads monitoring of vendor performance, including delivering against product and service level agreements, cost objectives to gain operational efficiencies Develops and achieves performance metrics to track progress for the organization against national benchmarks to ensure best practices Develops, implements, and executes a disciplined system to implement best practice agreements organization-wide, focusing on total organization cost effectiveness, enhanced service levels, improved coordination, and risk management Supports and executes procurement and contracting strategies Establishes, develops and maintains relationships with key suppliers Engages department leaders with actionable analytics and identifies key opportunities for savings Translate strategies into actionable initiatives that enable achievement of results that align with established goals to create and sustain operational excellence for health care entities and programs. Leads the integration of the supply chain and materials management function across the organization and provides ultimate oversight for multiyear strategies to advance the supply chain and materials management opportunities for savings. Ensures broader organizational support around identified goals, strategies, budgets, and metrics associated with the supply chain and materials management function. Ensures that supply chain and materials management policies, procedures, and practices result in clinical, service and operational excellence. Works in partnership with management and physician leaders in ensuring that plans, operations and patient care are aligned with the Mission, Vision and Values. Accountable for a positive organizational culture in conducting business, decision making and performance management to influence work attitudes and enhance job satisfaction. Builds the organizational structure, talent, and other capabilities to implement and operate the supply chain and materials management function. Select, engage and develop leaders, inclusive of performance management, professional development, formation, and succession planning. Member of system management teams and leads supply chain and materials management function as a key liaison between the leadership teams and physician partners and applicable governing board of the health care entities and programs. Develop monthly P&L forecast. Validate and analyze monthly results and identify any necessary action steps in response to variances. Real Estate The VP, is responsible for portfolio management and strategy. The incumbent should be able to monitor the current portfolio and work with internal and external partners on the overall system strategy. Initiates and develops strategic plans, policies, and procedures; ensures alignment of standards across system Leads committees and presents to internal and external stakeholders Accountable for development of the real estate strategy, this includes lease renewals, acquisitions and administration, development and dispositions to maximize value and deliver the best product for the patients Takes the lead role in how to plan acquisition, sale and use of properties. Educational/Experience Requirements: Minimum of B.S. degree in Business Administration or related field or can substitute equivalent experience. Master's Degree in Business, Supply Chain Management or Healthcare Management with a preference for a focus in financial management and/or contract management preferred. Ten (10) years of progressive responsibilities with demonstrated leadership in all areas of Supply Chain Management, including active oversight of these functions within an acute care/multiple entity healthcare provider organization. Preferred strong preference for formal certification by AHRMM, ISM or similar supply chain credentialing organization. Preference for demonstrated strength in Supply Chain/Materials Management Information Systems (SCIS/MMIS). Preference for demonstrated strength in staff development, in-service training and/or publication on an array of supply chain related topics. Minimum 10 years of finance and accounting experience, ideally with experience in real estate and large capital projects. Exceptional results orientation, with a high degree of personal initiative and leadership, in a lower-resource environment. Excellent project management skills and attention to detail. Able to juggle multiple tasks in a fast-moving environment and re-prioritize with ease. Superior professionalism, discretion, and judgment. Excellent collaborative skills and people management skills. Excellent oral and written communication skills and demonstrated ability to communicate with senior leadership effectively. Strong knowledge of finance and accounting principles. Experience leading teams. RequiredLicense/Certifications: None Working Conditions, Equipment, Physical Demands: There is a reasonable expectation that employees in this position will not be exposed to blood-borne pathogens. Physical Demands - Light Work The physical demands and work environment that have been described are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The above job description is an overview of the functions and requirements for this position. This document is not intended to be an exhaustive list encompassing every duty and requirement of this position; your supervisor may assign other duties as deemed necessary. WASHINGTON (AP) President Joe Biden and progressive Democrats have proposed to lower Medicares eligibility age to 60, to help older adults get affordable coverage. But a new study finds that Medicare can be more expensive than other options, particularly for many people of modest means. There are two reasons: Traditional Medicare has gaps in coverage that most people fill by purchasing supplemental plans, which means they pay added premiums. And premiums for the Obama-era Affordable Care Act have come way down recently due to Biden's COVID relief bill. That's made the ACA more attractive for older adults who haven't reached Medicare's eligibility age of 65. Simply expanding Medicare eligibility does not guarantee premium affordability, concluded the study by Avalere Health for The Associated Press. It found that many older adults with low to modest incomes can already find cheaper premiums in Obamacare's markets, while those in the solid middle class would be more likely to benefit if they could get into Medicare. Lowering the Medicare eligibility age to 60 is politically popular, with nearly 2 in 3 Americans backing the idea in a Kaiser Family Foundation poll late last year. That included about half of Republicans. But in Congress the proposal has little support from Republicans, meaning that it would be up to Democrats to try to advance it. Liberals are enthusiastic, but moderates worry that tinkering with Medicare's complex financing could have unintended political consequences. The Avalere analysis did find that traditional Medicare has an important advantage over Obamacare because hospitals and doctors nationwide accept it, whereas coverage through private insurers generally relies on restrictive networks. Another potential plus: the combination of traditional Medicare and a supplemental Medigap policy provides more generous coverage than the ACAs midlevel plans. Avalere, a market analysis and consulting firm, compared Obamacare premiums to premiums for Medicare coverage in Houston, Miami, Los Angeles, and Chicago for a hypothetical 60-year-old nonsmoker and a 65-year-old enrolled in Medicare. Because the ACA's financial assistance is keyed to income, the study looked at individuals making about $18,000 a year, those making about $32,000, and those around $52,000. It also took into account Medicare Advantage, the private insurance option that nearly 4 in 10 Medicare enrollees pick. Medicare was generally the better deal for those in the solid middle class, those around $52,000. In Houston, a 60-year-old making $32,000 can get a midlevel ACA silver plan for $88 a month, compared with either $284 for traditional Medicare plus a Medigap supplement and a prescription plan, or a Medicare Advantage plan starting at $149. For a resident of the same city making $52,000, the Obamacare plan would cost $344, making Medicare the better deal. A hypothetical 60-year-old in Los Angeles making $18,000 can now get a silver plan for a monthly premium of $1, compared with $277 for traditional Medicare and its added wrap-around coverage. But for an Angeleno making $52,000, traditional Medicare would work out to about $70 less per month than the ACA plan. Simply expanding Medicare as it is to younger people does not always mean those patients are getting a better deal, said Chris Sloan, an industry analyst at Avalere. The things that the Biden administration has done to increase the Obamacare subsidies thru 2022 have made it really affordable. Biden is asking Congress to permanently extend the more generous financial assistance that has brought down the cost Obamacare premiums. The Avalere analysis also found that uninsured people make up only 8% of the 24.5 million adults ages 60-64 who would qualify for Medicare by lowering the eligibility age. Of the total, about 6 in 10 currently have employer coverage. The Biden administration, through the Department of Health and Human Services, had no comment. Economist John Holahan of the Urban Institute think thank said the new research illustrates an important point. Medicare as it stands right now is a sort of complicated beast with a separate drug plan and no out-of-pocket caps," he said. "The nation has that in the ACA, and at a pretty heavily subsidized amount. Without other changes, lowering the Medicare eligibility age may not really solve coverage or affordability problems, said health policy expert Katherine Hempstead of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It's hard to see a lot of obvious situations where Wow, this is a great deal for someone, or a big improvement over the status quo, she said. But Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., a progressive advocating a Medicare for All national health insurance plan, said the study framed the question too narrowly. A new tax-financed plan modeled on Medicare and offering comprehensive coverage with no premiums or deductibles would be better for consumers, he said. And the U.S. would reduce health care spending because Medicare pays doctors and hospitals less than private insurance. The ACA is still basically a subsidy for private insurance, said Khanna. What we don't want to be doing is entrenching private insurance companies that are a drain on American competitiveness and have failed to deliver comprehensive coverage to Americans. In other findings, the study showed that in Miami, the ACA could offer slightly lower premiums than traditional Medicare even for a solid middle-class individual making $52,000, a potential savings of about $40 a month. And in Chicago, the traditional Medicare combination would cost a lower-income person $268 a month. But they could find ACA coverage starting at $1. Photos of a laughing baby boy as he grew from a swaddled infant to a toddler playing with his cousins materialized across a screen. Below the images sat an altar decorated with a wooden cross, blue and yellow roses and teddy bears. Mariesol Gomez watched from the front row of the Castle Ridge Mortuary. After months of uncertainty after the boy went missing, she and about 40 family members and friends came together to remember the short life of James Avi Chairez. James was loved by so many, said Gomez, James great-aunt. And it breaks my heart that Im not going to hold him again ... Hes going to be missed so much. No child should ever be taken away like this from anyone, Gomez continued. James didnt deserve what happened to him. His mother was noticeably absent from Saturdays somber service. Born July 16, 2019, James was 1 year old. Gomez said he spent his days mostly laughing and constantly hungry. He often craved beans and cheese. I dont know why this happened to him, she said. Hes a baby ... He had a lot of life to live. On ExpressNews.com: 'I may never know the why:' Police say remains are identified as missing baby James James had been missing for months when his remains were found under his mothers West Side home on April 28 during a second search of their trailer. Authorities confirmed Wednesday the remains were the missing child. He was last seen with his mother, DLanny Reaneille Chairez, on Jan. 4 in security footage from a Walgreens near their West Side home. After finding Chairezs phone, a relative said they found a video showing James alive on Jan. 11. Both Chairez and her child were reported missing in February. She was found March 15 and arrested the next day. Investigators searched Chairezs trailer and found a crib sheet with bloodstains, a car seat, stroller, diapers and toys, court documents state. During a second search more than a month later, investigators found human remains. Even as the rosary was about to start Saturday, family members struggled to find closure. I dont understand how something so horrible could happen to a child, Gomez said. Had I known James was in any kind of situation, best believe I wouldve given my life for him, but instead, his life was taken. Ronald Cortes /Contributor / Chairez is being held in the Bexar County Jail on charges of tampering with evidence related to her sons disappearance. Her bail was recently reduced from $250,000 to $150,000, and her case is set to go to trial June 16. Bexar County District Attorney Joe D. Gonzales said additional charges are possible. Family members havent heard from Chairez since the remains were identified, according to Jerry Gomez, James great-uncle. Today, I hate her for what shes putting us through, Mariesol Gomez said. I can forgive her, but Im allowed to hate her for just a little bit. James was just a baby. On ExpressNews.com: Key dates in the case of missing baby James Chairez Jasmine Anderson, the founder of anti-child abuse organization KJs Angels, was sick to her stomach at Saturdays service, but she also felt the drive to prevent future tragedies such as these from happening again. What does it take? she asked. Though resources are available, many mothers feel ashamed to reach out for help, she added. Ronald Cortes /Contributor / Anderson and Mariesol Gomez hope to get state lawmakers to tighten the language on what constitutes a welfare check. Mariesol Gomez had called both Child Protective Services and law enforcement to check on James, but they, to her knowledge, never laid eyes on him. Im going to fight for all children, and Im going to make a stand, Mariesol Gomez said. I dont want anybody else to feel this kind of pain. Anyone who suspects a child is being abused should call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at (800) 422-4453 or visit www.ChildHelp.org/hotline. The hotline offers crisis intervention, information and referrals to emergency, social service and support resources. All calls, texts and chats are confidential. liz.hardaway@hearst.com | Twitter: @liz_hardaway About 20 minutes before the guilty verdict in Derek Chauvins murder trial was announced in Minneapolis before George Floyds family could issue profound public statements on racism and policing officers in Columbus, Ohio, shot and killed 16-year-old MaKhia Bryant in a domestic disturbance involving a knife. Floyds brother, Philonise Floyd, cautiously celebrated the court victory, warning its a single milestone in the long march for police accountability. Hes right. Many years before the killings of Floyd and MaKhia, there was Santos Rodriguez, whose 1973 slaying bears similarities to both cases of reckless fatal force from police. Like MaKhia, Santos a 12-year-old Mexican American boy lived in a foster home. Like Floyd, who grew up in Houston, Santos deadly encounter with a white police officer started with accusations of theft at a store. In his five years with the Dallas Police Department, officer Darrell Cain had shot and wounded a man at a park and was also named in the suspicious shooting death of a teenager. On the night of Santos killing, Cain pulled the boy and his brother David, 13, from their beds at 2:30 a.m. and took them from their 80-year-old grandfathers house in a neighborhood called Little Mexico to a gas station, where he initiated an impromptu interrogation over $8 reportedly taken from a vending machine. Eager to force a confession, Cain pointed his .357 Magnum at Santos head and pulled the trigger, executing him on the second try with a shot fired 6 inches from his head as he was handcuffed to David. At his trial, Cain claimed it was an accident, and witnesses testified the brothers fingerprints didnt match any at the gas station. David Rodriguez later told reporters his brothers last words were, I am telling the truth, and he thought his slumped-over sibling was still alive until he felt blood on his bare feet as the two sat handcuffed in the police car alone for 10 minutes almost a minute longer than Chauvin forced his knee into Floyds neck until he died. Though Cain was convicted of murder, he served less than three years in prison and died in Lubbock two years ago. Santos mother, Bessie Rodriguez, told WFAA-TV in June she and David never received support for their trauma. Cary Clack: With a guilty verdict, the moral arc slowly bends For people like me who grew up with whispered warnings about the boy killed by Dallas police, the hope that Chauvins conviction would bring some comfort was shattered by the news of MaKhias killing. Weeks after her death, a video shows MaKhia lunged at a woman with a knife but her 15-year-old sister who was living at the same foster home had called 911 in March asking for a new placement, and police had taken 13 reports regarding other foster children at that home since 2017. After that video, some people wont see MaKhia as a victim but as someone who brought this on herself, Fabiola Cineas of Vox wrote after a discussion with a professor of African American history. And even for those who do see her as a victim, theyll still victim-blame, erasing the systemic oppression ... that brought her to being killed at the hands of the police. Its a sentiment Michelle Martin, an attorney representing MaKhias family, shared with reporters last month: If you arent angry about why this happened, if youre not angry about why this continues to happen, then you are truly the problem. Tuesday marks the anniversary of Floyds senseless murder. Anyone still applauding the illusion of oneness after Chauvins guilty verdict or pointing a finger at MaKhia should get the message: We should stay angry for every person lost to police violence. Ricardo Lopez Jr. is op-ed and letters editor. Email him at ricardo.lopez@express-news.net. District 9 voters on the North Side should think long and hard about whether challenger Patrick Von Dohlen would serve their interests or use the dais to further his by fanning the culture war flames. The runoff between City Councilman John Courage and Von Dohlen should be an easy choice. Its Courage, the steady incumbent, a retired schoolteacher and Air Force police officer, all the way. Courage is reasonable and pragmatic, and he votes the district (decreasing property taxes, opposing moving the Cenotaph at the Alamo). His constituent services the truest measure of City Council success are outstanding. Even Von Dohlen told us Courage has good constituent services and I plan to duplicate that. The tenor and tone of Von Dohlens campaign belies this assertion that he could replicate Courages constituent services. Its hard no, make that impossible to imagine Courage would berate a restaurant worker for bringing the wrong breakfast taco or haggle over the price of a grapefruit juice, as Metro columnist Gilbert Garcia recently reported. So hes berating this server for bringing him the wrong taco, even though she didnt take the order and presumably didnt assemble the taco, political consultant Roger Legrand said, recalling a meeting he had in advance of Von Dohlens 2019 City Council campaign. I couldnt believe it. So, I shut my laptop and left and that was the last I ever heard from him. / Courage has also not lobbed mean-spirited and inaccurate volleys at Von Dohlen, who has labeled Courage a socialist and a Marxist (hes not), and claimed Courage has sought the recommendations of former U.S. Rep. Beto ORourke and former state Sen. Wendy Davis (he hasnt). This speaks to character. Then there are the policies. Von Dohlen opposes equity budgeting, a practice that ultimately serves the city because it prioritizes funding to those areas most in need. District 9 still receives ample funding, but this city has a sad legacy of economic segregation and inequality. Its to the benefit of all to build infrastructure in those parts of our community most neglected. Von Dohlen often deals in euphemism. He opposes the removal of historical statues, which means he supports displaying Confederate monuments; He has said he has Chick-fil-A values, which means he opposes gay marriage. His LinkedIn page says he is a board member of the San Antonio Family Association, which supports gay conversion therapy. And when we asked him about whether the 2020 presidential election was rigged, he said there was evidence there was voter fraud. ... but we have a different president now. District 9 voters should think of the kind of attention Von Dohlen might create for himself and the city if he is elected. Patrick Von Dohlen is no John Courage. Stick with the incumbent. Early voting for the election runs though June 1. Here are our recommendations for the city runoff: District 1: Mario Bravo District 2: Jalen McKee-Rodriguez District 3: Phyllis Viagran District 5: Rudy Lopez District 9: John Courage The federal government said Thursday it has seized 68 protected lions, tigers, lion-tiger hybrids and a jaguar from an animal park in Oklahoma featured in Netflix's "Tiger King." According to a news release from the Justice Department, this was due to a judicially authorized search and seizure warrant for ongoing Endangered Species Act violations. The Justice Department will seek civil forfeiture of these animals and any offspring pursuant to the ESA's forfeiture provision, officials said. HOUSTON TIGER: Businesswoman Linda McIngvale recounts helping with search for India the missing tiger The Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has conducted three inspections of Tiger King Park since mid-December 2020. Officials said Jeff and Lauren Lowe received citations for failing to provide the animals with adequate or timely veterinary care, appropriate nutrition, and shelter that protects them from inclement weather and is of sufficient size to allow them to engage in normal behavior. The Lowes were recently found in contempt after "months of noncompliance with court orders requiring the Lowes, in part, to employ a qualified veterinarian and establish and maintain a program of veterinary care that meets the requirements of the Animal Welfare Act," the news release said. Daniel Card, an attorney for the couple, told a federal judge that the Lowes "want out completely." "They don't want to fight this anymore. They don't want to do it," Card told the judge. Jeffrey Lowe was a central figure in "Tiger King" that featured a mullet-wearing zookeeper named Joe Exotic and became a cultural phenomenon last year. Joe Exotic, a pseudonym for Joseph Maldonado-Passage, is serving a 22-year sentence in federal prison in Texas for his 2020 conviction on charges that he participated in a murder-for-hire plot and violated federal wildlife laws. "This seizure should send a clear message that the Justice Department takes alleged harm to captive-bred animals protected under the Endangered Species Act very seriously," acting assistant Attorney General Jean E. Williams of the DOJ's Environment and Natural Resources Division said. "This important animal rescue operation of nearly 70 endangered and allegedly abused lions, tigers, and a jaguar shows how effective civil forfeiture can be when utilized in conjunction with statutes like the Endangered Species Act," acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the DOJ's Criminal Division said. "We are proud to have partnered with the Environment and Natural Resources Division to protect these amazing animals, and will work to ensure that they go to responsible animal preserves where they can be safely maintained rather than exploited." The Associated Press contributed to this report. ROME (AP) A cable car taking visitors to a mountaintop view of some of northern Italy's most picturesque lakes plummeted to the ground Sunday and then tumbled down the slope, killing 14 people. The lone survivor, a young child, was hospitalized in serious condition with broken bones, authorities said. Six of the dead were Israeli citizens, including a family of four who lived in Italy, the Israeli foreign ministry said. It wasn't clear if the other couple was related. The mayor of Stresa, where the incident occurred, said it appeared that a cable broke, sending the car careening until it hit a pylon and then fell to the ground. At that point, the car overturned two or three times before hitting some trees," said Mayor Marcella Severino. Some of those who died were thrown from the cabin. The Italian government announced a commission to investigate the disaster, which is likely to renew questions about the quality and safety of Italys transport infrastructure. Images from the site showed the crumpled car in a clearing of a thick patch of pine trees near the summit of the Mottarone peak overlooking Lake Maggiore. The car was believed to have fallen around 15 meters (50 feet), according to Italian media. It was a terrible, terrible scene," Severino told Italy's SkyTG24. The plunge on the the Stresa-Mottarone line happened about 100 meters (yards) before the final pylon, said Walter Milan, spokesman for Italys Alpine rescue service. By Sunday evening, the death toll had risen to 14 dead after one of two children taken to Turin's Regina Margherita children's hospital died. The child died after several attempts to restart his heart failed and there was nothing more we could do," said hospital spokesman Pier Paolo Berra. The other young child, who arrived at the hospital conscious, remained in serious condition, authorities said. Milan noted that the cable line had been renovated in 2016 and had only recently reopened after coronavirus lockdowns in Italy curtailed travel and forced the suspension of many leisure activities. Milan suggested many families may have flocked to the mountain on a sunny Sunday after months of restrictions. The line is popular with tourists and locals alike to scale Mottarone, which reaches a height of 1,491 meters (4,900 feet) and overlooks several picturesque lakes and the surrounding Alps of Italys Piedmont region. The mountain hosts a small amusement park, Alpyland, that has a childrens rollercoaster, and the area also has mountain bike paths and hiking trails. Premier Mario Draghi offered his condolences to the families of the victims with a particular thought about the seriously injured children and their families." Sunday's tragedy appeared to be Italys worst cable car disaster since 1998 when a low-flying U.S. military jet cut through the cable of a ski lift in Cavalese, in the Dolomites, killing 20 people. Italys transport minister, Enrico Giovannini, announced a commission to look into the tragedy and said he had already requested data on the maintenance work and inspections done on the line in the past. He planned to visit the site Monday. While the cause hasnt been determined, the disaster was likely to raise questions about Italys transport infrastructure. In 2018, the Morandi bridge in Genoa collapsed after years of neglect, killing 43 people. In 2009, a freight train carrying gas derailed at the Viareggio station, near Lucca, and exploded, killing 32 people. Poorly maintained axels of the train were blamed. President Sergio Mattarella, in offering his condolences, called for the rigorous respect of all security norms in transportation. ___ Associated Press writer Joseph Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report. The Rimek family of Rosenberg, along with other Witness families who live in the ever-growing Fort Bend County, have gone from knocking on doors and ringing doorbells to writing letters and calling folks on the phone. Even though she was brazen about her identity and appearance, Frida often lacked confidence in her looks too. Yes, she did emphasise her unibrow and mustache even in her paintings, and yet she did have her moments of doubt which notes that she too had a complicated relation with her beauty at times. She captioned a self-portrait in 1933, in which she captures her face free of grooming products, Very Ugly. Of my face, I like the eyebrows and the eyes. Aside from that, I like nothing. I have the moustache and in general the face of the opposite sex is what she wrote about the painting in a matter of fact manner. She completely owns her androgynous features and for putting it out there through a self-protrait painting is just as bold as skin positive and gender fluid influencers who post unfiltered in present day.Also read: Genderless Beauty Brands Are The Way Forward! Actor Salman Khan played the lead role in the recently released Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai where he plays the role of a cop who is hell bent on cleaning the city of the menace of drugs. Besides Khan, Radhe also features Disha Patani, Jackie Shroff and Randeep Hooda. Actor Gautam Gulati plays the lead henchman to Hoodas antagonist in the movie. Now, Gulati has revealed that Khan got ready in a shocking amount of time for the action sequences. "Salman is very quick and fast, he did not need any training. I asked him how he could pick up the directions on an action sequence. He told me 'I have been doing this for 34-35 years, I do not need training as much'. It is a fact, if you watch him performing live, (you will know), he told a leading daily. "I remember even the Korean people were shocked to see him catch up so quickly. Choreographing a sequence would take a few hours and Salman would just take a look and be ready in 15-20 seconds! He would just see the choreography and be ready in a (snaps his fingers), he added. The actor adds that the Radhe team trained for around 15 days for the action sequences. The team from Korea came to Mumbai and we (Randeep, Sangay and Gautam) used to train together for our fighting scenes with Salman. We would be training for days and Salman sir would be ready just like that. Of course, we practiced a bit before the shot, (but it was) just to remember. Otherwise he was all set, the Bigg Boss winner said in awe. Description Req #15922 Thursday, May 20, 2021 Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) is a subscription-led and digitally focused media and marketing solutions company committed to empowering communities to thrive. With an unmatched reach at the national and local level, Gannett touches the lives of millions with our Pulitzer-Prize winning content, consumer experiences and benefits, and advertiser products and services. Our current portfolio of media assets includes USA TODAY, local media organizations in 46 states in the U.S., and Newsquest, a wholly owned subsidiary operating in the United Kingdom with more than 120 local news media brands. Gannett also owns the digital marketing services companies ReachLocal, Inc., UpCurve, Inc., and WordStream, Inc., which are marketed under the LOCALiQ brand, and runs the largest media-owned events business in the U.S., USA TODAY NETWORK Ventures. To connect with us, visit www.gannett.com. At USA TODAY NETWORK, we are looking for a dynamic, organized self-starter to join the team as a Manager, HR Business Partner (HRBP) working with the Corporate Functions HRBP team to support people needs as well as operational goals. The Manager, Human Resources will form partnerships within the Events and the Marketing & Strategy leadership by delivering value-added service to leaders and employees that reflect the business objectives of the organization while acting as an employee champion and change agent. The successful candidate will understand the division's goals, financial position, culture and competition. This position is instrumental in facilitating an employee-oriented, high performance workplace culture. Serving as a consultant to management on human resources-related issues, the successful manager will be an expert in navigating multi-layered, complex organizations, contributing business insight into the development of talent strategies and solutions, influencing business strategies as well as day-to-day operations. The position will report to the Sr. Director, HRBP Corporate Functions and will manage 1 direct report. Successful Candidates Will Demonstrate: The Manager, HRBP is both a strategic as well as hands-on business partner who will provide full cycle HRBP support. In this role, you will be critical in executing our people initiatives, providing great internal customer support and driving HR functional excellence as well as process improvement. Actively partner with key leaders as aligned, demonstrating clear business acumen and an ability to drive for results and get things done. Prioritizes key business needs and drives HR initiatives delivering clear value add Driving the alignment and execution of key people strategies that attract and retain employees to support the organizations short and long-term business goals. Managing the coordination and execution of workforce planning for the organization Providing counsel and guidance to Leadership on all people management and development matters Build and maintain effective working relationships with and between leaders, managers and employees Executes key HR Programs and initiatives functional area of support Acts as an employee advocate The ability to think big but also not be afraid to roll up your sleeves. A strong solution focus and be comfortable working in an environment which demands strong deliverables along with the ability to identify problems and drive appropriate solutions. Leverage data and provide analysis and insight of people trends, internal and external. Strong background that includes experience shaping culture and developing talent. Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously, have a bias for action-oriented results. Ability to interface at all levels of the organization. Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills. Advise and collaborate with HR and functional teams in the development of process improvement opportunities that may be scaled across the locations as well as the company. Coordinate cross-functional teams to solve people-related business problems. Knowledge of local, state, and federal laws regarding employment, wage and hours, OSHA and related laws. Qualifications: Bachelor's degree with a concentration in Human Resources or equivalent. Minimum of 7-years of experience in an HR Generalist capacity. 3-5 years of direct HRBP support of senior leaders at the VP level. Prior management experience needed. Clear business acumen, evidencing the use of insights in the business environment to improve talent and business outcomes. Demonstrated human resources experience with emphasis on organizational strategy, performance management, data analysis, employee relations and employee engagement. *LI-DM1 Gannett Co., Inc.is a proud equal opportunity employer. We are a drug free, EEO employer committed to a diverse workforce. We will consider all qualified candidates regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity, family responsibilities, disability, education, political affiliation, or veteran status. Job Family HR Business Partners Job Function People Resources Pay Type Salary Other details recblid gemg3r7lsph277tuj2r7zh79kq4kq4 Requirements None Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 22, 2021) - Bluesky Digital Assets Corp. (CSE: BTC) (CSE: BTC.PR.A) (OTCQB: BTCWF) ("Bluesky" or the "Corporation") is providing an update with respect to its previously announced management cease trade order (the "MCTO") issued by the Ontario Securities Commission on May 3, 2021. The MCTO was issued in connection with the delay by the Corporation in filing its annual financial statements, management's discussion and analysis and related officer certifications for the financial year ended December 31, 2020 (collectively, the "Required Filings") before the prescribed deadline of April 30, 2021. The MCTO was granted pursuant to Bluesky's application made under National Policy 12-203 - Management Cease Trade Orders ("NP 12-203"). The Corporation requested and received an extension relating to the Required Filings due to delays caused by the required review of certain new internal control procedures that have been implemented by the Corporation and due to other issues associated with the current COVID-19 restrictions in the Province of Ontario. The Corporation's staff and accounting firm is working diligently with its auditors and the Corporation now expects to have the audit of the Required Filings completed, and the Required Filings filed, by May 31, 2021. The Corporation is providing this status update in accordance with NP 12-203. The Corporation reports that: (i) there are no changes to the information contained in its default announcement on May 3, 2021, that would reasonably be expected to be material to an investor; (ii) the Corporation is satisfying and confirms that it intends to continue to satisfy the provisions of the alternative information guidelines set out under NP 12-203 and issue bi-weekly default status reports for so long as the delay in filing the Required Filings is continuing, which will be issued in the form of a news release; (iii) there has not been any other specified default by the Corporation under NP 12-203 and no such other default is anticipated; and (iv) there is no material information concerning the affairs of the Corporation that has not been generally disclosed. The MCTO does not affect the ability of shareholders who are not insiders of the Corporation to trade their securities. However, the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities could determine, in their discretion, that it would be appropriate to issue a general cease trade order against the Corporation affecting all of the securities of the Corporation. About Bluesky Digital Assets Corp. Bluesky Digital Assets Corp. is building a high value digital currency enterprise. Bluesky mines digital currencies, such as Bitcoin and Ether, and is developing value-added technology services for the digital currency market, such as digital mining proprietary software. Offering a complete ecosystem of value-creation, Bluesky is targeting reinvesting appropriate portions of its digital currency mining profits back into its operations. A percentage of the profit will be invested in the development of a proprietary Artificial Intelligence ("AI") based technology. Overall, Bluesky takes an approach that enables the Corporation to scale, and respond to changing conditions, within the still-emerging digital currency industry. The Corporation is poised to capture value in successive phases as this industry continues to scale. For more information please visit Bluesky at: https://www.blueskydigitalassets.com. For further information please contact: Mr. Frank Kordy Secretary & Director Bluesky Digital Assets Corp. T: (647) 466-4037 E: frank.kordy@blueskydigitalassets.com Forward-Looking Statements Information set forth in this news release may involve forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. The forward- looking statements contained herein are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements included in this document are made as of the date of this document and the Corporation disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities legislation. Although management believes that the expectations represented in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such. Neither CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. We seek safe harbor. - 30 - To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/84914 The fifth World Intelligence Congress (WIC), themed "New Era of Intelligence: Empowering New Development, Fostering New Pattern", kicked off at Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center, Tianjin on May 20. Wan Gang, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and President of China Association for Science and Technology, delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony. Li Hongzhong, Secretary of CPC Tianjin Committee, Desmond Lee, National Development Minister of Singapore, Kizo Hisamoto, Mayor of Kobe, Japan, and Li Xiaohong, president of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, gave speeches, and Liao Guoxun, Mayor of Tianjin, presided over the opening ceremony. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210523005013/en/ The site of the 5th World Intelligence Congress (Photo: Business Wire) Wan Gang said Tianjin has been making strategic deployment in recent years to facilitate concentration of high-end resources and increase application scenarios for the purpose of propelling a boom of the new-generation artificial intelligence industry and making smart technology part of the daily life for the convenience of the local citizens. He hoped Chinese scientists, entrepreneurs and management professionals in the AI sector could enhance multi-disciplinary and multi-field exchanges and cooperation with peers in other countries to make international cooperation a link under the country's "dual circulation" economic development strategy. Li Hongzhong said Tianjin will make efforts to improve the science and technology innovation capacity and become a pioneer in AI development. Tianjin will give full play to the leading role of enterprises in innovation, supporting them to make fundamental researches and researches for application purposes and seek breakthroughs in key technologies. The city will also accelerate construction of intelligent infrastructure to drive development of manufacturing and further modernize local industry chains and supply chains. It strives to set up a new ecosystem for development of intelligent technology as well as takes the initiative to tap into the global innovation network to strengthen cooperation with global partners in R&D, industrial development and projects. Desmond Lee and Kizo Hisamoto hoped the event would allow more countries and cities to acquire a better understanding of AI so that they could enhance support for entrepreneurial activities related to AI and IT and use innovative technology to improve urban life. It is learnt that the 5th WIC includes 18 parallel forums and 12 enterprise-led theme forums revolving around a list of hot topics such as prospects of intelligent technology industry, in-depth cooperation in intelligent technology projects, and AI, smart manufacturing, digital economy and smart cities. It also includes a 48,000-square-meter intelligent technology, and five competitions. Thanks to the country's success in containing Covid-19, the exhibition was rebooted. A total of 241 enterprises and organizations are showcasing their products and technologies. Among them are 24 research and academic organizations such as Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Supercomputer Center and Nankai University, 45 of Fortune 500 and China's Top 500 enterprises, including Huawei, Tencent, CEC, CRRC Corporation Limited and Alibaba, and also a number of Tianjin-based enterprises like Didi Chuxing, 360 Security and Tianjin Port (Group) Co Ltd, and foreign enterprises like Tesla Motors and Panasonic. In addition, there is the pavilion of Singapore, the Guest Country of Honor at the event, and that of Kobe, the Guest City of Honor. Statistics show that more than 200 projects with total investment of RMB100 billion are expected to be signed during the event. The investment of domestic-funded projects are anticipated to exceed RMB80 billion, and about 80% of the projects will be new tech and new business projects from Beijing and Hebei province; the investment of 21 foreign-invested projects will reach US$2.422 billion. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210523005013/en/ Contacts: Fan Yingming Tel: 13702005832 Email: fym@wicongress.org OSF Digital , a Canadian global leader in digital transformation strategies, received $43m in funding. The round was led by existing investor Delta-v Capital with participation from Salesforce Ventures and personal investments from OSF Digital Board Chairman David Northington, Board Director Jeff Rich and Board Advisor Gary DiOrio. The company intends to use the funds to support its acquisition roadmap, which will add new companies in 2021 with strategic services and solutions valuable to customers. Led by Gerard (Gerry) Szatvanyi, CEO, OSF Digital is a global commerce and digital cloud transformation company with expertise in enterprise Connected Commerce, OMS, Storefront Management, CRM, and cloud application development. With expertise in B2C and B2B commerce and in helping businesses leverage commerce, marketing, sales, and service solutions, OSF guides companies throughout their entire digital transformation journey. It has a presence in North America, Latin America, APAC, and EMEA. The company works with premier brands across North America, Europe and Asia, including LOreal USA, Burton, Ubisoft, Bouclair, e.l.f. Cosmetics, Geox, Kal Tire, Markwins Beauty, Stonewall Kitchen, Lush Handmade Cosmetics, Domaine Chandon and Urban Barn. FinSMEs 23/05/2021 Plus One Robotics, a San Antonio, TX-based provider of vision software for logistics robots, raised $33m in Series B funding. The round, announced in April 2021, was co-led by McRock Capital and Translink Capital with participation from BMW i Ventures, Kensington Capital Partners, Perot Jain, and Ironspring Ventures and existing investors CEAS, Lerer Hippeau, Pritzker Group Venture Capital and Zebra Ventures among others. In conjunction with the funding, Whitney Rockley of McRock Capital and Toshi Otani of Translink Capital will join the companys Board of Directors. The company intends to use the funds for expansion in the US and Europe, as well as continued product development. Led by CEO and co-founder Erik Nieves, Plus One provides 3D and AI-powered vision software, called PickOne, which works with any robot, gripper, and cloud service to deliver precise hand-eye coordination enabling robots to perform a range of warehouse tasks. Yonder, Plus Ones supervisory software, leverages human intelligence to handle exceptions for the variety of items passing from dock to door. One human, or Crew Chief, can manage up to 50 robots remotely, allowing companies to meet the demands of the 24/7 consumer. FinSMEs 23/05/2021 Tampa, FL (33646) Today Mainly clear. Low around 75F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Mainly clear. Low around 75F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Yes, I have been vaccinated Not yet, but I plan to get vaccinated No, I don't want to get vaccinated Vote View Results HVAC Mechanic (Full-Time / QC Campus) GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES : The HVAC Mechanic responds to signals and commands which are generated by the Johnson Control Metasys System, or communications left by Facilities Superintendent or other Console/HVAC staff; provides general maintenance work as needed to physical plant. Description of Duties DESCRIPTION OF ESSENTIAL DUTIES : Completes written reports regarding maintenance and/or the console system in a timely manner. Maintains an up-to-date complete working knowledge of the operation of the console and interpreting the logs and signals into understandable maintenance assignments. Completes written reports regarding unusual sights or happenings observed during the shift which may affect the safety of people and/or the buildings and the contents; reports in writing any irregularities which might affect the operation of the physical plant. Responsible for keeping close watch on mechanical equipment and for making minor repairs on mechanical equipment as required. Makes a minimum of two rounds on each shift to all mechanical rooms; listens and visually observes equipment in operation; logs verbally and/or in writing any variances; passes information regarding variances to the next shift and/or if critical immediately notifies supervisor (or designee). Actions taken regarding mechanical equipment are noted on work orders and passed to the next shift or reference; notifications must also be provided to the Facilities Superintendent. Performs miscellaneous building maintenance assignments to the interior exterior of buildings as directed. Responsible for performing major repairs of equipment as necessary (full-time HVAC Mechanics). Completes routine and scheduled preventative maintenance assignments including but not limited to: boilers, chiller, air handling equipment, pumps, fans, motors, lighting, furniture repairs, plumbing, etc. Performs visual inspections at the Outreach Center and checks for maintenance issues and reports findings as necessary; in event of an emergency situation immediately reports to Facilities Superintendent (or designee). Provides training to HVAC/Console staff regarding work related information and duties. Responsible for working first, second, or third shift as needed with shift differential as provided. Responsible for following all federal, state, local, and departmental safety regulations. Attends required trainings as needed. Maintains satisfactory Motor Vehicle Record. DESCRIPTION OF OTHER DUTIES : Performs painting duties as required. Assists other HVAC/Console staff in performing maintenance work as needed. Responsible for providing back-up, night-time and weekend telephone answering service to the College; disseminates messages as appropriate. Performs other job-related duties as required. OVERALL ACOUNTABILITIES: Demonstrates BHC core values. Accuracy, efficiency, and timeliness of work. Ability to work cooperatively with others. Ability to communicate in pleasant manner others. Dependability. PRINCIPAL WORKING RELATIONSHIPS : Works directly with the Facilities Superintendent. Works cooperatively with other Console and HVAC staff. Works cooperatively with the College Police to provide maximum communication and safety to all personnel on campus. Works cooperatively with Custodial staff to ensure safety and security of entire plant. Works cooperatively with vendors as needed. Works cooperatively with other College employees as needed. Education & Experience (To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.) High school diploma or recognized equivalent required. Completion of courses in electrical or mechanical technology or trade school background desired. Minimum of three years of Building maintenance experience or background required. Trade experience is acceptable. Must be completely dependable and neat in personal appearance and have the ability and willingness to follow instructions. Must be alert at all times and able to react calmly in an emergency. Mechanical background and interest are essential. Must be able to communicate well with people from all walks of life. Skill in the use of tools and equipment required. Ability to occasionally lift 50 pounds required. Basic knowledge of computer systems and how they work, plus the ability to read and understand instructional manuals and interpret data from Honeywell Console into work assignments. Valid drivers license and satisfactory MVR. The above statements reflect the general details necessary to describe the principle functions of the described job; it is not an all-encompassing statement of all the work requirements that may be necessary to perform the job. Supplemental Information This position will be scheduled for first shift work hours (6:30am - 3:00pm). This is a full-time position. Starting pay for this job grade is $11.13 per hour. Black Hawk College offers an outstanding benefits package. Black Hawk College does not sponsor employment visas BENEFITS While you contribute your talent and enthusiasm to BHC, as an eligible employee you will have access to outstanding health benefits, ample time off, a pension plan, educational opportunities, and much more. Core Benefits Medical Prescription Drug Plan Mail Order Pharmacy Dental Vision Basic Life Insurance Tuition Waiver Employee Assistance Program Long-Term Disability Flexible Spending Account (FSA)/Dependent Care Account (DCA) Paid Holidays Free use of fitness center Sick Leave Vacation Personal Days Retirement Pension Plans State University Retirement System of Illinois (SURS): Employees working in a regular and continuous position or one in which services are expected to be rendered on a continuous basis for at least four months or one academic term, whichever is less, may be eligible to enroll in SURS. To learn more about SURS, visit www.SURS.org. Optional 403b Tax-Deferred Investment Program: Employees may set up a 403b plan through Edward Jones Investments/Mass Mutual. recblid xfvs586nw0vcnjanhshd1viqkt2xlt ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. (WFOX-TV/Meredith) -- A high school in Florida is being criticized for altering more than 60 yearbook photos that it deemed inappropriate. A before and after comparison of the yearbook photo taken of Battram Trails High School ninth grader Riley OKeefe shows the difference. OKeefe said the photo was deemed inappropriate by the school and photoshopped in the printed edition. "You're not only affecting their photo, it's not just for protecting them, you're making them uncomfortable and feel like their bodies aren't acceptable in a yearbook, she said. OKeefe said she wore the same exact outfit to the office and they told her it was fine. After seeing the yearbook photo, she said she felt uncomfortable but wanted to speak up and push for change. "I don't want girls to feel like they don't have a voice, especially girls who aren't...don't feel comfortable coming and speaking about it or something like that, she said. WFOX-TV looked at the yearbook and spoke to several students and their families. They said at least 60, if not more, pictures were photoshopped in the yearbook, and they are asking for major change. Bartram Trail High Schools previous procedure was to not include student pictures in the yearbook that they deemed in violation of the student code of conduct, so the digital alterations were a solution to make sure all students were included in the yearbook, the district said in a statement obtained by WFOX-TV. OKeefe isnt the only student this happened to. With parent permissions, the before and after yearbook photos of other students show the alterations, clearly photoshopped. "I felt ,like, confident that day and I looked good, in dress code but when I sent it to my mom and all of saw it, I felt very sexualized like that was what they were worrying about., Zoe Iannone, a student at Bartram Trails High, said. The school said it is offering to refund parents yearbook money over the photoshopped pictures, but one mother who asked WFOX-TV not to share her identity said a refund doesnt cut it. "Our daughters of Bartram deserve an apology, she said. They are making them feel embarrassed about who they are." With minutes to spare, a Hahnville High School teacher in Boutte, Louisiana, traded shoes with a senior so he could walk at his graduation after allegedly violating the dress code. The purpose of the order, according to the court filing, was to prevent GAPS from holding a school board meeting with the purpose of disciplining Aguinaga until he could receive proper notice. "This is not a comprehensive list of examples, however, we believe they are sufficient to demonstrate consistent conduct unbecoming of a board member and in repeated violation of expected conduct," Goff and Harlan wrote in their complaint. "Each of the issues requires a staff response of either assistant superintendent Harlan or superintendent Goff and oftentimes it requires both. We are asking that the board investigate these matters. When director Aguinaga is found in violation, we expect our board to respond accordingly through censure and, possibly, asking for his resignation from the board." He called it the start of a new era, adding, My momma had the COVID and it was like three months before I got to see her before she got over it. She made all of us get our vaccines. Christopher Robinson, a longtime Mobile resident and a king of one of the parade groups called krewes said he was raised on Mardi Gras in this port city and was just glad to be able to celebrate again after such a year. Oh, we hate the pandemic, Robinson said. But you know what? It brung us back to a great season to be able to celebrate and come back even louder than before. Celebrations, friends, family, having a good time. This May 21st is bringing us back together as we would normally do it. Police officers on the parade route cheerfully picked up beads and trinkets from the streets and handed them to children in the crowd, which was kept back behind barricades. The booming high school marching bands, together with shouts from the crowd, provided a soundtrack for the party. The events of the day included a ship commissioning and nighttime fireworks. Location: Houston - Texas Location: Baton Rouge - Louisiana Location: Mobile - Alabama Job Description Sells limited number of specialized company products and or services, typically a single product or product line. Works with Sales Account Managers when opportunities are identified. Serves as a technical product expert to develop and present sales proposals and systems solutions, and close complex technical sales. Targeting Process Solution Sales in the Lake Michigan area Solution Sales Specialist The Solution Sales Specialist is a senior level selling resource with the capability to engage with customers and position a solution offering to be delivered by Rockwell Automation. They work as an overlay to an account manager who has responsibility for the entire Rockwell Automation portfolio. In cases where there is no direct account manager they will act as the direct contact for the customer for solutions offerings. The sales specialist will work at assigned accounts or on opportunities assigned through the win strategy process. They have the overall responsibility to deliver Solutions Orders for the business coordinating internal resources including Contracts, Application Consultants, Proposal Specialists, and other resources required to close the business. Sales Specialists can be assigned to accounts or opportunities either through their geographic responsibility or through there industry or other specialized expertise. Develop long term client relationship for mutual business success. Embrace a win / win negotiating style both internally and externally. Demonstrate value to customers using an "outcome based" sales methodology. Lead from the front, personally engaging at C levels within customer base to cultivate business opportunities. Leverage the full scope and synergy of our broad organization to promote and sell full scope solutions where RA is uniquely qualified to delivery compelling business outcomes to our clients. Utilize modern tools and methods to network, prospect, develop leads into opportunities and accelerate closure. Consistently beat plan and forecast for sustainable business growth. Very comfortable working in team selling environment. Minimum Qualifications: Extensive experience selling engineering solutions and services, A Solid understanding of process controls and/or automation solutions. Desired Qualifications Exceptional listening and interpersonal communication skills. A Collaborative spirit and flexible approach to sales. The ideal candidate will be proposing and closing sales to achieve assigned nominal annual territory revenue. Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering or other technical field strongly preferred. Typically five years or more experience in process control and/or automation solutions is a highly preferred. Previous Process Automation in Chemical, Petrochemical downstream O&G preferred. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer including disability and veterans. If you are an individual with a disability and you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation during the application process, please contact our services team at +1 (see application details). Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021. FILE - This Oct. 8, 2019, photo shows the Apple Pay app on an iPhone in New York. Many paycheck advance apps and services let users borrow a small amount of their expected earnings, usually in exchange for a small fee. These advances are offered through your employer as a workplace benefit or directly to you through an app. In both cases, the employee decides when to take a loan and commits to paying it back on their next payday. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File) Gillette, WY (82718) Today Clear skies. Low near 45F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Clear skies. Low near 45F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Douglas Macdonald, EWC gunsmithing student and Ayres Natural Bridge Park caretaker, shows off his handcrafted rifles to Kallie Edwards and her son Jett at EWCs gun showcase and open house May 13. Note: We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email circulation@skagitpublishing.com for help creating one. Imola appears poised to seal a long-term and permanent place on the Formula 1 calendar. For the past two years, the Italian circuit and former regular San Marino GP host has stepped in at short notice to replace postponed or cancelled races due to the covid crisis. The venue's reward may be a five-year fixed race deal, according to Italy's Automoto. "At Imola, they worked very well in this period of emergency," said Angelo Sticchi Damiani, the president of Italy's automobile club Aci. "We have discussed and evaluated the possibilities with Stefano Bonaccini, the president of the Emilia Romagna region, and I found enthusiasm and a desire to invest." The pair reportedly met recently with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali. "I am promoting an agreement that would be fantastic for Italy - last year we hosted three grands prix, we still have Monza and having Imola on a permanent basis would be really very nice," Sticchi Damiani said. (GMM) Magnolia, AR (71754) Today A few clouds. Low 74F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight A few clouds. Low 74F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. In Ludwigshafen, Germany, Dr. Martin Brudermuller (BASF) and Dr. Markus Krebber (RWE), accompanied by Chairman of the Mining, Chemical and Energy Industries Union (IG BCE) Michael Vassiliadis, presented a project idea that envisions a new 2 GW offshore wind farm in the German North Sea to provide the Ludwigshafen chemical site with green electricity and enable CO 2 -free production of hydrogen. The aim of the Offshore-to-X project is to electrify the production processes for basic chemicals, which are currently based on fossil fuels. The 2GW wind farm will produce around 7,500 GWh of green electricity per year This would be in addition to the planned 20 GW by 2030 in existing legislation. The green electricity would therefore meet the criterion of additionality. The potential offshore sites for this project are ones that are currently only planned for the period after 2030 according to Germanys Site Development Plan and Network Development Plan. RWE will develop, build and operate the wind park. BASF will own a stake. Around 80% of the approximately 7,500 GWh produced by the wind park will be supplied as green electricity for innovative technologies for CO 2 reduction and thus power the transformation of BASF sites in Germany, especially the Verbund site in Ludwigshafen. Examples of such technologies are: eCracker: Electrically heated steam cracker furnaces to produce petrochemicals at high temperatures (~850 C); these temperatures will be reached in the eCracker using electricity instead of natural gas. Methane pyrolysis: Methane pyrolysis uses green electricity to split methane into hydrogen and carbon. The hydrogen can be used, for example, to produce green ammonia. Another output of this process is high-purity solid carbon, a valuable raw material that can replace carbon in various industrial sectors, such as the steel industry. Power-to-heat: Electrode boilers and high-temperature heat pumps will make it possible to use green electricity instead of fossil fuels to produce process heat. Around 20% of the electricity produced by the wind park would be used to produce green hydrogen in northwestern Germanyapproximately 30 million kilograms of green hydrogen per year for use in other industrial segments. To advance the joint project, the CEOs of BASF and RWE have signed a letter of intent covering a wide-ranging cooperation for the creation of additional capacities for renewable electricity and the use of innovative technologies for climate protection. These plans could result in the avoidance of around 3.8 million metric tons of CO 2 emissions per year, of which 2.8 million tons would be realized directly at BASF in Ludwigshafen. It shows very clearly how climate protection and competitiveness can be harmonized in the chemical industry. No public subsidies would be needed for the construction of the wind farm. Without the availability of sufficient volumes of electricity from renewable sources at competitive prices, our future transformation will not be possible! This task is only achievable with innovative and intensive cooperation between politics and industry. And it requires collaboration across the value chains. In our partnership between RWE as a leading company in power generation and BASF in chemicals, we bring together the necessary prerequisites and the will to shape things. Martin Brudermuller, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE Coupling a new offshore wind farm already in the planning stage to an industrial customer such as BASF, who will convert its production to green electricity and hydrogen on this basis, would be a first for Germany. The realization of our proposal would represent a true acceleration of the expansion of renewable energies. Of course, there are still some open questions, but we want to push this forwardthe faster, the better. This is how we will shape the energy transition. Markus Krebber, CEO of RWE Realizing this plan will require a suitable regulatory framework. Policymakers have said they plan to increase the expansion targets for renewable energies significantly and to accelerate capacity additions. For this to succeed, there will need to be a tendering process for offshore project sites where the current plans only foresee use after 2030. Australia-based Graphene Manufacturing Group Ltd. (GMG) reported initial performance data for graphene-enhanced aluminum-ion batteries developed by GHG and the University of Queensland (UQ). The experiments were performed at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) at UQ. GMG graphene is being used to produce coin cell prototypes for customer testing in Q4 2021. Source: 1. Hongjie Dai, Nat. Commun., 2017, 8:14283 2. Hongjie Dai, Nature, 2015, 520, 325, and 3. University of Queensland testing data. This is a real game-changing technology which can offer a real alternative with an interchangeable battery technology for the existing lithium-ion batteries in almost every application with GMGs Graphene and UQs patent-pending aluminum ion battery technology. The current nominal voltage of our batteries is 1.7 volts, and work is being carried out to increase the voltage to directly replace existing batteries and which lead to higher energy densities. The real differentiator about these batteries is their very high power density of up to 7000 watts/kg, which endows them with a very high charge rate. Furthermore, graphene aluminum-ion batteries provide major benefits in terms of longer battery life (over 2000 charge / discharge cycles testing so far with no deterioration in performance), battery safety (very low fire potential) and lower environmental impact (more recyclable). Dr Ashok Nanjundan, GMGs Chief Scientific Officer GMG had earlier announced the execution of a research agreement with the University of Queenslands Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) to develop graphene aluminum-ion batteries. GMG is incorporating technology devised by AIBN Professor Michael Yu, Dr Xiaodan Huang and postdoctoral student Yueqi Kong that has made graphene into more efficient electrodes for powering batteries. The results are a battery with up to 70 times faster charging and more sustainability with a life up to three times greater than lithium-ion. Controlling the structure of graphenebased materials with improved ion intercalation and diffusivity is crucial for their applications, such as in aluminumion batteries (AIBs). Due to the large size of AlCl 4 ions, graphenebased cathodes have specific capacities of 60 to 148 mAh g1, limiting the development of AIBs. A thermal reductive perforation (TRP) strategy is presented, which converts threelayer graphene nanosheets to surfaceperforated graphene materials under mild temperature (400 C). The thermal decomposition of block copolymers used in the TRP process generates active radicals to deplete oxygen and create graphene fragments. The resultant material has a threelayer feature, inplane nanopores, >50% expanded interlayer spacing, and a low oxygen content comparable to graphene annealed at a high temperature of 3000 C. When applied as an AIB cathode, it delivers a reversible capacity of 197 mAh g1 at a current density of 2 A g1 and reaches 92.5% of the theoretical capacity predicted by densityfunctional theory simulations. Kong et al. UQs research team was awarded A$390,000 over three years from the Australian Research Councils Linkage Project in 2020 to develop the graphene aluminum-ion technology. Under the terms of the agreement, GMG and UQ have agreed to pay A$150,054 and A$82,788 respectively to carry out the project. GMG has also agreed to reimburse the incurred patent execution costs up to an agreed maximum amount. GMG will manufacture commercial battery prototypes for watches, phones, laptops, electric vehicles and grid storage with technology developed at UQ. GMG has also signed a license agreement with Uniquest, the University of Queensland commercialization company, which provides GMG an exclusive license of the technology for battery cathodes. Resources Support local journalism We are making critical coverage of the coronavirus available for free. Please consider subscribing so we can continue to bring you the latest news and information on this developing story. COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) The man on federal death row for the racist slayings of nine members of a Black South Carolina congregation is making his appellate argument that his conviction and death sentence should be overturned. Oral arguments in the case of Dylann Roof are scheduled to be held Tuesday before a three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Richmond, Virginia. Appellate Judge Jay Richardson, who as an assistant U.S. Attorney prosecuted Roof's case, is not part of the panel. In 2017, Roof became the first person in the U.S. sentenced to death for a federal hate crime. Authorities have said Roof opened fire during the closing prayer of a 2015 Bible study session at Charleston's Mother Emanuel AME Church, raining down dozens of bullets on those assembled. Roof was 21 years old at the time. In a lengthy brief, Roof's attorneys argue that an appellate court should vacate Roof's convictions and death sentence, or remand his case to court for a proper competency evaluation." The federal trial that resulted in his death-sentence departed so far from the standard required when the government seeks the ultimate price that it cannot be affirmed, they wrote, arguing that their client's mental illness should have prevented him from serving as his own attorney during a portion of the trial, and also being sent to federal death row. U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel held two competency hearings for Roof: one before the start of his trial, and one before its sentencing phase, to determine if Roof could act as his own attorney for that portion of the trial. His appellate team wrote that the court errantly found Roof competent, despite the fact that every defense expert agreed Roof suffered a delusional belief he would be rescued by the victors of a race-war, which prevented him from understanding the threat of execution was real." Representing himself for sentencing, Roof successfully prevented jurors from hearing mitigating evidence about his mental health, under the delusion, his attorneys wrote, that he would be rescued from prison by white-nationalists but only, bizarrely, if he kept his mental-impairments out of the public record. In that part of the trial, the self-avowed white supremacist neither fought for his life nor explained his actions, saying only that anyone who hates anything in their mind has a good reason for it. This, his attorneys wrote, resulted in a complete breakdown of any possible defense, with jurors being left in the dark about any details from Roof's past that could have possibly been used to mitigate the government's inflammatory case for death. Following his federal trial, Roof was given nine consecutive life sentences after pleading guilty in 2017 to state murder charges, leaving him to await execution in a federal prison and sparing his victims and their families the burden of a second trial. After that sentencing, Solicitor Scarlett Wilson who had also been pursuing the death penalty called the deal an insurance policy for the federal conviction, ensuring that Roof would spend the rest of his life in prison, should the federal sentence not stand. Wilson also said that she felt more confident a federal death sentence would be carried out under the newly minted Trump administration than it would have been under a Democratic one. At the time, there was anticipation that then-President Donald Trump might swiftly resume federal executions, following cessation of the practice under several several previous administrations. Trumps decision to reinstate federal executions didnt come until 2020, however, when his Justice Department ended a 17-year hiatus, going on to oversee a total of 13 federal executions. Due to his remaining appeals, Roofs case was not eligible for execution at that time. Although President Joe Biden who as a candidate said hed work to end federal executions hasnt spoken publicly about capital punishment in office, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in March that he continues to have grave concerns about it. The president could instruct his Justice Department not to carry out executions during his presidency. If unsuccessful in his direct 4th Circuit appeal, Roof could file whats known as a 2255 appeal, or a request that the trial court review the constitutionality of his conviction and sentence. He could also petition the U.S. Supreme Court or seek a presidential pardon. ___ Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP. Arkansas counties depicted in green in the map above have a sales tax dedicated to paying for maintenance and operations at the county jail. The counties are Arkansas, Ashley, Baxter, Boone, Calhoun, Cleburne, Crawford, Faulkner, Franklin, Garland, Greene, Hempstead, Howard, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lincoln, Little River, Marion, Miller, Mississippi, Nevada, Ouachita, Perry, Phillips, Poinsett, Prairie, Randolph, Sevier, Sharp, St. Francis, Washington, White, Woodruff and Yell. GOMA, Congo (AP) Torrents of lava poured into villages after dark in eastern Congo with little warning, leaving at least 15 people dead amid the chaos and destroying more than 500 homes, officials and survivors said Sunday. The eruption of Mount Nyiragongo on Saturday night sent about 5,000 people fleeing from the city of Goma across the nearby border into Rwanda, while another 25,000 others sought refuge to the northwest in Sake, the U.N. children's agency said Sunday. More than 170 children were still feared missing Sunday, and UNICEF officials said they were organizing transit centers to help unaccompanied children in the wake of the disaster. Goma ultimately was largely spared the mass destruction caused by the volcano's last eruption in 2002. Hundreds died then and more than 100,000 people were left homeless. But in outlying villages closer to the volcano, Sunday was marked by grief and uncertainty. Aline Bichikwebo and her baby managed to escape when the lava flow reached her village, but said both her mother and father were among those who perished. Community members gave a provisional toll of 10 dead in Bugamba alone, though provincial authorities said it was too soon to know how many lives were lost. Bichikwebo says she tried to rescue her father but wasn't strong enough to move him to safety before the family's home was ignited by lava. I am asking for help because everything we had is gone, she said, clutching her baby. We dont even have a pot. We are now orphans and we have nothing. The air remained thick with smoke because of how many homes had caught fire when the lava came. People are still panicking and are hungry, resident Alumba Sutoye said. They dont even know where they are going to spend the night. Elsewhere, authorities said at least five other people had died in a truck crash while they were trying to evacuate Goma, but the scale of the loss had yet to be determined in some of the hardest-hit communities. Residents said there was little warning before the dark sky turned a fiery red, sending people running for their lives in all directions. One woman went into labor and gave birth while fleeing the eruption to Rwanda, the national broadcaster there said. Smoke rose from smoldering heaps of lava in the Buhene area near the city Sunday. We have seen the loss of almost an entire neighborhood," Innocent Bahala Shamavu said. All the houses in Buhene neighborhood were burned and thats why we are asking all the provincial authorities and authorities at the national level as well as all the partners, all the people of good faith in the world, to come to the aid of this population. Elsewhere, witnesses said lava had engulfed one highway connecting Goma with the city of Beni. However, the airport appeared to be spared the same fate as 2002 when lava flowed onto the runways. Goma is a regional hub for many humanitarian agencies in the region, as well as the U.N. peacekeeping mission. While Goma is home to many U.N. peacekeepers and aid workers, much of surrounding eastern Congo is under threat from myriad armed groups vying for control of the regions mineral resources. ___ Associated Press writer Jean Yves Kamale in Kinshasa, Congo, contributed to this report. TEHRAN, Iran (AP) Iran's hard-line parliament speaker said Sunday a temporary deal between Tehran and international inspectors to preserve surveillance images taken at nuclear sites had ended, escalating tensions amid diplomatic efforts to save the Islamic Republic's atomic accord with world powers. As fellow hard-liners demanded Iran delete the images, officials delayed an earlier-planned news conference by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna. That signaled negotiations between the United Nations agency and Tehran will continue through Sunday night. The last-minute discussions further underscored the narrowing window for the U.S. and others to reach terms with Iran. The Islamic Republic is already enriching and stockpiling uranium at levels far beyond those allowed by its 2015 nuclear deal. Irans hard-line parliament in December approved a bill that would suspend part of U.N. inspections of its nuclear facilities if European signatories did not provide relief from oil and banking sanctions by February. The IAEA struck a three-month deal with Iran in February to have it hold the surveillance images, with Tehran threatening to delete them afterward if no deal had been reached. That three-month deadline expired Friday under the Gregorian calendar. Under the Persian calendar, however, the three-month deadline comes on Monday. On Sunday morning during a session of parliament, speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf announced the deal had expired. He said Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say on all matters of state, supported the decision to see the deal as void. "After these three months, the International Atomic Energy Agency definitely wont have the right to access the camera footage or transfer them, he said. Qalibaf, a member of Iran's top Supreme National Security Council, previously preempted another nuclear program announcement in April as well. Hours later, however, a website called Nournews thats believed to be close to Irans Supreme National Security Council quoted an anonymous official suggesting Tehrans deal with the IAEA could be extended another month. The nuclear negotiations have been plagued by contradictory, anonymously leaked information coming from Iran. It's likely a sign of the conflict between the administration of the outgoing President Hassan Rouhani, the relatively moderate cleric who clinched the 2015 deal, and the hard-liners now seeking to replace him. In Vienna, the IAEA had said its Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi would brief journalists Sunday afternoon on Iran. The agency said Sunday night that the briefing would be delayed as consultations between the IAEA and Iran continued. It wasnt immediately clear if the images from February until Saturday had been deleted. Before Qalibafs remarks, lawmaker Ali Reza Salimi urged an open session of parliament to ensure Irans civilian nuclear arm erased the images. The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, the country's civilian atomic agency, did not immediately comment on the decision. Order the head of the Atomic Energy Organization to avoid delay, said Salimi, a cleric from Irans central city of Delijan. The recorded images in the cameras should be eliminated. Under a confidential agreement called an Additional Protocol with Iran, the IAEA collects and analyzes hundreds of thousands of images captured daily by its sophisticated surveillance cameras, the agency said in 2017. It also wasn't clear what this meant for in-person inspections by the IAEA. There are 18 nuclear facilities and nine other locations in Iran under IAEA safeguards. In 2018, then-President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. unilaterally out of the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. An escalating series of incidents since Trumps withdrawal has threatened the wider Mideast. Over a year ago, a U.S. drone strike killed a top Iranian general, causing Tehran to later launch ballistic missiles that wounded dozens of American troops in Iraq. A mysterious explosion also struck Irans Natanz nuclear facility, which Iran has described as sabotage. In November, Iranian scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who founded the countrys military nuclear program some two decades earlier, was killed in an attack Tehran blames on Israel. President Joe Biden has said he's willing for the U.S. to re-enter the nuclear deal. Weeks of negotiations in Vienna have been described as positive, though no draft agreements have been released. The U.S. also is not directly talking to Iran in the sessions. Speaking Sunday to ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken described Iran as taking destabilizing actions throughout the Middle East. However, he said in order to counter that, the first thing that we need to do is put the nuclear problem back in the box." What we havent yet seen is whether Iran is ready and willing to make a decision to do what it has to do, Blinken said. Thats the test and we dont yet have an answer. Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian diplomat leading the Vienna talks, tried to turn around Blinken's framing on Twitter early Monday. He wrote that the U.S. must first provide verifiable sanctions lifting. Iran will then resume full implementation. Is the U.S. ready? he asked. ___ Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) During her first semester in college, back in the fall of 2018, George Washington High School graduate Carrie Long learned a life lesson: mass-produced cafeteria food doesnt exactly taste like home. I had a meal plan and I got unlimited meals ... but as the weeks went on, the quality of food really went down and I started getting really sick of it, she said. Carrie was enrolled at the University of Kentucky. But hers is largely a universal college experience. It didnt help that the cafeteria was a long hike from her dorm, in the opposite direction of her first class, and always had a long line. It was too early to get up and go all the way there. It was super out of my way. I was skipping breakfast ... and my mom didnt like that, she said. She was a majorette and she had band practice and it was really hot, so I was really worried about her saying she wasnt eating that much because I thought, Shes gonna pass out, said her mom, Sarah Long. So I looked on Amazon and thought, Ill just find a cookbook and send it to her. The problem, she found, was that there wasnt a cookbook for college dorms where storage space is limited, refrigerators are small and standard cooking equipment is, lets just say, lacking. They do have lots of college cookbooks but theyre really like first time cookbooks for apartment dwellers. And I thought, She needs like an all-in-one solution that I can just give to her. And there was not a book like that on the market. In my free time, Id think, Okay, what can she do? And thats when I thought about the Keurig. Thats a hot water source. She can make soup in there and mashed potatoes. Then you can add things to them. You can put bacon in the microwave, so then you make more of a meal. Stove Top stuffing. You can make Jell-O and put fruit in it for a snack. ... and I started thinking about all these things that she could do with what she had. She started sending her daughter a family recipe here, a fresh idea there. Definitely the Hawaiian chicken recipe that my mom has is really good ... And her little blueberry pancake in a mug. I love that, said Carrie. Thats right. Pancake in a mug. Pizza, too. And omelets. The creative ideas began to grow leading Sarah, who is also West Virginias chief financial officer, to author her very first cookbook. College Cooking 101: Fast Food Without A Kitchen was released this month by the Beacon Publishing Group out of New York. The first step I say in my book is, go to your housing page and see what (cooking equipment) is not allowed. They usually tell you whats not allowed, said Sarah. Everything else, she said, is fair game. Most college dorms allow a mini fridge, microwave and blender. Some allow electric skillets, toaster ovens and small, portable grills. Working from home while her two younger children, Charlie, 18, and Grace, almost 11, had online classes, Sarah tested smaller versions of favorite family recipes. Many of them like the barbecue chicken her kids love she made in a miniature slow cooker. This is what we did during the COVID shutdown, said Sarah. We had to convert all our family recipes to this little thing so we tested them all out. If you make this in a big Crock-Pot, the cook time is a lot different. She also re-scaled the portions and ingredients so the cookbook features recipes for one or two people. With activities cancelled and social plans on hold, her kids didnt mind being guinea pigs one bit. It was amazing, said Grace. Every day was a different recipe. It was great, said Charlie, who heads off to West Virginia University in Morgantown this fall. Without a car on campus for his first year, he plans to order groceries through the Instacart service that will deliver right to his dorm room and supplement his own meals with some from the cafeteria. Demonstrating a few recipes in the family kitchen, he rolled half a dozen pepperoni rolls by hand, then whipped up a ham and cheese omelet in less than two minutes and prepped a platter of smores he thought might make a great late-night snack. Its gonna be super easy, because Ive cooked before. I think I could use these recipes and then add my own ingredients and embellish them, he said. College Cooking 101: Fast Food Without A Kitchen is available through Amazon and other major book sellers, as well as Taylor Books. CAIRO (AP) An Egyptian appeals court said Sunday it lacks jurisdiction to look into the Suez Canal Authoritys demands to uphold financial claims that led to the seizure of the cargo ship that blocked the waterway in March. The authority and the ship's owner dispute who was at fault when the Ever Given ran aground in the canal linking the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea and how much compensation should be paid. The appeals chamber of the Ismailia Economic Court referred the case to a lower court to decide on the legality of the seizure of the ship until the settlement of compensation claim between the the Suez Canal Authority and Shoei Kisen Kaisha Ltd., the ships Japanese owner, according to Hazem Barakat, a lawyer representing the vessels owner. The Ever Given was on its way to the Dutch port of Rotterdam on March 23 when it slammed into the bank of a single-lane stretch of the canal about 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) north of the southern entrance, near the city of Suez. A massive effort by a flotilla of tugboats, helped by the tides, freed the skyscraper-sized ship six days later, ending the crisis and allowing hundreds of waiting vessels to pass through the canal. The Suez Canal Authority on Sunday revealed for the first time that a salvage boat capsized during the operation, leaving one worker dead. Since it was freed, the Panama-flagged vessel, which carries cargo between Asia and Europe, has been ordered by authorities to remain in a holding lake mid-canal as its owner and the canal authority try to settle the compensation dispute. At first, the Suez Canal Authority demanded $916 million in compensation, which was later lowered to $550 million, the head of the canal authority, Lt. Gen. Osama Rabie, said in comments on a television program on Sunday. The money would cover the salvage operation, costs of stalled canal traffic and lost transit fees for the week the Ever Given blocked the canal. The ships technical management company, Bernard Schulte Shipmanagement, said in April the Suez Canal Authority had not provided a detailed justification for the compensation claim, calling it extraordinarily large. The Suez Canal Authority said it provided documents detailing the compensation amount. It did not provide additional details. Barakat, the lawyer, said the next court hearing on the case will take place on May 29. In a separate lawsuit, the appeals chamber rejected Shoei Kisen Kaisha Ltd.'s appeal against a lower court decision to bound the vessel until solving the financial dispute. On Saturday, lawyers representing the ship's owners blamed the canal authority for the vessels grounding, claiming the canal authorities did not provide evidence faulting the ships crew. They also argued the canal authority should not have allowed the vessel to sail in the waterway amid bad weather. Evergreen Marine Corp., a major Taiwan-based shipping company that operates the ship, had said the Ever Given had been overcome by strong winds as it entered the canal from the Red Sea. Barakat said the Voyage Data Recorder, also known as a vessels black box, had recorded a debate between canal pilots and its control center over whether it should be allowed to transit the canal. Two pilots from the canal authority were aboard the vessel to guide it when the grounding happened. Barakat also confirmed that the vessels owners, had, for their part, demanded $100,000 in initial compensation for losses related to its seizure. The canal has repeatedly denied wrongdoings. It said in a statement Sunday that that while its pilots typically board ships to guide them through the waterway, the ships captain retains ultimate authority over the vessel and that the pilots' role is an advisory one. The six-day blockage disrupted global shipping. Hundreds of ships waited in place for the canal to be unblocked, while some ships were forced to take the much longer route around the Cape of Good Hope at Africas southern tip, requiring additional fuel and other costs. About 10% of world trade flows through the canal, a pivotal source of foreign currency to Egypt. Some 19,000 vessels passed through the canal last year, according to official figures. Local featured urgent Gwinnett Sheriff Keybo Taylor defends decisions regarding non-renewed bail bonding companies Staff Photo: Curt Yeomans Gwinnett County Sheriff Keybo Taylor addresses reporters on Jan. 1, which was his first day as sheriff. He is facing scrutiny, including a GBI investigation, over his decisions to not renew the certificates of authority that allowed several bail bonding companies to operate in Gwinnett. Taylor said, Removing unfit bond companies is part of my job as sheriff in a statement on Thursday. Gwinnett County Sheriff Keybo Taylor is standing by his decision to not renew the certificates of authority that allow several bail bonding companies to do business in the county on Thursday. In fact, he issued a statement Thursday in which he said the fact that some of those companies one of whom holds a video that has prompted a Georgia Bureau of Investigation criminal investigation into his actions are suing him is actually evidence that I am taking appropriate action on behalf of Gwinnett County citizens. Removing unfit bond companies is part of my job as sheriff, Taylor said. Reforming the criminal justice, means that I must remove the prior failed systems and replace them with something better. As sheriff, Taylor has the sole discretion to decide which bail bonding companies receive certificates of authority, which the bonding companies need to have in order to work in that county. Taylors decisions concerning the bail bonding companies is the subject of several lawsuits, as well as the GBI investigation. The law states that the sheriff determines which bond companies can operate in Gwinnett, Taylor said. I will only allow companies that meet my high standards for integrity and that follow the law and the bonding rules. As sheriff, I closed companies that failed that standard. Because the old systems are resistant to change, I place my personal and professional reputation on the line. I am embroiled in three lawsuits after a few months of making promised changes. Much of Taylors statement on Thursday echoes a statement he issued on May 13 as well as statements trial transcripts show he made at hearings involving one of the bonding companies, Anytime Bail Bonding. Looming large over the entire bail bonding issue is a dispute between Taylor and Anytime Bail Bonding that is taking place in a federal courtroom and a Gwinnett County Superior Court room. At the heart of that case is the video that has prompted the GBI investigation which the Georgia Attorney Generals Office is allegedly also involved in. Anytime Bail Bondings owner, Scott Hall, sent the video to the GBI in September 2020. The short video clip that has been sent to media outlets shows Taylor telling an office manager at Anytime Bail Bonding in 2019 that he will not let bail bonding companies that do not support him operate in the county. At the time, Taylor was a candidate running to be the first Democrat since 1984 to hold the office of sheriff. He was one of several Democrats running for the office in the 2020 election cycle. But, the sheriff said the short clip does not show the full context of the conversation that he had with the office manager. Trial transcripts show he has claimed in court that he meant the companies needed to support the programs he planned to put in place, not support his campaign. They recorded the entire 20 minute conversation and then deleted everything but 20 seconds, Taylor said in his statement Thursday. They deliberately took my statements out of context to distort the truth. The deleted portion would prove that I did nothing wrong and that is why they deleted it. During the campaign, they made a false accusation of extortion to the GBI and provided the tampered, redacted video as their proof. Later, Scott Hall lied to me about it. I refused to allow Anytime Bonding to continue operating because of their lack of integrity, deceptive practices and dishonesty. But, Anytime Bail Bondings attorney, Bob Cheeley, told the Daily Post on May 14 that he did not see where the sheriff had the grounds to prevent the bonding company from continuing to operate in Gwinnett. On Jan. 1, the first day the sheriff was in office, he retaliated against Scott Hall for giving the GBI that video that showed the sheriff trying to extort money from Scott Halls company, Cheeley said. Cheeley also defended Halls reputation, saying Anytime Bail Bonding has been operating in Gwinnett County for 26 years, has a stellar record, no infractions ever with the sheriffs department, and adding that Butch Conway, the former sheriff, spoke very highly of Scott Hall, and his integrity. A judge sided with Taylor in one case heard earlier this week in Gwinnett County Superior Court, however. That case was filed by another bonding company, The Bondsman. The judge sided with Taylor in a summary judgement, citing the bonding company had been several months late in meeting financial obligations. As he issued his ruling on Tuesday, Senior Judge David Sweat said, The court cannot say there was a gross misuse of discretion when the bonding company had outstanding obligations. Taylor stressed that sentiment in his statement on Thursday. I won this lawsuit because the judge ruled that I had the legal authority to close the bonding business that failed to follow the bonding rules, the sheriff said. I appreciate the outpouring of support from the community as I fend off lawsuits, lies and attacks on my integrity. I will do as I promised to do; I will bring criminal justice reform. Another lawsuit, filed about A Action Bail Bonds LLC, is pending in Gwinnett Superior Court. This promotional subscription includes access to all online news and pages for a 90-day period as well as daily news delivered to your email inbox. Please allow 24-36 hours for the online account to activate as part of this subscription selection. Haiti - FLASH : President Moise declares a State of Emergency in Haiti On Saturday 22 May in the evening, President Jovenel Moise declared "I have just chaired, by videoconference, an extraordinary Council of Ministers. The Government declares a state of health emergency for 8 days. Today, more than ever, respect for barrier gestures is a necessity imposed on everyone." Following the Council of Ministers, wearing a mask is now compulsory in all public places and in all assemblies under penalty of sanction provided for by law. The last published report from the Ministry of Public Health dated May 19, 2021 reports 108 new cases and 3 new deaths in 24 hours (13,843 confirmed cases and 283 deaths since the start of the pandemic) Cases confirmed by department : West: 9.849 (+67) North: 859 (+8) Center: 732 (+25) Artibonite: 712 (+5) Northeast: 385 (unchanged) South-East: 308 (+1) South: 302 (unchanged) Northwest: 292 (unchanged) Grand'Anse: 242 (+1) Nippes: 162 (+1) Distribution of confirmed cases by age : 0-9 years: 346 10-19 years: 608 20-29 years: 2,662 30-39 years: 3,815 40-49 years: 2,542 50-59 years: 1,685 60-69 years: 1,223 70-79 years: 659 80 years and over: 303 Cumulative deaths by department : West: 133 North: 39 Center: 20 Artibonite: 39 North-East: 6 South-East: 9 South: 6 North-West: 13 Grand'Anse: 13 Nipples: 5 Distribution of deaths by age : 0-9 years: 9 10-19 years: 5 20-29 years: 15 30-39 years: 20 40-49 years: 38 50-59 years: 50 60-69 years: 57 70-79 years: 53 80 years and over: 36 Let's recall that on May 14, the Ministry of Public Health informed the population of the presence on the national territory of two variants of the Covid-19 coronavirus, the Brazilian and English variant. On May 21, the Ministry confirmed a significant increase in the number of cases (739 confirmed cases during the 20 first day of May, a very significant increase compared to the first months of 2021. Recommendations : The Ministry of Health recommends to the population the scrupulous respect of barrier gestures, namely the systematic washing of hands, respect for physical distancing and the compulsory wearing of a mask. Anyone with symptoms such as fever, persistent cough, body aches, anosmia (absence of odor), ageusia (absence of taste) or even chest pain, should refer to your doctor. HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Health : Two hospitals in Haiti with a wastewater treatment plant In May, UNICEF inaugurated the wastewater treatment plants at the Saint-Luc de Tabarre hospital in Port-au-Prince and that of Albert Schweitzer in Deschapelles, funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Work began in March 2019 following technical and environmental impact studies carried out in 2016-2017, and a call for tenders for the recruitment of construction companies. UNICEF was supported by a steering committee made up of the Ministry of Public Health, the Ministry of the Environment and the National Directorate of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DINEPA). The plant is made up of four pumps submerged in buried basins, a screen, a biological reactor, a settling tank, a chlorination chamber, allowing the purified water to be evacuated in an infiltration zone for the Hospital. Saint-Luc and in a lagoon for the Albert Schweitzer Hospital. To ensure that the outgoing water meets discharge standards, UNICEF has contracted with Quisqueya University to perform physicochemical and bacteriological analyzes of the water upstream and downstream of the two treatment plants. "The wastewater treatment plants at the Saint-Luc de Tabarre hospital in Port-au-Prince and that of Albert Schweitzer in Deschapelles, will promote a healthier environment for children, women and other members of the community who attend these two hospitals." Staff from both hospitals have been trained in the maintenance and operation of the system. HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - News : Zapping... Shipwreck : The State will take charge of the young rescuer "Josh Casimir, a 20-year-old compatriot, showed heroism in saving 3 people in distress following a boat sinking on May 15, 2021 in the Gulf of Gonave. The State, via the Maritime and Navigation Service of Haiti (SEMANAH), will support him to help him better develop his talent," President Jovenel Moise. https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-33783-icihaiti-shipwreck-17-hours-in-the-water-he-saves-the-lives-of-2-adults-and-a-3-year-old-child.html The PNH not aware of a truce on kidnapping Friday, May 21 in an express conference, responding to a journalist, Leon Charles, the Director General ai of the National Police of Haiti (PNH) in order to put an end to the rumors circulating and the announcement of a truce by some Chiefs de Gang, relayed by media, said "The police are not aware of any truce observed on the kidnappings" adding that the police continued their work to restore order and peace in the city. Radical opposition on anti-referendum tour The so-called "democratic and popular" radical opposition sector announces a mobilization tour from Sunday May 23 to 30 in an attempt to mobilize the population against the executive's proposed referendum on the new Constitution. First subtropical storm The first subtropical storm named Ana of the 2021 season has just started over the Atlantic Basin 180 miles (289.8 km) northeast of Bermuda. It poses no threat to Haiti if it continues on its course. PNH : new strategies On Friday, Marie Michelle Verrier, the spokesperson ai of the National Police of Haiti (PNH) gave a press conference on the new strategies applied by the police force in order to promote a serene climate to allow merchants of the informal sector and commercial enterprises to go about their daily activities. The importance of the literature Friday May 21, 2021, the Library of the National Book Department received the writer Jean Euphele Milce on the theme "Literature and the time of uncertainties". The author of "L'aphabet des nuit", Prize Georges-Nicole 2004 of Switzerland, recalled the importance of literature in the development of tools for building society, of thought and the need to produce works that respond to the problems of their contemporaries. HL/ HaitiLibre Since the end of 2019, the world is suffering from the outbreak of Covid-19. We are now in 2021 and the crisis is still here, and no one knows when it will end. How do you see the role of the UN in addressing this crisis? First and foremost, a critical role of the UN is to support all nations, including Mauritius, in their access to Covid-19 vaccines backed by the COVAX facility. This is a vital step forward in bringing the pandemic to an end with equity and solidarity. But globally, equitable access to vaccines is not happening fast enough, and its in everyones interest that we get there sooner. The longer it takes to protect people most at risks, such as health and social care workers and vulnerable people, the longer the virus will continue to circulate and the greater the risk that new and potentially more dangerous variants will emerge. Moreover, any delay will also prolong the economic misery as efforts to resume commerce, trade and travel continue to stall. An essential role of the UN is then to draw lessons from the current pandemic to recover better and bolster the Sustainable Development Goals. These lessons call for investing in the African green transition, including smart agriculture, renewable energy, and sustainable infrastructure, to bounce back better from the current socio-economic crisis, but also to prepare for the threats posed by climate change. From early on in the Mauritius crisis, based on the international experience of how Covid-19 would affect people and the economy, our work focused on support to the Covid-19 response in the health sector and support to deal with its impact on all sectors. Advocay and information campaign on the pandemic will continue to be crutial since this is an all society issue that needs an all society approach to deal with it and to increase efforts on prevention of the spread of the virus. Finally, the convening role of the UN will be critical in 2021 convening expertise, partners, and constituencies on issues of public interest. All activities will be implemented in collaboration with government and development partners (France, UK, Australia, the US, The European Union, The International Financial Institutions to cite only a few), but also with the private sector and civil society, including non-government organizations, academia and the labour organizations. We will further promote regional collaboration through entities such as the Indian Ocean Commission. The 2021 United Nations Country Team retreat was held recently. So, what was the aim? Who is the UN in Mauritius ? The UN team covers both Mauritius and Seychelles and is coordinated by the UN Resident Coordinator. It is composed of 20 agencies, funds and programs namely FAO, IAEA, IFAD, ILO, IOM, OHCHR, UNHABITAT, UNWOMEN, UNAIDS, UNDP (and SGP), UNECA, UNEP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOCHA, UNODC, UNWTO,WHO. (note-UNICEF only operates in Seychelles) Every year all UN agencies led by the UN Resident Coordinator, organizes a strategic retreat to reflect on the achievement of the past year and plan for the year ahead. The last UN strategic retreat was held in 2019 in Seychelles, where we discussed the UN partnership frameworks for each country, the UN reform agenda and brainstormed on issues of concern at the regional level like health security, disaster risk management, and a regional framework on climate change. In 2020, due to Covid-19 the UN retreat took place online and main discussion points were: COVID-19 recovery strategies that promote resilience, sustainability and inclusion while accelerating progress towards the 2030 Agenda. Approaches for financing sustainable development in the context of high-income SIDS Areas of collaboration at the regional level on health security, migration and labour and climate change How to promote resilient leadership and maintain a UN team that is fit-for-purpose The UN retreat was attended by representatives from government, colleagues from the development communities partners, the private sector, civil society, academia, and our extended UN family including UN Resident Coordinators from Madagascar and Comoros We had the honour to hear from the honourable Prime Minister to guide the meeting and from the Honourable Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security in our closing remarks. What were the key conclusions? The UN retreat Clarified that in high income countries, the United Nations Systems comparative advantage is the unique expertise from the UN family and global networks to support develop and implement strategies, policies, and programmes around the world in full alignment of national priorities. The knowledge offered is based UN global mandates, on the normative work conducted by all the agencies to realize decisions taken by UN members of the general assembly on major world issues. Following the COVID-19 Pandemic, there is a clear convergence between the expectations expressed by Government, civil society and the private sector in terms of defining what a resilient, inclusive, sustainable recovery should be, and what both the UN, bilaterals and multilateral actors are proposing to develop in the mid and long term. This opens space for strengthened collaborations between the UN and other development partners in engaging with national stakeholders in Mauritius and Seychelles. The UN will continue to collaborate with the government in Mauritius and Seychelles by in shaping and implementing the national COVID-19 recovery plans with a view to accelerate progress towards the SDGs. There is need to partner with the private sector, CSO to ensure all stakeholders work towards contributing to the SDGs. New approaches are rapidly emerging to finance COVID-19 recovery, sustainable development, and climate change adaptation. As the UN, we must work together and with International Financial Institutions to promote the mechanisms that can best support Mauritiuss and Seychelles in developing innovative financing systems, there is also need for mechanisms that will be the most effective in dealing with long term challenges of debt management. Island states in the region face similar challenges and must develop shared responses to the immediate needs of recovery that enhance long term sustainable development. We must collaborate among UN Team to develop shared solutions and help SIDs gain a political voice at the highest level. This will require strengthened collaboration among the Resident Coordinators and their offices in the region, and between the UN teams and regional entities. With the existing electronic tools and facilitated methods of consultations as the ones we have used for the UN retreat, we can continue to strengthen our work as a UN team to develop synergies and collaboration, independently of whether we are considered resident, or non-resident UN entity. What happens now with the UN 2030 Agenda and is it realistic to expect to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030? The Covid-19 pandemic damaged economies, destroyed jobs and livelihoods, reversed development gains, and still threatens to push up to an additional 115 million people back into extreme poverty in 2020 alone. Progress in improving peoples lives everywhere, through the achievement of SDGs will be affected. Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated deep-seated imbalances in our economic and social structures. However, like any disruptive force, Covid-19 presents us with an opportunity to re-imagine a better future through our response to a fairer and more equal world. These extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Before the pandemic, the financing gap to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals was $2.5 trillion per year. Now, as we set up stimulus packages, the focus must be on directing these unprecedented investments to foster inclusive and sustainable growth, meeting the needs for decent jobs, social protection floors, and connectivity for a green transition and to spur innovationleaving no one behind. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which is aligned with the African Union Agenda 2063, remains the best framework for doing just that. The SDGs are our compass for bolstering long-term Covid-19 recovery. In Mauritius, the UN and government signed the strategic partnership framework (SPF) towards achieving national priorities and SDGs. The main areas of support include: promoting innovation and increased productivity in targeted traditional and new sectors (ICT, Pharma, Renewable energy, Agri-food), addressing population ageing and population health, improved labour market, increased economic diversification, promoting a sustainable marine sector, education and training system with higher quality for enhanced employability, social protection policies and programmes that reach the most vulnerable, eliminate GBV, enhance the socio-economic and political empowerment of women, enhanced community action for climate change adaptation, disaster resilience, biodiversity protection, and renewable energy. Mauritius also approved a socio-economic response plan (SERP) focused on the following pillars: Protecting health services and systems during the crisis, social protection and basic services, protecting jobs, SMES and vulnerable productive sectors, macroeconomic monitoring and forecasting activities plus social cohesion and community resilience. All these plans and other efforts in the country will accompany the nation to recover better and continue the path to sustainable. What is your outlook for the future of African countries particularly that of Mauritius, post-Covid-19? 2021 is a year of hope and opportunity for Africa. Despite the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and inadequate global response, the continent stood up to the challenge and is charting a path towards a recovery that can deliver the Agendas 2030 and 2063. This has been possible thanks to a robust continental response led by the African Union, and the resolve of African countries including Mauritius to seize the opportunity presented by the crisis to trigger a paradigm shift. African leaders at all levels are changing the narrative of Africa as a continent of conflicts, poverty and lost opportunities. They are showing that Africa is a place of dynamism and innovation, richly deserving greater investment. Also, now, more than ever before, international cooperation can and must play a crucial role in ensuring that Africa recovers better, implementing the vision of the SDGs during this Decade of Action. Rules and institutions governing trade, finance, and technologies must enable Africas aspirations of building a peaceful, secure, and prosperous continent. The government and the people in Mauritius have advanced a coordinated response, which is good. There is need to continue to strengthen the countrys response mechanisms and national capacities in all areas to deal with the pandemic. Everyone must be mobilised, men, women, young people to participate in national development. With cutting-edge technology and innovations, Africans can drive transformative change over the next ten years. What would you hope governments and community do to overcome it and emerge stronger? The risk of Covid-19 resurgence remains high in African countries due to poor adherence to public health measures. The current upsurge in India could also has a negative implication on vaccine availability globally, particularly in Africa. Several countries have very high rates of community transmission and these are of serious concern. Health worker infections remain of concern as the numbers continue to increase across the region. Governments have done a lot to sensitise people to continue the public health measures. The there is need to continue the whole of government and whole of society approach. Prevention should be everyones business Mauritius must continue the measures from the best practices some of which include: -Early assessment and strengthening of preparedness and response capacities. Vigorous surveillance and contact tracing and case management -Clear leadership with the creation of a High-Level committee on COVID-19 chaired by the Prime Minister and strong political commitment from all leaders -Whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach in the national response to COVID-19 to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on livelihoods. -Strong engagement of the UN Country Team in the national response and support from regional platforms. Plus continuous engagement with Development -Partners: bilateral and multilaterals, private sector, civil society and all stake holders. The national vaccination campaign is a move in the rights direction, and it must continue alongside the public health measure to prevent the spread of the pandemic. For the long term however Covid-19 response should build on lessons learnt. We have seen that COVID-19 affects people and economies, hence governments like Mauritius must adhere to the call for investing in the green transition, including smart agriculture, renewable energy, and sustainable infrastructure, to bounce back better from the current socio-economic crisis, but also to prepare for the threats posed by climate change and other global challenges. Is the UN working on a plan for vaccination equity? Although large progress has been made, there remains a shocking imbalance in the global distribution of vaccines. And the shocking global disparity in access to vaccines remains one of the biggest risks to ending the pandemic. Developing countries account for 47% of the worlds population, but have received just 17% of the worlds vaccines. The UN Secretary-General has advocated for equitable distribution of Vaccines. The World Health Organization has developed a fair allocation mechanism for Covid-19 vaccines through the COVAX facility. It is a strategy to rapidly contain the pandemic, save lives, protect health care systems, and restore global economies, based on the human rights principle of equity and epidemiological evidence from the pandemic. We have COVAX and it works. The fact that the world came together in a time of unprecedented crisis and threw its weight behind it is something to be celebrated. If we want to end this crisis, then the world needs to do everything it can to let COVAX deliver. To ensure equitable access to vaccines, the UN is calling on countries to share doses, and allow free export of critical materials for vaccine manufacturing, sharing technology and manufacturing know-how. We are also working closely with national authorities to ensure that global norms and standards are developed and implemented to assess the quality, safety and efficacy of vaccines. African Union is advocating for Africa to producing own vaccine, Mauritius should support such initiatives, while also advocating for vaccine producing countries to share equitably. No one is safe until everyone is safe. Word of caution: Even if we get enough vaccine, we must continue to DO IT ALL. Vaccination must go along with continued sanitary measures!! We must all commit to be responsible citizens Partager et informez vous aussi...... 0 shares Share Tweet LinkedIn We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Submit A Senate panel voted Wednesday to give themselves and their colleagues a big increase in their allowance and do it as soon as possible. You voted: Free access for current print subscribers As a home delivery subscriber, you get free unlimited digital access to premium content on HenryHerald.com, including local news, local sports, obituaries, legal notices, local features, and the e-edition. All you need is your print subscription account number and your last name. Don't know your subscription number? Email access@henryherald.com with your delivery address. Activate your account now. Huntington, WV (25701) Today Scattered thunderstorms this evening followed by a few showers overnight. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms this evening followed by a few showers overnight. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. Comic | CPC heroes (1): Liu Hulan (People's Daily App) 13:42, May 23, 2021 Liu Hulan was born to a poor peasant family in 1932, a time when Chinese people rose up against Japanese aggression. She joined the war at the age of 10, rescuing wounded, standing on guard and delivering ammunition to soldiers. She was enrolled as a probationary member of the Communist Party of China (CPC) at the age of 14. After the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-1945), the CPC led the Chinese people in fighting the War of Liberation (1945-1949) against the Kuomintang government to give China a bright future. On Jan 12, 1947, the Yen Hsi-shan army of the Kuomintang government invaded Liu Hulan's village and Liu, betrayed by a traitor, was beheaded cruelly when she was only 15 years old. It was in her memory that Mao Zedong wrote the famous line, "a great life, a glorious death." (Illustrated by Lu Lingxing; Produced by Cheng Weidan, Xu Zheqi and Bao Han) (Web editor: Meng Bin, Bianji) She said she started to get to know him in the last year, while he was building a stone wall in front of his house. She said they would talk while she was out on her daily morning walks. We accept obituaries only from the funeral home in charge. For information on submitting an obituary, please contact The Herald-Dispatch by phone at 304-526-2793 or email at obits@herald-dispatch.com. Obituaries for The Herald-Dispatch must be received by 2 p.m. to appear in the next days publication. Obituaries for the Wayne County News, which publishes on Wednesday, must be received by noon Tuesday. Note: We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email customercare@heraldandnews.com for help creating one. Greenville, TX (75401) Today Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Low 74F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Low 74F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Anderson, IN (46016) Today Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 68F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 68F. Winds light and variable. You will receive full, ad-free access to HeraldChronicle.com as well as full access to the Electronic Edition of the newspaper. ONLY $2.99 per month for the first 3 months! Only $3.99 per month after promotional period. Or ONLY $33.99 per year for the 1st year Only $37.99 per year after promotional period. In the Lehigh Valley, the best example may be the strategy of Republican John Brown in his 2013 campaign. Opponent John Callahan, then the mayor of Bethlehem and a former Congressional candidate, had far greater name recognition and $400,000 more in his war chest. But in the closing weeks, Browns campaign released a mailer targeting residents in Bethlehems suburban neighborhoods, reminding voters how their taxes had gone up despite the opening of a new casino Callahan had pitched as a financial boon for the city. The Bipartisan Senate released the draft, still costing a whopping $303.5 billion for American roadways and bridge bill that will be most likely passed despite Republican objections, reported Politico via MSN. Bill to replace original surface transportation law due to end in September The bill unveiled by the Senate Environment and Public Works EPW) Committee will replace the original surface transportation law, which is due to end in September, making it most likely to get to Capitol Hill and get approved. It is significantly smaller than the Biden infrastructure bill, which commits nearly $2 trillion on waterways, aviation, broadband, clean water, the electrical system, health care, and the environment. The Republicans questioned the inclusion of so many extras as they worry over his massive expenditures. Even the $304 billion proposed bill may still be a bit too much since it will affect the US economy. Nonetheless, the committee's proposal could become a centerpiece of the Senate's final answer to Biden's more extensive American Jobs Plan. Even reaching a bipartisan agreement on this piece is a significant accomplishment. West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, the committee's top Republican, told Be Positive Now that "Every American can support safe and dependable infrastructure," referring to the Bipartisan Senate Transportation draft. Read also: Iron Dome Stops Hamas Rockets and Shields Israel from Repeated Barrages Most of the Republicans immediately rejected the White House's latest offer on a massive building package last Friday. The president agreed to reduce his $2.25 trillion infrastructure plan to $1.7 billion, in part by shifting spending to other bills. The official document was approved by the Committee Chair Tom Carper (D-Del.), with Capito, Transportation Subcommittee Chair Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Transportation Subcommittee ranking member Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) last Saturday. A statement by the committee stated that they would mark up the bill this coming Wednesday, mentioned Yahoo. In comparison to current expenditures on highways and related needs, the committee proposal will provide 34 percent extra funding. It wants an investment of $500 million each year for alternative fuels and charging infrastructure over the following five years, much less than the proposals for electric vehicle support infrastructure. But the Senate Republicans had given their infrastructure counterproposal, which is a different approach to prioritize balanced energy sources for transportation. By far, the White House's American Jobs Plan is pushing for roads and bridges component that recommends investing $115 billion over current spending over the next eight years. The Senate bill, in comparison, will pay $77 billion over five years, which is $77 billion more expensive than expected. The Senate proposal makes it more costly with a massive $1 billion cost each year. The EPW committee's jurisdiction is limited to highways, which means other committees will have to write provisions for transportation needs such as transit, rail, and safety until a bill could be presented to the Senate floor. It will be up to the Finance Committee to figure out how to finance the Bipartisan Senate Transportation Draft. Related article: Joe Biden's $2 Trillion Infrastructure Plan Comes in Two Parts @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. A drone video showed bodies of many who perished in the recent COVID-19 surge in India caused by a variant were either dropped into the Ganges River or buried along its banks, reported Insider via MSN. River Ganges banks turned into a mass burial site Many of the affected families live close to the site, especially in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. One suspected cause for the mass burial site is that the victims outnumber the capacity of the local crematory centers, or having their relatives' last rights via funeral pyres is not affordable for many, as per Al Jazeera News this week. One common belief in why they put the bodies in the river is that its waters possess the power to purify the deceased, even in death from COVID-19. One of the residents told The telegraph that it was horrific as the local dogs ate the dead. These dogs would be bringing the remains of the corpses to houses, to the shock of people living there. One comment is that the government has not effectively dealt with the pandemic, and the drone video that showed the massive number of gravesites was proof of the government's inefficiency. Read also: Coronavirus Cases All Over the Globe Reaches Over 10 Million Cases Based on those living in Dongri village, as many as 40 bodies were deposited and left by unidentified individuals. To have that many COVID victims brought to the Ganges river is a problem for locals. Many residents are not sure how to claim or even start counting all the bodies left unattended. India is in the grips of a deadly second wave racking up more death, for the moment. A current count revealed that more than 26 million cases were reported by the authorities, with more than 295,000 deaths when the pandemic started last year, according to the Johns Hopkins University. There is suspicion that numbers are underreported and that actual numbers are suspected to be five or ten times higher. Bodies washed up in Buxar and Uttar Pratesh Some 40 bodies washed up from the river in the Buxar district that lay close to Uttar Pradesh. Both are the poorest states in India. According to District official Ashok Kumar, there is an order that all officials concerned should get all the bodies and have them buried or cremated to dispose of them. The pandemic is spreading rapidly all over India's vast rural provinces, forcing local health facilities, including the available crematoriums and cemeteries, to become swamped with too many bodies. Images of many dead from the pandemic elicited a shock reaction from those living in these areas as social media also continue to report the sheer number of fatalities. Rural India is facing a surge that is moving forward faster than expected. Another local official, Naval Kant from Chausa town in Buxar, said they were overwhelmed, seeing the massive burial sites. Related article: India Suffers Shortage of Black Fungus Drug as Deadly COVID-19 Variant Continues to Pile up More Cases @ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. It's a stark contrast from the Obama years, when the GOP rallied voters by promising to stand up to the president. And it's a turnabout from 2020, when Trump's own campaign pollster said he was brought down by his erratic handling of the pandemic, including downplaying the threat, undercutting medical advice and leaving most of the tricky decisions around economic shutdowns to governors. Pennsylvania's GOP hopefuls supported Trump amid the virus' spread. Bloomington, IN (47401) Today Scattered thunderstorms early, then becoming clear after midnight. Low 68F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Scattered thunderstorms early, then becoming clear after midnight. Low 68F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) Virgin Galactic on Saturday made its first rocket-powered flight from New Mexico to the fringe of space in a manned shuttle, as the company forges toward offering tourist flights to the edge of the Earth's atmosphere. High above the desert in a cloudless sky, the VSS Unity ignited its rocket to hurtle the ship and two pilots toward space. A live feed by NASASpaceFlight.com showed the ship accelerating upward and confirmed a landing later via radar. Virgin Galactic announced that its VSS Unity shuttle accelerated to three times the speed of sound and reached an altitude of just over 55 miles (89 kilometers) above sea level before making its gliding return through the atmosphere. British billionaire and Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson said the flight and landing bring the roughly 15-year-old venture tantalizingly close to commercial flights for tourists. Virgin Galactic says those flights could begin next year. Today was just an incredible step in the right direction, Branson told The Associated Press shortly after the flight landings. "It tested a lot of new systems that the teams have been building and they all worked. AP Virgin Galactic CEO Michael Colglazier said at least two more undated test flights lie ahead the next with four mission specialist passengers in the cabin. Pending trials also include a flight that will take Branson to the edge of space. The flight today was elegant, beautiful," Colglazier said. Were going to analyze all the data that we gather on these flights. But watching from the ground and speaking with our pilots, it was magnificent. So now its time for us to do this again. Virgin Galactic said the flight provided an assessment of upgrades to a horizontal stabilizer, other flight controls and a suite of cabin cameras designed to provide live images of the flight to people on the ground. The shuttle also carried a scientific payload in cooperation with NASAs Flight Opportunities Program. Preparations for the latest flight included a maintenance review of the special carrier plane that flies the six-passenger spacecraft to a high altitude, where it is released so it can fire its rocket motor and make the final push to space. The first powered test of the rocket ship in New Mexico from Spaceport America was delayed repeatedly before Saturday's launch. In December 2020, computer trouble caused by electromagnetic interference prevented the spaceships rocket from firing properly. Instead of soaring toward space, the ship and its two pilots were forced to make an immediate landing. While Virgin Galactics stock price ticked up this week with the announcement of the latest test being scheduled for Saturday, it wasnt enough to overcome the losses seen since a peak in February. Some analysts have cautioned that it could be a while before the company sees profits as the exact start of commercial operations is still up in the air. Virgin Galactic is one of a few companies looking to cash in on customers with an interest in space. Elon Musks SpaceX will launch a billionaire and his sweepstakes winners in September. That is expected to be followed in January 2022 by a flight by three businessmen to the International Space Station. Jeff Bezos Blue Origin launched a new capsule in January as part of testing as it aims to get its program for tourists, scientists and professional astronauts off the ground. Its planning for liftoff of its first crewed flight on July 20, the date of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Virgin Galactic has reached space twice before. The first time was from California in December 2018. The flights are designed to reach an altitude of at least 50 miles (80 kilometers) as the rocket motor is turned off and the crew prepares to reenter the atmosphere and glide to a landing. As part of the return trip, a feathering system slows and stabilizes the craft as it re-enters the atmosphere. New Mexico taxpayers have invested over $200 million in the Spaceport America hangar and launch facility, near Truth or Consequences, after Branson and then-Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democrat, pitched the plan for the facility, with Virgin Galactic as the anchor tenant. Richardson watched Saturday's flight from the ground below and later thanked the residents of local counties who committed early on to a sales tax increase to support the venture. Its finally a great day after all of us taking a lot of heat mainly me over a period of time, Richardson said. But its happened. Its successful. EAGLE LAKE On Dec. 18, 1910, a Sunday, readers browsing through the Houston Daily Post over their morning coffee might have made their way to page 16, where they would have been greeted by a triple-deck headline: Babies Welcomed Throng Greeted the Stork Special on Arrival Many Disappointed in Not Getting One of Cherubs, All of Whom Will be Adopted in Texas Heres how the article began: Oh, there they come! Arent they just too sweet! Please, lady can I have one? Thus run murmurs and exclamations by the hundreds at the Grand Central Station yesterday morning, where the carload of babies from the New York Foundling Hospital rolled under the Central Shed. Houston was one of numerous stops on a weeks-long trek for the remarkable Orphan Train, delivering orphans and unwanted babies and children to adoptive parents at each stop. From the Bayou City, where five on this trip disembarked to begin new lives, the train headed west to San Antonio and on to Waco, with stops in-between. There were thirty-five babies on the car, all healthy, growing, pink-cheeked little toddlers, the majority dressed in uniform, the Post reported. They crowded the windows, the nurses hovering over them, and winked and waved at the laughing, struggling throng which wanted to greet them. A dozen years after the Houston stop, on July 13, 1922, the Orphan Train pulled into Sealy. A nun from the New York Foundling Hospital stepped onto the station platform and handed a 14-month-old baby girl to her adoptive mother, Mary Kubes Polak, a 42-year-old widow who had lost a 10-year-old son some years earlier. Polak lived with an 18-year-old son on a farm near the little Czech-immigrant town of East Bernard, in Wharton County. She spoke only Czech. The child and the nun had been on the train for three weeks, from New York to New Orleans to Galveston and on to Sealy, with stops along the way. According to the scant information the Foundling Hospital had, the little girl had been born on April 25, 1921, at New Yorks Bellevue Hospital to a 29-year-old single woman from Ireland named Josephine Flanagan, who worked as an elevator operator. Deposited at the front door in what was basically a baby drop-box, she was unclaimed after two weeks. A priest named her Beatrice Flanagan. On April 25 of this year, Beatrice Flanagan Polak Fojtik (pronounced FOY-tik) celebrated her 100th birthday in the assisted living facility where she lives in this little Colorado County town 30 miles west of Rosenberg. She may be the nations last surviving Orphan Train passenger, one of more than 250,000 children who rode the train to new homes in every state in the continental United States between 1854 and 1929. We wont know for sure whether Mrs. Fojtik is the last until about 2029, a hundred years after the Orphan Train Movement ended, said Shaley George, curator of the National Orphan Train Complex in Concordia, Kansas. Sandra Thomas, whose recent article in the Colorado County Citizen introduced me to Mrs. Fojtik, wrote that the Orphan Train was the largest child migration in history. George describes it as the beginning of documented foster care in America. The Childrens Aid Society of New York began the Orphan Train Movement in 1854, at a time when thousands of abandoned children were living on the mean streets of New York. The New York Foundling Hospital, founded in 1869 by the Sisters of Charity, relied on contacts with parishes across rural America to get children placed, mainly in the Midwest and Southwest. Thats how a little Irish girl named Beatrice Flanagan ended up in the predominantly Catholic town of East Bernard, Texas. The Orphan Trains were needed at the time they happened, writes Orphan Train descendant D. Bruce Ayler on the Orphan Train Complex website. They were not the best answer, but they were the first attempts at finding a practical system. Many children that would have died, lived to have children and grandchildren. It has been calculated that over two million descendants have come from these children. The trains gave the children a fighting chance to grow up. Thats what young Beatrice Flanagan had - a fighting chance. Two of her children, James Fojtik of Wallis and Jeannette Fotjik Michalcik of East Bernard, have always believed that their mothers adoptive mother was a bit hard on the little girl. She was never cruel or abusive, James Fojtik emphasizes, but was not one to show affection. Beatrice spent more time outdoors riding her horse, playing with her pet mule or learning carpentry from her half-brother Frank than she spent with her mother. In East Bernard, Monsignor Joseph Kunc of Holy Cross Church established a boarding house for farm kids, so they wouldnt have to trudge back and forth to their family farms during the week. Young Beatrice boarded briefly and, according to her daughter, grew attached to a kindly nun, Sister Bomela. Beatrices mother eventually decided she couldnt afford the $1.25 weekly boarding fee, so the little girl said goodbye to her favorite nun and walked back and forth to school every day (5 miles unless Frank gave her a ride part of the way). Learning to read and write, first Czech and then English, Beatrice started school at 7, skipping a grade as she became English-proficient. I made good grades all the seven years [I was in school], she wrote a few years ago in a life history for her family. She wanted to finish high school, but as her daughter recalled, Beatrices mother told her, You dont need school to raise a family. If I could have gone and finished high school, I am sure I would have found me a job, she wrote. Even with Uncle Frank talking to her in my favor, she did not listen. So that was the end of my schooling. At 19, she married George Fojtik, Sr., a young farmer and carpenter who lived nearby. She helped him raise first rice and then cotton, plowing behind two mules. The couple also raised five children before George Fojtik died at age 52. When I got married, I didnt know hardly anything about cooking, she wrote. Daddy [her husband] knew more, so he helped and together we learned. If we needed help, he would ask his mother. She became a celebrated baker of homemade kolaches - apricot, peach, prune, poppy seed, apple; they were all so good, she told me last week. The first ones were like a biscuit, hard as a rock, her husband told the kids years later, but eventually she got so good she became a kolache judge at East Bernards annual Kolache-Klobase Festival (scheduled this year for Saturday, June 12). She also taught herself to sew and made dozens of billowy, white wedding dresses over the years, in addition to bridesmaids dresses. For years she worked in East Bernard school cafeterias and during the summer was a bookkeeper at the local cotton gin. It was not an easy life, not a real comfortable life, her son James said. With five kids and working in the field, it was a lot of hard work, even before she lost my dad. The Orphan Train gave her that proverbial fighting chance. I asked her last week whether she was glad she rode the train to Texas. Well, I didnt know I was coming to Texas, she said. But I was glad to get out of New York. djholley10@gmail.com Twitter: @holleynews A woman died early Sunday when her car flipped into a bayou in north Houston, authorities said. The car slammed into a concrete barrier and fell into the water near West Hardy and Aldine Bender. First responders found the victim, identified only as a middle-aged woman, and searched for passengers, but did not find any, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office. Onscene A man wanted out of Louisiana on a murder charge was found dead Sunday at an east Houston motel, according to police. Larry Richardson was tracked to a motel in the 12800 block of East Freeway but when local authorities went inside, he had taken his own life. A bill that would create a regional district to levy taxes and issue bonds to build and maintain a proposed $26 billion storm surge barrier on the southeast Texas coast is close to reaching the governors desk for approval. The measure, SB1160, is sponsored by Sen. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, with a companion bill in the state House filed by Rep. Dennis Paul, R-Houston. The legislation would establish the Gulf Coast Protection District, an entity composed of members from Harris, Galveston, Chambers, Jefferson and Orange counties. The House passed an amended version of the bill Thursday, meaning a conference committee of members from both chambers will have to hash out the differences, including a last-minute amendment that rankled some supporters of the project. The proposal outlines a local funding and management mechanism for the long-discussed coastal barrier, once known as the Ike Dike, the majority of which would be funded by the federal government. The district could, with voter approval, levy a tax of up to 5 cents on each $100 of property valuation. In addition to taxing authority, the local protection district could use eminent domain to seize property or land for the exercise of the districts functions, according to the bills text. The bill is meant to preface the Army Corps of Engineers plan to release its final Chief Engineers report in August on the Ike Dike, Paul said. We want to be able to show them, if (the report) gets done in August, that we would have everything in place, Paul said. This will show that the whole state is ready to get this project done, that we want this to get done, and were serious about it, and we prepared all the groundwork we need to do to do it. Paul added he is confident that Congress would at least partially fund the project, especially because its own experts at the Corps have shown support for it through reports in recent years. The creation of the district would enable the state to have a local sponsor to receive those federal funds, he said. The remainder would be funded by taxpayers in the district. It will also help with the management and oversight of existing levee and flood protection projects in Orange and Jefferson counties. The barrier proposal calls for a gated structure stretching across the mouth of Galveston Bay and the Houston Ship Channel. It also calls for 43 miles of dunes protecting the Galveston and Bolivar Peninsula coastline, as well as a ring levee that would protect the north side of Galveston island. The entire coastal barrier project, which includes ecosystem restoration extending southwest to South Padre Island, is expected to cost $26 billion, with the dunes and sea gate at the ship channel alone accounting for $14 billion to $18 billion of that total. Once fully constructed, the Corps estimates the project will save $2.2 billion in storm damages every year. Hurricane Ike in September 2008, the Category 2 storm with a Category 5-level storm surge, didnt even hit in the worst location, Paul said. If we really got hit with a really bad one in the right location, that would be much more severe, he added. This barrier will be able to protect us all from that type of storm surge. Its going to be designed for the worst of the worst hurricanes. State Rep. Jon Rosenthal, a Houston Democrat who is a co-sponsor of the bill, noted the barrier would add a line of defense for the regions massive petrochemical complex. Its not just the safety of citizens its the security of our energy production and all of that, he said. The idea is to help protect some of our critical infrastructure as well as our citizens. During the final vote on the House bill on Tuesday, an amendment offered by Rep. Mayes Middleton, R-Wallisville, who represents Galveston and Bolivar Peninsula, caused some consternation. The amendment would require at least 5 percent of registered voters in each of the five counties to sign petitions before a bond election could be held. In Harris County, that would mean more than 125,000 voters, and in Galveston County, more than 11,000. One of my concerns is the potential future property tax, Middleton said in a statement to Hearst Newspapers. While I am hopeful that the district may not need to levy a property tax, I want voters to have the final say on whether it does. Supporters of the coastal barrier were mystified by Middletons amendment, considering he had been a strong backer of the project. This whole (project) is to protect his citizens and he's not supporting it. That just doesn't make sense to me at all, said Bob Mitchell, president of the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership and a supporter of the barrier proposal. But Middletons amendment has some support among local leaders hesitant to sign off on a new entity that could raise taxes for their constiuents. Galveston Mayor Craig Brown said that while the city is supportive of the project and the need for storm surge protection, anytime we're talking about a tax increase, it is a concern. It's something that we need to get clear on (the bill) as it comes out of committee, but I think some kind of precautions or some type of oversight on the ability to to issue bonds or raise taxes needs to be included, Brown said. Jed Webb, director of government relations for Galveston County, declined to comment on Middletons amendment, but said in a statement that the onus would largely be on the federal government to come up with the necessary funds to make this important project a reality. The 2021 legislative session ends May 31, but bills in conference committee must be adopted by May 30. nick.powell@chron.com taylor.goldenstein@chron.com The man behind an escaped tiger in a Houston neighborhood is slated to leave a Fort Bend County jail for the sixth time on a 2017 murder charge. Victor Hugo Cuevas, 26, posted a $300,00 bail over the weekend and is expected to be freed Monday after being outfitted with an ankle monitor, his lawyer, Michael Elliott, said. The higher bond stemmed from a hours-long revocation hearing May 14 where law enforcement accused Cuevas of speeding away from two Houston police officers with India, the 9-month-old tiger, in the back of a Jeep Cherokee. A judge revoked Cuevas bond on four other occasions since his July 2017 arrest for repeatedly violating the conditions of his release. Three of the bonds were set at $125,000. Cuevas is charged with murder in an unrelated Fort Bend County shooting. The case, Elliott said, is expected to go to trial in December. The suspects imminent release follows a recently filed search warrant in Harris County that show Cuevas landlord knew him by another name. The lease agreement for the home in the 1100 block of Ivy Wall Drive where authorities said the juvenile tiger had been living listed Nick Halden as the renter. The landlord was shown a picture of Cuevas and identified him as Halden. Elliott was unable to explain why Cuevas used another name on his rental contract and presumed it had to do with his mix martial arts career. Many of these fighters use a different name when they fight, Elliott said. Police used the search warrant to seize a gun safe from the home in case it contained firearms which would be another violation of Cuevas bond in Fort Bend County. The safe was taken to a police property room to be opened. Elliott said the gun safe was empty. The tiger vanished for nearly a week with police surmising that exotic animal traffickers had stashed the animal after a viral video showed the aftermath of its May 9 escape. The cat has since been relocated to the Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch wildlife sanctuary near Dallas. Police believe Cuevas is the tigers owner, an assertion that Elliott has repeatedly disputed. Cuevas wife helped lead police to the tiger, police Commander Ron Borza said. nicole.hensley@chron.com National Farmers warned of locust attack in UP Representational image ALIGARH, MAY 23 (IANS): | Publish Date: 5/23/2021 2:10:12 PM IST As Uttar Pradesh is struggling to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the emergence of black fungus cases, the possibility of a locust attack also looms large. The Aligarh District Administration has now sounded an alert over a likely locust attack. Officials have issued the advisory after swarms of locusts were spotted in Rajasthans Jaisalmer city. The states Agriculture Department has geared up and remains vigilant. Farmers have also been warned on the issue, Desert locusts that move in large swarms, can consume crops up to their own weight every day. When millions of locusts descend on a crop, they destroy everything. The desert locust is considered the most destructive migratory pest in the world and a single swarm covering one square kilometre can contain up to 80 million locusts. Last year, almost 17 districts in Uttar Pradesh were put on alert after the locust swarms which travelled from Pakistan invaded India and made their way to at least five states, leaving a trail of destruction. According to District Agriculture Officer Vinod Kumar Singh, on the basis of the advisory issued by UNs Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), Rajasthan has sounded an alert for a possible locust attack and directed authorities to plan, coordinate and execute a strategy to repulse it. Following this, the Uttar Pradesh government has issued directions to be fully prepared and ensure a timely response to tackle an infestation of the short-horned grasshoppers. More than 3,000 people marched Saturday through the Galleria area, snarling traffic and commanding the attention of onlookers in the latest demonstration of solidarity with Palestinians. Planned as a rally at Westheimer and Post Oak, the crowd spilled into the streets to march about an hour and a half after the events scheduled start at noon. The mass of people remained peaceful as they walked, poking with Palestinian flags a gray sky that occasionally dropped rain on them and drowning with their chants the sound of a helicopter that circled overhead. They wanted the streets and they took the streets, Mohammed Nabulsi, 28, who helped organize, said with a raspy voice about three hours into the protest. Palestinians in the diaspora, our supporters, supporters of justice and liberation theyre marching with energy Ive never seen before. At least one individual was briefly detained by Houston police before being released as a crowd chanted Let him go! and We wont leave until hes out! Now Playing: Video: Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle While helping officers direct the crowd, Chief Troy Finner said he was not sure why the young man had been detained. The man, who deferred further comment to rally organizers, said authorities handcuffed him but did not tell him why; eventually, they told him he was free. The rally occurred on the same day as the first full day of a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza. Before the truce, Israel carried out hundreds of airstrikes, while Hamas and other militants fired more than 4,000 rockets at Israel, according to the Associated Press. More than 250 people were killed in 11 days, most of whom were Palestinians, per news reports. In the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, thousands gathered Saturday to call for coexistence, the AP reported. Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council welcomed the cease-fire in a statement and stressed the immediate need for humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian civilian population, particularly in Gaza. Saturdays demonstration was the latest in the Houston area. On Tuesday, hundreds of protesters marched in the streets near the Consulate General of Israel. And a week ago, thousands gathered for a march from Discovery Green to City Hall. A rally to show support for Israel is scheduled to occur Sunday evening at Herman Park, according to a Facebook post by the Israeli American Council in Houston. Several of those who marched Saturday said they felt compelled to stand up for human rights and to call for peace in the Middle East. The Palestinian people would love peace with everybody, said Ali Younes, 30. The whole goal of this protest and the goal of this whole campaign is to promote peace and equal rights. When we get equal rights, theres no obstacles to peace. Protests and other events will continue, said Nabulsi, the organizer. He said he believes the tide is shifting in favor of Palestinians. People are waking up and realizing that Palestinians have been living under military rule, military occupation for decades. Were not talking about weeks, were not talking about days, were not talking about months, were talking about decades. My great-grandfather was subject to Israeli crimes. My parents faced Israeli occupation, he said. If its not marching, its other things. Were going to organize campaigns. Were going to pressure the U.S. government, our city council, whoever it might be, were going to place pressure on them to end U.S. complicity in Israeli crimes against Palestinians. alejandro.serrano@chron.com Overreaching officials Regarding Its our vaccination rate that counts, (A12, May 20): Your editorial was right on the money: Instead of doing everything he can to urge Texans to get vaccinated, (Gov. Greg Abbott is) taking another opportunity to perpetuate Trumps dangerous narrative that local officials are overreaching and overreacting by merely requiring masks. But why in Gods name would you give voice on the same page to someone from Indiana in the letters section who thinks he can read my mind: These masks have become something much more than a buffer against a horrible disease. Theyve emerged as a badge of honor like solar panels, electric cars and composting. Seems it never occurred to him that my niece might have two kids with cystic fibrosis for whom a COVID infection would likely be a death sentence. And yes, I will hail President Joe Biden for conquering the pandemic. For one thing, he got vaccinated in public on TV rather than doing it secretly and refusing to be photographed like the cowardly former guy. Walter D. Kamphoefner, Bryan Regarding Abbott bans mask rules, (A1, May 19): I continue to wear my mask, and to avoid crowds, although I am fully vaccinated. Im in my 80s, immunocompromised from chemotherapy, aware that fewer than 50 percent of Harris County is fully vaccinated, know that new strains of the virus are arriving in my city often and believe the experts who say that vaccinations only decrease the severity of the virus but you can still catch it. Its been proven. I am grateful to County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Mayor Sylvester Turner for their efforts to protect us, but ungrateful to the Gov. Greg Abbotts of the world who ignore the threats that still exist for many of us. Page S. Williams, Houston Republicans that fret, complain and whine about government overreach need look no further than Austin for the most recent example. Gov. Greg Abbotts executive order barring counties, cities, school districts, public health authorities and other government officials from requiring Texans to wear masks is an egregious example of government overreach. And it comes from a leader within the Republican Party. How ironic! John J. King Jr., Montgomery Deep underneath the I-45 and 610 North Loop interchange, Little White Oak Bayou quits its meandering and squeezes through a concrete tunnel. You have likely driven above it too many times to count, completely unaware of its existence. Up above on the highway, the rumble and whine of semis and pickups, buses and cars, U-Hauls and Harleys, never ends. And down below, a heron fishes on one leg. Plastic bags bob on branches. Light filters through the leaves along the bayous banks and disappears into the tunnels gaping maw. Bright graffiti gives way to utter darkness. The air is dank. I am with Karrie Jacobs, an architecture critic I know who launched Dwell magazine. Shes visiting from New York researching a book on ill-advised walks. We are halfway into a five-mile journey by foot following the bayou as it snakes its way back and forth along each side of I-45. At noon, we enter the underbelly of the highways by the light of our phones. Now Playing: Video: Houston Chronicle We are attempting to understand the fight over the Texas Department of Transportations plans to rebuild roughly 24 miles of highway. The walk is also a chance to reconnect with the city after getting vaccinated. I flash my phone at the tunnel wall and a face stares back at me. Every few feet another face. One looks like Pinocchio. Another has skulls for eyes. Some are surreal creatures with tentacles. We are in a subterranean art gallery a quarter mile long. Houston is often at its most beautiful in the places you were never intended to be. Since 1960, the tunnel has been a choke point in the flow of Little White Oak Bayou. An estimated 400 homes flooded during Hurricane Harvey just upstream of it in Independence Heights, the first municipality in Texas incorporated by African Americans. Not only did the 610 take 67 acres of Independence Heights and displace dozens of households, the interchange with I-45 repeatedly flooded those who remained. TxDOTs plans would make more room for the bayou to flow under the highway and would remove much of Independence Heights from the floodplain. It would be a long overdue redress. Those plans are currently on hold. In February, TxDOT gave itself approval to move forward but just weeks later Harris County sued to stop the agency and the federal government sent a letter demanding a pause while it investigates whether the plans violate civil rights-era rules. Theres no question that the I-45 plans would displace hundreds of businesses, over a thousand residents, demolish a historic church and more its all spelled out in TxDOTs own documents. Yet some prominent Black leaders are speaking out in favor of the plans, because they believe the flood mitigation and relocation packages present an opportunity for people to improve their living conditions. Whos right? The scope of the project confounds any single human mind. What I can say is this: When you stand there in the flesh, instead of lines on a map, you see life. For the moment, lets set aside the questions about traffic and transit, and instead ground ourselves by experiencing the places along the route. I believe if that is our starting point, there are three clear lessons. Im calling them redress, connect and reassess. So come walk with me along the banks of I-45 to explore this life. Temple ruins Our walk begins at sunrise in the Woodland Heights where Little White Oak Bayou merges into White Oak Bayou, which is also where I-10 and I-45 intersect. Do you think the highway designers were going for classical beauty? Jacobs asks me underneath the concrete columns supporting the highways. It looks like a Roman temple ruin overgrown with wildflowers. The unadorned columns have a functional elegance. The county argues that TxDOT did not consider this greenway a park, a designation that would have triggered rules for more extensive and costly mitigation. Is this meadow a park? Its where my son skins his knees skateboarding, where my daughter meets up with her friends, where Houstonians of every creed and color wander and play. It is a park and if an expanded highway re-scars it, the state should have to make up for the loss elsewhere. We turn north and begin to follow I-45. We cut across Woodland Park, which was much bigger back in 1903 with a lake, boats, concessions, a dance hall and, later, a zoo. Much of that was lost to floods and highway, but the bayou in the remaining park still draws you away from the swirling traffic. Little White Oak has to pass through another tunnel, but not one you can walk through. This is a choke point that helps put I-45 in the news every few years, causing the trenched highway to fill up. The original engineers may have thought they could dominate nature but water has asserted its will. Now we have to acknowledge that the highway and the bayou must be designed as a single system. I-45 is a river. TxDOTs plans lift part of the highway and make some more room for the bayou, but at a cost. It will knock out the North Street bridge, cutting off pedestrian access across I-45. Take me to Hollywood when I die We cross over I-45 on North Street into the Near Northside and walk up a ramp onto the outdoor concert stage at White Oak Music Hall. Though this development angered neighbors over loud outdoor concerts, the design got something right. It takes advantage of the bayous beauty instead of turning away. From the stage, I can take in the ice house, the picnic tables and the undulating topography along the bayous bend and the highways edge with the light rail train grinding away nearby. TxDOT could learn from this harmony of nature and urban development. At North Main Street, I hesitate, not sure which way to turn. Suddenly, a man in jogging shorts bounces up and seems to recognize me. Hes a retired petroleum engineer named Nat Smith who offers to guide us for a bit, eager to share his love for the bayou. Im taking you to the most underappreciated park in Houston, he says. And he is right. In a tiny community park with handmade signs one Id never noticed despite living close by the bayou ripples around a steep bank. Smith plucks plump mulberries hanging over the waters edge. They are sweet. We follow him through a grove and some bushes into the sudden expanse of the historic Hollywood Cemetery. Even on this most mundane of Tuesdays, grave sites decorated with helium balloons and silk flowers glisten across the rolling landscape. You should see it after Dia de los Muertos, Smith says. He shows us the graves of Shinpei Mykawa, who tried to establish rice farming in Texas, and Hortense Ward, the champion of women's rights in early 20th century Texas. The lesson? Redress and connect. TxDOT could make up for the lost parkland and bridge by funding greenway trails on the bayou, better sidewalks and a bus rapid transit stop over I-45 that bring all the pieces scattered around schools, shops, affordable housing, cultural heritage, parks into one whole. And just when it seemed Nat Smith might join us for the rest of our journey, he bounds off. For Loves sake After a short stretch on a quiet Northside neighborhood street we push through more bramble and over a fallen chain-link fence into Loves truck stop and its long rows of semis. TxDOTs plan is to turn this whole place into a detention basin. It could easily double as a park but unfortunately because of the disjointed nature of our government TxDOT can say they dont do parks and that it is somebody elses responsibility. After a snack and bathroom break at Loves, we have little choice but to walk along the bleak feeder road. At Cavalcade Street, we cross back under the highway to the west side to catch up with the bayou. Even with the citys new bike lane and fresh paint, it is scary to move my delicate human frame alongside whizzing cars, exchanging bewildered glances with motorists as we wait for the crossing signal to change. Here, again, the lesson is connection. Can we imagine the frontage roads rebuilt in a way my tween and teen kids could navigate safely on their own? Or someone in a wheelchair could easily manage? That is what the city and county have asked TxDOT to do. And the agency says it remains a possibility. Once we get across to the bayou, a generous sidewalk following the water takes us close to the tunnel featuring the graffiti art gallery under the interchange of I-45 and Loop 610. This is convincing, Jacobs says to me as she takes in the meandering bayou, the turtles, the meadows, the semi-rural quietude of narrow streets dotted with humble tract houses. If Texas were a European country, this would be a place of pride, she said. It even reminded her of a picturesque river walk along the Akerselva River in Oslo minus, of course, the thick gobs of plastic bags clinging to trees, the discarded tires and abandoned shopping carts. At the interchange, Jacobs isnt afraid of the dark tunnel, until I see a water moccasin splash a few feet away and we clamor back to the street. Strip mall life The final leg of our journey takes us through Independence Heights and then back to the east side of I-45. At this point, I regret not packing water and trail mix. We are between 610 and Beltway 8, where the TxDOT plan would displace a swath of businesses. You might drive by, and think, whats the problem with that? Who cares if a fast-food chain gets demolished? There are so many others. Its just another strip mall on the edge of the freeway. But the lesson that occurs to me here is to reassess. Slow down, think and dont rely only on assumptions. When I stand on the frontage road and look at the shopping centers, I see people and cars in long drive-thru lines, nearly every parking spot filled, every corner of retail space leased and used. Im not one to frequent all-you-can-eat Chinese buffets or Chick-fil-A but the scene is alive and has a place in our urban fabric and in this predominately Latino community. What is needed from TxDOT is compromise, not a cavalier disregard for a predominantly Latino community. Respecting neighborhoods like this means tweaking TxDOTs blueprint, narrowing a shoulder here, omitting a frontage lane there, and digging in only on the parts of the plan that matter most. We walk to the Houston Community College Northline campus and board the light rail something Ive waited to do for so long, to share a space with strangers and feel a part of the city. A river song Yes I am singing a song of Houston, of clay and steel, of herons and tires, of goats and horses grazing in backyards, of affordable apartment blocks, of subterranean galleries and strip malls brimming with a mix of all the worlds peoples. As we battle over the I-45 plan, we need a grounded perspective that centers on the people whose lives will be most affected. I say yes to big ideas that benefit the region, especially with dedicated bus lanes, but not at the expense of what has taken root in the 60 years since the highway was built. We should avoid, as much as possible, expansion of the highways footprint. Ive walked the path. Ive seen the life that could not be deterred, the water that could not be tamed, the communities that have thrived despite barriers. In my family, when we pray, we invoke the names of the great rivers because they are givers of life. When I walked the banks of I-45, a similar reverence stirred in me. Houston needs the trucks, the roads, the soaring structures to keep this city flowing. But it is us our bodies, our lives, our daily paths that should have the right of way. Mankad is the Chronicles op-ed editor. His email is raj.mankad@chron.com. Houston, MO (65483) Today Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. Low near 70F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Variable clouds with scattered thunderstorms. Low near 70F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email circulation@idahopress.com for help creating one. National Protests begin over Kerala Higher Edu Minister taking oath as Prof Thiruvananthapuram, May 22 (IANS): | Publish Date: 5/22/2021 2:55:23 PM IST Trouble has started over the manner in which Kerala Higher Education Minister R. Bindhu was sworn in by Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Thursday, taking oath as Professor R. Bindhu. Bindhu is a first time legislator and also the wife of CPI-M state secretary V. Vijayaraghavan, a former Rajya Sabha member and she quit her job as principal at the Sree Kerala Varma College, Thrissur, an aided college. Raising the question of impropriety by Bindhu, senior BJP leader B. Gopalakrishnan said that she does not qualify as a professor according to UGC norms and knowing that very well, it was improper on her part to read her name in the oath as Prof R. Bindhu. This fact that she is not a professor might not be known to the common public, but she knows very well that she is not a professor. However, till now none knows if the UGC has given any exemption to the Minister, who is the wife of CPI-M state secretary. She is only an Associate Professor, said Gopalakrishnan. Even the official Kerala government notification that came out on Friday describing the list of cabinet ministers and their portfolios also indicate her name as Prof R. Bindhu. Speaking to IANS, U. Abdul Kalam principal of a leading aided college in the state and also the president of the Kerala Private College Teachers Association said at the moment there is not a single professor in any of the government or aided colleges in the state. In our colleges the entry level appointment is called Assistant Professor and after a decade of service one becomes an Associate Professor. Then to become a professor one has to have a Phd, have to guide research students who will produce their thesis, besides have publications in peer reviewed journals. Then there is grading system and for each criterion there is a mark given. Bindhu has been awarded her Phd very recently only. She does not have a designation of Professor and hence she cannot use it also, said Kalam and added that there are professors in the various Universities departments. Gopalakrishnan further added that in the finesse of things, Bindhu should take a fresh oath with her correct designation. Since the allegation surfaced, Bindhu nor the party has come out with any explanation to this and with the assembly session all set to commence next week, this is certainly going to be enough ammunition for the Congress led Opposition to take on both Vijayan and Bindhu. Note: We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email circulation2@journalnet.com for help creating one. Imperial Valley News Center SavaSeniorCare LLC Agrees to Pay $11.2 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Washington, DC - SavaSeniorCare LLC and related entities (Sava), based in Georgia, have agreed to pay $11.2 million, plus additional amounts if certain financial contingencies occur, to resolve allegations that Sava violated the False Claims Act by causing its skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) to bill the Medicare program for rehabilitation therapy services that were not reasonable, necessary or skilled, and to resolve allegations that Sava billed the Medicare and Medicaid programs for grossly substandard skilled nursing services. Sava currently owns and operates SNFs across the country. Nursing home operators will be held accountable when they engage in fraudulent schemes and put their own financial gain ahead of the needs of their vulnerable residents, said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Departments Civil Division. To ensure the integrity of our public health care programs, the department will pursue operators who bill Medicare and Medicaid for unnecessary or grossly substandard services and who fail to provide adequate care. In 2015, the government filed a consolidated False Claims Act complaint against Sava, alleging that between October 2008 and September 2012, Sava knowingly submitted false claims for rehabilitation therapy services as a result of a systematic effort to increase its Medicare billings. The United States complaint alleged that, through corporate-wide policies and practices, Sava exerted significant pressure on its SNFs to meet unrealistic financial goals, resulting in the provision of medically unreasonable, unnecessary or unskilled services to Medicare patients. Sava allegedly set these aggressive, prospective corporate targets for the highest Medicare reimbursement rates without regard for its patients actual clinical needs and then pressured its staff to meet those targets. Sava also allegedly sought to increase its Medicare payments by delaying the discharge of patients from its facilities, even though the patients were medically ready to be discharged. This settlement also resolves allegations that between October 2008 and September 2012, Sava knowingly submitted false claims to Medicaid for coinsurance amounts for rehabilitation therapy services for beneficiaries eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid and for whom Sava also allegedly submitted or caused the submission of false claims to Medicare for those services. In addition, this settlement resolves allegations that between January 2008 and December 2018, Sava knowingly submitted false claims for payment to Medicare and Medicaid for grossly and materially substandard and/or worthless skilled nursing services. The government alleged that some of the nursing services provided by Sava failed to meet federal standards of care and federal statutory and regulatory requirements, including failing to have sufficient staffing in certain facilities to meet certain residents needs. The government also alleged that in certain skilled nursing facilities, Sava failed to follow appropriate pressure ulcer protocols and appropriate falls protocols, and failed to appropriately administer medications to some of the residents. When corporate greed rises to the level of defrauding federal health care programs, while subjecting one of our most vulnerable populations to grossly substandard care and unnecessary medical services, we must hold the companies accountable, said Acting U.S. Attorney Mary Jane Stewart for the Middle District of Tennessee. Any fraud that undermines the care being provided to elderly nursing home residents cannot continue and will be exposed and rooted out. We are grateful to the courageous whistleblowers who reported this egregious conduct. Nursing home residents should not be at the mercy of nursing home operators that put their own economic gain ahead of the needs of the residents, and we will continue to aggressively pursue those operators who bill Medicare and Medicaid for substandard care, said Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. This settlement holds Sava accountable, and the resulting Corporate Integrity Agreement should ensure that Sava provides seniors with quality care and treats its residents with dignity and respect. Too many unscrupulous nursing homes operators seek maximum profit by routinely inflating bills while providing grossly substandard care, said Special Agent in Charge Derrick L. Jackson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). Medicare and Medicaid patients deserve so much better. With our law enforcement partners, we will continue to investigate and hold accountable those who place profits over patients. Under the settlement with the United States, and separate settlements with participating states, Sava has agreed to pay a total of approximately $11.2 million, plus additional amounts if certain financial contingencies occur. The settlement was based on the companys ability to pay. In connection with the settlement, Sava entered into a five-year chain-wide Corporate Integrity Agreement (CIA) with HHS-OIG that requires an independent review organization to annually review patient stays and associated paid claims by Medicare for those stays. In addition, Sava is required to engage an Independent Monitor to review the quality of resident care. CIAs promote compliance and protect vulnerable nursing home residents. The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act against Sava by Relators Rita Hayward, Trammel Kukoyi, Terrence Scott, James Thornton and Barbara Roberts. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The qui tam cases are captioned United States ex rel. Hayward v. SavaSeniorCare, LLC, et al., No. 3:11-cv-0821 (M.D. Tenn.); United States ex rel. Scott v. SavaSeniorCare Administrative Services, LLC, 3:15-cv-0404 (M.D. Tenn.); United States ex rel. Kukoyi v. Sava Senior Care, L.L.C., et al., No. 3:15-cv-1102 (M.D. Tenn.); and United States, et al. ex rel. Thornton, et al. v. SavaSeniorCare, Inc., et al., Civil Action No. 16-CV-0840 (E.D. Pa.). The resolutions obtained in these matters were the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Divisions Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorneys Offices for the Middle District of Tennessee and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, with assistance from the U.S. Attorneys Offices for the Southern District of Texas and the Western District of Texas, as well as from HHS-OIG and the National Association of Medicaid Fraud Control Units. The quality of care investigation was supported by the Justice Departments Elder Justice Initiative, which helps to coordinate the departments law enforcement and programmatic efforts to combat elder abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation. Learn more about the Elder Justice Initiative and the departments elder justice efforts at www.elderjustice.gov. The investigation and resolution of these matters illustrates the governments emphasis on combating healthcare fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement can be reported to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477). These matters were handled by Fraud Section attorneys Alison Rousseau, Susan Lynch, Seth Greene, Breanna Peterson, Christopher Terranova, and Laura Hill; Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Wildasin of the Middle District of Tennessee; and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charlene Fullmer, David Degnan, and Gerald Sullivan of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability. Imperial Valley News Center Companys Vice President Pleads Guilty to Negligently Releasing Asbestos New York - A New York man pleaded guilty Friday to negligently releasing asbestos and thereby exposing victims to an increased risk of death or serious bodily injury. Roger Osterhoudt, 58, of Saugerties, New York, entered a guilty plea to a Clean Air Act violation before the Hon. Judge McAvoy sitting in Binghamton. Sentencing is currently scheduled for Sept. 28. Osterhoudt faces up to a year in prison, five years probation, a $50,000 criminal fine, and will likely be held liable for providing restitution to any victims. "Operators of asbestos demolition and renovation projects are responsible for how this dangerous material is handled," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jean E. Williams for the Justice Departments Environment and Natural Resources Division. "Negligently placing people in grave danger from air pollution is a crime that this Division will investigate and, when appropriate, prosecute. This is one of those cases." According to court documents, between 2015 and 2016, Osterhoudt, negligently permitted abatement workers to remove asbestos from a former IBM site in Kingston, now known as TechCity. As Osterhoudt, knew, the facility in question contained over 400,000 square feet of regulated asbestos-containing material (RACM), as well as an additional 6,000 linear feet of RACM pipe wrap. Osterhoudt, as the Vice President of Property Management for TechCity, hired an asbestos abatement contractor and a project monitoring company to remove all the asbestos from the facility prior to its renovation and/or demolition. Between 2015 and 2016, Osterhoudt was made aware that these abatement and project monitoring companies were violating asbestos regulations related to the safe containment, handling, and disposal of asbestos wastes. These regulations are intended to protect workers and prevent releases into surrounding communities and the environment. New York State issued notices of violation (NOVs) as a result of many of these infractions. Nonetheless, Osterhoudt not only permitted the work to continue, but further pressured asbestos abatement supervisors and workers to expedite the removal of asbestos at the site to meet contract deadlines. At times, A2ESs owner, Stephanie Laskin, and other A2ES supervisors, including Gunay Yakup (both of whom have previously entered guilty pleas), instructed workers to remove RACM dryleading to visible emissions of asbestosand directed work to proceed in areas that were not properly sealed off with critical barriers intended to prevent the escape of asbestos contamination into the surrounding community and environment. Osterhoudt admitted that he was aware of the numerous NOVs, and that he should have known that by permitting the asbestos abatement and project monitoring companies to continue their illegal practices, he negligently permitted the release of asbestos contamination into the environment and placed others at an increased risk of death or serious bodily injury. Asbestos has been determined to cause lung cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma, an invariably fatal disease. The EPA has determined that there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos. Special agents of the EPA and individuals from the New York Departments of Labor and Environmental Conservation investigated the case. Todd W. Gleason and Gary N. Donner of ENRDs Environmental Crimes Section prosecuted the case with the assistance of paralegal Chloe Harris. Imperial Valley News Center FBI Employee Indicted for Illegally Removing National Security Documents, Taking Material to Her Home Kansas City, Missouri - An employee of the FBIs Kansas City Division has been indicted by a federal grand jury for illegally removing numerous national security documents that were found in her home. Kendra Kingsbury, 48, of Dodge City, Kansas, was charged in a two-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Missouri, on Tuesday, May 18. That indictment was unsealed and made public Friday upon Kingsburys arrest and initial court appearance in the District of Kansas. As an intelligence analyst for the FBI, the defendant was entrusted with access to sensitive government materials," said Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers for the Justice Departments National Security Division. Kingsbury is alleged to have violated our nations trust by stealing and retaining classified documents in her home for years. Insider threats are a significant danger to our national security, and we will continue to work relentlessly to identify, pursue and prosecute individuals who pose such a threat. The breadth and depth of classified national security information retained by the defendant for more than a decade is simply astonishing, said Alan E. Kohler, Jr. Assistant Director of the FBIs Counterintelligence Division. The defendant, who's well trained in handling classified information, put her countrys sensitive secrets at risk. The FBI will go to great lengths to investigate individuals who put their own interests above U.S. national security, including when the individual is an FBI employee. Our communitys safety and our nations security were jeopardized by this criminal behavior, said Acting U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore for the Western District of Missouri. Those entrusted with such grave responsibility must be held accountable if they violate their oath and betray their country. I appreciate the diligence and professionalism with which the FBI thoroughly investigated one of their own and brought the perpetrator to justice. Every FBI employee swears to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, said Special Agent in Charge Timothy Langan of the FBI Kansas City Field Office. With that oath comes the obligation to protect classified information from unauthorized disclosure to safeguard our national security. Kingsburys actions are a betrayal of trust not only to the FBI but also the American people. They can be reassured that the FBI takes any and all allegations of wrongdoing by employees with the utmost gravity and remain committed to investigating these allegations to the fullest extent. The federal indictment alleges that Kingsbury improperly removed sensitive government materials including national defense information and classified documents from June 2004 to Dec. 15, 2017. Kingsbury allegedly retained these materials in her personal residence. Kingsbury worked as an intelligence analyst for more than 12 years in the Kansas City Division of the FBI, until she was placed on suspension in December 2017. She was assigned to several different FBI squads during that time, including squads that focused on illegal drug trafficking, violent crime, violent gangs, and counterintelligence. Kingsbury, who held a top secret security clearance, had access to national defense and classified information. The federal indictment charges Kingsbury with two counts of having unauthorized possession of documents relating to the national defense. Count one of the federal indictment relates to numerous documents classified at the secret level that describe intelligence sources and methods related to U.S. government efforts to defend against counterterrorism, counterintelligence and cyber threats. The documents include details on the FBIs nationwide objectives and priorities, including specific open investigations across multiple field offices. In addition, there are documents relating to sensitive human source operations in national security investigations, intelligence gaps regarding hostile foreign intelligence services and terrorist organizations, and the technical capabilities of the FBI against counterintelligence and counterterrorism targets. Count two of the federal indictment relates to numerous documents classified at the secret level that describe intelligence sources and methods related to U.S. government efforts to collect intelligence on terrorist groups. The documents include information about al Qaeda members on the African continent, including a suspected associate of Usama bin Laden. In addition, there are documents regarding the activities of emerging terrorists and their efforts to establish themselves in support of al Qaeda in Africa. According to the indictment, Kingsbury was not authorized to remove and retain these sensitive government materials, nor did she have a need to know most, if not all, of the information contained in those materials. Kingsbury knew the unauthorized removal of classified materials and transportation and storage of those materials in unauthorized locations risked disclosure and transmission of those materials, and therefore could endanger the national security of the United States and the safety of its citizens. She also knew that violating the rules governing the handling of classified information could result in criminal prosecution. The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick C. Edwards and David Raskin in the Western District of Missouri, with the assistance of DOJ Trial Attorney Scott Claffee with the Counterintelligence & Export Control Section of the National Security Division. It was investigated by the FBI Field Office in Omaha, Nebraska. Imperial Valley News Center Former Police Officer Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Civil Rights Violation St. Paul, Minnesota - A former officer with the St. Paul Police Department in St. Paul, Minnesota, was sentenced Friday to six years in prison after a jury found him guilty of a civil rights violation. Brett Palkowitsch, 31, was sentenced on May 21 after being found guilty of using excessive force against an unarmed civilian. At the sentencing hearing, Palkowitsch waived the right to appeal his conviction and publicly apologized for his use of excessive force. Instead of lawfully carrying out his critical public safety responsibilities, Palkowitsch abused his authority by using excessive force, said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Pamela S. Karlan of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division. The Justice Department will continue to vigorously prosecute officers who engage in criminal misconduct. Law enforcement officers take an oath to serve and protect the public, said Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Minneapolis Field Office. When an officer betrays that oath and violates a person's civil rights, that officer must be held accountable. Our community, and our profession, deserve no less. The evidence presented at trial established that the defendant and other officers responded to a 911 call alleging that an unidentified black male with dreadlocks and a white t-shirt had been involved in a street fight and was carrying a gun. Upon their arrival on scene, officers found no evidence of any street fight, but they noticed one man who matched that general description, sitting in his car talking on a cellphone. One of the responding officers, along with his police K-9, approached the mans car and, without identifying himself as a police officer, yelled at the man to get out. The man, later identified as Frank Baker, got out of the car, as the officer yelled commands and the police K-9 barked loudly at him. Seven seconds later, the officer released the K-9, which took Baker to the ground and began mauling his leg. While Baker was on the ground, screaming in pain, the defendant arrived and kicked Baker three times in the ribs. The defendants kicks broke seven of Bakers ribs and caused both of his lungs to collapse, putting him in critical condition. Officers found no gun at the scene and no evidence that Baker, a 52-year-old grandfather who lived in the neighborhood, had been involved in any fight. Two veteran officers who witnessed the defendants actions that night, officers Joseph Dick and Anthony Spencer, reported the defendant to their supervisor. Dick and Spencer both testified at trial about the defendants use of excessive force and about the harassment and retaliation they suffered after stepping forward to report a fellow officer. They and other officers also testified that after the arrest, back at the police station, the defendant boasted to several officers about the force of his kicks and about having seriously injured Baker. At the sentencing hearing, District Judge Wilhelmina Wright of the District of Minnesota told the defendant, who had been entrusted with a position of authority, You flagrantly abused that trust. This case was investigated by the Minneapolis Division of the FBI and was prosecuted by Special Litigation Counsel Christopher J. Perras and former Trial Attorney Zachary Dembo of the Civil Rights Division. On Saturday, the Yunnan provincial government said a 6.4-Magnitude Earthquake hit Yunnan province in southwestern China, killing three people and leaving 28 injured, late on Friday. The Quake According to data from China Earthquake Networks Center, the quake struck at a depth of 5 miles (8 km) and was accompanied by aftershocks. CCTV quoted officials as saying due to the collapse of some roads together with landslides some transportation lines had been cut, but telephones, electricity, and the internet were still working. CCTV said there was a declaration of emergency and rescue teams was launched in Dali - a city of about 134,000 residents in Yunnan province approximately 15 miles (24 km) from the epicentre. China Earthquake Networks Center reported Qinghai province in western China was also hit by a 7.4-magnitude earthquake on Saturday. Authorities have not given reports on any casualties related to that quake. Also Read: 20,000 Swarms of Earthquakes Could Cause Volcanic Eruptions in Iceland, Experts Say Sichuan Earthquake of 2008 Sichuan earthquake of 2008, also referred to as Great Wenchuan Earthquake or Wenchuan earthquake, Chinese Wenchuan Da Dizhen or Wenchuan dizhen, was a great and enormous earthquake that was very destructive and it took place on May 12, 2008, in the hilly central region of Sichuan province in southwestern China. The magnitude-7.9 quake epicenter - Chinese measured the quake as magnitude 8.0, happened close to the city of Dujiangyan, roughly 80 km (50 miles) west-northwest of Chengdu which is the provincial capital, at a depth of 19 km (11.8 miles) beneath the surface. The quake was brought about by the crash of the Eurasian and Indian-Australian plates along the Longmenshan Fault that was 249-km long, a thrust fault in which the pressures generated by the Indian-Australian plate moving northward led to a shift in part of the Plateau of Tibet eastward. Compressional forces that came about as a result of this shift divided the ground in two locations along the fault, thrusting the ground skywards by roughly 29 feet (around 9 metres) in some places. A lot of aftershocks took place in the days, months, and years that came after, both a magnitude-5.0 event that hit Chengdu in May 2010. Effects of Sichuan Earthquake The Longmenshan Fault runs southwest to northeast through the eastern side of the Longmen Shan (Longmen Mountains) and divides the Plateau of Tibet from the leveled Sichuan Basin. The May 2008 quake leveled some four-fifths of the constructions in the area that was affected. The quake destroyed entire towns and villages in the mountains and left many schools demolished. Close to 90,000 people were recorded dead or missing and assumed dead in the last official Chinese government assessment; the total number of the people killed that were officially reported included over 5,300 children, most of them were students attending classes. In addition, almost 375,000 people were left injured by building collapses and falling debris. Related Article: Supercomputer's 700,000 Year-Earthquake Simulation Could Predict When it'll Hit For more news, updates about earthquakes and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News! Imperial Valley News Center California Man Sentenced to 33 Federal Prison for Sales of Black Market Drugs to Prescription Drug Customers San Francisco, California - Hakob Kojoyan was sentenced Monday in United States District Court to 33 months in prison and ordered to forfeit his Palm Springs house for participating in a scheme involving the unlicensed wholesale distribution of prescription drugs, announced Acting United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Craig D. Fair. The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Richard Seeborg, United States District Judge. Kojoyan, 29, of Northridge, California, admitted that he engaged in a scheme from February 2017 to April 2018 to distribute illegally obtained prescription drugs to unsuspecting purchasers. In his plea agreement, Kojoyan stated that he and his associates used a Pennsylvania company, Mainspring Distribution LLC (Mainspring), to pose as legitimate prescription drug wholesalers. They then obtained prescription drugs from unlicensed, black market sources in California. They sold the drugs through Mainspring to unknowing wholesale customers, falsely representing that the drugs were legitimately sourced from licensed suppliers. Kojoyan and his co-defendants avoided dealing in generic drugs and instead specialized in expensive name-brand prescription drugs used to treat HIV, such as Atripla. Kojoyan himself also supplied prescription drugs for such resale, though he had no license to do so. In a memo filed for the sentencing, the government pointed out that to combat prescription drug fraud, Congress mandated prescription drug wholesalers provide their customers with detailed information about the drugs they sell, including a transaction history tracing the drugs back to their licensed manufacturer. The government asserted Kojoyan and his co-conspirators knew about these federal regulations designed to protect vulnerable patients, and they worked diligently to evade them. They stole the identity of a licensed prescription drug company supplier in California and prepared paperwork falsely suggesting their drugs came from that supplier. The government described how they further mimicked the appearance of a legitimate supply chain by opening bank accounts in names misleadingly similar to the licensed supplier and routing the proceeds of their fraudulent sales through the accounts. The government further asserted that bank accounts under the control of Kojoyan received approximately $2.2 million from Mainspring-associated accounts, much of which was laundered and distributed to co-conspirators. Kojoyans earnings were invested into a house in Palm Springs, which the Court ordered forfeited to the government. The government filed a superseding information on July 6, 2020, charging Kojoyan with unlicensed wholesale distribution of prescription drugs, in violation of 21 U.S.C. 331(t), 333(b)(1)(D), 353(e)(1). On July 15, 2020, Kojoyan entered a guilty plea to the charge. In addition to sentencing Kojoyan to a prison term of 33 months and ordering the forfeiture of his Palm Springs house, U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg also sentenced Kojoyan to a three-year period of supervised release to follow his prison term. The defendant remains out of custody on bond and was ordered to surrender to begin his sentence on June 2, 2021. This case is being prosecuted by the Corporate Fraud Strike Force of the United States Attorneys Office. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Imperial Valley News Center California Brothers Plead Guilty To Separate But Similar Pandemic Relief Fraud Schemes San Francisco, California - Caesar Oskan, also known as Sezer Ozkan, and his brother Ester Ozkar, also known as Eser Ozkay, pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to making false statements to a financial institution in separate schemes to defraud the federal government of pandemic relief funds, announced Acting United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds; Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Daniels; United States Secret Service Special Agent in Charge of San Francisco Field Office James Anderson; Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Craig D. Fair; Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration J. Russell George; Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, Western Region Special Agent in Charge Weston King; and Office of Inspector General for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, Western Region Special Agent in Charge Scott Redington. Both Caesar Oskan, 66, of San Rafael, and Ester Ozkar, 66, of Novato, admitted as part of their guilty pleas that between March 2020 and June 2020 they each submitted multiple separate fraudulent applications for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans in a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration and the banks handling the PPP loans. EIDL and PPP are loan programs designed to help businesses survive during the Covid-19 pandemic. In his written plea agreement, Caesar Oskan admitted that he obtained $1,006,004 in fraudulent PPP loans and $713,500 in fraudulent EIDL loans and advances. In Ester Ozkars plea agreement, he admitted that he obtained $474,132 in fraudulent PPP loans and $9,000 in EIDL advances. Pandemic relief funds are limited and intended to save legitimate struggling businesses from failing, said Acting United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds. Individuals, like these two brothers, who treat these pools of relief funds as their personal bank accounts deserve to be vigorously prosecuted. Honest and law abiding citizens are fed up with the likes of those who use deceit and fraud to line their pockets with money intended to help businesses affected by the pandemic, said Michael Daniels, Acting Special Agent in Charge IRS Criminal Investigation. Those individuals who engage in this type of financial fraud should know they will not go undetected and will be held accountable. The U.S. Secret Service is dedicated to investigating those who prey on businesses by taking advantage of pandemic relief funds, said United States Secret Service Special Agent in Charge of the San Francisco Field Office James Anderson. This investigation exemplifies the success we can achieve when the Secret Service and our law enforcement partners work together to protect Americas financial infrastructure. The FBI and our partners are actively working to identify individuals, like the Oskan brothers, who are taking advantage of COVID relief programs intended to support hardworking Americans and small businesses struggling with financial challenges due to the pandemic, said FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig D. Fair. We will continue to collaborate across agency lines to combat this type of fraud and ensure these crucial funds are used as intended not to enrich those who exploit the system for their own greed. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration will aggressively pursue those who endeavor to defraud taxpayer-funded Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act programs, which were established to provide assistance to American business owners during these unprecedented times, said J. Russell George, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. We appreciate the efforts of the U.S. Department Justice and our law enforcement partners in this effort. Lying to gain access to economic stimulus funds will be met with justice, said Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, Western Region Special Agent in Charge Weston King. SBA OIG will relentlessly pursue evidence of fraud against SBAs programs aimed at assisting the nations small businesses struggling with pandemic challenges. I want to thank the U.S. Attorneys Office for its leadership and dedication to pursuing justice. The defendants admitted to defrauding the federal government of pandemic relief funds and are now convicted felons, said Scott Redington, Special Agent in Charge, Western Region, Office of Inspector General for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. We are fully committed to bringing to justice wrongdoers who exploit and defraud financial institutions and the governments response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The admissions of the two defendants in their respective written plea agreements describe the breadth of their criminal schemes. In Caesar Oskans plea agreement, he admitted that he submitted 27 fraudulent applications for PPP and EIDL loans. The applications were submitted on behalf of several entities with names such as Bake and Wrap LLC, Comfort Plus Transportation LLC, Fast Food Plus LLC, Healthy Comfort Food, and CTC Trade LLC. Oskan admitted that for many of his applications he registered the fictitious entities with the California Secretary of State, then backdated the Secretary of State documents to reflect earlier creation dates for the entities so that the entity could qualify for a pandemic relief loan. For each of his 27 applications, Oskan created fake IRS tax documents that contained false statements about the number of employees, false payroll costs, and false wage amounts paid. In an example from his plea agreement, Oskan admitted applying on June 1, 2020, in the name of CTC Trade LLC to a bank for a PPP loan in the amount of $268,719. He had registered CTC Trade LLC as a business with the California Secretary of State less than a month before, on May 6, 2020. However, in his application Oskan represented that CTC Trade LLC was created prior to February 15, 2020 (the creation cutoff date for PPP and EIDL loan qualification), employed 17 employees, and had an average monthly payroll of $107,468. Oskan admitted in his plea agreement that each of these representations was false. He further admitted submitting fraudulent Articles of Incorporation and a fraudulent IRS form with the application. The application succeeded, and the bank disbursed $268,719 to him. Separately, Ester Ozkar admitted in his plea agreement that he submitted eight fraudulent applications for PPP and EIDL loans on behalf of six entities with names such as 7Transportations, Alya LLC, Century Transportations Inc, and Last Mile Shuttle. Ozkar admitted that Alya LLC was a fictitious entity that he registered with the California Secretary of State and then modified the Secretary of State documents to reflect a creation date earlier than February 15, 2020, so that the entity would qualify for PPP and EIDL loans. He further admitted that for every application, he created and submitted fake IRS tax documents containing false statements about the entitys number of employees, payroll costs, and wages paid to fictitious employees. In an example from his plea agreement, Ozkar states that he applied on or about April 7, 2020, on behalf of Blockchain Tech, LLC to a bank for a PPP loan in the amount of $46,250. He admitted he represented in the application that Blockchain Tech, LLC was in operation prior to February 15, 2020, employed four employees, and averaged a monthly payroll of $18,500. Ozkar further admitted that each of these representations was false. He also admitted that he submitted multiple fraudulent IRS forms in the application. The application succeeded, and the bank disbursed $46,250 to him. Caesar Oskan and Ester Ozkar each pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement to a financial institution, in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1014. Each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a one million dollar fine. However, any sentence imposed by the court will follow only after the courts consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. 3553. United States District Judge Charles R. Breyer set a sentencing hearing for each defendant on December 15, 2021, at 10 a.m. The defendants remain out of custody on bond. For background information, the PPP is administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The CARES Act is a federal law enacted in March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering from the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. PPP loan proceeds must be used by the business on certain permissible business expenses, including payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities. The PPP allows the interest and principal on a PPP loan to be entirely forgiven if the business spends the loan proceeds on these business expense items within a designated period of time and uses at least 60% of the PPP loan proceeds on payroll expenses. Loans made through the PPP are 100% guaranteed by the SBA. Similarly, the EIDL Program provides low-interest non-forgivable loans and fully forgivable advances to small businesses, among others, in regions affected by disasters. In March 2020 EIDL funds were made available to all states and territories due to the magnitude and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic. Maya Karwande is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who, along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Kaltsas, is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Ralph Banchstubbs. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation; the United States Secret Service; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the U.S. Department of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration; the Office of Inspector General for the Small Business Administration; and the Office of Inspector General for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. Imperial Valley News Center Border Patrol Agents Rescue Two individuals in Separate Events Ocotillo, California - U.S. Border Patrol agents from El Centro Sector successfully rescued two individuals in separate incidents Monday morning. The first incident occurred at about 4 a.m., in the mountains near Ocotillo when the California Highway Patrol relayed a 9-1-1 call to the El Centro Sector Radio Communications. Sector Dispatch then notified El Centro Station agents of the emergency call made by a man who illegally crossed the United States / Mexico international boundary. The undocumented individual stated that he was not in distress but was tired and lost. El Centro Stations Mountain Disrupt Unit was notified and quickly responded to the area. Agents began the search using last known GPS coordinates provided by the lost individuals cell phone. At about 9:10 a.m., agents located the lost Mexican national and conducted a welfare check. The rescued undocumented individual was assessed, and no medical attention was required. Agents apprehended the subject and transported him to the El Centro Processing Center for further processing. The second incident occurred at about 9:15 a.m., in the desert near Calexico, when Remote Video Surveillance System operators observed two individuals attempting to swim north across the All-American Canal (AAC). The AAC runs parallel to the United States/Mexico border. The canal is 80 miles long, approximately 120 feet wide, and 20 feet deep in most parts. The canal water is, swift, and has underwater currents that are extremely treacherous. The first individual made it across the canal and was apprehended. The second individual swam halfway and could not continue due to the strong current of the water. The individual was on an innertube and holding on to the buoy line that spans the width of the canal. The El Centro Sectors Border Search Trauma and Rescue (BORSTAR) Unit was notified and responded to the area. At about 10:37 a.m., BORSTAR agents entered the canal and successfully rescued the individual. The rescued undocumented individual was assessed, and no medical attention was required. Agents apprehended the subject and transported him to the El Centro Processing Center for further processing. Since October, El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents have successfully rescued 119 individuals lost or in distress. Imperial Valley News Center Stolen Vehicle Recovered with Hidden Narcotics at Checkpoint Salton Sea, California - El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents seized methamphetamine, fentanyl pills and recovered a stolen vehicle Tuesday morning. The incident occurred at approximately 7:45 a.m., when a 25-year-old woman, United States citizen, driving a white 2013 KIA Optima approached the Highway 86 checkpoint. A Border Patrol K-9 detection team alerted to the vehicles engine in the primary inspection lane. Agents directed the vehicle to enter the secondary inspection area for further investigation. During their inspection, agents discovered two bundles wrapped in black electrical tape wedged between the battery and engine compartment. The contents inside of the packages tested positive for the characteristics of methamphetamine. As part of the inspection, agents requested a record checks on the vehicle that resulted in a positive alert for a stolen vehicle registered out of Beaumont. Additionally, once the woman was told she was under arrest, she freely handed over a bag containing a white crystal-like substance and a bundle containing blue pills. The blue pills tested positive for the properties of fentanyl and the white crystal-like substance tested positive for the characteristics of methamphetamine. The total weight of the methamphetamine was approximately 2.44 pounds with an estimated value of $6,588. The total weight of the fentanyl pills were .360 pounds with an estimated value of $11,520. El Centro Sector turned over the driver, narcotics, and the stolen vehicle to the Imperial County Border Crimes Suppression Team. Imperial Valley News Center Border Patrol Agents Foil Two Smuggling Attempts in Two Hours El Centro, California - El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents apprehended a total of 16 undocumented individuals in two smuggling events Wednesday night. The first incident occurred at approximately 9:15 p.m., when agents observed a white GMC Sierra cargo van in a known corridor for potential smuggling activity in El Centro. Agents suspected the vehicle was being used for human smuggling and conducted a vehicle stop on the cargo van approximately one mile south of Interstate 8 and Bonds Corner Road. Border Patrol agents discovered undocumented individuals hidden in a compartment of a vehicle. Agents approached the vehicle and discovered 14 undocumented individuals that were being transported inside the cargo van. Agents safely removed all of the subjects and conducted welfare checks. The driver, a 55-year-old lawfully admitted permanent resident from Mexico, and all 14 undocumented individuals, Mexican nationals, were transported to the El Centro Sector Processing Center for further processing. El Centro Sector seized the vehicle, and the driver was processed administratively for human smuggling. The 14 undocumented individuals were expelled back to Mexico under Title 42. The second incident occurred at 10:40 p.m., when agents observed a silver Kia Rondo on Highway 98 that was exhibiting signs consistent with human smuggling. Agents then conducted a vehicle stop on the minivan on Highway 98, about 14 miles west of Calexico. During the stop, agents searched the vehicle and found a hidden compartment in the rear of the vehicle with two undocumented individuals locked inside. Agents safely removed the two subjects and conducted welfare checks. The driver, a 38-year-old United States citizen, and two undocumented individuals were transported to the El Centro Sector Processing Center for further processing. El Centro Sector seized the vehicle, and all subjects will be processed accordingly. Wanted Homicide Suspect Arrested in Smuggling Event Plaster City, California - El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents arrested a man with an active warrant for homicide during a smuggling event Monday afternoon. The incident occurred at about 3:51 p.m., when agents encountered a navy-blue Chevy Silverado truck near the area of Evan Hewes Road in El Centro. The agents followed the truck westbound toward Plaster City. Agents observed several individuals trying to conceal themselves in the bed of the truck. Agents attempted to conduct a vehicle stop. The driver of the vehicle drove north onto Juliet Road, an Off-Highway Vehicle road, to attempt to evade agents. The driver was unsuccessful in his attempt and the vehicle got stuck near Superstition Mountain. Once the vehicle came to a stop, all nine individuals exited the bed of the truck and attempted to abscond on foot. After a brief search of the area, agents apprehended the driver and the nine individuals that fled on foot. Agents determined that all ten individuals were all undocumented and illegally present in the United States. The driver and the nine individuals were placed under arrest and transported to the El Centro Sectors Centralized Processing Center for further processing. Additionally, record checks for one of the nine individuals, a 26-year-old undocumented individual from Mexico, indicated that he has an active warrant for Homicide out of Orange County. The Costa Mesa Police Department will extradite the man. The driver, a 23-year-old undocumented individual from Mexico, will be held in federal custody pending his arraignment for alien smuggling. The remaining eight undocumented individuals, all adult males, seven from Mexico and one from Guatemala, will be processed and removed from the United States. BORSTAR Agents Rescue Three Individuals near Imperial County S2 Ocotillo, California - U.S. Border Patrol agents from El Centro Sector successfully rescued three individuals Tuesday evening. The incident occurred at about 7:35 p.m., when El Centro Sector received information from the California Highway Patrol Radio Communications regarding a distress call made from an individual who illegally crossed the international boundary in the mountains 23 miles west of Calexico. The individual stated he was with two others and that they were lost and out of water. The information was relayed to El Centro Station agents performing their assigned duties in the area and they responded to the location to begin searching for the group. El Centro Sector Border Search Trauma and Rescue (BORSTAR) agents also responded to the area to assist in the search. At about 7:44 p.m., BORSTAR agents located two of the individuals along County Road S-2 near the Coyote Mountains which are located north of Ocotillo. Soon after, agents located the third individual south of the highway. A welfare check was conducted on all three individuals. One individual was severely dehydrated and required intravenous therapy (IV) and oxygen due to low oxygen levels. BORSTAR agents determined that the individual was in no need of additional treatment. Agents transported the three undocumented individuals, two adult men, one 17-year-old boy, all from Mexico, to the El Centro Processing Center for further processing and were subsequently expelled to Mexico. Since October, El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents have rescued 122 individuals lost or in distress. A local dispute about the expansion of an oil site in Surrey could have profound effects on how environmental planning decisions are made across the UK, campaigners say. Until 2019, the Horse Hill oil site, located in the Surrey Hills, only had permission for testing and short-term drilling. That was until Surrey County Council, shortly after declaring a climate emergency, gave its owners permission to dig a further four wells and extract oil for the next two decades. If the project gets the go-ahead from the Environment Agency, it will probably result in hundreds of tonnes of oil being produced each day. Alarmed by the situation, a group of local environmental activists decided to intervene. Almost two years on, their actions have led to a judicial review in the Court of Appeal this November. Sarah Finch, a former councillor from Redhill, Surrey, is bringing the case in the belief that the council was wrong not to consider the wider climate emergency in its decision-making process. Rather than only taking emissions produced on site into account, Ms Finch argues that the environmental impact assessment (EIA) should have factored in the greenhouse gases emitted when the oil is burned. The climate campaigner tells The Independent that she is glad the case is getting the attention she thinks it deserves: Initially, it might have been seen as one little planning decision in Surrey. I see the Horse Hill case as being part of a much wider thing along with Heathrow Airport and the Cumbria coal mine and endless examples of how decisions on the ground do not fit in with big, overarching climate policies. Sarah Finch speaks at a Horse Hill demonstration in October 2019 (Bryn Truscott) To her and others, the governments ambitious climate targets are at odds with actions taken by local authorities, the best known example of which is Cumbria County Councils approval of the UKs first deep coal mine in 30 years. At first, the government tried to take a neutral stance by saying it was a local issue, before later bowing to pressure and announcing a public inquiry into the councils planning decision. On this issue, Kate Blagojevic, the head of climate at Greenpeace UK, tells The Independent: Oil drilling, a new coal mine, airport expansions all are completely incompatible with our plans to slash emissions, yet these projects are being signed off and the government seems reluctant to intervene. We need government policies and investment that discourage the pursuit of high-carbon industries and encourage clean alternatives, such as renewable energy, green transport and housing. Rebecca Willis, professor in practice at the Lancaster Environment Centre, knows firsthand how difficult it is for local authorities to act in the absence of a clear government climate framework. After campaigning for two years to stop the Cumbria coal mine, she points to how local councillors are being made to unfairly grapple with issues of national importance, a theme she writes about in a joint paper published by the Place Based Climate Action Network (PCAN). The structure that we think works best is if the national government sets a really clear framework in terms of setting targets and responsibilities for local areas; making planning law much clearer; and then leaving local authorities to get on with the job, she explains. Given its pledge to achieve net zero by 2050, it should be up to the government to make policies with a very strong presumption against fossil fuel projects, she argues. Closer to the corridors of power in Westminster, the potential expansion of the Horse Hill well-site appears to illustrate Ms Willis concerns. Ms Finch attended the decisive SCC meeting on the Horse Hill planning proposal in September 2019 and thought the environmental considerations were not taken seriously enough. It was really shocking. We put in all these well-referenced, pertinent objections. They didnt even get a mention, she remembers. Ms Finch and her supporters at the Weald Action Group, which fights onshore oil and gas projects, had another setback in November 2020, when their first challenge on climate grounds was rejected by Mr Justice Holgate. However, she heard in late March that Lord Justice Lewison had allowed the case to proceed to the Court of Appeal, since it has far reaching ramifications and the emission of GHG is a matter of considerable public concern. Rowan Smith, a solicitor at Leigh Day, the firm which represents Ms Finch, agrees that the verdict of the hearing on 16 and 17 November could be potentially far-reaching, as the court will interpret a grey area of the law. Speaking about the status quo, he says: Because the [environmental impact] assessment is ultimately taken by the council, they can interpret the rules in one way, but a different council can interpret them in a different way. And its precisely because of that potential inconsistency, thats the gap in the current law. Mr Smith hopes the Court of Appeal will not side with the first judges narrow interpretation of the environmental regulations. From our perspective, thats slightly unreal because the whole purpose of this project is to extract the oil, he adds, in reference to the burning of the fossil fuel extracted from the Horse Hill site. For last years hearing, Ms Finch and others had to fundraise thousands of pounds to cover lawyers fees and court fees. They must now do the same for their latest appeal, with the cost of the legal action estimated at 28,000. Ms Finch says she was pleasantly surprised by the level of financial support they generated last year. One of those who raised funds was Pat Smith, a retired teacher who walked 100 miles, raising more than 5,000 for the cause. Pat Smith on her sponsored walk in September 2020 (Supplied by Sarah Finch ) The 71-year-old started in her hometown of Dorking, travelled past five drill sites on the Weald and finished at Horse Hill. Youre walking through countryside you want to preserve, she says of her week-long journey. Ms Smith is proud of her activism. I think its the most important thing Im going to do in the rest of my life, quite honestly. Ive got children and grandchildren, and hopefully my legacy will mean a better world. I sincerely feel that legal action has got to be the way to go to make any long-lasting change. So thats why I supported Sarah (Finch) in what she was doing, she adds. Katie de Kauwe is a lawyer at Friends of the Earth, an environmental group which made a submission to the High Court in support of Ms Finchs challenge. She thinks that there is short-sightedness in both local and central government over environmental issues. Its no good shouting from the rooftops about the importance of fixing the climate crisis if the actual decisions made dont then back it up. Surrey County Council has done exactly this, by declaring a climate emergency and then just a few months later approving a huge new oil drilling project. Friends of the Earth believes the full climate impact of this project should have been assessed, but the council did not consider the huge impact that will come when all this oil is burned and releases carbon into the atmosphere. Surrey County Council refuses to comment on the case, saying: As this matter will be determined by the Court of Appeal, it would not be appropriate for us to comment at this stage. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, which became party to the case to defend its National Planning Policy Framework, and UK Oil and Gas PLC, which has the majority stake in the Horse Hill site, similarly say they are unable to comment because it is a live legal matter. Meanwhile, campaigners hope that the publicity over the Horse Hill and Cumbria coal mine cases spurs the government to establish a climate action framework. Speaking about the public inquiry into the Cumbria coal mine, Ms Willis says she wants the plan to be shelved but also hopes it exposes these problems and prompts government to have much clearer and stronger policy. There is no justification for any fossil fuel extraction plant to be developed anywhere in the world, she adds. Scientists are investigating a new so-called triple mutant coronavirus variant said to have infected 49 people in England, largely in the Yorkshire and the Humber region. Public Health England (PHE) said on Friday that it is closely monitoring the variant, officially dubbed VUI-21MAY-01, or AV.1, having first discovered it in April. It is now one of eight currently labelled a variant under investigation by the health agency, which said it is from a lineage subjected to closer monitoring on 6 May based on its unusual mutation profile. It will only be designated a variant of concern if scientists conclude it poses a heightened risk. Health officials have stressed that there is currently no evidence to suggest that AV.1 could cause more severe disease or render vaccines any less effective. While variants typically carry around a dozen mutations, the variant has been unofficially dubbed a triple mutant, as a result of it carrying three notable mutations seen in other variants of concern. One of these is E484K a spike protein mutation found in the South African and Brazilian variants which scientists have said appears to impact immune response. Another is N439K, a mutation linked with immune escape, which caused brief concern in Scotland before dropping off the radar in June last year. The third is P681H, which is found in the Kent variant responsible for the UKs vast wave of deaths in January and is linked to greater transmissibility. The origins of the variant are unclear, and the BBC reports that cases have also been discovered in Greece and Chad. Scientists have been watching and sequencing the variant since the strange combination of mutations were first discovered several weeks ago, said Dr Kev Smith, from PHE. So far the people that we have identified are not particularly infectious, they're not really getting more sick than other cases of coronavirus and we're not seeing anything particularly worrying about it, he said. Sheffields director of public health, Greg Fell, said his team had been monitoring the variant as we do with all outbreaks across the city, and had been working with PHE and Test and Trace officials. Where cases have been identified, additional follow-up of cases, testing of contacts and targeted case-finding will be used to limit the spread of variants, Mr Fell said in a statement. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 9 June 2021 Adam Chamberlain, 45, general manager of Big Tree pub in Sheffield, has put up over 500 flags, taking 36 hours, in preparation for Euro 2020, which kicks off this weekend Tom Maddick / SWNS UK news in pictures 8 June 2021 REUTERS UK news in pictures 7 June 2021 A pedestrian wearing a face covering walks over Westminster Bridge near the Houses of Parliament in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 6 June 2021 Isobel Salamon, founder of the Edinburgh Cinema Club, poses alongside the Leith Trainspotting murals in Quality Yard, Leith, Edinburgh, for the programme launch of the Cinescapes Festival which starts on July 4 with a Trainspotting 1 and 2 double bill PA UK news in pictures 5 June 2021 A long exposure photograph captures the rotation of the earth as the stars blur into circles over Knowlton church ruins in Dorset Nick Lucas/SWNS UK news in pictures 4 June 2021 Balloonists take flight during the opening of the Midlands Air Festival in Alcester, Warwickshire PA UK news in pictures 3 June 2021 Members of the Household Cavalry during the Major General's annual inspection of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment in Hyde Park, London PA UK news in pictures 2 June 2021 Hannah Vitos of the Blenheim Art Foundation, poses for a photograph next to artist Ai Weiwei's Gilded Cage (2017) sculpture in the grounds of Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Britain Reuters UK news in pictures 1 June 2021 People swim in the Sky Pool, a transparent swimming pool bridge across two exclusive residential blocks standing next to the US Embassy in Nine Elms, in London, Tuesday, June 1, 2021 AP UK news in pictures 31 May 2021 People enjoy the hot weather at Brighton beach Reuters UK news in pictures 30 May 2021 People venture into the sea as they enjoy themselves during a hot day on Brighton Beach AP UK news in pictures 29 May 2021 Swimmers at the Stonehaven Open Air Pool in Aberdeenshire, which reopens after lockdown restrictions were eased PA UK news in pictures 28 May 2021 Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he meets Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban at Downing Street in London REUTERS UK news in pictures 27 May 2021 White Pelicans in the sunshine in St James's Park, London PA UK news in pictures 26 May 2021 Boats are seen at Southsea Moorings in Portsmouth Reuters UK news in pictures 25 May 2021 York Glaziers Trust employees Kieran Muir (left) and Emily Price (right) remove a stained glass window panel at the start of a new five year, 5m project to conserve York Minsters South East Transept and its medieval St Cuthbert Window PA UK news in pictures 24 May 2021 Dark rain clouds above an oast house at Bewl Water reservoir near Lamberhurst in Kent during one of the rainiest Mays on record, with the UK seeing 131 per cent of the usual months rainfall already PA UK news in pictures 23 May 2021 The Premier League trophy with the Manchester City club colour ribbons on, at Etihad Stadium, prior to the last Premier League match of the season. City will finally pick up the trophy after they won the league on 11 May Getty UK news in pictures 22 May 2021 Gary Kenny lifts the Buildbase FA Vase Trophy after Warrington Rylands won the FA Vase Final against Binfield at Wembley Stadium Getty UK news in pictures 21 May 2021 A family buffeted by the wind whilst crossing the the Millennium Bridge in London, with wind and rain forecast to ravage the UK on the first Friday that people have been allowed to meet in large groups outside in England PA UK news in pictures 20 May 2021 Devon And Cornwall Police Demonstrate Their Skills For Policing The G7 Summit Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 May 2021 An employee stands before a costume for the Queen of Hearts by Bob Crowley on display at the Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London PA UK news in pictures 17 May 2021 Passengers prepare to board an easyJet flight to Faro, Portugal, at Gatwick Airport after the ban on international leisure travel for people in England was lifted following the further easing of lockdown restrictions in England PA UK news in pictures 16 May 2021 Emergency workers at the scene of a suspected gas explosion, in which a young child was killed and two people were seriously injured, on Mallowdale Ave Heysham which caused 2 houses to collapse and badly damaged another PA UK news in pictures 15 May 2021 Pro-Palestinian activists and supporters let off smoke flares, wave flags and carry placards during a demonstration in support of the Palestinian cause as violence escalates in the ongoing conflict with Israel, in central London AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 14 May 2021 Member of staffs tighten screws and paint a Marlin skeleton, before it goes on display at the Natural History Museum in London, as the museum prepares to reopen to the public on 17 May, following the further easing of lockdown restrictions in England PA UK news in pictures 13 May 2021 A worshipper at the Baitul Futuh Mosque in Mordon, south London, ahead of Eid al-Fitr. The celebration marks the end of the Muslim month of fasting, called Ramadan. PA UK news in pictures 12 May 2021 A couple have wedding photos taken in Westminster, London Getty UK news in pictures 11 May 2021 The sun rises on Coquet Island, off Amble on the Northumberland coast, where as many as 35000 seabirds cram onto this tiny island to breed PA UK news in pictures 10 May 2021 Newly elected for a second term Mayor of London Sadiq Khan during his signing in ceremony at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre on Londons Southbank PA UK news in pictures 9 May 2021 People mill around St. Michael's tower on top of Glastonbury Tor as it is seen through blooming yellow rapeseed on a day of mixed weather in Glastonbury, Somerset PA UK news in pictures 8 May 2021 Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford elbow bumps newly elected MS Labour candidates Elizabeth Buffy Williams, Rhondda, left, and Sarah Murphy, Bridgend & Porthcawl Labour, right, as they meet in Porthcawl, Wales PA UK news in pictures 6 May 2021 A group of five Sisters from Carmelite Monastery in Dysart cast their vote in the Scottish Parliamentary election at Dysart Community Hall, West Port, Dysart PA UK news in pictures 5 May 2021 Leader of the Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer (centre) with West Midlands Metro Mayor candidate Liam Byrne (far right) and Labour Deputy Leader, Angela Rayner (far left) during a visit to Birmingham, whilst on the election campaign trail PA UK news in pictures 4 May 2021 Artists Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey stand within 100 oak saplings which form part of a living art installation entitled Beuys' Acorns by the UK-based artist duo, outside the Tate Modern in London PA UK news in pictures 3 May 2021 Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie feeds the Gentoo penguins during a visit to Edinburgh Zoo on the campaign trail for the forthcoming Scottish Parliamentary Election on May 6 PA UK news in pictures 2 May 2021 Chelsea players celebrate their fourth goal during the Womens Champions League semi-final second leg against Bayern Munich, at Kingsmeadow Stadium in south west London. The Blues won the game 4-1, (and the tie 5-3 on aggregate) sending them through to their first Champions League final AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 1 May 2020 Demonstrators during a march through London during a 'Kill the Bill' protest Angela Christofilou UK news in pictures 30 April 2021 Shoppers queue outside Primark in Belfast as shops reopen and hospitality is able to open outdoors in Northern Ireland where lockdown restrictions have begun to gradually ease PA UK news in pictures 29 April 2021 Specialist operators at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, near Telford, Shropshire, clean the Hawker Hunter aircraft displayed within the museum's National Cold War Exhibition, during annual high-level aircraft cleaning and maintenance PA UK news in pictures 28 April 2021 Millions of tulips in flower near Kings Lynn in Norfolk, as Belmont Nurseries, the UK's largest commercial grower of outdoor tulips, offers socially-distanced visits to its tulip fields at Hillington to raise funds for local charity The Norfolk Hospice Tapping House PA UK news in pictures 27 April 2021 Paula Laughton checks one of the newly installed Lego models in the new Lego Mythica land at Legoland Windsor Resort PA UK news in pictures 26 April 2021 A red panda rests on a tree at Manor Wildlife park, which reopened its doors as lockdown restrictions continue to ease, in Tenby, Wales Reuters UK news in pictures 25 April 2021 Sheep climb the hillside as flames from a moor fire are seen on Marsden moor, near Huddersfield AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 24 April 2021 Supporters protest against Manchester United's owners, outside English Premier League club Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium in Manchester AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 23 April 2021 People enjoy the warm weather at City Hall near Tower Bridge in central London PA UK news in pictures 22 April 2021 Uyghurs during a demonstration in Parliament Square, London, which is being held ahead of a House of Commons debate, bought by backbench MP Nus Ghani, on whether Uyghurs in China's Xinjiang province are suffering crimes against humanity and genocide PA UK news in pictures 21 April 2021 People walk at the Taihaku Cherry Orchard in Alnwick REUTERS UK news in pictures 20 April 2021 People stand in front of anti Super League banners outside Anfield as twelve of Europe's top football clubs, including Liverpool, launch a breakaway league Reuters UK news in pictures 19 April 2021 Women enjoy sunny weather in Greenwich, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in London, Britain, Reuters Please dont be alarmed, we want you to continue doing what you have been for the past year, he added. Follow the guidance, continue to wash your hands regularly and wear a mask indoors. Asked about the new variant on Friday, Boris Johnsons official spokesperson said: There are three mutations of the B1617 strain, as I think has been discussed previously, but as we do with all variants where we spot and identify them through our genomic sequencing programme," the spokesperson said. We will continue to monitor them and we will designate them as variants under investigation, and then variants of concern if we deem them to be of greater risk. But again, as youve seen throughout the pandemic, thats what weve done and we wont hesitate to put in measures that we think are necessary to try and tackle the transmission of any variants. I am going to my first dental appointment for work to be done on my teeth, a domestic abuse survivor says. After head butts, tin cans of soup were thrown at me, and more. This is such an excellent and important idea. The victim is one of many who will be helped by a new scheme that sees dentists offer free treatment to those who have suffered violence at the hands of their abusive partners. A National Dentistry Register for domestic abuse victims is currently being drawn up that will comprise of dentists willing to treat those with damaged teeth sustained in injuries or as a result of coercive control. The initiative is the brainchild of Rachel Williams. She has first-hand experience of the damage domestic abuse can inflict due to suffering life-changing injuries after her abusive husband tried to murder her with a sawn-off shotgun in the hairdresser where she worked. Ms Williams, who was in an abusive relationship for 18 years, tells The Independent dozens of dentists are already keen to get on board despite the scheme being in its early stages. She notes many domestic abuse survivors are unable to afford dentist treatment due to fleeing their abuser with just the clothes on their back. As a survivor, you have so much taken from you, Ms Williams, now a leading domestic abuse campaigner, adds. When you are with an abuser, you forget who you were as a person. You were groomed and modelled to how that abuser wants you. She said she had spoken to victims who say they ground their teeth terribly while sleeping due to anxiety. She also cited the example of one woman who had to move far away to escape her abuser and had to wait at least six months to get an NHS dentist. Victims may not have good teeth, either from neglect because their perpetrator has not let them visit a dentist, and also women who have bad teeth due to a violent incident. Ms Williams, who can no longer run or ride a bike due to the injuries she sustained when her estranged husband shot her, says she has been overwhelmed by responses from domestic abuse victims telling her what a difference free dental treatment would make to their lives. She noted the chief executive of the British Dental Association, Martin Woodrow, has said he is keen to take part in the initiative, while a woman who is part of a community of 250 female dentists wants to get involved. It goes to show there a lot of kind people out there who want to help people in their journey to freedom, Ms Williams adds. I hope to give people hope there is light at the end of the tunnel of domestic abuse. After Ms Williams husband shot her, she later found out from case reports that her ex-husband had a history of domestic abuse and violence with a previous girlfriend. Police also found an arsenal of weapons stashed at his home. My teeth are falling out due to continual stress for the last six years, another domestic abuse victim said. Not eating, not sleeping or taking care of myself properly. Last dentist appointment, she said I am going to lose all my back teeth. I hate what this has done to me. A woman is killed by a current or previous partner every four days in England and Wales. I had my jaw broken and nerve damage and have trigeminal neuralgia due to domestic violence, which thank god has improved so much the last couple of years, another survivor said. But I was told my teeth would suffer badly, and they did. First few years I ground my teeth so badly from the injury that they just look awful now. I dont have the best teeth, anyway. Really hate them. I just think well whats on the inside is what counts. Tara Dorosti, a dentist who has signed up to the scheme, told The Independent she had recently helped a domestic abuse survivor whose teeth had been badly injured by her partner. She had been hit in the face and teeth several times, Ms Dorosti adds. It affected her teeth. Also, she was grinding her teeth while asleep through stress. This can cause a damaging effect on teeth and lead to pain in the jaw. She was very concerned she would lose her teeth. She seemed to think if she did lose her teeth it would be the final straw. The dentist said seeing the patient upset her adding domestic abuse victims sleep patterns are already often affected so then suffering pain in their teeth further worsens the situation. Ms Dorosti, who has been a dentist for 14 years, adds: Dentists are in a good position to identify domestic abuse. Things they could look out for include patients cancelling appointments, or if they are always accompanied by their partner when they come. A lot of abusers hurt victims in places others cant see, like behind the ears, and around the neck, on the head, or in the hairline. That is not the usual place for people to have cuts and bruises. As a dentist, we can see. She urged victims of domestic abuse to remember they can anonymously confide in their dentists who will then be able to get them help from charities or the police. Anyone who requires help or support can contact the National Domestic Abuse Helpline which is open 24/7 365 days per year on 0808 2000 247 or via their website nationaldahelpline.org.uk Chinese coal mining upstart Beifa Investments Private Limited has stepped up coal exploration around Dinde in Hwange despite sustained community objections as the acrimonious relationship between the unwanted investor and the supposed project beneficiaries persists. The ructions relating to the Beifa project in Dinde are bringing ruling Zanu PF factionalism in the area to the fore. Since December 2019, the 10 000 Tonga and Nambya villagers of Dinde, about 40km east of Hwange, have been fighting against the establishment of a coal mine and coal-fired power generation station amid fears that they will be evicted to make way for the coal mine. The villagers have expressed fears of water, air, noise and environmental degradation and pollution among other potential impacts of the coal mine. In meetings with several government delegations sent to talk them into submission, they have stated that they do not even want Beifa Investments to begin exploration in their area. However, traditional leader Chief Nekatambe who stays outside the affected area has turned against his own people and teamed up with government officials to threaten them with forced eviction if they continue resisting the project. Community members allege that in several meetings held to discuss the coal mine, Chief Nekatambe was adamant that they should let the Chinese company explore for coal and discuss issues around eviction and compensation later. He allegedly threatened to haul those opposed to the project before his traditional court for disrespecting his authority. However, community members believe Chief Nekatambe is compromised because he has previously bragged that the Chinese company promised to build him a palace and a traditional court if the project went ahead. On April 14, Beifa Investments began core drilling for coal halfway between the Dinde Community Hall and the community cattle sales pen. The drilling inflamed community anger, leading to clashes that culminated in the arrest and detention of Dinde Residents Association chairman Never Tshuma. He made his second appearance at the Hwange Magistrates Court last week charged with inciting the community to commit crimes of violence and arson against the Chinese investor. He was not asked to plead and remanded out of custody on Z$10 000 bail to June 17. When Information for Development Trust a non-profit organisation supporting the media to probe corruption and bad governance visited Dinde this week, the Chinese exploration team was not on the site, which was guarded by three locals. Across the site, there are at least four piles of pipe-sized material intersected during the drilling. These include un-mineralised top-soils while further drilling appears to have intersected some layers of coal. From what they said, there is coal in a radius which covers the community hall, the dip-tank and cattle sales pen. They believe the belt runs under several homesteads nearby and further into the mountains to the north. However, they complained that it is of poor quality and unsuitable for power generation. On April 26, they vacated the site for fear of community retribution in case Chuma, who was due to go on trial, was imprisoned. They know that the community blames them for his persecution. They have been treading carefully since his arrest, said a worker who declined to be named for personal security reasons. Dinde Residents Association secretary Christopher Dube said the exploration team returned to Dinde a week ago and had since shifted to a second peg with drilling underway along a tributary of the Nyantue River. The river is the only perennial source of water for livestock and the people of Dinde. Initial drilling took place within 200 metres of critical community-owned infrastructure and assets that include the hall, some churches and a dip-tank. All the material they have now was drilled from a hole less that 50 metres away from the cattle sales pen loading bay. We are more concerned now that the drilling is moving towards our only reliable water source, Nyantue River, Dube said. He said they have started preparing a consolidated petition that will give the exact number of households, people, livestock and community infrastructure and assets that will be affected by the proposed coal mine. We reject the coal mine and we reject the government order to allow this to go on because by doing so, we will be signing our own eviction notice. We wish to stay on the legal side, but are prepared to fight if this come to evictions. Our message to the outside world is that for the second time in less than a century, we, the indigenous people of Dinde, who were evicted from Sinamatela to make way for Hwange National Park 84 years ago, are once again facing forced eviction to make way for a Chinese coal mine, Dube said. Unlike most typical Zimbabwean land-use and ownership disputes in which ruling Zanu PF activists often acted as enforcers of unpopular government policies, the war in Dinde is a factional contest. In this battle, the Zanu PF Hwange Central constituency chapter is up against its boss, Richard Moyo, who is the Matabeleland North provincial chairman and minister. The resistance is led by the ruling partys Dinde chairman, Never Chuma, and Reeds Dube, a member of the Zanu PF provincial executive who contested the Hwange Central parliamentary seat and lost to the MDC Alliance in 2018. Sources said Dube wants the community to kick out the Chinese in order to fail the project and exact revenge on Moyo, whom he blames for engineering his failed bid for the constituency in 2018. Moyo remains at the forefront of government efforts to coerce the people of Dinde to make way for the coal mine. In one such attempt on April 1, Moyo said Beifa Investments was one of the companies invited personally by President Emmerson Mnangagwa to come and invest in Zimbabwe. He said the president wants the mine and expected the people of Dinde to support it. Insiders said apart from using the row over the mining project to win support ahead of the elections, Dube fears the evictions could cost him a critical support base ahead of parliamentary elections due in 2023. He fears that any relocation will decimate his power base. He believes that with only two years to the elections, evictions will stoke public anger and that Zanu PF candidates like him will be punished for government policy blunders when the elections come, said a Zanu PF insider. Bad blood between Moyo and Dube was evident during the acrimonious meeting held between the minister and the community on April 1. After Moyos speech which glorified the mining project as Mnangagwas quick-fix solution to perennial poverty and unemployment in Hwange, Dube said while the people welcome investments, they were concerned that Beifa Investments had not engaged them, but instead resorted to threats and coercion to cover up its failure to hold proper consultations. In implementing such projects, we must ensure that investors have the consent of the local people, which must be obtained legally. In this case, the company is not on talking terms with the people. Its EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) was obtained through fraudulent means. I fully support President Mnangagwas drive for investment, but I also know that he does not want to lose votes to officials bulldozing his projects into unwilling communities, Dube said to public applause. Since then, Dube and Tshuma have led various community protests against the drilling project clad in Zanu PF regalia using party resources. Their actions have left Beifa Investments fuming at Zanu PFs failure to rein in its officials. In a letter dated April 15, 2021, Beifa Investments project manager Zhang Zhou Qiao appealed to the Zanu PF Hwange district coordinating committee (DCC) and Richard Moyo to reprimand the Zanu PF Hwange Central constituency for sending Dube and Tshuma to unlawfully disrupt its coal exploration programme in Dinde. The shadow MP introduced himself as Reeds Dube and he was in the company of Never Chuma who introduced himself as Zanu PF Dinde chairman. They came driving the Zanu PF Hwange Central constituency vehicle (registration number AEN-7737). Dube said he was sent by the speaker of Parliament (Jacob Mudenda), who is sending the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mining to Dinde in the near future. The two Zanu PF officials incited the community to resist our site mobilisation. Dube told the people to beat up the investor and burn the tent. We are surprised that while government granted us a Special Grant to carry out the project, the same ruling party sends its officials to resist its implementation, Zheng Qiao said. On April 22, Zanu PF responded with a scathing reprimand of Dube and Tshuma, painting them as corrupt officials who abused the party name to disrupt investments in order to earn kickbacks and line their own pockets. In a statement, Moyo said the party would not allow any officials to abuse its name and their positions to frustrate investors. Party members who deviate from the party constitution will face disciplinary action and the vehicles used for criminal activities will be impounded. As government, we support the company (Beifa Investments). They are bringing development and creating employment. We cannot have a lawless society, Moyo fumed. Within days of Zhous complaint, Tshuma was arrested in what community members believe was a move orchestrated to scare them into submission. Since then, relations between the investor and host community have soured to a point where the two parties are no longer talking. The plight of Dinde has since attracted widespread condemnation of the governments disregard of local people and concerns when implementing investment and development projects. In a statement, human rights advocacy group Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) said the handling of the coal mine project in Dinde demonstrated governments insensitive approach and lack of proper consultation with local communities when it comes to investment and development. By imposing decisions on communities, government creates unnecessary conflict and the investors find themselves caught up in the melee, a situation which could have been avoided if government had done the right thing in the first place. We call on the government to stop the eviction of the Dinde community and to allow for proper consultations where a win-win situation is realised, unnecessary suffering averted and conflict abated, said ZPP director Jestina Mukoko. Standard It is inevitable that the UK will see another far-right attacker such as nail bomber David Copeland, the undercover informant who identified him has warned, reportedly citing the online spread of extremist views and materials. In 1999, Copeland carried out the worst far-right atrocities ever seen in Britain, killing three people and injuring more than 130 others, including children, in three separate bombings targeting Londons gay and minority ethnic communities the devices each filled with up to 1,500 nails. The then 22-year-old neo-Nazi was caught after 13 days, cutting his campaign of terror short, after a mole known as Arthur who spent a decade embedded within the British National Party and had met Copeland nine times during his clandestine work for anti-fascist groups recognised him on the front page of the Evening Standard and informed police of his identity. Speaking ahead of a new Netflix documentary called Nail Bomber: Manhunt, Arthur reportedly warned that police are struggling to keep up with the spread of extremist ideology online. Whether its blatantly Nazi or racist its much easier to put material on the internet than it is by pushing a leaflet through a door like in the 90s, he told The Observer. Well definitely see another David Copeland. But that person, he or she, should know that they will also ruin their life as well. Copeland had these three weeks of excitement and now hes stuck in prison for possibly his whole life. Its not just a bad thing to do, its a really stupid life option. Arthur described being shocked when he realised the identity of the man behind the deadly attacks on Brixton Market, Brick Lane, and the Admiral Duncan pub in Soho. Copeland didnt seem more dangerous than others, absolutely not, he told the paper. He didnt act like a protagonist. He was a young guy who seemed focused on his job working on the Jubilee line. Arthurs warning comes after a series of arrests in connection with far-right terrorism, with dawn raids in London this week seeing two men arrested over accusations of spreading far-right extremist material. And last Thursday at Kingston Crown Court, 37-year-old Michael Nugent from Ashford, Surrey, pleaded guilty to 18 terror-related charges, having shared explosives and firearms manuals while running and engaging in a number of far-right groups on the app Telegram. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 9 June 2021 Adam Chamberlain, 45, general manager of Big Tree pub in Sheffield, has put up over 500 flags, taking 36 hours, in preparation for Euro 2020, which kicks off this weekend Tom Maddick / SWNS UK news in pictures 8 June 2021 REUTERS UK news in pictures 7 June 2021 A pedestrian wearing a face covering walks over Westminster Bridge near the Houses of Parliament in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 6 June 2021 Isobel Salamon, founder of the Edinburgh Cinema Club, poses alongside the Leith Trainspotting murals in Quality Yard, Leith, Edinburgh, for the programme launch of the Cinescapes Festival which starts on July 4 with a Trainspotting 1 and 2 double bill PA UK news in pictures 5 June 2021 A long exposure photograph captures the rotation of the earth as the stars blur into circles over Knowlton church ruins in Dorset Nick Lucas/SWNS UK news in pictures 4 June 2021 Balloonists take flight during the opening of the Midlands Air Festival in Alcester, Warwickshire PA UK news in pictures 3 June 2021 Members of the Household Cavalry during the Major General's annual inspection of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment in Hyde Park, London PA UK news in pictures 2 June 2021 Hannah Vitos of the Blenheim Art Foundation, poses for a photograph next to artist Ai Weiwei's Gilded Cage (2017) sculpture in the grounds of Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Britain Reuters UK news in pictures 1 June 2021 People swim in the Sky Pool, a transparent swimming pool bridge across two exclusive residential blocks standing next to the US Embassy in Nine Elms, in London, Tuesday, June 1, 2021 AP UK news in pictures 31 May 2021 People enjoy the hot weather at Brighton beach Reuters UK news in pictures 30 May 2021 People venture into the sea as they enjoy themselves during a hot day on Brighton Beach AP UK news in pictures 29 May 2021 Swimmers at the Stonehaven Open Air Pool in Aberdeenshire, which reopens after lockdown restrictions were eased PA UK news in pictures 28 May 2021 Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he meets Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban at Downing Street in London REUTERS UK news in pictures 27 May 2021 White Pelicans in the sunshine in St James's Park, London PA UK news in pictures 26 May 2021 Boats are seen at Southsea Moorings in Portsmouth Reuters UK news in pictures 25 May 2021 York Glaziers Trust employees Kieran Muir (left) and Emily Price (right) remove a stained glass window panel at the start of a new five year, 5m project to conserve York Minsters South East Transept and its medieval St Cuthbert Window PA UK news in pictures 24 May 2021 Dark rain clouds above an oast house at Bewl Water reservoir near Lamberhurst in Kent during one of the rainiest Mays on record, with the UK seeing 131 per cent of the usual months rainfall already PA UK news in pictures 23 May 2021 The Premier League trophy with the Manchester City club colour ribbons on, at Etihad Stadium, prior to the last Premier League match of the season. City will finally pick up the trophy after they won the league on 11 May Getty UK news in pictures 22 May 2021 Gary Kenny lifts the Buildbase FA Vase Trophy after Warrington Rylands won the FA Vase Final against Binfield at Wembley Stadium Getty UK news in pictures 21 May 2021 A family buffeted by the wind whilst crossing the the Millennium Bridge in London, with wind and rain forecast to ravage the UK on the first Friday that people have been allowed to meet in large groups outside in England PA UK news in pictures 20 May 2021 Devon And Cornwall Police Demonstrate Their Skills For Policing The G7 Summit Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 May 2021 An employee stands before a costume for the Queen of Hearts by Bob Crowley on display at the Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London PA UK news in pictures 17 May 2021 Passengers prepare to board an easyJet flight to Faro, Portugal, at Gatwick Airport after the ban on international leisure travel for people in England was lifted following the further easing of lockdown restrictions in England PA UK news in pictures 16 May 2021 Emergency workers at the scene of a suspected gas explosion, in which a young child was killed and two people were seriously injured, on Mallowdale Ave Heysham which caused 2 houses to collapse and badly damaged another PA UK news in pictures 15 May 2021 Pro-Palestinian activists and supporters let off smoke flares, wave flags and carry placards during a demonstration in support of the Palestinian cause as violence escalates in the ongoing conflict with Israel, in central London AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 14 May 2021 Member of staffs tighten screws and paint a Marlin skeleton, before it goes on display at the Natural History Museum in London, as the museum prepares to reopen to the public on 17 May, following the further easing of lockdown restrictions in England PA UK news in pictures 13 May 2021 A worshipper at the Baitul Futuh Mosque in Mordon, south London, ahead of Eid al-Fitr. The celebration marks the end of the Muslim month of fasting, called Ramadan. PA UK news in pictures 12 May 2021 A couple have wedding photos taken in Westminster, London Getty UK news in pictures 11 May 2021 The sun rises on Coquet Island, off Amble on the Northumberland coast, where as many as 35000 seabirds cram onto this tiny island to breed PA UK news in pictures 10 May 2021 Newly elected for a second term Mayor of London Sadiq Khan during his signing in ceremony at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre on Londons Southbank PA UK news in pictures 9 May 2021 People mill around St. Michael's tower on top of Glastonbury Tor as it is seen through blooming yellow rapeseed on a day of mixed weather in Glastonbury, Somerset PA UK news in pictures 8 May 2021 Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford elbow bumps newly elected MS Labour candidates Elizabeth Buffy Williams, Rhondda, left, and Sarah Murphy, Bridgend & Porthcawl Labour, right, as they meet in Porthcawl, Wales PA UK news in pictures 6 May 2021 A group of five Sisters from Carmelite Monastery in Dysart cast their vote in the Scottish Parliamentary election at Dysart Community Hall, West Port, Dysart PA UK news in pictures 5 May 2021 Leader of the Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer (centre) with West Midlands Metro Mayor candidate Liam Byrne (far right) and Labour Deputy Leader, Angela Rayner (far left) during a visit to Birmingham, whilst on the election campaign trail PA UK news in pictures 4 May 2021 Artists Heather Ackroyd and Dan Harvey stand within 100 oak saplings which form part of a living art installation entitled Beuys' Acorns by the UK-based artist duo, outside the Tate Modern in London PA UK news in pictures 3 May 2021 Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie feeds the Gentoo penguins during a visit to Edinburgh Zoo on the campaign trail for the forthcoming Scottish Parliamentary Election on May 6 PA UK news in pictures 2 May 2021 Chelsea players celebrate their fourth goal during the Womens Champions League semi-final second leg against Bayern Munich, at Kingsmeadow Stadium in south west London. The Blues won the game 4-1, (and the tie 5-3 on aggregate) sending them through to their first Champions League final AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 1 May 2020 Demonstrators during a march through London during a 'Kill the Bill' protest Angela Christofilou UK news in pictures 30 April 2021 Shoppers queue outside Primark in Belfast as shops reopen and hospitality is able to open outdoors in Northern Ireland where lockdown restrictions have begun to gradually ease PA UK news in pictures 29 April 2021 Specialist operators at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, near Telford, Shropshire, clean the Hawker Hunter aircraft displayed within the museum's National Cold War Exhibition, during annual high-level aircraft cleaning and maintenance PA UK news in pictures 28 April 2021 Millions of tulips in flower near Kings Lynn in Norfolk, as Belmont Nurseries, the UK's largest commercial grower of outdoor tulips, offers socially-distanced visits to its tulip fields at Hillington to raise funds for local charity The Norfolk Hospice Tapping House PA UK news in pictures 27 April 2021 Paula Laughton checks one of the newly installed Lego models in the new Lego Mythica land at Legoland Windsor Resort PA UK news in pictures 26 April 2021 A red panda rests on a tree at Manor Wildlife park, which reopened its doors as lockdown restrictions continue to ease, in Tenby, Wales Reuters UK news in pictures 25 April 2021 Sheep climb the hillside as flames from a moor fire are seen on Marsden moor, near Huddersfield AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 24 April 2021 Supporters protest against Manchester United's owners, outside English Premier League club Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium in Manchester AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 23 April 2021 People enjoy the warm weather at City Hall near Tower Bridge in central London PA UK news in pictures 22 April 2021 Uyghurs during a demonstration in Parliament Square, London, which is being held ahead of a House of Commons debate, bought by backbench MP Nus Ghani, on whether Uyghurs in China's Xinjiang province are suffering crimes against humanity and genocide PA UK news in pictures 21 April 2021 People walk at the Taihaku Cherry Orchard in Alnwick REUTERS UK news in pictures 20 April 2021 People stand in front of anti Super League banners outside Anfield as twelve of Europe's top football clubs, including Liverpool, launch a breakaway league Reuters UK news in pictures 19 April 2021 Women enjoy sunny weather in Greenwich, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in London, Britain, Reuters But Arthurs claim that online extremism is spreading too quickly for the authorities to keep up with chimes with comments made by senior police. In January, the UK head of counter-terror policing told The Independent that extremism has become so widespread online that it cannot be policed. When you look at the volume of material which is horrific, shouldnt be allowed online and is really distressing for a lot of people, the volume is so high it cannot be policed, said Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Neil Basu. It would have to be prevented and that is the most important thing. Describing online radicalisation as having always been his biggest concern, the senior officer warned that counter-terror units had seen a rise in propaganda by all sides during the coronavirus pandemic, which had created a perfect storm. Mr Basu said the Online Harms Bill, which proposes internet regulation that would force companies to remove material or face multimillion pound fines, was fundamental to combating the issue. His comments came ahead of a review by former head of counter-terrorism Sir Mark Rowley and the Commission for Countering Extremism, published in February, which found hateful groups of all kinds are operating with impunity by exploiting gaps between existing hate crime and terrorism legislation. Sir Mark said new laws were urgently needed to fill a dangerous legal void that was creating a growing pool of radicalised people, adding: The challenge has been magnified by the online world over the past decade and our laws have not kept pace. Martin Bashir has insisted that the deceitful behaviour he used to secure an interview with Diana, Princess of Wales, was not harmful to her and that he and his family loved her. An independent inquiry led by Lord Dyson, which looked into how Mr Bashir gained access to the princess, found that he used deception in the form of false bank statements to land the 1995 interview and then lied to his BBC managers. Lord Dysons inquiry concluded there was a serious breach of the BBCs editorial rules, transgressions which the corporation later covered up. Speaking publicly for the first time since Lord Dyson's findings, Mr Bashir apologised, saying that he never wanted to harm Princess Diana with his Panorama programme. I don't believe we did, he claimed. In an interview with The Sunday Times, Mr Bashir maintained that Princess Diana was never unhappy about the content of the interview and said they continued to be friends after the broadcast, with the princess even visiting his wife Deborah at St George's hospital in Tooting, southwest London, on the day Deborah gave birth to the couple's third child, Eliza. Mr Bashir, who resigned from his role as religion editor of the BBC earlier this month, said he was deeply sorry to the Dukes of Cambridge and Sussex, but disputes William's charge that he fuelled his mothers isolation and paranoia. He said: Even in the early 1990s, there were stories and secretly recorded phone calls. I wasn't the source of any of that. However, Diana's brother, Earl Spencer, has said he draws a line between the interview and his sister's death, claiming Mr Bashir's actions led her to give up her royal security detail. Mr Bashir told The Sunday Times he believed that to channel the tragedy, the difficult relationship between the royal family and the media purely on to my shoulders, feels a little unreasonable. Mr Bashir said he regretted using the fake bank documents he showed to Earl Spencer, which purported to show payments into the accounts of members of the royal household and which he used as leverage for the interview, according to Lord Dyson. The former journalist also claimed, however, that as a result of the scandal the content of Dianas interview has almost been ignored. He told The Sunday Times: She was a pioneering princess. When you think about her expressions of grief in her marriage, when you think about the admission of psychiatric illness - just extraordinary! And her sons have gone on to champion mental health, he said. Mr Bashir's comments were published after former BBC director-general Lord Tony Hall quit as chairman of the National Gallery following heavy criticism of him in the Dyson report, over his botched inquiry into how the interview was obtained. His resignation also followed a wave of questions over whether he was involved in rehiring Mr Bashir as religion editor. On Friday the former director of BBC News, James Harding, sidestepped questions on whether the then director-general Lord Hall who led the original woefully ineffective investigation had had any role in the rehiring. In an awkward interview aired on BBC News on Friday, Mr Harding said he was sorry Mr Bashir had returned to the corporation because it had made things more difficult for everyone. But he was visibly uncomfortable when asked if Lord Hall had informed him of the earlier investigation into Mr Bashir. What I was saying is that BBC News hired Martin Bashir, and so the responsibility for that sits with me, he said. On Saturday evening, the government was planning an intervention to restore trust in the BBC following the scandal, according to a report by The Observer. The plan is said to form part of the government's review into the BBC next year. Ministers are expected to be hauled before MPs in the House of Commons on Monday to answer questions about the Dyson report, the paper reported. Oliver Dowden, the culture secretary, previously warned that ministers would pay close attention to whether further governance reforms at the BBC are needed in the mid-term Charter review. William has condemned the BBC for its failings around the interview with his mother, which he said fuelled the fear, paranoia and isolation she suffered in the final years of her life. Prince William said he felt indescribable sadness after the Dyson inquiry laid bare the BBCs cover-up of Mr Bashirs actions, while Prince Harry said it was a culture of exploitation and unethical practices in the media which ultimately took her life. Police declared an emergency curfew after thousands of revelers attended a viral beach birthday party promoted on Tik Tok. Officials say they tried to shut down the unruly party in Huntington Beach, California at 10pm on Saturday night but many of the partiers refused to go home. The wild bash started as an online birthday party invitation with the hashtag #adrianskickback and attracted people from outside of the state, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles. A video posted earlier in the week by the TikTok page adrian.lopez517 included a caption that read pop out n celebrate my bday. Authorities say the emergency curfew remains in place until 5.30pm PST on Sunday. The partygoers began to congregate on the Orange County beach, which is 36 miles south of Los Angeles, on Saturday afternoon. When officers later tried to disperse the crowd some people climbed on top of the lifeguard towers and set off fireworks, reported the Orange County Register. The fireworks added to chaotic scenes as many people ran for cover. Police say they also dealt with a fake bomb threat and that one patrol car had its window smashed. Hunting Beach Police Department say they had been prepared for the event after monitoring social media in the build-up. As is the case with ALL large gatherings in Huntington Beach, we have taken steps to prepare for a potential increase in visitors this weekend due to a promoted gathering that has received significant interest on social media, they tweeted. Officials warned people that there should be no alcohol, drugs or fireworks on the beach. HBPD added that it noted it was taking significant steps to prepare for the potential influx of visitors, including working closely with our regional public safety partners. Toward that end, the HBPD will also be strictly enforcing all applicable laws & ordinances throughout the weekend. There has been no confirmation of any arrests being made. Dua Lipa has responded to a controversial advertisement in The New York Times targeting herself and models Bella Hadid and Gigi Hadid. The ad was published in response to their vocal support for the Palestinian cause following a flare up in violence between Hamas and Israel. It features a photo of the trio along with the caption Hamas calls for a second Holocaust. Condemn them now. The ad, which appeared in the Saturday edition of the paper, was paid for by the World Values Network, which is headed by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach. It labelled them as mega-influencers who have accused Israel of ethnic cleansing and vilified the Jewish State. Sisters Bella and Gigi Hadid have a Palestinian father, the architect Mohammad Hadid, and have always been vocal about their support for their fathers homeland. Lipa is romantically linked to their younger brother Anwar Hadid. I utterly reject the false and appalling accusations, Dua Lipa said of the full-page ad in a statement posted to Twitter. This is the price you pay for defending Palestinian human rights against an Israeli government whose actions both Human Rights Watch and the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem accuse of persecution and discrimination, she added. Last week, Bella Hadid was seen at a pro-Palestinian rally in New York City, beckoning calls for fashion brands like Dior to drop her from campaigns. These have not been heeded. The latest fighting began when on May 10, when Hamas militants in Gaza fired long-range rockets toward Jerusalem. The barrage came after days of clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Heavy-handed police tactics at the compound and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers had inflamed tensions. The bombardment struck a blow to the already decrepit infrastructure in the small coastal territory, home to more than 2 million Palestinians. It flattened high-rises and houses, tore up roads and wrecked water systems. At least 30 health facilities were damaged, forcing a halt to coronavirus testing in the territory. A ceasefire on Friday, mediated by Egypt, ended 11 days of hostilities, during which the Israeli military pounded Gaza with air strikes which it said were a response to rockets fired at Israel by Palestinians militants. Gaza medical officials said 248 people were killed in the Palestinian enclave, and aid officials have expressed concern about the humanitarian situation there. Health officials said 13 people were killed in Israel in the hostilities, during which the Israeli military said Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other militant groups fired around 4,350 rockets, many of which did not reach Israel or were intercepted. With agencies Dozens of high temperature records may be broken over the next week as the US faces its first heatwave of the year, according to meteorologists. While it might not technically summer yet, over a quarter of the US population will be confronted with temperatures of at least 90 degrees or over in places like Georgia, Tennesee, Maryland and Alabama. The warm, smothering embrace of a high-amplitude ridge will continue into the long term period, Kyle Theim, a scientist at the National Weather Service in Atlanta told CNN. Temperatures starting on Monday will run between 10 to 15 degrees above normal, and border on maximum temperatures, both for highs and lows. There is an expected potential for over 70 records on temperatures to be broken in the first half of the week. Already places like Atlantic City in New Jersey and Georgetown in Delaware have been confronted with record highs, with the former hitting 94 degrees and the latter reaching 93 degrees. Both temperatures broke current records set in the 1990s in the two cities A strong cold front pushes through late Sunday night into early Monday morning, finally giving us a reprieve from the recent summer-like warmth and humidity, The National Weather Service said from their Boston office saying there will be a respite for the northeast regions, however, it is expected to be a short break. The dip into the 70s and 60s on Monday and Tuesday will not be permanent as it thought to go back up to 90 degrees. Read more: This is considered to be the case in Boston, Washington,DC, Philadelphia and New York City, who will get more consistently hotter temperatures later in the month. Washington, DC is considered to really heat up on June 21. The National Weather Service recommends staying hydrated, wearing light clothing and opting to put on sunscreen and taking care to not leave pets in cars. Earlier this month, The New York Times reported that the increasing frequency and intensity of heatwaves were because of climate change and that they posed significant health risks to residents. In Atlanta, more than 350,000 people, or about 70 per cent of residents, would be exposed to indoor temperatures equal to or greater than 32 degrees Celsius (89.6 degrees Fahrenheit), the level at which the National Weather Services heat classification index says heat exhaustion and heat stroke are possible, it read. Anti-government militant Ammon Bundy has filed paperwork to run for governor in Idaho. Mr Bundy is currently banned from the Idaho State Capitol Building after being wheeled out in an office chair by state troopers after he refused to leave during last years coronavirus protest. He is best known for leading a right-wing armed stand-off at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon in 2016 to protest federal government control of public land. The 45-year-old conservative, who has been a vocal critic of mask mandates during the pandemic, was arrested but later acquitted in that case. He was also a part of the effort to recall Republican governor Brad Little over the states stay-at-home order put in place to deal with Covid-19. The Idaho Secretary of States office confirmed on Twitter that Mr Bundy had filed paperwork to run in 2022 as a Republican. But Mr Bundy has already run into government red tape. He will need to refile the paperwork because he listed himself as treasurer on it, and anyone holding that position needs to be a registered voter in the state. As he is not a registered voter in Idaho he will either have to register to vote and refile, or refile with with another registered voter as treasurer. Mr Bundy, who lives in Emmett, Idaho, would join four other Republicans in the race but so far no Democrats have filed to run. Candidates have up to 1 March 2022 to file the paperwork needed to run. Mr Bundy, who has been arrested in the state five times since August, was arrested twice in April for trespassing in the State Capitol and faces two misdemeanor criminal trespassing cases pending against him. He is representing himself and has pleaded not guilty in one case and not yet entered a plea in the second. Belarus has sparked outrage after an opponent of authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko was arrested when the plane he was travelling on was diverted to Minsk because of an alleged bomb threat. Roman Protasevich, co-founder of the Telegram messaging app's Nexta channel, was detained by officials at an airport in the Belarusian capital on Sunday after his Ryanair flight landed. Supporters of Mr Protasevich accused those close to the president of hatching a plot to have Mr Protasevich locked up, claiming a bomb scare was used to have the aircraft grounded while flying over Belarus. The presidential press service said Mr Lukashenko personally ordered a MiG-29 fighter jet to escort the Ryanair plane traveling from Athens, Greece, to Vilnius, Lithuania to the Minsk airport. A Ryanair spokesperson would only confirm that its plane had been grounded temporarily due to a potential security threat onboard. Checks were completed by local authorities and nothing untoward was found, the spokesperson added. The plane was eventually allowed to depart Minsk for Vilnius. Politicians in the UK and elsewhere quickly condemned the alleged move by Mr Lukashenko, who continues to crack down on opposition figures in the wake of last year's presidential election, widely believed to have been rigged. Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, tweeted: The UK is alarmed by reports of the arrest of @nexta_tv journalist Roman Protasevich & circumstances that led to his flight being forced to land in Minsk. We are coordinating with our allies. This outlandish action by Lukashenko will have serious implications. The Belarusian interior ministry confirmed Mr Protasevich, who had fled the country for Poland, was arrested at the airport. Officials last year declared Mr Protasevich's Nexta channel to be extremist after it was used to help organise major protests against Mr Lukashenko. He faces charges that could carry a prison sentence of up to 15 years. Allies claimed he may be sentenced to death. Lithuanias president Gitanas Nauseda accused Belarus of landing the plane in Minsk by force and called for Mr Protasevich to be released. I call on Nato and EU allies to immediately react to the threat posed to international civil aviation by the Belarus regime. The international community must take immediate steps that this does not repeat, he said. A Nato spokesperson said the alliance was monitoring the serious and dangerous incident and said everyone who had been on the plane should be freed. Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko personally ordered a fighter jet to escort the passenger plane (REUTERS) Ursula von der Leyen, president of the EU Commission, tweeted: The outrageous and illegal behaviour of the regime in Belarus will have consequences. Those responsible for the #Ryanair hijacking must be sanctioned. Journalist Roman Protasevich must be released immediately. And Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said: The forced landing of a commercial plane to detain a journalist is an unprecedented, shocking act. We demand all passengers immediate release. Tomorrows #EUCO must address the need to step up pressure on Belarus. Enough is enough. EU leaders will discuss the incident at a European Council meeting on Monday, the bodys president Charles Michel said. I call on Belarus authorities to immediately release the detained passenger and to fully guarantee his rights, he added. Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, said Washington deplored the shocking act perpetrated by the Lukashenko regime [which] endangered the lives of more than 120 passengers, including US citizens. Mr Blinken said he wanted the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organisation to meet as soon as possible to review the incident. It comes less than a year after opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya lost an election to long-time Belarusian ruler Mr Lukashenko. Ms Tikhanovskaya, who fled to neighbouring Lithuania after the vote, tweeted that Mr Protasevich should be released immediately, and called for an investigation into the incident. She also said Belarus should be sanctioned. The regime forced the landing @Ryanair plane in Minsk to arrest journalist and activist Roman Protasevich, she said. He faces the death penalty in Belarus. We demand immediate release of Roman, @ICAO investigation, and sanctions against Belarus. Months of protests arose after the election, the official results of which gave Mr Lukashenko a sixth term in office. Police cracked down on the protests harshly, detaining some 30,000 people and beating many of them. Although protests died down during the winter, Belarus has continued to take action against the opposition and against independent news media. Last week, 11 staff members of the Tut.By news website were detained by police. At least 2,000 housing units were destroyed in Gaza during the fighting between Israeli and Palestinian militant groups, a Gaza official said on Saturday. The United Nations Security Council called for full adherence to the ceasefire between the Israeli government and Hamas the militant group that controls Gaza and stressed the immediate need for humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians. During a tour of the battered Palestinian territory in the wake of the 11-day war with Israel, the UNs top aid official in the region appealed to both sides not to make any provocative moves. Meanwhile, mediators from Egypt, which brokered the agreement between the Israeli government and Hamas, met to continue talks on firming up the ceasefire with the aim of securing long-term calm. At least 260 people died because of the fighting. Naji Sarhan, an official at Gazas public works and housing ministry, said hostilities had led to the destruction of at least 2,000 housing units, with more than 15,000 other units also damaged. Israel launched hundreds of airstrikes on the overcrowded strip, targeting residential, commercial and government buildings. Officials said they were aiming at targets where militant offices and resources were located. Meanwhile, Hamas and other militants launched some 4,000 rockets towards Israel, though most were intercepted and some fell short. Mr Sarhan told the Associated Press that four mosques in Gaza were destroyed along with dozens of police offices. He said most of the factories in Gazas industrial zone were destroyed or damaged. Gaza Citys commercial district suffered heavy damage in the bombing (AFP/Getty) In Gaza Citys busiest commercial area, Omar al-Mukhtar Street, the road was covered in debris, smashed cars and twisted metal after a 13-floor building in its centre was flattened in an Israeli airstrike. Gaza has estimated the financial losses incurred from the fighting at $150m (106m) but Mr Sarhan said assessment of the cost was still continuing. At least 248 Palestinians were killed, including 66 children and 39 women, according to Gazas health ministry. In Israel, 12 people, including two children, were killed, medics said. An Egyptian diplomat said on Saturday that two teams of mediators were in Israel and the Palestinian territories to continue talks on the ceasefire. Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas met with mediators to discuss internal political matters and the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian news agency Wafa said. Lynn Hastings, the UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, toured rubble-strewn parts of Gaza on Saturday and appealed to both sides to observe the terms of the ceasefire. Last night was calm, and we hope obviously that it is going to hold and everybody just needs to stand down and not to engage in any provocative moves, Ms Hastings said. She also met with Palestinian families, some of whom had lost relatives, and said they were despondent. What they all said is that they have no hope; they feel that they have no control of their lives and their situation is, one woman said, helpless, she told Reuters. Also on Saturday the Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, made his first public appearance since the outbreak of hostilities while paying his respects to a Hamas commander killed during the fighting. Mr Sinwars own home had been targeted by Israel along with those of other senior Hamas figures. Protesters in Piccadilly in central London, during a march in solidarity with Palestinians (PA) In the UK, thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters, from groups including the National Education Union, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Stop the War Coalition, marched in London and other cities against Israels bombing campaign in the conflict. Protesters called for sanctions on Israel and chants of Israel is a terrorist state and We are all Palestinians were heard in the capital. As the crowd reached Downing Street, chants of Boris Johnson, shame on you rang out. During the fighting, the UK government condemned acts of terrorism by Hamas and said Israel had a legitimate right to defend itself. Meanwhile, research seen by The Independent suggests British-made military components and hardware were used by Israeli forces carrying out airstrikes on Gaza. Additional reporting by agencies The UKs official green list, which came into effect from 17 May, contains just 12 destinations. These select few countries, of which British travellers can only feasibly visit a slim handful, are the only places the government currently recommends travelling to on holiday. As part of the lifting of the blanket recreational travel ban in England, countries have been allotted a colour green, amber or red and assigned restrictions of varying severity to match. During Prime Ministers Questions, Boris Johnson reiterated the governments position that people should only be holidaying in countries rated green: It is very, very clear you should not be going to an amber list country except for some extreme circumstance, such as the serious illness of a family member. You should not be going to an amber list country on holiday. Follow live: Green list for travel to be reviewed today Sign up to Simon Calders free weekly travel newsletter by clicking here At the moment, Portugal is the only mainstream tourism destination on the green list. But which countries might be added to it on the next update? Heres what we know so far. Which countries are on the green list right now? There are 12 places on the green list currently: Ascension Island, Australia, Brunei, the Falkland Islands, the Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Iceland, Israel, New Zealand, Portugal, Tristan da Cunha, St Helena, Singapore, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. The green list is not reciprocal: many of the locations are closed to British travellers, and others will accept only tourists who have been fully vaccinated. Portugal and Gibraltar are the most obvious holiday candidates letting in Brits with few requirements other than testing; Iceland is only letting in British tourists who can prove they are fully vaccinated. When will the green list be updated? The lists will be reviewed every three weeks the first update will take place on 3 June. Any changes will then come into effect a week after the review, on 10 June. Any amends to the lists will be informed by public health advice, including the Joint Biosecurity Centres assessment of the latest data. These regular review points will allow the government to balance helping the public to understand Covid requirements when travelling to England while allowing us to constantly evaluate the risk for different countries, according to the Department for Transport (DfT). The government will also be publishing a green watchlist in the future, to provide an indication of which countries are at risk from moving from green to amber. Which countries might be added to the green list? Boris Johnson has said that quite a few countries could be added in the first review of the traffic light system, due to take place in the first week of June, reports The Telegraph. He reportedly made the remarks at a meeting of the 1922 Conservative backbench committee, indicating that near misses that were almost designated green initially were likely to make the cut this time round. The contenders are thought to include Malta, Finland, Grenada, the Cayman Islands, Fiji, the British Virgin Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, St Kitts and Nevis, Turks and Caicos and Anguilla. Another clue for new additions could be found on the Foreign Office (FCDO) advice pages. The FCDO has in place a blanket advisory against all non-essential travel, which it has exempted a number of destinations from. Obviously, most of the green list nations are exempt; but there are also some amber list exemptions, particularly islands that are faring better than their mainland counterparts. Among these are Spains Canary Islands; the Greek islands of Rhodes, Kos, Zante, Corfu and Crete; and Malta. The FCDO says it has lifted its advisory based on the current assessment of Covid-19 risks, which could mean these destinations meet the criteria to move from amber to green in June. What about holiday islands? However, the same colour designation might not apply to entire countries in the next review. The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, has said that an islands approach, similar to 2020, will be adopted this summer. He told the BBC's Today programme: Ive always said that of course its desirable where an aircraft can fly direct to an island, for example, and that island is therefore accessible in that you dont need to go via the mainland, that you look at that differently. Thats what we did last year as well. And the aviation minister, Robert Courts, recently said British tourists could be given the go ahead to visit islands through the traffic light system. Independent MP Margaret Ferrier asked transport ministers in a written question whether the traffic light system would include an island policy to reopen routes to relatively low-risk regions of nations as was implemented in summer 2020. Mr Courtss response, first reported by The Telegraph, stated: The government will take an island approach for border measures where possible. Changes to the traffic light country system will be reviewed and implemented every three weeks, unless concerning evidence means we need to act faster to protect public health. What are the restrictions for travellers returning from green countries? Green countries come with the lightest restrictions for returning travellers: they must provide a negative Covid test result in order to travel to the UK, and then take a PCR test within two days of arrival. No quarantine is required. After bringing in oxygen plants from France and other nations to help India fight the battle against Covid-19, Sonu Sood has now announced that he will set up two of them in Andhra Pradesh in June. He said that he would be setting up more of them in other states, which are the worst hit including Delhi and Maharashtra, he had earlier said. Twitter Sonu Sood and his team, in a bid to help as many people as they can, are in the process of setting up oxygen plants at Kurnool Government Hospital and District Hospital, Atmakur, Nellore. Very happy to announce that the first set of my Oxygen Plants will be set up at Kurnool Government Hospital & one at District Hospital, Atmakur,Nellore, AP in the month of June!This would be followed by setting more plants in the other needy states! Time to support rural India pic.twitter.com/vLef9Po0Yl sonu sood (@SonuSood) May 22, 2021 "This is the need of the hour to improve the health care, especially in the rural areas. I feel these plants will help the needy people to fight Covid -19 bravely. After Andhra Pradesh, we will be setting few more plants in few more other states between June & July. Right now, we are identifying the needy hospitals of various states," said Sonu Sood. He had acquired the necessary permissions from the municipal commissioner, the collector, and the other relevant authorities. Instagram/Sonu_Sood Talking about the initiative, the district collector S.Ramsundar Reddy IAS said, We are really thankful to Sonu Sood for his humanitarian gesture. The oxygen plant arranged by him will help in treating 150 to 200 Covid patients at Kurnool Government Hospital every day. @SonuSood sir this painting is for u Keep doing great work Welcome to jabalpur sir please do visit if possible pic.twitter.com/QksV1VRWgd somin (@sominz_artworkz) May 22, 2021 "We have seen a lot of people suffering because of the unavailability of oxygen cylinders. We have got it now, and are already giving it to people. However, these oxygen plants will not only supply to entire hospitals but will also get these oxygen cylinders filled up, which will solve a major problem of the people suffering from Covid-19," Sood had earlier said. Meanwhile, A Commanding Officer of an infantry battalion stationed in Jaisalmer wrote to Sonu Sood for help in procuring equipment for a Covid-19 facility. As this letter went viral on social media, senior brass of the Army was reportedly unhappy with this. What a tragic moment for #IndianArmy. No wonder PLA gained 1000s sq kms. This is where we have reached with @BJP4India at the helm of affairs. pic.twitter.com/wvCCny5fd5 Lt Col Anil Duhoon (Veteran) (@LtColAnilDuhoon) May 22, 2021 A senior officer in Army HQs New Delhi, as per Indian Express, said that the letter was written in "over enthusiasm". Sonu Sood has tirelessly been helping those in need with the necessary equipment. GOVERNMENT has reportedly failed to pay nurses the US$10 daily allowances it promised them at the launch of the countrys COVID-19 vaccination programme four months ago. Reports revealed that government only paid them allowances for one month. The inoculation programme started in February and to date over 700 000 Zimbabweans have been vaccinated. Zimbabwe Nurses Association (Zina) president Enock Dongo told NewsDay that nurses felt hard done by government. Nurses are working day-in and day-out at several vaccination centres, but no one is being paid. Promises for the allowances were made, but no one was paid. That is why you see the rampant corruption by nurses who are now selling vaccination certificates everyday. It is unfair labour practice by our government, especially when it promised to do so. Government should honour its promise, Dongo said. He said health workers throughout the country were struggling to feed their families. Health deputy minister John Mangwiro refused to comment on the issue. I think you have to check with the salaries department. They are responsible for that. At the moment, I am busy to look for that information for you, Magwiro said. Health experts said government should prioritise nurses. Community Working Group on Health executive director Itai Rusike said: We need to value and appreciate our frontline health workers who are playing an important role in the vaccine roll-out programme. They should be guaranteed of job security, be properly remunerated with high regard for their health and safety. The Finance minster Mthuli Ncube is always talking about a budget surplus why not use that money to pay COVID-19 allowances to nurses? Medical and Dental Private Practitioners of Zimbabwe Association president Johannes Marisa said: We need to make sure that we keep our staff motivated. I dont think the government has no capacity to pay. It only needs a heart and goodwill to pay. Newsday In a horrifying incident, an old and peaceful community dog that lived in a gated society in Gurugram was allegedly mercilessly beaten, stuffed inside a polythene bag and suffocated to death by some members of the societys RWA and service provider staff. Then its body was dumped at an unknown location. Akshima Jhajhria is a resident of Gurugram Sector 5 and has filed a police complaint. She alleged that it happened in Emaar Palm Drive in Sector 66 between 10:30 pm and 2:00 am on May 20. iStock (Representational) She said 3 RWA members and the societys security officer and estate manager, after receiving a complaint from a few residents, conspired to get rid of the dog, as per a report by The Indian Express. The complainant said the RWA members and service provider staff severely thrashed the old, peaceful and vaccinated dog and then stuffed it in a polythene bag, following which it died of suffocation, adding that they dumped its body at an unknown location. She further alleged that several community dogs, residing in the society, were killed in a similar manner in the last few years. IE (Representational) An RWA member, however, asserted that Jhajhria has made baseless allegations. The RWA and even the estate manager were not apprised of this incident, it has been done in ignorance by some of the guards following a complaint by a resident that a dog was troubling them. In the absence of authority, since it was nighttime, they took some action randomly, which we also condemn We dont support any cruelty against animals, even when monkeys come to our society we dont get langurs or monkey catchers or those type of things, the report quoted the RWA member as saying. There are many internet conspiracies about aliens - in fact, several websites and groups on social media platforms are dedicated to just this cause. Now, a Facebook post has claimed that the strange-looking, elongated skulls found in Peru were evidence of alien life on Earth. Theorists believe that the cone-shaped skulls are actual proof that aliens have visited earth. Also Read: After UAE, China's Tianwen-1 Arrives On Mars To Search For Water, Alien Life Frans Apparently, in the now-deleted Facebook post, a theorist shared a video of the skull and wrote, "Check the eye sockets 100 percent alien." The post was linked to a video that contained footage of the skulls that were found in the 1920s by Peruvian archaeologist Julio C. Tello in Huancavelica, Peru. Since the skulls have an unusual shape, it led to several theories on the internet. However, experts debunked the same and said that the skulls are human and were formed using bindings. Also Read: Faces Of 2,600 Year Old Siberian Tsar & His Partner Re-Created Using Their Skulls Peru anthropology specialist Professor Melissa S Murphy said, "The eye sockets are normal and perfectly within the range of human variation and look like eye sockets of other human skulls from Peru." Current Anthropology "Prehispanic peoples on the south coast of Peru and elsewhere in Peru have engaged in this practice for thousands of years. Deliberate head shaping is a form of cultural modification of the body that marks different things, like one's identity, a rite of passage, an occupation," she added. File photo of Sonal Shah attending Chivas' The Venture Final Event on July 14, 2016 in New York City. The Indian American, who previously served as a deputy assistant to former President Barack Obama, is president of the Asian American Foundation. (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Chivas The Venture) Woodbridge, VA (22192) Today Cloudy skies early, then off and on rain showers overnight. Low 63F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Cloudy skies early, then off and on rain showers overnight. Low 63F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. The Commercial Sugarcane Farmers Association of Zimbabwe (CSFAZ) chairperson Addmore Hwarare has suggested a stop order facility for members of his organisation who mill their cane with Tongaat Hulett in order to create new funding for Zanu PF. Hwarare, who is politically dead, is probably attempting a resurrection by forcing sugarcane farmers to fund Zanu PF activities during the run-up to the 2023 elections. Speaking at a recent Zanu PF inter-district meeting at Chitsanga Hall, Hwarare pledged to influence members of his association to directly fund Zanu PF District Coordinating Committees (DCCs) using their earnings. I have money and you can all testify. So we agreed to design a stop order, where money will be directly deducted from each farmers account with Tongaat straight into Zanu PFs account. I have a gift to convince all those I lead as I am a leader who is guided by the Holy Spirit, said Hwarare. The former Zanu PF provincial political commissar, whose political star sharply fell over a couple of years back, said the new funding would be vital for the construction of new party offices when Chiredzi Town Council availed the land which was applied for. I can introduce myself as Mureri wenherera nevafumi veZanu PF mafarmers. I appreciate Zanu PF made us to be who we are as farmers. You asked for a stand to construct Zanu PF offices; they cannot be built with stores or leaves, they are built with money. We made solidarity last week with DCC chairmen. We agreed, with your permission to design a system on a way to sponsor Zanu PF because we benefitted from it. Hwarare also said the immense wealth in sugarcane farming business was the reason why land was now being sold on the black market was that there is money in sugarcane, which should be benefitting the locals. We benefitted from the Land Reform Programme so there is no way we can run away from working with you as a party. There is money in sugarcane farming, thats why you see many people trying to corruptly acquire land. It proves the reason why you see many youths crying that they need to be considered in the allocation of land which is currently benefitting those from Harare only, claimed Hwarare. Speaking on condition of anonymity, some members of CSFAZ vowed to resist Hwarares plan for a Zanu PF-linked stop order facility, saying it would be like forcing people into associating with political interests they do not like.We fear it would be a matter of covert coercion because no member of the association would want to opt out and risk being given unfriendly labels. You wont be able to freely disassociate yourself from it because they will accuse you of being an opposition sympathiser, said the source. Hwarare, whose mandate expired in November 2020, filed a High Court application to stop CSFAZ from conducting its Annual General Meeting (AGM) to choose his successor, saying the country was still taking measures to contain Covid-19 and gatherings would therefore not be good. TellZim News Burma Around 40 Myanmar Junta Troops Killed in Kayah State Moe Bye police station on fire on Sunday noon. / Kantarawaddy Times Around 40 regime soldiers have reportedly been killed during fierce clashes by the Karenni Peoples Defense Force (PDF), formed by civilian resistance fighters, and the Karenni Army in Kayah State on Sunday. A clash broke out in Moe Bye on the Shan-Kayah state border on Sunday morning with the regime forces indiscriminately firing artillery shells at civilian houses, injuring two civilians and destroying homes, according to a member of the Karenni PDF. Following a prolonged clash, the resistance fighters and Karenni Army seized Moe Bye police station at around noon. At least 15 regime troops were killed and four detained, according to the Kantarawaddy Times. The police station was burned down. A 27-year-old civilian resistance fighter was killed and around five PDF members were injured in Moe Bye. After seeing their brutality towards civilians, we decided to fight back weapons we collected, a resident said. Young people say that instead of being arrested and killed for protesting, they will revolt with what they find and die as martyrs. Prolonged clashes were also reported in Demoso Township in the state on Sunday with around 24 soldiers killed on the Loikaw-Demoso highway. The fighting continued into the evening, the Kantarawaddy Times reported. Loikaw residents blocked Demosos roads to hinder junta access. Armored vehicles were reported heading to the town on Sunday evening. Kayah State is the latest state to see armed resistance to the military regime in response to junta violence since the February coup. Since late March, civilian resistance fighters in Chin State and Sagaing, Magwe and Mandalay regions have taken up any weapons from air guns to traditional firearms and homemade bombs to fight the regime. You may also like these stories: Myanmar Military Launches Air Raid in Karen State Myanmar Swimmer to Forgo Tokyo Olympics in Protest at Junta Violence Myanmar Junta Troops Killed in Chin State Fighting Burma Myanmar Resistance Fighters Continue to Battle Junta Troops in Sagaing Villagers burn the dead body of villager who was killed during shootouts with junta forces near Kin Village in Kani Township on May 6. Shootouts between junta troops and civilian People Defense Force (PDF) fighters continued in Kani, Sagaing Region, on Sunday. Fighting was also reported on the Monywa-Kalaywa and Kani-Mingin highways in Kani Township on Sunday morning. Two military vehicles reportedly triggered landmines. Junta troops used two vehicles to send injured soldiers to a hospital. After the firefight, they raided villages and looted shops, a resident said. A PDF member told The Irrawaddy that shootouts also occurred in eastern Kani Township on Sunday afternoon. At about 7am on Saturday, a shootout occurred between the PDF and junta troops in 10 vehicles on the Kani-Mingin highway. At least 10 resistance fighters were injured during the prolonged shootout. The firefight continued until Saturday night. There were also military casualties. Retreating military vehicles triggered landmines near the entrance to Kani, a resident told The Irrawaddy. Four civilian fighters were reported as missing and about 30 motorbikes were set on fire by junta troops. Junta drones are still hovering over the area, according to residents. Two villages have reportedly been emptied because of the clashes and about 5,000 residents from 45 villages in Kani, Mingin and Yinmabin townships have now fled their homes. Shootouts between regime forces and civilian resistance fighters started in Kani Township on April 2. You may also like these stories: Myanmar Military Launches Air Raid in Karen State Myanmar Swimmer to Forgo Tokyo Olympics in Protest at Junta Violence Myanmar Junta Troops Killed in Chin State Fighting The Key Biscayne real estate market is hyperactive, which has some island residents considering cashing out and retiring. But where to go beside island paradise? If you have considered retiring to an international city, Panama might make sense. The Central America country offers lovely beaches, rain forests, and a warm tropical climate that resembles South Florida. According to a recent article by Cindy Barks, published in the website Travel Awaits, Panama also offers a retirement visa that offers steep discounts to seniors and has an affordable health care system. Once famous for the Panama Canal, the country has been increasing in popularity for retirees, and in January, Panama placed number two on the Top 10 places to retire in the world by International Living. Panama was second to its neighboring country of Costa Rica. What makes Panama such a desirable destination for retirees? Barks provides nine reasons. 1. It is close to the United States. A 2.5 from flight Miami gets you there, making Panama a fairly easy trip from for grandkids to visit 2. Ideal Climate. Located in the southern part of Central America, average high temperatures in Panama City are in the mid-80s year-round. 3. Plenty of ExPats. You will not feel alone as there are many Americans living in Panama which makes it possible to live in the country without speaking Spanish. 4. Beaches or Mountains? You get both! Pacific Ocean on the west with sandy beaches and big waves. Travel north and east to enjoy the Caribbean Sea and its tropical features and to complete the trifecta, the west side of Panama, near the Costa Rican border, there are mountain dense with green foliage. 5. Cost of Living. Compared to South Florida, rents could be much cheaper. Travel Awaits interviewed a recent retiree to Panama who is renting a modern, 1,500-square-foot apartment with mountains and beach views for $1,400 a month. 6. Special benefits for retirees. Panamas Pensionados Program offer a lot more senior discounts than other countries, such as 50 percent off movies and sporting events and 25 percent off energy bills. 7. Affordable Health Care. $12 doctors visit? Yes. And most doctors are fluent in English. 8. Safety. ExPats say they feel safe living in Panama and the country is safe when compared to other Central American countries, although crime rates are higher in some provinces (Colon, Panama, Herrera, and Chiriqui). 9. Friendly locals. The expats who reside in Panama say that they feel welcomed, with one retiree saying that Panama life reminds them living in the United States in the 60s. To read the entire Travel Awaits report, click here. Cindy Barks is an Arizona-based newspaper reporter, freelance travel writer, and travel blogger. Honor announced some exciting news in Qualcomm's 2-day 5G summit. Honor seemed to have skipped releasing the Honor 40 line and jumped straight to the Honor 50 series. The former sub-brand of Huawei is ready to release its new line of smartphones and potentially change its fortunes since the Huawei Ban, according to TechRadar. Huawei Honor's Return Honor was created as a sub-brand of Huawei back in 2013, they focused on creating low-cost products targeted towards the younger audience. The brand shortly started rolling out globally. By 2015, they have their own online stores in Europe. Tech Radar says they also branched out from smartphones, offering laptops, smartwatches, earbuds, and even TVs. The Huawei ban that began middle of 2019 and hit the company and the brand hard. It affected all of the mobile line-ups carrying Google apps. Models were still released in China where Google apps aren't used. In late 2020, Huawei announced that they were to sell Honor to the Chinese conglomerate Shenzhen Zhixin New Information Technology Co. in hopes to shield it from the Huawei ban. Honor has now "returned" to the global market and this could mean big things for the brand. Read Also: Honor, Formerly Owned By Huawei, Sells V40 Phone for the First Time HONOR 50 and Snapdragon 778G The Honor 50 will be the first line of phones to be powered by the Snapdragon 778G 5G chipset by Qualcomm, GSM Arena reports. Honor also tweeted about their smartphone line housing the latest mobile platform. Are you excited for our new premium #HONOR50Series powered by latest @Snapdragon 778G 5G Mobile Platform? Stay tuned! @Qualcomm pic.twitter.com/TvNj4nmdAX HONOR (@Honorglobal) May 21, 2021 Rumors are circulating that the Honor 50 Pro will be powered by the Snapdragon 888, GSM Arena adds. Whatever the case, these phones are following the line of new phones supporting 5G connectivity. They will also support Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS, and a Type-C port. The Honor 50 and Honor 50 Pro will feature a punch-hole design and slim bezels. The Honor 50 will also have a side-mounted finger sensor while the Pro version will offer a pill-shaped cut-out and in-display fingerprint reader, according to Yahoo! Finance. The Vanilla 50 is rumored to house a 6.53-inch Full-HD+ OLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate. The Pro may offer a 6.57 inch Full-HD+ OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate.The phones will have 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Running on Android 11, the phones will have a 4,200mAh/4,400mAh batter with up to 100w fast-charging support. New Colors Live photos of the phone have circulated the internet after renders were shared on Weibo by @Fans, according to Gizmo China. The images did not include a front-facing view of the phones but showed off possible color variants. There is a big rumor on weibo that honor 50 Smartphone will be launched with Qualcomm SD775/775G. Which is Based on 5NM Process. What do you think let me know #Honor #Honor50 #Honor50Pro pic.twitter.com/8z0uDkXqds Mayank Kumar (@Mayankkumaryt) May 17, 2021 The colors include yellow, blue, and purple. The light blue and purple color options seem to have a holographic chrome shift to them in the photos while the yellow shifts to an elegant green. The images also showcase the large camera sensor and the two smaller cameras in a large pill-shaped camera housing. The branding of the Honor logo also significantly smaller than its previous models, sitting on the bottom left-hand corner of the phone. The likely launch date of the Honor 50 lineup will be on June and it is expected to enter the mid-range price category. Related Article: Huawei 6G Technology in the Works: Launch Year and What Does 6G Mean? On Friday, officials with the Walker County Hospital District board announced that they have finalized a $7.8 million purchase of Huntsville Memorial Hospital. Do you feel like this is a good use of tax dollars, and is this the right direction for the struggling health care facility? You voted: THE Zimbabwe Anti Commission (Zacc) chairperson Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo has been caught in the eye of a storm after she allegedly ordered the release of top National Prosecuting Agency (NPA) official, Chris Mutangadura, who had been arrested for criminal abuse of office involving a case before Bulawayo courts. Mutangadura, the NPAs chief public prosecutor in charge of the asset forfeiture unit, was reported to Zacc after he allegedly meddled in a case which involved local businessman Lovemore Kutamahufa. Kutamahufa, who is the director of Aman Obrie Investment Private Limited, is facing criminal prosecution at the Bulawayo Magistrates Court for alleged fraud involving a US$75 000 bank loan. He was charged after his business partner Lungisani Ncube, a Zanu PF politician, accused him of forging his signature to obtain a loan from FBC Bank. Ncube accused him of using his title deeds as collateral in the loan application without his consent. The trial, however, stalled after Kutamahufa challenged how a forensic handwriting expert only identified as LT Nhari was roped into the investigation without following proper procedure. A fortnight ago, Mutangadura was investigated by Zacc with a view to detain and arraign him before the courts. However, it is alleged that Matanda-Moyo ordered his release and shelved the docket. When contacted for comment, Justice Matanda-Moyo denied that she intervened in the matter to protect Mutangadura. Thats not true that I interfered to protect Mutangadura. Its true that he was investigated and his docket completed. However, what I did in liaison with the Legal Services Department was to temporarily shelve the matter until the outcome of Kutamahufas case. We didnt want to confuse the court by bringing the case to court when another case involving the same matter was on trial. That would jeopardise the case which is already before the courts, Justice Matanda-Moyo said. She said she could not have protected the NPA boss when she was the one who ordered the matter to be investigated in the first place. When the complainant (Kutamahufa) approached me, I discovered that there was some interference in his case in Bulawayo and that there was a lie that the government handwriting expert had no capacity to examine samples in order to allow the filing of papers from a private handwriting expert. So what I did was to make sure that due process takes its course. I know there are some people who are pushing for me to be returned to the bench, but I did everything above board and the matter will be taken into action as soon as possible, she said. Former NPA Bulawayo boss, Martha Cheda, in her statement to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), said she was not sure how Kutamahufas docket ended in Mutangaduras hands. Before September 2018, I was based in Bulawayo and dealt with the matter of Lovemore Kutamahufa and ORS contravening section 136 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23 Bulawayo Central CR132/11/15. The docket was referred to my office and it had a letter dated October 24, 2017 written by Mr Mutangadura attached to it, directing that the matter be prosecuted. I dont know how the docket got to Harare. I never directed that a private QDE (handwriting expert) be engaged, Cheda said in documents seen by NewsDay. Acting deputy Prosecutor-General Justin Uladi in his statement to Zacc said: We have gone through the records at the head office and there is no evidence or record of the docket having been referred from Bulawayo to the head office for consideration. Therefore, we dont know how Chris Mutangadura got involved in that matter, Uladi told investigators. The director of the Department of Forensic Sciences in the Home Affairs ministry, Bothwell Takura Mutandiro also told investigators that the final analyses on handwriting samples were not done because the department was waiting for additional samples from the police. Clara Beatrice Tendai Gombakomba, a handwriting expert and deputy director in the Department of Forensic Sciences, told Zacc investigators that she had written a report to the officer-in-charge, CID Fraud in Bulawayo requesting additional samples so that an examination could be concluded. Mutangadura allegedly ordered the prosecution of Kutamahufa, FBC bank manager Tizirai Mutandwa and lawyer Jonathan Taona Tsvangirai on the strength of a report made by Nhari that Ncubes signatures was forged. On October 24, 2017, Mutangadura used Nharis report to order Kutamahufas prosecution after claiming that Gombakomba was not available and the government forensic department had no capacity to examine handwriting. But Mutangaduras assertion was at variance with a report from the Zimbabwe Republic Police forensic department dated April 25, 2017 that indicated that the forged documents had not been examined by Gombakomba because they were not legible and the complainant, Ncube, refused to avail the original documents. Mutangadura is now accused of colluding with Ncube and Nhari to use illegible copies of samples to produce the report, contrary to standard criminal procedure. Kutamahufa lodged a complaint against Mutangadura with Zacc, which was recorded as case number HCR.21/05/2020. According to the documents seen by NewsDay, Kutamahufa obtained a US$75 000 loan from FBC sometime in 2013, which was meant to finance his agricultural and mining activities in the country. The mining business, however, faced viability challenges and he failed to service the bank loan, resulting in FBC instituting legal proceedings against him with the aim of attaching Ncubes properties. During a civil trial that ensued at the Harare High Court, Ncube turned against Kutamahufa, alleging that he had stolen his title deeds and fraudulently got the loan. But in a judgment under HH459-17 on July 19, 2018, High Court judge Justice Moses Foroma dismissed Ncubes allegation. Ncube then reported Kutamahufa to the police, accusing him of forging his signature. Newsday This Week in Review A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more. The Southern Way (lots of sugar) The Yankee Way (no sugar or sweetener) The Arnold Palmer (lemonade added) Plantation Iced Tea (with fruit) Half sweet and half unsweet mixed together. Unsweet with a no calorie sweetener. With fruit garnishment such as a lemon or lime. I drink my iced tea in different way than listed here. I don't drink iced tea. Vote View Results Support Local Journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by subscribing or making a contribution today. Subscribe or contribute Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. A date with China: Shache County in Xinjiang steps up rural vitalization (Xinhuanet) 13:55, May 23, 2021 Sheep eat grass in a breeding base in Shache County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, May 21, 2020. (Xinhua/You Huiyuan) BEIJING, May 21 (Xinhuanet) -- After bidding farewell to absolute poverty in 2020, Shache County in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region now puts rural vitalization as its top priority. The county has set up a breeding base of cattle, sheep and camel in the resettlement area, providing local residents with job opportunities. With 20,000 sheep, 1,000 cattle and 800 camels, the resettlement area gives full play to the advantage of large-scale breeding and pays dividends to employees. An industrial chain has been formed by maximizing the use of camel hair, camel milk, and camel meat. Instead of relying on offline marketing, Shache also explore new ways such as livestreaming marketing to boost the sale of products. Besides developing the breeding base, Shache also focuses on facilitating the development of tourism industries. The camel base has attracted visitors by the unique camel-riding experience and is now training more employees to expand the tourism business. At the end of 2021, the scale of camels breeding is expected to reach 3,000, according to local authority. (Web editor: Meng Bin, Bianji) The new lows come as more than six in 10 adult Americans have gotten at least one vaccine shot, according to the CDC. In New York state, 52% of residents have gotten at least one shot, according to Gov. Cuomos office. Joplin, MO (64801) Today Cloudy skies this evening followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight. Low 72F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Cloudy skies this evening followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight. Low 72F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Since the outbreak of violence on May 10, the UN Security Council has called on Israel and the Palestinians in its first statement to fully abide by the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Saturdays statement was endorsed by all 15 members of the UN Security Council, expressing sorrow for civilian casualties caused by violence and emphasizing the urgent need to provide humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, especially those in the Gaza Strip. The 11-day Israeli bombing of Gaza killed at least 248 people, including 66 children, and injured more than 1,900. At least 12 people in Israel were killed by Gaza rockets. The statement further stated that there was an urgent need to restore calm and reaffirmed the importance of achieving comprehensive peace based on the vision of a region in which two democratic countries, Israel and Palestine, live together peacefully within secure and recognized borders. After the ceasefire was announced on Friday, the Palestinians will return to the destroyed house in Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip on May 21, 2021. [Mohammed Salem/REUTERS] Israels closest ally, the United States, had earlier blocked four proposed Security Council statements, demanded that a ceasefire be supported by all other members, and said it might interfere with President Bidens administrative efforts to end Israels military operations. on Saturday, Qatar promised to work The Mauritanian Parliament urged the International Criminal Court to pass a resolution prosecuting Israeli officials for genocide due to their military operations in Gaza, thereby working with other Arab and Muslim countries to prevent Israeli attacks on Palestinians. At the same time, Palestinians in Gaza took to the streets to call for a ceasefire, a trend that has been maintained since the fighting ceased on Friday. Hundreds of Hamas fighters wearing military camouflage marched beside the mourning tents to the senior commander Bassem Issa who was killed in the battle. Since the fighting began earlier this month, the Hamas supreme leader in the Gaza Strip, Yehyeeh Sinwar, has made public appearances for the first time. Israel bombed the houses of Sinwar, as well as the houses of other high-ranking figures in Hamas, as part of what Israel said was an attack on the organizations military infrastructure. Global protest Palestines pro-solidarity march was held on Saturday and lasted for a whole week of protests. Demonstrators demand The two governments imposed sanctions and military embargoes to reduce the supply of weapons to Israel. Protests were held in Berlin, Melbourne, London and Paris, while more protests are scheduled for weekends in other major cities, including New York. I am proud that we can be united for such an important thing, Amal Nagvi, who attended the London rally, told Al Jazeera. Many people think this is powerless they think we are just marching and screaming. But the situation has changed, and we will not stop until the change is really in place and we have a free Palestine. On May 22, 2021, pro-Palestinian demonstrators staged a protest after the outbreak of Israeli-Palestinian violence in London, England [Toby Melville/Reuters] Thousands also gathered in Tel Aviv, Israel, calling on Jews and Arabs to live together. The demonstrations are one of the demonstrations held in various parts of Israel calling for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. The demonstrators marched through the city and then gathered in the center of Habima Square to hear the voices of politicians and artists. Tel Aviv reported that Hoda Abdel-Hamid of Al Jazeera said: This is a rare situation. You will see the Israelis oppose the occupation. She said that the rally was mainly organized by left-wing groups and Palestinian-Israeli political parties, and the demonstrators held up signs saying immediate peace. Congos Nyiragongo mountain erupted on Saturday for the first time in nearly two decades, turning the night sky into a hot red, and sending lava into a main line when panicked residents tried to flee Goma, which has a population of nearly 2 million. Highway. The authorities did not issue an evacuation order, and there was no immediate news of casualties. But eyewitnesses claimed that lava had engulfed a road connecting Goma and Beni, North Kivu. The last eruption of Nyiragongo Mountain was in 2002, when hundreds of people were killed, and the airport runway was covered with lava. The authorities of the Goma Volcano Observatory initially stated that the nearby Nyamulagira volcano erupted, which would only add to the chaos. Congos Nyiragongo mountain erupted on Saturday for the first time in nearly two decades, turning the night sky into a hot red, and sending lava into a main line when panicked residents tried to flee Goma, which has a population of nearly 2 million. Highway. (Alex Myers/AFP/Getty Images) The two volcanoes are about 13 kilometers apart. Volcanologist Charles Balagizi said that the observatorys report is based on the direction of lava flow, which should go to Rwanda instead of Goma. Located on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring Rwanda, Goma is a regional hub for humanitarian agencies and the United Nations peacekeeping mission (known as MONUSCO). Vista, California The Vista Fire Department said goodbye to a beloved fallen firefighter on Saturday. 33-year-old Andy Valenta died on April 25 after fighting cancer for three months. Pete Montgomery, head of Escondidos department, said: Once you find out that he is one of the best friends you have ever had, you will meet him. This is a very extreme Andy of one millionth. Montgomery has known Valenta for ten years. He said that when his son started his career in Valenta, he was Valentas mentor, and they later became close friends. Montgomery referred to Valenta as a first-class man, who cared deeply about others and became an excellent firefighter. Valenta was named Firefighter of the Year in 2013. He said: Andy is one of those people he is always prepared for. He wants to be the best he can do. The death of Valenta not only brought great losses to the fire family, but also brought great losses to his family. He left his wife Caylie and their two young daughters behind him. Although Valenta cannot take care of his family here, his dismissal family will continue to watch. Some people make yards for Kelly at home; someone does things for them, he said. They have been able to set up university funds for these girls, so they can help throughout their lives. Good morning food lovers SunSport can exclusively reveal Brightons defender, while Manchester Uniteds goal Ben White (Ben White) competes for Englands shock at the 2020 European Cup. Harry Maguires ankle injury, coupled with concerns about Eric Dier, caused Gareth Southgate to suddenly look for other options. The 23-year-old White is the most eye-catching player. Southgate even went to the South Coast to watch his actions earlier this month. SunSport learned that after Asenal (Asenal) ended the Premier League season, the ball defender was told not to take a holiday this week. Instead, he will now wait anxiously to find out if he has won a nod for his possible debut in England next month. At the same time, we can tell you that Liverpool will sell mid-length Nat Phillips (Nat Phillips) in the summer, but only if they can get a major offer. The defender joined the team for the first time under Jurgen Klopp, but he is unlikely to be a starter next season, which has attracted the attention of other Premier League clubs. The Red Army has decided not to retain Turkish centre-back Ozan Kabak (Ozan Kabak), but if the right offer falls behind, the local boy Phillips can also leave. The 24-year-old won at Burnley when he scored his first senior goal and the former VfB Stftgart borrower can demand a fee of 10 million. Finally, SunSport can also show that West Brom (West Brom) is facing a difficult battle to persuade Chris Wilder to lead them back to the Premier League. If Wilder does not replace Sam Allardyces appetite, he can find Barnsley boss Valerien Ismael. After Allardys decided to leave after being relegated for the first time in his career, Wilder and Ismail topped the Baggies shortlist. But Wilder is willing to wait for a job in the Premier League because he thinks he has proven himself after finishing tenth since Sheffield Uniteds first season in the top flight. The savvy boss has told good friends that he may even insist on the first round of dismissal next season, and Newcastle may be in his opinion. If you travel to another country, you might notice that there are a surprising amount of American foods there. American fast food companies like McDonalds and Burger King are all over the planet , as are many American snack foods like cereals and soda. However, there are a few things missing from the shelves. You wont find M&Ms in some countries, for instance. And youd be hard pressed to find a Mountain Dew or Sunkist anywhere in Europe. There are some ingredients that, while acceptable in America, have been banned in other countries. Here are the foods that are illegal in other countries and why. (This story originally appeared on The Daily Meal .) Itunu and Samuel Oremade said that video calls with their son Andrew not only brought pain but also joy. Thats because three-year-old children keep asking a question, and they are eager to get the answer: Why cant their family be together in Canada? Oremades lives in Airdrie, Alta, and their adopted son is under the care of Itunus 79-year-old mother in Lagos, Nigeria. The first phase of Andrews adoption application was approved on December 7, 2018. But the second part will enable him to have Canadian citizenship and the ability to enter Canada. At present, the application has been in the processing queue for 22 months and the documents have not been updated. Too painful Between the case reported by CBC News and other cases confirmed by the family, Oremades said that adoptions of at least three months or more were several months later than they were submitted to the same Canadian High Commissioners Office in Accra, Ghana, which handled West Africas application has been approved. Country of Citizenship. Its painful. We talked to him using video calls and he kept asking questions,Oh, mom, you tell me you will be back.There really is no explanation, Itunu said. He kept askingWhy cant I come over?' Samuel said: You dont know how to explain to a three-year-old, well, his application is being processed. It will take 22 months. When Oremades started adopting it in 2016, they were ready to turn it into a long and expensive process. They said that what they were not prepared for was a lack of transparency. Samuel said: We decided to cross Nigeria because we want to have a person of our background, a person of our culture. He said the couple went through all necessary formal procedures. The adoption was approved by the Nigerian government and the Alberta Childrens Services Agency. The couple went to Nigeria. They said that they were initially informed by the Accra office that it was only a few months to process their sons citizenship and that they wanted to spend the first Christmas of a family in Canada. Accidental separation But months passed, and Samuel had to go home to work. Before Itunu was forced to join his family (separated their new family), he exhausted his parents vacation and vacation. While waiting, Lagos saw the turmoil and exchanged fire during the protest against the brutal police force not far from home. The lawyer representing the family, Alicia Backman-Beharry, said that Andrew would tell his mother: Mom, we have to put down our footsteps, because of the bullet, the sound comes again. Andrew also contracted malaria and sent him to the hospital when Nigeria experienced a surge in COVID-19 cases. Why cant I go home? The couple said that they have been in contact with the Office of the Minister of Immigration, local MPs, Immigration Canada, Refugee and Citizenship (IRCC) and Accra Office for several months, but there is no response or just to indicate that their sons case is ongoing. Queued responses. Sometimes, they send information requests via e-mail almost every day, emphasizing the urgency of their situation. Itunu said: Are we really, really? nothing happened. July, it will be two years. This is a child. We hope that he will grow up with our family. Oremades said that they have been questioning why other cases were dealt with instead of other cases. In their emails to the government, they questioned whether systemic racism or their country of origin played a role. Other families are white, while nematodes are black. [This] Although the news is a happy ending for the Canadian family, it plunged Itunu and I into deeper pain. Samuel wrote. Our family is a few months earlier than these families. What could be the reason for this? IRCC said the office has limited processing power IRCC declined the interview and stated in an email statement that the second part of the international adoption application will take at least 6 to 8 months, and in some cases it may take 2 years or more. Due to the pandemic, IRCC said that with employees being repatriated to Canada, almost no officials in Ghana were able to process applications. Backman-Beharry said: In addition to filing an application to the federal court basically saying that immigrants are obliged to take action, the family has little to do. [Its] It is heartbreaking to talk to parents and hear their pain. Local MPs questioned the long delay Banff-Airdrie (Banff-Airdrie) MP Blake Richards said his office has been in regular contact with IRCC to send family members updates on the situation. In an emailed statement, he said: There seems to be an unacceptably long delay in processing this document, which I clearly stated directly to the Minister of Immigration. IRCC also said that during the pandemic, it has implemented priority procedures for vulnerable groups, family members seeking reunion, and people providing basic services. It did not say whether to make the Oremades case a priority. Watch | Pandemic threatens thousands of Canadian citizenship delays CBC News learned that the immigration backlog has delayed the Canadian citizenship test for 100,000 people. 2:01 Backman-Beharry said that due to the pandemic, IRCC can process citizenship applications remotely. IRCC has not yet answered the question on whether the case can be handled in Canada on Wednesday. Backman-Beharry said that based on the cases she has handled before, she suspects that the Canadian High Commissioner may not have clear concerns about adoption in Nigeria. If the Canadian High Commission is worried then that is something they absolutely need to talk about [with the involved agencies and authorities about] To ensure that their concerns are fully resolved. she says. Backman-Beharry said: As a Canadian, this is disappointing. I hope that if there is a problem investigate. This is one of the principles of natural justice and can respond to your lawsuit. What are we going to tell him again? Itunu said that the couple are happy to propose any paperwork, solve any problems, and hope to see their family reunite. Canada is a signatory to the Hague Convention, an international agreement designed to ensure that adoption is in the best interests of the child. Go through this process [the goal] It is necessary to have a stable home for him to grow up in a family environment. IRCC tells us that they are considering the childs best interestsI dont know how his interests are protected, Samuel said. If we return to Nigeria, his documents are not ready We must return home. What are we going to tell him again? Itunu said. BOTH British vaccines are highly effective against the Indian variant of coronavirus, scientists have revealed. According to Public Health England, the Pfizer vaccine is 88% effective against the symptoms of the variant after the second dose while AstraZeneca proved 60 per cent effective. Some 22 million Brits have had both jabs and the study reveals both are effective against symptoms such as a continuous cough, a loss or change to sense of smell and taste or a high temperature. Both vaccines were 33% effective against symptomatic disease from the Indian variant three weeks after the first dose, compared with about 50% against the Kent strain. Meanwhile, more than 50 million jabs have been doled out in England in a major milestone for the vaccination programme. More than 70 per cent of the UKs adult population 31,546,846 have now received at least one dose of a Covid jab, while 40 per cent 18,699,556 have received two, officials said earlier this week. A total of 50,246,402 Covid-19 first or second doses of vaccinations took place in England between December 8 and May 21. Read our coronavirus live blog below for the latest news and updates Newest: When Manitoba was fighting the highest per capita COVID-19 infection rate in Canada, the Premier of the province once again called on the US government to send unused doses of COVID-19 vaccine to the north of the border. Prime Minister Brian Pallister said on Saturday that the province making plans Thousands of extra footage obtained from North Dakota was sent to Manitoba, but this was whipped by the White House, and the White House needed to approve this request. Watch | The chairman of the union says that Manitoba is in a state of severe care shortage: Darlene Jackson, president of the Manitoba Nurses Union, said that Manitobas request for 50 intensive care nurses to the federal government is not enough because the increasing COVID-19 infections have made the provinces intensive care units. Achieved production capacity. 3:04 US President Joe Biden stated earlier this month that by July 4, the United States will share about 10% of its supply with other countries. So far, President Biden has rejected it. I said,Lets go, Joe. The correct answer is yes. We need your help, and now we need it. The Federal Government will send another 50 contact trackers to the Minister of Innovation in Manitoba Francois-Philippe Champagne said in a tweet on Saturday. We are responding @BrianPallister with @ StatCan_eng , And will provide 50 other contact trackers to assist Manitoba. Now, we have 120 contact trackers to help the province. https://t.co/DwfGnEDSUY & Mdash;@FP_Champagne Pallisters comments came as the province reported 476 new cases Six people died on Saturday, including the first death in Manitoba after infection with a Brazil-related coronavirus variant. Currently, there are 298 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the province, of which 74 are in the intensive care unit. At the same time, Canadas race for immunity to the widespread COVID-19 reached a milestone on Saturday, as data shows that half of the countrys population has been vaccinated with at least one dose of the vaccine to prevent the pandemic coronavirus. Canada leads the United States in the proportion of vaccinations on Thursday, when only 48% of Americans received the first dose of vaccine. Federal data shows that in the past week, an average of 330,000 Canadians joined the vaccinated population every day. Despite the progress, CBCs vaccination tracker Federal data shows that less than 5% of citizens are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. What happened in Canada and around the world As of 7 a.m. EST on Sunday, Canada has reported 1,355,765 confirmed cases of COVID-19, of which 55,277 are active cases. CBC News counted the death toll at 25,203. Ontario Reported 1,794 new cases Twenty people died on Saturday.According to the COVID-19 report, the number of hospitalizations continued to decline, with 1,207 patients in the province, including 706 patients in the ICU Provincial data. Watch | Ontario announces a cautious, phased reopening plan: Ontario has announced its cautious, phased reopening plan, which will focus on outdoor activities as soon as possible, but there is no definitive answer as to whether students will return to the classroom this school year. 3:17 Quebec 505 new cases were reported on Saturday, the lowest increase in a single day since September 23, and there were 7 new deaths. New Brunswick Two new COVID-19 cases were reported on Saturday.The update is the day after the provinces chief health officer, Dr. Jennifer Russell, announced that there is a second person in the province Died of a rare blood clot Related to the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine. Nova Scotia 64 new cases and 1 new death were reported, and Newfoundland and Labrador Four new cases have been reported. Prince Edward Island No update has been provided. Watch | Research shows that those who have been vaccinated with COVID-19 may only need one dose of the vaccine: Some researchers say that those who are infected with COVID-19 may only need one shot of the vaccine, but they still cannot say with certainty how strong their natural immunity is. 3:42 in the north, Nunavut A new case of COVID-19 was reported on Saturday.There are 39 active cases in the territory-Iqaluit has 38 cases and Prime Minister Joe Savikataaq has 1 case in Kinngait Tweet. Yukon Territory with North-west region The latest data for the day is not yet available. Saskatchewan 180 new cases and 2 new deaths were reported on Saturday, and Alberta Recorded 621 cases and 6 new deaths. British Columbia Friday report 420 new cases And six related deaths. What happened around the world The tracking dashboard of the US-based Johns Hopkins University shows that as of Saturday afternoon, more than 166.7 million COVID-19 cases have been reported worldwide. The reported global death toll exceeds 3.4 million. Indian If new COVID-19 cases continue to decline, the capital of New Delhi will begin to relax the strict lockdown on the flu pandemic next week. The United States reported on Sunday that 240,842 new infections were infected across the country within 24 hours, the lowest level of new cases per day in more than a month. It also reported 3,741 deaths due to this disease. In order to curb the spread of COVID-19 in Amritsar, India, people rode in closed shops in the market area on Sunday during the weekend ban on sales implemented by the state government on Sunday. (Nalind Nanu/AFP/Getty Images) For several weeks, India has been fighting the second wave of disastrous COVID-19 war, which has paralyzed its health system and caused a shortage of oxygen supply. New Delhi, one of the worst-hit cities, was sealed off on April 20, but new cases have fallen in recent weeks, and the positive test rate has fallen below 2.5% from 36% last month, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said . Keirival said at the press conference: If the case continues to decline for a week, then from May 31, we will start the unlocking process. in TaiwanAccording to the local epidemiological control center, officials reported another 457 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on Sunday and another 6 deaths from the disease. On May 15, after raising the cordon in certain places in Taiwan to fight COVID-19, on May 15 people in Bitan near New Taipei City were seen wearing masks. The following week, Taiwan announced a level 3 restriction, requiring people to wear masks outdoors. (Sam Yeh/AFP/Getty Images) Since the pandemic, Taiwan is in its worst outbreak. The center said the total number of confirmed cases on the island has risen to 4322, including 23 deaths. Chen Zongren, deputy director of the center, confirmed that the current three-level alert will be extended to May 28. Under the four-level alarm system on the island, level 3 requires people to always wear masks when leaving home. It is forbidden to hold gatherings of more than 5 people indoors, and gatherings of 10 people outdoors. The military governor of the region said that as thousands of people were evacuated from Goma, the lava flow stopped on the outskirts of the eastern city. The military chief of the region said on Sunday that a lava river boiling from the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo stopped outside Goma, leaving the city in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. after that volcanic eruptions Caused thousands of fugitives at night, General Constance Ndima said, The lava stopped near Buhene on the outskirts of Goma The city was spared, adding that according to provisional estimates , Five people were killed in related accidents. Thousands of people fled at night on Saturday. Many families slept on the sidewalk surrounded by belongings. The night sky was reddened by fire and smoke. Officials said the lava had reached the Goma City Airport, although residents said the lava had stopped at the edge of the facility. As dawn broke, Goma appeared relatively calm, but people said they remained vigilant. It smells of sulfur. In the distance, you will see huge flames emerging from the mountains, Carine Mbala, a resident of the city, told AFP. Communications Minister Patrick Muyaya said on Saturday that the government has initiated an evacuation plan and is discussing urgent measures that should be taken at this time. According to the countrys National Broadcasting Corporation, by the early hours of Sunday morning, about 5,000 to 7,000 people had arrived in neighboring Rwanda. The Rwandan broadcaster tweeted photos of the arrival in Rubavu district, but said earlier on Sunday that the evacuees had begun to return home. Currently, the Congolese evacuated from Rwanda due to the eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano are returning home. It seems that the eruption has stopped, it tweeted. The first flights from Goma even arrived before the official confirmation that Mount Nyiragongo erupted at 7:00 pm on Saturday. When hundreds of residents began to leave their homes, most parts of the city had no electricity. Some people drove from the southern end of the city to the nearby Rwanda border post, while others drove west to Sake in the neighboring Massisi Congo region. Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi said he will suspend his stay in Europe and return home this Sunday to oversee the coordination of aid. In a report on May 10, the Vulcanology Observatory in Goma warned that seismic activity around the volcano has increased, so careful monitoring is required. Nyiragongo last erupted on January 17, 2002, killing 250 people, displacing 120,000 others, and covering almost the entire eastern part of Goma, including half of the airport landing runway, with lava. During that eruption, most of the victims were sick or elderly. They were abandoned by fate in the northern part of the city, and some robberies occurred. Pedestrians and cyclists hoping to reopen the closed section of the Philadelphia Schuylkill River Trail in May will have to wait another month. As the underground barriers on the river bank hindered the completion of the maintenance of the PennDOTs infrastructure for the retaining wall of the Chestnut Street Bridge, a popular leisure road from Walnut Street to Market Street will be closed until late June. Say friday. At the same time, trail users will need to continue to follow the posted detour route for trail access between South Street and Race Street. Part of the Schuylkill River is Closed in February and took a detour When the building began to repair the retaining wall of the embankment supporting the embankment. Access to the Chestnut Street Trail is expected to be closed for up to three months in order to complete all repairs before the busiest road usage period in spring and summer. In the past three months, detours have been set up for footprint users at the access points on Market Street and Walnut Street. The entrance to the trail is always open on South Street, Shulkier River Park Bridge, Locust Street, John F. Kennedy Avenue and Racehorse Street. PennDOT, the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Department, and the Schuylkill River Water Development Company have repaired the fence as part of the project. $103 million project Repair the Lizi Street Bridge and eight other nearby buildings. The project is fully funded by federal and state funds. Beginning in 2017, the project included repairing, refurbishing and repainting the superstructure of the main bridge, and replacing the deck of the main bridge, which connects the central city with the university city and West Ferry on the West Shulkir River. The project also includes the replacement of the decks of three adjacent Chestnut Street Bridges for Interstate 76, and two viaducts on Schuylkill Avenue and Chestnut Street westbound ramp and Walnut Street eastbound ramp. The Chestnut Street building included in the project was originally built between 1864 and 1960 and can carry an average of 18,300 cars per day. The Schuylkill Avenue building on the west side of the river was built in the late 1950s and can carry an average of 8,600 cars per day. The entire project is expected to be completed this fall. On May 14, the official Twitter account of the Israeli military released a popular question and answer video, inviting viewers to imagine themselves as the Israeli armed forces and decided to react to the rockets in the Gaza Strip.The answer options are: Nothing[.] Allow terrorists to destroy Israeli cities or B. Target terrorists who fire rockets. According to the military, there is only one correct answer: Option B. In fact, the more accurate answer should be: bomb Gaza at the blacksmith shop and kill the entire Palestinian family in response to rockets that are not even capable of destroying Israeli cities, and these rockets only fired at Israel, because Israel has been in the past 73 years The Palestinians were massacred or otherwise tortured. In the Israeli attack that began on May 10, nearly 250 Palestinians have been killed so far, including 66 children. As always, the Israeli military Twitter account has become a valuable weapon for conducting parallel propaganda wars to strengthen personal attacks. The account currently has 1.5 million followers. The account is mainly dedicated to transforming the roles of victims and victims, portraying Israel as an Israeli-in theory, this is a difficult task because victims usually do not Will violently establish its own country on other peoples land to carry out ethnic cleansing and massacre of legal residents. The destruction in Israel and the Gaza Strip is fully proportional, which means that the Israeli military is usually reduced to tweeting on air raid sirens and attaching a useful color map: In the past 30 minutes, every red in Israel The dot sirens are all sounding: Israel is under attack. If these red dots are not fascinating enough, a tweet on May 11 encouraged Twitter users to listen to the audio clip of SIRENS IN TEL AVIV and imagine hearing this sound and having a few seconds of life. On May 12, another tweet announced: It is 3 am and Tel Aviv is launching more rockets. The family was awakened and rushed to the bomb shelter. It doesnt matter, there is a lack of air-raid sirens or air-raid shelters in Gaza. Imagine, for example, that six-year-old Suzy Eshkuntana was evacuated from the rubble of her home in Gaza City seven hours after the Israeli airstrike killed her mother and four siblings. . Or imagine, its Eman Basher, a teacher from the United Nations Relief and Engineering Agency, who tweeted on May 13: Tonight, I will let the children sleep in our bedroom. In this way, when we die , We will die together, and no one will mourn for each others loss. The entire purpose of the Israeli army is to imagine, but it is limited to the perspective of Israels invention. Another sensational video tweet titled Imagine this is your reality aims to show that Israel is all in fire through clips of rockets, flames and people running. The video tape prompts the audience to imagine whether it is Washington; imagine it like Paris?; imagine it if it is London. At the same time, this army continues to exert cinematic enlightenment on the Gaza Strip. It does require a lot of imagination to imagine Israel as a victim. Sometimes the military urges the Twitter community to imagine events through so-called Palestinian views. Its video tweet on May 18 explains that Hamas uses human shields began: Imagine your house is surrounded by terrorism-for Israel, looking at flat high-rise buildings, this is probably not necessary The imagination of the residents of Gaza and the buildings around them. According to Israels extremely cumbersome narrative, Palestinian terrorists were buried in civilian areas, and therefore should be condemned when Israel wiped out civilians. To be sure, the military will regularly provide rigorous evidence to support this claim, which is expected by any entity with such technical prowess. For example, the now deleted videotape Explain that Hamas uses human shields contains footage of Hamas rockets that Israel claims are embedded in civilian areas of Gaza. However, as Reuters reporter Raphael Satter pointed out, these shots are actually Israels 2018 Israel Training Exercise! (Sart continued to point out that the Israeli military difficult to distinguish Hamas rockets from Israeli rockets. This fact does not inspire confidence in the quality of its intelligence.) In May 2010, the state of Israel was frustrated by a similar digital attack when the army killed eight Turkish activists and one Turkish-American on Mavi Marmara (the flagship of the fleet trying to provide aid to Gaza). According to Israels official statement, the Israeli commandos who shot people of descent from helicopters were the real victims of this incident. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs set out to upload photos of the weapons allegedly found on the ship, including marbles, keffiyehs, kitchen knives and slingshots. . This photo of the slingshot was originally taken in February 2006, that is to say, more than four years before the air assault team was transported to the sea area of ??the besieged coastal enclave by transporting baby incubators and medicines to brutally attack the air and sea assault team. . True, when your entire narrative about the victim is a lie, what is the need for meticulous detail? Finally, if you are an Israeli army and you have established an Internet connection, then you have little to argue with. If the military is responsible for publishing other current affairs news, we might hear deer attacking shotguns, snorkelers attacking sharks with legs, chainsaws hurting chainsaw chainsaws, rats being eaten by cheese, and so on. As for the role of journalists in disseminating Israeli propaganda (Western corporate media has long been guilty of this), it is widely believed that the Israeli military induced foreign media to report on the ground invasion of Gaza on May 13. Push Hamas fighters into tunnels for large-scale attacks. Of course, there are other options for dealing with the media, such as canceling its Gaza office (think Washington, Paris or London) as it did on May 15. The Israeli army explained the attack on this 11-story building on Twitter. The attack destroyed the offices of Al Jazeera and the Associated Press, as well as many residential buildings. It is an important base of operations for Hamas military intelligence. More interesting is the famous satire The Onion (The Onion), which calls on Israel to burn the onions own international office to rubble as soon as possible, so as not to have any Hamas workers hiding there. The article urged Israel to not issue any prior warnings to tenants located in these buildings and concluded that if carpets bombing the entire city block where our offices are located will eventually end this cycle of violence, it will be inconvenient. Regards please forgive. Now, as the Israeli army continues to wage real and digital warfare, destroying the truth in the process, it is time to reduce its narrative to rubble. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. The expiration of the three-month supervision agreement between Tehran and the UN nuclear supervisory agency has raised questions about the talks. The spokesperson of the Iranian parliament said that the three-month monitoring agreement between Tehran and the UN nuclear supervisory agency has expired and its visits to obtain images from certain Iranian nuclear bases will cease. Sundays announcement raised further questions about the future of indirect dialogue between the United States and Iran on the nuclear issue. Restoring the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement. Beginning on May 22, the three-month agreement ends, (IAEA) agencies will not be able to access data collected by cameras in nuclear facilities under the agreement, National Television quoted Congressman Mohamed Bagel. Gary Buff said. The International Atomic Energy Agency and Tehran reached a three-month monitoring agreement in February to ease Irans efforts to reduce its cooperation with the agency and allow monitoring of certain activities that should continue. Rafael Grossi, the chairman of the International Atomic Energy Agency, is negotiating with Iran to extend the agreement. European diplomats said last week that failure to reach an agreement on the extension would put the broader indirect negotiations between Washington and Tehran on the restoration of the 2015 agreement into crisis. These negotiations are scheduled to resume in Vienna this week. The IAEA originally planned for Grossi to hold a press conference on Sunday, but said he was still consulting with Tehran and his press conference had been postponed until Monday morning. Quoting an Iranian official who asked not to be named, the agreement between the IAEA and Tehran could be extended conditionally for one month. If it is extended for one month, and if the major powers accept Irans legal requirements during this period, then the data will be transferred to the agency. Otherwise, these pictures will be deleted forever. A member of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran said. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday that Tehran will continue the talks in Vienna until a final agreement is reached. According to official Iranian media reports, he also reiterated an earlier statement that Washington has agreed to lift sanctions on Iran. U.S. says its unclear whether Iran is ready to return to the agreement Since April, Iran has held several rounds of negotiations with global powers in Vienna, Austria, and is committed to the sanctions and nuclear activities that Tehran and Washington must take to make them fully comply with the nuclear agreement. After former President Donald Trump (Donald Trump), Iran began to gradually violate the terms of the 2015 agreement with the world powers Withdraw from the U.S. From the 2018 transaction and re-impose sanctions. On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Brinken said that it is unclear whether Iran is prepared and willing to take the necessary steps to restore compliance with the multi-nuclear agreement. Enrique Mora, Deputy Secretary-General of the European External Action Agency (EEAS), and Abbas Araghchi, Iranian representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during the JCPOA Joint Committee meeting in Vienna, Austria [File: EU Delegation in Vienna/Handout/Reuters] Before the fifth round of talks to save the agreement in Vienna, Brinken was asked about Irans report that Washington had agreed to lift some sanctions that weakened Irans economy. He said on ABCs This Week: We know what sanctions will need to be lifted if the sanctions do not comply with the nuclear agreement. He added that, more importantly, I think Iran knows what needs to be done to restore nuclear compliance. We have not yet seen whether Iran is ready and willing to make a decision. The founder of Messaging App Channel was once the main channel of information for opponents of the dictatorship of Belarus. He had been arrested after a passenger plane he was travelling on was transferred to the capital Minsk due to a bomb threat. According to the Presidential News Agency, President Alexander Lukashenko personally ordered a MiG-29 fighter jet to accompany the Ryanair plane-from Athens, Greece to Vilnius-Minsk Airport, Lithuania on Sunday. The Belarusian Ministry of Interior said that Raman Pratasevich was arrested at the airport. Pratasevich is the co-founder of the Nexta channel, a Telegram communication app. After Belarus used the channel to organize large-scale protests against Lukashenko last year, Belarus called him an extremist. Platasevich, who fled Poland for Poland, faces charges that could be sentenced to up to 15 years in prison. The Presidential News Agency stated that the plane received bomb threats while flying over Belarusian territory. The officer then said that no explosives were found on the ship. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda asked Belarus to release Protasevich. Unprecedented activity! A civilian airliner flying to Vilnius was forced to land at #Minsk, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said on Twitter. The Belarusian political activist and founder of @NEXTA_EN was on the plane. He was arrested. The regime is behind the heinous actions. I demand the emergency release of Roman Protasevic! Nauseda added. An unprecedented event!A civilian airliner bound for Vilnius was forced to land at #Minsk.Political activist and founder of Belarus @NEXTA_EN On the plane. He was arrested. ??The regime is behind the heinous actions. I request the emergency release of Roman Protasevi?! -GitanasNaus?da (@GitanasNauseda) May 23, 2021 He also urged NATO and the European Union to respond immediately to the threat of the Belarusian regime against international civil aviation in another statement issued by their offices. Nauseda said: I will discuss this issue at the EU summit in Brussels tomorrow. The European Union said on Sunday that all passengers on the Ryanair plane must be allowed to resume their journey immediately. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Twitter: All passengers must be able to continue to Vilnius immediately and ensure their safety. She added: Any violation of international air transport rules must bear the consequences. The exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya (Svetlana Tikhanovskaya) called on ICAO to start an investigation. She said in a statement: It is absolutely obvious that this is a type of aircraft hijacking by special forces to detain activist and blogger Raman Platasevich. No one can fly over Belarus. Ensure his safety. Ryanair said that Belarus has notified the crew of the plane of potential security threats and instructed it to move to the nearest Minsk airport. It said the plane landed safely, unloaded passengers, and was inspected by local authorities for safety. Tadeusz Giczan, a member of the Nexta team, said on Twitter that representatives of the Belarusian security agency were flying with Protasevich. He said: Then when the plane entered Belarusian airspace, the KGB officer fought with the Ryanair crew and insisted that the plane was equipped with an improvised explosive device. Last year, 26-year-old Protasevich and Nexta co-founder Stepan Putilo (22 years old) were included in the Belarusian list of individuals involved in terrorist activities. The two bloggers living in Poland were added to the list based on previous charges for causing large-scale unrest, which could lead to up to 15 years in prison. They also face charges of inciting social hatred against the government and law enforcement officials, and have been included on the internationally wanted list of Belarus and Russia, an ally of Russian President Lukashenko. Nexta Live and its sister channel Nexta (with nearly 2 million subscribers on Telegram Messenger) are important voices in the Belarusian opposition and have helped mobilize protesters. In October, Belarus marked the Nexta Telegram channel and its logo as extremist and ordered it to be blocked. Reposting information from the channel will be fined. After controversial elections in August last year, after Belarus bloody suppression, the Baltic EU country Lithuania granted Protasevich refugee status. Tikhanovskaya also fled to Lithuania and is still there. Belarus has seen unprecedented Mass protest After Lukashenko requested a sixth term in August last year, the opposition and Western diplomats called it manipulative. The police suppressed the protest, detained about 30,000 people, and beat many of them. Although the protests ended in the winter, Belarus continued to take action against the opposition and independent news media. Last week, 11 staff members of the TUT.by news website were detained by the police. The European Union and the United States have sanctioned Lukashenko and dozens of officials and businessmen associated with his government by freezing assets and banning visas. A new study shows that both vaccines are very effective against the B1617.2 strain, which was first discovered in India after the second dose. According to a study by the Public Health Agency of the United Kingdom (PHE), Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine have been found to be very effective against the first coronavirus variants discovered in India. After the second vaccination, the effective rate of Pfizer vaccine against the B1617.2 strain was 88%, and the effective rate of the AstraZeneca prick was 60%. Both vaccines are more effective against the so-called Kent strain B.1.1.7 (the dominant variant of COVID-19 in the UK). Among them, Pfizer has an effective rate of 93%, while AstraZenecas jab is more effective. The efficiency is 66%. period. However, their effective rate was only 33% after three weeks of the first dose. Health Minister Matt Hancock described the result as groundbreaking, while PHE stated that the method is expected to be more effective in hospitalizations and deaths. Hancock said: This new evidence is groundbreaking and proves how important our COVID-19 vaccination program is in protecting the people we love. Earlier this month, the World Health Organization (WHO) Dubbing B1617.2 became a variable of global concern. High protection level This study was conducted from April 5th to May 16th and found that the two vaccines have an effective rate of 33% for symptomatic diseases of the B1617.2 strain three weeks after the first dose, and about 50% for B.1.1. . 7 strains. About 12,675 genome sequencing cases were included in the analysis, but only 1,054 cases were identified in India. The study includes data for all age groups since April 5 to cover the period since the emergence of the strain. New data from PHE show that from February 1 to May 18 this year, at least 2889 cases of B1617.2 strain were recorded in England. Among them, 104 cases led to medical treatment in the emergency department of the hospital, 31 cases required overnight hospitalization, and 6 cases resulted in death. According to data, the most common strain in England is the B.1.1.7 variant, and 132,082 cases have been recorded during the same period. Since its outbreak last year, the virus has infected 4.46 million people and caused 128,000 deaths in the UK. Dr. Mary Ramsay, Head of PHE Immunization, added: This study is reassuring that either vaccine in two doses can provide a high level of protection against symptomatic diseases of the B1617.2 variant. We hope that the vaccine will be more effective in preventing hospitalizations and deaths, so it is crucial to obtain two doses to provide maximum protection for all existing and emerging variants. The fastest vaccination schedule in Europe Another analysis of PHE shows that as of May 9, the vaccination program has prevented 13,000 deaths and 39,100 hospitalizations among the elderly in England so far. According to the governments plan, the remaining coronavirus restrictions will be lifted from June 21. The latest data show that in the fastest vaccination program in the UK so far, the UK has received more than 50 million doses of coronavirus vaccine, but it faces new challenges due to the spread of the virus first discovered in India. Data released on Saturday showed that in the seven days to May 22, the number of new COVID cases reported in the UK increased by 10.5%, although it was only a small percentage from the level earlier this year. Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered this month to increase the second dose of the vaccine for people over 50 and those who are clinically vulnerable. Fearing that this variant, first discovered in the UK, has increased in the UK, Germany said on Friday that anyone entering the country from the UK must be quarantined for two weeks upon arrival. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar said that the Gulf countries support efforts to stop instability and foreign interference in Libya. Qatar reiterated its support for the internationally supported political process of Libya, which aims to end the 10-year chaos and foreign interference in the North African country. Qatars Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullahman Al Thani, said during a visit to the Libyan capital on Sunday: We support the political process supported by the United Nations and hope it can maintain Libyas territorial integrity and prevent foreign interference Its affairs. Our exchanges are fruitful, especially in supporting Libyas transition process Qatars position is firm. He told reporters together with Libyan Foreign Minister Najla al-Mangoush. Since the new government of Libya came to power, some countries have reopened their embassies. Mangush said she hopes Doha will take action as soon as possible. I think I have good news, Al Mangush added, but did not provide more details. In the 2011 NATO-backed uprising, the downfall and killing of dictator Muammar Gaddafi plunged Libya into a bloody struggle for power. But in October, hostile groups signed a truce and started a process led by the United Nations. Libyan Provisional Unification Government The organization was established in March to replace two rival governments, one is the United Nations recognized government headquartered in the capital Tripoli, and the other is the eastern government allied with the rebel commander Khalifa Haftar. To lead the country to participate in the December elections. Tripoli reported that Al Jazeeras Malik Trana said: Qatar has played a key role in supporting Libyans ambitions to become a democracy. Trana said that the Qatar delegation and its host country in Libya discussed ways to stabilize Libya to allow elections to be held at the end of this year. Qatar and Turkey supported the government in western Libya, while countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Russia and Egypt supported the eastern forces. According to the United Nations, there are still more than 20,000 foreign mercenaries and military personnel in Libya. There is no specified distance motorists must park from a driveway. Legally, theyre allowed to park right up to the curb cut. While not strictly legal I have seen a little yellow paint used either on the curb or on the street a foot or two on both sides of the curb cut. Gridlock Sam readers would respect those lines as good neighbors and motorists. The Islamic Authority monitoring the scene said Israeli police escorted more than 250 Jewish tourists to a gleaming holy site in Jerusalem on Sunday, where clashes between police and Palestinian protesters fueled the war in Gaza. The United Nations said that the 11-day conflict between Israel and the radical Hamas rulers in Gaza was suspended last Friday, but huge ruins were left in the Gaza Strip, including hundreds of houses completely destroyed, and More houses are severely damaged in the country. The Islamic religious organization Isq Waqf, which oversaw the scene, said that while tensions were still high, the police expelled young Palestinians from the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and prohibited Muslims under 45 from entering. Muslims who entered were required to hand over their ID to the police at the entrance. It stated that six Palestinians were detained and four were later released. The Israeli police denied that there was an age limit and said they had arrested five people who violated public order. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the site has been opened for regular visits and the police have protected the area. The visit then ended without any other incidents. Watch | The reasons behind the recent violence in the Middle East are: Look at the long-standing tensions in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the recent escalation. 4:50 The Israeli police clashed briefly with Palestinian demonstrators after Fridays prayers. This was an early test of the ceasefire, which took effect several hours ago. The ceasefire in Gaza is maintained, but the violence in Jerusalem may trigger another round of escalation. Waqf said Sunday was the first time Jews were allowed to visit the site since the week before the outbreak of the war on May 4. Al-Aqsa Mosque (Al-Aqsa Mosque) is part of the Holy Land in the Old City of Jerusalem, which is highly respected by Muslims and Jews. Over the years, the site has often been the scene of Israeli-Palestinian violence and was the center of the 2000 Palestinian uprising or uprising. Until May 10, Israeli police clashed with Palestinian demonstrators at the scene several times, when Hamas fired long-range rockets into Jerusalem, saying they were protecting the city after a skirmish. Another major cause of the war was that Jewish settlers threatened to expel dozens of Palestinian families from nearby Sheikh Jarrah. In recent years, more and more religious and nationalist Jews have visited the site. The Palestinians worry that Israel plans to eventually take over or divide the compound. The Israeli government has repeatedly stated that it has no intention of changing the status quo because Waqf is supervising the site under the custody of Jordan. Now focus on the humanitarian situation The recent war has caused Israel to launch hundreds of air strikes on Gaza, which is what Israel calls a militant target. Hamas and other armed groups fired more than 4,000 rockets into Israel, most of which were intercepted by Israels Iron Dome air defense system or landed in open areas. At least 243 Palestinians were killed, as were 12 Israelis. US Secretary of State Anthony Brinken will travel to the Middle East this week.He told ABC News This week with George Stephanopoulos (George Stephanopoulos) On Sunday, the ceasefire provided an opportunity to provide momentum for building more aggressive goals. Brinken said that the priorities include resolving the immediate humanitarian situation in Gaza, rebuilding everything lost in the violence, and allowing both parties to start working to truly improve peoples lives so that Israelis and Palestinians can enjoy equal security measures, peace and dignity. On Sunday, in the recent violent inter-ethnic conflict between Arabs and Jewish Israelis in Rhodes, Israel, people stood in a house that was damaged by fire. (Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP/Getty Images) The Israeli strike razed many large buildings in impoverished coastal areas, where there are more than 2 million Palestinians. Since the Islamic militant group Hamas seized power from forces loyal to the internationally supported Palestinian Authority in 2007, Gaza has been under a severe Israeli-Egypt blockade. Lynn Hastings, the UN humanitarian affairs coordinator for the Palestinian territories, said that 300 buildings in Gaza (including an estimated 1,000 houses) have been completely destroyed. She said that hundreds of people were severely damaged. She warned that these are very, very preliminary figures because the damage is still being assessed. Hastings said that a total of six hospitals and eleven primary health care centers were damaged, and one hospital was unable to function due to lack of electricity. She said that due to the destruction of local infrastructure, about 800,000 people did not have access to tap water, while 400,000 people did not receive proper sewage treatment. Watches | The degree of huge destruction in Gaza: As Palestinians across the region celebrated the ceasefire declaration between Israel and Hamas, Margaret Evans of CBC was reporting from Gaza. She said that the aerial battle between the two parties prevented the people of Gaza from properly mourning the dead. This also caused huge damage to the ground. 5:30 Israel stated that it has done everything possible to avoid harm to civilians and only targeted the militant infrastructure, including a huge network of tunnels and rocket launchers. It blamed the war and its destruction on Hamas. Mark Regev, an adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told Fox News Sunday Israel has imposed a heavy blow on Hamas and hopes that this will act as a deterrent. But he also expressed the hope that the truce would continue, and pointed out that there have been more than five years of relative peace and quiet after the last round of fighting in 2014. On Sunday morning, hundreds of municipal workers and volunteers launched a week-long campaign to remove rubble from the streets of Gaza. The work started outside a high-rise building. In the early days of the Gaza air strike, Israeli warplanes razed it to the ground, and workers loaded the gravel into donkey carts and small pickup trucks. The ICRC said on Friday that the war may have left hundreds of unexploded ordnance, which could cause more casualties and hinder reconstruction efforts. Virgin Galactics first manned space shuttle carried out a rocket-powered flight to the edge of space. The company now plans to take tourists into space next year after the flight takes off next year. New Mexico Reached a maximum altitude of 50 miles. 6 VSS Unity launches engine to fly into space Credit: Reuters 6 The moment the ship was released Credit: Reuters 6 Richard Branson celebrates rocket launch 6 VSS Unity orbits the earth Credit: Reuters After being transported into the air by the mothership, VSS Unity fired a rocket engine to injure the spacecraft and two pilots into space. British billionaire and Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson confirmed on Twitter that the two pilots and NASAs research payload have reached space. He wrote: Its great to watch @VirginGalactics first human space flight from the majestic US spaceport on the flight line. Virgin Galactics goal is to begin commercial operations after testing next year, and to suspend work for several months on maintenance and other upgrades. The test will include a flight that will take Branson to the edge of space later this year. 6 The cabin of a spaceship carrying tourists Credit: AFP 6 After the launch, Richard Branson looks at the photo from the pilots point of view Credit: Reuters Prior to the launch on Saturday, the first power test of the U.S. Spaceport in New Mexico was repeatedly postponed. In December 2020, a computer malfunction caused by electromagnetic interference prevented the spacecraft rocket from launching normally. The ship and its two pilots did not fly into space, but were forced to land immediately. The preparations for the latest attempt include maintenance inspections of a special transport aircraft that flies the six-person spacecraft to high altitudes and then releases it so that it can launch the rocket engine and eventually into space. What is Virgin Galactic? This is what you need to know Brave explorers are lining up-and are digging deeper-into space with Virgin Galactic. British billionaire Richard Branson founded Virgin Galactic in 2004 and initially predicted that the first flight would take place in 2009. However, due to technical problems, the date has been postponed many times. In 2016, the late Professor Stephen Hawking revealed the news of Virgin Galactics second SpaceShipTwo aircraft named VSS Unity. This was in 2014 the first SpaceShipTwo aircraft, VSS Enterprise, crashed during testing, killing one. After the pilot. Finally, the first flight was successfully carried out in mid-December 2018. If all goes according to plan, space fans will be launched to a location 50 miles above the earth-which NASA defines as outer space. Passengers will board SpaceShipTwo (SpaceShipTwo), a space plane carrying six passengers and two pilots. It was carried at high altitude by a large aircraft, then separated and rose to an altitude of approximately 62 miles. Passengers will experience a few minutes of weightlessness before Unity starts the engine and flies back to Earth and lands on the runway like a traditional airplane. The 90-minute flight was sold for $250,000 (175,000), targeting wealthy celebrities and thrill seekers. Branson has stated that he eventually hopes that the price will fall to $40,000 (30,700) within the next ten years. Virgin Galactic faces fierce competition from companies such as Blue Origin and Elon Musks SpaceX. The purpose of these flights is to reach an altitude of at least 50 miles before shutting down the rocket engines, and the crew is ready to re-enter the atmosphere and slide towards the landing site. As part of the return journey, the emergence system will slow down and stabilize the aircraft when it re-enters the atmosphere. Virgin Galactic is one of the few companies hoping to profit from customers interested in space. But analysts warned that since the exact start of business operations is still in progress, it may take some time for the company to see profits. Elon Musks SpaceX will launch a billionaire and the winner of its sweepstakes in September. Killer condensation After the 4-year-old boy was kidnapped and brutally killed, the police arrested him Missing Melinda? Since the announcement of the divorce, Bill Gates (Bill Gates) wears a wedding ring for the first time Put them back The family of a 6-year-old boy was killed in the Road Rage Incident and asked for information Body cam The police attacked the homeless in the movie for peeing in public public The former senator wanted to release a UFO report and said that if there are aliens no problem Broken heart The 6-year-old boy said, My stomach was injured because he died in the shooting of a road rage driver Subsequently, in January 2022, three businessmen will fly to the International Space Station. Jeff Bezos Blue Origin launched a new capsule in January as part of the test, with the goal of bringing plans to tourists, scientists, and professional astronauts to land. It is scheduled to lift off on July 20, the day of the Apollo 11 moon landing. The eruption of Nyiragongo Mountain killed at least 15 people, caused 30,000 people to flee Goma, and destroyed more than 500 houses. Officials and survivors said on Sunday that after dark in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, lava torrents poured into the village without warning. At least 15 people were killed in the chaos and more than 500 houses were destroyed. This Mount Nilagongo eruption UNICEF said on Sunday that about 5,000 people fled the nearby border from the city of Goma to Rwanda on Saturday night, and another 25,000 took refuge in the northwest of Sake. There are still more than 170 children still missing on Sunday. UNICEF officials said they are organizing transfer centers to help unaccompanied children after the disaster. In the end, Goma largely avoided the large-scale damage suffered during the last volcanic eruption in 2002. At that time, hundreds of people died and more than 100,000 people were left homeless. But in remote villages near the volcano, Sunday is full of sadness and uncertainty. Beatrice Katungu, 47, said her husband and 8 out of 10 children were missing. I dont know what happened, whether they were burned by lava, because the eruption happened at night, Katungu told Al Jazeera. Some people return home on Sunday morning, but unfortunately, my family hasnt yet. Beatrice Katungu and her youngest child [Esdras Tsongo/Al Jazeera] The smoke of many houses on fire filled the air. Florence Rudasigara, another victim of the outbreak, told Al Jazeera that no officials had come to help her. I am a widow. I dont know where to go. May the government help us. We havent seen any officials come to sympathize with us. We have been abandoned, said Rudasigara. We will starve to death. Elsewhere, the authorities stated that at least five people were killed in a truck crash while trying to evacuate Goma, but the scale of the damage has yet to be determined in some of the worst-hit communities. Residents said there was almost no warning before the dark sky turned into a blazing red, causing people to run around in their lives. The national broadcaster there said a woman gave birth and gave birth to a child while fleeing the outbreak in Rwanda. Smoke rose from a pile of smoldering lava in the Bhayne area near the city on Sunday. Innocent Bahala Shamavu told The Associated Press: We have seen the loss of almost the entire community. All houses near Buhenay were burned down. Thats why we ask all provincial and national authorities and all partners, all sincere people in the world to help this population. Witnesses said the lava also engulfed a highway connecting Goma and Beni. However, when lava flowed into the runway, the airport did not seem to suffer the same fate as in 2002. Goma is the regional hub for many humanitarian agencies in the region and United Nations peacekeeping missions. Other reports by Esdras Tsongo in Goma. Residents smoked from smoldering lava from the Nyiragongo Mountains in Goma [AFP] As discussed a few days ago, the purchase of marijuana will not happen within a few days, and the transaction will fall apart for various reasons. part 1 The focus of this blog series is on buyers of cannabis M&A transactions.in part 2, We paid attention to the regulatory environment and discussed the concepts that first-time homebuyers and their lawyers should pay attention to. In Part 3, we looked at the things you should consider when hiring your cannabis lawyer. Why hire a lawyer? While representing clients in the cannabis industry, I learned that, compared with clients in other industries (such as our international practices), cannabis company owners are generally reluctant to hire a lawyer to help them with their work. Im not sure if this is because it is relatively simple compared to international transactions, or because marijuana owners generally distrust lawyers or do not see our value. The last reason is usually why customers who are burned in a business transaction can become good customers: they know what problems their lawyers can help them avoid, and they can put a price tag on that value. In a transaction, the seller is usually less willing to hire a lawyer than the buyer because the seller is more concerned about getting paid, and the buyer begins to deal with many potential business issues, including many legacy business issues that the buyer may not know about. on. Whats in the engagement letter? When hiring a cannabis lawyer, you should expect to see an engagement letter with the language shown in the capital letters below. The job of marijuana is still very vague, so your lawyers offer letter may seek to protect their company as much as possible. Most cannabis engagement letters include other disclaimer language to protect the law firm from future malfeasance claims and to ensure that your expectations as a client are reasonable and may be capitalized: We cannot guarantee your ability to obtain a business license related to the State of Maria in any way. Owning, using, cultivating, manufacturing, processing, distributing and selling Marijuuana are all federal crimes. We do not have any legal advice to help you violate any law or avoid detecting or prosecuting such violations. Our advice is only to assist you in complying with state cannabis laws. The illegal status of marijuana under federal law may affect the relationship between lawyers and lawyers, the privileges of lawyers and lawyers, and the confidentiality of information provided. How many lawyers advice should you follow? As with all transactions, your legal advisor is considering its ethical obligations to advise you to comply with applicable laws and regulations. No ethics lawyer will advise you to violate applicable state laws and regulations (but conflict between federal and state laws is another matter). Your lawyer must be familiar with the applicable regulatory structure and may provide you with all the guidance on the regulatory environment through regular emails or memos or the lawyers own documentation. This especially includes situations where you want to step into the boundaries of laws or regulations, even if your lawyer personally feels that certain laws and regulations are absurd. What if the seller does not have a lawyer? Some marijuana company owners are inherently suspicious of legal counsel, so it is not uncommon for the buyer as the buyer to be the only party in the transaction to hire a lawyer. If the seller does not hire legal counsel, then you and your lawyer will need to determine whether your lawyer should deal directly with the seller, or whether all negotiations should be conducted at the buyer and seller level. Usually, this is a strategic decision about the sellers expectations and satisfaction. If your lawyer will be the only lawyer, then you should plan to pay the additional legal fees associated with your lawyers execution of all transaction work without the participation of the sellers lawyer. You may need to work with the seller to resolve this additional cost and increase the purchase price accordingly. You also need to determine whether you, the seller, or the attorney will be responsible for filling out the license transfer form and dealing with state regulatory agencies. You may want your lawyer to explain the terms of the contract to the seller as a whole, but your lawyer may be hesitant and at least clarify that they will not provide legal advice to the seller in doing so. Hiring the only lawyer in a transaction is not a bad thing. When the seller does not hire a lawyer, the transaction will usually proceed faster, and the initial case will be closed soon after the initial draft is provided to the seller. The lawyer will ensure that the transaction documents include the sellers statement that the seller has sufficient time and opportunity to hire his own lawyer. For more information on this topic, check out Hilary Brickens recent post titled Marijuana lawyers and law firms: the good, the bad and the ugly. For earlier articles in this series, see: These days, Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish feels like a forgotten person. In his home from Toronto, he was full of frustration, sadness and anger. Israels continued persecution of Palestinians in Occupied Palestine briefly pierced the complacency of Western political and media elites, which was just an outbreak of violence. after that. He has been waiting for the equally complacent Western political and media elites-once for the Palestine-Canadian doctors, teachers, humanitarians and perhaps most importantly father born for flattery, awards and honor-to listen to his plea to stop Israels evil designs and healed Palestines wounds. But few people return calls. TV presenters and newspaper writers once told about how the tragic story of how Dr. Abuelais somehow caused the Israeli army to kill his three daughters and a niece during the invasion of Gaza in 2009 turned into a full The hope of life and the message of reconciliation, they mostly abandoned him. . Politicians from Canada and abroad who once called him Middle East Martin Luther King and pinned gadgets to Dr. Abueilays lapel, commended him for establishing a foundation between understanding and friendliness The work of eliminating the hatred by the bridge, also abandoned him. In spite of this, he still heard the piercing terror and familiar sounds of terror from the Israeli-occupied Palestine in 11 ruthless days. On May 11, Dr. Abu Elash issued a press release directed at the leaders and peoples of governments around the world, part of which read: In the face of atrocities against unarmed civilians, we can no longer accept silence Now Its time to end the bloodshed; its time to end Israels occupation of Palestine. No one answered. Earlier, Dr. Abuelaish approached the opinion column editors of The Globe and Mail and Guardian newspapers, hoping that they would issue his warning that the world must Keep a deaf ear to the historical injustices committed by Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. Once again, no one answered. They dont want to tell me the truth, Dr. Abuela Ish told me in an interview. Its sad and hurtful, because it is unjust to remain silent in times of injustice. But I will never give up. Dr. Abuelaish persists in dedicating his nature and upholds the usual etiquette and humanistic spirit. Born in the Jabaliya refugee camp at the northern end of the besieged Gaza Strip, Dr. Abuelai knows better than most the suffering that generations of Palestinians have to endure, often a fatal price-a consequence of apartheid in Israel. Of course, Dr. Abu Elesh also knows better than most people that the children of Occupied Palestine have paid the deepest and most indelible price for Israels long-term, brutal and systematic suppression. This is why Israels vicious invasion of the Gaza Strip in 2014 claimed the lives of 551 Palestinian children and injured 3,436 innocent people, many of them permanent. Dismembered daughters Besan, Maya, Aya and niece Noor. Dr. Abuelaish mainly relied on working alone to win the cooperation of Canadian labor unions, nurses, doctors, hospitals and politicians, including the then Prime Minister of Ontario and the Minister of Health. Heal100Kids was organized. This is a humanitarian initiative aimed at wounding 100 people. And traumatized Gaza children brought to Canada to receive special medical assistance. And treatment. Dozens of Canadians voluntarily opened their homes out of Dr. Abuelaishs apparent loyalty, trust in distrust, hope of despair, love of resignation, love of hatred, and the peace of war. And wallets to ensure that injured Palestinian children are welcomed and cared for in Canada. Liberal opposition leader Justin Trudeau, among Canadians who were clearly impressed and moved, publicly expressed his wholehearted support for Dr. Abu Erichs project on his official Twitter account. In a tweet on August 3, 2014, Trudeau encouraged Canadians to join him in advocating Heal100Kids. Please add your name to support Palestinian children receiving treatment in Canada, Trudeau write An army of his followers. Two days later, Trudeau posted another tweet, this time praising the then Ontario Minister of Health Eric Hoskins (Eric Hoskins) and the provinces Liberal governments commitment to supporting the #Heal100Kids project . At that time, there is no doubt that Trudeau vigorously approved the Heal100Kids program to establish his qualifications for care. On the contrary, the Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper shamelessly refused to cooperate with Abu Era. The doctor met and refused to provide visas to broken Palestinian children and their families to come to Canada. This former drama teacher is good at playing the role of a kind, caring leader and father. It turns out that Trudeaus recognition of Heal100Kids is as cynical as its hollowness. In his opinion letter issued on May 22, 2018, Dr. Abuelai challenged the current Prime Minister Trudeau to keep his promise and mobilize his office resources and powers to reach out to Palestinian children in desperate need . Its time to be right, Prime Minister Trudeau. Now is the time to help alleviate the suffering of only 100 Palestinian children. If you can, now is the time for you to give a speech to make what you wrote a few years ago become a reality. Its time to put aside politics and put aside the topic. Now its time to do something practical. In all the ugly human slaughter, its time to measure kindness and decency. Its time. Trudeaus response: Three years of silence and inaction. Like most Palestinians, Dr. Abuelaish is a patient man. His patience has dried up. Today, he learned that the Prime Ministers support for Heal100Kids seemed as short as a puff of smoke. Its just words. This is a big lie. Indeed. In an attempt to understand the prime ministers shocking motives, I contacted Trudeaus press secretary, Alex Wellstead, earlier this week to request an interview to discuss Dr. Abuelaish and Heal100Kids. This is Wellsteads bleak and enlightening answer: Im not familiar with this plan. Can you share more information and where it overlaps with the federal government In short: Wellstead and the Prime Minister have expanded the title of Prime Minister and have forgotten all the information about Dr. Abuelaish and Heal100Kids. Later, Trudeaus press secretary declined to be interviewed. Have a nice day, he wrote in an email. What I can think of is the predictable amnesia that this man-made Prime Minister and his government gave to their three Nobel Peace Prize nominees to help Palestinian children recover from their mental, physical and spiritual hard work. There is no more telling prosecution than their completely predictable amnesia. war. Trudeau and the company may want to forget, but the numbers are shocking. More than 60 Palestinian babies and children Was killed Before the ceasefire was announced a few days ago, hundreds of people were seriously injured and orphaned. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the massacre in this way on Thursday: If there is hell on earth, it is the lives of children in Gaza. Although Abuelaish was heartbroken, he insisted that the international community must finally force Israel to end its illegal and destructive occupation of Palestine. He said that Prime Minister Trudeau should also agree to the restoration of the Cure Children initiative, which is a public symbol of Canadas friendship with the troubled Palestinians and a common humanity. Mr. Trudeau can finally turn his words into action and say: We are willing to revive this initiative and treat the children in need of treatment, said Dr. Abu Erich. This is his moral responsibility. The question remains: Will Justin Trudeau remember this action? The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. President Joe Biden will host the family of George Floyd at the White House on Tuesday to mark the one-year anniversary of his death at the hands of police, a White House official confirmed to CNN. The White House visit comes as lawmakers are likely to miss the President's initial May 25 deadline for passing a bipartisan police reform bill. Press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday that the White House has 'confidence in the negotiators,' but did not offer a concrete timeline for when Biden wants a bill on his desk, saying only that he'd like it 'as quickly as possible.' Biden first met with the Floyd family in June 2020 when he traveled to Houston to offer condolences ahead of George Floyd's funeral. The President has spoken to members of the family on a few occasions over the past year, including a conversation last month with George Floyd's brother, Philonise Floyd, after a jury convicted former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the killing. Psaki had said this week that the White House will commemorate the anniversary of Floyd's death, telling reporters that 'it was a moment that impacted millions of Americans and certainly the President on a personal level.' Biden spoke with Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey on Friday afternoon as the self-imposed May 25 deadline to pass policing overhaul legislation grows closer, according to a senior White House official. The official said Booker expressed to the President that while negotiators are not on track to hit the deadline, progress is being made. Biden had set May 25 -- the anniversary of Floyd's death -- as his goal during his joint address to Congress in April, Psaki said, 'because he feels it's important to be bold, to be ambitious, and that's exactly what he feels we're hopefully working toward.' But with the House entering a work period on Thursday and not returning to Washington until June, the passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is all but impossible ahead of that deadline. The Democrat-led chamber had passed the measure in March, but it was never passed by the Senate. The legislation includes provisions to set up a national registry of police misconduct, a ban on racial and religious profiling by law enforcement and overhaul qualified immunity. Earlier this week, one of the key sticking points that remained was Section 242, the federal law that sets the standard for criminally prosecuting police. Some progressive Democrats have balked at the idea of any compromise on key issues like Section 242 and qualified immunity. This story has been updated with additional reporting. Covid-19 vaccines have created at least nine new billionaires after shares in companies producing the shots soared. Topping the list of new billionaires are Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel and Ugur Sahin, the CEO of BioNTech, which has produced a vaccine with Pfizer. Both CEOs are now worth around $4 billion, according to an analysis by the People's Vaccine Alliance, a campaign group that includes Oxfam, UNAIDS, Global Justice Now and Amnesty International. Senior executives from China's CanSino Biologics and early investors in Moderna have also become billionaires on paper as shares skyrocketed, partly in expectation of profits earned from Covid vaccines, which also bode well for the companies' future prospects. The analysis was compiled using data from the Forbes Rich List. Moderna's share price has gained more than 700% since February 2020, while BioNTech has surged 600%. CanSino Biologics' stock is up about 440% over the same period. The company's single-dose Covid-19 vaccine was approved for use in China in February. Activists said the wealth generation highlighted the stark inequality that has resulted from the pandemic. The nine new billionaires are worth a combined $19.3 billion, enough to fully vaccinate some 780 million people in low-income countries, campaigners said. "These billionaires are the human face of the huge profits many pharmaceutical corporations are making from the monopoly they hold on these vaccines," Anne Marriott, Oxfam's health policy manager, said in a statement. "These vaccines were funded by public money and should be first and foremost a global public good, not a private profit opportunity," she added. The report coincides with the G20 Global Health Summit taking place on Friday at which world leaders are expected to discuss waiving intellectual property rights on vaccines. US President Joe Biden has backed the move, which supporters say will help expand the global supply and narrow the vaccination gap between rich and poor countries. Opponents, such as Germany, have argued that protecting intellectual property is vital to innovation and say that removing patents won't meaningfully increase supply due to limited production capacity and insufficient vaccine components. According to the World Health Organization, 87% of vaccine doses have gone to high- or upper middle-income countries, while low income countries have received just 0.2%. In a paper published Friday, IMF chief economist Gita Gopinath said that vaccinating 60% of the global population by mid-2022 would cost just $50 billion. Albert Bourla, the CEO of Pfizer, said during the health summit on Friday that the company will provide 2 billion doses of its vaccine to low- and middle-income countries over the next 18 months. Pfizer expects its sales of the vaccine to total about $26 billion by the end of this year, with a profit margin approaching 30%. Bourla has defended the decision to profit from the vaccine, saying his company assumed all the risk to develop it and invested as much as $2 billion in research and development. Vaccine billions BioNTech, which received 325 million ($397 million) from the German government for the development of the vaccine, said it is committed to supplying low-income countries with its vaccine at cost. "We all know that no one will be safe until everyone is safe," the company added. In a statement shared with CNN Business, it said that complex manufacturing processes and the length of time it takes to build new factories are among the major obstacles to increasing the global supply of vaccines. "Patents are not the limiting factor," it said. BioNTech made a net profit of 1.1 billion ($1.3 billion) in the first three months of the year, largely thanks to its share of sales from the Covid-19 vaccine, compared with a loss of 53.4 million ($75.9 million) for the same period last year. Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine sales hit $1.7 billion in the first three months of this year and it had its first profitable quarter ever, the company reported earlier this month. Goldman Sachs expects Moderna to make $13.2 billion in Covid-19 vaccine revenue in 2021. The company has received billions of dollars in funding from the US government for development of its vaccine. CanSino Biologics and Moderna did not respond to a request for comment. In a statement last month, Bancel said that Moderna is willing to license its intellectual property to other companies "for the post-pandemic period." AstraZeneca, which produced a vaccine with researchers at Oxford University, has agreed to provide doses at cost until at least July 2021, and in perpetuity to low and middle-income countries. Johnson & Johnson has also said it will provide its vaccine on a not-for-profit basis, as long as the world continues suffering from the pandemic. - Chris Isidore and Naomi Thomas contributed reporting. UPDATE: According to the Oregon Department of Forestry Southwest District's Public Information Officer, Natalie Weber, a fire that is burning near Cave Junction has been knocked down. Fire crews say that the fire is about 1 acre in length, including two spot fires. NewsWatch 12 has also learned that the fire is completely wet-lined and fire crews are working on a hand-line as well. CAVE JUNCTION, Ore-- Around 3:15 p.m. Saturday afternoon, Oregon Department of Forestry firefighters, along side the Illinois Valley Fire District, have been battling an active fire near Cave Junction. NewsWatch 12 has learned that fire crews have stopped the growth of the original fire which started between Robinson Corner Road and Holland Loop Road. That original fire is estimated to be at around a quarter of an acre. But according to ODFSW's Public Information Officer, Natalie Weber, a few spot fires have started from that original fire and are about a half acre in length. Firefighters are currently working to contain those spot fires. Three ODF engines are on the scene of that fire, along with several firefighter crews from IVFD. ODF has also called in a bulldozer to assist. Weber told NewsWatch 12 that the fire is currently burning on a slope and windy conditions are in the area. No evacuations have been ordered at this time, but ODF is asking people to avoid the area as fire crews battle the flames. Fire crews are also investigation the cause of the fire. This is a developing story and we will continue to provide updates on the situation as soon as they become available. Less: Just look at London, Ont. Same: We hear more bad news. More: Canada is on the right path. Vote View Results Monitoring for fraud Monitoring your own credit report is one way to keep an eye out for signs of fraud or identity theft. Because of the pandemic, consumers can currently order a free weekly credit report online through April 20, 2022. You can request the weekly reports from AnnualCreditReport.com one each from the three credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. While the weekly credit reports are only available online, consumers can order free annual credit reports through the mail using the official request form found online or by calling their toll-free number 877-322-8228 to request a form. The Check Your Free Credit Report: 2/2, 6/6, 10/10 campaign from UW-Madison Division of Extension wants to make it easier to remember to order those free credit reports. Sign up to receive an email reminder from Extension three times a yearon 2/2, 6/6, and 10/10at finances.extension.wisc.edu/programs/check-your-free-credit-report-campaign/. Our Credit Campaign participants have told us that the added nudge from the reminder emails helps them to follow through on their good intentions to order their free credit report, says Olive. Consumer protection series Here comes the sun! With COVID-19 restrictions lifting fast and furiously, New Yorkers are ready to soak in the rays and take in some fresh air. Memorial Day, the unofficial start of Summer is right around the corner. For people looking to get out and do something, weve got you covered. Heres a list of events across the area during the holiday weekend. He said, while it was extremely hard work, he learned fast and he also realized it wasnt his passion. Learning fast is the best way to find your true passion, he said. Quoting Steve Jobs, Maalouf said you can never connect the dots looking forward in life. You can only connect them looking backwards. He said he is fortunate that he found his passion working in health care. Hard work works. Working hard is what successful people do, he said. In Japan, when a piece of pottery breaks, they repair it by filling the cracks with gold, he said. They do this because the cracks and the flaws are seen as a unique piece of the objects history. And, its something that adds to its beauty. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} A year ago, he was admitted into Harvard Business School and recently graduated. Acknowledging he wasnt always a great student, he said he was terrified because of his insecurities, he was way out of his league. However, he learned that almost everyone in his class had similar stories. When you do run into adversity, dont be too hard on yourself because the flaws and challenges you may have are all just a unique part of your story that will connect one day to get you where you want to go, he said. 120 Shares Share As the pandemic grew in Southern California, intubating COVID patients became increasingly dangerous. Initially, any patient with signs of respiratory distress was intubated, then sent to the ICU immediately. My physician colleagues and I all thought we were doing the right thing until we saw all the complications of mechanical ventilation. Instead of immediate intubation, we tried placing patients on high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC), a special nasal oxygen device that prevents lung collapse. We also asked them to lay on their stomachs, also known as proning, because the prone position provides the best match between ventilation and pulmonary blood flow. Proning and HFNC meant patients could be managed on the medical floors instead of intubated in the ICU. Many of them avoided intubation but not all of them. COVID patients have no pulmonary reserve, which means as soon as I give them anesthetics, they desaturate. These proned HFNC patients desaturated even faster than regular COVID patients because their disease is more severe before intubation. To make matters worse, we had to flip them onto their backs after giving anesthetic drugs. We also couldnt bag-mask ventilate them because of the risk of aerosolizing the virus. The best course of action was to inject the anesthetic and paralytics while prone, flip them as the anesthetics circulated in their blood, then intubate as fast as possible. You have a single attempt. Make it count. One night, I was called to intubate my first prone patient in the ICU. He was a 300-pound Hispanic man initially managed on the floor with HFNC and proning. Now his oxygen saturation was 75% and decreasing 1% every hour. I prepared just as I did for previous COVID intubations: PAPR, drugs, airway equipment, suction, and a pre-intubation meeting with the nurse and respiratory therapist. I spent a few minutes talking to the patient to make sure he also knew the plan, as wed need his cooperation for turning supine. After about 45 minutes of preparation, it was showtime. After donning my PAPR and PPE, I went to the head of the bed. The patient helped turn himself from prone to supine as I injected an anesthetic and paralytic. About 20 seconds later, his oxygenation saturation fell from 75% to 40%. I felt his jaw relax as the paralytic took effect then I slid the laryngoscope past his tongue. All I could see was frothy pink sputum. COVID damages pulmonary blood vessels, which can cause fluid accumulation in the lungs called pulmonary edema. No problem, I thought, Ill suction him then intubate. I reached for the suction it wasnt working, despite the fact I had checked it just minutes before. As the nurse scrambled to fix it, I had to find another solution. I tried a second time. Now I could partially see his vocal cords, so I tried to pass the tube, but it was stuck; his vocal cords were dry from the HFNC. Oxygen saturation continued to drop to 30%, then 0%. I knew I had about 30 seconds before his heart stopped. I grabbed the purple AMBU bag and tried to bag-mask ventilate him. I just needed to stall long enough for the suction to be fixed. His lungs were stiff. It was maybe 10-25% effective. Then his heart rate started to drop from 120 to 100, then 80; an ominous sign I was losing the battle. As his body used up the last of the oxygen in his blood, his heart rate continued to drop. If I didnt do something, he was going to die in front of me. I obtained a third view of the vocal cords. By now, his heart rate dropped to 60. This time, I saw even more pulmonary edema. Instead of avoiding it, I used the endotracheal tube like a whisk until I could see the vocal cords. When I inserted the tube this time, it passed smoothly. I advanced it into his trachea as his heart rate dropped to 45. The respiratory therapist connected the AMBU bag to the endotracheal tube. As we ventilated him, his heart rate bottomed out at 30. After what seemed like an eternity, it slowly started rising. His oxygen saturation followed suit soon afterward. Now it was my turn to take a deep breath. My hands dropped to either side of the patients head, arms locked and head down. My patients lips were blue. I looked up. For the first time, I noticed the crowd of 20 doctors, nurses and pharmacists gathered outside watching me through the glass doors. I gazed up at them with a sense of surprise, frustration, and relief. Doctors want to believe good outcomes occur because of their clever diagnoses and treatments. The reality is when complications occur, cause and effect, relationships degrade into chaos. Intelligence yields to instinct. Perhaps, I subconsciously recognized suction is not the only way to deal with pulmonary edema? If I tried the same maneuver again, would it work? Or would I fail? Did I get lucky, or did I create my own luck? Sometimes intuition can save the day when expertise fails. The suns first rays of morning shone through the patients East-facing window as I discarded my PPE, exited the room, took off my PAPR, and sat down to write my intubation note. The ICU fellow sat down next to me to put in ventilator and sedation orders. We turned to face each other. After a brief pause, I said: Better lucky than good. He nodded without saying a word. Nabil Othman is an anesthesiology resident who blogs at Airway, Bagel, Coffee. Image credit: Shutterstock.com 14 Shares Share A beautiful woman, all mocha skin and glimmering eyeshadow, turned to me in Whole Foods and whispered: I like your style. I was alternately baffled and proud: Take that, lifetime of scrubs! Mamas still got it. Then I looked down at myself and saw I was wearing jeans with Paw Patrol stickers on them. She pointed one perfectly manicured finger to her face: we were indoors, yet I saw her French red lipstick. I realized she wasnt admiring my Target T-shirt. I replied, Ah, you mean actually following CDC guidelines? She nodded and laughed, and I waved to her as she sauntered out amidst a pack of mask-wearers. As public trust in the CDC declines, maybe its disingenuous for me to be baffled by other reactions to the CDCs updated mask recommendations. Many of those with an initial believe the science mantra is now second-guessing data analyzed by the most powerful infectious disease institution on the planet. The CDC has reviewed overwhelming evidence supporting vaccine efficacy and stated it is safe for most fully vaccinated people to drop physical distancing measures, including mask-wearing in many indoor settings. (Some believe this will incentivize vaccination; Ive already seen it happen with Hispanic men.) This reflects the best news Ive ever seen: The fully vaccinated are unlikely to either spread or develop serious disease from SARS-COV-2. In fact, the only at-risk populations are those who simultaneously refuse to wear masks, will not be vaccinated, and continue to participate in high-risk activities with other similar people. I actually know one such person, and their favorite saying since the beginning of the pandemic is: Live free or die. They say eschewing face coverings/vaccinations/distancing is a personal right; if the consequence is death, so be it. Although I do not think this is a true analogy (the aforementioned are public actions for an airborne communicable disease not private decisions independent of others), if anyone maintains this position after the past two years, well, Id call that informed consent. But I wonder: How much are our behaviors as physicians contributing to CDC skepticism? Recently, I read a quote from a physician wherein she stated she disagreed with the CDCs new guidelines and would continue mask-wearing at all times, as an example to the community. An example to the community of a doctor not supporting the CDC. Is this public health or virtue-signaling? One pediatrician I know has been attending large, mask-free gatherings, eating indoors, and traveling yet she second-guessed the new recommendations, saying its too soon. She was keeping her mask on because she care(s) about (her) kids. I, too, have feelings about the CDC. (For example: Why cant we go about town driving hybrid ice-cream-public-health trucks, turning on the hypnotic little bells, offering snow cones and shots alike?) This may be a good time to reflect: Is the CDC perfect? Dr. Walensky noted their increasing needs and decreasing resources over the past decade. Is this rollout going to be seamless? I have no idea again, Im a doctor, not a business person (who presumably makes money from solving consumer rollout logistics). But the CDC are scientists who are not downplaying the severity of this pandemic. Dr. Walensky herself is a mother and continues to recommend that the unvaccinated, including young children, wear masks. There is no suggestion that this is some type of maskless free-for-all or that it will put young children at risk. There are many who do believe the most powerful woman in science. However, they are afraid of the stigma attached to being maskless. Several people I spoke with said theyd stop masking if only they had shirts saying: Im fully vaccinated, not a Republican. Its time for us as a community to continue the effort to de-politicize science and the institutions that analyze it. Wearing a mask is a public health measure, not a form of dog-whistling. If we truly believe this: We must support the CDC when they say its safe to take them off. And if we truly believe this: We wont complain if its ever time to put them back on again. Isnt it time we refocus on personal style? Away from whichever Facebook doctor/political group you follow and back to which lipstick shade you wear? Giannina L. Garces-Ambrossi Muncey is a critical care physician. Image credit: Shutterstock.com EUGENE, Ore.--- Oregon Riders Society, a local 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in Eugene, is hosting a "Mask-uerade" prom night for high school seniors. Jonathan Hocker, the treasurer for the nonprofit, said this idea first came about when his own daughter approached him and was upset that she couldn't attend her senior prom. Hocker asked the school district but due to state guidelines, districts are unable to hold large indoor gatherings. This is when Hocker decided to organize this event with his nonprofit. "We talked about how the social dynamics is important to childhood development," Hocker said. "It isn't just my daughter, it's a whole community of kids both this year and last year." The event will follow all state and federal COVID-19 protocols. Students must get a signed waiver from a parent or guardian to attend the event. Tickets are on sale for $50 at the door. The event is taking place at Lane Events Center from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday night. EUGENE, Ore. -- The Oregon Department of Human Services teamed up with community partners to celebrate Lane County foster families Saturday morning. More than 130 families lined up in cars to receive gifts from various community vendors from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m in the parking lot of the Mannahouse Church in Eugene. Brandyn Rice is the retention and recruitment champion at ODHS. "Our resource families do a lot on the day to day," Rice said. "They are helping our most vulnerable children and they are a huge asset to our team at ODHS and we really just want them to know that we appreciate them." May is National Foster Care Month and this event was part of that celebration. "They are a huge part of our community and they step up and take care of some of our most fragile kids in need and we just want to say thank you for everything they do," the president of Lane County's Foster and Adoptive Parent Association said. Rice said anyone interested in becoming a foster parent can contact ODHS for more information. EUGENE, Ore.--- Police identified the victim of a fatal incident involving construction equipment at Kelly Middle School on Friday as 50-year-old Bradley Anderson of Creswell. RELATED: POLICE INVESTIGATING DEATH AT KELLY MIDDLE SCHOOL WORKSITE All workplace accidents that result in a death are investigated by Oregon OSHA. Construction was underway at Kelly Middle School and Yujin Gakuen Elementary School due to two roof trusses that were falling in on one of the gyms. Currently, students are engaging in distance learning and not attending school on-site. Delf said some families may have been briefly on campus, at the far west lot, to pick up school materials. The principals of Kelly Middle School and Yujin Gakuen Elementary School shared a message with their families Friday that reads in part quote: "We were deeply saddened to learn that this afternoon there was a accident outside the school building involving a construction worker. Emergency services responded, but sadly the person did not survive. Our thoughts are with their family, friends and coworkers." Tune in to KEZI 9 News at 4 and 8 for the latest. The Speaker of the 10th Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga has revealed that she is standing as an independent for the speakership race. While addressing the media, Kadaga says she is running as an independent because she was not given a flag. This comes after the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) top organ, Central Executive Committee (CEC), endorsed the Omoro County MP, Mr Jacob Oulanyah to contest as the partys flagbearer in the race for Speaker of the 11th Parliament, dropping 10th Parliament Speaker Ms Rebecca Kadaga ahead of tomorrows decisive vote. I have come to inform the people of Uganda that my party has opted not to give me the party flag for Speaker of Parliament. I have decided to run as an independent, she said. Kadaga revealed that she is being pushed out because she stands with the ordinary people. Today, I was not given an opportunity to present myself to the electorate. The reason I am being pushed out is that I continue to speak for ordinary people, she said. She has asked Ugandans to talk to their representatives to vote wisely. The death of Sr Louise Phelan was felt throughout the whole community. She passed away peacefully on February 27 at Brookhaven Nursing Home, Ballyragget after a short illness. Louise was born into a farming family in Ballacolla, Co Laois on May 11, 1949. She attended the local primary school and later the Presentation Secondary School, Durrow, followed by two years as a boarder in St Brigids College, Callan where she completed her Leaving Cert in 1966. Louise then made the decision to enter St Marys Convent, Callan on October 11, 1966. At her Reception to Religious Life she took the name Patricia and later decided to return to the baptismal name, Louise. After her First Profession in 1969 Louise spent the next two years in Carysfort College, Dublin where she qualified as a primary teacher. Career in Education She then began her career in education and, over the next 40 years, taught generations of pupils in the Mercy schools of Callan, Ballyragget, Borris-in-Ossory with two years on the mission to British Columbia, which had been founded from Callan in 1957. During her years in education Louise provided the pupils with a rounded education. All remember her with great affection and appreciated the happy atmosphere which always prevailed in her classroom. She was blessed with a kind and caring nature which brought out the best in her pupils and helped them to pursue their future careers with confidence. Her teaching colleagues found in her a true and loyal friend and valued her guidance and support, especially during her years as principal. In that role she also encouraged the involvement of parents in the school and greatly appreciated their support and expertise in various school activities. Louise was also involved in the planning for the amalgamation of the boys and girls primary schools which took place in 2007. This event was a cause of pride and joy to her and she continued her involvement, even after retirement, in the newly-formed Bunscoil McAuley Rice by being a member of the board of management of the school up to her untimely death. Louises contribution to education in Callan is acknowledged by all involved in this important ministry. Apart from teaching, Louise devoted time to parish ministries both in Callan and Ballyragget, especially in her retirement years. She also found time to promote a Parish Ministry Programme for young people known as Aim High. Participants are encouraged to take an active part in the life of their parish by working in a Youth Club, becoming a member of St Vincent de Paul Society or visiting the elderly. Family Throughout her life Louise had a deep love for her family and proved this by the frequent visits to them and also enjoying holidays with them. In her funeral eulogy her brother, Bill, told of her regular visits home. She brightened their lives with her easy personality and charm as she came in like a warm summer breeze and with a gentle, Hello, he said. Her great interest in and love for her nieces, nephews and extended family was deeply appreciated by them and her supportive presence will live on in their lives into the future. Besides her busy life Louise always found time to devote to her prayer life. She lived out her vocation with faithfulness and had a deep devotion to the celebration of daily Mass and to the recitation of Our Ladys Rosary. She showed care and concern for her Sisters in religion and had a cheery word for everyone in the community. Towards the end of 2020 Louises health gave cause for concern. Unexpectedly, she suffered a stroke in December last and was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour. Naturally, this news caused great distress and heartbreak to her family, the Mercy Community, parishioners and a wide circle of friends. The last weeks of her illness were spent in Brookhaven Nursing Home, Ballyragget where she received the devoted care of the manager and staff. This was a great consolation to her family, Mercy Community and friends. Everyone was edified by her cheerful acceptance of her cross of illness with serenity and peace. Louise was blessed with a peaceful death. Her passing leaves a void and deep sense of loss and she will always occupy a cherished place in the affection of her family, her Mercy Community and her many dear friends. Louises funeral obsequies followed Government guidelines due to Covid-19 restrictions. A guard of honour, consisting of teaching colleagues and schoolchildren, met the funeral cortege on its way to Kilbride Cemetery. Flower wreaths for Louises grave were presented to the family. This gesture was a great consolation to them and to her Mercy Community as also were the many messages of condolence received during their time of mourning. After interment the ceremony concluded with final prayers and the singing of Salve Regina. Ar dheis De go raibh a hanam dilis. NUI Galway, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology and St Angelas College Sligo are delighted to announce the foundation of the Western Institute for Studies in Education, which will support collaboration among the three institutions to enhance and promote teacher education in the Western Region. The Western Institute for Studies in Education will enable the three institutions, leaders nationally and internationally in teacher education, to bring together their diverse but complementary expertise. The ambition is to develop courses, research and public engagement in teacher education. In this way, the Western Institute for Studies in Education will significantly help to consolidate and raise the profile of teacher education in the region. The Institute will provide an innovative virtual platform to support collaboration and nurture engagement with a range of stakeholders involved in teacher education in the region and will be formally launched in September 2021. Minister for Education, Norma Foley T.D. said: This new institute is a very welcome development that will consolidate this centre of excellence for initial teacher education in the West/North-West region. Minister for Further and Higher Education, Simon Harris T.D., said: This is a really exciting partnership between three of our colleges. WISE aims to create a Centre of Excellence that will serve to strengthen the collective expertise of three teacher education providers in NUI Galway, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology and St. Angelas College Sligo. The establishment of the Institute will aim to future proof teacher education provision, including in the context of the potential emergence of a technological university in the West/ North West such as is proposed by the Connacht Ulster Alliance of GMIT, IT Sligo and Letterkenny IT, by bringing together the teacher education providers in the region. I want to offer my congratulations to all involved. Welcoming the establishment, Amanda McCloat, President of St Angelas College, said: This Institute builds on the excellent national and international reputation and close working relationship of NUI Galway, St Angelas College and GMIT and collectively will serve to enhance teacher education provision and research. Also read: Vaccine portal for 45 to 49 year olds to open tomorrow The software engineer, who was just 31 when he launched the website this year, would be valuable to the efforts by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to persuade young people to get vaccinated, said the senator. WASECA, Minn. - Nearly a year and a half ago, Waseca police officer Arik Matson was shot and severely injured in the line of duty. Since then the community has shown its continuous support. Saturday's "Matson Strong Benefit" was nothing short of that. It was January of last year Officer Matson and 3 other officers responded to a call in Waseca. Matson was shot and critically injured. Since then he has been in and out of care and continues to receive medical attention. The Waseca community has shown immense support for the Matson family in the last year, Minnesota State Senator John Jasinski was there showing his support. The support is really amazing and Waseca does it wonderfully, and I think it's great for a community to get that much behind something that's happened, and it really brings the community together so we're excited about that, he says. The fundraiser was originally planned for last March when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. More than a year later, the benefit transformed into a much bigger event with auctions, food vendors, and live music. Officer Matson was recently named Police officer of the year. Senator Jasinski says they are working on a bill to increase sentencing guidelines for those who attempt to kill police. He says supporting law enforcement is one of the most important things they can do in government. We want them to know that we're behind them, it's tough to see something happen like this to have a police officer injured as Arik did, but we want them to know that we're behind them to support them and make sure they know how important we feel law enforcement is to our state, says Jasinski. All proceeds of the event will benefit the Matson family. Shenandoah, IA (51601) Today Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 63F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly to mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 63F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Joe Biden applaud after the U.S. leader announces the appointment of Acting Assistant Secretary of State Sung Kim, right, as "U.S. special envoy for the DPRK," during a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House, Washington, D.C., Friday (local time). Yonhap By Jun Ji-hye Sung Kim, who was appointed as the new U.S. special envoy to North Korea, is a veteran State Department official who has been deeply involved in nuclear talks with the North during the Obama and Trump administrations. In a joint press conference with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Friday (local time), U.S. President Joe Biden made a surprise announcement that he was appointing Acting Assistant Secretary of State Sung Kim as "U.S. special envoy for the DPRK," using the acronym for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. President Biden said Kim's "deep policy expertise" will help drive efforts to move toward "our ultimate goal of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula." The Korean-American diplomat, who until recently was U.S. ambassador to Indonesia, has served as the acting assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs at the State Department since January following the launch of the Biden administration. In 2008, Kim was appointed by former U.S. President George W. Bush as the U.S. special envoy for the multilateral six-party talks, and served until 2011 when former President Obama was in office. Subway savior: A good Samaritan saved a woman from a shocking stabbing in the subway on Wednesday. Sean Conaboy told the News Thursday about how he tackled and disarmed accused slasher Joshua Nazario mid attack on the southbound N/Q/R/W platform in the Union Square station. Conaboy, 52, jumped into action when he saw the victim get pulled out of sight, heard a scream and saw the blade come down. It was alarming to see a knife that big, he said. Conaboy put Nazario in a headlock and held him for police. This unprovoked violence is inexcusable, he said. The mayor said its safe to ride the trains but he has security detail and hes 6 feet tall. The victim taken to Bellevue Hospital, where she was stitched up. Nazarios aunt said he suffers from schizophrenia and ran out of medication. President Moon Jae-in smiles with U.S. President Joe Biden ahead of their summit at the White House in Washington, Friday. Yonhap By Kang Seung-woo President Moon Jae-in arrived home, Sunday, satisfied with the results of his "successful" first meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden. But the South Korean leader is expected to face challenges that could arise from North Korea and China, according to diplomatic observers, Sunday. Moon and Biden sat down with each other at the White House, Friday (local time), and forged tangible partnerships in several categories, including advanced technology, and re-strengthening the alliance between Seoul and Washington. However, the two leaders fell short of coming up with detailed measures in terms of bringing North Korea back to the dialogue table, while South Korea indicated that it was siding with the U.S. over China amid the intensifying rivalry between the two superpowers. "It is positive that the Biden administration's North Korea policy will be built on the Singapore Joint Statement," said Cheong Seong-chang, director of Center for North Korean Studies at the Sejong Institute. The statement was signed by Biden's predecessor Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un following their first summit in June 2018. The declaration stated that the two sides would make joint efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, while the North would commit to a complete denuclearization. "But the two leaders failed to produce concrete plans to revive stalled nuclear talks with North Korea particularly, the role of China that is regarded as being essential in resolving the issue. In that sense, the summit is not expected to pave the way for Pyongyang to return to the negotiating table," Cheong added. Harry Kazianis, senior director of Korean Studies at the Center for the National Interest, was even more critical of the summit's results, saying that Biden's North Korea policy is vague. President Moon Jae-in, center, poses with Samsung Biologics CEO John Rim, left and Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel during a vaccine partnership event held between Korea and the United States at a hotel in Washington, D.C., May 22. Yonhap Two companies sign deal to produce vaccines in Songdo factory By Baek Byung-yeul Samsung Biologics signed an agreement with U.S. biotechnology firm Moderna to manufacture its COVID-19 vaccine at Samsung's plant in Korea during President Moon Jae-in's visit to the U.S. capital, the two companies announced Saturday (local time). At a time when Korea has gone all out to secure enough COVID-19 vaccine supplies, the deal apparently raised expectations that the domestic vaccine supply will be scaled up and the Moon Jae-in administration's vision to nurture the country to become the vaccine manufacturing hub of Asia will be fulfilled. However, some say it is too early to praise the agreement or attribute it to Korea's high level of biotechnology, since Samsung Biologics and Moderna signed a "fill and finish" production deal, which signifies the filling of vials with drug substances and not the entire drug manufacturing process. Moderna is producing its COVID-19 vaccine using messenger RNA (mRNA) technology. The vaccine is known to have a higher efficacy rate than other vaccines produced using different methods. In a joint press release, the two companies said, "Samsung Biologics will provide large scale, commercial fill-finish manufacturing for mRNA-1273, Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine." Based in the Songdo district of Incheon, Samsung Biologics is the world's largest contract-based drug manufacturer. "Upon execution of the deal, technology transfer will commence immediately at Samsung Biologics' facilities in Incheon, South Korea, utilizing a state-of-the-art production line equipped for aseptic fill-finish, labeling, and packaging services to support the production of hundreds of millions of doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine intended for supply outside the U.S. starting in the third quarter of 2021," they added. The two companies inked the deal during a vaccine partnership event between Korea and the U.S. in Washington, D.C., with President Moon in attendance. This photo shows Samsung Biologics' drug product manufacturing process, provided by the company, Sunday. Courtesy of Samsung Biologics Israeli security forces stand guard to prevent Palestinians from passing through an Israeli Police checkpoint at the entrance of the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in east Jerusalem, during a protest by demonstrators demanding the reopening of the roadblock, May 22. AFP-Yonhap Gazans tried to piece back their lives Saturday after a devastating 11-day conflict with Israel that killed more than 200 people and made thousands homeless in the impoverished Palestinian enclave. Authorities started distributing tents and mattresses in the Gaza Strip, an AFP reporter said, a day after an Egypt-brokered ceasefire ended deadly Israeli air strikes on the besieged enclave and rocket fire out of it towards Israel. Attention turned to rebuilding the coastal territory controlled by the Islamist group Hamas as rescue workers searched for bodies or survivors in mounds of rubble, while residents tried to assess what was left of their lives. The latest round of bombardment killed 248 people in Gaza, including 66 children, and wounded over 1,900 since May 10, the Hamas-run health ministry says. The United Nations says more than half of those killed, the overwhelming majority in Israeli air strikes, were civilians. Israel claims it has killed "more than 200 terrorists", including 25 commanders. Rockets fired by Palestinian armed groups killed 12 people in Israel including a child, an Israeli soldier, an Indian citizen and two Thai nationals, the police say, and wounded around 357 people. Thousands homeless In front of a flattened tower block where she used to rent out apartments, Aisha Mousallem was wearing black. "Even if I lost no one in my family, I'm in mourning," she said. Sarah Muscroft, the head of the UN humanitarian agency (OCHA) in the occupied Palestinian territories, said the intensity of the bombardment had led to "extensive damage" across Gaza. "Over 6,000 people have been rendered homeless as a result of the hostilities," she said. More than 1,042 housing or commercial units were estimated to have been completely destroyed, and 800,000 people have no regular access to water. "The building effort is going to be really quite profound," she told AFP. Earlier on Saturday, shopkeepers assessed the damage, finding many supplies coated in thick layers of dust. Wael Amin al-Sharafa said he had stocked up his shop with new clothes to sell during the usually busy period of Eid al-Fitr, at the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan. "But now it's all lost," he said. "Who will pay for all this? I have no idea." A Palestinian woman eats ice-cream in front of the destroyed Al-Shuruq building, destroyed by an Israeli air strike in Gaza City, May 22. AFP-Yonhap Kim and Khloe Kardashian "treat their nannies like family". The reality TV duo have developed a much closer relationship with their nannies than their older sister Kourtney, according to an insider. The source said: "Both Kim and Khloe treat their nannies like family. Kim has several nannies that help with her kids and they have worked for the family for a while. Khloe has also held onto a nanny for True that she treats well." However, Kourtney - who has Mason, 11, Penelope, eight, and Reign, six, with Scott Disick - reportedly adopts a more business-like approach to the people she employs. The insider told People: "Kourtney's approach to the kids' nannies is different." Kim, 40, recently accused her sister of "degrading" one of her nannies in front of the kids. But Kourtney, 42, denied the accusation, and revealed that the unnamed nanny "would never work" for her. Meanwhile, Kourtney is said to be like a second mother to Travis Barker's 15-year-old daughter Alabama. The brunette beauty started dating the musician earlier this year, and Kourtney has quickly assumed a prominent role in the life of his teenage daughter. A source said: "Kourtney has become very close with Travis' kids recently, especially when it comes to Alabama." Travis has Alabama and Landon, 17, with his ex-wife Shanna Moakler. And even though he's only been dating Kourtney for a few months, she's already proven to be a "huge support system" for the teenage duo. By contrast, Alabama recently discussed her relationship with Shanna in a candid post on social media, suggesting she's not an "amazing mom". She wrote on Instagram: "My mom has never completely been in my life. Can you guys stop painting her out to be an amazing mom?" If you're interested in submitting a Letter to the Editor, click here. Submit Ten years was the max he could have gotten and he didnt even get half of that, Veves wife, Esther Veve, told the Daily News after the teens release. I dont think any time would have justified what he did, so for him not to have gotten the maximum was even worse. ... It was a slap in the face. "We are going to be running at just about full capacity again this year after the pandemic last year," said Director of Idaho Falls Parks and Recreation PJ Holm. Read more May 22nd was a day of somber reflection, and celebration, in Joplin, Missouri. Residents marked the 10th anniversary of the historic tornado that left 160 dead, and much of the city destroyed. Julia Avery reports. The attack was the latest in recent string of assaults on subway riders and transit workers by mentally unstable New Yorkers. About nine hours earlier, a subway worker was punched in the face by an unruly rider he kicked off a No. 3 train at the 148th St. Station. U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel previously held two competency hearings for Roof: one before the start of his trial and one before its sentencing phase. Roofs attorneys said their clients delusional belief that he would be rescued from prison by other white supremacists prevented him from failing previous competency hearings. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, wrote in a commentary published in the La Crosse Tribune two years ago, during a similar fight over Medicaid expansion: What Evers isnt telling you is that roughly half of the 82,000 people who they (Democrats) want to push on welfare already have insurance on the exchange. The premiums on the exchange can be as low as 18 cents per month. Instead of expanding Medicaid, we should focus on increasing opportunities to connect uninsured individuals to coverage they already can get. This is not the first time weve had the opportunity to expand Badgercare/Medicaid here in Wisconsin, state Rep. Greta Neubauer, D-Racine, said in a Facebook Live video on Wednesday trying to drum up support for the cause. This has been a conversation, a debate for many years. However, there is something new going on in this moment. And that is: Because of the American Rescue Plan, if we accept the Medicaid expansion now, we have an additional billion dollars to spend on projects that impact each and every one of us around the state. He was probably one of the most famous landscape architects in the United States when he designed Oakhill, Quinn said. Etten said part of the reason it took awhile for the cemetery to be placed on the registries is because it was difficult to find proof that Cleveland designed the cemetery. Unfortunately after he passed away, I think his family disposed a lot of his records and things. So trying to find an actual piece of paper that had his name on a plan was a little tricky, Etten said. But Pat was able to come up with enough information to convince the state and people at the national level that H.W.S. Cleveland was involved and the designer of the cemetery. Several well-known people are buried at the cemetery including the Sears family, Crane family, owners of the Crane Company; and John George Moran, son of gangster George Bugs Moran, as well as 76 Union Civil War soldiers. Quinn said several Chicago business entrepreneurs who owned property along Lake Genevas lakefront are buried in the cemetery. Basically, the reason they come up here was because of the Chicago fire, Quinn said. A lot of them had summer places where they lived while their homes in Chicago that were destroyed by the fire were being rebuilt. Sister Angelica Summer, director of pastoral care, said she studied and reflected on the pictures as they were installed Tuesday, before the open house and ceremony. When I looked at the faces of our community members, I can see how they enjoyed what they were passionate about. There is no doubt about it, Summer said. And this should be an incentive to all of us who work here and who visit, maybe to encourage some of our community members who might have forgotten what their passion was all about, and help them to bring it back. Wagner said she hopes people see the hidden message to live life to the fullest when they view the Passion Project. Passion, she described, is a connector that links people on a level that is unique and beautiful. If you are suspending the opportunity to follow your passion, I suggest not waiting, Wagner said. If youre suspending the opportunity to live joy, do it now. Theres no promises. If this last year really told us or showed us anything, is there arent any promises. Lea Hansen, whose photograph of herself making a beaded piece of jewelry is on a St. Monicas wall, said shes always been into making arts and crafts, but beading was something she discovered over the past year or so. Lea Hansen Lea Hansen smiles back at her family upon seeing herself pictured on the walls of St. Monicas Senior Living, 3920 N. Green Bay Road. Hansen s Maryland will be boosting the allowable amount of state funding available through the Agricultural Cost-Share Program for certain projects from 87.5% to 100%, effective July 1. Read more Two weeks ago, a UC Berkeley student was kicked off a plane for speaking Arabic, he says. Khairuldeen Makhzoomi said in an interview with The Times that he was chatting to his uncle on the phone when he noticed a woman seated in the row ahead staring at him. This is weird, he thought to himself. After telling his uncle hed call him back, he hung up with a quick phrase in Arabic: inshallah. A few minutes later, he said, he was asked why he was speaking Arabic on a plane. Next, he was searched by police, and then FBI agents. It probably wasnt the inshallah that made everyone nervous (it seems to be the fact that Makhzoomi was speaking Arabic, period), but that word's been on a lot of people's minds today. RELATED: UC Berkeley student says he was taken off a Southwest flight at LAX for speaking Arabic So what does inshallah mean? Literally translated, its God willing. Not exactly scary, unless you harbor some deep-seated resentment toward The Clipses first album (in which case, we cannot be friends). There are plenty of analogues in other languages. The Spanish Ojala, for example, is borrowed from the Arabic inshallah, and has pretty much the same meaning God willing, or more informally, hopefully." So, for example, "Ojala que no me echen de este avion" would mean "I hope they dont kick me off this plane. Which, hopefully, is something that nobody would want to happen to any innocent person. Strictly speaking, inshallah is meant to be used seriously, when you genuinely hope that something will come to pass. But a lot of people use it more liberally, almost like punctuation, or even as a joke. Wajahat Ali, a former host at Al Jazeera America, says he uses inshallah at least 40 times a day. He wrote a hilarious post thats been making the rounds on social media, which details a few common, casual situations that you might hear the word. One example: Kid: "Dad, let's go to Toys 'R Us today!" Dad: "Yeah, inshallah" [translation: we are not going.] A bit more seriously, he told me in an email that by creating a funny post on the word, it "made the medicine of tolerance and education go down a bit easierinshallah." Tanzila Ahmed, a host of the podcast Good Muslim, Bad Muslim, has written an essay in a book called Love, InshAllah: The Secret Love Lives of American Muslim Women. "What I love about the book being called that is that it has this tenor of hope to it, she told me over the phone. "Thats what its saying in the title: Love, hopefully. That love is meant to happen. I dont consider myself super orthodox in my spirituality, but thats the one word Ill use often. It's a deep word. Should everyone start saying inshallah? Tanzila Ahmed says that after her book came out, she noticed a lot of non-Muslim people using it, which she thought was great. Wajahat Ali says he's taught the word to a lot of his non-Muslim high school and law school friends, and that they still use it to this day: "I hope we pass the bar exam. Inshallah. A non-Muslim friend of mine used the word when we were going to a food truck where his friend worked: "he'll hook us up with extra tacos, inshallah." I wasnt raised Muslim, I dont speak more than a few words of Arabic, and Im not likely to get caught up for flying while brown. So I'm a little hesitant to encourage everyone to adopt "inshallah" as a fun new slang word. But I did think it was interesting that a few people I interviewed said that there might be a silver lining to the coverage of the Southwest incident: if inshallah enters the mainstream lexicon, it could be something that brings people together, especially in a climate where anti-Muslim talking points are used as boosts in a presidential campaign. And Ali says that because lots of people already use the word casually, he's all for it being widely used. If America can survive after the mainstream acceptance of la vida loca [and] je ne sais quoisthen inshallah is all gravy, he wrote in an email. Maybe a simple word could be a much-needed small step towards breaking down some barriers inshallah. ALSO Obama's immigration plan appears to be in trouble after Supreme Court hearing No prison for ex-NYPD officer Peter Liang in fatal shooting of Akai Gurley Disgruntled investor's $500-million verdict against California tax collectors cut to $50,000 The authoritarian president of Belarus has rejected a prospective law against domestic violence as Western nonsense, saying that physical punishment could be useful in raising children. President Alexander Lukashenko said a draft bill criminalizing domestic violence needs more work. He told journalists that he is personally against the physical punishment of children, but added that a good belting could sometimes be useful for a kid. Its just nonsense taken from the West, he said Friday. We will proceed exclusively from our own interests, our Belarusian Slavic traditions, and our life experience. The president cited his own experience, saying he frequently punished his oldest son and that served as a good lesson for his younger son. Advertisement Lukashenko has ruled Belarus with an iron hand for 24 years, maintaining rigid Soviet-style controls over the economy and showing little tolerance for dissent or independent media. The Belarusian leader has often lashed out against the West, especially for its approval of same-sex marriages. He said that they will soon have no families left, with men marrying other men. The current Belarusian law doesnt contain specific regulations against domestic violence. Lukashenko did not mention violence against women in his remarks, but the bill covers all forms of domestic violence. The prospective bill was drafted by the Interior Ministry and Lukashenkos own administration, but Lukashenko said other organizations should have a say in creating the law. The Orthodox Church has criticized the domestic violence bill. The Catholic Church in Belarus also has spoken against the document, with Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, the archbishop of Minsk, urging Lukashenko in an open letter to be guided by national interests and spiritual values of the Belarusian people and not to follow disastrous secularist trends and gender ideology leading to the destruction of traditional family. Cellphone video shows the man ranting and raving outside of Chabad of South Broward on Friday. At one point the man left on an electric bicycle but returned a couple hours later carrying a bag or pillowcase that contained human feces, Hallandale Beach Police Capt. RaShana Dabney-Donovan told WSVN. Senate Committee unveiled an almost $304 billion road bill that addresses climate change in the United States. The said bill was a bipartisan compromise and was announced on Saturday by Senators Tom Carper, Shelley Moore Capito, Ben Cardin, and Kevin Cramer. The bill was proposed by the bipartisan senators as the negotiations of Republicans and the White House regarding the infrastructure plan President Joe Biden was backing were faltering, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported. READ NEXT: House Democrats Unveil Plan To Make $300 Monthly Checks to Parents Permanent What is the Scope of the Bipartisan Road Bill? The announcement was led by the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee, headed by Senator Tom Carper. Politico noted that the $303.5 billion bill would replace the existing surface transportation law, which is expected to expire in September. The bill includes Democratic priorities concerning the environment, racial equity, so-called complete streets, and pedestrian safety. $6.4 billion will be allocated for states to reduce their carbon emissions or footprints from transportation, and $2.5 billion will be for electric vehicle charging infrastructure, as well as allowing states to spend some federal money on chargers with $15 billion budget. $500 million will also be allocated to knockdown or rethink highways that are often built in Black neighborhoods. $20 billion will be granted from the bill that will support racial equality programs, and $2 billion will be allocated as grants for the rural communities. Details regarding the remaining amount of the budget were not furthered by the officials. However, Politico noted that 34 percent of the committee bill will offer 34 percent more money compared to the current spending on highway-related needs. It also proposed that $500 million will be spent over five years on alternative fueling and charging infrastructures. Since the bill is an effort between the two parties, there are also parts of the bill that will likely appeal to Republicans. The bill announced on Saturday also suggested an overhaul of the environmental review process for major projects setting the goals of finishing it in two years. The Bill, According to the Authors Senator Carper, Democratic, noted that he is proud in joining his colleagues in drafting "a bill that invests in the nation's transportation infrastructure," emphasizing that their proposal will create jobs, address climate change, and broaden the opportunities for Americans. "These critical investments will help to provide economic opportunities in now and for future generations," said Senator Capito, Republican. Capito also hoped that the committee will work together to push the legislation "that will go a long way" in improving the roads and highways of the United States. The San Diego Union-Tribune noted that the said bill unveiled by a bipartisan Senate committee must be passed by Congress by September 30, the current law's expiry. Furthermore, the said committee behind the bill was scheduled to meet on Wednesday to consider the bill publicly. READ MORE: President Biden Guarantees to Push Tax Hike to Fund the Infrastructure Plan WATCH: Why U.S. Roads And Highways Are So Bad - from CNBC Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was fined after not adhering to the COVID-19 health mandates of the Maranhao state. The case was filed by health authorities of the state on Friday for a gathering in Maranhao with "no sanitary safeguards," Al Jazeera reported. The said case against the Jair Bolsonaro was publicized by Maranhao Governor Flavio Dino on his Twitter account on Friday, the same day the president was in the state to attend an event. READ NEXT: Deaths Among Infant and Children Due to COVID in Brazil Lack Records Jair Bolsonaro Faces Fine After Breaking COVID Health Mandates The case filed by the health authorities stemmed out when Bolsonaro was in Maranhao State as he handed out rural property titles in Acailandia. France 24 noted that the area where the event was held is located 500 kilometers from Sao Luis, the capital of Maranhao. France 24 noted that Bolsonaro was not wearing his mask as the president allegedly blasted the Maranhao State Governor Dino as a "chubby dictator." O presidente da Republica deve observancia a legislacao federal e estadual. Esta em vigor uma norma proibindo eventos acima de 100 pessoas e determinando o uso de mascaras. O presidente podera exercer seu direito de defesa. Valor da multa esta previsto em Lei Federal. Flavio Dino (@FlavioDino) May 21, 2021 Governor Dino noted in his statement that Notice of Infarction was filed against the Brazilian president for "the promotion in Maranhao of agglomerations without any healthcare," emphasizing that the health team of Brazil is working hard in the challenging phase of a pandemic. Dino highlighted that the law is for everyone. Estamos vivendo uma fase especialmente desafiadora da pandemia. A equipe da saude tem trabalhado muito. E hoje resolveu lavrar Auto de Infracao contra o presidente da Republica, pela promocao no Maranhao de aglomeracoes sem nenhum cuidado sanitario. A lei e para todos. Flavio Dino (@FlavioDino) May 21, 2021 Governor Dino also highlighted in his statement that the state of Maranhao is under the rule that prohibits a gathering with over 100 people and mandates the use of face masks. Details regarding the number of people who attended the event where President Jair Bolsonaro was present were not furthered out. "The President may exercise his right of defense," said Dino. France 24 noted that Bolsonaro's office has at least 15 days to appeal, after which the amount of the fine will be set in the federal court. Senator Accuses Bolsonaro of Preferring Herd Immunity than COVID-19 Vaccines Apart from the fines Jair Bolsonaro faced, a senator also accused the president of preferring herd immunity more than COVID-19 vaccines. The accusation was also made on Friday by a senator who leads the upper House's inquiry about how Brazil's government handles the COVID-19 crisis, Reuters reported. In an interview, Senator Renan Calheiros emphasized that the president denied the disease and labeled coronavirus as flu, refused lockdowns, and promoted crowds to gather for herd immunity. "Why is that? Because of herd immunity, the natural immunity... you have to encourage crowds and spread the virus," said Calheiros. Calheiros also noted that herd immunity is the reason behind the president's refusal for the COVID-19 vaccine and his slow in spending the budget awarded by Congress to avail coronavirus vaccines from overseas. The World Health Organization (WHO) recorded at least 82,039 cases of COVID-19 in Brazil and 2,403 new deaths because of the disease in the last 24 hours. Reuter noted that Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has drawn criticisms from detractors in Brazil regarding his way of minimizing the dangers of COVID-19, refusal of face masks, and backing unproven remedies against the disease. READ MORE: Brazil Health Regulator Rejects Russia's COVID Vaccine WATCH: Brazil's President Bolsonaro takes off mask while announcing he has COVID-19 - from Sky News The pandemic has taken a great toll on American families. That is why the federal government is making a way to help them out amid COVID-19 through several plans, just like the child tax credit 2021. The child tax credit 2021 is part of President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan. According to CNBC, it will help lift more than five million children out of poverty this year. The Child Tax Credit 2021 is one of the several child-focused tax credits of the United States that serves as effective ways in reducing one's tax bill. READ NEXT: $600 Stimulus Checks Coming to California Residents Under Gov. Newsom's New Plan How Much Is Child Tax Credit 2021? Newdwallet noted that the Child Tax Credit 2021 is a refundable tax credit that will grant up to $3,600 per qualifying child under the age of 18. That is because a dependent child under the age of six until December 31 will receive at least $300 per month. Meanwhile, children between the ages between six and 17 until December 31 will receive $250 per month. In short, American families with children aged six years old will have at least $3,600 for the tax year 2021. $3,000, on the other hand, will be available for families with dependent children aged between six and 17 for the tax year 2021. Extra $800 each month from July to December will be added to families with a three-year-old, a six-year-old, and a 17-year-old. How to Get Paid for Child Tax Credit 2021? Nerdwallet noted that an individual can claim the Child Tax Credit 2021 in three different options. First, an individual can claim 100 percent of the Child Tax Credit when filing their 2021 taxes. Second, Americans eligible for the Child Tax Credit can either get their 50 percent of the child tax credit and claim the other 50 percent on their taxes later. The third option will be under the "Cash Payment Program," where those eligible for the tax credit will receive six monthly payments from the U.S. Treasury through direct deposit on a bank account. CNBC noted that the payments from the said tax credit can also be in the form of a prepaid debit card or paper check, depending on what information the IRS has on file for each eligible taxpayer. How to Qualify for the Child Tax Credit 2021? To get paid, an individual must be qualified for receiving the payment from the federal government. Individual taxpayers with a gross income of $75,000, heads of household with a gross income of $112,500, and married taxpayers filing jointly or widows earning $150,000 are eligible for the Child Tax Credit 2021. Just make sure that a dependent child must be 12 years old or younger at the time child care is provided, as well as providing the taxpayer identification number and the care provider's name. However, the payment can't be claimed by the spouse of the care provider, a parent of the dependent child, a dependent listed on the tax return, and a child 18 years old and younger. The first payment for Child Tax Credit 2021 will be made on July 15. Subsequent payments to eligible taxpayers will be received every 15th of the month. READ MORE: Bipartisan Senate Committee Proposes $304 Billion Road Bill That Addresses Climate Change WATCH: Biden Announces Monthly Payments As Part Of Child Tax Credit - from NBC News June Fest (Newbridge) and Farrell & Nephew bookstore in Newbridge are partnering this summer to host the June Fest Poetry Competition. Poets (young and not so young) are invited to send in their poems. According to Festival Director, Stephen Connelly: Poetry is a great way of insightfully reflecting on the joys, challenges and mysteries of life but many poets never have the opportunity to share these with others insights with the potential to touch our inner being and enhance the quality of our lives. June Fest is attempting to rectify this. Following shortlisting, the prize-winning poems will be judged by the internationally renowned poet and broadcaster, Theo Dorgan. While poems may be on any topic, this may be an opportunity to poetically reflect on the impact of Covid on our world. Theo Dorgan is a poet, novelist, editor, documentary screenwriter, essayist and translator. A former director of Poetry Ireland/Eigse Eireann, he has worked extensively as a broadcaster of literary programmes on both radio and television. Among his awards are the Listowel Prize for Poetry, 1992 and the OShaughnessy Prize for Irish Poetry 2010. Arrangements for the competition are as follows: Poems, in any poetic form, of up to 40 lines in length, to be submitted to junefestpoetry@gmail.com (MS WORD or pdf format) by 5pm on June 30 2021. Please include: full name, residential address and mobile number but none of this information will be published without your express permission. 1st prize (300), 2 nd prize (200) & 3rd prize (100) [sponsored by Glenveagh Homes] & special prizesfor entries from under 18s 100 [sponsored by Farrell & Nephew], 50; 30. All prizes in form ofvouchers for local businesses. The best 10 poems will be published on June Fests Website and social media platforms. The prize-winning authors will be invited to read their poems for broadcasting on June Fests Website andsocial media platforms. The three main prize winners will have their poems published in the Leinster Leader. Consideration will be given to publishing selected entries in book form. Entrants may only submit original unpublished work, but self-published work is eligible. Entries maynot have been published in a recognised format with editorial input. Also, entrants may only submitwork to which they have the full authorial rights. Entrants must be resident on the island of Ireland. Only two poems per entrant. See more on www.junefest.ie as well as on its Facebook page. It has been revealed in some recent information, which has come to light, that Leitrim County Council has opened up an e-tender procedure to obtain the services of a design group to commence an initial design, route selection, environmental reports and documents supporting a statutory development consent/planning course for the SLNCR Greenway project. This progress in this vital for North Leitrim future project has been welcomed by many local people. The 45 miles SLNCR Greenway will provide excellent route for all walkers and cyclists, beginning in Enniskillen and ending in Collooney and going via Belcoo, Blacklion, Glenfarne, Manorhamilton, Dromahair, Ballintogher, Ballygawley on the way. When completed the Greenway will deliver a greatly enhanced tourist facility for all visitors to West Fermanagh, North Leitrim, and East Sligo as well a terrific recreation resource for all local people living in or living near any of these three areas. The e-tenders for the initial planning stage of the SLNCR project are due to be submitted to Leitrim Co. Council by the end of May for both sides of the border, and when the e-tenders are in, a Construction Tender document will be prepared which will set out how the Greenway construction plan should be finally completed. The funding for the design stage of Greenway project was provided to Leitrim Co. Council from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. Meantime the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council was involved with Leitrim Co. Council in appointing the Greenway design group. It is hoped that the Northern Ireland Department for Infrastructure will provide some funding for SLNCR project, which of course will have an Enniskillen to Belcoo Greenway section in Fermanagh. Last September, the Northern Ireland Department for Infrastructure allocated 2.69m for four greenways, two of which were in Belfast while the other two were in the Derry and Strabane Council area. The three already completed demonstration SLNCR Greenway sections in Glenfarne, Manorhamilton and Dromahair, have proved very popular with local people in these areas, as well as with visitors to these areas, particularly for walkers but also for cyclists. Indeed, they proved to be a God-send for many local women, men, and children during the past fourteen months when the Covid 19 public health restrictions confinement made life very challenging for everyone. STUDENTS from Desmond College in Newcastle West enjoyed success in the National Final of this years Student Enterprise Programme. The Finals were broadcast virtually from Croke Park in Dublin with Tanaiste Leo Varadkar and Awards Ambassador Derval ORourke speaking. Supported by Local Enterprise Office Limerick, the winning students Emma OShea and Rebecca Enright won a Special Merit Award in the senior category. The winners worked under the guidance of their teacher, Donal Enright on their student enterprise was called: Zero Fog, which prevents misting of eyewear. There were 72 student enterprises competing in this years National Final in what is Irelands largest entrepreneurship programme for second level students. The initiative, which is funded through Enterprise Ireland, saw 29,000 students from almost 500 secondary schools across the country take part. Tanaiste Leo Varadkar, who took part in the awards ceremony, congratulated the students: Congratulations to not only the finalists being recognised here today, but to everyone who took part in the competition. To be a finalist in the Student Enterprise Programme is a fantastic achievement in normal times and its incredible given everything thats happened this past year. Everyone who took part should be very proud of all that they have achieved. Special mention to their teachers, parents and all those who helped them along the way. The ability to create an idea, turn it into a business and to run that business is a skill that will be invaluable later in life. Ireland has a proud history of entrepreneurship and no doubt those here today will all go on to achieve great things. Government will back you every step of the way. Praising the winning students and all those representing Limerick at the national finals, Mike Cantwell, Head of Enterprise with Local Enterprise Office Limerick said: This is a proud day for student enterprise in Limerick. We would like to congratulate the students, their families and their teachers at Desmond College on winning this national award in Croke Park. We would also like to pay tribute to all the other finalists and participants who are impressive ambassadors for student enterprise in the county. Since the Student Enterprise Programme began in 2003, over 250,000 students have taken part, learning key skills on how to create a business idea, start a business and grow a business. Full details of all this years 72 national finalists are available on the Student Enterprise Programme website at StudentEnterprise.ie President emeritus of the World Food Prize's statement on passing of Yuan Longping Chinadaily.com.cn) 14:11, May 23, 2021 Yuan Longping checks rice at a base in South China's Hainan province, on April 2, 2004. [Photo by Huang Yiming/chinadaily.com.cn] Yuan Longping, a Chinese scientist who developed higher-yield rice varieties that helped feed people around the world, passed away in Changsha, China, on Saturday, at 91. Kenneth M. Quinn, president emeritus of the World Food Prize, vice-chairman of the Yuan Longping International Rice Development Forum, and a long-time friend of Yuan, made the following statement on the passing of Yuan. STATEMENT ON THE PASSING OF PROFESSOR YUAN LONGPING With the passing of professor Yuan Longping, China and the world have lost one the greatest agricultural scientists on our planet, and I have lost a great friend. In my capacity as vice-chairman of the International Rice Development Forum that professor Yuan created, I wish to extend on behalf of all of the members of the Forum, our deepest sympathy to his family, his colleagues at the China National Hybrid Rice Research Center and all of his many, many admirers in China and across the world. On a personal basis, it was an incomparable privilege to know professor Yuan and to interact with him over two decades. It was a particular pleasure to travel to Changsha in 2019 to deliver a keynote address at the symposium he organized on China-Africa collaboration in rice research and development and especially to join in celebrating professor Yuan's 90th birthday. Several years earlier, I was honored to participate at an International Rice Development Forum event he organized at Sanya in China's Hainan province. Following the conference, one of professor Yuan's most valued research colleagues, Xin Yeyun, guided me to see the area in which professor Yuan made his initial breakthrough discovery in the early 1970s regarding hybrid rice. It was deeply meaningful to stand at the very place where such an amazing breakthrough in food production had occurred. I then visited the Sanya Rice Park in which his achievements are recognized by a special monument, to which President Xi Jinping made a special visit in 2018. One year later in a ceremony in Beijing, President Xi presented the Medal of the Republic to professor Yuan in recognition of his enormous contribution to China's food security and uplifting people out of poverty over the past 70 years. This extraordinary recognition was a matter of enormous pride for all of us who knew and worked with professor Yuan. My first interaction with professor Yuan came in 2004 when he traveled to Des Moines, Iowa to receive the World Food Prize. As president of that Foundation, I had the inestimable honor of presiding at the ceremony at which our founder Norman Borlaug presented the Laureate sculpture to professor Yuan. In an iconic photograph from that event, those two men, two of the greatest plant scientists in all human history, are juxtaposed as the Father of the Green Revolution" presents the "Nobel Prize for Food and Agriculture" to the "Father of Hybrid Rice." Even 100 years from now, that image will still represent one of the greatest moments in the history of agriculture. Having worked closely with both individuals, I can attest that they shared several characteristics that make them truly inspirational figures fo the ages. Like Borlaug, professor Yuan was incredibly humble, never seeking fame or adulation, rather focused only on hard work and results that could help eradicate poverty and uplift people out of hunger. Professor Yuan, similarly, believed deeply in the power of science as the multiplier of the harvest. Using research and trials at his national center, he continued up until his final days to produce increasingly higher yielding super hybrid plants, with panicles so filled with grain that they bend over giving the appearance of a waterfall of rice. Reflecting his achievements that were developed in rice paddies closely observing and improving plants just as Chinese farmers do, professor Yuan always maintained a "down to earth" attitude. He always seemed more at home in a farm field than an office, and was most comfortable in his working clothes, just as Norman Borlaug was. Finally, professor Yuan was a teacher. He always had time to answer questions and especially to speak with young scientists and students. The American high school student we sent to his research center each year always returned filled with knowledge and a deep desire to learn more. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of professor Yuan Longping's life that I observed was that everyone in China knew who he was and what he had done. Not just agricultural specialists or public officials, but every person doing ordinary jobs totally unrelated to farming. On dozens of occasions, I would ask individuals I met during my travels around China whether they knew who Yuan Longping is and what he had done. And on every occasion, every person I spoke with -- servers in restaurants in Shenzhen, hotel staff in Shijiazhuang and refreshment purveyors on the high-speed trains -- all knew his name and that Yuan Longping had made amazing accomplishments in rice production. In fact, the first person to alert me over WeChat to his passing was a young tourist agency staff member from Sanya. In March of 2021, as a strategic advisor to the US Heartland China Association, I delivered an opening address at the US-China Agriculture Roundtable. Our goal was to improve Sino-American relations through enhanced cooperation addressing the global challenges in global food security, climate change and pandemic diseases. I invited professor Yuan to speak, but he was unable to do so. In my remarks, I invoked the accomplishments of professor Yuan Longping to inspire all of the participants in our four day symposium. In what had to be one of his very last endeavors, professor Yuan once again helped achieve success. Such is the power of his legacy. Professor Yuan Longping, who was truly beloved in his country and by all of us who knew him, will be greatly missed. His legacy will provide inspiration to generations far into the future, in China and across the world. (Web editor: Meng Bin, Bianji) Police responded to Bicentennial Park just before midnight and found numerous victims who had been shot and injured, according to the Columbus Police Department. A REPORT and study found the recall of patients to the symptomatic breast clinic at UHL following detection of abnormal mammograms did not meet the recommended standard of two weeks, according to a law firm. Citing the Irish Medical Journal, Holmes OMalley Sexton (HOMS) Assist wish to highlight it particularly in the context of the impact that delayed diagnosis can have on patients. Rachael OShaughnessy, senior associate solicitor in Homs Assist litigation department, said breast cancer is a common cancer in Ireland. More than 3,600 women and 37 men are diagnosed with it each year in Ireland. It is more common in women over 50, said Ms OShaughnessy. Your family GP will talk to you about symptoms and will examine your breast area. Your GP will refer you to a breast clinic if they think you need more tests. This is of little use if abnormal results are not communicated to you in a timely manner, she continued. Ms OShaughnessy said it is very concerning to learn that the recall time to the University Hospital Limerick symptomatic breast unit following abnormal mammography is more than the recommended two weeks. A delay in diagnosis of cancer, particularly if the cancer is aggressive, can have devastating consequences. Every day and week can make the difference. We at HOMS Assist unfortunately see a lot of delayed diagnosis cases and are here to advise if you, or your family member believes that there has been a delay in diagnosis of your condition," said Ms OShaughnessy. They also point to the effect of Covid on diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients as a result of the pandemic. In response, a spokesperson for the UL Hospitals Group said the symptomatic breast unit in Limerick is one of the eight National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) designated symptomatic breast units in Ireland. It operates under the governance of the NCCP, and reports monthly data in relation to service delivery, including access and time to treatment. The publication referenced refers to a quality improvement initiative undertaken by the unit, to improve service to patients by reviewing timelines through a benign or cancer diagnosis. The UL Hospitals Group spokesperson said the standard chosen is not a standard applied to a symptomatic unit recall outpatients department (OPD) visit, but a standard chosen so we could reference a timeline for comparable performance to breast screening following an abnormal mammogram. Recall OPD appointment is the appointment offered to a patient in a symptomatic breast service where results are given and treatment is planned. The publication states this and explains this may not be a comparable standard in a symptomatic breast unit. The average timeline of patients in this study were seen within 17 days, in comparison to the 14 days standard selected for comparison, representing a difference of three days. There are many factors that impact on an OPD recall including a need for further diagnostic tests, interim phone communications from the unit updating patients, Bank Holidays affecting clinic dates etc. These processes may skew data, leading to misinterpretation. Both benign and cancer diagnosis are included in this dataset, said the UL Hospitals Group spokesperson. Limerick farmers want answers as to how the deception of the many by the few was allowed to continue for so long, says Limerick IFA County Chairman The overriding question asked by those farmers is, is it now time to wind up Bothar, does it have a future? said Sean Lavery. Cathaoirleach of Cappamore-Kilmallock Municipal District, John Egan was adamant that lessons would have to be learned and We have to move past the idea that asking hard questions was some kind of snooping or mischief-making. Mr Lavery said the ongoing revelations concerning Bothar have left Limerick farmers shocked and angry as the scale of the misappropriated donations has been revealed. The scale of the missing funds at over 1 million has left farmers stunned. And, what really shocks them is that the scheme to divert funds for personal use was organised and planned at the highest level in the charity by the persons who were its public face, said Mr Lavery. The Limerick IFA county chairman said that local farmers had a special relationship with Bothar from the very beginning, donating heifers and cash. Some farmers contributed heifers on multiple occasions and felt a real sense of achievement as stories were fed back of how the livestock helped improve the lives of African families. Other farmers organised fundraising events and convinced more farmers to become involved. They now feel let down by the sordid affair. The fallout from this scandal when added to previous charity scandals will be devastating for the charity sector. Unfortunately, the biggest losers will be the recipient families in Africa who would have benefited so much from future livestock shipments, said Mr Lavery. Cllr John Egan said it is difficult to overstate the feelings of anger and upset that the Bothar revelations had caused amongst the farming communities that had been the charitys most devoted and generous supporters. The prominent member of Limerick ICMSA and man who has donated heifers to Bothar said that the overwhelming feeling in east Limerick is one of upset and betrayal. Farm families all over Limerick all over Ireland gave and gave again in the belief that it was going to poor families in Africa and now discover that their donations were being stolen for God knows what. To be honest, like most of the farmers I feel let down personally, and Im glad that some of the old stock that were such loyal and enthusiastic supporters of Bothar are gone and not alive to see whats happened. Its beyond belief that peoples best impulses were abused in this way and I think that we need to see the matter investigated thoroughly and due process following where that is deemed necessary, said Cllr Egan. He was adamant that lessons would have to be learned and We have to move past the idea that asking hard questions was some kind of snooping or mischief-making. I know that many people are asking themselves why they didnt notice anything. I think that this goes to a wider point that I want to make: we have to get past this notion that asking awkward questions is a negative. We have to get to the mature position where we realise that the only way we can avoid this kind of episode is to encourage people at every level to ask the awkward questions and whats more to demand answers regardless of how inconvenient that is, said Cllr Egan. He was very downbeat on the possibility of the charity surviving in anything resembling its current incarnation. I dont think thats remotely possible. I think that the name is damaged beyond repair and that might be the saddest aspect of it all. That a wonderful idea has itself become a casualty of the whole sorry saga, said Cllr Egan. SINN Fein Limerick TD Maurice Quinlivan TD has warned the government not to try and revisit the introduction of domestic water charges. The comments come as an OECD report on the states environmental performance highlights how decades of under investment by the state has left Irelands water infrastructure in a poor state. Deputy Quinlivan said: The OECD report highlights inadequacies in this states water infrastructure. The report notes that it suffers from high water losses, hot spots of low drinking water quality and inadequate wastewater treatment. The report makes four recommendations on water quality and management. These include investment in the water infrastructure and in drinking water supply, addressing nutrient losses in the water supply due to agriculture, and to assess whether the funding model for water services is sufficient to cover the high investment costs and whether household water charges would be an appropriate financing source. The report also highlighted that only 60 per cent of the Irish population is connected to advanced wastewater treatment, the third lowest level among OECD countries. The debate over domestic water charges was lost in 2017 after a huge popular campaign against the then charge, said Mr Quinlivan. We know that the instinct of government parties is wholly in line with the proposals in this OECD report. But any attempt on their part to penalise households with stealth taxes or water charges will again meet huge resistance from communities across the country. New Delhi: After Mount Nyaragongo, an active volcano overlooking Congo's Goma town erupted, Indian Army on Saturday rushed to assist in evacuation of locals and other UN personnel in the affected region. Notably, the Indian Army has a significant presence in the Democratic Republic of Congo as part of MONUSCO, a UN peacekeeping mission headquartered in the eastern town of Goma and bordering Rwanda. The Army in an official statement said that the Indian Brigade headquarters is located adjacent to the Goma airfield. It said that most of the lava from the volcanic eruption has flowed towards Rwanda and only a small stream is trickling towards Goma. "As a precautionary measure, various country contingents were told to be on the alert by the UN's internal security system who calculated that evacuation will not be required. However, a majority of the country contingents including aviation contingents evacuated immediately," Army said. "The Indian Brigade headquarters have held their ground and in a calculated and calm manner, thinned out 70 per cent of the strength of the camp and sent them to the Himbi Company Operating Base (COB) for safety. A minimum strength continued to hold onto the Camp ensuring no threat to UN and National assets as also providing security to empty Aviation base and Aviation fuel stored there," it added. Army said that an Observation Point has been established in the area that is giving real-time updates of the lava flow to the Brigade headquarters, enabling them to pass the correct information to the UN and hence creating a semblance of orderliness in the civilian evacuation. "Currently, it is ascertained that the lava flow has considerably slowed down. Lava flow at this stage is unlikely to reach Goma town unless there is a fresh eruption through fissures. Intermittent earthquakes of very low intensity are being currently experienced," it said. "Actions by the Indian contingent in the face of imminent danger have facilitated the smooth evacuation and protection of civilians and other UN personnel in Goma," the statement added. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. A new study by health officials in England shows for the first time that two doses of COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective" against the B1.617.2 variant first identified in India. Public Health England (PHE) said on Saturday that while the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was 88 per cent effective against symptomatic COVID-19 from the B1.617.2 variant of concern (VOC) two weeks after the second dose, the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine was 60 per cent effective against symptomatic disease from the B1.617.2 VOC. We expect the vaccines to be even more effective at preventing hospitalization and death," said Mary Ramsay, head of immunization at PHE. So it is vital to get both doses to gain maximum protection against all existing and emerging variants." The study found that, for the period from 5 April to 16 May: The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was 88% effective against symptomatic disease from the B.1.617.2 variant 2 weeks after the second dose, compared to 93% effectiveness against the B.1.1.7 variant. 2 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were 60% effective against symptomatic disease from the B.1.617.2 variant compared to 66% effectiveness against the B.1.1.7 variant. Both vaccines were 33% effective against symptomatic disease from B.1.617.2, 3 weeks after the first dose compared to around 50% effectiveness against the B.1.1.7 variant. The study, conducted from April 5 to May 16, found that the Pfizer-BioNTech shot was 88% effective against the B.1.617.2 variant two weeks after the second dose. Two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were 60% effective. The difference may be explained by the fact that the rollout of second doses of AstraZeneca came later than for the Pfizer vaccine, Public Health England said. Theres also data showing the AstraZeneca inoculation takes longer to reach maximum effectiveness, according to the agency. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. The Congo's Mount Nyiragongo erupted Saturday night (May 22), sending thousands of people fleeing across the border into Rwanda and filling the skies with orange-red smoke. By Sunday morning, the lava flow had slowed, stopping just short of the area's major transit hub Goma, and so far no directly related injuries or deaths have been reported. The 11,385-foot-tall (3,470 meters) volcano is topped with a giant lava-filled crater measuring some 1.3 miles (2 kilometers) wide and 820 feet (250 m) high, Britannica reports . The last time this volcano erupted, in January 2002, lava covered nearby Goma the capital of North Kivu province and home to about 2 million people and left possibly 250 individuals dead and more than 100,000 without homes, according to news reports. Before that, in 1977 the volcano blew its top, sending lava across Goma and killing 2,000 people, according to Britannica . Related: The 11 biggest volcanic eruptions in history The smoldering lava from the Mount Nyiragongo eruption is seen in Goma on May 23, 2021. (Image credit: MOSES SAWASAWA/AFP via Getty Images) During Saturday's eruption, "the lava halted near Buhene on the outskirts of Goma the city was spared," said General Constant Ndima, as reported by Al Jazeera . Even so, some 3,500 Congolese people fled across the border into Rwanda, the Ministry in charge of emergency management wrote on Twitter . "Panic spread as we were in contact with the residents of the north of the city who from their roofs could see the path of the lava as it made its way to the airport," said Patient Iraguha, a resident of Rwanda who works in Goma, as reported by The Washington Post . Though one of the world's most active volcanoes, Mount Nyiragongo may not have been properly monitored, according to news reports.The World Bank recently cut funding to Goma Volcano Observatory due to allegations of corruption, BBC News reported . In fact, on May 10, the observatory issued a report of increased seismic activity around the volcano; and last year, observatory director Katcho Karume told BBC the crater lake on Mount Nyiragongo had been filling up quickly and upping the chances of an eruption, BBC News reported. Originally published on Live Science. A man wanted to smuggle cocaine because he was short on money, states an arrest affidavit. Rafael Martinez was arrested on the charges of import and conspire to import the cocaine. On May 20, Martinez was driving a 2008 Hyundai sport utility vehicle. He allegedly provided a negative declaration for controlled substances and other prohibited items. Martinez stated he was traveling to Laredo to work and to talk to his attorney regarding a prior incarceration. He then presented a piece of paper with his name and date of birth saying he had lost his identification documents. He was referred to secondary inspection. An X-ray inspection of his vehicle revealed anomalies inside the vehicles battery. Further inspection of the battery resulted in the seizure of 30 bundles of cocaine. The contraband weighed 9.96 pounds and had an estimated street value of $135,500. Homeland Security Investigations special agents responded to investigate the smuggling attempt. Martinez stated he resided in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Martinez stated that he was short on money, and because of that, on May 19, 2021, he decided to approach an undisclosed individual in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico and offer himself to transport anything across the border with the United States, states the affidavit. Then, he got offered $2,000 to transport something from Nuevo Laredo to Dallas. A group of people told him they had loaded the mueble inside his vehicle. Mueble is Spanish slang for drugs, according to court documents. On May 13, the Texas Thirteenth District Court of Appeals in Corpus Christi affirmed 406th District Court Judge Oscar J. Hale Jr.s ruling on the motion to suppress filed by the attorney of a local gynecologist convicted of multiple counts of possession of child pornography. Dr. Antonio Salinas was arrested in June 2017 and later indicted on 35 counts of possession of child pornography after a USB was found in his truck when it was being serviced at a local dealership. Salinas pleaded guilty in September 2019 to two counts of possessing child pornography. He agreed to serve two years for the first count in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. He also agreed to 10 years probation with 600 hours of community service. Uriel Druker, Salinas attorney, states in a motion filed in August 2018 that any evidence obtained by law enforcement or a private person in violation of law should not be admitted. The evidence was unlawfully obtained because the car dealership employees took a USB they found in Salinas vehicle and plugged it into a laptop without his consent, Druker said. Druker argued that the employees accounts used to obtain the search warrants were false. The employees had lied to police out of fear of the potential criminal consequences of their involvement in illegally accessing the USB, according to the motion. In the courts opinion, Chief Justice Dori Contreras stated that it affirms the 406th District Courts decision to deny the motion to suppress. The opinion states that Salinas has a subjective expectation of privacy in the thumb drive located in his truck. Furthermore, even though Salinas left the thumb drive in his truck where it was accessible to others during the vehicles service and did not encrypt its contents or secure them with a password, the limited purpose of the technicians access to the vehicle and the nature of a thumb drive makes Salinass claim of privacy consistent with historical notions of privacy, the opinion states. The court agreed that Salinas had an objectively reasonable expectation of privacy in his thumb drive under the facts of the case. However, there was no Fourth Amendment violation of unreasonable search and seizure because Laredo Police only searched the USB after the Sames dealership employee reported the contents to proper authorities. Even if they never clicked on the thumbnails or viewed the full-size images, the employees saw enough to know that what they were viewing was illegal and should be reported to police, the opinion states. Thus, Salinas expectation of privacy was already (disturbed), regardless of whether law enforcement officers later clicked on each image to open them individually. Salinas was granted bond on the condition he continue therapy sessions and register as a sex offender within seven days, LMT previously reported. Salinas also agreed to partake in education, community and/or outreach programs four times a year for the first five years. One week ago from Friday, the last of the nurses, technicians and other health care workers who were sent by the state to Laredos hospitals were demobilized and sent back home. This is a good sign of Laredos COVID recovery; new cases have remained steadily low for months now. But health officials worry that the number of nurses who are left working for Laredos hospitals is not enough to support the normal illnesses and injuries that occur in the area. Many of Laredos nurses left the hospitals to take jobs with nursing agencies during the pandemic, which placed them at other hospitals around the state or even back in Laredo, where they were being paid significantly higher wages and were responsible for a more manageable number of patients. Some of these nurses are returning to local hospitals and some are deciding to take jobs elsewhere. Two registered nurses told LMT that their decision to leave had very little to do with pay but moreso the integrity of their work, while an RN expressed the local employees were underpaid while actually working double-duty. The former two women agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity, fearing retaliation by future employers. They spoke to LMT separately. Unfortunately the medical field is a very small field. Even people from Laredo know people from San Antonio, know people from Austin, on a professional level. Its a very small community, said one nurse. The staffing ratios at Laredo Medical Center were off even before the pandemic and across most departments, this nurse said. Nurses took on more patients than the national average, and with less supporting staff. When the state nurses first arrived last year, it made a big difference, she said. The nurse-to-patient ratio became more manageable. We can breathe, we can do our job correctly now that we actually have the support staff, she recalled feeling. The nurse had continued to work for the hospital in order to support her co-workers and have their back during this stressful time. But when the opportunity presented itself to work for the state, she took it. It was a similar feeling of relief then there was no cutting corners, she said. Now she is taking some time off but plan to head back to work for a hospital again. The nurse loves her job and she feels personal fulfillment in helping patients, she said. But it would be nice to feel listened to by administration and for nurses to see a pay raise. Another nurse at LMC looked back at the first couple of months of the pandemic when a huge number of her staff had been infected and personal protective equipment was scarce and realized they were having a breakdown. Working extra-long shifts six days a week and fearful of bringing the virus home with them, she was extremely scared and anxious. She couldnt eat and became sick. Some of the nurses who got COVID did not come back. Others put in their two weeks notice or just left to work in home health or standalone emergency rooms. She saw that the nurses working for the state were making three times as much money as they were and caring for fewer patients at a time. So she went to do the same and realized how overworked she was before. She felt supported. She has now taken a job with an agency to work three days a week in San Antonio, then returns to Laredo to be with her family for four days. She will not be returning to LMC, where she said they felt taken advantage of and undervalued. Id rather drive up to San Antonio and work and drive back home every week than to work there, she said. Thats how bad it feels. Joey Lopez, a full-time firefighter and RN at LMC ER, said that at the height of the pandemic, paramedics like him would go into the ER on an as needed status, working specifically in the COVID unit. And during that time, he and the rest of the staff were so focused on caring for the high number of COVID patients, there was little time to dwell on the compensations, incentives or benefits. And while Lopez said that he appreciated the assistance from the out-of-town nurses, the praise, thanks, pep talks and free pizza from management were tone deaf incentives when compared to the compensation of the state nursing agency staff. With the infectious nature of COVID, compounded by the fear of infecting ones family, it was also difficult for Lopez to work with nurses and technicians who receive higher compensation and hazard pay for potentially coming in contact with COVID. Some of our folks started to get tired of the concept that people that were working next to them were paid many times over and doing the same or even less, because these were people that were coming from out of town that were unfamiliar with our system, essentially having to go through a rapid orientation, he said. Another major obstacle was the people that came from out of town, most of them didnt know Spanish and despite having to get paid less per hour to tend to these people, we were still having to tend to our own responsibilities and also translate for the majority of these folks. We were pretty much having to do double duty. Lastly, he made sure to clarify that there are no complaints from Lopez regarding to treatment from the hospital or agency nurses, but the difference between pay per hour is the prevalent issue. In a statement sent by LMC, it states that steps have been taken to recruit new and former staff members, with schedule flexibility as one of their attractions. In addition, the hospital stated that they offer compensation packages for RNs on top of tuition reimbursement, loan repayment program and sign on bonuses. And with the sign-on bonus, a nurse commits to a minimum length of employment based on the bonus amount, LMC continued. The health and safety of every one of our employees is extremely important to us. Throughout the pandemic, our hospital closely followed guidance from the state of Texas and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). LMC stated. Our administrative team was - and still is - in continuous communication with our team members through rounding and one-on-one conversations. The safety, well-being and positive work experience of every Laredo Medical Center employee is a top priority. There are open lines of communication for staff to express concerns and we work collaboratively with our team members to address them. We are incredibly proud of all of the ways our physicians, nurses, and team members have and continue to work together to care for our patients and each other. cocampo@lmtonline.com Huntington police declared unlawful assembly just before 11:30 p.m. local time and set a curfew to last until Sunday morning at 5:30 a.m. in a desperate attempt to end the party. A businessman caught speeding along the main N4 last year settled a 200 fine on the spot last week, telling court clerk Maggie Curley: I've never seen a woman who would never take money off me. Ciaran O' Feargail, 16 Castle Heights, Dundalk, raised plenty of wry grins at last week's district court sitting when discussing the circumstances behind his court summons with Judge Seamus Hughes. Mr O'Fearghail, who represented himself, said he had attempted to settle his fixed charge notice but was a day late in doing so. In endeavouring to give further background as to what caused the alleged mix up, Mr O'Fearghail told of how he had been in hospital undergoing a procedure which required 20 stitches. Upon being told to hand in his license, Mr O'Fearghail revealed the document in question was a Northern Irish document. I don't care what it is, Judge Hughes snapped, as he asked what Mr O'Fearghail did for a living. In telling Judge Hughes, his line of work was centred on the motor trade on both sides of the border. Appearing confused, Judge Hughes questioned Mr O'Fearghail as to why he held a Northern Irish driving license while residing and paying his income tax from an address in Dundalk. The Co Louth based enterpreneur did not initially respond to the question of tax affairs, prompting Judge Hughes to interject: Well, do you? He told Mr O'Fearghail that in being a resident in this jurisdiction, there was an obligation on him to change his license to one which is recognised by the Irish State. My license is English, not Irish, he retorted. There has been a war going on, you know? Asked as to what speed the accused was travelling at which led to a Fixed Charge Notice being issued, Mr O'Fearghail himself shouted out: 112 (km/hr) in a 100 (km/hr zone). In fining Mr O'Fearghail 200, the accused asked if the penalty was one he could pay immediately. Judge Hughes responded by informing Mr O'Fearghail he could, causing the accused to pull out his wallet and reach across the bench to hand over the money. As he did so, he looked at Ms Curley before joking: I've never seen a woman who would never take money off me. (Alliance News) - European nations were demanding answers after Belarusian authorities dispatched a fighter jet to force a Ryanair flight with more than 100 passengers to divert to Minsk, where a dissident journalist who was on board was then arrested. Ryanair Holdings PLC said its plane was flying from Greece to Lithuania on Sunday when it was notified of "a potential security threat on board" by air traffic controllers inA Belarus and told to divert to Minsk for an emergency landing. The airline said the plane landed safely in Belarusian capital and "nothing untoward was found" after an inspection. But authorities at the airport used the opportunity to arrest Roman Protasevich, a Belarusian journalist and opposition activist, who was a passenger, according to state media and the rights group Viasna. The opposition news outlet Nexta also confirmed the arrest of Protasevich, the organization's co-founder and former editor who has been living in exile. Governments across Europe reacted with the outrage, accusing authoritarian Belarus of engaging in a "state hijacking" of a civilian airliner and promising consequences. Belarusian state media reported that the plane's diversion came on the personal instructions of long-time President Alexander Lukashenko after he had purportedly been alerted to a possible bomb on board. He also ordered a MiG-29 fighter jet be scrambled to accompany the Ryanair plane, according to the Belta state news agency. Lukashenko, 66, has led Belarus - a former Soviet republic in Eastern Europe bordering EU states Poland, Lithuania and Latvia - for more than a quarter of a century, tolerating little dissent. Mass protests against his rule erupted after a presidential election last year that was widely seen as unfair and rife with electoral fraud. Belarus calls Nexta an extremist organization and Protasevich has been wanted by authorities. Nexta had urged on the protests against Lukashenko. Lukashenko has long considered Protasevich to be an enemy. The country's KGBA secret service had reportedly put his name on a list of people accused of alleged terrorism. Condemnation of Belarus came swiftly on Sunday, with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg calling for an international investigation and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen saying the "utterly unacceptable" incident "must bear consequences." Lithuanian Presient Gitanas Nauseda tweeted that Belarus had committed an "abhorrent action" and demanded the release of Protasevich. The Greek Foreign Ministry said it "strongly condemns the state hijacking," while Germany, Austria and Sweden also denounced Minsk. Ryanair flight FR 4978 was en route from Athens to the Lithuanian capital Vilnius when it was ordered to land in Minsk. Flight monitoring websites, like Flightradar24, showed the plane was nearly out of Belarusian airspace when the diversion order was given. "The fact that a flight between two EU states was forced to make a stopover under the pretext of a bomb threat is a serious interference in civil air traffic in Europe," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in a statement, calling for "clear consequences" to be taken against the government in Minsk. "We are very concerned about reports that journalist Roman Protasevich was arrested this way," Maas said of the activist. He urged the issue to be taken up at a previously scheduled meeting of EU leaders on Monday in Brussels. source: dpa Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. (Alliance News) - The possibility of all coronavirus restrictions being lifted next month is "looking good", the chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency has said. Under the UK government's road map, the final stage of the unlocking is due to take place on June 21 at the earliest. However, Jenny Harries urged the public to be cautious to avoid another lockdown, warning that the new Indian variant has become the "dominant strain" in some parts of the country. She told BBC One's The Andrew Marr Show: "It's looking good if people are continuing to observe all of the safety signals, so we should not stop doing what we're doing, particularly in areas where we have that variant of concern, the B1617.2, in the north-west and around London. "It's really important that people continue to do hands, face, space and work from home, have their jabs and go for tests as well. "The cases of the B1617.2 variant are rising, they have risen very steeply and much of the media have reported a 160% rise in cases over the week period but they seem to be slightly levelling at the moment. "It's still very early days." Harries added: "We all need to be very cautious and I think we all don't want to go back to the sort of lockdowns that we've had, it doesn't matter whether you're on Sage or out in the public, none of us want to return to that sort of restriction." From June 21 at the earliest, nightclubs are due to reopen and restrictions on large events such as festivals are to be lifted, as are restrictions on the number of people at weddings. Harries warned that caution should be taken as the new Indian strain is creating a "mixed picture" across the UK. She added: "If you look at areas such as Bolton and Bedford, for example, in the north-west particularly, it's starting to become the dominant strain and has taken over from the Kent variant, which has been our predominant one over the winter months. "But that's not the case right across the country, actually if you're in the south-west that's still not the case." However, Adam Finn, a member of the government's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, believed there may be an "adjustment" to the lifting of restrictions on June 21. Asked how likely it is that measures will be lifted on that date, he told Times Radio on Sunday: "We're effectively in a race with the vaccine programme against the virus. "We know that we're letting the virus out by spreading it about now, we know that we're progressing well with the vaccine programme, but I think there's going to need to be an adjustment of some sort." Meanwhile, Home Secretary Priti Patel said there would not be a "green light all the way" to unlocking restrictions. Patel said: "We all have to be conscientious. All of us that are out and about now, we are distancing, wearing masks, following all the rules. "That is part of our normal life now and that will continue, and that, of course, will help us to that unlocking on June 21." The comments come after a study by Public Health England found that the Pfizer Inc coronavirus vaccine is 88% effective against the Indian variant after two doses. UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock described the outcome as "groundbreaking", while PHE said it expects to see even higher levels of effectiveness against hospital admission and death. The study, which took place between April 5 and May 16, found that the jab was found to be almost as effective against symptomatic disease from the B1617.2 strain as it is against the Kent variant, with 93% effectiveness. Meanwhile, the AstraZeneca PLC jab was 60% effective, compared with 66% against the Kent variant over the same period. Both vaccines were 33% effective against symptomatic disease from the Indian variant three weeks after the first dose, compared with about 50% against the Kent strain. New data from PHE shows there have been at least 2,889 cases of the Indian variant recorded in England from February 1 this year to May 18. Of those, 104 cases resulted in a visit to a hospital emergency department, 31 required an overnight hospital admission and six resulted in a death. The most common strain in England, according to the data, is the Kent variant, with 132,082 cases recorded over the same period. Some 1,569 people have died with the variant, while 2,011 cases resulted in an overnight hospital admission and 5,238 required a visit to a hospital emergency department. Separate analysis by PHE indicates that the vaccination programme has so far prevented 13,000 deaths and about 39,100 hospital admissions in older people in England, up to May 9. Meanwhile, Downing Street said it was looking at ways to publish data on cases transmitted in different settings in a "robust and clear way". It comes after The Observer reported that data on the spread of the Indian variant in schools had been due to be published this week, but was not included in a PHE report on Thursday. A Downing Street spokesman said: "Twice a week, Public Health England publish a breakdown of the number of cases of each variant in the UK. "Given public interest in variants of concern, we are looking at ways to publish cases transmitted in different settings in a robust and clear way. PHE will publish this data in due course." Latest figures show that more than 60 million doses of coronavirus vaccine have now been given in the UK, including 50 million in England. By PA Reporters source: PA Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. (Alliance News) - The Irish government has said it will lay out clear plans next week for the three "trickiest" sectors hit by Covid: aviation, indoor hospitality and events. Taoiseach Micheal Martin travels to Brussels on Monday for a two-day European Council summit, where leaders are expected to sign off on proposals to resume travel between EU member states. As a result, two Cabinet meetings will take place later in the week, where the latest public health advice will be considered, before an announcement on reopening plans on Friday. Irish Further Education Minister Simon Harris said the Cabinet meeting on Friday will be "very significant". He said: "It's really going to look at trying to provide clarity on what perhaps have been the three trickiest sectors, from a Covid point of view. "So trying to provide clarity around indoor hospitality a when can we reasonably expect people to be back indoors in a pub or a restaurant? "Trying to provide clarity in terms of what we call the events sector a when can we get people back in the stadia, when can we get people back at concerts? "Can we pilot some events like they have over in Liverpool in the last month? "And then thirdly, the aviation plan a when is it a realistic expectation to say to peopleathat they can be back in the air?" Appearing on RTE's The Week In Politics, Harris said the Digital Green Certificate would play a big role in the return of aviation. Under the proposals, people will receive a digital pass that can be scanned at an airport, indicating they have either been vaccinated, produced a negative Covid test, or have recovered from the virus. The move, to be signed off by EU leaders at the meeting this week, could pave the way for summer holidays. It is due to be introduced on July 1, but member states will have the option of a six-week grace period before implementing the measures. It is not yet clear if Ireland will wait the six weeks, although soundings from Government suggest they will. Harris refused to speculate on the matter on Sunday. However, his Cabinet colleague, Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien, has vowed to push for it to be introduced as quickly as possible. O'Brien, who represents the constituency where Dublin Airport is located, made the comments in a video uploaded to his Twitter account on Sunday. He said: "There are 147,000 people involved in aviation in Ireland. "We need our connectivity. We need our jobs. It's a massive driver for our economy, not just here in North County Dublin, but right the way through the country. "So I will be pushing and arguing as I have done over the past number of weeks for the speedy implementation of the EU digital Green Cert to allow people to travel safely within the EU." There are fears in the tourism sector that Ireland will be left behind other countries in attracting visitors if it does not adopt the measures straight away. Opposition parties have also called for speedy implementation. Labour TD Duncan Smith said: "It would have to be at the start if aviation is to recover in any way. "If the government return their decision to join at the end, then they're going to have to have very, very clear and solid reasons for that to be the case. "We cannot see from this remove what those reasons would be." Sinn Fein TD Rosemary Conway Walsh also called for the Digital Green Certificate to be adopted immediately. There were 438 additional confirmed cases of Covid-19 as of midnight on Saturday, the Department of Health said. There are 116 patients in hospital with the disease, with 43 in intensive care. Daily case numbers may change due to future data validation, owing to the cyber attack on the HSE. By James Ward, PA source: PA Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Take a few minutes and scroll through some of the local news from the past week: Watching Jay Reese work in his kitchen at the Ukrainian Cultural Center in Warren, it is evident the skilled chef is not 100% Ukrainian. The Detroit Tigers home opener is not the only day that people take off from work. Fridays blue skies, high temperatures and cool northerly Mankato, MN (56001) Today A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 62F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 62F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Officials had previously tweeted for the public to be mindful of suspicious activity at any barns, crawl spaces, and outbuilding but warned people not not check on these locations themselves. A $12,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest has been offered as well. Jasmine DAvilar says theres been a lot of activism in the wake of the death of George Floyd, but a lot of work still has to be done. She created the social justice group Stand Up! Mankato after Floyd, a Black man, died while former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes last May. The group has more than 800 members today on Facebook and continues to push for police reform and racial justice. DAvilar said the activism can be tiring, but that she has a lot of energy to keep pushing for change. I feel like if Im not out there doing it, I dont know who will, she said. There are not many Black-led movements in Mankato. The ramifications of Floyds death were visible in the Mankato community, about 75 miles south of the spot where Floyd died in Minneapolis. Community members turned out to protest Floyds death and demand charges for the officers involved. Young activists pushed to remove officers from schools and were inspired to create spaces for racial justice work and conversations within schools. Minnesota State University added more cultural competency and crisis intervention training to its law enforcement curriculum. The Mankato Department of Public Safety hosted listening sessions, formed a citizen advisory group, launched a new officer monitoring software, and is expanding the amount of data it collects on the race of the people with whom its officers have contact. A coalition of local organizations held virtual forums and developed a list of proposals they hope will create more transparency and accountability within local police departments. Whats different about this movement is that more people are looking at the work that can be done, said Yurie Hong, founder of Indivisible St. Peter/Greater Mankato. Hong and other community activists say theres a renewed energy and a rise in people wanting to do something to address racial inequalities. Despite the momentum of the past year, some say the change has been slow. Demanding change A year after she created the group Stand Up! Mankato!, DAvilar said there is still momentum to make change. The group continues to turn out to protest and demand reform and accountability. Last month, about 150 people gathered on the Veterans Memorial Bridge in the wake of the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Daunte Wright by a former Brooklyn Center police officer. Our lives have value. We matter, DAvilar shouted from the median of the bridge. Protesters carried signs that read messages such as Black Lives Matter, chanted and called for an end to police violence. Organizers said an overhaul of the criminal justice system is needed to protect Black lives. The challenge now for DAvilar is keeping people motivated after a year of work. This summer she is planning to increase educational opportunities on racial justice initiatives and develop mutual aid projects where people in the community can help provide resources to others in need. She said part of this community-led work is to get away from relying on government systems and create support within the community. After standing on the Veterans Memorial Bridge most nights for five months, Gene Biewen, 87, said hes hopeful. Ive gone from almost despair to relief and hope, said the retired Mankato teacher and greenhouse owner, who is white. He was among the hundreds to participate in peaceful protests and marches in Mankato in the wake of Floyds death. He kept returning to the bridge nearly every evening with signs carrying messages such as love thy neighbor and Black Lives Matter. Its time we make more systemic progress. Thats why Im still doing it, he said last summer, adding that he was able to continue because he is retired and has a light schedule. He stopped his almost nightly visits after the November general election. He hoped the election of a new president would help bring a highly divided country back together to work toward that systemic change. Hes glad to see lawmakers talking about issues such as policing reforms and gun control measures but is still frustrated by continued partisanship and slow progress. He described Chauvins conviction as a small hallelujah. Chauvin, the officer who knelt on Floyds neck, was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter last month. The amen will arrive when our color doesnt really matter when my whiteness no longer gives me privilege, he said. Impacts on policing Indivisible St. Peter/Mankato and other community organizations hosted public forums last fall to discuss local policing. Out of those sessions came a set of recommendations for policing in Mankato, North Mankato and St. Peter that include collecting data on race, expanding the authority of citizen oversight boards and hiring more officers of color. The groups received mixed responses after presenting the recommendations to the St. Peter City Council in February, making it unclear if the recommendations will be adopted in the city. In a statement to The Free Press, then St. Peter Police Chief Matt Peters said the report contains disappointing generalizations about policing. Peters, who retired in May, described it as an effort to undermine all the great work our SPPD officers do every single day to build inroads with underserved people. Council member Keri Johnson said shed like to revisit the recommendations in the future. Following our community engagement series, I think it is worth coming back to this report and considering what is feasible, she said. Hong, founder of Indivisible, said a majority of folks are supportive of the ideas brought forward in the recommendations but not necessarily the steps to get there. After the groups bring the recommendations to the three cities, she said what happens next is in the hands of the city councils. She said some local police departments already have been pursuing some of the initiatives brought forward in the recommendations. The Mankato Department of Public Safety is ahead of us in some ways, she said. Mankato Department of Public Safety Director Amy Vokal said she embraces ideas for improving her department and already has implemented some of the recommendations to come out of the forums. The department held listening sessions, formed a citizen advisory committee, is expanding race data collection and soon will post that data and other information online. The virtual listening sessions in November invited citizens to tell department leaders about their experiences with police and share ideas for reforms. The sessions drew praise from some local activists but were not well-attended by other community members. Valerie Hines, acting vice president of the Mankato NAACP chapter, said she invited several people to join the listening sessions but they declined out of fear of retaliation. The fear still remains in people to a point where they still dont even want to speak up, she said during the first forum. The advisory group, composed of people from diverse community groups and backgrounds, is giving Mankato Public Safety input on reform proposals and other opportunities to improve equity. They represent all different kinds of organizations who can give us a better lens to look through to help us make better decisions, Vokal said. One of the groups early tasks has been reviewing photographs of unidentified suspects and helping department leaders decide whether to release them to the public. That followed controversy over the departments posting of photographs of seven Black men suspected of vandalizing the Mankato Target store following a peaceful protest of Floyds murder in June. Many social media commenters said the images taken from surveillance cameras were too blurry to be identifiable and they worried Black men would be wrongfully accused. The department took the photos off its Facebook page the next day. The committee also is helping the department identify data, policies, complaint forms and other information about the department to post on a new website to launch soon. Vokal calls it a transparency hub. This is the communitys information, she said. Lets just put it out there. The transparency hub will include data about the race of suspects. The department has been tracking race in arrests and this year also began identifying race in use-of-force incidents. Soon it also will record the race of drivers in traffic stops. Hopefully we can find disparities in systems and how were serving, which then will allow us to work through those issues and better serve our community so that everybody feels safe and comfortable in our community, Vokal said. The department also has started using the Guardian officer performance and wellness monitoring software. It is a database, easily accessible to all supervisors, of information about officers, including complaints and commendations, and attendance and tardiness. Vokal described it as early intervention to identify red flags that an officer is struggling. The director said it also could help identify officers who are excelling and showing leadership potential. Its going to be very powerful in being able to see trends that we havent been able to notice before. Youth take action A group of teens and young adults pressed Mankato Area Public Schools leaders to remove police resource officers from three of the districts secondary schools last fall. The presence of armed officers is traumatizing to some students, especially students of color, they said. The Ignite the Youth group argued there is little evidence officers in schools improve safety. We as students want to make it clear that many of us Black and brown students do not feel safe near the police, group leader Anisa Omar said in September. Many of us do not trust the police, and the district continuously trying to force a relationship has very traumatic and harmful effects. The group suggested the funds used for the officers be reallocated for student support services such as hiring more counselors and social workers. School district and Mankato Public Safety officials said the resource officers focus on safety education and building positive relationships with students. The district held a series of community forums and conducted an online survey on the issue. District administrators recommended officers stay in two schools, with some adjustments. The School Board approved that recommendation in December on a 4-3 vote. The officer that had been at the larger of the districts middle schools was removed while officers remain at East and West high schools. The high school officers no longer wear a uniform but continue to carry a gun. An advisory council will develop additional ideas for improving the resource officers program and a system for measuring whether the officers are achieving their mission of building relationships. Omar declined to talk to The Free Press for this story but has said in social media posts she will continue to press for the removal of officers from schools. Other students have created spaces for students to pursue social justice initiatives within schools during the past year. West High School senior Indya Campbell had the idea to form a social justice group in 2019, but Floyds death pushed her to put the ambition into action. Campbell created the student group Moving Our Futures Forward to give students a safe space to have conversations about racial justice issues and pursue projects on the topic. Group leaders gave a presentation to teachers last month on how to actively interrupt when they witness microaggressions or racism within the school. Mankato East, St. Peter and St. James high schools were among those that participated in a statewide student walk-out last month to protest racial injustice. Updated education Minnesota State University reviewed and updated the curriculum for its law enforcement, criminal justice and corrections majors with the help of a task force and following community forums. The changes, which university administrators said were propelled by Floyds death, will be fully implemented starting next school year. The recommendations include updating the students general education course requirements to increase the focus on cultural competency, mental health and critical thinking. Those also will be incorporated into law enforcement courses, including studies on addiction, mental health first aid and trauma-informed training. Students also will be required to complete public service experiences with diverse cultures. Kenneth Reid, director of African American Affairs at Minnesota State University, said George Floyds death put the community in a position to make change. Folks are more willing to learn and be part of the solution, he said. Hes noticed a rise in people who want to support and do work to support people of color because Floyds death brought attention to the inequalities that still exist. As an educator, he said the challenge now is figuring out how to engage people who may not know what to do. He works with students at MSU and is also serving students as a School Board member for the Mankato district. He has spent the past year checking in on students and offering support. After Wright was fatally shot last month, Reid said students were enraged, overwhelmed and exhausted from the trauma of seeing another Black man die at the hands of police. Reid is charged by the momentum of the past year, but as a Black man himself, he said he is also tired. Im exhausted from having conversations with my students to keep them going as Im trying to keep myself going. Luis Suarez has all but confirmed that he'll be staying at Atletico Madrid for at least another season. The striker signed a two-year deal when he joined Atletico from Barcelona last summer and has been instrumental in the former's title win in LaLiga Santander, scoring 21 goals. "Yes, I'm sure [I'll stay]," Suarez told Movistar. "Atletico welcomed me from the minute I arrived... how they treated me. "I asked the club if there was room for me on the museum wall to make history at Atletico." The Uruguayan could be seen in tears calling his family on the pitch in Valladolid after winning LaLiga Santander with Atletico. "My wife is the one who's been with me in the day to day [at Atletico]," he said. "It was very hard last summer, when you have three children and a settled life. "The suffering was tough. "[My wife] knows how much I've worked to be able to keep showing that I can remain at the highest level. "My children spend their lives with their friends, at school... They knew that it was a change [to move to Atletico]. "They knew that I was really up [for playing for Atletico]. "They were tears of joy." The United States, and therefore Virgin Galactic, technically have a different definition of outer space than the rest of the world. The U.S. considers 50 miles above the Earths surface to be space, but the international line is at 62 miles. Virgin Galactics flights are supposed to take place in between the two markers. Atlanta, GA (30303) Today Partly cloudy with late night showers or thunderstorms. Low near 70F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Partly cloudy with late night showers or thunderstorms. Low near 70F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. A four-car accident occurred around the same time across from the bar, but police said its unclear if the two incidents are related. The driver of a dark SUV was detained, according to WKBN. Marietta, GA (30060) Today Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low near 70F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low near 70F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. People who look at us say, Play some merengue and bachata; do some campaigning, he said. No theres close to 400,000 Dominicans who vote in New York elections. And we will be making the difference. While that deadline is likely to be missed, Democrats are working on compromises to get Republicans on board with the legislation, Sen. Corey Booker (D-N.J.) said on CNNs State of the Union. Biden previously set the anniversary of Floyds death as a deadline to pass police reform legislation. But Congress is expected to miss the target date with Republicans objecting to measures such as weakening cop protections against prosecution. Thanks to OTT platforms, filmmakers can experiment with different stories and present them to the audience that will appreciate the uniqueness of the story. Over the last few years, these platforms have churned out some great content and these shows should be on everyones watch list. Here are the highest rated shows on IMDb and we believe that everyone should watch these gems at least once. 1. Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story (9.5 Ratings) Pratik Gandhi and Hansal Mehtas show Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story is the top-rated Hindi television programme on IMDb. Set in the 1980s and 90s Bombay, Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story follows the life of Harshad Mehta, a stockbroker who took the stock market to dizzying heights before his catastrophic downfall. The plot has been appreciated by people and they also were bowled over Pratiks power-packed performance. Pratik has been getting rave reviews for his portrayal of Harshad Mehta. In an interview with MensXP, he had said, I was, in fact, very intrigued by his character. Its not about playing a hero or villain. Its about creating a character that people think its happening right in front of them. My job was to create that experience so that people even after knowing the end want to know what happens next and theres a sense of curiosity in them. Well, thats the fun of biopics. I have already played such biographical characters on stage and I genuinely find them interesting. I always love portraying the complexities of human emotions. Have you watched the show yet? 2. Flames (9.2 Ratings) The teenage romance series Flames by TVF's Timeliners became a hit and garnered a huge viewership across the country. The plot of the show revolves around the innocent relationship of two teenagers Rajat and Ishita. Rajat, who is the topper of the class, catches feeling for a new girl named Ishita who joins Sunshine Tuition Centre. Well, the critics also appreciated the plot and called it a perfect blend of nostalgia and romance. 3. Kota Factory (9.2 Ratings) Kota Factory became an instant favourite among the youth of the country, thanks to the realistic portrayal of the educational institutions in Kota. It chronicles the struggles, hardships, experiences of IIT aspirants who come from various parts of the country to Kota. Directed by Raghav Subbu, the show starring Mayur More, Jitendra Kumar, Ahsaas Channa, and Shivankit Singh Parihar, it surely deserves to be on your watch list. 4. Aspirants (9 Ratings) The show Aspirants follows the lives of UPSC aspirants who move to Rajendra Nagar, Delhi in the hopes of cracking the civil services exam. It might remind you of Kota Factory and it was because of the relatable content that people have loved it so much. If you havent watched the show yet, we suggest you watch it at the first opportunity you get. 5. Panchayat (8.8 Ratings) Jitendra Kumar's Panchayat is one of the most relatable shows with its roots in rural India. The story follows Jitendra Kumars character who lands in a village to take up a government job which he was interested in, and his reasons to be in the spot were far from being patriotic. Its interesting plot makes it one of the most-watched shows. Not just these, there are more shows like Kay Kay Menons Special Ops, Arshad Warsis Asur, and Manoj Bajpayee's The Family Man that are highly rated on IMDb and we would definitely recommend that you watch them too. Think we missed some names? Let us know in the comments below. A couple of days ago, a video went viral showing Ramdev calling allopathy stupid and denouncing the numerous medications that have supposedly failed to deliver against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in India. "Allopathy ek aisi stupid aur diwalilya science hai... (allopathy is such a stupid science)," he could be heard saying in the video. Till now it was still tolerable but this video by Ramdev has crossed all limits. I am not against Ayurveda but this fraud man is making serious allegations now!Considering the following this bigot has,he is nothing less than a pandemic now ! He should be taught his limits ASAP ! pic.twitter.com/d0twVO4ZNc Tushar Mehta (@dr_tushar_mehta) May 21, 2021 Recently, Nikita Panwar, an MBBS intern slammed the yoga guru for his insensitive remarks towards the conventional medical sciences while sharing a picture of herself the proper kit, from her Twitter account: I am 24,posted in ICU,with 8-10 new mucormycosis cases daily,heavy viral load,risking our lives to save patients & then we see the comments like Baba Ramdev,so much depressing. We are not money minded like you baba, We are paid only 12k/month Have some shame!#ArrestQuackRamdev pic.twitter.com/fYUN7yyhzH Medicogirl (@nikita__panwar) May 22, 2021 I am 24,posted in ICU,with 8-10 new mucormycosis cases daily, heavy viral load, risking our lives to save patients & then we see the comments like Baba Ramdev,so much depressing. We are not money minded like you baba, We are paid only 12k/month Have some shame! she wrote. On Saturday morning, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) requested the Union Health Ministry to take serious action against the 55-year old for trying to mislead hundreds of people with unlearned statements against the medical sciences. The IMA also sent a legal notice to Ramdev for the same, while also asking the ministry to prosecute him under the Epidemic Diseases Act. IMA HQs Press Release on 22.05.2021 pic.twitter.com/rrc1LXA24n Indian Medical Association (@IMAIndiaOrg) May 22, 2021 "In this war-like setting, it has become a passion for people with malicious opportunistic attitude to hit from the back and the medical warriors with their selfish malevolent to boost up their unscrupulous, unprincipled, deceitful, and unpatriotic business fortunes. They pretend to throw mud on modern allopathic medicine but time and again benefited through back door in modern medicine hospitals when they get the disease," IMA wrote. "In the past too, he has uttered modern medical doctors as murders in the presence of honorable health minister himself on the pretext of the release of his wonder drugs. However, it is well-known fact that said the said yoga guruji and his associate Sri Balakrishna Ji have been taking modern medical allopathy treatment as and when they get into illness. Now to mislead the public at large he is making all false and baseless accusations so that he can sell his illegal and an approved drugs," the medical association alleged. "Swami Ramdev deserves to be prosecuted for disobeying and cause danger to the life of many by making them believe and make them not to take the advice of allopathy drugs. His quote about Favipiravir as medicine against fever/antipyretic is laughable, childish, and demonstrates his in-depth scientific knowledge," the IMA had said in a press statement. Since then, Patanjali has tried to justify the actions and words of Baba Ramdev by saying that the yoga guru was simply reading a forwarded message on his phone and that he had no intentions of insulting allopathy as medical science. They have further stated that Ramdev feels a combination of allopathy, Ayurveda and yoga will bring a lot of benefits to the people, especially under such times of difficulty when the whole nation is suffering through a pandemic. Hrithiksha, the 9-year-old daughter of a daily wage worker in Kushalnagar of Kodagu district lost her mother Prabha on May 16 to Covid 19. However, her heartbreaking plea asking for the phone to be returned is now being widely shared on social media. Check out the post here- Hrithiksha, daughter of a daily wage worker in Kushalnagar, lost her mother to Covid-19 on May 16. She is requesting people who might have taken her mothers mobile at Covid hospital in Madikeri to give it back. She says that mobile has a lot of memories of her mother. pic.twitter.com/5lSJ4Yrhav santhosh babu (@hypnobaba) May 23, 2021 Hrithiksha's aunt Akshitha said,"The phone was switched off when we tried calling her on Saturday (May 15) and the next day we were told she (Prabha) had died. We asked for the phone to be given back again but we were told by the hospital that it was missing. We have not got the mobile back yet. She said, "Hrithiksha has been crying and asking for the mobile to be returned since the phone has a lot of photos of her mother. Kodagu SP Kshama Mishra said, "We have taken up the complaint and we are contacting the hospital about the missing phone. Heres what people have to say about this- Heartbreaking to even read this! :( Priyanka Bali (@priyankabali10) May 23, 2021 May God bless her with all the happiness she deserves Tarun Verma (@cosmic_buzz) May 23, 2021 Heartbreaking to even read this! :( Priyanka Bali (@priyankabali10) May 23, 2021 Heartbreaking to even read this! :( Priyanka Bali (@priyankabali10) May 23, 2021 Can't believe it has happened in Coorg. I am living here since last 3 years and i feel this is one of the most safest place in India. But it is very sad to see such incidents here. Akshay Sikarwar (@Akki_sikarwar) May 23, 2021 This makes my heart weep..why is there so much suffering around me. YASHWANT SINGH (@YASHWANT1994) May 23, 2021 Pls jise bhi mobile mila ho ya chori kiya ho , wapas dedo Harish Rathod (@Harish8888Hr) May 23, 2021 What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below! Click here to log in and see all of our other subscription options for the Mesabi Tribune, including online only & auto-renewal subscriptions. In summer 2020, The New York Times coordinated a nationwide project to document the lives of Americans out of work because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study involved collaborating with 11 other local newsrooms around the U.S. The Messenger-Inquirer was the only newspaper from Kentucky in the collaboration. The resulting collection of stories was published Oct. 23, 2020, in the New York Times print edition and at nytimes.com/outofwork. The following list is the Messenger-Inquirer's local unemployment coverage from that time period; read more by clicking the "New York Times Project" header. Click on "Out Of Work In America" to go to the full The first thing that we need to do is put the nuclear problem back in the box, he said. Thats why were committed to trying to see if Iran will come back into compliance with the nuclear agreement. MESA, Ariz. (AP) U.S. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz, two of the Republican Partys most controversial figures, told a crowd of Trump supporters in the Phoenix area that an ongoing audit of the 2020 election in Arizona should be replicated in all the battleground states where President Donald Trump lost. Greene and Gaetz took their America First Rally tour to Arizona to cheer the audit, which is testing conspiracy theories about the election on behalf of Republicans in the state Senate. We are here in Arizona to stand in solidarity with the Arizona election audit, Gaetz said to a cheering crowd of several hundred supporters Friday night in Mesa. He expressed hope that the Arizona effort will be just the beginning of a larger movement. Its my belief that Arizona will be the launch pad for elections audits and election integrity efforts all over this great country, he added. State Senate Republicans used their subpoena power to take possession of a wide range of equipment and documents from the 2020 election, including all 2.1 million ballots and the machines that counted them. Everything was handed over to a group of companies led by Cyber Ninjas, a Florida-based cybersecurity consultant. Its founder, Doug Logan, has promoted baseless conspiracies suggesting Trumps losses in Arizona and other battleground states were marred by fraud. The audit wont change the election results, but many Trump fans believe it will turn up evidence supporting his unfounded claims of fraud. Election experts say the 2020 election was among the most secure in history and say the audit, which is not following standard procedures for election audits, is a threat to democracy by undermining faith in the electoral process. Despite extensive reviews of the results after the election that produced no evidence of irregularities that would have changed the outcome, doubts persist among many of Trump's staunchest supporters. Who do you think won Arizona on Nov 3? Greene said. The crowd responded with chants of Trump, Trump, Trump. With their tour of rallies, Gaetz of Florida and Greene of Georgia appear to be positioning themselves as successors to Trump's populism. Greene's speech was light on issues and focused much more on rehashing the history of conflict with fellow members of Congress who are reviled by Trump fans, from Republican Liz Cheney to Democrats Maxine Waters and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. Gaetz talked extensively about border security. Both drew thunderous applause when denouncing mask and vaccine mandates as well as Dr. Anthony Fauci, a top public health official. Gaetz has been the subject of a federal sex-trafficking investigation and may face escalating legal and political liability after an associate pleaded guilty Monday in a cooperation agreement with prosecutors. Gaetz, who has denied wrongdoing, did not address the allegations Friday but started his speech by telling the crowd, thank you for having my back. Gaetz and Greene presented themselves as the allies of Trump fans in a contentious conflict with not just the Democrats but with much of the GOP. Just because you have an R by your name and you say things doesnt mean youll do them when you run the country, Greene said. This is why so many people dont vote. They dont trust Republicans to do the job. Pundits like to talk about a civil war in the GOP between traditional conservatives who dominated the party before Trumps election and populist Trump fans, Gaetz said. The civil war is over, Gaetz said. Weve won. The crowd erupted in chants of USA, USA. The last load of raw milk left the ranch outside Montana State Prison on Dec. 27, drying up a decades-long run for the prisons work program that was clipped by a shift in a single companys global commerce policy. Last year Darigold, the product brand for a dairy cooperative headquartered in Seattle, canceled its 30-year contract with the prison, forcing the states prison work program, Montana Correctional Enterprises, to scale down its dairy operation from 350 head to about 70, enough to produce milk to self-sustain the Department of Corrections facilities around the state. Darigold ended its contract after one of its major customers said last year it would begin to phase out all products made with legal prison labor, according to the corrections department. In an email with the Montana State News Bureau, Darigold did not identify the customer, and spokesperson Erin Byrne said the company would not identify a customer by name. However, corrections officials named Costco as the customer during legislative hearings. Costcos shifts in labor policies last year touched producers around the world, leading the company to even part ways with a Thai coconut milk producer accused of forced monkey labor. The end of the prison programs contract translates to a $1.5 million loss to the work program and a reduced work program for adult male inmates housed at the facility outside of Deer Lodge. A spokesperson for the Department of Corrections said the entire effect of the loss of revenue wont be fully known for about a year as MCE adjusts to the lower capacity. At this point, we do not know the entire effect of the loss of revenue as we are still adjusting our inventory levels for feed and supplement for the animals, DOC spokesperson Carolynn Bright told the Montana State News Bureau. MCE Agriculture is 100% self-supporting and does not receive a general fund appropriation. Instead, the loss is to MCE proprietary funds. Lawmakers in April approved a $1 million for a new venture to fill the gap. House Bill 637, sponsored by Joliet Republican Seth Berglee, did many things, among them establish a new program to raise pheasants at the prison. The allocation was a source of contention among lawmakers during the legislative process: some lawmakers would have rather seen that million spent on wildlife habitat, while Berglee and others argue the money is well spent on bolstering the state pheasant population on public lands, drawing more young hunters into bird hunting. Montana Correctional Enterprises, a division of the state corrections department, is headquartered outside of Deer Lodge near the Montana State Prison. The work program, including dog trainings, products manufacturing and other services, provides training for approximately 700 inmates, according to MCEs website. The agriculture operations raise beef cattle and crops, all utilized in-house, MCE Director Gayle Butler told a legislative committee in January. The dairy operation includes a processing plant that churns out non-fat milk, cottage cheese and yogurt. The majority of MCEs raw milk was sold to Darigold. We would pick up milk every other day and deliver it to one of their bottle plants across Montana or Idaho, Butler told the legislative budget subcommittee on Jan. 21. Inmates working the agriculture jobs stay in dorms outside the prison walls. Ross Wagner, agriculture director at MCE, likened the quarters to a pre-release center. Inmates apply for the open MCE jobs and have to be designated as minimum custody, clear disciplinary records and a high school diploma, or have completed their GED. If inmates are selected for the job, they sign a four-month commitment to the work and stay in the dorms. Thirty-three inmates and five staff run the dairy operation, Wagner said. The guys that come out there, most of them would rather be working as much as possible instead of sitting in their (cell), Wagner said. The majority of the prison programs milk production went to Darigold, and in turn much of it ended up in Costco coolers. In 2018, Costco enacted a global policy on prison labor that allowed prison-made products so long as the inmates were paid a prevailing wage, with its first report in 2019. The next year, Darigold notified the prison it would not be able to meet the policy. There was no way DOC could accomplish this and remain economically viable as we are a training program, Butler told the committee. We could operate our dairy with only staff but that does not provide the training and work programs needed for our offenders. The Department of Corrections tried to appeal to Costco. In a letter to the company the department tallied up the inmates wages, cost of room and board and health coverage, which included dental and vision, mental health services and savings for the inmates re-entry after their sentence. All came to $22.16 per hour given all these factors, Butler said. Unfortunately, that was not adequate. Butler said state officials, too, contacted Costco in hopes they could sway the company, but the effort failed. The Department of Corrections also set out in search of a new partner to purchase the milk. After an exhaustive search, we were unable to find an alternate buyer and the dairy needed to reduce its milk production, Department of Corrections Director Brian Gootkin said in an email in March. The work program sold off the cows, and began exploring new products that could be made at its processing plant. The dairy still produces other dairy products like yogurt and ice cream for the inmates. Darigold is a marketing and processing subsidiary of the Northwest Dairy Association, a cooperative of 350 dairy producers in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. We went above and beyond contract requirements and explored ways to continue, as well as gave MCE ample notice of this decision, Darigold spokesperson Byrne told the Montana State News Bureau in an email. Unfortunately, the primary reason for this decision was due (to) the fact that MCE could not meet the official policy requirements of a major Darigold customer recipient of their milk. Our purpose is to create value for our customers and our Northwest Dairy Association farmer member-owners, including existing member-owners in Montana, Byrne continued. In this case, certain business conditions existed that made the contract with MCE no longer viable. The Montana corrections department and Darigold both referenced declining market conditions when asked to comment for this story. In 2020, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported the number of dairy herds fell by more than half between 2002 and 2019, with an accelerating rate of decline in 2018 and 2019. COVID-19 also caused great uncertainty in the industry. Milk prices fluctuate, its an ag commodity, Wagner said. When the price of milk drops, we feel it just like anyone else does. Ultimately, however, the departments bid to Costco to reverse its policies may have been too late. In a 2020 statement to investors, Costco said it was going to phase away from prison labor altogether due to the reduced transparency of prison systems in general, which made it hard to reliably monitor the wages paid out to inmates. In its entire supply chain, Costco had identified 11 facilities that used prison work programs to make products sold on Costcos shelves. A spokesperson for the Department of Corrections declined to comment when asked if reduced transparency was part of the discussion when Darigold notified the prison it would end its contract with MCE. Darigold likewise declined to comment on Costcos specific policy requirements MCEs dairy program failed to meet. A spokesperson for Costco also declined to comment when asked if any transparency issues with the Montana State Prison prompted the companys decision. To backfill the reduced dairy operation, MCE will now develop the blueprints for raising pheasants as a new training opportunity for inmates. Just like the inmates, Wagner will be learning a new trade. Its going to be a task, I guarantee you, he said. COLCHESTER The Board of Education has reached a formal agreement on the districts school resource officer program that outlines the persons responsibilities. The SRO position had been eliminated in the budget for the 2021-22 school year until members of the Colchester Police Commission intervened and the role was reinstated. The Colchester Police Department and the Colchester Resident State Troopers Office have not returned requests for comment. This position will be stationed at Bacon Academy high school but the officer will meet monthly with principals of both the high school and William J. Johnston Middle School. The agreement, formally known as a memorandum of understanding, outlines the officers responsibilities as well as training, monitoring, equipment and uniforms. While many school districts have formal agreements outlining the duties of their SROs, it is not required. Superintendent Jeffrey Burt said that even though the Colchester school district has previously had SROs, it never had a memorandum of understanding. Previously, there was a collaborative agreement between the agencies. Weve collaboratively worked together on a revised MOU, Burt said, referring to the police commission, Colchester Police Department and Connecticut State Police. We didnt actually have a working MOU. We took the state template and sort of tweaked that. The role of the SRO is to prevent juvenile delinquency and maintain a safe and secure learning environment on school campuses. The SRO also responds to incidents of student misbehavior and is involved in disciplinary actions. One of the main duties of this position is to help develop a plan to prevent or minimize dangerous situations on or near the schools. The document also outlines equipment used by the SRO. It is understood that the SROs will carry their approved duty firearm, Taser and other Connecticut Resident State Troopers Office issued equipment while on school property and at school-sponsored events, the document states. The document states this equipment should only be used when law enforcement intervention is absolutely necessary. Body cameras will also be used in the school buildings, but will only be on when the SRO is acting as a law enforcement officer, not in any other situation. The Board of Education or the Connecticut Resident State Troopers Office can request an oversight meeting to monitor and evaluate the agreement. The troopers office and the state police will prepare an annual report and recommend improvements to the agreement that will be submitted to the Board of Education. The agreement, which the Board of Education approved on May 11, can be terminated on or before March 1 of any fiscal year. During this process, Burt said the expectations and responsibilities of the SRO were also updated in a second document. We had some expectations that were out of date from about 2009, and so we worked collaboratively to reinstate and reinvigorate those expectations for the SRO, Burt said. Some responsibilities in the second document are similar to those listed in the memorandum of understanding, but there are also additional ones. One expectation is that the SRO will provide training to school personnel as requested by the Board of Education and approved by the Resident State Troopers Office. Another is that when there is reason to suspect a student is breaking the law, the officer may conduct a locker, vehicle, backpack or physical search. The officer may also detain or arrest the student depending on the infraction. While many responsibilities include creating and maintaining a safe school environment, there are other roles the officer fills. SROs can be invited into the classroom as guest speakers to share their experience and expertise with students and teachers. Another main goal, which is stressed in both documents, is to establish positive relationships with students at Bacon Academy high school and William J. Johnston Middle School. Were all excited moving forward and were all excited to have the position continue and to benefit the community as well as our students in the school system, Burt said. christine.derosa@hearstmediact.com EAST HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) The husband of a missing Connecticut mother whose body was found Friday in a heavily wooded area of an East Hartford park was charged hours later with manslaughter in connection with her death. Tahj Hutchinson, 22, was taken into police custody on Friday evening, South Windsor Police said in a statement released on social media. He was being held on $1 million bond, charged with 1st degree manslaughter in the death of Jessica Edwards, 30. Police said Hutchinson may face additional charges, pending results of the continuing police investigation and an autopsy being conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Edwards, the mother of a 7-month-old boy, had been missing since earlier this month. Her husband told police she left their home in South Windsor, one town over from East Hartford, on the morning of May 10 and hadnt been seen since. Police initially said they believed Edwards had left in an unknown vehicle, but South Windsor Police Sgt. Mark Cleverdon said Friday that investigators don't believe that's exactly what happened." He did not elaborate. Edwards' cell phone has been shut off since she went missing, which complicated search efforts. But Cleverdon said police were ultimately able to use location data obtained through search warrants from another, unidentified source to narrow where to look for the missing woman. Local and state police found her decomposed body between 9:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. near a trail in the Hockanum River Linear Park with the help of police dogs and an aerial support unit. I think every single day we were able to get a little closer to getting to the location where we ended up searching this morning, Cleverdon said. Authorities were awaiting a cause and manner of death from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Cleverdon said the case is still considered suspicious in nature but that could change depending on the medical examiner's report. Manchester police confirmed they were a part of the ongoing investigation and had helped at a home related to the case. Family members of Edwards were seen hugging in the East Hartford neighborhood near the park where police and the medical examiner's office responded Friday. Cleverdon said he and Deputy Chief Brian Eckblom spoke with Edwards' family earlier on Friday morning for about an hour and a half. We feel for them and theres no other way to put that. They are grieving right now and they miss their daughter, their sister greatly, he said. So it is our obligation to make sure that were doing everything we can to find as much closure as possible for them. The case has attracted statewide interest. Police and relatives had been urging the public to come forward with any information that would narrow their search. Family members and local residents distributed flyers throughout the Hartford area. Jessica wouldnt leave without her baby, Kendra Getfield, Jessicas cousin, told the Journal Inquirer this week. This is not like her. She talks to her mother and sister every single day. It is a red flag." Edwards, a student at Manchester Community College, missed a clinical class at Hartford Hospital on the morning of May 10. Her sister said Edwards' professor received an email at 2:20 a.m. that day saying she would not be attending the clinical session, but added it was strange she didn't also notify the hospital. FAIRFIELD TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) A family house party in South Jersey turned into a crime scene where at least two people were fatally shot and 12 others were wounded, state police said. Authorities arrived at the house in Fairfield Township, about an hour outside of Philadelphia, late Saturday night. A resident who runs a local anti-violence organization said he was called out to assist families at the 90s-themed party. John Fuqua, of Life Worth Living, said guests who attended the party were of all ages. New Jersey State police said a 30-year-old man and 25-year-old-woman were fatally shot. There were 12 other people who were injured and transported to local hospitals. No arrests have been made. Photos show overturned pop-up party tents, tables and chairs, and debris throughout the home's yard. A long driveway was still filled with cars late Sunday morning. Two cousins who live in the area of the shooting said they heard music from the party until after midnight, then a series of shots at least 15 of them over a few minutes. Joeron Pierce and James Pierce, who live in homes next to each other, said that there was chaos after that. Partygoers ran through their yards and asked to come into their houses. They said cars ran into one other trying to speed away. Fairfield Township Mayor Benjamin Byrd Sr., who was at the scene Sunday, said that New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy offered his support and help. Nobody knows when someone's going to come out of the woods with a gun, Byrd said. He did not have any details about the shooting. Murphy called the shooting horrific. This despicable and cowardly act of gun violence only steels our commitment to ensuring New Jersey leads the nation in passing and enforcing strong and commonsense gun safety laws, Murphy said in a statement. No community should ever experience what occurred last night in Fairfield. WPVI-TV reported that the reverend of a nearby church heard the gunfire. "I just started hearing at first what I thought was fireworks, it was really gunshots, and I heard nine in rapid succession, said the Rev. Michael Keene of the Trinity AME Church. Messages seeking additional information have been left with multiple organizations. State police scheduled a press conference for Monday morning. PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) Rhode Island education officials have reached an agreement with the superintendent of Providence schools to terminate his contract in the wake of criticism about a hiring decision. Rhode Island Education Commissioner Angelica Infante-Green asked Providence Schools Superintendent Harrison Peters to resign several days ago. Peters had been the subject of criticism due to his hiring Olayinka Alege, a school administrator who was charged with the assault of a teenager in April. Campaign Diaries Newsletter Weekdays The Daily News political team supplies the essential news and analysis on the critical 2021 elections in New York City that will define the citys future after coronavirus. Sent to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It looked like a typical COVID-19 vaccination. Deanna Arriola, a nurse who works at the hospital on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, took the day off and drove her red Toyota Highlander through the base's drive-thru vaccine clinic. She got her shot within 20 minutes, and after running some errands, headed to her off-base home in Lacey. But the record of her vaccination the behind-the-scenes data that tracks who's immunized will stay locked in the U.S. Department of Defense computer system. Due to a bureaucratic lapse, as well as legal and technical challenges, thousands of shots from two significant federal health care providers the Defense Department and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs have not been counted in official Washington state vaccination statistics. That gap complicates the state's response to the pandemic, and is artificially lowering the vaccination rate. Public health officials use the rates to target under-vaccinated communities with campaigns to overcome vaccine hesitancy. The statistics took on more significance this week, as King County's top public health official "strongly urged" everyone to continue wearing masks in public areas indoors, until 70% or more of residents age 16 and older are fully vaccinated. Other counties may adopt similar guidelines. "We would very much like to have vaccination data info from the VA and Department of Defense, like all other vaccine providers in WA State are required to report," Dr. Jeff Duchin, the King County health officer, said in an emailed statement, "so we can fully understand vaccine coverage rates and potential disparities across our communities." In recent weeks, federal and state legislators, along with the state Department of Health (DOH), have pressed the military and the VA to share detailed patient data. So far, the agencies have only shared aggregate numbers for vaccinations, making it impossible for the state to weed out duplicate records that might be coming from other health care providers. Here's an example of why the DOH can't use the aggregate numbers: after getting a shot on base, a patient might later visit a primary care doctor outside of the federal systems, and that doctor could update his or her record in the state immunization registry. Without identifying information, the DOH has no way of knowing if that person would be counted twice in the federal and state data. More than 600,000 active-duty military and veterans live in the state about 8% of the population as of 2018, the most recent year for comprehensive federal statistics. Washington has the seventh-largest active-duty military population in the U.S., from Naval Base Kitsap with its nuclear-armed submarines, to the nation's largest air tanker-refueling wing at Fairchild Air Force Base near Spokane. While not all are treated at federal health care facilities, the patient populations are significant. The Puget Sound VA Health Care System alone has 110,000 patients enrolled in primary care. Family members and civilian military workers can also receive shots on base. To explain the lack of data sharing with state and local health officials, the Department of Defense has cited national security concerns, and a VA Puget Sound spokesperson said it was adhering to federal privacy laws while withholding patient data. The VA signed a data-sharing agreement with the state in November, but it has not budged on its privacy policy. Washington is not alone in the struggle to incorporate the federal agencies' immunization data, both for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. "This is a challenge that has been around for some time," said Claire Hannan, executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers, which represents public health agencies nationwide. "We raised it going into the pandemic that this would be an issue." A major obstacle, Hannan said, is the difficulty syncing the VA and Defense Department electronic medical records with immunization registries in all states and territories, most of which have customized systems. While preparing for the release of the COVID-19 vaccine last year, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discussed acting as a clearinghouse for all vaccine providers, including federal agencies, and then sending the data to each state's system, Hannan said. But that second part sending the records downstream to the states never materialized. After a Wednesday call with staff members from Washington's congressional offices, Lt. Col. Luke Mease, chief of preventative medicine at Madigan Army Medical Center at JBLM, said the base would continue to work with the DOH to provide useful data. Representatives from Gov. Jay Inslee's office and state legislative offices were also on the call, Mease said. "We understand policy decisions are being made based on vaccination rates," Mease said. "We want to be as transparent as possible from a public health perspective. Diseases don't care if you're on base or off base." Initially, JBLM officials believed the CDC was providing the state DOH with their patients' vaccine data, Mease said, but they learned the federal agency was not. Locally, JBLM had been giving Pierce and Thurston counties' public health agencies the total number of COVID-19 doses received and administered. Mease said the base needs permission from Defense officials for any local or state data sharing. "We discovered what we were sharing wasn't as useful as we thought," Mease said. The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department estimates if VA and JBLM vaccinations were added to its totals, the county vaccination rate would increase by roughly 4 to 5 percentage points. As of Wednesday, 30% of Pierce County residents had been fully vaccinated, excluding the federal agencies. Active-duty members aren't yet required to be vaccinated, but many have opted to do so. As of this week, 45% of people who live on base or work at JBLM have received at least one COVID-19 shot, according to a spokesperson for Madigan. Adding in family members, the total JBLM population is roughly 110,000. The DOH sent a letter on May 5 to the Defense Department requesting detailed data, but state officials said they have not heard back from Washington, D.C. "Probably here it is more of an impact than places without as much military presence," said Jennifer Coiteux, acting director of the state DOH Office of Immunization and Child Profile. "It is really challenging to know whose information we have and whose information we don't have." On Monday, JBLM gave state officials a breakdown of partially-immunized and fully-immunized residents from each of Washington's counties. But that aggregate data is still not detailed enough to use in official vaccination rates, a DOH spokesperson said. Typically, vaccine providers record a shot in the state Immunization Information System, which also keeps a history of each resident's childhood vaccines. The DOH pulls address and demographic data from the system to compile its COVID-19 statistics. But VA or military clinics do not enter shots into the state system. This article is written by Mike Reicher from Seattle Times and was legally licensed via the Tribune Content Agency through the Industry Dive publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com. The Phillies have claimed right-hander Brady Lail off waivers from the Mariners, both teams announced. To create roster space for Lail, Philadelphia also designated right-hander Ramon Rosso for assignment. Lail was designated himself earlier this week, and he also came to Seattle via waiver claim off the White Sox roster last August. After tossing 15 innings for the Mariners last season, Lail had two innings pitched in two appearances this season, allowing three runs. Lail has now appeared in each of the last three MLB seasons, with a 6.00 ERA over 21 career innings with the Yankees, White Sox, and Mariners. Originally an 18th-round draft pick for the Yankees in 2012, Lail is likely a known commodity to Phillies manager (and former New York skipper) Joe Girardi, and the righty can provide the Phils with more bullpen depth. Rosso made his Major League debut in 2020 and has posted a 5.73 ERA over 11 innings in the Show over the last two seasons. After posting some solid numbers during his trip up Philadelphias minor league ladder, Rosso seemed to hit something of a wall at Triple-A, with only a 5.59 ERA over 77 1/3 innings at the top level of the minors. He has a 26.74% strikeout rate over 330 2/3 career innings in the minors, but that number steadily declined as Rosso advanced to face tougher competition. Rosso worked almost exclusively as a starter from 2017-19, though he has been deployed as a reliever over the last two years, so he wasnt considered as a depth option even for a Phillies team that has been hurting for help in the back end of the rotation. Its possible another team might claim Rosso with an eye towards stretching him back out as a starter, or perhaps using him as a swingman. The current approach to COVID-19 vaccination using limited vaccine supplies to protect low-risk populations in a handful of countries while low- and middle-income economies wait indefinitely for doses doesnt make sense for anyone. A successful global vaccination effort must be equitable, and it must stand on three pillars. WASHINGTON, DC The COVID-19 pandemic will not truly end until everyone has access to vaccines, including people in the poorest countries. Worldwide vaccination offers the best hope for stopping the spread of infections, saving lives, and protecting livelihoods. People cannot reach their potential until they can again study, work, travel, and socialize in the confident knowledge that they are safe from COVID-19. Distributing vaccines more widely is thus an urgent necessity. The pandemic has worsened inequality by hitting the poorest and most vulnerable the hardest. In developing countries, women, children, the poor, and informal-sector workers have paid an extremely high price as COVID-19 took away livelihoods, closed classrooms, and prevented urgent social spending. Delays in starting vaccination rollouts in developing countries are deepening global inequality and leaving hundreds of millions of elderly and vulnerable people at risk. I continue to urge countries with sufficient vaccine supplies to release their additional doses as soon as possible to developing countries that have delivery programs in place. Some countries have gone well beyond vaccinating their most at-risk citizens. But many others have yet to receive any doses, much less administer them widely to the vulnerable. Many of the poorest countries have limited vaccination capacity, and will require several months to immunize a large share of the most at-risk groups. This illogical approach using limited vaccine supplies in a handful of countries while low- and middle-income economies wait indefinitely for doses doesnt make sense for anyone. More lives will be lost, global economic growth will be more unequal, and even countries with high vaccination rates will be more at risk from novel coronavirus variants than they would be if developing countries had greater access to vaccines. The longer it takes to achieve broad vaccination of the vulnerable, the higher the risk of extreme poverty in 2021 and 2022, which in turn will invite future health and social crises. Conducting a large-scale vaccination campaign is a major undertaking for any country, but the logistics are particularly challenging for countries with limited resources and fragile health systems. The ongoing COVID-19 disaster in India and the surge of infections and deaths in Latin America are grim reminders that the pandemic is as bad as ever for many of the worlds poor. A successful global vaccination effort must stand on three pillars. First, countries with an adequate vaccine supply should immediately release doses to the vulnerable worldwide. This may mean exercising options and guiding vaccines to other countries, or making clear to manufacturers that they can quickly send supplies without exposing themselves to legal risk. Or it could involve actually fulfilling funding commitments to the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) facility set up by the international community to allocate doses equitably to poorer countries. The World Bank already has board-approved financing available in 22 developing countries, with several dozen more expected by mid-year under the fast-track process we used for emergency COVID-19 assistance in 2020. This $12 billion can facilitate rapid vaccine deployment through national health systems and pay for vaccine purchases and shipments if needed. Standardized, transparent contracts that arrange for fair and equitable distribution are crucial. If vaccine supplies pass through COVAX, which envisions immunizing the most vulnerable 20% of countries populations, World Bank financing can be used to help with distribution and to purchase additional supplies to vaccinate more people. Second, we need greater transparency regarding contracts between governments, pharmaceutical companies, and organizations involved in vaccine production and delivery so that financing can be directed effectively, and countries can plan for receipt and deployment. This is also critical to enable the private-sector investments that will be needed to expand supply. In that spirit, this week the World Bank is launching a comprehensive online portal that provides easy access to information about our projects, including individual country-financing operations. The portal will also incorporate what has been learned from vaccine-readiness assessments we helped undertake with over 140 countries over the last half-year, working closely with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Global Fund, the World Health Organization, and UNICEF. Thus, the Banks online portal is also an invitation to vaccine manufacturers, purchasers, and intermediaries to follow suit, and another plea to those controlling the supply of approved vaccines to release them to safe, well-funded deployment programs. The third pillar is increased vaccine production. The International Finance Corporation, the World Bank Groups private-sector arm, has invested over $800 million in health care, including in vaccine manufacturers. And it currently has another $1.2 billion in the pipeline through the Global Health Platform, a $4 billion financing mechanism created to help meet the immediate need for vaccines, medical equipment, and health services. The IFC is actively engaging with governments and companies on early-stage development of commercially viable pharmaceutical manufacturing projects, including for COVID-19 vaccines. The pandemic has overwhelmed health systems worldwide, even in the most developed countries. We must now strengthen them, not just to cope with the vaccination effort, but also to prevent and treat COVID-19 and ensure the full range of essential health services. The global COVID-19 vaccination campaign will be the largest in history unprecedented in scale, speed, and complexity. Our goal must be to carry it out as quickly, broadly, and safely as possible; learn from what worked and what didnt; and boost preparedness and resilience for future crises. DAVID MALPASS David Malpass is President of the World Bank Group. As cinemas reopen across France, the Cannes Film Festival is waiting patiently in the wings. Traditionally held in May, the 2021 event has been rescheduled for July, and excitement is mounting especially after last year's cancellation due to Covid-19. But it's not the first time the glamorous event has been disrupted. RFI looks back at some the drama of Cannes. Usually at this time of year, the red carpet is rolled out in the southeast of France for opening of the Cannes Film Festival, an annual two-week event which attracts the creme de la creme of world cinema. Organisers have cautiously chosen to hold the 2021 edition from 6-17 July instead of in May, hoping to benefit from the lifting of Covid lockdown restrictions which have seen cinemas and events closed to the public for the last six months. Originally known as the International Film Festival, it was conceived in 1938 by then education minister Jean Zay. Cannes was chosen as a location for its touristic appeal and the promise of funding. The Hunchback of Notre Dame, starring Charles Laughton and Maureen O'Hara, was screened at the festival's first opening night on 31 August 1939, in the presence of numerous stars including Cary Grant and Mae West. However, the excitement was short lived and the rest of the festival was interrupted by the outbreak of WWII. After the war, there was renewed enthusiasm to get the festival back on track. As a result, 1946 was a bumper year, with no fewer than 11 films tying for the Grand Prix. In the early years, the festival faced several setbacks. In 1948 and 1950, the event was not held due to budget problems. In 1951, the festival was moved to May rather than September to avoid clashing with the Venice equivalent. Eventful 1968 As the Cannes event continued to grow, society was changing rapidly. The year 1968 was one of high drama in France, and the festival found itself caught up in the growing civil unrest and general strike which brought the country to a standstill. The tension had begun earlier in the year when the president of the Cinematheque Francaise Henri Langlois was removed from his position. This led to a number of protests by filmmakers such as Francois Truffaut, and Langlois was eventually reinstated. By 10 May, when the festival officially opened, the tension had heightened considerably in Paris and there were violent clashes between students and police who carried out a heavy crackdown. On 18 May, Jean-Luc Godard, Claude Lelouch, Jean-Claude Carriere as well as jury members Louis Malle and Roman Polanski announced in a press conference that, in solidarity with the workers and the students, the festival would be cut short. Louis Malle, Monica Vitti, Roman Polanski, and Terence Young resigned from the international jury while Alain Resnais, Claude Lelouch, Carlos Saura and Milos Forman asked for the withdrawal of their films from the competition. Saura's Peppermint Frappe had been due to screen that same evening. Accompanied by then girlfriend and protagonist of the film, Geraldine Chaplin, he jumped onto the stage and latched onto the curtains to prevent the screening. They were joined by Truffaut and Godard. There was a lively argument with the public, with punches reportedly thrown. Gender inequality, sexism make their mark Fast forward to the 2000s, and the festival remains a platform for social issues one of the most recent being the quest for gender equality. In 2018, 82 female stars staged a red-carpet protest against inequality and the need for "a safe workplace" following allegations of sexual misconduct against producer Harvey Weinstein which erupted in the widespread #MeToo movement. Cannes director Thierry Fremaux announced that the festival was working towards a 5050x2020 plan for better representation of women in the cinema industry and, for the first time in its history, the selection committee was 50 percent women in 2019. In 2019, there was another protest this time over the awarding of the honorary Palme d'Or to Alain Delon, one of France's best-known actors. More than 23,000 individuals signed an online petition against his receiving the award. In it, they called him a "racist, homophobic misogynist". Coronavirus cripples Cannes At that point, no-one could have guessed that Cannes was about to face yet another upheaval, a drama stranger than all films put together: the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Organisers of the 2020 festival initially announced a postponement, and held out until April before eventually cancelling outright, with only the Marche du Film held in June in a virtual format, and a small three-day festival for screening the 2020 selection in October. Jury president Spike Lee brightened 2021 prospects by pledging his presence, and all of the films selected to run the 2020 edition were given Cannes labels to help with their marketing. The 2021 edition will be held just a week after the last Covid restrictions and curfew will have been lifted on 30 June. Cinemas will be allowed to reopen at full capacity, while keeping health protocols in place. But will crowds flow back in droves? Will everyone be vaccinated as promised by President Emmanuel Macron? Clearly, the world will not return to "normal" in a hurry. And neither will the Cannes Film Festival but after all, what would the event be without a touch of drama? Attacks by jihadists in the north of Mozambique have terrorised the population, who have been forced to flee the violence. Many Mozambicans have opened their homes to accommodate the displaced, but host families are already struggling with their own precarious food situation, according to humanitarian workers on the ground. Because of the drought, it's not looking good for the three northern provinces, so the economic pressure on the host community is increasing, said Pierre Lucas, the World Food Programme's assistant director in Mozambique. "This is why in addition to 750,000 internally displaced people, the local population is also at risk of food insecurity and the numbers are increasing." Since October 2017, terrorist attacks in Cabo Delgado in northern Mozambique have caused 2,500 deaths, according to the United Nations, resulting in more than 700,000 displaced people. The last major attack occurred on 24 March in Palma, near Afungi, where French energy giant Total is building its largest gas investment on the African continent. While there were "dozens" but no confirmed body counts after the attack, the International Organization on Migration estimates at least 50,000 people fled from Palma. Many are still in hiding and remain unreachable. The massacres in Palma pushed the displaced into urban areas where people have very little themselves, but they continue to help their fellow Mozambicans in true solidarity, Sylvie Kaczmarczyk, emergency coordinator for Doctors Without Borders (MSF) told RFI in Pemba. There are food needs, even for the people living there for the past year it's still a question of getting food daily, said Kaczmarczky. It's very impressive that the situation is not getting tense." But that's exactly what the WFP's Lucas fears. This is why we and other partners are looking at these hosting communities and how we design our programme, he said. The province already had the highest rate for moderate and severe food insecurity. And while food and space is tight in urban areas, those who have moved to internally displaced people's (IDP) camps are truly in need there are no shelters, running water is an hour's walk away and there are no services in place. In host communities, IDPs don't have job opportunities, but they have a roof and food, said Francesca Fontanini, Senior External Relations for UNHCR. For those living in IDP camps there is nothing no water, no medicine, many people sick after walking for 10 days or living in the bush, and there are many cases of malnutrition. They need a shelter and they are sleeping under the sky without a sleeping mat, she added. In the camp, displaced people want a life. What they have there is not a life, said MSF's Kaczmarczky. Vulnerable children One aspect of the situation that worries everyone is how children are faring. The food agency is currently working in Cabo Delgado to assist 58 health centres to focus on children and food insecurity. According to UNHCR's Fontanini, more than 40 percent of the displaced in Cabo Delgado are children. Many of them are unaccompanied children or separated children children and mothers are coming into a completely traumatising situation, said Fontanini. The children have other needs as well, especially living in a precarious situation, or having spent time hiding in the bush. Our efforts are concentrated on providing psychological support with Save the Children, and also doing the registrations and reunification to bring families together again, she added. Jihadists and criminal gangs Mozambique had had an ongoing presence of aid workers due to Hurricane Idai and other natural disaster before the rise of jihadists in 2017 it's now classified as a complex situation, according to WFP's Lucas. There has also been an evolution on the ground in how the jihadists operate, according to Salvador Forquilha, researcher at the Instituto de Estudos Sociais e Economicos in Maputo, the capital, who has been studying terrorism in Cabo Delgado for the past four years. The jihadists in Cabo Delgado have moved with their religious discourse from small villages into bigger cities like Mosimba da Praia and Pemba in the north. Pemba was known as a touristic beach city before the current crisis. We're talking about a group that is much stronger than before, with weapons that are much more sophisticated than they used to have, said Forquilha. It's a terrorist group, a jihadist group, that is trying to combine an internal dimension in the sense that we have Mozambicans inside the group, but also an external dimension with foreign combatants in the organisation, he added. But as in other parts of the greater region, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Tanzania, criminal groups had been operating in the area even before the jihadists showed up. All of these local dynamics, with extremist groups in the region, and the existence of criminal groups, who are involved in all kind of trafficking and smuggling these are all criminal activities and illicit economy that is feeding the armed violence, said Forquilha. While the aid agencies and the government are struggling to take care of the basic needs of the displaced and the host communities, including shelter, food and water, Forquilha believes that more engagement is needed by the military. At the same time I don't think military action will solve the problem. We need to invest more on the developmental side, he said. We need to take governance issues and development issues very seriously, so that people, especially young people, are less incentivised to join the group, he said. Text by Laura-Angela Bagnetto, reporting in Mozambique by Liliana Henriques Chairperson of the COVID-19 Trust Fund, Sophia Akuffo has expressed outrage over negative media publications about activities of the fund and its trustees. Ms. Akuffo said it is unfair that some Ghanaians had alleged that the funds trustees and staff were diverting monies received, despite having little knowledge about its activities. The Chief Justice said the accounts of the fund are currently being audited to dispel speculations of corruption. We at the trust fund appreciate and are ready to render accounts for our stewardship at any point in time when it becomes necessary to do so. Therefore, I consider it rather unfair and very embarrassing when some sections of the public and in the media, whether due to political expediency or ignorance about the nature of our mandate or simply out of sheer mischief, attempt to throw mud and malign the trustees and staff of the fund. Our accounts are being audited by the Audit Service as I speak. We have been in existence for a year now and in due time the report of the Auditor will be published. The Trust was set up to assist persons who were worst hit by the pandemic. There have been calls for an audit of the COVID-19 Trust Fund to enhance accountability. Former President, John Dramani is one of the individuals who have asked administrators of the Fund to keep receipts of expenditure to enhance accountability. The Fund received donations in cash and in kind to support groups and individuals who require assistance amidst the pandemic. As of May 2020, the fund had received GHS50 million which was donated by individuals and institutions. citinewsroom Listen to article The government of the Democratic of Congo has ordered the evacuation of the eastern city of Goma after the eruption of the Mount Nyiragongo volcano overlooking the border city. Even before the official announcement, thousands of people had started filling the streets and carrying what they could as they headed out of the city, which has already suffered from previous eruptions. But later Saturday, Communications Minister Patrick Muyaya tweeted: "The evacuation plan for the city of Goma has been activated... The government is discussing the urgent measures to take at present." The evacuation plan was activated after an emergency meeting of the government to discuss the situation, said the minister. The first departures from the city came earlier Saturday even before the official confirmation that Mount Nyiragongo had erupted, spewing red fumes into the night sky. Residents reported the smell of sulphur in the air and watched as the sky turned red. The military governor of North Kivu province, of which Goma is capital, "confirmed the eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano ... at around 7:00 pm" while appealing for calm. "Investigations are underway and people must follow the guidance of civil protection" units, General Constant Ndima said on local radio. The UN mission to DRC sent a helicopter "above the zone and confirmed the eruption", according to an internal note seen by AFP. "However the lava is flowing towards Rwanda. The city of Goma and its environs are safe," said the mission, known by its French acronym MONUSCO, which has bases in Goma. Red skies Power was already cut in large parts of the city when hundreds of residents began leaving their homes. Some headed out of the southern end of the city towards the nearby border post with Rwanda, while others headed west towards Sake, in the neighbouring Congolese region of Masisi. "The sky has turned red," one resident, Carine Mbala, told AFP by telephone. "There is a smell of sulphur. In the distance you can see giant flames coming out of the mountain. "But there has not been any earthquake," she added. "People are leaving or preparing to leave," another resident told AFP, as the streets began filling up, some carrying as many of their belongings as they could. "I am taking the children and getting into the car. There is a risk that the lava will flow on Goma -- you never know," another said. Another Goma resident said two aircraft had taken off from Goma's airport that evening, when normally there are no night-time flights. Before long, the streets were filled with people in cars, on motorbikes or on foot, heading out of the city. Increased seismic activity "Everyone in the city knows what to do when there is an eruption," said Joseph Makundi, civil protection coordinator for the North Kivu region, speaking on local radio. "You mustn't panic." Mothers should gather their children together and take necessary items such as key documents including identity cards and diplomas and food for the journey, he added. For the moment, there is no sign of a flow of lava from the city, an AFP correspondent said. In a May 10 report, the Goma Vulcanology Observatory warned that seismic activity around the volcano had increased and warranted careful monitoring. On Saturday the Observatory was monitoring the direction of the lava flow, and said that for the moment it was heading towards Rwanda. The last time Nyiragongo erupted was January 17, 2002, killing more than a hundred people and covering almost all of the eastern part of Goma with lava, including half of the airport's landing strip. Hundreds of thousands fled the city. The deadliest eruption of the 3,000-metre high volcano was in 1977, when more than 600 died. Goma sits on the mountain's southern flank and overlooks Lake Kivu. The Goma region, which lies in North Kivu province, bordering Rwanda and Uganda, has six volcanoes, all higher than 3,000 metres. (AFP) Listen to article Toulouse saw off 14-man La Rochelle to be crowned European club rugby union kings for a record fifth time following a dramatic finish to the Champions Cup final at Twickenham on Saturday. La Rochelle played most of the match a man down after centre Levani Botia was red-carded for a head-high tackle on opposition full-back Maxime Medard in the 28th minute. Yet despite La Rochelle's disadvantage, the score was still level at 12-12 until the hour mark as Toulouse's Argentina centre Juan Cruz Mallia crossed for the opening try of the match. France fly-half Romain Ntamack, who along with La Rochelle counterpart Ihaia West had already kicked four penalties, converted to put Toulouse seven points in front. Ntamack then landed another penalty to put Toulouse two scores in front at 22-12 with barely 10 minutes left. Yet in the 73rd minute La Rochelle hit back with a try from former New Zealand scrum-half Tawera Kerr Barlow. But West's conversion bounced off the right post and clear, meaning La Rochelle needed a try, rather than a penalty, to draw level with time running out. It was a task that just proved beyond them as Top 14 leaders Toulouse held on surpass the record of four European Champions Cup titles they had previously shared with Irish province Leinster. (AFP) A former Executive Secretary to the past Inspector General of Police (IGP), Peter Lanchene Toobu has called for reforms in the countrys National Security. His call follows the arrest and assault on Citi News' journalist, Caleb Kudah, and the subsequent invasion of the premises of Citi TV/Citi FM by National Security operatives. Mr. Toobu on Citi TV/FM's The Big Issue decried the lack of professionalism from the National Security operatives, saying some of them had been involved in activities that had caused insecurity in the country. If you are looking at National Security, in fact, they are supposed to be silent but when you see security apparatus or security operatives causing insecurity in the system, it becomes a contradiction. Security operatives, causing insecurity is a big contradiction. But that is where we find ourselves and I think it is time for us to bite the bullet and shake up the old remnants of security. Aside from the invasion of Citi TV/FM, and the attack on Caleb, National Security operatives have been implicated in other attacks, including one involving Sam George, who was attacked by National Security operatives during the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election as well as the forceful removal of the Ashanti Regional National Security Coordinator from office. Mr. Toobu believes these attacks will cease if reforms that meet international standards are introduced in the Ministry. We are working in tandem with other networks to ensure we find favour with the world to remain peaceful and develop. It is time to look at National Security as a whole. The National Security structure must resonate with the globe, he said. Citi FM/TV's Caleb Kudah was arrested at the National Security Ministry on May 11, 2021, for filming abandoned MASLOC vehicles parked at the premises of the Ministry. He was at the Ministry to verify a claim by an official of MASLOC that all the cars procured by the agency had been given out. A team of heavily-armed SWAT police officers subsequently were dispatched to arrest Citi News' Zoe Abu-Baidoo Addo, at the premises of Citi FM/Citi TV because she had received some files from Mr. Kudah via WhatsApp. Mr. Caleb Kudah in an interview with Bernard Avle on The Point Of View on Citi TV indicated that he was slapped several times by the security officers. The Ministry of National Security has already withdrawn its Director of Operations, Lieutenant Colonel Frank Agyeman, and three other police officers attached to the outfit over the attack. While Lt. Col. Agyeman is to report to the Chief of Defence for further probe and appropriate sanctions, the three officers are to be investigated by the Ghana Police Service and possibly face disciplinary action. Citinewsroom President Akufo-Addo, has expressed profound commiserations to the Federal Republic of Nigeria following the unfortunate death of its Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru and several others. President Akufo-Addo on behalf of the government of Ghana and Ghanaians sympathized with Nigerias President Muhammadu Buhari and the rest of the population over Lt. Gen. Attahirus death and that of seven other officials. In a post on social media, President Akufo-Addo said: I express the deep condolences of the government and people of Ghana and of myself personally to President Buhari and the government and the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the shocking, tragic deaths of Nigerias Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru. Our hearts go out to their families and may their souls rest in perfect peace, Akufo-Addo tweeted. Lt-Gen Ibrahim Attahiru, was killed after a military Beachcraft 350 aircraft crashed in the north-western state of Kaduna on Friday, May 21, 2021. The incident happened as the plane was trying to land in bad weather, the military said. Ten other officers, including the plane's crew, also died. ---citinewwsroom Miracle, Inspiration -- CPC leadership, Chinese path in eyes of world party leaders Xinhua) 14:45, May 23, 2021 Visitors pose for a photo at the site where the first Communist Party of China (CPC) National Congress was held in 1921, in Shanghai, east China, June 27, 2019. (Xinhua/Liu Ying) BEIJING, May 23 (Xinhua) -- This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Over the 100 years since its founding, the CPC has navigated China, the world's most populous country, towards a path of rapid development, having achieved admirable success that has earned global respect. Party leaders and senior officials of different countries recently expressed appreciation for China's achievements, noting that China's success, a result of the CPC's strong leadership and a right development path, offers significant inspiration for other countries in pursuit of their own development. STRONG LEADERSHIP INDISPENSABLE "The whole world might not imagine that a huge country like China would develop into the world's second largest economy in just over 40 years. This is a very remarkable achievement," said Somsavat Lengsavad, former Lao deputy prime minister and former politburo member of the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party. The wise and strong leadership of the CPC is the decisive factor for the achievements, he said. "In my opinion, the Chinese miracle is mainly due to the leadership of the CPC because they found a model of development in this dynamic world," which is socialism with Chinese characteristics, said Alexandar Paunov, first secretary of the Bulgarian Communist Party, when commenting on "the Chinese miracle." "The path of socialism with Chinese characteristics that the Communist Party of China follows is original and responds to the demands of today's world, as well as to the conditions of China," said Alberto Moreno, president of the Communist Party of Peru (Red Fatherland). Raed Fahmi, secretary of the Central Committee of the Iraqi Communist Party, said that socialism with Chinese characteristics is a huge historical experience, which his party is keen to study and follow up. In each stage of the CPC's history, "there have been capable leaders, taking the lead from the party to drive each stage and accomplish goals," said Hector Aleman, secretary of international relations of Panama's ruling Democratic Revolutionary Party. DEVELOPMENT BENEFITS PEOPLE Najm al-Deen al-Kharit, secretary-general of the Unified Syrian Communist Party, said that he had visited China twice, and was impressed by China's development, especially the construction of buildings and the improvement in people's livelihood. Al-Kharit is not the only one who has been impressed by how China has brought tangible benefits to its people with rapid development. "The secret behind China's ability to control the pandemic lies in putting people's health first," said Adham Sayed, member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Lebanon, highlighting the CPC's dedication to the well-being of the Chinese people during the pandemic's darkest hours and beyond. "If a party wants to survive, it must put the interests of the people first, which is what the CPC has done throughout its march," Sayed said. Impressed by China's technological achievements, former Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy, said, "The quality of life in China has also changed a lot, and this is perhaps even more important than technical progress." "The success of the party is based on two things, one is that it has represented a stable set of values that can be maintained in the long run, and the other is its very good ability to renew itself," Medgyessy said. Mahdi Dakhlallah, a leading member of Syria's ruling al-Baath party, said that the notion of "putting the people first" has pushed China forward. INSPIRATION FOR WORLD Adan Chavez, vice president of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, visited China four times between 2017 and 2019. He said that the CPC is a pillar of the scientific and technological development made by China, and achievements attained by its people are not only a "role model for the rest of the world, but a symbol of hope." "We have witnessed how the Chinese people have rendered huge support for their government and the CPC while working together in keeping with principles of socialism with Chinese characteristics," he said. Referring to the third volume of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China," the senior Venezuelan party official said the book portrays steps to be taken to succeed in the construction of socialism and a new vision of the Chinese leadership. He said that China is an inspiration for nations fighting for freedom and sovereignty, adding that the huge progress made by the Chinese people is a clear proof that socialism is an effective solution "to the problems affecting humanity." As a century-old party, the CPC has always kept pace with the times and innovated continuously, said Sofia Carvajal, secretary of international affairs of Mexico's Institutional Revolutionary Party, adding that in this regard, her party can learn from the CPC to continuously innovate, develop, and adjust itself to people's changing needs, so as to gain public support. Medgyessy also noted that China's fast development has created opportunities for markets and investments on a global scale, and China's impact on the world has been "very significant." China's reform and opening-up is important experience for other countries, including Belarus. "There are a lot of interesting things in the socio-economic development of China, which today I see as very relevant for our country," former Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Anatoly Tozik said. "The growth of China's power and its economic strength is not a threat to humanity, but an additional chance for everyone to overcome today's terribly difficult time and terribly difficult period in the life of human civilization," he said. (Web editor: Meng Bin, Bianji) A Ryanair Boeing 737-8AS (flight number FR4978) is parked on Minsk International Airport's apron in Minsk, on May 23, 2021. - Belarusian opposition Telegram channel Nexta said Sunday its former editor and exiled opposition activist Roman Protasevich had been detained at Minsk airport after his Lithuania-bound flight made an emergency landing. Protasevich was travelling aboard a Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius, which made an emergency landing following a bomb scare, TASS news agency reported citing the press service of Minsk airport. "The plane was checked, no bomb was found and all passengers were sent for another security search," Nexta said. "Among them was... Nexta journalist Roman Protasevich. He was detained." (-/AFP via Getty Images) A cyclone, known as Jobo, made landfall near Dar es Salaam in late April. By this point it had weakened to a tropical depression and impacts were, thankfully, minimal. Land-falling tropical cyclones are rare in Tanzania so past events are outside the memory of most. It had even been suggested that Cyclone Kenneth, which occurred in 2019, was the first tropical cyclone to make landfall in Tanzania . The largest impacts of cyclone Kenneth were felt further south where at least 38 lives were lost and almost 35,000 homes were damaged or destroyed . However, we recently published research which recounts the events of two tropical cyclones which made land-fall in Tanzania, in 1872 and 1952. Using eyewitness accounts from news articles , the British Online Archives and meteorological observations, we show what a devastating impact these storms had. We hope that by documenting these cyclones in Tanzania, it will encourage further investigation into the drivers of tropical cyclones in the southwest Indian Ocean which, to date, have received little research attention. Our concern is that, with a changing climate, these events could become more intense. Rare cyclones Tropical cyclones also known as hurricanes in the Atlantic and typhoons in the Pacific typically form over the ocean when the sea surface temperature is at least 26.5C and where there is a sufficiently strong Coriolis effect. The Coriolis effect arises because of the earth's spin around its axis. It drives the circular rotation of winds in a cyclone . Countries closer to the equator, north of Tanzania, won't experience tropical cyclones directly. The Coriolis effect is too weak to sustain them, though there can be complex indirect effects of tropical cyclones occurring further south. This can range from delaying onset of rainy seasons, as with Cyclone Idai in 2019 , to actually increasing the chance of heavy rainfall, as with cyclones during 2018 . Around Tanzania, tropical cyclones are rare, but they've happened before. In 1872 and 1952 the country was hit by devastating cyclones that made landfall in the far north and south respectively. Meteorological records of these events are limited, but there are eyewitness accounts which provide interesting and important information on tropical cyclones along the coast of Tanzania. In 1872, a tropical cyclone tracked across Zanzibar and Bagamoyo, a town to the north of Dar es Salaam. The storm destroyed all of the Sultan's boats in Zanzibar harbour, the Catholic Mission Hospital at Bagamoyo, and two thirds of coconut and clove crops on Zanzibar. Effects of the cyclone at Zanzibar, Tanzania, from a sketch by Henn, illustration from the magazine The Illustrated London News, volume LX, June 1, 1872. DEA / BIBLIOTECA AMBROSIANA / Contributor/GettyImages An eye-witness account from Zanzibar describes how his window shutters were blasted open as torrents of water swept in. It was salt water and sand carried by the hurricane. In 1952 another cyclone hit , this time further south, over Lindi. This was reported by the East African Meteorological Department. It caused over US$100 million of damage in today's terms. This included half the buildings in Lindi losing their roof. An account by a ship captain caught in the storm says there were gusts of well-nigh indescribable fury with limited visibility to about 20 metres. There are concerns that changes in the weather could make these events even more intense. More intense? With the warming of sea surface temperatures, especially the rapidly warming Indian Ocean, intense cyclones are expected to become more prevalent. Read more: Southern Africa must brace itself for more tropical cyclones in future With rising sea levels, storm surges (resulting from the strong winds of cyclones) will cause more wide spread damage. Once-a-century extreme sea-level events, which can result from these storm surges, could strike the East African coastline every year by 2050. In addition, as the air over the ocean warms, more moisture can be transported with storms such as tropical cyclones, driving an increase in maximum rainfall intensity. Forecasting Once a cyclone is on its way, there is no changing where it will hit, nor how it could intensify, but we can see it coming and take precautions to greatly reduce the harm that it does. With satellite imagery and modern weather forecasting, cyclones are often observed many days in advance of landfall. Even before a cyclone is present there are activities which can either increase or decrease the ability of locations to cope with impacts. For example, the destruction of mangroves decreases the natural protection against ocean storm surges. The severity of past events should give impetus to build knowledge of the potential impacts of extreme weather amongst decision-makers, disaster management authorities and the general public. Dr Caroline Wainwright (Post-Doctoral Research Assistant, University of Reading) and Dr Sam Hardy (Research Fellow, University of Leeds) contributed to the research in this article. Declan Finney works for the University of Edinburgh. He previously received funding from the Natural Environment Research Council. Hellen Msemo receives funding from the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) African SWIFT Project (NE/P021077/1). She is also affiliated with Tanzania Meteorological Authority John Marsham receives funding from the Natural Environment Research Council, the Weather and Climate Science for Service Partnership Programme, the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office and UK Research and Innovation as part of the Global Challenges Research Fund. He is Met Office joint chair at the University of Leeds, a position part funded by the Met Office. By Declan Finney, Project Manager of Climate Research, University of Edinburgh And Hellen Msemo, PhD candidate, University of Leeds And John Marsham, Academic Research Fellow, Institute for Climate and Atmospheric Science (ICAS), University of Leeds Listen to article Men will wrangle for religion, write for it, fight for it and die for it-anything but live for it Charles Colton If you go to heaven without being naturally qualified for it, you will not enjoy yourself there Bernard Shaw Billawin the past few years, I have consistently maintained that I shall not write to you anything associated with religion or anything with the semblance of it. The reason, as you are already aware, is grounded on the fact that, I consider religion to be so numinous and a thing sacred that any attempt to ascribe meanings to it according to our human understanding is to light up our emotional embers of prejudice and self-serving bias. This, to a larger extend, and without more, could potentially throw the whole country into an irretrievable enclave of religious conflict as we see in other countries ,with a consequential effect of bringing the entire nation to a standstill. It is for this reason that I refused to comment. It is for this reason that I refused to write. The above firm conviction notwithstanding, the saying that it is cowardice to admit silence in the face of any real or preponderance of injustice may appear to be true, and I agree without more. Yet, I shall not go into the nitty-gritty of the whole subject matter of contention and still present my case to the understanding of the ordinary man. I promise! DICRIMINATION IN GHANA: REAL OR IMAGINED? Be that as it may, happenings in our country in the last two weeks as regards religious tolerance and discrimination, as the two competing schools of thoughts elect to describe it, appear to be a disturbing trend that cannot be ignored without any comment. Indeed, the above development has drawn much public attention and opprobrium in the comity of nations that, hardly does one listens to a news bulletin without the mentioning of Religious Discrimination. Slowly without notice, this sad development is sinking our image to the foreign investors as we seek to play our usual political games out of the nuances of the pettiness of pedestrian political propaganda while allowing the root causes to spread further. Unfortunately, the media fraternity has not also helped matters as it gives it some undue attention, heightening emotional tensions through the boisterous buffoonery of call-in and studio discussions on the subject matter. To all intents and purposes, it was unnecessary, as it was needless and pointless, and indeed, to the very core, untenable to say the least. It cannot be gainsaid that religious discrimination exists in our country. There is no any aspect of human existence that does not admit of discrimination. As provided for under article 17 (3) of the constitution, 1992, to discriminate here means to give different treatment to different persons attributably only or mainly to their respective descriptions by race, place of origin, political opinion, colour, gender, occupation, religion or creed.. It is therefore tenable to argue that, in our daily interactions with others, we consciously or unconsciously demonstrate our level of discrimination in our work places or when expressing our political thoughts, and indeed, even in our homes we do so through gender roles. Whether by reason of where we come from or our colour as a people, we are likely to find discrimination. Whether by reason of the religion we profess and practice or by reason of our tribal identity, there is the likelihood of discrimination. Sadly, like all other discriminations, we feel reluctant to express their existence as they happen, or more accurately perhaps, feign ignorance of their existence. Are we hypocrites or cowards? Maybe a combination of both! So you see, I have demonstrated beyond any reasonable doubt that discrimination, whatever form we may want to present it, whether real or imagined, does indeed exists in Ghana and that its existence is largely our own making, an offspring of our conduct. The media cacophony cannot and should not be relied on in solving this issue. Neither will the adamant stands of the two competing schools of thought in the battle of religious supremacy resolve the impasse. It requires more of a round table discussion than muscle flexing and show of egos! HYPOCRITES OR MORAL ZEALOTS? To admit that there is no discrimination in Ghana in whatever shape or form it may be presented is to admit that the ant is the father of the elephant. Sometimes, our sincere level of hypocrisy does not allow us to simple admit its existence. As submitted above, perhaps, even more than we could imagined, there are daily acts of discrimination in our homes and work places than religious discrimination or intolerance. This affects the victim in the same magnitude as it does through religious discrimination. What differentiates them is that, while we hold the consequential effects to be true in either case, we tend to ascribe undue emotional attachment to the latter, taking unyielding stands and justifying our nonsense, sometimes, with the little copycat knowledge in our possession as weapons, and in the worst case scenario, without any locus standi, completely ignorant and bereft of facts, we act more catholic than the pope. As Albert Einstein puts it We should take care not to make the intellect our god. It has powerful muscles but no personality This situation, if left unchecked, is perhaps, more devastating and inflammatory than the discriminatory act itself. ASSUMING GHANA WERE A TRADITIONAL STATE And indeed, Ghana was a traditional state before the coming into effect the foreign religions that we now hold in high esteem. This means that, once upon a time in Ghana, all our great grandfathers were traditional believers before the advent of Christianity and Islam. We cannot pretend to say we are unaware of this basic fact, as that will amount to denying ones identity and history. And it does not mean by reminding ourselves of this basic fact, we have no faith in our current religious status. It means we have grown to a stage in history where we should tolerate the choices others make as regards their faith. Truth be told, there is no known religion in the world that teaches hatred and discrimination, these are our own inventions t claim some undeserved religious supremacy This does not make much sense, and indeed, to a larger extent, amounts to infantile nonsense. Be that as it may, equally assume that by natural providence, your parents were Christians/Muslims, would you have had the moral effrontery to condemn the acts of Christianity/Islam as the case may be? As Ethel Watts puts it God gives us our relatives, but thank God we can choose our friends. We do not decide whether or not our parents should be Christians/Muslim, and the fact that you were born a Christian/Muslim does not give you the unfettered right and license to misbehave. Lets not dwell ourselves on matters that are inconsequential. We have a nation to fix, lets be focused. Indeed, faith is too special a thing to be left to the determination of another man.It is a thing so unique. It is a thing sui generis. A PEEP INTO THE 1992 CONSTITUTION Knowing the effects of discrimination to the development of a nation, taken into account the cultural practices of the people of Ghana, realizing the different sects of religions in the country and their volatility, desirous of building a formidable nation together for our unborn children and reaffirming our collective interest of fostering unity; and in choosing for ourselves a sovereign state, we the people of Ghana have criminalized any act of discrimination in our constitution, 1992. Under article 17 (2) of the constitution, 1992, it stipulates that a person shall not be discriminated against on grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnic origin, religion, creed or social or economic status. To discriminate under article 17 (3) means to give different treatment to different people attributable only or mainly to their respective description by race, place of origin, political opinion, colour, gender, occupation, religion or creed It is instructive to note that, the letter and spirit attached to these constitutional provisions are very much alive and valid at the time that the constitution was promulgated and perhaps, more relevant now than ever in our relentless efforts and quest to securing for ourselves, a nation free of discrimination. Consequently, no person or authority or head of any public institution whatsoever, is clothed with the powers to make any law that will seek to discriminate against any person or group of persons on religious grounds. Any law or rule made in such a manner is definitely not within the contemplation of article 11 of the constitution, which provides for the sources of laws in Ghana. Indeed, the supremacy of the constitution,1992 as espoused in article 1(2) of the constitution demands that such, rules be deemed null and void and of no legal effect whatsoever. Thus, any law found to be inconsistent with any provision of the constitution shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be declared null and void. Furthermore, article 17(1) makes all persons equal before the law. Equality before the law presupposes that a person shall not be treated differently from others in similar circumstances on grounds of his religious beliefs. It is tenable to argue that, the rules passed by Achimota SHS and that of Methodist Girls SHS are not, and cannot be more supreme than the constitution of Ghana. This explains why most constitutional law students are more likely to agree than to argue that, the decision to deny a student admission and to prevent others from practicing their religion is not justiciable and indeed, legally defective. Listen to article The present foreign loans are working against Africa. If we were crawling from the past four centuries with African technology, we would be better than where we are today. The point of the Acceptance Commission is transparency and the economic benefit of loans rather than personal favors to negotiators. Those that are competent and skillful in managing financial transactions must not be influenced by kickbacks but subjected to viability of projects. Africans are honest, dedicated and modest when placed in intercontinental and Trans-African positions outside their own country. It may be hard to believe that if some of the same folks are placed in responsible positions at home, they become looters. It boils down to the fact that they realize they are being watched and would lose prestigious positions if caught with their hands in the cookie jar in a different (sometimes hostile) environment. Indeed, those Africans that were suspected of wrongdoing and watched for any misstep came out clean after a probe. Koffi Annan as UN Secretary General and Akinwumi Adesina as the President of African Development Bank were exonerated of suspicious activities. So it is a relief that Africa has produced men and women of impeccable characters for inter-country and international offices in health, law and business. The crooks among Africans have not lived up to or been denied reputable positions outside their home countries. One of Kwame Nkrumah's ideas was a unified African voice to reject the disadvantageous divide and unfair trade tactics of the outside world. It was Cocoa that Nkrumah tried to use in order to break price dictation by Western consumers; not only by cooperation of African countries but world cocoa producers. They capitulated and let short term pain of the Cocoa Embargo cloud their long term gain to the disappointment of Nkrumah. Though the Cocoa Embargo failed earlier, the 1972 Arab Oil Embargo worked later and turned oil producers into rich countries on the long run; except African countries that wasted the Oil Embargo windfall profit on individual personal aggrandizement. One country actually used the oil income to buy the worst abject poverty in the world. Unified action against exploitation of resources and manpower does not mean surrender of sovereignty. If there is anything to learn from Africa's failure to implement development, take care of their people with earned income from natural resources; it is the misuse of foreign loans. African countries so far send their skilled personnel to intercontinental and African Union. There are also international bodies that evaluate the efficacy of international loans, assistance and aids. There is no reason we cannot have the same bodies in Africa Union, even as a transparent advisory body to expose the realities, conditions and terms of each of these loans. There is a general fact that Africa is still hemorrhaging resources and income. The solutions for blocking most avenues of loss must come from different angles. Some of those abetting and encouraging the bleeding will present themselves as problem solvers are looking for loopholes to sabotage the system. Otherwise, these problems could have been solved years ago. If anything, Africa has been getting poorer and financial problems getting worse. Some have given up claiming crooked Africans are deft in exploring loopholes. While it is true that some lenders forgave some debts of the poorest African countries recently, the relatively wealthy countries with attractive natural resources were left out since they have the means to pay back. Though most of them cannot demonstrate the initial projects the loans were used for. This is facetious because lenders have other interests when African countries default. See Easier To Capture With Loans Than Guns. While Presidents have claimed they are using these loans for projects that will pay for itself expeditiously, we are aware that some Asian countries and China specifically have taken over projects in East Africa in lieu of payments like the repossession of family house or car. This is not only embarrassing, it spells the takeover of African land gradually by outside forces that will use it for their self interest. The benefits of loans are the same for families, countries and businesses. Generally, we use loans on projects that appreciate in value to benefit us. A family uses a loan to get a car and buy a house. The car enables you to get to work and make money to feed and house the members. A country can obtain loans for infrastructure that enable citizens to be more productive generating income that can be used to pay back. The same is true of businesses that rely on "other people's money" to generate income, expand to meet demands, employ workers and pay back. African leaders know this. Savings should be used for personal vanities not loans. African countries put their population in jeopardy when they use loans for vanities and pay inflated salaries to live like those they borrow from without comparable productivity or GDP. The way these loans are piling up on African countries, lenders that dictate the terms of repayment will become the major players in Africa's economic future the same way they did during Slave Trade. It is not different from the ways loans are personalized for individuals. Even the loan forgiveness does not come with nothing in return. How well are returned African loots laundered abroad utilized? We have cases of African looted funds that have been returned to home countries, only to be re-looted by those waiting to collect. Those handing back stolen funds to the Government after taking out high legal and administrative fees know that they would be re-looted. Foreign loan has become the Trojan horse in African countries. Most of these loans are Odious Loans since the lenders and the Africans enter into negotiations in bad faith knowing full well that the debtors have no intention or means of paying back. When our African leaders are invited to European, Asian or America Regional Economic Summit; they go cap in hand begging for debt relief. Imagine the face of lenders when looters beg for relief of stolen funds! Farouk Martins Aresa @oomoaresa Adansiman Progressive Association APA, a group aimed at bringing back development to Adansi is worried over the current state of water bodies in Adansi. After a joint investigation with the Police, the group has come out with a shocking revelation which indicates that, the President of the Adansi traditional council, Opegya Kotwere Bonsrah Afriyie, is involved in illegal mining in Adansi and as a result has caused a massive damage to water bodies within the Adansi enclave. On the 4th of May 2021, the group met the press in Obuasi to discuss how to join hands together with them nip the menace in the bud. In an engagement with Media General, the President of the group, James Addai said when the act started, they went to the Minerals commission to find out who has been given permission to mine within Adansi but only two individuals' names were mentioned. He said they picked an intelligence which led them to an illegal mining site at Hwremoase on March 22 ,2021 and arrested a Chinese and Ghanaian Nationals who were both illegal miners, one of the accused who is a Ghanaian told the Police that, one Lawyer Mary Nsiah Asare, owns the site. The group made a follow up by meeting the said lawyer but surprisingly she told the Obuasi divisional police command together with the group that, the site belongs to the President of the Adansi traditional Council Opegya Kotwere Bonsrah Afriyie. (Adansi hene) The group is therefore calling on the government and the overlord of the Ashanti Kingdom Otumfour Osei Tutu II, to step in and stop the Adansihene from his illegal mining activities within the Adansi. OBUASI DIVISIONAL POLICE COMMANDER The Obuasi Divisional Police Commander, Supt. Joseph Nyaaba, in an engagement with Media General confirmed that, an arrest was made on the 22nd March 2021 but the District Chief Executive for Adansi Asokwa , Hon Andrew Adu Boahen called him to release the arrested persons because the site is a community mining site which is a genuinely licenced site owned by Lawyer Mary Nsiah Asare, so they heeded to what the DCE said. AN AFFECTED FARMER In an exclusive interview with Nuamah Bernard a University graduate who is also a farmer, he alleged that his farm was destroyed by illegal mining by the Adansihene. He confirmed to Media general's Nana Yaw Opoku that, the President of the Adanse Traditional Council Opegya Kotwere Bonsrah Afiyie is involved in illegal mining, he stressed that, if Adansihene is not involved in illegal mining he would not have sent his delegation led by the Twafo Hene Nana Okyere Boahantan to compensate him (Nuamah), after his oil palm farm was destroyed. THE ASSEMBLY MEMBER FOR THE AREA Finally, the Assembly member for the Hweremoase electoral area Hon. Thomas Amoako confirmed to media general that per his investigation, pictures and the personalities involved tell it all that Opegya Kotwere Bonsrah Afiyie, the president of the Adanse traditional council is involved in illegal mining popularly known as Galamsey. The victim, the assembly member, APA, together with some residents are appealing to the overlord of the Ashanti Kingdom to intervene before something terrible happens. Story by Nana Yaw Opoku (Media General Correspondent, Obuasi) Chronic diseases account for 94, 000 preventable deaths annually. This figure represents approximately 43% of all deaths in Ghana and 71% of all deaths worldwide. This situation has become a cause of concern for the Society of Family Physicians of Ghana (SOFPOG). The family Doctors, who celebrated the World Family Doctor Day on 19th May, 2021 believe they can be very instrumental in preventing these deaths when given the right support. A Statement signed by the Organizing Secretary of SOFPOG; Dr. Fred Bedzrah explained that the support they seek include scholarships, logistical support for training and incentives for family physicians who serve in deprived areas. "We are also calling on doctors on stakeholders to consider adding a family medicine rotation to the housemanship period" the statement said. This year's Family Doctor Day, held at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi was on the theme: Building the Future with Family Doctors in the management of Chronic Medical Conditions. President of SOFPOG; Dr. Emmanuel Ati expressed concern about the inadequate number of family physicians in Ghana and feared the country's healthcare delivery will suffer if nothing is done to shore up the numbers and ensure that family Doctors are placed in district hospitals throughout the country. Presidential Advisor on Health; Dr. Anthony Nsiah Asare observed that Family Physicians have been trained to be the gatekeepers of healthcare delivery, "providing healthcare from cradle to grave" and explained that they possess the skills to adequately identify and manage chronic medical condition as early as possible while coordinating care and instituting prevention measures for the individual, family and the community. He also noted the government's commitment to attaining the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and SDG by 2030 and explained that family Doctors have a significant role to play. He advised Family Physicians to focus more on promoting and ensuring effective communication with their clients. "You should engage your patients and their families by taking time to ensure that they understand their diagnosis, treatment, and medication plans" he advised. Please read SOFPOG's press statement below: PRESS STATEMENT BUILDING THE FUTURE WITH FAMILY DOCTORS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC MEDICAL CONDITIONS The Society of Family Physicians of Ghana (SOFPOG) which is a member of the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA) celebrates The World Family Doctor Day every year on May 19. This important day was set aside in 2010 by WONCA to highlight the role and contributions of family doctors in health care systems globally. WFDD is the perfect opportunity to acknowledge the central role of Family Doctors in the delivery of personal, comprehensive and continuing health care for all patients. Its also a chance to celebrate the progress being made in family medicine and the special contributions of primary care teams globally. The theme for this years World Family Doctor Day celebration is: BUILDING THE FUTURE WITH FAMILY DOCTORS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC MEDICAL CONDITIONS This theme was chosen to align with the theme by WONCA, BUILDING THE FUTURE WITH FAMILY DOCTORS. According to the World Health Organization, Chronic diseases are estimated to account for 71% of all deaths globally. Numerically, this translates to approximately 41 million deaths annually, with 15million of these deaths occurring in people aged 30 69 years. Unfortunately, 85% of these deaths occurs in low- and middle-income countries like Ghana. In Ghana, current data indicates that chronic diseases account for 94,000 preventable deaths annually (approximately 43% of all death in Ghana). These chronic medical conditions include cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma) and diabetes. Chronic diseases affect an individuals health over a long period of time and as such, there is the need to build a health system that addresses the health challenges of individuals living with these conditions to enable them live life to the fullest. These challenges include the shock, grief and helplessness felt after an initial diagnosis is made, chronic unbearable pain, time commitment for treatment regimen, lifestyle changes, the burden of care for both the affected individual and the family, high cost of treatment modalities and the health system environment that can at times be very depressive for these individuals. Therefore, the care of individuals with chronic conditions requires a model of care that provides higher quality chronic illness management within primary care. Key in the long-term management of these patients at the primary care level is the herculean task of providing self-management training and support services. Such services development requires the individual to be informed, activated and empowered to play key roles in managing their own health. Furthermore, primary care services organize and mobilize internal and community help resources that teach skills needed to carry out medical regimens, guide health behavior change, and provide emotional support for these patients and again ensuring that these self-management and support services run a continuous course. Primary care services do not only provide first contact care but also provide continuous, comprehensive, coordinated, and collaborative care, which is patient-centered and community-oriented leading to the establishment of a trusting doctor-patient relationship over time. At the heart of the provision of these services are skillfully trained, knowledgeable, patient-centered and community-oriented Family Physicians, who employ evidence-based decision support systems in the early detection, screening, treatment and palliation of these chronic conditions. Family Physicians are trained to redesign the health delivery system to suit the care of these chronic conditions through the creation of practice teams with clearly defined role, regular and proactive planned visits that incorporate patient goals and the provision of the care that the patients understand and that agree with their cultural backgrounds. With our position as a gatekeeper in the healthcare system, family practice enables cost effective healthcare with standard quality to all patients. This is why we are calling on all to build the future of healthcare with us especially in dealing with the increasing burden of chronic medical conditions worldwide. SOFPOG is therefore calling on government, NGOs, corporate bodies and other stakeholders to support the training of family physicians in Ghana. This support can be provided through scholarships, provisions of logistics for training and incentives for family physicians who serve in deprived areas. We are also calling on doctors on stakeholders to consider adding a family medicine rotation to the housemanship period. This will enable newly qualified medical officers practicing in primary care to be better able to deal with the unique set of challenges that come with the terrain and also whip up their interest in the field of family medicine. Listen to article Managing Editor of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Abdul-Malik Kwaku-Baako Jnr., says it is unreasonable for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), to boycott the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meetings. He maintains the partys decision is not only unsustainable but also wrong-headed. It's an exercise in futility. That decision is wrong-headed. It has no sustainable effect. They cannot sustain it, he said on Newsfile. Mr. Baakos assertions follow the NDCs move to propose its own electoral reforms after the rejection of the Electoral Commissions proposals at a recent post-election 2020 IPAC review workshop. The largest opposition party which has boycotted all IPAC meetings after the 2020 election, has said it does not agree with the ECs resolutions because they will lead to serious electoral challenges. However, the veteran journalist made reference to minutes of a 1995 IPAC meeting where the NDC reversed its decision after boycotting the Committees sittings and predicted a similar u-turn in the days ahead. There are precedents for thatI can see in my mind's eye, they reviewing that decision and going to IPAC, they have done it before in 1995. You will be amazed that at the end of the day, they are able to work together, and I am saying the same thing is going to happen, Mr. Baako added. IPAC has made 16 resolutions aimed at improving subsequent elections in the country. These resolutions include the change of the closing of polls from 5:00 pm to 3:00 pm. It also agreed that the voter registration exercise is made all year-round for persons who are eligible to vote to register. But Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, the Director of Elections of the NDC, has said these plans are mind-boggling. Concerning the review of the time for closing the polls, he said, NDC finds the proposal by the Jean Mensah-led EC to change the closing time of polls from 5:00 pm to 3:00 pm in 2024 baffling. On having an all-round voter registration exercise, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah said it will be untenable to have political party agents stationed at the various EC offices all the time to monitor the registration of new voters. ---citinewsroom Listen to article Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Atta, says the second term of the Akufo-Addo government will complete 20 interchanges nationwide by the end of 2024. This will be out of the 25 interchanges expected to be constructed by the Akufo-Addo and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration. Mark me down, by 2024, 20 interchanges will likely be completed, Mr. Amoako-Atta announced at a media engagement on Sunday, May 23, 2021. According to the Minister, the initiative when completed and achieved, will be an unprecedented feat in the countrys political history. By the end of our second term, 20 interchanges in our country would have been built, we have estimated 25, but we are convinced and sure, and we know what we are aboutbecause we have programmed whatever we are doing, and we would have had about 25 interchanges in our country. This has never happened in any administration since independence, the Roads Minister assured. In the meantime, the Pokuase Interchange in Accra is expected to be fully opened to traffic in the first week of July 2021. The four-tier interchange project was originally scheduled to be completed in October last year, and later changed to March this year. ---citinewsroom The Minister said President Akufo-Addo is expected to commission the project to help ease traffic congestion on the Accra-Nsawam Highway. Former Managing Director of the Daily Graphic, Mr Ken Ashigbey has lauded the actions taken against the assault on the two journalists with Citi FM, Caleb Kudah and Zoe Abu Baidoo. He however indicated that similar action should be extended to journalists who have been attacked by the National Security operatives notably the arrest, assault and torture of the ModernGhana journalists two years ago. Mr Ashigbey added that several other journalists are being attacked by state security officers and these individuals must also get justice. Mr Ashigbey recounted on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday May 22 that when he was at the Daily Graphic, one of his reporters was attacked in Ho in the line of his duty and has since lost his hearing. He also mentioned the assault on a journalist with the Multimedia Group and a few others and demanded immediate actions to be taken. It is important that we dont make this only about Caleb and Zoe, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications told host Abena Tabi, while welcoming the move by the National Security Minister Albert Kan Dapaah on the attacks on Caleb and Zoe. He added It is about ensuring that all the wrongs that have been done not just by national security but also by other security forces. What about the journalist with Multimedia who was beaten at the Police headquarters that has not been resolved? I remember when I was at Graphic one of my reporters was beaten in Ho. Till date he has lost his hearing. This is also not only about journalists, other civilians who have also been assaulted. This should be the point of reflection where nobody again will be maltreated. The Ministry of National Security has completed its investigations into the recent alleged assault on Citi FM journalist Caleb Kudah. According to Kan Dapaah, who issued a statement dated Thursday, May 20, 2021, the conduct of Lieutenant Colonel Frank Agyeman and some police officers on the said day was inappropriate and contravened the Ministrys standard operating procedures Among the action taken by the Ministry are the reversal of the secondment of Lt Col. Agyeman as Director of Operations and the withdrawal of three police officers as operatives. Lt. Col. Agyeman is to report to the Chief of Defense Staff for further investigation and appropriate action while the police officers are to report to the Ghana Police Service for investigations and disciplinary action. ---with files from 3news.com Sheikh I.C. Quaye, the Chairman of the Ghana Hajj Board has disclosed that the board is yet to receive official participation of Ghanaian Pilgrims for the 2021 Hajj in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. However, according to him, the Ghana Hajj Board has received visa requirements from the government of Saudi Arabia, which prescribed the COVID-19 vaccine as a pre-requisite for obtaining a visa before one can travel to Mecca. "Ghanaian pilgrims who are able to fulfill and show proof of two jabs of COVID-19 vaccines are qualified to embark on Hajj this year because this is one of the requirements that Saudi Arabia has requested for. Having fulfilled the requirements there is also a need for confirmation by the Saudi Arabia government about the quota," he said. He further noted "Saudi Arabia will have to actually tell the whole world, Ghana your quota stands at 1,000 or 2,000 or more, which needed to be added to whatever we do in Ghana. Those two things, having fulfilled the requirements and having received the quota Saudi Arabia then we can carry the pilgrims who paid in 2020 to embark on the journey to Hajj". "As it stands now, I cannot ascertain for the fact that, in spite of everything that pilgrims will embark on Hajj this year. Because Saudi Arabia itself is not certain about whether there will be Hajj or not. Until they are satisfied, that from all over the world, we are not going there with Coronavirus and we are not leaving there with Coronavirus", Sheikh I.C. Quaye explained. Sheikh I.C. Quaye assured that the board will continue to monitor communications from the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah Affairs, Saudi Arabia, and update accordingly. Setting the records straight on rumours that the board has collected money for 2021 Hajj, he responded that no money has been paid to the board this year. "We never collected money before 2020 and after 2020. There was a time limit for payment in 2020 which we acted upon. Pilgrims pay through an agent so if you have paid to your agent for Hajj 2021, you deal with your agent for a refund because the board has not collected any money for Hajj 2021". Meanwhile, a joint communique signed by the Hajj Board and Ghana Hajj Agents Association on May 22, 2021, at Hajj Village in Accra, stated that the majority of Ghanaian pilgrims who have paid (since 2020), to perform Hajj, have not had their first Covid-19 vaccine jab. "Given that all visitors to Saudi Arabia, need to have received both inoculations of the coronavirus vaccine, and given that there must be an 8-week gap between inoculations, the time constraints clearly make it difficult for Ghanaian pilgrims to comply with the directives from Saudi Arabia", the communique stated. The communique also added that both parties have collectively resolved that, in case there is no Hajj (due to the delay in the Saudi Governments timeous announcement of the performance of Hajj 2021); it is their considered view, that Ghanaian pilgrims will be disadvantaged from participating in this year's Hajj. The Hajj Board will ensure, in the event that there is no Hajj this year, to refund all monies paid by Pilgrims in full -- for those who request a refund of their monies. The Strategic Thinkers Network Africa (Stranek-Africa) has raised concerns over governments decision to re-registration SIM Cards to curb electoral money fraud. The Vice President of Ghana, H.E Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia at the 5th CEO Summit in Accra this month said the Minister for Communication and Digitization will announce re-registration of all Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards in use in Ghana as part of measures to help in the formalization of the Ghanaian economy with the aim of helping curb activities such as SIM box and Mobile Money Fraud. In a press statement, STRANEK-Africa signed by Executive Director Nii Tettey Tetteh is accusing the Vice President of using the re-registration of SIM cards to justify the existence of the Ghana Card. According to the Civil Society Organisation, the comments from the Vice President of Ghana are erroneous so far as the fight against SIM box and Mobile Money Fraud is concerned. This is because the benefit for re-registration of SIMs will be very infinitesimal and rather, cause more challenges to users of mobile money services, mobile network operators including incoming travelers who require a sim card without a national ID, huge cost to the mobile network operators, toll on customers among others." It continued, Also, mobile money vendors are the hardest hit in terms of the electronic money fraud hence re-registration of SIM cards does not substantially alleviate them from the snares of the fraud. STRANEK-Africa recommends that instead of re-registration of SIMs, the government should urge mobile network operators to do more sensitization to the public on electoral money fraud and campaign vigorously against such menace. Read the full press release from STRANEK-Africa below: 23.05.2021 For immediate release: RE-REGISTRATION OF SIM CARDS TO FIGHT ELECTRONIC MONEY FRAUD ERRONEOUS- STRANEK-AFRICA Mobile money has come to stay since most of our transaction are done through that. It was introduced in the year 2009 but it took a while to gain traction. Almost every Ghanaian has a mobile money account because of its convenience. Even though it is boosting the economy and shortening the long stay in the banks, it has also manueveured its way to attract electoral money fraud. The Vice President of Ghana, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia said the Minister for Communication and Digitization will announce re-registration of all Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards in use in Ghana as part of measures to help in the formalization of the Ghanaian economy with the aim of helping curb activities such as SIM box and Mobile Money Fraud. He mentioned this at the 5th CEO Summit in Accra. He added, Ghana Card will be used for the re-registration of all SIM numbers and a six-month grace period has been earmarked for this project. The question is, how realistic is this project considering the grace period in the era of the pandemic as well as capital expenditure and administrative costs? STRANEK-Africa acknowledges how the Vice President of Ghana is doing so well to justify the existence of the Ghana Card but these comments from the Vice President of Ghana are erroneous so far as the fight against SIM box and Mobile Money Fraud is concerned. This is because the benefit for re-registration of SIMs will be very infinitesimal and rather, cause more challenges to users of mobile money services, mobile network operators including incoming travellers who require a sim card without a national ID, huge cost to the mobile network operators, toll on customers among others. Also, mobile money vendors are the hardest hit in terms of the electronic money fraud hence re-registration of SIM cards does not substantially alleviate them from the snares of the fraud. STRANEK-Africa has for aeons, fervently championed for Ghana Card to be done properly in order to achieve its purpose of better identification. It is trite knowledge the challenges Ghana Card registration has gone through to wit, approximately 55% of Ghanas population have registered including some registrants providing false information which is not verified by the National Identification Authority. Moreover, there is no data to monitor changes of the residency of people who engage in electoral money fraud with the use of the Ghana Card. Government can mimic what other jurisdictions in their struggle against such similar issues did to mitigate it. In the United States of America, modern monitoring systems were provided in addition to hiring more people to ensure issues in that gamut are curbed. Mobile network operators should be urged to spend bigly on tools that can detect cyber fraud and check it as well as hiring personnel as part of investing in modern monitoring systems. Instead of re-registration of SIMs, STRANEK-Africa have realised that if government urges mobile network operators to do more sensitization to the public on electoral money fraud and campaign vigorously against such menace, good testimonies will emanate from adopting such approach. Also, mobile network operators are delivering poor services and it will be prudent for the ministry of communication and government to focus on ensuring network quality instead of re-registration. Indeed, we should all get involved in building our motherland Ghana. Signed. Nii Tettey Tetteh Executive Director +233 559 042 914 Eyram Norglo Deputy Director of Research +233 266 119 773 Friends of Latifa, a group which has demanded her release and helped leak the videos in February, told the broadcaster, We confirm that there have been several potentially significant and positive developments in the campaign. We do not intend to comment further at this stage, a further statement will be issued at the appropriate time. The Pokuase Interchange in Accra is expected to be fully opened to traffic in the first week of July this year. The four-tier interchange project was originally scheduled to be completed in October 2020, but that later changed to March this year. Speaking to journalists in Accra, the Minister for Roads and Highway, Kwasi Amoako-Attah, said President Akufo Addo is expected to commission the project to help ease traffic congestion on the Accra Nsawam Highway. God willing, in the first week in July, the President will officially commission the Pokuase interchange. It would have been brought to a total and full competition. This is the project that was started from scratch by President-Akufo Addos government. This interchange will be opened in full to traffic in the first of July, he said. Meanwhile, the government says it is looking forward to completing 20 interchange projects nationwide by the end of its second term in 2024. Mark me down, by 2024, 20 iinterchanges are likely be completed, Mr. Amoako-Atta announced. According to the Minister, the plan, when achieved will be an unprecedented feat in the country's history. By the end of our second term, 20 interchanges in our country would have been built. We have estimated 25 but, we are convinced and sure, and we know what we are aboutbecause we have programmed whatever we are doing, and we would have had about 25 interchanges in our country. This has never happened in any administration since independence, the Roads Minister stated. ---citinewsroom A nine-year-old pupil of Norlivime Bishop Herman Basic School in the Keta Municipality of the Volta region has drowned in an abandoned pond within the Municipality. The incident which occurred at Goba-Futaga, a suburb of Keta, saw residents in the area in a state of shock and sorrow. The deceased, Elikplim Aborhor, a class one pupil, was playing with other colleagues when his slippers fell into the abandoned fish pond. Patience Awudie, mother of the deceased, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said her son in an attempt to remove his slippers, fell into the pond while his other colleagues looked on helplessly in an attempt to rescue him. She said the son died before other members of the community came to his rescue. She said the son's death was a shock because he left home after school to play with his colleagues. "I was told my son got drowned in an abandoned fish pond a few hours after he left home," she said. Madam Awudie said the abandoned fish pond was there for over three years. Mr Kordzo Aborhor, the father of the deceased, said, This pond must be covered with immediate effect." Madam Ruby Adukpo, the assemblywoman for the area, said the pond would be demolished to avert any future occurrence. She appealed to parents to be vigilant about the activities of their children. Relatives of the deceased appealed to the public to assist the Police with information leading to the death of the boy. The Keta Municipal Police Command confirmed the incident to the GNA. "Investigations are underway to establish the circumstances surrounding the death," the Police source said. The body of the deceased has since been deposited at the Keta Municipal hospital morgue pending postmortem. ---GNA The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has donated 2,000 pieces of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the Ghana Infectious Disease Centre to assist medical practitioners to safely and effectively discharge their duties. Acting Chief Director of the Foreign Ministry, Martha Pobee presented the boxes of PPEs to the Ghana Covid-19 Private Sector Fund, at the Ministrys premises in Accra on 20 May, 2021. Presenting the donation, Madam Martha Pobee said: This is, once again, another opportunity for us to show the collaboration that we have [with the Covid-19 Private Sector Fund] in the fight against this pandemic. Also for the Ministry it is always with a sense of joy and pride that we are able to contribute in our own way to the great work being done at the national level. Managing Trustee of the Ghana Covid-19 Private Sector Fund, Senyo Hosi who received the donations said that the Foreign Ministry has shown leadership in helping to galvanize support to combat the pandemic. I think outside the Ministry of Health, you have really shown a lot more responsibility and leadership in this fight and our partnership has been phenomenal, Mr. Hosi said. I want to say a big thank you on behalf of my trustees and my chair of the technical committee for this fantastic support we have got from the ministry. We are in this together and we are all going to survive it together. The Ghana Covid-19 Private Sector Fund which spearheaded the construction of the Ghana Infectious Disease Centre also previously received over $59,000 from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, raised in collaboration with two of Ghanas missions in the United States. The cash donation has since been used to set up a maintenance fund for the GIDC in Accra, according to Mr. Hosi. The Anti-galamsey military task force (Operation Halt) has reportedly returned to the mining site of the ruling New Patriotic Party, Womens Organizer for the third time to burn a generator plant and a wooden office structure at the mining site. The military also assaulted security men on duty. They returned on Saturday, sprinkled patrol on the generator plant, and around our office facility and set fire into them. They burnt everything in the room including the Television set, DSTV decoder and our personal belongings, Nana Asante Boadi Yeboah Secretary at the mining site told Starr News. He said, the security men were deployed by the Company to protect the site so people dont come around to steal but they were beaten by the military with the butt of the rifles. Operation Halt taskforce on Sunday, May 16 2021, invaded the mining site of Kate Gyamfua at Akyem Pameng in Atew West District in the Eastern region and set ablaze eight excavators, a bulldozer and dozens of water pumping machines. Three of the burnt excavators and a bulldozer were brand new being used for reclamation. The military returned Monday, May 17, 2021, at about 4:00 pm to burn a faulty bulldozer that escaped their notice and large water pumping machines. So far a total of nine excavators, two bulldozers, five smaller generators, a generator plant, 150 small pumping machines, 250 gallons of diesel have been burnt, the office structure and other items have been destroyed. Management of Xtra Gold Ghana Mining company under whose concession Kate Gyamfua was mining in her capacity as General Manager, has maintained that it is not operating illegally, that, it has all valid documents to mine. However, the Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul, has explained that licensed mining companies will be treated as illegal miners if their activities pollute water bodies. What they did not know is that we are not touching the licenses. It is the illegalities we are touching. Our target was protecting water bodies and their tributaries, not your license. You can have a license but if you were destroying the water bodies, the soldiers were supposed to make sure that they take out the equipment that you were using. So soldiers were not out to inspect licences, the Minister explained at a press conference held in Accra on Wednesday, May 19, 2021. Mr. Nitiwul also defended the decision of the military to burn the mining equipment of miners operating illegally. According to him, it wasnt just the NPP executives company that had been affected by the work of the task force. Maybe because they [other mining companies] dont have a political voice, they were not making noise. But their equipment was destroyed as well, he emphasised. ---starrfm Military personnel who are members of the Operation Halt taskforce deployed to clamp down on illegal mining activities in the country, have allegedly raided a licensed small-scale mining company in the Atiwa West District of the Eastern Region, Xtra-Gold Mining Limited, and set ablaze a structure that serves as offices at the site. This is the third time military personnel have visited the company, which has the New Patriotic Partys National Womens Organizer, Kate Gyamfuah, as its General Manager. In their latest visit, the military personnel besieged the site and allegedly assaulted five private security guards employed by Madam Kate Gyamfua to protect the company, before setting the site ablaze. Some of the private security personnel shared their ordeal. They assaulted us without giving reasons. There was a soldier who was just assaulting us. They asked us to leave the site or face their wrath. They set the building ablaze after we left the site, one of the security men said. The soldiers stormed the site and set the office ablaze. The fire destroyed our plant, carpet and other items etc. Last week, military personnel stormed the site and burnt 16 excavators and a bulldozer. The company had said it views the development as a violation of the rule of law. It said despite paying big money in royalties and taxes to the government, it had its equipment destroyed. Currently, the Ghana Armed Forces has commenced the second phase of a security operation to fight illegal small-scale mining affecting water bodies and forest reserves. A statement from the Ministry of Information said the exercise, dubbed 'Operation Halt II', is aimed at removing all persons and logistics involved in mining on water bodies. The new phase of the operation focuses on the tributaries of the Pra River, which have also been significantly affected by the activities of illegal miners, the statement added. The Ghana Armed Forces has also commenced armed patrols on the Pra River. The operation is being undertaken by a little over 400 men of all ranks. ---citinewsroom The Police in Dambai with the help of some members of a Hunters Club in the area have rescued one Bube Manga who was kidnapped on May 5, 2021. The victim, who is 35 years old, lost his elder brother, 45-year-old Gariba Manga when the assailants attacked their cottage at Ankra Akura and abducted him. The Public Affairs Officer of the Oti Regional Police Command, Assistant Superintendent of Police, ASP John Nchor who corroborated the incident explained that Gariba was allegedly killed by the assailants. He later said in a statement that a Police-Public cooperation led to the rescue of Bube Manga on May 10 by members of the Hunters Club in the bush at Yariga No. 2, a community along the Dambai-Nkwanta Road network. The victim who looked pale and weak, was immediately sent to hospital for examination and treatment. During the rescue mission, three of the assailants suspected to have been involved in the kidnap of Bube and murder of Gariba were arrested. The suspects are; Issah Goma, 25, Mamari Osumanu, 51 and 30-year-old Seifu Malami alias Mario or lce Kenkey. A spent cartridge/shell, raincoats, improvised hood suspected to have been used by the kidnappers were recovered during the operation. The suspects were quickly arraigned before the Nkwanta District Court. The court remanded them into Police Custody to re-appear on June 3, 2021. ASP Nchor revealed that the accused persons allegedly demanded an amount of GH100,000.00 for the release of the kidnap victim. However, the tactical rescue operation foiled the payment of the ransom and saved the life of the victim who has so far responded well to treatment. He expressed gratitude to the public for providing actionable intelligence to the Police. He also commended the Hunters Club for the support rendered to the Police during the rescue mission and urged other members of the public to promptly alert the Police at all times. He assured them that all information provided will be treated with absolute confidentiality. ---DGN online Investigative Journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has welcomed the action taken by National Security against its officers in the assault of Citi FM journalist Caleb Kudah. However, making reference to the arrest, detention and torture of ModernGhana journalists two years ago, he said the sector minister must also act on it. Speaking on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday May 22, he said, We have heard a lot of people come out to say what they were taken through in the hands of the so-called national security operatives. And we remember the modern Ghana issue. National Security assured of a similar investigation but they didnt come out to tell us exactly what they found or what action they had taken." Mr Azure noted that the National Security Minister deserves some commendation in the manner and way he acted on Caleb Kudah's assault case. So if in this case the ministry has gone a step forward to investigate and told the public that their officers and operatives acted inappropriately, then they deserve some level of commendations to even admit, he stated. National Security Ministry has withdrawn three police officers involved in the attack on Citi News journalist, Caleb Kudah and the subsequent raid of Citi TV and Citi FM. The three are to face disciplinary action from the Ghana Police Service (GPS). It has also withdrawn the secondment of its Director of Operations, Lieutenant Colonel Frank Agyeman. A statement from the Ministry of National Security and signed by the sector minister, Kan Dapaah stated, The three (3) police officers involved have been withdrawn and are to report to the Ghana Police Service of investigation and disciplinary action, The statement added, The secondment of Lieutenant Colonel Frank Agyeman (Director of Operations) at the Ministry has been reversed. The officer is to report to the Chief of Defence for further investigations and appropriate action. The Ministry noted that the action by its operatives violated the Ministry's operating standards. This was concluded after the Ministry instituted an investigation into the assault. The National Security operatives arrested and assaulted Caleb Kudah after he filmed grounded MASLOC vehicles that were left to rot at the National Security Ministry car park. Gun-wielding operatives from the National Security subsequently raided Citi FM/TV in a Rambo-style to arrest Zoe Abu-Baidoo, a colleague of Caleb Kudah for receiving images and video files from him (Caleb Kudah). Listen to article Billaw.the corrosive effect of corruption in the development of nations has since been a notoriously sad affair and a subject of public concern among organized societies all over the world. This has led to a plethora of jumpy political debates on the subject matter to finding lasting solutions to its cure and or if possible, ameliorates its growing sense of notoriety and pomposity. Every government hates corruption. Whether in a military regime or a civilian government, at least, for so we are made to believe. Ironically and by the same taken, its the same government that births it, nurtures and grooms it into a canopy pathway to enrich all but the less privileged. In Ghana, history reminds us of the overthrow of governments mainly on grounds of corruption through revolutions, in what has been nick-named House Cleaning Exercise which culminated in the painful public execution of top brats government officials. We have heard horrible stories of how contracts are offered to in-laws, girl friends and classmates and how ghost-names find their way into our public payroll system. We have also heard stories of how state officials use public monies to make Kenkey parties and how monies were lavishly spent on Slay Queens and Kings with unfettered bravado at the expense of the tax payers. As to the veracity or otherwise of these stories, most of us believe them in the same magnitude as we disbelieve them. Fact is that there is corruption in Ghana remains conspicuously incontestable, no matter how any government of the day chooses to brand it. Fast forward, it is in view of the sad developments held supra that the midwives of the 4th Republican constitution,1992 speaking through article 35(8) states in clear terms that the state shall take steps to eradicate corrupt practices and the abuse of power. Consequently, the constitution further clothes the legislature under article 93 (2) with the legislative powers set out in seriatim under article 106 of the constitution, 1992 to make laws including those that will criminalize corruption and its related offences in partial fulfillment of the provisions of article 35 (8) in our quest and strenuous efforts to combating corruption and corruption related offences. Be that as it may, for the uninitiated in the work of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee of the parliament of Ghana, below are some of the anti-corruption tools or statues passed by parliament in response to the constitutional provisions of article 35 (8) of the Constitution: Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice Act,1993 (ACT 456) The Whistle Blowers Act,2006 (ACT 720) The Audit Service Act,2000 (ACT 584) The Economic and Organized Crime Office Act,2010 (ACT 804) The Special Prosecutor Act,2017 (ACT 959) What is interesting to note but sad enough to believe is that, it appears clearly without any scintilla of doubt that the above fine Legislative Instruments notwithstanding, our fight against corruption has failed or is almost failing and or is in the process of failing. Over the years, as we have learned in all governments in the 4th republic, there appears to be a mismatch between the political will power, determination and unyielding sense of enthusiasm to fighting the malodor of corruption. The lofty campaign promises and sloganeering to exterminate the menace of corruption in the body politic of Ghana prior to general elections are enough to cure a deaf and dumb man as the ears itches to hear more. It is instructive to note that, the office of the Special Prosecutor is the recent most important politically tailored outfit set up by government to fighting corruption and corruption related offences pursuant to article 88 (4) of the constitution,1992. The announcement by the incumbent government prior to the 2016 elections to create a special office of this nature to deal with cases of corruption on grounds that the John Mahama led government was believed to be heavily baptized with corruption, and indeed, it was; received much public approval which confirms the undying resolve and a commitment unmatched, of an incoming government to fighting corruption, at least, for so we were made to believe. Indeed, the rest, they say is history. The same cannot be said with the recent announcement of the nominee for the office of the Special Prosecutor by the Attorney- General following the resignation of Mr. Martin Alamisi Amidu.Apart from some few citizens, who seem to hold on to the last straw with a renewed faith in the nominee, KISSI AGYEBENG (ESQ).Indeed, the public interest, ambience and momentum that characterized the role of the Special Prosecutor in the fight against corruption in the early life of 2017 has slowly died off like a stick of firewood held in an open air. This tainted picture is bad for a nation that looks forward to attracting foreign investors and its equally bad for our future. Fact is, reading through the lenses of objective government appointees and citizens; its clear that the government itself seems to have lost focus and interest and has already given up in the fight against corruption. The recent nomination of Mr.KISSI AGYEBEG (ESQ) can best be described as following a ritual legal requirement to fill a vacancyand Jesus wept! Truth be told, if there is any failed promise by the incumbent government, it must be its woeful failure to fighting corruption. This was not what we were promised. Hopefully; the government has been given a second chance to redeem its image and lost glory. Something must be done, and must be seen to be done NOW in our relentless and strenuous efforts to fighting corruption. It cannot be the mere rhetoric and campaign promises that we are used to. Moving forward as a nation, our tactics must change and our attitudes too must change as well.Perhaps, the time is now ripe more than ever, for us to take a second look at our institutions set up to fighting corruption, which is a bane to our progress. For far too long, the legislature has spent precious time crating laws that remain at the shelves, or at best poorly implemented and enforced. It is however easy for even the ordinary man on the streets to make any informed guess regarding our general nonchalance and the political will power in the enforcement of our laws, particularly those anchored on corruption because its said that he who reaps from a rotten system does not see its rottenness. This narrative must begin to change through conscious efforts at the basic level of our education. In some time past, most scholars have raised concerns on the independence of most of these public institutions in the fight against corruption. It is submitted that, most if not all, have their administrative heads appointed by the president. That to the extent that the appointing authority flows from the executive arm of government, they hold some allegiance to him. That this allegiance to the executive is like an inseparable bed fellow just like the Spirit and Letter of our constitution. Indeed, I am tempted to hold the view that, these concerns are valid in the same magnitude as they represent a true representation of facts on the ground. We must not only evince an idea but begin to deliberate on decoupling the Attorney-Generals office from the Minister of Justice and make them truly independent. Indeed, its the believe of many people that the Attorney General is more politically aligned to the executive arm of government just as the Special Prosecutor derives its legal authority from the Attorney General under article 88 (4) of the constitutioin,1992. The appointing powers granted the executive arm of government are too excessive and unnecessary, in some cases. This makes a mockery of the political doctrine of separation of powers and true independence of state institutions set up to fighting corruption. If we fail to make meaningful and concrete efforts to re-engineer our constitution, 1992 to reducing the powers of the executive arm of government as regards its powers of appointing heads of most sensitive public institutions, especially those institutions set up by the state to fighting corruption, then we fail to realize that we are living in a gory story of a failed nation in our attempt to fighting corruption. PAX VOBISCUM!! NB: We write to right the wrongs of the society. Billaw..The last two weeks witnessed a jumpy political discourse all over the media over a speech presented by one Sam K.Jonah on his reflections on the future of our country, Ghana. Indeed, the speech was well packaged and so powerful that it touched on almost all facets of our lives as a country. In what appears to be an expression of a personal opinion on the future of the nation; yet most people disagreed with him in the same magnitude as others agreed with all that he said, line hook and sinker. Be that as it may, the thematic concern of this paper is to subject the new found theory of EXECUTOCRACY to an unbiased scrutiny in the light of the political doctrine of separation of powers through the lenses of the constitution, 1992. In retrospect, Sam K.Jonahs theory of EXECUTOCRACY basically stipulates that the powers granted the executive arm of government, headed by the president pursuant to article 58 (1) of the constitution,1992 are in excess and in most cases even unnecessary. To him, it makes the executive arm of government too powerful and domineering over the others; thus, the legislature and the judiciary. He says The 1992 constitution is the basis for our current democratic dispensation. It created a monstrous executive which looms large over the other arms of governance structure, and for 28 years, we have failed to make any meaningful changes to strengthen our democracy The effect of this outburst is that, the governance structure, created by the constitution, 1992 does not allow for the smooth operation of the concept of separation of powers and check and balances because, it has given too much powers to the executive arm of government. Fast forward, separation of powers may be regarded as a political doctrine where the three arms of government, mainly the executive, the legislature and the judiciary are made to make independently and separately in the performance of their duties in terms of personnel, functions and institutions. This means that, under the classical school of thought, there should be absolute separation among the three arms of government. I am totally convinced, both in substance and in fact that Sam K.Jonah seem to belong to this school of thought which advocates for absolute separation of powers; because he says he does not understand why the president will have to appoint most of his ministers from parliament under article 78 (1) of the constitution, 1992 neither does he seem okay as to why the chief justice should be appointed by the president. Ironically and by the same token, Sam K.Jonah, either by an ill-motive intended, or genuine inadvertence, woefully failed, refused and or ignored to tell us any remedy to what in his opinion amounts to this "constitutional illegality and apparent absurdity", neither did he tell us that the executive arm of government also depends in so many ways on the legislature and the judiciary to perform its functions and that in most cases, the powers of the executive, are even limited. Unlike the classical school of thought, the contemporary school of thought holds that even though the three arms of government are expected to work separately and independently in their roles, they must work collectively and interdepend on each other towards achieving their objectives. In the light of the above development, it is safe enough to argue that, Sam K.Jonah seemed to have eaten his yam without first peeling it. It is instructive to note that, governance is a complex process that requires the efforts of more hands to co-operate and work collectively, where necessary, towards achieving a common goal. Indeed, it becomes more complex as the population of a people increases couple with technological evolution, requiring a division of labour, yet remain interconnected and interdependent towards accomplishing a set objective. To that extent therefore, it would not only be logically defective but untenable to argue that the three arms of government must ensure ABSOLUTE separation of powers in terms of functions and personnel. Even though the midwives of the constitution, 1992 clearly spelt out the structure of the organs of government in terms of functions, personnel and institutions, same constitution, 1992 deems it fit to recognize the fact that for the effectiveness of the political doctrine to operate, the various arms of government must still co-operate, interdepend and interrelate among themselves in the performance of their functions. Thus, the power to legislate is vested in the legislature under article 93(2) and the constitution has clearly stated the procedures that parliament will follow in making laws for the country under article 106 of the constitution, 1992.Again, the executive powers of the state are vested in the president under article 58 (1) of the constitution, 1992 and that of the powers of the judiciary are vested in the superior and lower courts pursuant to article 125 (3) of the constitution, 1992. The above development notwithstanding, the constitution, 1992 which Sam K.Jonah described as having created a monstrous executive has recognized the fact that, the three arms of government must still work collectively, yet maintain their distinct roles. For instance, article 78 (1) permits the president to appoint most of his cabinet ministers from among Members of Parliament. It is instructive to note that, this appointment is not an automatic assumption to becoming a minister of state. Indeed, such appointees are subject to a vigorous vetting process by the legislature. Any constitutional law student would agree with me on this line of reasoning, keeping in mind, the case of JH Mensah (19961997) SC GLR 320. In the light of the above, there is the existence of some kind of relation or a fusion between the executive and the legislature in terms of personnel which the framers of the constitution think it is necessary for our national cohesion and development, taking into cognizance, the political history of our current constitution, 1992 as a political document and a living organism capable of growth and development. Furthermore, the constitution also empowers the executive to enter into treaties for and on behalf of the country under article 75 (1), yet article 75(2) equally empowers the legislature, to subject such treaties entered into by the president or caused to be entered into by the president to parliamentary ratification before they would be deemed effective. Consequently, this paper submits that, even though the executive arm of government seems to have excess powers over the other arms of government, these powers are not without limit. And that to the extent that there is checks and balances on the powers of each arm of government by another arm of government as demonstrated above, this paper demurs vehemently, the complete branding of the executive arm of government as EXECUTOCRACY. This paper further submits that, taken into account, our past experiences, disappointments, hopes and aspirations as a nation, and also recognizing, the period within which the current constitution,1992 was promulgated, it was very necessary and indeed, reasonable for the framers of the constitution to share the powers of governance among the three arms of government the way they did. # PAX VOBISCUM The National Guard deployment in Washington, D.C. is coming to an end. The deployment officially comes to an end at midnight, more than four months after troops were called to the district following the deadly January 6th attack on the capitol. More than 21-undred National Guard troops will return to their home bases during the week. Officials say once the mission concludes, D.C. National Guard will return to normal operations and the out-of-state guard members will return to their home stations. Bronx: Once again, the Democrats show their hatred of Jews. Biden said he gave Israel a stern warning. What does that even mean? If Israel doesnt kowtow to Biden, then what? Will Biden launch an attack on Israel? Showing his weakness, Biden is afraid of junior members of Congress, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar, who are racist against white people and Jewish people specifically. There is only one country on the entire planet that is vilified for defending itself against attack: Israel. If Canada or Mexico started firing missiles into the U.S., would we just lay down and accept it? Of course not. The simplest forms of life know better than this. If I throw a rock at a beehive, the response wont be one bee coming to swarm me. Hundreds will come out and attack me, as defense of their home is the number one priority. Stephen Hill FORGERY, FRAUD Following a theft investigation, Mary Jane Carnevale, 65, of Darby, was charged in November of 2020 with forgery, access device fraud, theft and receiving stolen property, Perkasie Borough Police Department said. A warrant was issued at the time and on May 28, 2021, officers May 23, 2021 The MoA Week In Review - OT 2021-039 Last week's posts at Moon of Alabama: (Sorry for not posting the last two days. There was a private emergency which had to be taken care of. - b.) --- Other issues: Death of the Intercept Prosecution Futures: You've been had. White House budget plan set to leave out some health care proposals from campaign - Washington Post > The budget will not include President Bidens campaign pledge to enact a public option to create a government-run health insurance program, or his pledge to cut prescription drug costs, the people said. ... Other ambitious Biden campaign pledges from raising the estate tax to forgiving significant amounts of student debt are also expected to be left out of the new budget plan, the people said. < The hypocrites will condemn the first plane incident while forgetting about the second and third: Nuking China: Risk of Nuclear War Over Taiwan in 1958 Said to Be Greater Than Publicly Known - NYT > American military leaders pushed for a first-use nuclear strike on China, accepting the risk that the Soviet Union would retaliate in kind on behalf of its ally and millions of people would die, dozens of pages from a classified 1966 study of the confrontation show. The government censored those pages when it declassified the study for public release. < > American military leaders pushed for a first-use nuclear strike on China, accepting the risk that the Soviet Union would retaliate in kind on behalf of its ally and millions of people would die, dozens of pages from a classified 1966 study of the confrontation show. The government censored those pages when it declassified the study for public release. < US Pivot to Asia Poised to Enter Nuclear Phase (2016) - Peter Lee Use as open thread ... Posted by b on May 23, 2021 at 13:49 UTC | Permalink Comments next page "Its been great out here. Were trying to get parents to recognize that sometimes you have to be a parent and get your children to safely wear a helmet." North Ridgeville Police Lt. Tony Lee Pull Quote A new administration traditionally brings a different focus to various policies, including on energy. Energy policy changes made by the Biden Administration promise to ripple throughout the energy industry, and Ken McQueen, of Kenergy Consulting, offered insight into those changes. McQueen, former Region 6 administrator at the Environmental Protection Agency reviewed the four main federal agencies overseeing the energy industry for his audience at the Environmental Regulatory Seminar hosted by Midland Colleges Petroleum Professional Development Center and the Permian Basin Petroleum Association. He told those in attendance that the administrations energy policies focus primarily on two issues: Climate change and environmental justice. At the Department of Energy, he predicted there will be debate over a carbon emissions tax, which has drawn the support of 10 of the largest oil companies. But it has drawn concern from Democrats over the impact on lower income and communities of color. A group of western senators have also sued for a permanent ban on offshore drilling on the west coast. Pipeline projects, from the Keystone XL to the Dakota Access to Lines 3 and 5 in Michigan to the PennEast pipeline in New Jersey and Pennsylvania bear watching, he added. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is coming under increasing pressure to evaluate climate impact as part of the permitting process, a significant change, he said. The commission, which oversees the transmission and wholesale sale of electricity and natural gas and regulates pipeline transmission, could undergo a change this summer as Biden could name a new commissioner to the five-member panel, possibly giving it a Democratic shift. Eminent domain issues related to pipeline or transmission line construction will also get enhanced scrutiny, he said. The agency is also in the process of creating a senior environmental justice position to ensure energy projects dont unfairly burden minority communities, McQueen added. McQueen said Michael Regan, the new administrator at his former employer the EPA, has made it clear his priorities are in line with those of President Biden climate change and environmental justice. That focus on environmental justice is already being seen in the EPAs withdrawal of a permit for a new oil refinery in St. Croix, he said, calling it the first shot across the bow regarding environmental justice. He also mentioned Gina McCarthy, a former EPA administrator now national climate advisor and John Kerry, special presidential envoy on climate. For me, itll be interesting to see if this group of three works well together, he commented. Other concerns for the EPA that McQueen listed include ethanol and small refinery exemptions, methane, deepwater ports and air attainment/non-attainment. There will be a lot of discussion regarding methane emissions, he predicted. And he said it remains to be seen if the administration will support deep water ports loading facilities set up 12 to 15 miles from the coast to accommodate Very Large Crude Carrier. Air attainment/non-attainment will also be an issue, he said, noting that the EPA had been under a court order to make attainment designations for cities across the US, including El Paso, Big Spring and Amarillo. Texas hates attainment designations because its a detriment to economic development. If a non-attainment city attracts a new industry, that industry has to meet certain requirements, he explained. At the Department of the Interior, McQueen predicted a renewed focus on oil and gas royalty rates, which may rise from the current one-eighth to three-sixteenth or even one-fifth. Financial assurance will also get a lot of discussion amid concerns about orphaned wells, he forecast, noting that Bidens infrastructure plan includes $16 billion to clean up oil and gas wells and coal mines. I believe its a privilege to extract minerals, and theres a responsibility to return the land to its previous condition after, he stated. Though the Permian Basin is home to well over 100,000 wells producing crude and natural gas, the region is also home to some of the states largest wind and solar farms. Now, the region is moving further into renewable energy with the opening of the new Permian Energy Center project in Andrews County, a utility-scale 460 megawatt alternating current (MWAC) hybrid solar and battery storage facility. Built and operated by rsted, Permian Energy Center sits on 3,600 acres alongside oil and gas wells and consists of 420 MWAC of solar capacity its 1.3 million solar panels will generate enough clean energy to power more than 80,000 households. It also contains 40 MWAC of battery storage, a technology that is drawing attention amid the move to more renewable energy. Storage has come a long way in the last few years, Philip Moore, senior vice president, rsted Onshore North America, told the Reporter-Telegram by email. As storage becomes more cost-competitive, it will likely be part of many wind and solar projects. The transition to renewables in the U.S. has been strong and will continue, and storage plays a huge role in that transition. The Permian Basin is an important asset to the U.S. energy market, Moore continued. He said Texas has a unique offering as the location allows for oil and gas to work alongside wind, solar and storage. Altogether, these offerings play a critical role in powering the future energy of the country and brings more energy security to the growing economic engine in the U.S, he said. The Permian Energy Center is designed to be a standalone, single-phase project, Moore said. Changing market conditions or future technological considerations could change this approach but as of now the project has been designed to be the current size, he said. In the aftermath of Winter Storm Uri in February, concerns have been raised about the reliability of renewable energy projects wind and solar in extreme weather conditions. Moore assured that rsted designs all facilities with long-term ownership in mind, building robust, reliable assets to withstand weather conditions based on historical and future expectations of the specific project location. The Biden administration is working to increase the use of renewables, something that gives Moore reason for optimism for his company. The markets will continue to grow, and we know that the current administration is focused on developing and improving infrastructure to support renewables, including transmission. These changes will help us power the future and bring more opportunities to rural communities throughout the U.S. However, regardless of the administration, we know that there is a growing need for renewable expansion, and we have the expertise, relationships and capital to make that a reality, he said. This new facility makes rsted the first developer to own the full spectrum of new renewable energy technologies at utility scale in the US onshore and offshore wind, solar photovoltaic, and storage, Neil ODonovan, chief operations officer, said in a statement. Long the focus of criticism for its methane emissions, the Permian Basin has been surpassed by the Appalachian Basin as top methane emitter, a new survey finds. Data analytics firm Kayrros said satellite data and propriety algorithms found emissions from fossil fuel production in the Appalachian Basin hit 3 million tons in 2019 and 2.4 million tons in 2020. By comparison, Permian measurements showed ethane emissions from oil and natural gas declined from 2.7 million tons in 2019 to 2 million tons in 2020. Coal is big in the Appalachian Basin, Antoine Halff, co-founder of Kayrros, told the Reporter-Telegram in a telephone interview, noting approximately a third 1.1 million tons was from coal production while the remaining 1.9 million tons was from natural gas production in the Marcellus Shale. In 2020, of the 2.4 million tons produced, almost half 1 million tons was from coal with the remaining 1.4 million tons from natural gas. Last year, as activity shut down amid the pandemic, Karryos said methane emissions fell by 20 percent in the Appalachian and 26 percent in the Permian. Halff said that beginning toward the end of 2020 and into this year, as commercial activity resumes, his company expects a rebound in emissions. But he said emissions intensity in the Permian Basin is on the decline, which he called an encouraging sign. He attributed that not only to industry efforts to mitigate emissions but the addition of pipelines to capture and move natural gas -- that would otherwise be flared -- to market. Thats an improvement, but emissions are still high, except for Russia, he said. Russia still emits a lot. He said amid the pandemic-related decline, Russia exported less natural gas and saw more emissions around its pipelines. Even so, he said intensity of Russian emissions is less than those of the US. What is significant about this report is that it marks the first time Kayrros has used its proprietary technology to differentiate between emissions from gas production and coal mining. Halff said this ability now allows Kayrros to measure the vast majority of emissions worldwide and differentiate their types and sources. Future plans include measuring emissions in major coal-mining regions in Australia and China, he said. Technology to determine where emissions come from is developing rapidly, Halff said, and that is key to addressing emissions by identifying the subsets of those emissions. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, a typical passenger vehicle emits 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, so eliminating 3 million tons would be equivalent to removing about 55 million cars from the road while eliminating 2.4 million tons would be the equivalent of removing 44 million cars, he said. The thing is, there is a lot of progress. (But) its important for industry to cooperate, Halff stated. Theres a lot of concern about the role of oil and gas in emissions. Its important the industry document its efforts and demonstrate what its doing to address emissions. In the meantime he said his company will continue to take a global perspective on emissions, using a blend of satellite imagery, communications devices, social media, the internet and data from ground sensors to analyze emissions worldwide. Were looking at other areas and countries. We also hope to be able to look at data on a company-by-company basis, he said. That would allow Kayrros to analyze company performance and help their client companies compare their performance with that of their peers. Many companies say they want to be net carbon zero, Halff observed. Were tracking not only what theyre saying but also measuring what they put in place to achieve those goals. ATHENS, Greece (AP) Several hundred dog owners and their pets gathered Sunday outside Greeces Parliament in protest against a draft law that will make sterilization of household pets especially cats and dogs mandatory. The dog owners railed against the bills abolition of amateur breeding, the backbone of dog loving, as they called it in a statement. Most of them were also hunters and protested against last years ban on hunting, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Peters was kind, steady, and well-respected. He worked for Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad for 40 years until his retirement in 1930. He and his wife Helen had a married son in Grand Junction, about 250 miles away. For fun, Peters played in a mandolin band for many years. No one who knew him could imagine anyone wanting to do him harm. Discuss this article with your neighbors or join the community conversation. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Community Partner Program Now more than ever it is important to help local businesses thrive and keep our community informed. Herald/Review Media is offering a Community Partner Program to assist local businesses by getting their message in front of the largest audience in Cochise County! Click here to fill out form Overnight reports from Jacksonville police: Brandon V. Jordan, 33, of 325 E. College Ave. was arrested at 4:29 a.m. Sunday on charges of driving under the influence, operating an uninsured vehicle, improper lane use and illegal use of a communication device after a parked car was struck in the 1300 block of South Clay Avenue. Justin L. Manker, 28, of 6 Westfair Drive was arrested at 1:57 a.m. Sunday on a charge of criminal trespass to property in the 700 block of South East Street. He was later arrested on a possession of a controlled substance charge, according to police. Kyle C. Henderson, 41, homeless, and Bud R. Cagle, 39, of 728 N. East St. were arrested at 12:35 a.m. Sunday on charges of criminal trespass to property after police said they were found inside a former MacMurray College dormitory on East State Street. Henderson was also arrested on a possession of drug paraphernalia charge, according to police. Joshua M. King, 39, of 728 N. East St. was arrested at 8:07 p.m. Saturday on a charge of resisting or obstructing a peace officer after police said he refused to leave a residence in the 700 block of North Main Street. Brandi N. McFadden, 32, of 302 E. Michigan Ave. was arrested on charges of domestic battery and aggravated battery at 8:08 p.m. Saturday after being accused of striking a relative with her vehicle. Joshua L. Stewart, 40, homeless, was arrested at 10:12 a.m. Saturday in the 400 block of Sherman Street on a criminal trespass to a residence charge. Multiple paintballs were shot at a residence in the 100 block of Meadow Ridge Lane between 3 and 8:30 a.m. Saturday. Two Mercedes-Benz vehicles were stolen from a Jacksonville residence about 5:45 a.m. Saturday. One of the vehicles was seen at Morton and Hardin avenues at 2:33 p.m. Saturday but the driver was able to elude police when the pursuit was discontinued because of safety concerns. Illinois State Police later recovered both vehicles after separate stops in Sangamon County, according to police. SANFORD, Mich. (AP) Property owners near dams that failed in the Midland area won a key decision in lawsuits against the state. Judge Cynthia Stephens said the lawsuits can go forward, rejecting a request to dismiss by the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. It's an early stage in the litigation, but the ruling Friday was a victory for people who claim the state contributed to the disaster. Belarus opposition figure detained when flight diverted View Photo VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) A prominent opponent of Belarus authoritarian president was arrested Sunday after the airliner in which he was traveling was diverted to the country after a bomb threat, in what the opposition and Western officials denounced as a hijacking operation by the government. Raman Pratasevich, who faces charges that could bring 15 years in prison, was aboard the Ryanair flight from Athens, Greece, to the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius when it changed course to head for Minsk. I saw this Belarusian guy with girlfriend sitting right behind us. He freaked out when the pilot said the plane is diverted to Minsk. He said theres death penalty awaiting him there, passenger Marius Rutkauskas said after the plane arrived in Vilnius following several hours in the Belarusian capital. We sat for an hour after the landing. Then they started releasing passengers and took those two. We did not see them again Rutkauskas said. Flight tracker sites indicated the plane was about 10 kilometers (six miles) from the Lithuanian border when it was diverted. There were conflicting accounts of the move. The press service of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said the president himself ordered that a MiG-29 fighter jet accompany the airliner after he was informed of the bomb threat. Deputy air force commander Andrei Gurtsevich said the planes crew made the decision to land in Minsk. But Ryanair said in a statement that Belarusian air traffic control instructed the plane to divert to the capital. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda called the incident a state-sponsored terror act. He said that the European Council would discuss the case Monday and that he would propose banning Belarusian planes from European Union airports and serious sanctions against Lukashenkos government. Belarusian airspace is completely unsafe for any commercial flight, and it should be deemed this not only by the EU but by the international community. Because now, this instrument could be used for any plane crossing Belarusian airspace, said Lithuanias foreign minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis.. Pratasevich is a co-founder of the Telegram messaging apps Nexta channel, which Belarus last year declared as extremist after it was used to help organize major protests against Lukashenko. The protests have dwindled in recent months, but Belarus authorities are continuing to crack down on opposition with arrests. The Belarus presidential press service said the bomb threat was received while the plane was over Belarusian territory. Officials later said no explosives were found on board. Passengers were taken off the plane in Minsk. After the plane arrived in Vilnius, Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas said Pratasevichs girlfriend and four other people did not reboard. We will find out who are the other four that did not travel with the rest. Lithuania has launched an investigation to find out what really happened on that plane, he said on Facebook. Exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya called on the International Civil Aviation Organization to begin an investigation. It is absolutely obvious that this is an operation by the special services to hijack an aircraft in order to detain activist and blogger Raman Pratasevich, she said in a statement. Not a single person who flies over Belarus can be sure of his safety. The ICAO later said it is strongly concerned by the apparent forced landing. Belarusian authorities said there were 123 passengers on the plane. But Landsbergis, the Lithuanian foreign minister, said there were 171. Western countries also expressed alarm. Belarus showed again its contempt for international community and its citizens, U.S. Ambassador Julie Fisher said, calling the event dangerous and abhorrent. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted: It is utterly unacceptable to force @Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius to land in Minsk. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that such an act cannot be left without definite consequences from the side of the European Union and called for Pratasevich to be released. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the incident shocking and accused Lukashenkas government of endangering the lives of those aboard the aircraft, some of them Americans. He called for the release of Pratasevich and for the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization to review the incident. Independent media are an essential pillar supporting the rule of law and a vital component of a democratic society. The United States once again condemns the Lukashenka regimes ongoing harassment and arbitrary detention of journalists, Blinken said. Months of protests erupted in Belarus after last Augusts presidential election that official results said gave Lukashenko a sixth term in office. Police cracked down on the protests harshly, detaining around 30,000 people and beating many of them. Although protests died down during the winter, Belarus has continued to take actions against the opposition and independent news media. Last week, 11 staff members of the TUT.by news website were detained by police. ___ Associated Press writers Jim Heintz in Moscow and Sylvia Hui in London contributed to this report. By LIUDAS DAPKUS Associated Press 2 dead, 12 injured in shooting at New Jersey house party View Photo FAIRFIELD TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) A family house party in South Jersey turned into a crime scene where at least two people were fatally shot and 12 others were wounded, state police said. Authorities arrived at the house in Fairfield Township, about an hour outside of Philadelphia, late Saturday night. A resident who runs a local anti-violence organization said he was called out to assist families at the 90s-themed party. John Fuqua, of Life Worth Living, said guests who attended the party were of all ages. New Jersey State police said a 30-year-old man and 25-year-old-woman were fatally shot. There were 12 other people who were injured and transported to local hospitals. No arrests have been made. Photos show overturned pop-up party tents, tables and chairs, and debris throughout the homes yard. A long driveway was still filled with cars late Sunday morning. Two cousins who live in the area of the shooting said they heard music from the party until after midnight, then a series of shots at least 15 of them over a few minutes. Joeron Pierce and James Pierce, who live in homes next to each other, said that there was chaos after that. Partygoers ran through their yards and asked to come into their houses. They said cars ran into one other trying to speed away. Fairfield Township Mayor Benjamin Byrd Sr., who was at the scene Sunday, said that New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy offered his support and help. Nobody knows when someones going to come out of the woods with a gun, Byrd said. He did not have any details about the shooting. Murphy called the shooting horrific. This despicable and cowardly act of gun violence only steels our commitment to ensuring New Jersey leads the nation in passing and enforcing strong and commonsense gun safety laws, Murphy said in a statement. No community should ever experience what occurred last night in Fairfield. WPVI-TV reported that the reverend of a nearby church heard the gunfire. I just started hearing at first what I thought was fireworks, it was really gunshots, and I heard nine in rapid succession, said the Rev. Michael Keene of the Trinity AME Church. Messages seeking additional information have been left with multiple organizations. State police scheduled a press conference for Monday morning. By GEOFF MULVIHILL LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said on a radio show he wont be getting the COVID-19 vaccine, but that he might change his mind if people who previously contracted the disease are getting reinfected at a greater rate than those who are vaccinated. The Republican more than a year after contracting COVID-19 said on a podcast released Sunday on WABC-AM in New York that he doesnt want the federal government ordering him around. In a free country you would think people would honor the idea that each individual would get to make their medical decisions, Paul said. Are they going to also tell me I cant have a cheeseburger for lunch? Are they going to tell me I have to eat carrots only and cut my calories? All that would probably be good for me. But I dont think Big Brother ought to tell me to do it. Paul claimed that he has natural immunity, but research suggests having COVID-19 may not protect against getting infected again. And in cases where reinfection causes no symptoms or just mild ones, people might still spread the virus. Thats why health officials have urged vaccination as a longer-term solution. Paul announced in March 2020 that he had tested positive for the virus, becoming the first case of COVID-19 in the U.S. Senate. At the time it raised fears about further transmission of the virus among senators, including more than two dozen who are in their 70s or 80s. Paul said he continued working at the U.S. Capitol after being tested for coronavirus because he had no symptoms of the illness and believed it was highly unlikely he was sick. Paul also said he did not have direct contact with anyone who tested positive for the virus or was sick. Pauls refusal to self-quarantine after being tested sparked bipartisan outrage, including from some of his colleagues. But Burston knew better. He had had ample opportunity to visit the south of France, where rose is a popular summer drink among men and women alike. At a cocktail party during the Cannes Film Festival in 2017, he made contacts at Domaine Bertaud Belieu in Saint-Tropez. Soon afterward, he launched the first Black-owned rose label produced in the region. When Covid-19 forced the rapid transition to a remote workforce, it permanently shifted the role that the security teams have in an organization. Whereas previously security teams were more a back office function, today security is the foundation of the business and brand. This is true regardless of the business size or industry sector. There are several reasons for this shift. The first is the move to an almost entirely remote life. Traditionally, security teams were more focused on protecting their walled garden. Now they are dealing with a much larger and unpredictable attack surface. Users are working from home, possibly using their own devices. This is true regardless of the business size or industry sector. The second is that on the consumer side, the move to remote life meant customers and clients have also become more vigilant and concerned about their own digital security. As larger cultural awareness on data breaches increased, it raised the expectations of the type of security posture that was needed for them to partner with or purchase from a company. Within leadership teams and organizations, this shift highlights how vital the security processes of an organization are to business continuing smoothly. A recent Mckinsey report observed that "...cybersecurity teams are being perceived anew. They must no longer be seen as a barrier to growth but rather become recognized as strategic partners in technology and business decision making. Heres how to help make this integration more successful. Prioritize your security Pre-pandemic, we often saw businesses prioritize product development over security. After all, products generate revenue while security is often seen as slowing things down. As a result, companies didnt fully understand the risks their business was under or the importance of their tech infrastructure. The reality is that if your business collects, uses or engages with online data, you are responsible for its safety. To help the larger business understand the role of the security team, leadership needs to make sure that the entire organization sees themselves as part of the data first tech company. This increases compliance with security regulations and an appreciation for focusing on this component of the business. Related: 6 Cybersecurity Must-Haves for Your Business The security posture of your business is its brand A companys cybersecurity posture and reputation is quickly becoming the foundation for its success. A good enough security posture is no longer enough for brand trust. Increasingly, partnerships or client and customer signups are contingent on the strength of the companys security posture. Its why a strong investment into the security of your business is not a backoffice line item, but an essential foundational piece to the sales, brand and growth strategies as well. Related: Cyberpreneurship, a New Age Tool in Cyber Security Compliance is not security This is an essential difference to understand. Compliance is about checking the same processes to meet some pre-established requirements and procedures. Security is about continually monitoring for new and unexpected vulnerabilities. The best way to think of this important difference is as though there is an (ideally) impenetrable net covering every component of your business. Compliance checks the state of that net at a moment in time and from an established list of criteria, but it isnt checking for a continually growing set of new threats that are not yet on the list. Security requires ongoing vigilance for unexpected vulnerabilities. Its very much a real time and continuous effort. When it comes to cybersecurity planning, the lesson for businesses is that following established processes is not enough. Its about anticipating what could happen or what could possibly go wrong. Security is like an ongoing and engaged state of being it needs active and ongoing vigilance and maintenance to remain operational and be ready to pivot when the expected happens. Finally, alongside these framework adjustments, successfully integrating security into strategy will be easier if the security team is connected into conversations on business transformation, digital initiatives, customer or client feedback. Similarly, making sure they are looped in with senior executives regularly will help the security team understand the risk levels related to core business practices. Customers arent going to shop or trust a service provider if they think buying or working with them is going to put their own data or security at risk. The challenge is how to do this successfully and at scale, and how to be able quickly deploy resources to be continually detecting new threats all of which takes significant resources and technical expertise. This is why end-to-end and turnkey solutions that streamline the ability to provide ongoing security testing and assurance validation will be essential to the post-Covid success of startups and SMBs. Related: Cybersecurity Practices That Protect Your Small Business Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved SPONSORED AD Many Americans are ready to buy a new place, after spending more time at home this past year. According to a recent survey by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), 60 percent of buyers prefer new homes, the highest level since 2007. In April, the Greater San Antonio Builders Association (GSABA) in conjunction with NAHB celebrates New Homes Month and the many benefits of purchasing a new home. Modern designs, less maintenance and energy efficiency top the benefits list, especially as we ask our homes to do more. We invite you to the 2021 Parade of Homes, located in Belle Oaks (3714 Blanco Road, Bulverde TX 78163). Situated in the spectacular Texas Hill Country, less than 15 minutes from San Antonio, Belle Oaks is a new land buying opportunity. The Parade of Homes takes place May 22-May 31st and is open daily. Todays new homes offer the type of features that buyers are seeking in the wake of the pandemic, from reducing energy consumption to adding more space. New homes offer modern designs and flexibility, allowing buyers to choose a space that will provide a place for everyone in the household to live, work and play. New homes offer modern floor plans and designs to optimize space and comfort at home. Buyers have the option to select large open areas to accommodate any lifestyle or growing family. Many new homes have the type of spaciousness that are not typically found in older homes. Modern designs are not limited to flexible spaces. New homes are equipped with the latest technological features and appliances. Another benefit of purchasing a new home is the energy efficient options available. Many builders have embraced green building techniques, so a home is cost-effective to operate, has healthy indoor air quality and has a minimal impact on environmental resources. NAHB recently surveyed more than 3,000 home buyers, both recent and prospective, on the types of features they prefer to have in their home, including eco-friendly components and designs. Some of the top features desired by home buyers include Energy Star-rated windows and appliances and efficient lighting that uses less energy than traditional bulbs. Not only can a new home save you money on utility bills, you can save on home maintenance costs. Professional home builders construct quality homes that are built to last. The headache of managing costly repairs can be avoided for many years. New home buyers do not have to hassle with trying to figure out which appliance will need to be replaced soon. With a new home, upgrades and remodels are not in the immediate future, so you can focus on settling into your new home, enjoying your new community and embracing your part in achieving the American Dream. For information on the benefits of new homes and the 2021 Parade of Homes, or to find a new homebuilder, please visit the Greater San Antonio Builders Association website at www.sabuilders.com. kali9/Getty Images Location plays a huge factor in choosing a home. It may seem like finding the neighborhood you want to live in is the simple part but after factoring in cost, commute time, and your must have list, it may be harder than it seems. When searching for your perfect neighborhood use these tips and work with a REALTOR for the best results. Property taxes. Property taxes can play a big role in the affordability of a home. Make sure to research how much property taxes typically run in the area you are home searching. Your REALTOR will be able to give you a ball park range of how much you can expect your property taxes to be, depending on the property you choose. (Natural News) One of the most prominent Southern Baptist pastors is warning parents not to send their children to Baylor University in Texas because the ostensibly Christian school is actually teaching antichrist doctrines. Appearing on the Todd Starnes Radio Show, Pastor Robert Jeffress of First Baptist Church in Dallas explained that the underlying philosophy behind everything taught at Baylor is anti-Christian to the core, and parents need to beware. I dont think any true Christian parent who wants their kids to have a Christian education would allow their child anywhere near Baylor University, Jeffress stated plainly. A Baylor alumnus himself, Jeffress made these comments in response to a recent resolution that was adopted by the school creating a university-sanctioned LGBTQ organization. Some 30 area pastors wrote letters to Baylor urging its administration not to proceed with the scheme, and to remain faithful to the biblical teachings on marriage and sexuality, but the school has rejected these petitions. Baylor says it will continue to support purity in singleness and fidelity in marriage between a man and a woman as the biblical norm, but says that special provisions also need to be made to make LGBTQ students at the school feel more included. These two concepts are contradictory, and Jeffress wants Christian parents everywhere to know that this is classic doublespeak coming from a forked tongue. Like any good magician, the Baylor administration has mastered the art of distraction and deception, Jeffress is quoted as saying. Jeffress: Christian parents would do better to send their children to a secular university as opposed to Baylor Baylors board of regents recently directed the universitys president to figure out a plan for providing additional care, connections and community for Baylor students who are homosexual or who are mentally ill concerning their biological sex. The goal is to establish a new chartered student group that instead of helping LGBTQ students realize the error of their ways will encourage them to bask in and be proud of their identities. What this really is, Todd, is a fraternity for LGBTQ students, Jeffress explained. The fact is they thought a support group might give the impression that they were trying to help these students. If they were really trying to leave these students out of homosexuality and out of gender confusion, that would be a good thing. But what theyre really going to do is to affirm their right to engage in that kind of ungodly behavior. The form of Christianity embraced by Baylor, in other words, is nothing more than a facade. Not only does the LGBTQ agenda run contrary to what the Bible teaches, but there are faculty members at Baylor who are actually trying to convince students to question their Christian faith. Our church has sent students down there for years who have their faith completely torn apart by infidels in the religion department, Jeffress added. Being filled with Christians doesnt make you a Christian university. It is your viewpoint and what you teach. I say either go to a distinctively Christian university or go to a completely secular university and get a better rate for doing it. Jeffress further stated that at least at a secular university, children will have the opportunity to see a contrast between their faith and what the world believes. They can then understand the battle lines and what they are instead of being confused by people (at Baylor) who claim to be a Christian but act in a completely different way. Now, if only Jeffress would call out Southern Baptist leader Al Mohler for encouraging Christians to take Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) injections that alter their DNA, then perhaps we could also make more headway in fighting that antichrist agenda as well. More related news about the LGBTQ invasion into Christianity can be found at Gender.news. Sources for this article include: TownHall.com NaturalNews.com (Natural News) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officially recognized more cases of deadly blood clots connected to Johnson & Johnsons single-dose Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine. The federal agency identified a total of 28 serious and life-threatening cases of blood clots linked to the controversial vaccine, including three cases that resulted in death. Dr. Tom Shimabukuro, a member of the CDCs task force monitoring vaccine safety, confirmed the cases on Wednesday, May 12, during a meeting with the CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The ACIP is made up of an independent group of advisors that provides the CDC with guidance regarding the distribution and administration of vaccines. Before this, the CDC recognized only 17 cases of dangerous blood clots on April 25. The 28 cases of blood clots were picked up after they were reported via the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, the national vaccine surveillance system. (Related: Mass vaccination site in Colorado shut down after people experience adverse reactions from Johnson & Johnson vaccine.) Most blood clotting cases occurred in older women Four of the 28 recognized individuals with blood clots were hospitalized, with one sent to an intensive care unit. Two patients were sent to post-acute care facilities. Three patients died, while the remaining 19 have all been discharged as of May 7. Most of the recognized blood clotting cases were among women between the ages of 18 and 49. Only six of the recognized clotting cases were in men. Shimabukuro said women aged 40 to 49 had the most pronounced increase in cases of deadly blood clotting. According to Shimabukuros presentation to the ACIP, the official rate of blood clotting among women ages 30 to 39 is at 12.4 cases per million, and the rate among women ages 40 to 49 is 9.4 cases per million. The blood clotting cases are what is known as thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, a condition involving blood clots accompanied by a low level of platelets in the blood. The onset of this condition occurred between three to 15 days after vaccination, with a median onset of nine days. Most of the cases have a symptom onset after vaccination around one to two weeks, said Shimabukuro. Of the patients, 19 developed a blood clot in the brain known as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis. In addition, 10 of those patients suffered cerebral hemorrhages. The other clotting cases formed in the lower extremities, pulmonary arteries or other parts of the body. On April 13, the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended that states halt the distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine out of caution. The FDA and the CDC investigated several women at the time who had developed blood clots in the brain and low blood platelets within two weeks of getting their vaccines. The pause was lifted on April 23 when a CDC panel voted to resume the usage of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The only change made since then is the added warning label on the vials. Shimabukuro noted in his meeting with the ACIP that the use of heparin, a common anticoagulant used to dislodge blood clots, to treat blood clot patients dropped after the CDC and the FDA recommended a pause on the distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The CDC alerted healthcare providers that the use of heparin might make blood clotting cases worse. Johnson & Johnson blood clotting condition similar to blood clots caused by AstraZeneca vaccine The CDC has avoided outright blaming the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for the blood clots. It instead claimed that the COVID-19 vaccine merely has a plausible causal association with blood clots. Shimabukuro said the controversial events surrounding the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine appear similar to what is being observed in Europe following the administration of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine. Both vaccines are based on a new technology that uses adenoviruses. These adenoviruses can cause a variety of sicknesses, including the common cold. In the case of the vaccines, the adenoviruses have been modified, supposedly to make them harmless when they enter the body. Given the deadly blood clotting cases, the vaccines are clearly not harmless. Scientists are now working to figure out what mechanism in the vaccines is causing the blood clots. One leading hypothesis suggests that the vaccines are triggering an immune response that could be related to the adenoviruses. Despite the clear danger of using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the CDC continued to recommend getting vaccinated. CDC official Dr. Sara Oliver claimed the benefits of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine outweighed the risk of blood clots or other adverse reactions. Oliver, speaking to the ACIP, did not recommend any changes or updates to the current vaccine policy. In a statement to alternative media outlet The Epoch Times, Johnson & Johnson said that the safety and well-being of people who use our products is the companys main priority. In the same statement, Johnson & Johnson called the appearance of blood clots an extremely rare disorder. Learn more about the dangers associated with the coronavirus vaccines, including the one made by Johnson & Johnson, by reading the latest articles at Vaccines.news. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com NBCNews.com CNBC.com Reuters.com (Natural News) In 2015, Hawaii made history, becoming the first US state to mandate a full transition to renewable energy. The legislation, signed into law by Gov. David Ige, mandated that state utilities generate 100 percent of electricity sales from renewable fuels by 2045. (Article by Jon Miltimore republished from Fee.org) Green energy publications noted that the move positioned Hawaii as a pioneer in the quest to move toward a future free of fossil fuels. But some also offered a warning. Promises are easy to make, noted GreenBiz, a media company focused on renewable energy. Achieving them is another story. Leaders in the Aloha State are learning this the hard way. Going from Cigarettes to Crack In May, news broke that the states largest supplier of electricity, Hawaiian Electric Co. (HECO), was considering pulling the plug on development of a key new energy storage system. The Kapolei Energy Storage Facilitybasically an enormous batteryis being built to ensure a stable supply of electricity to the island of Oahu, which is preparing for the retirement of the AES coal plantHawaiis last coal-fired power plantwhich produces 15-20 percent of the islands electricity. The 185-megawatt storage facility was intended to make up for the loss of the 180 megawatt AES plant, which was no longer a viable option because of a recent ban on coal. But renewable energy projects have been beset by a number of problems, including delays in renewable projects. One concern, as Pacific Business News reported in March, is that these delays will leave Oahu with a very tight fuel reserve margin, opening up the possibility of rolling blackouts in the event of failure. Perhaps the greater concern, however, is the impact these delays will have on the giant battery. If there is not enough solar, wind, or battery storage energy to replace the AES plant, HECO would have to use oil instead to charge things like the upcoming 185-megawatt Kapolei Energy Storage Facility, Pacific Business News reported. Its not a matter of if, however. The reality is theres not enough wind, solar, or battery storage to replace the AES plant. Hawaiian Electric has made this quite clear in recent documents, noting that it would not be able to meet its year-two renewable target (75 percent) for more than a decade. This means that to replace its soon-to-be retired coal plant, Hawaii Electric will soon be charging its giant battery with oil. In other words, Hawaiians will be trading one fossil fuel (coal) for another, albeit one far more expensive. This revelation caused the chair of PUC, Jay Griffin, to complain that Hawaiians are going from cigarettes to crack. Oil prices dont have to be much higher for this to look like the highest increase people will have experienced, Griffin said. And its not acceptable. We have to do better. The dilemma reportedly had many at the meeting on edge. One photovoltaic panel supplier told a reporter that he had not witnessed an exchange like that at a normally staid PUC stakeholder meeting in his two decades in local energy. A Result Even Less Desirable Than the Previous State Using expensive oil to charge a giant battery might not be acceptable, but thats exactly what is going to happen. Hawaiian Electric is of course not actually pulling the plug on its massive battery project, which is moving forward. The threat to spike the project stemmed from a slew of face-saving conditions (and harsh words) from the PUC, most of which the PUC rescinded once Hawaiian Electric threatened to bolt. PUC agrees to modify conditions for Hawaiian Electrics battery storage project: https://t.co/J8nqmMaWCa pic.twitter.com/OA6YHZRCqN Star-Advertiser (@StarAdvertiser) May 15, 2021 The project is a wonderful demonstration of why we should be wary of giving central planners more power over energy security. Its an example of a phenomenon explained by Ludwig von Mises: that government policies often have exactly the opposite effect of what was intended. In an address delivered before the University Club in New York in 1950, the economist explained how government policies often backfire in ways that are predictable. Here is an example he offered: The government believes that the price of a definite commodity, e.g., milk, is too high. It wants to make it possible for the poor to give their children more milk. Thus it resorts to a price ceiling and fixes the price of milk at a lower rate than that prevailing on the free market. The result is that the marginal producers of milk, those producing at the highest cost, now incur losses. As no individual farmer or businessman can go on producing at a loss, these marginal producers stop producing and selling milk on the market. They will use their cows and their skill for other more profitable purposes. They will, for example, produce butter, cheese or meat. There will be less milk available for the consumers, not more. These outcomes are of course contrary to the intentions of lawmakers, Mises pointed out. They wanted to make it easier for people to purchase milk, not reduce the supply of milk. But the result is the same, he observed, and that is the lesson. The measure proves abortive from the very point of view of the government and the groups it was eager to favor, Mises explained. It brings about a state of affairs, whichagain from the point of view of the governmentis even less desirable than the previous state of affairs which it was designed to improve. Now, shuttering a coal plant to instead charge a giant battery with oil is not exactly like going from cigarettes to crack, but it is less desirable than the previous state of affairs (to borrow Misess language). After all, theres a reason a tiny percentage of US electricity comes from petroleum. Its not an efficient way to produce electricity, and its very expensivewhich is why less than 1 percent of electricity generated in the US in 2020 came from oil. Fossil fuels are still the largest sources of energy for electricity generation in the US. Attempts to simply abolish them are foolish. Hawaii, for example, is replacing its last coal plant with a giant battery that, it turns out, will be charged with *oil*. pic.twitter.com/nIi3ZNLCkw Jon Miltimore (@miltimore79) May 19, 2021 None of this is to say renewable energy cannot be an integral part of Americas energy future. Evidence suggests it can and already is. Renewable energy accounted for 20 percent of the electricity generated in the US in 2020, many technologies are rapidly improving. But we should be skeptical of attempts to force the transition to renewable energies through government fiat. As Mises saw, clumsy attempts to ignore market realities in lieu of government force often result in effects that are the opposite of what was intended. Read more at: Fee.org (Natural News) Isra Hirsi, daughter of far-left progressive congresswoman Ilhan Omar, has called for a communist insurrection, and now shes stated that shes a communist. Shes heading off to Barnard College in the fall. (Article by Libby Emmons republished from ThePostMillenial.com) Hirsi has added the communist logo to her Twitter bio, where she has been quite active bashing the police, providing material support to Antifa, and being told to go to bed by her mother. A year ago, Hirsi suggested a revolution. To be fair, its a free country, with a vibrant and robust first amendment that protects her right to speech, and a social media landscape that errs on the side of advocating for leftist revolution. (Natural News) Indian actor and vlogger Rahul Vohra died of COVID-19 on May 9 after being admitted early in the month. The 35-year-olds wife Jyoti Tiwari confirmed his death in a social media post on May 10. However, Vohra criticized Indias hospital system in a video posted by his wife on the same day. The actor accused Indian healthcare workers of providing insufficient medical care for COVID-19 patients in the same video. The 35-year-old gained popularity through his comedic videos that garnered tens of millions of views. A day before his death, Vohra wrote a final post on Facebook. His post, which also tagged Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said: I would have lived had I received better treatment. Footage posted by Tiwari on May 10 showed Vohra with an oxygen mask on. He said in the video: This is extremely valuable right now. Without it, patients get giddy and suffer. The vlogger also criticized the delayed response of hospital staff in the footage. You try to call out for the attendant, but they dont come. They come in a hours time or more, and you have to manage their absence somehow, a translation of Vohras remarks said. His wife captioned the video posted on Instagram: My Rahul has left us [and] everyone knows that. [But] no one knows how he left us. I hope my husband will get justice. Fans and fellow personalities alike paid tribute to the late vlogger. A Facebook user described Vohra as a great actor [and] talented person who died because of the worst politics. Another Facebook user mourned his passing as heartbreaking. They remarked: Unfortunately, we live in country where human lives are not valued. Playwright and theater director Arvind Gaur mourned the loss of the vlogger. Rahul Vohra is gone. My promising actor is no more, he posted on his Facebook page. Musician Aadil Gurezi meanwhile wrote that the failure of [the] system caused Vohras demise. Vohras death happened three weeks after the demise of another Indian celebrity during the pandemic. Tamil-language actor Vivekh died on April 17 after being hospitalized for cardiac arrest. Doctors claimed the actor died due to cardiac arrest stemming from a blood clot that formed in his blood vessels. Vivekh was dubbed as Indias public health ambassador and had posted videos in support of COVID-19 immunization efforts. (Related: Indias health ambassador dies one day after taking Covid vaccine.) Another life claimed by second wave of coronavirus infections According to data from Johns Hopkins University, India currently has 23.3 million COVID-19 cases with 19.4 million recoveries and 254,197 deaths. Experts have remarked, however, that the actual numbers may be larger due to data being under-reported. India recorded 366,494 new infections and 3,769 fatalities on May 9 the day of Vohras death. These counts dipped slightly on May 10 with 366,161 new infections and 3,754 fatalities. Crematoriums have been unable to cope with the overwhelming number of deaths in India. This has led to cremation centers being set up in hospital parking lots and wood from parks being cut down for fuel. Worse, some corpses that were not buried or cremated ended up being dumped in the Ganges River. (Related: Coronavirus cremations in India suggest death count possibly 10 times higher.) Residents in the Indian state of Bihar reported more than 150 bodies of suspected Wuhan coronavirus patients at Buxar city, located on the banks of the Ganges. They added that dozens more were found floating downstream at the town of Chausa, which borders Bihar and Uttar Pradesh state. Local officials insisted that the bodies found were only around 40 to 45 in total and not more than 150. Buxar official KK Upadhyay told NDTV: They are bloated and have been in the water for at least five to seven days. We are disposing of the bodies. We need to investigate where they are from. He added that the bodies may have been from three cities in Uttar Pradesh Bahraich, Varanasi or Allahabad. The bodies are not from here, as we dont have a tradition of disposing [them] in the river, Upadhyay remarked. Those living in Chausa have expressed fear that the bodies could transmit the Wuhan coronavirus after dogs were seen wading near them. People are terrified of getting [COVID-19]. We have to bury the bodies, villager Narendra Kumar said. He added that a district administration official came to the town and announced a reward of 500 Indian rupees (US$6.81) for cleaning up the bodies. The issue nevertheless became a point of contention for Bihar and Uttar Pradesh politicians with both sides now on a blame game. Visit Pandemic.news to read more articles about the COVID-19 pandemic in India. Sources include: DailyMail.co.uk GNews.org Coronavirus.JHU.edu NDTV.com (Natural News) Fears of a major earthquake along the New Madrid Seismic Zone in the Midwest emerged after a sinkhole opened up in a lake in Missouri and cracks were found in a major bridge in Tennessee. The sinkhole appeared in a lake in Lone Elk Park in St. Louis County. Parks director Tom Ott was told on May 7 that the lake suddenly dropped three feet, losing enough water over the weekend to reveal the SUV-wide sinkhole. Ott surmised that the hole might have formed due in part to a small-magnitude earthquake on April 20. He added that the lake was always full in the early 1990s but hasnt held water in the same way in the past two decades. Weve had people look at it [but] but they couldnt tell where it was leaking, he said. The county will get a hydraulic engineer to look at the sinkhole and send someone with a drone to take pictures. The park will also add signage along the shoreline that will warn people against entering the lake, which went nearly dry after losing a third of its water. Ott shared that this wasnt the first time a sinkhole appeared at the manmade lake. In 2016, a sinkhole that was roughly four to five feet across opened up in the vicinity of the new one. Park authorities sent someone to inspect it and pour concrete slurry into the hole to patch it. Meanwhile, all lanes on the Hernando Desoto Bridge in Memphis were closed on May 11 after a routine inspection found a crack in one of the bridges support beams. The bridge, which connects Tennessee to Arkansas, has remained closed until further notice while the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) repairs the bridge. The department said that there was no evidence that the bridge would continue to deteriorate. It added that it is working with experts to revisit past studies on the bridge that might have captured useful information relevant to the fracture. Major earthquake feared along New Madrid There is speculation that the two incidents hint that a major earthquake along the New Madrid Seismic Zone is coming. This zone is a network of deep-seated faults that spans Illinois, Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky. New Madrids last major seismic event took place between 1811 to 1812. This means it is overdue for a big one earthquake since the fault line ruptures around every 200 years. Such a high-magnitude event could be more devastating than a large earthquake along the San Andreas Fault. The latter traverses only California while the New Madrid extends 150 miles from southern Illinois through Missouri and down through Arkansas. The seismic zone then dips into Kentucky and Tennessee, spanning fives states and crossing the Mississippi River in at least three places. A large earthquake could cause extensive damage in those states and reach places as far as Canada and Massachusetts. The crust beneath the eastern U.S. has very few active faults to interrupt the propagation of seismic waves, as the New Madrid itself is located in the middle of a continental plate. This meant that ground vibrations from New Madrid quakes could travel thousands of miles. In fact, when a series of three major earthquakes hit along the New Madrid Seismic Zone between 1811 to 1812, aftershocks were felt all the way in Canada, Boston and Washington D.C. Each of the tremors measured greater than magnitude 7.0. According to accounts at the time, the ground rolled in visible waves, sank and bulged in places. Huge cracks swallowed things whole and new lakes formed while old ones were destroyed. (Related: Cascadia Big One will be more disastrous than the 2011 Japan earthquake, experts predict.) But the earthquakes had a muted impact since the population in the affected regions was very sparse back then. But in the ensuing two centuries, the population of these regions has increased exponentially. Learn more about earthquakes in America by reading the latest articles at Disaster.news. Sources include: StrangeSounds.org WREG.com Britannica.com 1 Britannica.com 2 (Natural News) Governor Greg Abbot (R-TX) just signed into law one of the nations most important abortion bans in history in the state of Texas and boy, are abortion lovers not happy about it. (Article by Gabriel Hays republished from NewsBusters.org) The Texas governor signed a bill on May 19 that would ban abortions in the state after a heartbeat had been detected in the womb. Of course that means that unborn babies as young as six weeks old are going to be legally protected from abortion. This will save many innocent unborn lives in the Lone Star state and is something to be thankful for, especially as the country loses on so many other fronts in Bidens America. The law goes into effect as soon as September 1, 2021. Though on the flipside in far left pro-abort America, this is the latest terrible news in a week marked by terrible anti-choice news. After the conservative majority U.S. Supreme Court declared it would rule on a Mississippi abortion ban that could pave a pathway to putting Roe V Wade out of commission, the news that a woman only has a six week window to kill their child in Texas was a body blow. The heartbeat bill is now LAW in the Lone Star State. This bill ensures the life of every unborn child with a heartbeat will be saved from the ravages of abortion. Thank you @SenBryanHughes, @ShelbySlawson, & #txlege for fighting for the lives of the unborn in Texas. pic.twitter.com/aolhUKM9tv Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) May 19, 2021 Feminist and Daily Beast Editor at Large Molly Jong-Fast fumed at what mainstream media was describing as Texas near-complete ban on abortion. She first tweeted that this was Real handmaids tale shit right here, referencing Margaret Atwoods dystopian novel which depicts a future America where women are forced to give birth at the behest of an evil patriarchy. In a subsequent tweet, Jong-Fast made a desperate argument that Texas new pro-life law is hypocritical considering it still employs the death penalty. She wrote, The state of Texas is scheduled to execute Quintin Jones tonight. Oh how cute, Molly. Though the life of an innocent unborn isnt exactly the same as the convict whose willful crime put him on death row. Shockingly, comedian and actor John Fugelsang tried to invoke Jesus Christs in denouncing the pro-life bill. He tweeted, Remember: Criminalizing abortion so women & doctors are incarcerated has nothing to do with the teachings of Jesus. Nice try, though lets not obfuscate the fact that ending abortion is a moral imperative according to the Catholic Church founded by Christ. It is the greatest evil in the modern world. And if doctors and mothers had to go to jail for trying to kill innocent children through the abominable practice, so be it. We daresay society would be much better off than it is now. MSNBC contributor Laura Bassett hated the news and threw up another desperate argument in response, saying that rich women are going to get abortions anyways, and poor people are being discriminated by this. Again, rich women will find a way to have an abortion if they want one. They can travel to a blue state where its still legal, she wrote, adding, These bills mainly force women without means to go through with a pregnancy they cant afford or attempt an illegal method. So what? If rich women want to go above and beyond to kill their kids, God help them. But just because they manage it doesnt mean everyone has a right to. Find a better argument, Laura. Thank God for Governor Abbott and the great state of Texas. Countless innocent lives will be saved, and thats worth all the idiotic and hyperbolic leftist reactions in the world. Read more at: NewsBusters.org The most recent round of fighting, sparked by an Israeli raid of the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, left more than 250 dead, the majority of whom were Palestinian, according to the Associated Press. On Friday, the area around the mosque was attacked by Israeli soldiers as worshippers and others celebrated the ceasefire, CNN reported. (Natural News) Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is at a record high. But its not as bad as it sounds. Its actually great for trees and forests, as shown by a recent study led by the nonprofit conservation group World Wide Fund (WWF). The study, which is part of the WWFs Trillion Trees project, found that an area of forests the size of France has regrown around the world over the last 20 years, indicating that forest regeneration efforts are paying off. Nearly 145 million acres of forests have regrown since 2000. In all, these forests can potentially absorb roughly 5.9 gigatons of carbon dioxide. This is more than the annual carbon dioxide emissions of the United States. The two-year study was conducted using satellite imaging data and on-ground surveys across a number of countries. It identified areas of regrowth in the Atlantic forest in Brazil where a forest the size of the Netherlands, about 10.4 million acres, has regrown since 2000 due to conservation efforts. Brazil has also sought to enforce more responsible forestry practices. Other factors, like people moving towards the cities, have also helped forests recover. The researchers also found another flourishing area in the boreal forests of Mongolia where approximately three million acres of forest have regenerated in the last two decades thanks to the work of both conservationists and the Mongolian government. Meanwhile, forests in Canada and parts of Central Africa also made a tremendous comeback. In fact, the boreal forests of Canada were found to be some of the worlds forest regeneration hotspots. Forests around the world are growing back in spite of deforestation The WWF started the Trillion Trees project alongside the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and BirdLife International in 2016. The project aims to protect and restore forests around the world. Since its inception, the project has called for more support for forest regeneration efforts worldwide. It has called for an end to deforestation as well, especially in places like Brazil where deforestation levels are high. Forests are important because they provide oxygen and resources, provide habitats for animals and protect against soil erosion. Forests can act as carbon sinks as well, absorbing excess carbon in the atmosphere. However, the world is experiencing an overall loss of forests at a terrifying rate due to deforestation. But as the impact report showed, progress can be made no matter how degraded the landscape or how few resources seem to be available initially, likely due to the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The idea behind it is simple: carbon dioxide is the main food source for plants. Therefore, increasing levels of it directly stimulate the photosynthetic rate of most plants. Fed, happy plants produce healthy seeds. In turn, these seeds will grow to become healthy plants that will soak up more carbon dioxide to survive and reproduce. Fostering forest regeneration In order to realize the potential of forests to improve the state of the climate and the environment, humans must tackle drivers of deforestation, said William Baldwin-Cantello, director of nature-based solutions at WWF. He added that they should support environmental nonprofits forest regeneration efforts as well. Experts have known for a long time that natural forest regeneration is usually cheaper and richer in carbon than actively planted forests. They are also better for biodiversity, said Baldwin-Cantello. Meanwhile, John Lotspeich, executive director of Trillion Trees, said the data included in the impact report can help conservationists and legislators better understand the ways humans can work to increase the Earths forest cover. The data also shows the potential of natural habitats to recover when allowed to do so. But the fact that forests are regrowing on their own isnt an excuse for humans to sit and do nothing, added Lotspeich. Deforestation is still claiming more trees than are regenerated. In order to turn around the loss of nature, we must stop deforestation and aid in forest regeneration efforts. (Related: Deforestation impacts climate change more than fossil fuel use, new study finds.) Learn more about forests and their impact on climate at ClimateScienceNews.com. Sources include: DailyMail.co.uk GlobalTimes.cn PopularTechnology.net (Natural News) Rotting corpses are washing up in record numbers along the banks of the Ganges, a major river that flows through India and Bangladesh. Just a week ago, a total of seventy-one bodies washed up just outside the Chausa village. The locals in Uttar Pradesh found dozens of dead bodies when they went to the river to bathe. In the district of Ballia, another sixty-two bodies were recovered along the river, with dozens more appearing in Gahmar. More than fifty corpses washed up in Mahadevi ghat, with feral dogs and birds feasting on the remains. Dozens of bodies are found every day along the 1,560-mile-long river. Indias unsanitary and crowded conditions are a deadly recipe, especially in the rural villages, where hygiene, nutrition, and medical care are scarce. Villages along the Ganges, including Kanpur, Kannauj, Unnao and Prayagraj, contain makeshift graveyards along the riverside, where loved ones are discarded in shallow graves. The death rate is spiraling out of control in India, but only after the spike protein-spreading, inflammation-causing covid-19 vaccines were unleashed by the millions. Infectious disease is ravaging India, from tuberculosis to malaria, as covid vaccines cause severe inflammation, weakening the population Thousands of people are dying from infections every day in India, and many of the deaths are not recorded in any official register. Tuberculosis, typhus, malaria, cholera, influenza, and covid-19 are just a few infectious diseases that are ravaging the nation. A once rare fungal infection called mucormycosis has become opportunistic in recovered and recovering covid-19 patients. Mucorymycosis is caused by exposure to mucor mold, commonly found in soil, plants, manure and decaying fruits and vegetables. Another infection that is taking advantage of weak immune systems is scrub typhus. Nearly a million cases are reported every year in Asia. Scrub typhus can affect the central nervous system, cardiovascular system, renal, respiratory and gastrointestinal systems, leading to pneumonia or death. The most concerning infectious disease is tuberculosis (TB) and a host of drug-resistant variants. India has the highest incidence of TB, with 2.8 million cases and 435,000 deaths each year. Covid-19 has only made the situation worse. People with respiratory symptoms similar to pneumonia and tuberculosis are dying with covid-19, and the number of deaths is climbing like never before as medical systems collapse. India is currently reporting more covid-19 fatalities in a single day than any other country did at any time during the past year and a half. More than 186 million vaccinations have been used throughout the country since January of 2021. Why are people suddenly becoming more susceptible to coronavirus and other infections in India after the mass vaccination push? Is it because the science of the innate immune system is being ignored and suppressed in the push to poison people with more vaccines that cause severe issues such as Antibody Dependent Enhancement (pathogenic priming) and virus interference (increased susceptibility to infection)? How might vaccination be causing the sudden death spiral in India? A private testing company found that two out of every three people in India already have measurable levels of antibodies in their system. A majority of the population currently has immunity to covid-19, so why are fatalities spiking at this time? More than 186 million vaccinations have been used throughout the country since January of 2021. Before the mass vaccination campaign, India was doing a great job managing infections and preventing excess deaths. After the vaccines, the death rate climbed out of control. Today, there are now 3,532 circulating covid-19 variants in India, and they all flourished almost immediately after people started getting mass injected with the vaccines. The average number of coronavirus deaths per day in India was well below 100 people for the first three months of the worldwide lockdowns. The country saw that number go up to 1,000 deaths per day in August and September, right after masks mandates were imposed with police state power. The infections subsided by January of 2021. At that time, the deaths per day was well below 100 again. However, as the vaccines were rolled out, the death rate shot up like never before, eclipsing 1,500 per day by April and surpassing 4,500 deaths per day in May! Why would thousands more people die every day if a majority of people were recovering with antibodies? Why would thousands of more people be dying per day, if millions of vaccines were guaranteeing immunity? Could vaccine-induced Antibody Dependent Enhancement be at play? Could the vaccines be spreading spike proteins from the vaccinated, putting the unvaccinated at risk? The vaccines are not only poisoning peoples bodies and making them more susceptible to infection complications (virus interference), but they are also priming immune systems to fail when re-exposed to coronavirus strains in the wild (Antibody Dependent Enhancement). According to the clinical studies, the covid vaccines elicit neutralizing antibodies that sensitize vaccine recipients to more severe disease. Furthermore, the fatigue, fever, eye disorders, soreness, numbness, facial paralysis and blood clots that result from the vaccines are signs that the vaccines are causing severe inflammation, making people more susceptible to a variety of infections. Even more, a mass vaccination campaign can force coronaviruses to evolve more rapidly, leading to the accelerated adaptation of spike proteins and the emergence of new variants. Scientists in Britain believe the B.1.617.2 variant circulating in India is 50 percent more infectious. Moreover, the vaccines function like autoimmune disease bioweapons, forcing peoples bodies to churn out spike proteins that can lead to environmental exposure and rapid evolution of infectious virus particles. The unvaccinated are being exposed to countless spike proteins from vaccinated people. These reasons may help explain why the death toll is suddenly out of control in India and why bodies are washing up in droves along the shorelines of the Ganges. Sources include: DailyMail.co.uk BBC.com NCBI.NLM.NIH.gov USAid.gov NaturalNews.com GNews.org Independent.co.uk Nature.com NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com NaturalNews.com SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) The foreign ministers of Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovenia voiced unanimous support Saturday for North Macedonia and Albania to start membership talks with European Union, arguing that bilateral issues should not block the EU's enlargement into the Western Balkans. Austrias Alexander Schallenberg, the Czech Republic's Jakub Kulhanek and Slovenias Anze Logar arrived in North Macedonia's capital, Skopje, to offer their backing for EU accession talks scheduled for June. The three plan to visit Albania, which also wants to join the EU, on Sunday. Bulgaria refused last year to approve the EUs membership negotiation framework for North Macedonia, effectively blocking the official start of membership talks with its smaller Balkan neighbor. Bulgaria wants North Macedonia to formally recognize that its language has Bulgarian roots and to stamp out allegedly anti-Bulgarian rhetoric. The government in Skopje says the Macedonian identity and language are not open to discussion. Bulgaria on Friday ruled out again a possible reversal of its veto following a meeting with EU officials. The Czech Republics Kulhanek said it is not fair for one EU member nation to condition the enlargement process on a bilateral dispute. This is a crucial time, and we cannot allow (the process) to be stuck with such demands, he said. North Macedonia applied for EU membership in 2004 and received a positive assessment from the European Commission a year later. EU leaders agreed to formal accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia after Skopje settled a nearly three decade-long dispute with neighboring Greece over the countrys name, which saw it renamed North Macedonia. Western Balkan countries are at different stages of EU membership talks. Serbia and Montenegro have already started negotiating some chapters of their membership agreements. Kosovo and Bosnia have signed a Stabilization and Association Agreement, the first step to membership. EAST HARTFORD South Windsor police have charged the husband of missing South Windsor mother Jessica Edwards in her death. Tahj Hutchinson, 22, was charged with first-degree manslaughter. Police said he was taken into custody around 9 p.m. Friday and is being held on $1 million bond. The arrest came hours after South Windsor police announced Edwards body was found in East Hartford Friday morning. Edwards, a 30-year-old mother who had a 7-month-old son, had not been seen for more than a week. Edwards remains were found at the entrance to the Hockanum River Linear Park off Chipper Drive in East Hartford, South Windsor police Sgt. Mark Cleverdon said Friday. We at the South Windsor Police Department would like to offer our deepest condolences to Jessicas family as they deal with this devastating news, Cleverdon said during a news conference. Several news outlets reported Edwards family were seen arriving at the scene at Driver Road and Chipper Drive. One family member fell to the ground after speaking with police, The Journal Inquirer reported. The medical examiners office arrived after the family left. Cleverdon said the body was found between 9:30 and 10 a.m. Friday. Cleverdon said location data brought police to the bodys location. The body was found in a heavily wooded area not far from a trail area off the road. The body was not in a grave, and had begun to decompose, Cleverdon said. He said the cause and manner of death are still pending investigation by the office of the chief medical examiner. Earlier in the day, law enforcement agencies searched the East Hartford area for Edwards, officials said. During the afternoon news conference, Cleverdon said the search involved South Windsor police, the state police major crimes unit, state police K-9 units and the South Windsor police aerial support team. Edwards was reported missing to South Windsor police on May 10 after she was last seen around 7 a.m. that day. On Wednesday, Cleverdon said investigators were reviewing area surveillance footage to gather any additional information on Edwards leaving her home. During the press conference Friday afternoon, Cleverdon said police no longer believe Edwards left in a car with an unknown person. Last week, investigators served a search warrant at Edwards home and for three vehicles while state police dogs canvassed the area around the missing womans home. Local community groups and leaders have conducted their own searches. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. Giuseppe Joe Colella, age 77, a resident of New Canaan for over 45 years, died Tuesday, May 22, 2018. Born in Marcanise, Province of Caserta, Italy October 30, 1940, he was the son of the late Lorenzo Colella and Annuziata Iuliana. He was the husband of the late Annunziata Gaudino Colella. Giuseppe, or Joe as he was best known, was the founder and longtime proprietor of New Canaans first Pizzeria, the eponymously named, Joes Pizzeria on Locust Avenue. As a new immigrant to the United States, Joe pursued a number of jobs including working in a fireworks factory in Pennsylvania and painting a number of iconic Stamford landmarks upon moving to Connecticut. A fateful job at Roma Pizza in Stamford, CT led to a passion for food service and the opening of his own business in nearby New Canaan. Joe and his wife, Nancy, soon became fixtures of New Canaan as they grew their business and raised their 4 children in town. His dedication to hospitality and caring expressed through the sharing of food made Joes Pizza one of the top restaurants in Fairfield County. His generosity and larger than life personality is still fondly recalled by his family and many customers. Giuseppe is survived by his son, Lorenzo (Alissa) Colella of New Canaan, three daughters, Nancy Colella of Norwalk, Filomena (Jeffrey) Faucher of New Canaan, and Serra Colella of Norwalk. As well as a brother and two sisters Francesco Colella, Maria Colella, Catarina Colella of Italy and he is predeceased by his brother Benito Colella. He is also survived by two grandchildren Carolyn Ann Faucher and Leo Atenogenes Colella. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, May 26th, 2018 at 11 AM at St Aloysius Church, Cherry Street, New Canaan followed by entombment in Lakeview Cemetery. The family will receive friends at the Hoyt Funeral Home, 199 Main Street, New Canaan on Friday, May 25th, from 4 to 8 PM. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to the New Canaan Volunteer Ambulance Corps. P.O. Box 598 New Canaan, CT 06840, http://ncvac.org/. For online condolences and directions please visit www.hoytfuneralhome.com. Norfolk Healing Rooms has faith for our times Norfolk Healing Rooms, which offers free ministry for the sick in body, mind and spirit, is continuing its service through Zoom and offering free taster prophetic evenings. Newburyport, MA (01950) Today Periods of rain. Low near 55F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Periods of rain. Low near 55F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. It is common knowledge that, on average, veterans have more health-care needs than many Americans, but Floridas legal climate is making things worse. Trial attorneys take advantage of premises liability or bad faith loopholes to score easy settlements. On the small-business front, many veterans in the private sector either own or work for a small business, and while the Legislature did its part to pass COVID-19 liability protections, there is still work to be done. I hope that the Legislature will take up the subject of such loopholes again in 2022. Our veterans who work for small businesses deserve it. Pearl Maria Dsouza By Express News Service BENGALURU: The Education Department has asked the deputy commissioners of districts to provide compensation to the families of teachers and staffers who died of Covid-19 while on Covid duty. A top official said that the staffers were appointed by the district commissioners for Covid duty. The families of these teachers are bound to receive around Rs 30 lakh in insurance, said the official. However, these benefits were restricted to government teachers, staffers and those outsourced for Covid duty. The Deputy Director of Public Instruction has been asked to follow up on the compensation and also provide information on those families eligible for compensation. Meanwhile, the department has initiated the process to appoint the kin of those teachers or staffers, who died on duty be it Covid or otherwise (prior to their retirement), on compassionate grounds in Group D, first division assistant or second division assistant roles. In a letter issued to the DCs, Commissioner of Public Instruction Anbu Kumar also reminded them to provide financial relief to the families of those who died of Covid even if they were deputed for other duties such as election. Private schools, in the meantime, have been demanding some relief. Minister for Primary and Secondary Education S Suresh Kumar had written to Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Thursday to announce a relief package for unaided school teachers and staffers as several parents did not pay the fees for the previous academic year when classes were held online. By Express News Service BENGALURU: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) staffers have started the exercise of door-to-door surveys to check on vaccination and testing. But citizens are not cooperating, claiming that they do not want to get tested or vaccinated, BBMP Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta revealed on Saturday. He said the exercise has been undertaken to take stock if there are adequate facilities for home isolation and to check on primary and secondary contacts. But people are not coming forward. This should not be the attitude, he said. Gupta was speaking to the media on the sidelines of the inauguration of a 100-bed Covid Care Centre, set up by the Indian Army in the military compound on St Johns Road, Ulsoor. On the need for shifting patients from CCCs and triaging centres to hospitals immediately, Gupta said software modulations to the bed allocation portal were being discussed and worked upon, where patients will be treated as directly preferred to hospitals, when referred from these centres, skipping the process of calling 1912. Gupta added that the 100-bed CCC will have 40 oxygenated beds. Arrangements in all CCCs have been made to have dedicated oxygen beds, round-the-clock doctors and nurses and ambulance services to shift patients. Each CCC and triaging centre is also connected to hospitals to shift patients immediately. On compensation for civic workers who died due to Covid-19, Gupta said that last year, an insurance scheme was introduced, but this year, the government has decided to give them Rs 10 lakh each. By Express News Service BHUBANESWAR: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has strengthened its arrangements to evacuate people from vulnerable locations and deal with urban flooding in wake of the impending cyclone. Municipal Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Singh who chaired a meeting on Saturday asked officials to commission pump sets in 27 vulnerable points prone to flooding and water-logging. The meeting was attended by representatives of WATCO, fire service, Commissionerate Police and TPCODL. Singh asked the line departments to make foolproof arrangements to deal with any eventuality. All officials will be available round the clock for the relief work post-cyclone. While the control room functioning for BMC office for heatwave will remain operational during the period, a control room having landline number 0679-2431253 and toll free number -18003450061 - have been activated to receive grievances. Officials said that zonal deputy commissioners (ZDCs) have been asked to identify suitable temporary shelters in their respective zones for safe evacuation and shifting of the people with adherence of Covid protocols. The Commissioner directed ZDCs to submit their list of temporary shelters with evacuation plans within 24 hours. Further, it was decided that BEOs, DEOs and college authorities will hand over the school and college buildings to the ZDCs if required for creation of temporary shelters. City Engineer shall be responsible for restoration of the road communication, clearance of the roads due to felling of trees, walls, transformers, temporary structure, hoardings etc in the event of the cyclone, officials said. Similarly, fire officials assured BMC to provide 33 power saws, eight ASKA lights and 20 pump sets for restoration work. The TPCODL has been asked to ensure immediate restoration of electricity supply. By Express News Service CHENNAI: Anna University has announced that the registration for re-exams will be open between May 24 and June 3 for students who did not register for the November-December 2020 examinations. In a circular, the varsity on Saturday said that the web portal of the office of the controller of examinations will levy a special fee of Rs 5,000 to be paid by the students along with the normal exam fee for each paper for students who have exhausted the maximum period of study. Others have to pay the normal fee for each paper. Students can find details on https://coe1.annauniv.edu. Due to the severity of the Covid-19 outbreak, students have been requested not to visit the varsity in person. Cancel the retest Educationalist and former vice-chancellor of Anna University E Balagurusamy, in a letter to Chief Minister MK Stalin on Saturday, asserted that the State government should cancel the retest and uphold the original online proctored exams. Cancelling the online proctored exams and issuing orders for a retest in the unsupervised online, pen and paper format like other varsities will lower the academic standard of students and spoil the varsitys reputation, he said. After the varsity held back the semester results of more than half the students alleging malpractice, the State government said that all students who failed or are unsatisfied with the results shall be allowed to take a retest shortly. Balagurusamy, however, claimed that a large number of students engaged in malpractice and that the varsity took considerable amount of time to review the audio and video recordings of various kinds of malpractices and declare results. Adding that there were no irregularities in the conduct of the exam proctored by Artificial Intelligence, he said that the alternate model might even allow for impersonators to write in place of students. The very purpose of an exam is to distinguish between good and bad students and evaluate the level of knowledge acquired by the students. But the proposed method of examination will definitely defeat this purpose, he rued. Moreover, this will seriously affect the career prospects of the good and bright students, he said. Stating that the proposed examination pattern may not conform the AICTE and UGC guidelines. Call off retests Former vice-chancellor of Anna University E Balagurusamy, in a letter to the CM, asserted that the government should cancel the retest By Express News Service KOCHI: The Motor Vehicles Department (MVD, which had set out on an ambitious mission to transport Liquified Medical Oxygen (LMO) from a steel plant in West Bengal to Kochi, managed to complete the mission successfully when the final two tankers arrived here on on Saturday, While the first truck with 9 tonnes of LMO arrived here on Thursday, the remaining trucks drove in here on Saturday evening after covering the distance of over 2,500km in five days. Though the earlier plan was to airlift the three trucks from West Bengal, it was later dropped owing to the adverse weather conditions due to Tauktae cyclone. The government also deployed three KSRTC drivers and an assistant motor vehicle inspector on the mission. From the beginning, the mission was really a challenging one as we encountered several issues in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. The district administration there didnt allow us to transport oxygen as they too faced a shortage. Even the district collector and the transport commissioner there also intervened. We are heaving a sigh of relief since the mission could be successfully completed, said B Shefiq, Joint Regional Transport Officer, who was in charge of the mission. Earlier, after the states oxygen reserves became depleted, the government decided to send three trucks to the Tata Steel Plant in Burnpur. Following this, the MVD siezed three tankers from multinational companies which supplied Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) for the Petronet LNG in Kochi. The Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) had given exemption to use the vehicle to transport the LMO after converting the tanker. Meanwhile, the team which carried out the mission said they were ready to undertake a fresh mission. Our entire team is ready for the mission again. Though we started from scratch, we were able to finish the mission, Shefiq added. Debdutta Mitra By Online Desk Somewhere in Mumbai, a girl and a friend of hers were travelling in a auto-rickshaw when all of a sudden, a biker flashed his private parts to them. Though the distressed girl was apprehensive of filing a complaint, her friend decided to tweet this episode to notify the city police through its official handle. Soon, the cops took notice of the tweet and decided to act on the incident. On examining the CCTV footage, they were able to nab the accused Many other such incidents have been reported in the city police's official Twitter handle - @mumbaipolice - and thanks to the timely work of Sunchika Pandey (aka Twitter Madam) and her team, the police department has been able to carve a niche for itself worldwide since the page's initiation in December 2015. "With changing times, police understand that they have to use as many mediums as they can and build a network and maintain it. But today five years down the line, many police departments, who use social media, will credit the Mumbai Police's page as its inspiration," says Pandey, who runs HAT Media, a marketing agency that manages the social media accounts of various government bodies in Maharashtra. Born in Ranchi, Pandey began her career initially as a journalist in 2004 and worked for various news media outlets in Mumbai before shifting to the talk show Satyamev Jayate. "Despite it just being a small stint, the show's cause enticed me to change my role from mainstream media. It was also during that time that I got acquainted with social media tools and I learnt how many people were getting driven to it," says Sunchika, who started working for the outsourced agency of the show's social media team as project manager. It was during this stint also she happened to notice the Twitter page of Bengaluru Police. "The information flow was only one-sided in the Bengaluru Police," she says. "Then, I thought of starting such an initiative for the Mumbai Police considering that I have worked closely with them and my love for the city and its security," she recalls. Sunchika with her team of social media managers. (Photo| Debdutta Mitra, EPS) However, setting up such a platform was somewhat challenging. "When I brought the idea to a senior officer, he welcomed her idea. However, the department had doubts on whether they were ready. There was scepticism on how such a medium would work for government agencies," she says. "Also, as a public service office, they were doubtful of handling not only the amount of emergency alerts that would be sent by the public but the criticism that would come even for a small error," she comments. However, she was clear with her idea of an "online control room". "Twitter is the best platform to have short real time conversations and Mumbai is expected to have many users for the same," she remarks. "We decided that we had to prepare thoroughly to face emergency messages as anybody would first inform the police no matter whatever be the distress. It would also enlighten masses on what the police's duty is and what is handled by other departments. It wasn't started abruptly but took time after adequate preparation and technical training," she adds. Although she did approach police officers on her own, her colleagues (from the social media agency) gave her all sorts of help. "Even though I had moved out from there, they helped me in presentations and managing the necessary formalities as they were very much impressed by the idea," she says adding that she didn't take any remuneration for the first three months. "A friend of mine, who wanted to start something of his own, decided to join me in my venture and thus we founded HAT Media together. Initially we had an all-girls team for the first two years and we used to communicate by using phones most of the times," she said, adding that her experience as a scribe helped her in multi-tasking. The team had launched the Instagram page for the same purpose last year during the COVID-19 pandemic. "Since Mumbai is a cosmopolitan city (with Bollywood at one place and financial markets at other), I think the attention has been more on cops," she said. Sunchika recalls the most tiring but exciting moment of her job during the 2017 Mumbai floods. "Our social media team had been very active that time receiving complaints from various parts of the city till 4-5 am. Our team was very elated at one such instance where we were able to save a woman with her child and it all happened due to the required coordination with people on field," she says. CLICKING THE COPS As a young boy, when Pravin Talan first became fascinated by a soldier in the 1980s, little did he know that many armed forces such as NSG, CISF, BSF and various police departments would approach him to bring out the candid part of their lives via calendars and coffee table books. "I don't want to be stereotyped as a police or armed forces' official photographer though. I just do it as my passion for photography as a whole," says Pravin who started his career in fashion photography after venturing into modelling and journalism also. "During my initial days in FTV, one of my Israeli colleagues showed me photos of international armed forces such as US Navy Seals and Israeli forces. It then flashed in my mind that why not do something for those in India as such photos can act as a great image booster for our armed forces," he asks. During childhood, Pravin got his first camera after he won a prize in a photography competition. "It was then that I realised my love for the lens," says Pravin, who was gifted an advanced camera later by his father. "I was in Class V when one of my teachers gave me a magazine called 'Commando' which had stories of bravery and I read every edition till Class X," Pravin says adding that he was in awe of seeing troops at the army parade ground near his house. During his early years as an adult, Pravin also wrote for a local newspaper, which has ceased circulation before venturing into modelling. "Unfortunately, an accident ended my modelling career due to injuries in my face," he recalls. But what makes Pravin eminent is his work for the Mumbai Police calendar every year and that is also done without any fees. "I think the biggest prize and self-satisfaction I can get is the recognition given by senior officers and ministers," he said adding that the special access he gets to take his camera at sensitive areas is also another responsibility more than a perk. Pravin believes it was his own enthusiasm to do something for the city police department that he started it. "My stint with the calendar in 2016 started when I approached the-then Joint Commissioner Deven Bharti via reference of one of my friends. After I shot many pictures, the question was on the scale of bringing out the calendar and it was decided that it would be launched by the chief minister on the annual police festival Umang," he says. Pravin was very glad when the entire force was impressed by the pictures and never expected to go for another round of the assignment. "It started off as a small tribute to the forces and I never expected that Bharti sir would call me exactly a year later asking me to shoot for a new calendar," he remarks. This year's calendar focuses on the pandemic and the lockdown-induced last year with shots ranging to the city police chief patrolling the seats. However, Pravin believes that the city police was already famous even before he started bringing them to his lens. However, confidentiality is a must during clicking these photos. "I don't shoot normal forces who come out every day. The photos are used to motivate those who will view it. If general public see it themselves during shooting, what is the use of clicking it. The same is experienced by filmmakers," he comments. However, one might wonder on why he only sees the positive part of the forces. "I had once shot a dead deer and when I showed it to my mother, she scolded me for 'bringing negativity through my camera' and said that if I bring out only positive things, then only can I attract more viewers for my photos," he says. Apart from his work for the calendar, Pravin's stint for Maharashtra police began with him directing a short film 'Say No to Corruption' in 2005 starring Pankaj Tripathi for the state anti-corruption bureau. However, the music video 'Rakh Tu Hausla', which was written and directed by him, saw appreciation from all corners. Pravin is excited for a web series on 'special forces' which he plans to direct. "My team is done with the research and it is now in the scripting stage. It is going to be an eye-opener," says Pravin. G Janardhan Rao By Express News Service VISAKHAPATNAM: Penury was never a deterrent for Kaki Santosh Kumar, a 25-year-old from Malkapuram, to help others in dire need of money. Now a contract staffer at the naval dockyard in Visakhapatnam, he feeds the poor and donates groceries, sanitiser and masks to orphanages and inmates of home for the visually challenged run by Helen Keller Association in MVP Colony. Santosh says he needs little for himself as he is not married, and spends most of his meagre income on volunteer works and donations. Santosh started his volunteer service in 2015, initially by donating blood. Later, he and his friends started distributing food packets to the destitute on Station Road.He continued the food distribution even when his friends stopped turning up. The sense of volunteerism grew in him, and Santosh even gives the destitute a shave and haircut whenever he finds time. With partial lockdown staging a comeback, Santosh resumed distributing food to the stranded at the railway station. I prefer feeding the poor and children than partying with friends. Im lucky to have friends who understand my choices, and join me in my volunteer works. His father hailed from Koruprolu near Chodavaram and migrated to the city even before his birth. He credits his achievements and service attitude to his mother, who brought him up alone after the death of his father. Santosh said he himself has a first-hand experience of penury and difficulties, which prompted him to get involved in volunteerism. When he started, he was just a student and continued with his goals even when had menial jobs. His service activities have won him Champion of Charity award from the Champion Book of World Records. He received the award from the district collector recently. Santosh, however, said he had never done any charity or voluntary service for fame or awards. I would have done it even without awards because I believe in serving mankind. Neha Kirpal By Pragnya Wakhlu has an antidote to the bleakness of the times. A new song. Titled Song of Hope, this Delhi-based Kashmiri indie musicians song reminds us this summer that there is strength in surviving the winter of the pandemic. What started as a minute-long video during the 2020 lockdown went on to become a full-fledged song this summer. Wakhlu recalls, No one knew where the world was headed or what was going to happen the next day. It made me want to write something for people to believe in a better tomorrow, and the lyrics just flowed. Her family and friends were treated to a minute-long sneak peek featuring the tune. They were ecstatic and asked her to create the entire song. It prompted me to add more verses, she reveals. Song of Hope is one of the six songs in her new album Lessons in Love, which will be out around mid-June. They are about her experiences in the different phases of her life and what she has come to learn about herself. In May, Wakhlu had released another of the albums tracks Nice Guy featuring Australian artist Marcos Villalta on the guitar, Sonic Shori on bass and Kunal Netrapal on the drums. This jazz video was shot in Delhi just before the second lockdown. It portrays different stages of a crush in a one-sided love story, she says. Later this year, she has multiple plansrelease animated music videos with Kashmiri songs and record tracks with her band The Kahwa Speaks Ensemble. Wakhlu will also start a new healing project soon. She spent her time recovering from Covid by applying her sound-healing knowledge to create a playlist of Solfeggio frequencies, and healing chants and music from across the world. Solfeggio frequency of 528Hz is also called the Love Frequency, Miracle Tone and Frequency of Transformation, which is believed to transform and energise the body by reducing the stress hormone, cortisol. The musicians of the sea call out to this girl from the land of snowy mountains. She has a fascination for whales. So much so that she contacted Hawaii-based National Geographic contributor and whale diver Karim Iliya, who shot the video for the Whale Song. Incidentally, it is Indias first indie song and music video featuring whale calls and real humpback whales in Tonga. In this musical collaboration between artists from three different countriesthe US (Iliya), India (Sonic Shori, Kunal, Keshav Dhar, Wakhlu and Bhanu Wadhawan) and Australia (Marcos Villalta)whales are the metaphor for feelings and emotions that live under the surface of peoples minds. If we approach our deepest fears with courage, we would often see that maybe its not as hard or scary as we had imagined them to be, Wakhlyu confesses. Earlier this month, she won two awards at the 11th Dadasaheb Phalke AwardsBest Cinematography for Kahwa Speaks (directed and shot by Rumaan Hamdaani and Zulkarnain Dev) as well as Best Music for an Animated Music Video for Katyuchuk My Love. The latter is for Mousai, her startup that conducts workshops on voice for self-healing, and individual and partner movements through dance and chakra. Wakhlu has been conducting sessions on wellbeing for corporates on Zoom and other online sessions. Her experience as a techie working in Infosys in both Bengaluru and the US could explain her online felicity. In the end, she quit her job to make music that heals. Just follow the tune. Ravi Shankar And Ayesha Singh By It had been raining heavily in Unnao, an impoverished district in the hinterlands of Uttar Pradesh. The Ganga runs through it. The rain swelled the waters and turned the banks into slush. The river gave up the deadhundreds of putrefying corpses of Covid-19 patients, which had been buried in graves barely three-foot deep. Their families were too poor to afford wood for their cremation. Before Covid-19 struck Unnao, wood for a pyre cost around Rs 500. It now sells for Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000. Add priests, attendants and samagri, the bill to reach paradise comes to around Rs 10,000. Even as thousands of compassionate citizens struggle to help coronavirus victims get food, oxygen, medicines and hospital beds, a malevolent beast has risen to profit from horror. He blackmails families begging for oxygen by charging them astronomical prices. He sells empty cylinders and faulty oximeters. He exploits shortage of hospital beds by reserving them for a hefty fee or even makes fake bookings. He charges lakhs for a last ambulance ride. He scavenges on fear, hiking prices of life-saving drugs. He is a purveyor of fake medical reports for passengers who will most likely infect unsuspecting fellow travellers. He is the Unscrupulous Indian. After the Unlock 1.0 in June 2020, citizens let their guard down, ignoring virus protocol such as wearing masks, hand washing and keeping safe distance. Covid-19 fatigue freed them from home isolation in large numbers. They crowded shopping malls, liquor shops, weddings and other social events. The second wave began. Now, death is on the black market. C for Covid-19 During this pandemic, the oxygen mafia has been operating with impunity. On April 25, Neha Arora lost her 35-year-old husband to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. She called three nearby hospitals frantically. No beds were available. An oxygen dealer agreed to sell her a seven-litre cylinder for a whopping Rs 95,000, almost four times its MRP. But her husband died the same nightthe cylinder was an empty one. The Unscrupulous Indian had struck. This is not an isolated incident. A government hospital staffer in UPs Shamli, too, sold an empty oxygen cylinder to a critically ill Covid-19 patient for Rs 10,000the cost of a human life. As many as 638 empty oxygen cylinders were seized from a factory in Sahibabad, also in UP; they were to be sold for Rs 10,000 to Rs 30,000. A woman was propositioned by her neighbour to sleep with him in exchange for an oxygen cylinder for her dying father. Says Manas Mukul, a writer based in Lucknow, A friend reached out to me for an oxygen cylinder around April 16-17. After searching for two days, we managed to get one for a steep Rs 29,000. If the exploitation wasnt bad enough, she had to fork out an additional Rs 25,000 to have it refilled. The government should have set up oxygen generation plants, imported vaccines in bulk to vaccinate people aggressively and focused on funding clinical research on transmission of variants and vaccine efficacy, says Dr Radha Rangarajan, Chief Scientific Officer of Delhi-based HealthCube Diagnostics. Oxygen cylinders that cost Rs 4,000-5,000 are going for Rs 35,000-40,000 in Bihar and Rs 25,000 in West Bengal. C for Covid Corruption The Unscrupulous Indian is the pitted face of the pandemic. Hanumanth Rao, ACP, Cyberabad Police in-charge of the Covid Control Room, Telangana, says, The source of the medical sales is the starting point for a black market operation. Either the distributor takes the drugs to various hospitals or the hospital staff/pharmacy workers sell it on the black market. Their modus operandi is uniform across states. Dishonest health workers frighten a patient with exaggerated claims of medicine/injection shortage. He or she is advised to buy them at twice or thrice the price from a pharmacy the hospital has tied up with. The helpless families have no choice but to agree. The hospital gets a cut, shares Rao. Taking advantage of medical shortages and the desperation of affected families, many pharmacies have inflated the prices of oximeters, oxygen cylinders, and life-saving drugs. Precious pulse oximeters cost a 100 percent moreeven for unbranded Chinese equipment, which do not carry MRP tags. Hospital pharmacies are where private corruption startsdrugs such as ulinastatin and enoxaparin sodium injections are three times the official tab. Respiratory exercisers have witnessed a four-fold rise in prices. A high concentration oxygen mask worth Rs 300 was sold for Rs 1,100 in a Kerala hospitals pharmacy. Private hospitals have a well-developed tout network. a No Stock displayed at a vaccination centre in Bengaluru They bribe health workers Rs 10,000-13,000 to drive Covid traffic their wayit works out well since average treatment costs between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 6 lakh. In Odisha, in spite of the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana that covers the cost of Covid-19 treatment, many hospitals are wary of admitting patients. An ICU bed costs Rs 10,000 a day in some Chennai hospitals. During the first wave, the Tamil Nadu government had imposed a degree of control over private hospitals. Now these institutions are capitalising on the weakness of the overstretched government healthcare system. A patient in Chrompet recalls a private hospital charging him Rs 10 lakh for a six-day stay. In a sting operation, a patients family in Jaipur caught the Dhanvantari Hospital authorities asking for Rs 60,000 to Rs 70,000 for treatment each day. Mukul recalls going to buy Fabiflu in Lucknow, The medical store was hiking the prices right in front of everyone. The printed MRP was Rs 650 for 10 tablets but they were selling it for Rs 1,000. The storekeeper wanted Rs 70,000 for a concentrator that costs around Rs 30,000. And they delivered a malfunctioning piece. This highlights governments laxity. The Centre should have learnt lessons from last years lockdown and immediately clamped down on corruption in healthcare. Madhya Pradesh alone has over nine lakh migrants who should have been given a relief package especially when MGNREGA couldnt give them jobs, says Ishan Santwani, a community worker and student in Gwalior. Technology could leverage better, feel people like Ashwini Saranya from Mandya, Karnataka, who lost her 32-year-old husband Aravind to Covid this month. She feels that a website on the lines of IRCTC where anyone in India can log in from anywhere to find out where he or she can get medicines, beds, etc locally and effectively within minutes is necessary. Saranya says, Techies and NGOs are working in silos which is resulting in chaos over sharing handles like #HelpNeeded posts. A single website or app that integrates all information could have saved Aravind. C for Covid Contraband The thriving fake industry is the parallel Covid economy. Bengaluru City Police arrested Sampath Lal, a travel agent, for peddling fake Covid-19 negative certificates for train passengers without an RT-PCR test. The medical mercenary sold the reports for Rs 3,000-4,000 each, imperilling fellow travellers and further escalating the virus spread. Cheap imitations of essential medical items, such as N95 masks and PPE kits, are flogged in the open market in Kochi, thereby compromising all preventive efforts. The irony is bizarre. After the state government made new regulations and capped the price of essential medical items, the likelihood of fakes hitting the market has increased. Frontline health workers who wear fake safety gear, could spread infections and increase mortalities, says Dr P Gopikumar, Kerala secretary of the Indian Medical Association. Fraudulent medical prescriptions are available for cash. J Surender Reddy, Deputy Commissioner of Police, SOT, Rachakonda Police Commissionerate, Hyderabad, clarifies, Retailers posing as patients families get their hands on fake test reports and prescriptions. They use these to procure Remdesivir injections in large quantities, which they sell in black for Rs 25,000 to Rs 36,000 per vial. Charvi Khandelwal, a recovered patient in Bengaluru, says that the government shouldve focused on prevention with packages designed by medical experts, comprising basic fitness exercises, nutritious food and vitamins. People throng the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai to buy remdesivir ,R.Satish Babu C for Covid Callousness Greed is the hallmark of the Unscrupulous Indian. A Delhi ambulance owner charged 85-year-old retired school teacher Shalini Vig Rs 75,000 to transport her critically ill 90-year-old husband to a hospital just four km away. Another operator was arrested for billing a patients kin Rs 1.2 lakh. In the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, where the highest number of cases is currently being registered, a Kakinada ambulance owner was demanding Rs 25,000, and his competitor Rs 15,000, to transport deceased Covid-19 patients to the burial ground. Pathos rules the ethos80-year-old Samayam Raghavamma who lived in an old-age home died of the coronavirus in the Kakinada Government General Hospital. Since government ambulances only operate within city limits, a private vehicle was arranged. After much pleading, its owner settled for Rs 15,000. The normal rate is Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000. The list of ingenious villains posing as Good Samaritans is long. Alleged Covid racketeer Manish Sarkar circulated his phone number on social media offering beds in Bengaluru. He reportedly cheated at least 17 desperate families by offering them an imaginary bed at Rs 27,000 each. One victim was Stephan Raj, who was desperately seeking an ICU bed for his Covid-positive and heavily symptomatic parents. Though he paid Sarkar, they did not get the promised beds. Rajs mother passed away on April 24, and his father the next day. If the government wasnt in denial and concentrated on real action and not PR, we wouldnt have been in this mess, says Delhi-based social activist and environmentalist Bhavreen Kandhari. C for Covid Children Messages have begun to appear on Twitter and FB, offering Covid orphans for adoption in UP. Activists fear that the posts could be by child traffickers. Advocate Prabhsahay Kaur, who represents child rights NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan, knows of many instances where both parents died, leaving their young children orphaned and destitute. In many such situations, relatives have refused to care for the children unless there is money in it. Kaur remembers, A 17-year-old boy lost both his parents to Covid. His relatives refused to help until they saw the property papers! A neighbour is caring for him now. Its sickening. Abandonment and greed go hand in hand, exposing the callousness in the family system. Sumesh Jain from Agra fostered 13-year-old Arya (name changed) for three months before the Child Rights Commission ordered a close relative to take the girl. The relative had vanished from the scene although he was the legal guardian and guardian of the estate according to her parents will. The child is in shock, being old enough to understand rejection. It will leave an indelible impact on her mind, regrets Jain. Funeral pyres of Covid-19 victims C for Covid Capitalism Maslows Hierarchy of Needs is a psychological concept that categorises the order of human needs that drive personal growthself-esteem above safety, love and belonging above physiological needs. Though there are flaws in the theory, in an outlier situation like now, hoarding has become a fundamental need. Grocers are inflating food prices and creating artificial scarcity, encouraging stocking up of essential items. A natural disaster like the pandemic is the petridish of disaster capitalisma trend that offers free-market solutions, which perpetuate existing disparities. Indian e-commerce companies have used the lockdown to consolidate their market dominance at the expense of neighbourhood grocers, pushcart vendors and local traders. There are now concerns that private hospitals in Chennai are violating ICMR protocols to administer remdesivir. A 28-year-old IT professional in Vadapalani had a CT severity score of 16. She was asked to buy nine vials of the drug even before admission in a private city hospital. It cost her family Rs 15,000 a vial on the black market while the Tamil Nadu government sells six vials for less than Rs 10,000. Dr TS Selvavinayagam, Director, Public Health and Preventive Medicine, insists that remdesivir is not a mandatory drug for Covid patients. The guidelines are very clear. It is meant for restricted use for patients on oxygen support. C for Covid Crowds Elections and the Hardwar Kumbh Mela became corona super-spreaders. The Madras High Court accused the BJP-compliant Election Commission of murder in West Bengal. A former Uttarakhand chief minister explained away the pandemic because the virus too has a right to live. It (the Kumbh) welcomed people to their deathbeds, according to Dr Faizan Mustafa, Vice-Chancellor of NALSAR University, Hyderabad. Not a single testing lab was set up by the government in Hardwar, he says on his YouTube series, Legal Awareness. Heavy fines should have been imposed for not wearing masks. Isolation should have been enforced on all senior citizens travelling anywhere in the country, says Delhi-based social worker and psychologist Promita Dewan. Paradoxically, the cure is spreading infection. Last Sunday night, police tried to evacuate the pavements around Chennais Nehru Indoor Stadium where people had gathered during night curfew. Remdesivir injections were to be sold in the morning. There was no social distancing. Government counters selling the medicine are potential hotspots. Caregivers of patients spent long hours jostling with nary a thought to distancing or proper masking, hoping to be among the lucky 50 to get the prescribed six remdesivir vialsonly 300 are sold a day. Police personnel on duty are deeply concerned about the risk of infection. These are caregivers and family members of positive patients. So almost 80 percent of them must be infected. Even though the lockdowns have emptied malls, restaurants and cinemas, hospitals, clinics and vaccination centres have ironically become viral zones. Rajesh Kumar in Gurugram lost his 28-year-old son to Covid-19. After the government reduced the vaccination age limit, he urged his son to register. The son tried several vaccine centres before getting a slot at a small centre in a village. The place was overcrowded. Says Kumar, Some people had their masks up, while others had masks dangling from their chins. After spending four hours there, my son returned home without his jab since his registration did not show up on the computer. In two days, Kumars son developed severe body ache and fever. His oxygen level dropped. No hospital bed was available. Family member with PPE kits waiting to perform the last rites in Bengaluru The Kumars made hundreds of calls to friends and relatives. Nobody had an oxygen cylinder. My sons condition deteriorated. Finally, using some influence, we got an ICU bed. But it was too late, laments Kumar. With this kind of mismanagement, disasters are waiting to happen. People throng vaccination centres in large numbers to get their jabs, and many of them expose themselves to infection. The government should have decentralised vaccination by distributing vials to RWAs, individual colonies, condominiums, clubs, companies and corporations, so that people are vaccinated in smaller groups, feels Gurugram-based sociologist and researcher Sumita Arora. C for Covid Confusion Now that the government has disowned the drugs efficacy, caregivers, survivors and doctors are angry. The artificial demand being created by private hospitals are leading to black marketing, complains a medical officer in Chennai. A patients attendant confesses, I stood in a queue for two days but didnt get the injections. But some touts offered me remdesivir for Rs 1 lakh per vial. In the Hyderabad Commissionerate, 40 such touts were apprehended. Radhakishan Rao, DCP, Task Force, Hyderabad City Police, adds, There were two minor boys among the culprits. Says a doctor in a private Delhi hospital, We risk our lives every day. But the government is clueless because it disregards scientific experts and experienced doctors. Its only doctors are spin doctors trying to save its image. Had it revealed the truth about remdesivir, so many people wouldnt have run through their savings and black marketers wouldnt have made a killing. The same goes for plasma treatment, which has been found unnecessary. Touts in Delhi had been contacting impoverished recovered patients to sell plasma for Rs 3 lakh or more. The donor hardly gets Rs 25,000, says a Delhi Police officer. In 2013, Swami Sobhan Sarkar, a local sadhu in Unnao, dreamt that King Rao Ram Baksh Singh, who had participated in the 1857 Mutiny, had buried 10,000 tonnes of gold under his now ruined fort. Sarkar managed to persuade Union Congress Minister Charan Das Mahant to force the ASI to become gold diggers. At around 2 pm on October 18, digging began but the search was abandoned many days later after no signs of treasure were found. The current MP is another godman, Sakshi Ji Maharaj. The tragic story of Unnao, and India itself is that, buried under the rain-sodden corpses on the banks of the holy Ganga is only fools gold. And the Unscrupulous Indian is the deadly alchemist who is busy turning misery into gold. HOW IT HAPPENED The government disregarded medical advice about Wave 2 and was not ready for it No preventive measures were envisaged No coordinated national website with information on Covid-19 supplies was set up by the Centre Red tape held up foreign aid and vaccines at airports and labs. The Central laboratory delayed Sputnik safety tests. States did not get smooth oxygen supply. Many pieces of oxygen equipment bought with PM Cares funds proved to be faulty. Ignorance on remdesivir and plasma treatment led to black market sales Non-oxygen beds should have been converted into oxygen beds. Having separate covid and non-covid diagnostic centres would have helped. Prof Dr Manish Khanna Chairperson, Indian Stem Cell Study Group Association A 17-year-old boy lost both parents to Covid. His relatives refused to help until they saw the property papers! A neighbour is caring for him now. Its sickening. Prabhsahay Kaur Advocate, who represents child rights NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan, Delhi The government could have focused on extensive use of tele-guidance by trained medical personnel for the asymptomatic, mild and moderately sick people to avoid panic and misuse/abuse of drugs. Dr Lalitha Reddy Founder, ForMen ForKids, a men's wellness entity, Hyderabad If the government wasnt in denial and concentrated on real action besides PR, we wouldnt have been in this mess. Bhavreen Kandhari Social activist and environmentalist, Delhi The government should have set up oxygen generation plants, imported vaccines in bulk and focused on funding clinical research on transmission of variants and vaccine efficacy" Dr Radha Rangarajan Chief Scientific Officer, HealthCube Diagnostics, Bengaluru LOOT LIST Oxygen Mafia Oxygen cylinders that normally cost around Rs 3,000-4,000 were sold for Rs 35,000 or more. Empty cylinders peddled. Chinese Oximeters without MRP tags hawked at arbitrary prices. Hoarding created artificial shortages. Private Plunder Private hospitals overcharged patients. Just a bed in a Chennai hospital cost Rs 10,000 upward. They created panic about medicine and remdesivir shortages. They saved money by not setting up oxygen plants. They forced poor patients under free government schemes to pay unaffordable amounts. Cost of ICU beds was hiked. Beds were booked in advance in connivance with hospital staff for excessive prices. Both hospitals and the administration dismantled health infrastructure set up during the first wave and did not replenish stocks of kits, beds and medicines. Alarming Ambulances Private ambulances that normally charge Rs 1,000-4,000 according to range overcharged people for Rs 1 lakh and more to ferry both patients and corpses. Hastily converted ambulances lacked licences, proper equipment or trained workers. Fraud Raj Until now, remsedivir injections whose government price was Rs 10,000 for six vials went for Rs 15,000 per vialand in some instances even Rs 1 lakh for one vial. Fake PPE kits and N-19 masks were sold on the black market, endangering health workers and people. Medical shops raised prices of essential drugs 10-fold. Fake RT-PCR certificates and prescriptions were sold for hefty sums. Tout Terror Private hospitals had touts looking for Covid-19 patients in coordination with their staff. Touts sold everything from oxygen cylinders and remdesivir to plasma for exorbitant profit. Cremation Crisis Cost of wood and materials went up hundred-fold forcing relatives to fling bodies into rivers. With families refusing to cremate their dead, volunteers did their job, resulting in their own deaths. With inputs from Noor Anand Chawla (Delhi), Manju Latha Kalanidhi (Hyderabad), Donita Jose, Mayank Tiwari, Pinto Deepak (Telangana), Guru Srikanth, Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh), Manju Shettar, Iffath Fathima (Bengaluru, Karnataka), Sudarshan Maharana (Bhubaneswar), Anuja Susan Varghese, Ajay Kanth (Kochi). ALSO WATCH: By PTI LUCKNOW: The condition of senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan is stable, the hospital treating him said in a statement here on Saturday. Khan and his son Abdullah were shifted from the Sitapur jail to Medanta Hospital here on May 9 for coronavirus treatment. "On May 22, SP MP Azam Khan (72) was given two litres of oxygen. His condition is stable," the hospital said. The condition of his 30-year-old son too is stable and he has been kept under the observation of doctors, the statement said. Port Louis, Mauritius (PANA) - Thousands of Mauritians on Sunday marched for more than three hours in the main arteries of the capital, Port Louis, in solidarity with the Palestinian people in the conflict with Israel By PTI NEW DELHI: Twelve major opposition parties have extended their support to the call given by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha to observe countrywide protest on May 26, marking six months of the farmers protest at Delhi borders against the Centre's farm laws. The joint statement has been signed by Sonia Gandhi (Congress), H D Deve Gowda (JD-S), Sharad Pawar (NCP), Mamata Banerjee (TMC), Uddhav Thackeray (SS), M K Stalin (DMK), Hemant Soren (JMM), Farooq Abdullah (JKPA), Akhilesh Yadav (SP), Tejaswi Yadav (RJD), D Raja (CPI) and Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M). "On May 12, we had jointly written to Prime Minister Modi saying the following: Repeal farm laws to protect lakhs of our annadatas becoming victims of the pandemic so that they can continue to produce food to feed the Indian people". "We demand the immediate repeal of the farm laws and the legal entitlement to the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of C2+50 per cent as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission," the joint statement said. It also said that the Central government must stop being obdurate and immediately resume talks with the SKM on these lines. By PTI LUCKNOW: Appointment of Uttar Pradesh Basic Education Minister Satish Chandra Dwivedi's brother at a university under the economically weaker section quota has sparked a controversy, with the Congress claiming the involvement of the politician. The minister has junked the allegations, saying he is ready to face the probe. Meanwhile, Siddharth University Vice-Chancellor Surendra Dubey said they will initiate "penal action" if Arun Dwivedi's EWS certificate was found fake. Arun Dwivedi was appointed as assistant professor at the Psychology Department under the economically weaker section (EWS) quota on May 21, the VC said. The university had invited applications for two posts, one under the EWS quota and the other in the OBC category. The vice-chancellor said at the time of his appointment, he did not know that Arun was the minister's brother. Through social media, it came to light, he said. Dubey said for two posts, 150 applications were received and based on merit, 10 applicants were shortlisted. Among those shortlisted candidates was Arun Kumar. These selected applicants were also called for an interview, in which Arun attained the second spot, the VC said, adding that he secured the first spot after combining the interview and educational qualification due to which he was selected. Meanwhile, the minister termed the allegations as baseless. When asked by reporters in Sonbhadra about the difference in income between him and his brother, Dwivedi said he did not interfere in the recruitment process of the university and if anyone has any problem, he is ready for a probe. UP Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu has demanded that the appointment of Arun Dwivedi be immediately cancelled. In a statement issued in Lucknow on Sunday, Lallu said, "The brother of the minister was already working in another university, so how can he be economically weak. On whose recommendation he got the EWS certificate from the district administration, it should also be probed. The basic education minister is involved in this and he is evading questions." The UP Congress chief said the role of the minister should also be probed. "He should come forward and tell as to how his brother, already working in another university, is poor and on whose recommendation he got the EWS certificate," Lallu said. Samajwadi Party MLC Ashutosh Sinha said this is an example of the blatant misuse of government machinery only to benefit the near and dear ones of those in power. Rajesh Kumar Thakur By Express News Service PATNA: If the claims of Bihar State Primary Teachers Association are true, 760, teaching and non-teaching staff including librarians have died in various districts of Bihar due to the COVID-19 infection. Bihar State Primary Teachers Association, through its press release, has claimed that 35 teaching and non-teaching staff have died in Patna district, 26 in Bhojpur, 19 Nalanda in Buxar, 39 in Kaimur, 15 in Rohtas, 22 in Muzaffarpur, 24 in Vaishali, 24 in Sheohar, 12 in East Champaran, 30 in West Champaran and 24 in Sitamarhi. In the same way, 19 teaching and non-teaching staff in Gaya, 35 in Nawada, 26 in Jehanabad, 22 in Samastipur, 21 in Darbhanga, 22 in Bhagalpur, 36 in Banka, 21 in Munger, 25 in Lakhisarai, and 16 in Khagaria districts, have died due to COVID-19 during the ongoing second wave of the pandemic. It has also been claimed that 21 teachers and other non-teaching staff had also died in Begusarai, 25 in Jamui, 16 in Sheikhpura, 15 in Madhepura, 18 in Saharsa, 24 in Araria, 26 in Kishanganj, 24 in Purnia, 28 in Katihar, 19 in Gopalganj, 21 in Siwan , 19 in Chhapra and other districts due to Covid-19 infection. Besides the deaths of 760 teachers, librarians, and other non-teaching staff, hundreds of teachers from all over the state are still in home isolation and admitted to various hospitals after they contracted the infection. The Bihar State Primary Teachers Association has demanded that the families of all deceased should be given a sum of Rs 400,000 in grant-in-aid for disaster relief and all the facilities available to other government employees soon. The benefits of insurance coverage of Rs 50,000,00 and vaccinations of family members of 760 teaching and non-teaching staffs, who had lost their lives due to Covid, should also be provided on priority basis. The association has alleged that no assistance has been given to the dependents of deceased teachers and other non-teaching staff so far by the government. By PTI BHOPAL: Cheetah, the world's fastest land animal which was declared extinct in India in 1952, is expected to be re-introduced into the country in November this year at the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, state Forest Minister Vijay Shah said on Sunday. The country's last spotted cheetah died in Chhattisgarh in 1947 and it was declared extinct in the country in 1952. The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) some years back prepared a cheetah re-introduction project. The Supreme Court had earlier given its approval to introduce African cheetahs to a suitable habitat in India on an experimental basis. "We have started the process of creating an enclosure for around 10 cheetahs, including five females, to be brought from South Africa to Kuno in Sheopur district and it is going to be completed by August," Shah told PTI. Officials from India will be sent to South Africa for sensitisation and training in June and July this year and according to the plan, the transportation of the cheetahs will take place in October and November, he said. Kuno, located in the Chambal region, is spread over an area of over 750 sq km and has a conducive environment for the cheetah, he said. The protected area, comprising a considerable population of four-horned antelopes, chinkara, nilgai, wild boar, spotted deer and sambar, has a good prey base for the cheetahs, he said. "According to the approved timeline sent to us by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change this week, the tentative budget outlay of the 'Project Cheetah' is Rs 1,400 lakh for this fiscal," the minister said. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is going to release the money for the project to Madhya Pradesh and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) at Dehradun next month, Shah said. An expert from South Africa visited the Kuno National Park on April 26 this year along with scientists from the WII and inspected the facilities and habitat created there for the introduction of African cheetahs. They approved it and now the final process of bringing the cheetah is underway, a forest official said. Earlier, experts from the WII had visited four places in Madhya Pradesh to look for the best habitat for the introduction of African cheetah in the country last year, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests J S Chauhan, told PTI. The WII team had visited the Kuno National Park in MP's Sheopur district, the Nauradehi sanctuary in Sagar district, the Gandhi Sagar sanctuary on the northern boundary of Mandsaur and Neemuch districts and the Madhav National Park in Shivpuri district, Chauhan said. "Madhya Pradesh had in the past been home to cheetahs. The state has a long conservation history...we have the habitat. We also have a successful animal translocation track record," Chauhan said, referring to the tiger reintroduction programme in the Panna Tiger Reserve in 2009. Cheetah is considered vulnerable under the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) red list of threatened species, with a declining population of less than 7,000 found primarily in African savannas. The Supreme Court last year set up a three- member committee to guide the NTCA on the cheetah re-introduction project. The panel has asked the WII to carry out a technical evaluation of all possible sites for the re-introduction of cheetah in the country. Ejaz Kaiser By Express News Service RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel ordered the removal of the collector of Surajpur after a video of the latter's brazen, "high-handed" act went viral on social media. The collector, Ranbir Sharma, was seen assaulting a youth, smashing his phone, for allegedly violating coronavirus restrictions. The clip invited strong criticism and many demanded Sharma's dismissal. The Chief Minister too took to Twitter to condemn the incident and express regret. I have learnt about the incident from the social media. Its an extremely sad and condemnable act. Such action will not be tolerated in Chhattisgarh, he tweeted. Bhupesh Baghel (@bhupeshbaghel) May 23, 2021 Meanwhile, Sharma has tendered an apology for his behaviour. I sincerely apologise for Saturdays behaviour. Never had any intention to disrespect or belittle the person, he said but defended his act as one akin to a government employee striving hard to tackle the escalating pandemic crisis. What does this brazen act of #IASofficer exemplify? #Chhattisgarh Collector in #Surajpur orders police to punish a boy wearing mask, threw away his mobile phone during lockdown. Citizens asking why can't the DM be humane amid #COVID19 crisis @NewIndianXpress @TheMornStandard pic.twitter.com/Ed9TcuyBDa Ejaz Kaiser (@KaiserEjaz) May 22, 2021 However, several bureaucrats took offence at the collector's "immodest" behaviour and called it "unjustified". A former diplomat and strategic affairs expert KC Singh reacted to his apology on Twitter, When power-wielders break moral/legal code, punishment cant be an apology, he wrote and sought an inquiry into the incident, removal of the accused IAS officer for field posting and even his dismissal from service. Caning was unnecessary and avoidable, said R K Vij, Chhattisgarh Special DG. The official Twitter handle of the IAS Association too strongly condemned the behaviour of the Surajpur collector stating that the civil servants must have empathy at all times particularly amid challenging circumstances. It is unacceptable and against the basic tenets of the service and civility, they stated. By PTI NEW DELHI/CHANDIGARH: Lockdown was extended on Sunday in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Puducherry with many states already imposing COVID-induced restrictions till May-end to rein in infections and deaths during the second wave of the pandemic. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that the ongoing lockdown in the national capital will continue for another week and said the process of "unlock" will start from May 31 in a phased manner if the number of COVID-19 cases continues to decline. The Rajasthan government, which extended the coronavirus lockdown by 15 days till June 8, also said the state may allow some relaxations in commercial activities from June 1 in districts where the COVID-19 situation will show significant improvement. ALSO READ: 760 teaching and non-teaching staff lost lives to second COVID wave in Bihar Extending the lockdown till May 31, the Haryana government said the positivity and fatality rates have to be brought down further, though it did allow some relaxations in the curbs. In the past 24 hours, Delhi recorded around 1,600 positive cases and the positivity rate went further down to below 2.5 percent, Kejriwal said in an online briefing. He said if the lockdown is lifted now, the gains made in the last one month through a lot of struggles, hard work and sacrifice may be lost. "If the current downward trend in number of cases sustains in next one week and people follow precautions against COVID with strict discipline as they have done so far, we will start the process of unlock from May 31," he said. ALSO READ: No doctors for makeshift COVID facilities in Uttarakhand Haryana State Chief Secretary Vijai Vardhan, in an order, said the lockdown, which was earlier imposed till May 24, has been extended till May 31. However certain relaxations were given like standalone shops have been allowed to function during the day. The other shops, except in malls, are allowed to open from 7 AM to 12 PM on an odd-even basis. Over two weeks ago, there were nearly 1.15 lakh active cases in the state, which now stand around 40,000. "Now, after duly considering the fact that although the Covid positivity has come down, however, Mahamari Alert/Surakshit Haryana needs to continue so as to bring it and the fatality rate down even further," said the order issued on May 23. ALSO READ: COVID positive father in Karnataka dies during sons funeral Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan too had Saturday announced that the coronavirus-induced restrictions in the state would be gradually relaxed from the next month. "Our target is to free our state of COVID-19 by May 31. We will have to unlock the coronavirus-induced-curfew gradually from June 1. The world has to move but we will need to unlock in such a manner that COVID-19 doesn't spread again," he had said at a meeting to review the coronavirus situation on the state. Lockdown-like restrictions have been extended up to May 31 in most of the districts including Bhopal. However, Odisha's COVID-19 tally mounted to 6,92,382 on Sunday as the state reported its highest single-day spike of 12,852 new cases, despite undergoing lockdown for more than two weeks, a health department official said. The state also registered 28 fresh COVID fatalities, the biggest one-day count, which took the toll to 2,484, he said. ALSO READ: No alternative to vaccination, it carries advantage for every individual, says Jitendra Singh Odisha is under lockdown till June 1. The Uttar Pradesh government had also extended partial corona curfew till 7 AM May 31 on Saturday. Among the southern states, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Telangana have extended their lockdown this month, while Andhra Pradesh will continue to have curfew. The Puducherry government on Sunday announced the extension of the ongoing lockdown till May 31 as COVID-19 cases continue to soar in the union territory. The two-week long lockdown clamped on May 10 is to come to an end on May 24 midnight. In the Northeast, the Mizoram government has extended total lockdown in Aizawl and other district headquarters till May 31. Nagaland, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh have extended the restrictions till month-end. The daily rise in coronavirus cases in India remained below the three lakh mark for the seventh consecutive day with 2.4 lakh new cases recorded in a single day, the Union Health Ministry said on Sunday. With the fresh cases, India's tally of COVID-19 cases climbed to 2,65,30,132. The death toll due to the disease rose to 2,99,266 with 3,741 fresh fatalities, the ministry data updated at 8 am showed. The active cases further reduced to 28,05,399 comprising 10.57 percent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate improved to 88.30 percent. The number of people who have recuperated from the disease in the country surged to 2,34,25,467 while the case fatality rate stood at 1.13 percent, the data stated. The 3,741 new fatalities include 682 from Maharashtra, 448 from Tamil Nadu, 451 from Karnataka, 218 from Uttar Pradesh, 201 from Punjab, 182 from Delhi, 176 from Kerala, 154 from West Bengal, 134 from Uttarakhand, 118 from Andhra Pradesh, 115 from Rajasthan, 103 from Chhattisgarh and 98 from Haryana. Here is a look at coronavirus-induced restrictions/lockdown imposed by states and union territories: By PTI DIPHU: Eight Dimasa National Liberation Army (DNLA) militants were on Sunday killed in an encounter with security forces in Assam's West Karbi Anglong district, along the Nagaland border, a senior police officer said. Earlier, he had claimed six died in the exchange of fire, as the bodies of two others were yet to be recovered. Acting on a tip-off, a team of police officers and Assam Rifles personnel launched an operation, led by West Karbi Anglong Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Prakash Sonowal. An exchange of fire ensued between the security personnel and the militants in Michibailung area, following which eight members of the outlawed outfit were gunned down, the officer said. Six bodies were initially recovered, and two others, suspected to be that of the outfit's top leaders, were spotted later in the day during combing operations in the remote region, along the interstate border. Four AK-47 rifles and several rounds of ammunition were found in the possession of the slain militants, the senior officer pointed out. Search operations had been underway in the district since last week after a priest was killed in Daujiphang area, he said, adding that more details are awaited about the encounter. By PTI JODHPUR: Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Sunday asserted that India has been working fast to increase the production of COVID-19 vaccines and said each citizen of the country will be inoculated by December. He also attacked the opposition, saying it has been trying to politicise matters related to the vaccination drive against the coronavirus. "We have been constantly working on increasing the production and availability of vaccines, and will have each Indian vaccinated by December, which will be a huge record," Shekhawat said. He added that this will all happen on account of the country's own endeavours. "It is for the first time in history that India developed its own vaccines for any virus parallel to the rest of the world. Earlier, it took years for vaccines of any virus to reach India," he told a press conference here. Shekhawat said that the opposition did their best to politicise the vaccination drive through "malicious" narratives questioning quality and authenticity of vaccines developed in India. "They acted with their vested political interests and blemished the image of the country. But now the same persons have been queuing up for a vaccine shot," the Union minister for Jal Shakti said and added that the opposition should apologise. Referring to medicines like remdesivir, used in Covid treatment, and amphotericin-B for black fungus treatment, Shekhawat said the country has already reached a surplus state with production of 1.5 crore vials of remdesivir per month and efforts are on to meet the growing requirement of amphotericine vials now. "We are sourcing (amphotericine) vials from foreign countries. Three lakh vials have already reached and three lakh more are expected to come in the next three days," he said. Six companies have been producing amphotericine vials in the country and five more companies have been given permission, the minister said "Considering a 30 days gestation period of the (amphotericine) vial before it is finally ready for administration, we will have adequate vials after 30 days," he said. Shekhawat also stressed on the need for strengthening medical and health infrastructure in rural areas. "We need to strengthen our Community Health Centers (CHC) in villages. We will have to work to improve infrastructure at CHCs and ensure the presence of doctors there," he said. He said that 30 such centers will be upgraded in the next three months at a cost of Rs 15 crore. By Express News Service BHOPAL: An FIR was lodged against former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and present Leader of Opposition in the State Assembly Kamal Nath at Bhopal Crime Branch Police Station on Sunday for his controversial Indian Variant Coronavirus and Aag Laga Do remarks. Nath, who is a former union minister and presently the MP Congress Committee president, was booked U/S188 IPC (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 54 of Disaster Management Act (false warning about disaster or its severity or magnitude, leading to panic) on the complaint by ruling BJP leaders, including MP minister Vishwas Sarang, local MLA Krishna Gaur, ex-Bhopal mayor Alok Sharma, and district BJP president Sumit Pachouri. In the complaint, the ruling party leaders alleged that by making statements, like Indian Variant Coronavirus and Aag Laga Do at recent digital conference and press conference, Nath had defamed the country globally and created a sense of fear among the masses. The BJP leaders also alleged in the complaint that by alleging that the MP government was hiding facts related to COVID-19 pandemic deaths, the senior Congress leader had actually misled the people and also created a sense of fear and panic among commoners. In the complaint, the BJP leaders also alleged that not only did Nath malign the countrys image internationally through the Indian Variant remark, but also violated the World Health Organization (WHO) advisory/directions for not using any country/person/institutions name to address the variant of global concern. The ruling party leaders demanded in the complaint that Nath also be booked for sedition and promoting enmity between groups through the remarks made at Fridays digital conference and Saturdays media interaction. Reacting to the FIR against Nath, the MP Congress spokesperson Narendra Saluja accused the police of lodging an FIR against the ex-CM under pressure from the BJP government. The term Indian Variant was used by our leader while quoting national and international media reports and also statements of heads of other nations. The statements were made out of concern for the people of the state and the nation as a whole. This FIR which exposes the autocracy of the BJP government cannot stop us from fighting for public cause, Saluja said. On Friday and Saturday, the ex-CM had reportedly said last year the world was saying that the COVID-19 pandemic was caused by a Chinese virus. But now our country has become infamous due to Indian Corona or Indian Variant. Presidents and Prime Ministers of many nations are talking about Indian Variant, Nath had said. The British PM has directed to cancel all flights from India, as his country is afraid of Indian Corona. Indian students and workforce are being denied entry in many nations, out of the fear of the Indian Corona getting transmitted. Indian cab drivers are not getting passengers for the same reason. Earlier Mera Bharat Mahan was Indias worldwide identity, but now Mera Bharat COVID is the countrys new identity, Nath had stated. He had also alleged suppression and hiding of actual COVID-19 figures and facts. Around 1.27 lakh bodies have reached the smashan (cremation grounds) and kabrastan (graveyards) in the state during March and April and my guess is that 80% of those deaths happened due to COVID. I demand that the MP government should make public the figures of how many bodies reached cremation grounds/graveyards across the state in March-April 2021. Also, a controversy had erupted in MP on Saturday, over a 20 seconds video of Nath seemingly urging Congress workers to 'set fire' ('Aag Laga Do') in order for the farmers to 'get justice.' The 20-seconds video has been released by the state's BJP unit. In a 20-second-long video shared by BJP leader Lokendra Parashar, Kamal Nath can be seen addressing a virtual meeting and is heard telling the Congress workers that it was the right opportunity to 'set fire' ('aag laga do') and that the farmers would get justice. Harpreet Bajwa By Express News Service CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh has urged Bhartiya Kisan Union to not act irresponsibly after the farmers outfit of the state, Ekta Ugrahan, has announced a three-day dharna in Patiala, the CMs home town. The CM said that the dharna will jeopardise the lives of their own people if such reckless behaviour is shown amid the pandemic and the event could turn into a super spreader. Amarinder said his government had fought hard to prevent Punjab going the way of some other states, such as Delhi, Maharashtra and even Uttar Pradesh (where bodies floating in the Ganga river had exposed the total pandemic mismanagement by the BJP-ruled states.) Such events had the potential to negate the gains made by his government in tackling Covid in the state, he said. He urged the farmers group to not gather especially when the government has banned these events Such a dharna would draw people mainly from the villages, which were in any case going through a crisis during the second wave of the pandemic, he pointed out. The groups action was also completely unwarranted considering the total support the state government had extended all these months to the agitating farmers on the issue of the Centres black Farm Laws, said Amarinder. His government was the first to pass the amendment laws in the state Assembly to contravene the Farm Laws, he pointed out. It is time for the farmers to reciprocate by supporting the state government in the fight against the pandemic, he said. Pointing out that even during the peak of the second Covid surge in Punjab, things had not gone out of control here as they had in several other states, he said the state had been one of the best performing so far in terms of pandemic management. There were no widespread shortages of Oxygen in hospitals despite shortfall in supply, as the state government had ensured judicious management of the critical commodity, he noted, adding that even availability of medications and beds had been continuously ramped up to keep pace with the spiralling cases. This, he pointed out, was in sharp contrast to states like Delhi, Maharashtra and UP. US Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas): I understand from whats been testified to the Forest Service and the BLM [Bureau of Land Management], you want very much to work on the issue of climate change. We know theres been significant solar flare activity, and so is there anything that the National Forest Service or BLM can do to change the course of the moons orbit, or the Earths orbit around the sun? Obviously that would have profound effects on our climate. Jennifer Eberlein, associate deputy chief for the National Forest System, responded that she would have to follow up with you on that one, after a brief pause. Gohmert: Well, if you figure out a way that you in the Forest Service can make that change, Id like to know. By PTI JAMMU: A court here has denied bail to two illegal Rohingya immigrants who were arrested two months ago, saying their release shall create law and order problems. The court also said that it cannot be ruled out that the accused persons may be involved in criminal as well as militant activities. The accused, Ashiqur Rahman and Abdul Gafoor, who were living in Bathindi here, were arrested during a major verification drive against illegally settled Rohingya Muslims in March after they were found in possession of various documents of Indian citizenship prepared fraudulently. Rejecting the bail application of Rahman and Gafoor on Saturday, Additional Sessions Judge, Jammu, Kishore Kumar said it is very strange that a large number of documents had been prepared by the accused persons to impersonate themselves as Indian citizens. "The accused persons are involved in a very serious offence...It appears that there is a well-established racket for procuring and preparing such type of documents for the accused persons and others who are in need," the court said. "The accused persons are in police custody and their release shall create many problems of law and order," it said. The court also said that it cannot be ruled out that these accused persons may be involved in other crimes as well as militant activities. "Such type of persons do not deserve their (to be) release(d) as it can create law and order problem for the administration. No person can be allowed to stay in India illegally without seeking permission from the government under the law," it said. According to police, bank passbooks, ATM cards, Aadhar card, car, birth certificate and Rs 1.4 lakh cash were recovered from Rahman while similar documents along with Rs 2.20 lakh cash were seized from Gafoor. As many as 220 Rohingyas were shifted to the holding centre in Kathua district after they were found to be living illegally in Jammu city during the verification drive. Rohingyas are a Bengali-dialect speaking Muslim minority in Myanmar. Following persecution in their country, many of them entered India illegally through Bangladesh and took shelter in Jammu and other parts of the country. According to government data, over 13,700 foreigners, including Rohingya Muslims and Bangladeshi nationals, are settled in Jammu and Samba districts of Jammu and Kashmir. Their population has increased by over 6,000 between 2008 and 2016. By PTI BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh government's ban on the movement of buses from Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan into the state in force till Sunday was extended during the day till May 31, officials said. The order issued by the Additional Commissioner (Transport) Arvind Saxena also stated that the ban covers vehicles with All India tourist permits, they added. On Sunday, MP recorded 3,375 COVID-19 cases and 75 deaths, taking the tally to 7,64,338 and toll to 7,558. By PTI BHADOHI: A man hacked his brother and sister-in-law to death with a butcher's knife and chopped off the limbs of their one-year-old child in Bhadohi district on Sunday, police said. While the couple, identified as Jameel, 42, and Ruby, 38, were declared brought dead at a hospital in Bhadohi, the child is battling for his life, they said. Bhadohi Superintendent of Police Ram Badan Singh said the gruesome offence was committed by Kajiyana resident Naushad, a butcher by profession, on Sunday evening in his home. Following a dispute in the family, he attacked his brother and sister-in-law with a sharp-edged weapon used for cutting meat, the SP said, adding after hacking the couple to death, he also chopped off an arm and leg of his one-year-old nephew. After committing the crime, Naushad was found absconding along with his mother, Singh said, adding efforts are on to nab them. By PTI KOLKATA: With the TMC having emerged victorious with a thumping majority in the recently concluded assembly elections, turncoats who had quit the party to join the BJP seem to be making a beeline for re-entry into the Mamata Banerjee camp, the latest being Sarala Murmu. Murmu, who had switched camp as she was reportedly unhappy with the ticket that was given to her by the ruling party, has expressed her desire to return to the TMC, a day after Banerjee's former aide, Sonali Guha, made a similar appeal. Claiming that it was a mistake on her part to have joined the BJP, Murmu said that she wants party supremo Mamata Banerjee to pardon her. "If she accepts me, I will stay with her and work for the party diligently," Murmu told reporters at her Malda home. Murmu was nominated from Habibpur seat in Malda, but party sources had then claimed that she was keen on contesting the election from Maldaha constituency. "I committed a mistake and want Didi (Banerjee) to pardon me for that," she said. Former TMC MLA Sonali Guha had on Saturday written to Banerjee, apologising to her for leaving the party. The four-time MLA from Satgachhia in South 24 Parganas district, in a letter which she also shared on social media, said, "The way a fish cannot stay out of the water, I will not be able to live without you, 'Didi'. I seek your forgiveness and if you don't forgive me, I won't be able to live. Please allow me to come back, and spend the rest of my life in your affection. By PTI NEW DELHI: The railways has so far delivered 15,284 tonnes of liquid medical oxygen (LMO) in 936 tankers to various states through its Oxygen Express service, the national transporter said on Sunday. So far, 234 Oxygen Expresses have completed their journey and brought relief to various states, while nine loaded Oxygen Expresses are currently on the run with more than 569 tonnes of LMO in 31 tankers. The first Oxygen Express to Assam with 80 tonnes of LMO in four tankers reached Assam on Sunday. The delivery of LMO by Oxygen Expresses to Karnataka has crossed the 1,000-tonne mark, the railways said in a statement. On an average, Oxygen Expresses have been delivering over 800 tonnes of LMO to various states each day now. Oxygen relief by Oxygen Expresses reached 14 states -- Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Telangana, Punjab, Kerala, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Assam. So far, 614 tonnes of oxygen has been offloaded in Maharashtra, nearly 3,609 tonne in Uttar Pradesh, 566 tonnes in Madhya Pradesh, 4,300 tonnes in Delhi, 1,759 tonnes in Haryana, 98 tonnes in Rajasthan, 1,063 tonnes in Karnataka, 320 tonnes in Uttarakhand, 857 tonnes in Tamil Nadu, 642 tonnes in Andhra Pradesh, 153 tonnes in Punjab, 246 tonnes in Kerala, 976 tonnes in Telangana and 80 tonnes in Assam. The railways has mapped different routes with oxygen supply locations and keep themselves ready with any emerging need of states. States provide tankers to the Indian Railways for bringing LMO. Oxygen Expresses started their deliveries 29 days back on April 24 in Maharashtra with a load of 126 tonnes. Its first service began when empty tankers left Mumbai on April 19 to be loaded with the life-saving gas. Criss-crossing the country, the Indian Railways is picking up oxygen from places such as Hapa, Baroda, Mundra in the West and Rourkela, Durgapur, Tatanagar, Angul in the East and then delivering it to states of Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Telangana, Punjab, Kerala, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Assam in complex operational route planning scenarios. The average speed of these critical freight trains is way above 55 kmph in most cases over long distances. Running on high priority Green Corridor, with a highest sense of urgency, operational teams of various zones are working round the clock in most challenging circumstances to ensure that oxygen reaches in fastest possible time frame, . Technical stoppages have been reduced to one minute for crew changes over different sections. On Saturday, in a first, an Oxygen Express train piloted by an 'All Female Crew' arrived in the Bengaluru with 120 tonnes of medical oxygen from Jamshedpur. By PTI NEW DELHI: A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court raising the issue of alleged overcharging for cremations and ambulance services during the COVID-19 pandemic and seeking a direction to the Centre to consider formulating a policy to protect the rights of the dead. Referring to reports about several bodies found floating in the river Ganga, the plea said the Centre should be directed to advise all states and Union Territories (UTs) to frame guidelines prescribing rates for cremation or burial of those who have died due to the deadly virus and also for ambulance services along with penal actions for non-compliance at the earliest. "It is deeply depressing to see people putting bodies of their beloved ones in rivers like Ganga due to lack of money," said the plea, filed by NGO Distress Management Collective through advocate Jose Abraham. "It is primarily due to exorbitant amounts asked for cremation and ambulance services that scores of people decided to put the bodies of their beloved in the river Ganga," it claimed. It said that the National Human Rights Commission issued an advisory recently for upholding the dignity and protecting the rights of the dead. The plea alleged that no cogent action has been taken by the authority to tackle the issue of "undue profiteering by unscrupulous caretakers at crematoriums because of which many are unable to cremate or bury their beloved." It referred to earlier verdicts of the apex court which had said that the dignity of the dead must be maintained and respected. "There is a dire need to enact a specific legislation that protects the rights of the dead, and there is also a need for issuance of guidelines to all states and UTs to prescribe rates for cremations and ambulance services along with penal actions for non-compliance at the earliest," it said. It said the petitioner had earlier approached the Delhi High Court raising the issues of overcharging for cremations and ambulance services in the national capital. It said the high court had on May 6 given liberty to the petitioner to approach appropriate representation to the municipal corporations concerned and the civic bodies were asked to decide it in accordance with the law. The petitioner NGO alleged that it had submitted a representation to all the municipal corporations on May 11 but none of them have even acknowledged its receipt so far. The plea said the petitioner had also sent a representation to the Centre with a request to take urgent steps to enact a law that ensures the dignity of the dead along with guidelines to the states and UTs to control exorbitant charges for cremation and ambulance services. ALSO WATCH: Harpreet Bajwa By Express News Service CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Police on Saturday night arrested two activists of the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) for their alleged involvement in several heinous crimes, including the murder of a Dera Sacha Sauda follower and firing at a priest. Lovepreet Singh alias Ravi and Ram Singh alias Sonu were reportedly acting on the directions of the outfits Canada-based chief, Hardeep Singh Nijjar. It may be noted that Nijjar has been designated as a terrorist by the Home ministry and the NIA has also attacked his properties in last September under Section 51A of UAPA in Baar Singh Pura village. A Red Corner Notice was issued against him and the Canadian authorities have put him on the No-Fly list. His name incidentally figured in the list of Khalistani operatives that was handed over by Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, to Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, during the latters visit to India in 2018. The arrest that took place from Senior Secondary School near railway crossing Mehna in Moga has also foiled a plan to kill another Dera follower who the duo had been targeting to take revenge in the Guru Granth Sahib sacrilege cases. Three 0.32 bore pistols with 38 live cartridges and one 0.315 bore pistol with 10 live cartridges, along with two magazines, were seized from the suspects. Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta said that besides, Nijjar, three of their other KTFs co-conspirators identified as Arshdeep, Ramandip and Charanjit are hiding out in Surrey (BC) Canada, while one, Kamaljeet Sharma is still absconding He said while Arshdeep of Moga and Ramandeep of Ferozepur went to Canada legally in 2019 and 2017 respectively, Charanjit of Barnala, had gone there illegally in around 2013-14. According to initial investigations, Gupta said Lovepreet and Kamaljeet were known to Arshdeep, as they all belonged to the same village, since childhood. Ram, who was a student at ITI Moga was known to Kamal since college days. All were sent money by Arshdeep, who wired it through Western Union money transfers. On November 20 last year, Sonu and Kamal had killed Manohar Lal, a Dera follower at Bhagta Bhaika in Bathinda. They were also involved in firing at a priest, Kamaldeep Sharma, in Bhar Singh Pura village in Phillaur (Jalandhar Rural) on January 31 this year. The priest, who was shot at thrice, was seriously injured along with a girl in the attack, allegedly carried out by the suspects on the directions of Nijjar. Kamal and Ravi, along with Arshdeep (who had come to India at that time), were also linked to the the murder of their associate, Sukha Lamme, on June 27 last year. They injected poison into Sukha at an abandoned house at Dala village and then, after burning his face, threw the body in Daudhar canal at Pul Madhoke. Earlier, on June 25, Ravi, Kamal and Sukha had fired at Maans residence at e Lamma Jatt Pura village in Ludhiana (Rural). A few days later, on July 14 last year Ravi and Kamal killed one Tejinder, a cloth shop owner, to terrorise the people of Moga city for exploit them subsequently for ransom. Ravi fired at Pinka and Kamal stood outside the shop, investigations have revealed. In the latest incident, on February 9 this year, Ravi and Sonu also attempted to kill owner of Sharma Sweets, Moga. International warrants will be obtained, and Red Corner Notices will be issued against the other radicals based in Canada. The government would also seek their deportation to India to face prosecution and criminal trial, said Gupta. By Express News Service KOLKATA: In less than a month the BJP received a blow in the recent West Bengal assembly elections, the Trinamool Congress turncoats, who were inducted in the party ahead of the high-octane state poll, seemed to have been making a beeline to return to their old political platform. In the past 24 hours, a former TMC MLA and a party leader, who was even among the list of TMCs candidates but defected to the BJP, wrote to the ruling partys supremo Mamata Banerjee and other functionaries seeking apology for their "wrong decision" of shifting sides. TMC sources said at least 10 turncoats, including three MLAs and one MP, contacted the party and urged them to be allowed to return. The party, however, is yet to give a nod to accept the turncoats. Sarala, who had switched camp despite her candidature was announced for Habibpur Assembly constituency in Malda, expressed her desire to return to the TMC on Sunday, a day after Mamatas former close aide Sonali Guha made a similar request. "I committed a mistake and want Didi (Mamata) to pardon me for that. If she accepts me, I will stay with her and work for the party diligently," said Sarala. Similarly, Amal Acharya, former MLA of Itahar in North Dinajpur, admitted that the decision of joining the saffron camp was a wrong decision. "I was hurt after being denied ticket in this Assembly elections. I joined the BJP. But after the people of West Bengal gave their verdict in favour of the TMC, the BJP started playing the politics of vendetta. They engaged CBI to arrest three TMC MLAs, including two ministers. In protest against this, I decided to quit the BJP and return to my old party," he said. Sources in the TMC said most of the turncoats are now feeling that they are nowhere in Bengals political arena after the BJP lost the electoral battle. "With the TMC emerging victorious with a thumping majority in the recent Assembly elections, now they are trying to regain their foothold on the soil of Bengals politics. The turncoats, both who were fielded but failed to win and those who were denied ticket by the BJP, found themselves completely sidelined in the saffron camp, said a senior TMC leader. BJPs state president Dilip Ghosh said those who expressed their desire to return to the TMC admitted that their decision of joining the BJP was a wrong decision. "It was their mistake, not BJPs. They joined our party with expectations and when they found it was not fulfilled, they are showing interest to return to their old party," he said. TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said not only these three turncoats but many others, who had defected to the BJP, are showing interest to return and writing our leaders. "The party has not taken any stance about these turncoats willing to re-join the TMC," he said. By PTI CHANDIGARH: Two operatives of radical Khalistan Tiger Force, also involved in several heinous crimes, including murder, have been arrested, the Punjab police said on Sunday. Working on instructions of outfit's Canada-based chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the two KTF operatives, Lovepreet Singh alias Ravi and Ram Singh alias Sonu, were also involved in killing a Dera follower and firing at and critically injuring a priest in January this year, the police added. The two were arrested on Saturday night from behind a senior secondary school near the Mehna railway crossing in Moga district and were found in the possession of four pistols and 48 rounds of live cartridges, besides two magazines, police said. With their arrest, their plan to kill a Dera follower, who they had been targeting on Nijjar's instructions for his alleged involvement in the 2015 sacrilege case of the Guru Granth Sahib, police said. Nijjar's name had figured in the list of Khalistani operatives handed over by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the latter's visit to India in 2018, said Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta. Besides Nijjar, three of their other KTF's co-conspirators, identified as Arshdip, Ramandip and Charanjit, are hiding in Surrey in Canada while yet another operative Kamaljeet Sharma alias Kamal, is still absconding, he added in an official statement. Arshdip and Ramandeep went to Canada in 2019 and 2017 respectively while Charanjit had gone there illegally in 2013-14, he said. Gupta said Lovepreet and Kamaljeet were known to Arshdip. Ram Singh was also known to Kamaljeet. All were given money by Arshdip, who sent it through Western Union money transfers. In November last year, Ram and Kamaljeet had allegedly killed Manohar Lal, a Dera follower, at Bhagta Bhaika in Bathinda, the police said. Both were also involved in firing at a priest, Kamaldeep Sharma, in village Bhar Singh Pura in Phillaur (Jalandhar Rural) on January 31 this year. The priest, who was shot at thrice, was seriously injured along with a girl in the attack, allegedly carried out by the suspects on Nijjar's directions, the police said. Nijjar was designated a terrorist by the Union Home Ministry in September 2020 and the NIA had also attached his properties in Bhar Singh Pura village in Jalandhar. Police said Lovepreet and Kamaljeet were also involved in the murder of their associate Sukha Lamme in June 2020. The DGP said a hunt has been launched to arrest the absconding accused, Kamaljeet. He said a Red Corner notice was issued against Nijjar, who has also been put on the 'No Fly List' by the Canadian authorities, sometime back. International warrants will be obtained and Red Corner Notices will be issued also against other radicals based in Canada, Gupta said, adding the government would also seek their deportation to India to face prosecution. By PTI NEW DELHI: Two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar and another person were arrested on Sunday in connection with the Chhatrasal Stadium brawl case that led to the death of a wrestler here, officials said. DCP (Special Cell) PS Kushwah said that Kumar (38) and his associate Ajay, alias Sunil, (48) were arrested from Mundka. The case relates to the May 4 incident at the stadium in which wrestler Sagar Rana died and two of his friends, Sonu and Amit Kumar, were injured after they were allegedly assaulted by Sushil Kumar and other wrestlers. The Delhi Police had announced a reward of Rs one lakh for information leading to the arrest of Sushil Kumar, who had since been on the run. Another reward of Rs 50,000 was announced for Ajay Kumar's arrest. Earlier, a Delhi Court had refused to grant anticipatory bail to the Olympic medallist, saying he was prima facie the main conspirator and allegations against him were serious in nature. Non-bailable warrants were issued against him and six others. WATCH: This came days after a lookout notice was issued against the wrestler. The Delhi Police filed an FIR in the case under sections 302 (murder), 308 (culpable homicide), 365 (kidnapping), 325 (causing grievous hurt), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). It was also registered under sections 188 (Disobedience to order by public servant), 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC and various sections under the Arms Act. Rajesh Kumar Thakur By Express News Service PATNA: UNICEF with the support of its NGO partners has rolled out a first-of-its-kind initiative called Surakshaagrah- Covid Par Halla Bol' in rural pockets of Bihar's six flood-prone districts. Partnering with UNICEF, the Bihar Sewa Samiti, Aga Khan Rural Support Program, (India) and the Ghoghardiha Prakhand Swarajya Vikas Sangh will focus on Supaul, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Madhubani, Purnea, and Sitamarhi districts where an estimated population of 3.6 million people face flood fury almost every year. As the deadly second wave of COVID-19 spreads alarmingly in the state, the initiative will also help the people understand the necessary safety protocols needed to curb the spread of the virus. Rapid transmission of COVID-19 in rural areas is really worrisome. Almost 89 per cent of Bihar lives in villages. More than 46 per cent are children and adolescents, who are particularly vulnerable. It is crucial that rural populations including children and youth have the tools of correct information on how to protect themselves, why and how to stay safe at home, how to access healthcare and other critical services in a timely manner be it emotional and mental well-being, nutrition, education and protection from abuse, said Nafisa Binte Shafique-CFO Unicef Bihar. She added that the Surakshaagrah' is aimed at mobilising individual and community consciousness and responsibility towards fighting the pandemic, and better preparedness for floods, as well as instill hope, feelings of mutual support among the people. Over 600 Suraksha Praharis (Block and Community Mobilisers) are being engaged through partners for this purpose. The teams will assist the district administration and key line departments in the coordinated rollout of this initiative. All partner NGOs together with social mobilisation network, (SMNET) have already started working in coordination with the district administration, health, rural development, and other departments. To address child protection-related issues, they will also coordinate with the child protection structures - block and community child protection committees, as well as the local police. The initiative will also orient and mobilise support from PRIs, JeeVika, DRR (Disaster Risk Reduction) catalysts, religious leaders, youth, local artists, media and other stakeholders in effectively implementing all activities, the UNICEF chief stated. Unlike the first wave, children have been much more affected this time around. Communication specialist of UNICEF Nipun Gupta said COVID-19 has resulted in an increased risk of violence against children besides other problems like missing and unaccompanied children, consequences of the migration crisis, mental health issues, child labour, trafficking, and early marriage. Even during floods, childrens vulnerability increases manifold." According to Bihar Health department data, approximately 45,000 children and adolescents have been affected due to COVID-19 between March 18 to May 17 this year. This is around 11 percent of total COVID-19 patients in the state. Sumi Sukanya Dutta By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Refusal by Moderna, a US based Covid-19 vaccine maker, on Sunday to directly supply doses to the Punjab government came as a reminder that global bids by individual states to procure vaccines from the international market may not yield favourable results. Experts said the international tenders floated by several state governments like UP, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Kerala, apart from Punjab, pit them against one another, besides sending a wrong message that the Covid response in the country is uncoordinated. In a country already reeling under an acute shortage of vaccines, this development adds to the worries of the authorities as only around 14.4 crore people have received their first dose, while a meagre 4.14 crore have got the second one. The daily vaccination number, too, has come down to just 1-2 million a day, after peaking to over four million per day in early April. The Punjab government, which had approached top vaccine makers, including Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, J&J and Sputnik V for direct supply, said Moderna got back claiming it would only deal with Government of India. US pharma giants refuse to do deals with state govts One of Covid vaccine manufacturers, Moderna, has refused to send direct vaccination to the Punjab government as according to their policy, they only deal with the Government of India and not with any state government or private parties, said a statement issued by Punjabs Information and Public Relations Department on Sunday. Sources in the Union health ministry said that Pfizer too, with which negotiations are on for its vaccine supply in India, has already indicated that it will engage only with a centralised government agency. An official conceded that while technically states are now free to procure vaccines from the vaccine makers abroad, it may not lead to greater access to the crucial supply as supplies by most companies are largely pre-booked and most of the companies are interested in dealing with federal governments. That India is late on table for vaccine procurement internationally is evident from the fact that it is now pleading with companies for vaccines, even though over 90 % of the supplies by top companies are reported to be totally booked for 2021. E conomist R Ramakumar, talking to this newspaper had earlier said that procurement by a centralised agency is particularly helpful to ensure equitable distribution and availability of the vaccines in India. By PTI NEW DELHI: Yoga guru Ramdev on Sunday withdrew his recent statements on allopathic medicine which had triggered strong protests from the medical fraternity. Responding to a letter from Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, Ramdev said he wants to put the matter to rest. "Hon'ble Minister, I have received your letter. I withdraw my statement, putting to rest the controversy over various medical practices...(jee aapaka patr praapt hua, uske sandarbh mein chikitsa paddatiyon ke sangharsh ke is poore vivaad ko khedapoorvak viraam dete hue main apna vaktavya vaapis leta hoon)," Ramdev tweeted from his personal Twitter handle, attaching his statement. Citing a video circulating on social media, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) had on Saturday said Ramdev claimed that allopathy is a "stupid science". He also allegedly said medicines such as remdesivir, fabiflu and other drugs approved by the Drugs Controller General of India have failed to treat COVID-19 and "lakhs of patients have died after taking allopathic medicines." The apex doctors' body urged the union health minister to take strict action against Ramdev for misleading people by making "unlearned" statements against allopathy. In a strongly-worded letter to Ramdev on Sunday, Harsh Vardhan said his remarks on allopathic medicine were "extremely unfortunate". "The statement disrespects the corona warriors and hurt the sentiments of the country. Your statement on allopathy can break the morale of healthcare workers and weaken our fight against COVID-19," he said. Vardhan further said allopathic medicines have saved lives of crores and comments that the drugs are responsible for death of lakhs is "extremely unfortunate". Replying to the minister's letter, Ramdev in his statement said he respects all forms of medical science and allopathy doctors have saved people during the pandemic by risking their own lives. "I accept that allopathy has shown remarkable progress in life-saving system (jeevan raksha pranali) and surgery and has served humanity," he said. Regarding the video in question, Ramdev said he was actually reading out messages forwarded on WhatsApp. "...if that has hurt sentiments of anyone, then I regret it," he added. However, he also said traditional ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy have also controlled and provided permanent solution to several complex diseases like blood pressure, thyroid, sugar, arthritis, hepatitis and asthma. "...the allopathic doctors should also not mock the Indian medical systems like ayurveda and yoga by calling it as 'pseudo-science' as it hurts crores of people...," he asserted. Earlier, the IMA said Ramdev's remarks should be "considered as hate speech" and he should be booked under the Epidemic Diseases Act for misleading people by making "untutored and unlearned" statements. "We demand an unconditional public apology from Ramdev to allopathy and its practitioners," IMA had said. By PTI CHANDIGARH: Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Sunday said farmer unions were ready to resume talks with the Centre, asserting that the discussion would have to be about repealing the new farm laws. He said there is no question of farmers returning home from the protest sites unless their demands are met. Tikait was interacting with reporters in Mohali, where he had gone to offer condolences to the family of Abhay Singh Sandhu. Sandhu, the nephew of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh, died recently due to post-COVID complications. "When the government wants to talk, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha will talk," Tikait said, asserting that it has to be about repealing the Centre's new farm laws. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of over 40 protesting farmer unions, on Friday had written to the prime minister, urging resumption of talks over the three farm laws they have been agitating against since November last year. Several rounds of talks between farmers and the government have failed to break the deadlock over the three central laws. A government panel had met farmers leaders on January 22. There have been no talks between the two sides since January 26 when the farmers' tractor rally in the national capital turned violent. Tikait said May 26 will mark six months of the farmers' protest at Delhi borders. "For six months, farmers have been protesting at border points, but the government is not listening," he said. Twelve major opposition parties, including the Congress, TMC, Left parties, SP, NCP and the DMK, on Sunday extended their support to a countrywide protest call given by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha on May 26. According to Haryana BKU chief Gurnam Singh Chaduni, farmers in large numbers from Karnal district on Sunday left for the Singhu border as farmers will be observing May 26 as "black day" to mark six months of their protest. Farmers have been camping at Delhi's borders since November 2020 demanding that the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 be rolled back and a new law made to guarantee minimum support price for crops. The government, however, has maintained the three central laws are pro-farmer. Gurbir Singh By A fter Cyclone Phyan struck the western coast around Mumbai in 2009, the region has been ravaged twice in less than a year by two monster cyclones. From Karnatakas coast, past Goa and Mumbai to Gujarat, Cyclone Tauktae has just completed its destructive run49 ONGC men drowned on high seas and there are over 60 deaths in Gujarats coastal areas. The loss of houses, livestock, and infrastructure is still being computed. Last June, it was Cyclone Nisarga that made landfall in Maharashtras Raigad district killing six and destroying property estimated at over Rs 500 crore. This was just after Cyclone Amphan struck last year in May with wind speeds of 240 kmph along the Eastern coast, leaving 128 dead in West Bengal and Bangladesh. Global warming, triggered by the effect of greenhouse gases, has led to a rise in the temperatures of ocean surfaces; and that is churning up these cyclones with deadly regularity. There is a double whammy: warmer temperatures are also melting the ice line at the two Earths poles and raising the level of oceans, thus increasing flooding of coastal belts. THE DIPOLE EFFECT The impact of climate change is not just in the idiot head of some environmentalist. They can be seen in the increasing climatic distortionsfrom the bushfires in Australia to locust swarms in Africa and India. The Bay of Bengal was earlier the cradle of cyclones as it was boxed in by land mass on three sides. This did not allow warmer surface temperature of the ocean to dissipate. Cyclones are generated when sea temperatures touch 28.5 degrees Celsius and above. This warm pool regionwhich sees 3-4 cyclonic events annually for over a centuryis now finding competition from the Arabian Sea in both numbers and ferocity. The increased cyclonic activity in the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean is due to what climate scientists call the dipole effect. The phenomenon, where the warmer waters move to the West of the ocean near Africa and the cooler waters drift to the East towards Australia, has been triggered over the last decade due to ice melts and rising temperatures, that has been pushing more warm water towards the African coast. Caroline Ummenhofer, a key researcher on the dipole effect from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, quoted by The Guardian, points out that while ocean currents and winds in the Atlantic and Pacific can disperse heated water, the Indian Ocean on the other hand is susceptible to retaining heat because of the large Asian landmass to the north. The warming water in the Indian Ocean has also begun affecting the Indian monsoon, one of the most important climate patterns in the world. Climate models (are) suggesting a tendency for such events to become more frequent and becoming stronger, Ummenhofer was quoted as saying. RISING OCEANS Simultaneously, the rising temperature is impacting the vast oceans in two waysone, thermal expansion of the water with increasing heat; and two, the melting of ice deposits such as glaciers which is pushing millions of tonnes of water into the oceans. Global sea levels have been rising over the past century, but the process has speeded up in recent years. The National Ocean Service, of the US Department of Commerce, reckons the 2014 global sea level was 2.6 inches above the 1993 average, and continues to rise at a rate of about one-eighth of an inch per year. The oceans are absorbing more than 90 per cent of the increased atmospheric heat associated with emissions from human activity, says a department report. The higher sea levels, when they come with the push of a cyclonic storm, leads to destructive water surges deep into inland populations. Globally, eight of the worlds 10 largest cities are near a coast. Mumbai, one recent unpublished report by city architects has predicted, is under threat of losing as much as 20 per cent of its land mass to flooding over the next decade. The chain, which ends with cyclonic storms mowing down houses killing scores, is a long one. It starts with global warming through the greenhouse effectthe heat that is trapped by greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxides, wrapped around the Earth like a sweltering blanket. From 1990 to 2019, the total warming effect from greenhouse gases added by humans to the Earths atmosphere increased by 45 per cent. Maybe those who survived Cyclone Tauktae would find some sense in child activist Greta Thunbergs famous rant at the United Nations Climate Action Summit in 2019: You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. And yet Im one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing, she said. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you! Dr Mayank Rai and Dr Debanjan Banerjee By Amidst the raging second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, a healthcare system that was already crumbling under the incremental load is gasping for breath, not just due to a lack of oxygen (pun intended) but severe shortfalls in all the basic medical amenities required for preservation and sustenance of life. The second wave was a rude shock to a society that had been preoccupied by state elections in the weeks when it crept up on us. The general public is now getting a taste of a differently morbid flavour of news every day morning. The news of numbers, pyres, chaos and propaganda. For healthcare workers, its a nightmare morphing into reality Where do we start investigating this sickness befalling the healthcare services in this country? Getting to the basicsallocation of funds for health infrastructure, which has improved over years but still falls short by more than a mile. For a country that is obsessed with the idea of becoming a superpower in the near future, India spends a miserly 1.6% of its GDP on healthcare, a far cry from the at least 5% recommended by the WHO to meet the demands of the burgeoning population. After about 75 years since gaining Independence, the general callousness and short-sightedness of successive governments at the helm (irrespective of political colour) have left people dying on roads, under the trees and inside their vehicles due to lack of medical attention. With every disconsolate cry and the piercing gasp of anguish that emanates out of the mouths of the helpless and the dying, a sliver of human spirit is chipped off. To have an idea of what kind of treatment is being given to the general population, we have to know how the essential healthcare providers are being treated. As happens during wartime, where soldiers are herded together and left to fend for themselves, doctors along with nurses and attendants are being treated as fodder for the cannons during this Covid war. Soldiers are at least provided with arms and ammunition for their battles, whereas these frontline warriors are short of essential tools like antivirals and oxygen in this fight. To make it worse, if they fall ill in the line of duty, they wont be able to arrange a bed or an oxygen cylinder for themselves. How cruel is this irony! According to the Indian Medical Association (IMA), about 800 doctors have been martyred in this long-drawn battle against the pandemic. Physicians are working in truly abominable conditionsovercrowded hospitals doused in fear and panic, inhumane working hours, sleepless nights and days, public scrutiny, political and administrative pressure, risk of getting infected, to identify a few. They are not allowed any leaves, even to take care of their own near and dear ones or even to quit their jobs if they simply dont feel up to it. Work policies are inflexible. In various parts of the country, resident doctors and nursing staff arent being paid their regular salaries and are being held responsible for various situations out of their control. The ensuing period has witnessed them struggling with serious physical and mental issues. There are various studies on healthcare workers showing an alarming increase in depression, anxiety, sleep problems and even suicidal tendencies. Recently a resident doctor in Delhi committed suicide after a prolonged posting in a Covid ICU where he witnessed deaths of many patients despite him giving it his all to save them. This is a desperate wake-up call for all the stakeholders before its too late to stem this rot. Mental health issues have assumed an impetus during this pandemic, something that was long due. What about the emotional and social problems of one of the most vulnerable sections? To add to this already agonising situation, the administration is still struggling to rein in the rampant black-marketing and stockpiling of drugs such as Remdesivir injections and even oxygen cylinders. These essential medications are being auctioned off and sold to the highest bidder. Remdesivir injections, which generally cost around `800-1,000 per vial, are being sold at around `20,000- 40,000 per vial, which challenges health and purses at the same time. Surely, no price is too high to pay for your or your loved ones life. To add insult to injury, there are some pathologically evil rackets flagrantly manufacturing and supplying fake drugs to add to their corpus. So, even after shelling out all your savings, you may end up with an ineffectual injection. The Indian Medical Service (IMS) could have been conceived along the lines of IAS, IPS, IES and IFS. The medical and healthcare delivery system needs to be placed in the hands of those who understand it best. There have been repeated requests from various doctors associations and bodies for the government to consider this proposition, but to no avail. This pandemic has exposed the Centre-state divide, with a lack of homogenisation in matters of healthcare delivery, and laid bare the ineptitude of bureaucracy in dealing with the matters of prevention and treatment of the corona invasion. This failing system requires an in-depth cleansing and an overhaul of its long-neglected healthcare infrastructure. And setting up the IMS would be the first of many steps required to mitigate this impending cataclysm and others to come. We totally agree that the administration and governance are trying their best at all levels. They are also panic-stricken due to this unprecedented crisis. We also agree that when there is a war, the army needs to fight, period. However, when the enemy is unknown, fatalities are high and the battle is prolonged, the army needs a bit of extra care! Thats all we have to say as physicians. This is no complaint, no grudge, no blame game, no finger-pointing. The frustration-filled lines above are a mere appeal to be listened to while we strive to protect others at the frontline. We may have chosen this profession out of our own will, but that does not necessarily grant us immunity from the sufferings and losses of humankind. Some of you may ignorantly argue, You need to be stronger! Trust me, we have been so for more than a year. Now we are at the brink of our sanity. Desperate times call for desperate measures and while digging a well when the fires raging isnt exactly foresight, there might still be something left worth saving. Dr Mayank Rai (Psychiatrist, AIIMS, Rishikesh) Dr Debanjan Banerjee (Psychiatrist, NIMHANS, Bengaluru) (rai.mayank0@gmail.com, dr.djan88@gmail.com) Ravi Shankar By Dear Indians, Im a cow living in India, mostly in Bharat. I am a gentle beast. I have horns, but I do not hurt people. My dung has been used for centuries in villages to pave floors and walls. It keeps away bugs and sundry infectionsdont ask me why; Im not a scientist defaming India by talking about Covid-19 deaths. In 2002, the Supreme Court ordered the government to clear Delhis streets of cattle so that my abandoned kin do not roam the busy streets. But you know about courts these daysI reserve my judgment because netas hardly listen to themno contempt meant. The other day, an indignant goat in the neighbourhood told me that cows would get oximeters. I do not think even oxen need oximetersfor Lord Shivas sake where do we put it, on our hooves? Give oximeters to the humans who need them, I say. They require all the help they can get right now. All I do is give milk and give birth to my calves, which in turn produce more milk on becoming adults or till the field or draw carts. I ask the kids what they wish to be when they grow up. A politician? A lynchpin? A business guru who bottles my piss and makes millions? They are horrified. One of my sons tells me that he would rather be whipped and pull a plough because he helps humans grow grain and fill empty bellies while the VIPs con people. That is all I do, ladies and gentlemen; give milk and have calves. Humans get butter, cheese, yoghurt and buttermilk from me. I give food, and I am food in some places, which I do not approve of because I am shocked by killingand that includes me or in my name. I have never voted in my life. I have never campaigned for any political party. I have no toolkits to defend myself. I do not need one because my mastersHindus, Muslims and Christians across Indialove me for what I am. I am proud to occupy my own special place in the pantheon as Kamadhenu, the eternal nourisher and beloved of the blue god Krishna, who is the most merciful and loyal of divinities. People worship me for giving them life. Not for taking lives. I hope I will not be arrested for sedition for saying that my piss is just piss. I protect belief because my mutra sanctifies religious ceremonies and premises, though I would rather it not be sprinkled where a Dalit has been. My urine does not cure the coronavirus or cancer as the two concerned gentlemen in Manipur pointed out and were picked up under the National Security Act. Should I be proud that I am being defended by the might of the State? Alas, no. I am happy when people tell the truth about me. Since humans consider me a holy being, I must uphold the truth. Hopefully nobody will send the cops after me for saying that. Lots of moos. The Indian bovine. PS: Can someone find my master a hospital bed? The local MLA told him to drink my piss and smear my dung all over him. He stinks. But he will die if he cannot get medical treatment and where does that leave me? In a crowded cow shelter? Ravi Shankar ravi@newindianexpress.com Shankkar Aiyar By The Modi Sarkar completes seven years in power next week. There is much lather and debate about the fall in the approval ratings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from 63 per cent to 38 per cent as per the weekly tracker of C Voter and from 68 per cent in May 2020 to 33 per cent as per a poll by the global outfit Morning Consult. The findings are unsurprising given the magnitude of despair and distress witnessed. In their management of the second wave of the pandemic, governments (Centre and states) have assigned vaccination the role of sole saviour. And the management of vaccine procurement has left millions in a queue of want. Undoubtedly, the response reflects the grief and anger among the people across India. It is rare for an opinion poll to produce a riveting perspective about Indias political landscape through one multiple option question. And pollster Yashwant Deshmukh, through his poll which tracks 10,000 people, produced just that. The C-Voter tracker asked, Who do you think is the most suitable candidate for the post of the Prime Minister of India?. The granular detail of the responses is telling. The preference for Narendra Modi has slipped from 64 to 41 per cent. What is more significant is that the second choice of respondents, at around 18 per cent, is Dont know/ Cant Say. A people disappointed and despondent are adrift in the quest for an elusive option for deliverance. The sense of schadenfreude that vicarious joy at anothers misery across opposition ranks though is misplaced. There is much speculation about the coming together of opposition parties following the victory of the Trinamool Congress in Bengal. Well, Mamata Banerjee is at just over three per cent and the sum total of affiliation of all the candidates in the fray is lower than that of Modi. Rahul Gandhi at 11.6 per cent tops the chart of opposition leaders, and the others at best command single digit subscription. The sum of pieces thesis doesnt quite add up the stunning fact is that the ratios of those saying dont know/cant say has shot up from 8 to 18 per cent. Verily, the excitement in the ranks of the Congress and other parties can be characterised as wishful thinking. The buzz about a meaningful challenge to the BJP and Modi is ambition in the quest of affiliation, a plot in search of screenplay, or charitably speaking a narrative in search of evidence. There isnt an individual or a party close to be being characterised as a real challenger. Earlier this week Rahul Gandhi, former Congress President who many suspect could be the future president, posted on Twitter a quote by the philosopher Karl Popper. True ignorance is not the absence of knowledge; its the refusal to acquire it. The taunt, ostensibly aimed at the ruling establishment, holds true for the Congress too. Fact is the Congress too has refused to acquire knowledge -- the promise of introspection made in 2014 could soon acquire the tag of an archaeological dig. It is true that the Congress is a pan Indian entity it secured 11.9 crore votes in 2019 even though it won only 52 seats. But it has struggled across polls and states given the state of its organisation. Much like rain-fed farms, the party sprouts a cadre only when irrigated by the precipitation of power. And without a visible leadership and organisation, it has been reduced to an idea. The failures of a flailing opposition though are not a cause for celebration for the BJP. It is instructive to remember that the absence of a challenger or political entity did not detain the defeat of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. What must worry the Sangh Parivar is that alongside the prime minister, there has been a sharp slide in the rating of Home Minister Amit Shah viewed, arguably, as a proxy for the ruling party of the country. The decline in approval is coterminous with the arrival of the pandemic, and the top most concern of those polled are the management of the twin challenges of the economy and the pandemic. The poll shows the respondents are increasingly pessimistic both about their own life and the state of the country. The operative phrase delicately deployed by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat is complacent. The choices and decisions, by design or default, have led to the destruction of political capital indispensable for catalysing change. Critical for reclaiming popular approval is the approach to change. Much depends on how the vaccination rollout is redesigned and how the economy is revived. The plethora of cases across high courts on the management of the pandemic and on crucial policy matters reflect the inadequacies of talent in the government, of state capacity, the perpetuation of Babudom and of Committee Raj. Albert Einstein observed that No problem can be solved from the same consciousness that created it. Governance continues to be sluggish, antiquated in structure and systems and inefficient much like the Ambassador cars, the symbol of officialdom for decades. Modi arrived in 2014 with the promise of transformative change. The motto of minimum government, maximum governance awaits reclamation. Shankkar aiyar Author of The Gated Republic, Aadhaar: A Biometric History of Indias 12 Digit Revolution, and Accidental India shankkar.aiyar@gmail.com By Express News Service VISAKHAPATNAM: The relay hunger strike camp set up by the all-party trade unions and praja sangala JAC gutted in the early hours on Sunday. Fire engulfed the tent, which was set up with thatched leaves, and fire tenders brought the fire under control. JAC leaders suspected that the tent was set afire by some miscreants deliberately. They said there was no scope for short circuit. They said they would chalk out the future course of action soon. JAC chairman Jaggu Naidu condemned the torching of the hunger strike camp tent where they were staging a protest with the support of all trade unions and peoples organisations for the last 52 days against the Centres decision of strategic sale of RINL, the corporate entity of VSP. He said the fire was noticed by some walkers at 5 am and they immediately alerted the fire department and CITU city secretary RKSV Kumar informed the police. He said they had been holding peaceful protests at the camp since April 24 and added they would not stop the agitation even if there are obstacles. JAC leaders led by Jaggu Naidu lodged a complaint with the Two Town police.Speaking to TNIE, DCP Aiswarya Rastogi said they received the information in the early hours about the incident. Police teams collected evidence. Stating that there may not be sabotage angle, he said they were suspecting involvement of some trouble-mongers. Meanwhile, Visakha Ukku Parirakshana Porata Committee chairman D Adinarayana condemned the action of miscreants. Ramu Patil By Express News Service With a high Covid-19 test positivity rate and an alarming rise in deaths, the situation in Karnataka remains grim. State Covid Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Chairman Dr MK Sudarshan, however, expects some stabilisation by the end of June. He attributes the high positivity rate to more focused testing. Excerpts. What is your assessment of the current situation? The situation is improving. If the second phase of the lockdown is implemented strictly, it will result in a good scenario by the end of June. We expect the test positivity rate to come down significantly and some stabilisation by June-end. The high test positivity rate is because of focused and targeted testing, as by and large, symptomatic, primary and household contacts are being tested now. If you do random tests, the denominator will be large and the positivity rate will be less. It is now the beginning of flattening (of the curve) because of the lockdown. More effective the lockdown, more useful it will be in containing the pandemic. Are we conducting enough tests now? The lockdown is in force now and people are at home. We cannot expect the same number of tests done during normal times. More focused testing is being done now. As per the Government of India guidelines, up to 30 per cent of the total can be Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT). We must do more RAT for symptomatic individuals and once they turn positive, they can be immediately put in home isolation, in Covid Care Centres (CCCs) or depending on their clinical condition at hospitals. Immediate isolation and correct treatment are possible. The CCCs have been opened in rural areas as people may not have facilities for home isolation. Lack of home isolation facilities results in spreading the infection to other family members and other villagers, as it has happened in many places. As a policy, home isolation is not allowed in villages and urban slums. That will help prevent the spread of infection in villages and urban slums. Do you think the lockdown actually helped? The effect of the 14-day lockdown has been fairly good. It has shown some decline in numbers in cases and test positivity rate. The positivity rate has reduced to some extent compared to what it was before the 14-day lockdown, but it still remains high, and the number of deaths increased significantly. Why? Deaths are still not coming down to the desired levels, because it is a cumulative effect. Whether it is a system or personal failure, delayed hospitalisation impacts recovery. People stay under home isolation and go to hospital late or find a bed late. It is very complex and multiple factors are involved. We hope it will come down in the second phase of the lockdown. Now, the rush for beds has reduced and beds are available quickly. Early and timely hospitalisation will happen and deaths are expected to come down. How are we preparing for the third wave? A separate committee has been announced under the leadership of Dr Devi Shetty and they are expected to guide the government on preparing for and managing the third wave. There is a concern that it will impact children more... That is a logical explanation given, as the vaccination is taking place for only 18 years and above. They appear vulnerable as they are not vaccinated and schools and colleges are expected to reopen. Dont you think the progress of the vaccination drive is too slow? Will it be possible to cover the target group before the third wave? The issue is vaccine availability. The government is fully ready to vaccinate people, but it has to get the vaccine. It is trying its best. Global tenders have been floated, procurement orders and payments have been made to Indian companies. Isnt vaccine shortage a major concern as we are in the middle of a raging pandemic? Yes, it is a serious concern and the government is doing its best to get the vaccine. There is apprehension over the increase in black fungus cases. Are we equipped to deal with it? There is no need to panic. It is a new phenomenon in the second wave, and it is preventable and treatable. All necessary measures are being taken, including procurement of medicines. In due course of time, the incidence of black fungus will come down. We are well equipped to handle it. Interview: Inheriting traditional Tibetan culture not only promotes regional revitalization, says Japanese director Xinhua) 15:01, May 23, 2021 Photo taken on July 17, 2020 shows Tibetan antelopes near Rongmar Township of Nyima County at the Qiangtang National Nature Reserve in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Chogo) TOKYO, May 23 (Xinhua) -- "The inheritance of traditional Tibetan culture as a way to get rid of poverty, and fostering a new industry through the inheritance of Thang-ka painting technology, so as to promote the region's revitalization and development, is such a great deed," said Japanese documentary director Takashi Inoue. He made the remarks in an interview with Xinhua in Tokyo about his work, a China-Japan co-produced documentary called "The land of sky, home of the Thang-ka painters," which was re-broadcast on NHK on Sunday. Born in 1952, Inoue graduated from Waseda University and started working in NHK in 1976, focusing on filming documentaries in the areas of history, culture, art and others. He currently works as an honorary professor at Tokyo University of the Arts and a columnist. When the documentary "The land of sky, home of the Thang-ka painters" was broadcast on various channels of NHK in March, the exquisite art of Thang-ka and the story of young Tibetan people's unremitting effort and self-improvement struggle have moved many Japanese audiences, winning a good reputation for the documentary. Japanese viewers have been giving the documentary high marks on social media. "I have a goal to see the real Thang-ka before I die!" "These young people who do not give up to the environment or the climate, who can embrace their dreams in the face of adversity and grow tenaciously are really remarkable. It is really a tour de force," they commented. Speaking about the reasons for the popularity of the documentary among Japanese audiences, Inoue said that they are very interested in Tibetan culture, and the stories of the documentary's hero and heroine are very touching. "Through the hard work and study at the art institute, the heroine became a well-known technician of Thang-ka craft and ushered in a great change in life. The hero, who used to be a 'troubled teenager,' cleansed his spirit and created a brand new self through painting. Their struggle and growth are themes that resonate with not only Chinese and Japanese audiences, but also global audiences," the director said. Inoue said the documentary also conveyed his new understanding of China that China is always committed to cultural preservation. In the 1990s, Inoue traveled almost all over China for a documentary series on China's reform and opening up. He said he has witnessed China's changes firsthand. Inoue said that what deserves attention is China's inheritance and protection of traditional culture. "In the process of modernization, it is easy to gradually ignore some traditional cultures. I have noticed that the Chinese government has made great efforts in cultural protection to revitalize traditional culture. It's a great deed. More and more people are recognizing the value of traditional Tibetan culture," he said. Inoue said he believes that to pass on painting skills and protect traditional culture is not only the revitalization of culture, but also the revival of tradition and a way to get rid of poverty. The persistence and efforts of Tibetan youths in inheriting traditional culture are touching, he said. "I want to be able to pass on these emotions to Japan and hope that young Japanese people can get inspirations from them." "The world China will face in the future may be more complicated, but there is no doubt that reform and opening up have borne fruitful results in China," said the Japanese director. "On May 20, we started filming the documentary 'Return of the antiques,' which is a cooperation with China," the director said with great anticipation. Enditem (Web editor: Meng Bin, Bianji) A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. Iffath Fathima And Divya Cutinho By Express News Service BENGALURU/MANGALURU: With right diagnosis, timely treatment and positive attitude, there is hope for even people in their ripe old age who have tested Covid-positive. In heart-warming incidents, an elderly couple -- 95-year-old R Vasanth, an ex-service man who served the British Army during World War 2, and his wife, 90-year-old Laskhmi Devi, in Bengaluru and 95-year-old Alice Pinto, a co-morbid patient, in Mangaluru were discharged from hospital. The Bengaluru couple, who tested positive for Covid in April last week, came out of Bowring Hospital on Friday evening. Vasanth and Lakshmi, who live by themselves in Uttarahalli, had developed symptoms of diarrhoea and fever, and they got tested. When the tests came positive, their family members decided not to tell them that they were Covid-positive, but they had been infected by a viral infection that needed medication. Need to remain calm to fight Covid BUT as the couples symptoms got worse and their oxygen levels started dipping, they were informed that they had Covid and had to be admitted to hospital. Harish S Bandagar, grandson of the couple, said, Their oxygen saturation level had dropped below 75. It was scary because of their age. We could not get oxygen beds for two days. However, through some volunteers, we got the beds at Bowring Hospital. Alice Pinto When we went there, we saw five Covid deaths. I was scared to get them admitted, but I had no choice. Now, they have come out as fighters. Vasanth said, When we got to know that we were Covidpositive it was scary as we are aged and did not know if we could fight this out. But my wife and I decided to take it positively. We took all the medication and treatment, and every day we hoped to recover. We kept thinking that we could fight Covid and we needed to be calm. The hospital staff were friendly and took great care of us. We were given steroids and we recovered. I feel much better now, while my wife needs oxygen for another week. She, too, seems to be doing well. With a good positive mindset, we can overcome diseases. In the case of Alice Pinto, who tested Covid-positive last month, the doctors had declared that 60 per cent of her lungs had been infected. But with sheer dedication of the family, her positive attitude and support of doctors, she has recovered completely. Her son Agnel Pinto, who also tested positive, said that his mother got infected in April and she recovered after 14 days. For six days she had fever and we admitted her to Fr Mullers Hospital. We were initially worried as she has high sugar too. During her six-day stay at the hospital from April 15 to 21, she was on oxygen for just one hour. We kept observing her saturation levels. Fewer tests leading to dip in cases: cong The Opposition Congress on Saturday hit out at the State Government, accusing it of instilling a false sense of confidence among the people by claiming that Covid cases have reduced in the state. Former CM Siddaramaiah stated the numbers have come down only because of reduced testing. p3 By Express News Service MYSURU: After The New Indian Express reported about two villages Katur and Ucchagani that have managed to keep Covid at bay by reporting zero cases since the outbreak, the Mysuru district administration visited the villages and announced that they would replicate the model across others village to fight the Covid pandemic. Deputy Commissioner Rohini Sindhuri, Mysuru Superintendent of Police C B Ryshyanth and other health officials visited these villages in Nanjangud taluk, expressing their happiness at the way they emerged as model villages, thanks to the efforts of the villagers. Praising these villages, District in-charge Minister S T Somashekhar said that their efforts would be replicated in the district. He said that he would visit the villages in the coming week to study the model first-hand. He said though there was an increase in the number of cases in Nanjangud, the number of recoveries was high as well. However, people needed to be aware of Covid. He added that Legislators, district officials and tahsildars have already held meetings in connection with the construction of an oxygen plant under the CSR funds on the premises of a primary healthcare centre in Nanjangud. Having followed Covid-appropriate behaviour and other regulations imposed by the village heads, Kaatur and Ucchagani, with a total population of about 2,000 people, have not reported a single Covid case during the first and second waves. The DC said that the model will be studied and implemented in other villages. By PTI THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Former Mahila Congress chief Lathika Subhash, who had tonsured her head in protest and quit the Congress after being denied ticket to contest the recent Assembly polls in Kerala, is all set to join the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The 56-year old Subhash said she held discussions in this regard with NCP state chief P C Chacko and an official announcement would be made soon. Interestingly, Chacko, a senior Congress leader and working committee member of the grand old party, himself had joined the NCP earlier this month. Chacko had resigned from the Congress on March 10, alleging group interest in deciding party candidates for the recent Assembly elections in Kerala. Subahsh said NCP is a national party which comes from the Congress tradition and she has had a close relationship with Chacko since a young age. "I have held talks with Chacko. My stand will be announced without any delay. As I come from Congress tradition and had long association with that party, I cannot align with any other political outfit," she told reporters. Sources closed to her said she expects a deserving position in the party matching with her decades-long experience. Subhash had contested as an independent candidate from her home constituency Ettumanoor in the April 6 Assembly polls and garnered over 7,600 votes which also contributed to the drubbing of the Congress candidate there. Soon after resigning from the primary membership of the Congress, the leader said she would not join any other political party. Subhash had got her head tonsured sitting in front of the Congress headquarters here in March soon after the state leadership had announced the candidates list for the April 6 polls to mark her protest following denial of ticket, shocking her party. SV Krishna Chaitanya By Express News Service TIRUVALLUR: In all likelihood, the Covid could be this centurys World War, and few have been completely spared of the pandemics myriad blows. But strangely, one quaint hamlet nested in the lap of Eastern Ghats on Tamil Nadu-Andhra Pradesh border has managed to keep the infection at bay. Nariankonai, just about 90 minutes drive from the State's capital Chennai, is unknown to many. Even the google maps doesn't recognise this village, which is home to 60 odd families and has a total population of about 500 people. A view of Nariankona hamlet. (Photo | Debadatta Mallick, EPS) Villagers here grow their own vegetables, fruits, paddy and depend on abundantly available natural herbs in the nearby forest for medicine. Most villagers also rear cattle and poultry, which are the source for their daily protein. The village has a vehicle that is commonly used to transport their produce to Koyambedu vegetable and fruit market in Chennai. Govindamma, a resident of Nariankona plucking vegetables from her farm. (Photo | Debadatta Mallick, EPS) The New Indian Express visited the scenic Nariankonai hamlet on Friday afternoon after criss-crossing several other small villages en route. Fresh clean air, sweet smell of mangoes, chirping sound of birds, lush green farmland and foggy Allikulli hill range on the backdrop makes the village no less a tourist destination. The prehistoric stone age site - Gudiyam Caves - is about 7 km from the village and there is a trekking trail. Close to nature, away from virus Though the State government on Saturday announced complete lockdown till May 31 and experts emphasise on wearing masks even inside homes, none of these regulations apply here. There is no sense of panic or fear of the pandemic and the residents are in no rush to receive vaccination either. 60-year-old Raghavan, a local resident and former president of Placepalayam panchayat, told TNIE that not a single case of Covid has been reported in Nariankonai so far. Assistant horiculture officer P Vijayakanth handing over vehicle pass to R Venu to transport vegetables to Koyambedu market. (Photo | Debadatta Mallick, EPS) Our quality of life is the primary reason. Though most of us still live in tiny huts with thatched roofs, we ensure our food and air is free of chemicals. We limit our interaction with outsiders. Both men and women toil in the farms and keep themselves healthy, he added. The surprises dont end there. Nariankonai does not have a mobile network. When their farm produce is ready for dispatch, a villager travels four kilometres away and places a call to Assistant Horticulture Officer P Vijayakanth. The officer then travels 30 km from Tiruvallur district headquarters to Nariankonai with a list of buyers from Koyambedu market and arrange a vehicle pass to transport the produce. Vijayakanth sir provides us seeds, seedlings and organic manure. He helped us set-up drip irrigation with 100 per cent government subsidy and is now motivating us to get organic farmers certification to get better returns for our produce," said R Venu, who is the most educated person in the village. Venu works as a lecturer in Tiruvallur's GRD College of Education. Vijayakanth told TNIE that all villagers in Nariankonai are small farmers with land holding of less than two acres. They use eco-friendly irrigation methods and respect nature. From the Horticulture Department, we provide them all the support they need, he added. Now with the complete lockdown coming into effect, the villagers fear that they wont be able to transport their vegetables to the market, and all the produce might perish. Still, with all their might and nature by their side, they resist the pandemic, which has brought the world to its knees. By Express News Service HYDERABAD: Amid the acute shortage of medical oxygen in hospitals across the country, Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Limited (MEIL) has imported 11 cryogenic tanks from Bangkok in Thailand, to be provided to Telangana State free of cost. These tanks will help to increase the supply of liquid medical oxygen (LMO) to hospitals. The first batch of three tanks landed at the Begumpet Air Force Station here on Saturday, and the remaining eight will arrive in a few days. Each cryogenic tank can supply 1.40 crore litres of medical oxygen, and the 11 tanks in total can provide 15.40 crore litres. ALSO READ | Strict lockdown hits oxygen suppliers in Telangana According to an official release from the Defence Ministry: A heavy lift transport aircraft of the IAF IL-76 (Gajraj) airlifted three cryogenic oxygen tankers from Bangkok to the Air Force Station in Begumpet. The aircraft landed at 2.15 pm on Saturday. This will be followed by a few more ferries in the coming week. Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar said that as part of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of the company, MEIL assured that it would donate 11 cryogenic tankers to the State government. The CS flagged off the three tankers which were received on Saturday. They will be taken to Odisha by train to be filled with oxygen. In addition to top management of MEIL, Finance Minister T Harish Rao, and a team of senior officers belonging to the advisory committee formed under the Chief Secretary have been supervising the whole operation. The Union Defence and External Affairs Ministry, which has been supervising the whole operation, has granted permission for the smooth transport of these tankers from Bangkok. A Defence special flight that took off from Chandigarh picked up the tanks from Bangkok and brought it to Hyderabad. MEIL, which is on the forefront of bridging the gap between the supply and demand for medical oxygen in the fight against the pandemic by supplying free oxygen to hospitals, has now imported these cryogenic tanks for the State government for present and future use.Transporting liquid oxygen for medical purposes from the manufacturing plants to the hospitals is riddled with bottlenecks. Now, these 11 cryogenic tanks will help the State government cater to the needs of the hospitals that are in dire need of oxygen, said P Rajesh Reddy, vice-president MEIL. The heavy lift transport aircraft of the IAF IL-76 (Gajraj) that airlifted the three cryogenic oxygen tankers from Bangkok to the Air Force Station at Begumpet Airport, on Saturday While the cryogenic tanks will help in facilitating bulk movement of medical oxygen to health care units, MEILs initiative to import the same has also truncated the time to manufacture the tanks, as it would take three months to fabricate a single tanker.The MEIL management, which has kept all its other operations on hold and is concentrating on augmenting oxygen supply to both Telugu States, has taken up the procurement of cryogenic tanks as a priority. So far, to augment the availability of medical oxygen, MEIL is producing oxygen from its manufacturing unit in Bollarum round-the-clock and supplying it to hospitals in Telangana, AP and Odisha. Empty cylinders each with a capacity of 7,000 litres of liquid oxygen were filled and supplied free of cost to at least 10 hospitals every day. On an average, 400 cylinders are being supplied from MEILs Bollarum facility. From May 9, 2021 to May 21, 2021 MEIL has supplied 29,694 tonnes of LMO, which translates to 3 crore litres of oxygen. Express News Service By MUMBAI: Mumbai police will conduct DNA tests to identify the 30 dead bodies, suspected to be that of the crew members of the P305 barge that sank off the Mumbai coast amid cyclone Tauktae. According to sources, the Mumbai police are struggling to establish the identity of the victims, and therefore, sought DNA tests. A Mumbai police spokesperson said the Navy has so far recovered 61 bodies from the Arabian Sea and handed them over to the city police. Barge P-305, which housed personnel engaged in the maintenance work of an offshore oil drilling platform of the state-run oil and gas major ONGC, sank on Monday evening off the Mumbai coast. The barge had gone adrift before sinking. ALSO READ | Death of three more Keralites in Mumbai barge accident confirmed Police have handed over the bodies of 28 victims to their families after post-mortem. However, the identity of 30 victims is yet to be established. While some bodies are decomposed, some others have deep injuries and therefore they are beyond recognition, the official said. Accordingly, the blood samples of the deceased and their immediate relatives are being collected and sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory at Kalina in Santacruz here, he said. After the samples are matched, the bodies will be handed over to the respective family members, he said, adding that the DNA sampling will be finished in three days. ALSO READ | Tug boat deployed for helping barge P-305 was 16 nautical miles away: Chief engineer Navy deploys diving teams to look for bodies Mumbai: With no trace of nine personnel from barge P305 and 11 from tugboat Varaprada six days after Cyclone Tauktae fury rendered the vessels adrift, the Navy on Saturday undertook an underwater search for the wreckage of the two vessels. The death toll on P305 rose to 66 with the recovery of six more bodies during the day, a Navy spokesperson said. Express News Service By NEW DELHI: The European Parliament has passed a resolution to extend support to the India-South Africa proposal at the WTO, seeking a waiver of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) on Covid -19 vaccines. EU to set up a clear and coherent EU global COVID-19 vaccination strategy and therefore to support the Indian and South African World Trade Organization initiative for a temporary waiver on intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines, equipment, and treatments while urging pharmaceutical companies to share their knowledge and data through the World Health Organization COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP), the resolution stated. The resolution comes weeks after US President Joe Biden announced that his government would support the proposal at the WTO. It is likely that the proposal would be taken up at the European Parliament during its session between June 7 and 10. In October 2020, India and South Africa had jointly initiated the proposal at WTO, but met with resistance from the West. The US approval for the proposal triggered support from other quarters. In March, a group of Members of European Parliament (MEPs) had urged the European Commission, the highest decision making body of the EU, to support the proposal. The issue was discussed during the India-EU Summit on May 8 with Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging the EU to support the joint India-South Africa proposal. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen had also said that the issue was an important one and should be taken up open for discussion. India and the EU are major centres of vaccine manufacturing. Vineet Upadhyay By DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand has reported 42 per cent Covid deaths that were 'missed' earlier, giving rise to suspicions of underreporting of coronavirus fatalities in the state. These are now being reported as 'backlog deaths' for the last six days in the family health bulletin of the state government. Of the total 923 deaths reported last week in the daily Covid bulletin, 384 of them are 'backlog deaths', accounting for 42 per cent deaths due to the virus. A doctor from the state health department on the condition of anonymity said, "After 65 deaths were discovered unreported in Haridwar by a private hospital, notices were served. Following this, everyone is on alert now. No such thing happened in the first wave." Interestingly, the hospitals that failed to report these deaths include the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, (Rishikesh) other government hospitals, and many private hospitals from Haridwar, Pithoragarh, Dehradun, and other districts. Meanwhile, the daily bulletin clarified these 'backlog deaths' were reported from previous dates and added to the cumulative tally. In some cases, these deaths reflected in district reports/daily bulletin, but were not submitted on time to state COVID-19 Control Room, the health department stated. The lacuna has led to the belief that fatality figures in Uttarakhand carry serious discrepancies. Anoop Nautiyal, from Social Development for Communities Foundation which has been collating and analysing data since March 15, 2020, when the first case of Covid 19 surfaced in the state said: "The fact that many government hospitals are unable to report deaths on time in Uttarakhand is a classic example of administrative collapse. We will never know all the reasons but this is indicative of a systemic rot. If we seek improvements, we need to make serious and sustained efforts." Officials from the state health department told The New Indian Express that this is not an attempt to hide the causalities or cover up the number of deaths. Dr Abhishek Tripathi, in charge of Central Covid Control Room of the state in Dehradun, said, "The hospitals, both government and private, were overloaded with cases. Those who worked in the hospital were also infected. There could be innumerable reasons why this was not reported to the central control room. Now that they are providing us data we are uploading/upgrading in transparent fashion on daily basis." Last week, after 65 deaths from April 25 to May 12 went unreported in Baba Barfani Hospital of Haridwar, the state government swung in action and issued orders stating that those failing to report coronavirus deaths will be penalised. Anshul Singh from the Baba Barfani Hospital, Haridwar said: "Data was diligently collated and death certificate were issued regularly. There was some miscommunication due to overload of Covid cases." Uttarakhand has recorded total 5734 deaths due to Covid 19 since the pandemic struck in 2020, of which 3045 deaths were reported in May 2021. From May 1 to 22, the daily death count on 19 days remained above 100. Interestingly, Uttarakhand's death rate is 65% more than national one. The state's death rate is 1.85% while national death rate stands at 1.12%. By PTI BANGLADESH/JERUSALEM: Bangladesh has announced to lift a decades-long travel ban to Israel, a move welcomed by the Jewish state which called upon Dhaka to establish diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv for the benefit of the people of the two countries. Bangladeshi passports earlier had a clause written on them that said "This Passport is valid for all countries of the world except Israel", but the government on Saturday decided to remove "except Israel" from the document making it valid for the entire world. Israel has welcomed Bangladesh's decision to remove the travel ban. "Great news! #Bangladesh has removed the travel ban to Israel. This is a welcome step & I call on the Bangladeshi government to move forward and establish diplomatic ties with #Israel so both our peoples could benefit & prosper," Deputy Director General at Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Gilad Cohen tweeted. Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal says they are bringing the changes to ensure that the passports meet the international standards. In the Israel-Palestine conflict of eight decades, Bangladesh has all along stridently supported the Palestinians' cause. It has never recognised the existence of Israel, and so the two countries do not have diplomatic relations. Kamal said that the move "does not mean that there has been a change in Bangladesh's position" regarding Israel. Israel has normalised its ties with the Muslim-majority UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan between September and December of 2020. By PTI DHAKA: A Bangladeshi court on Sunday granted interim bail to a senior woman investigative journalist who was arrested on charges of violating a colonial-era official secrecy law that triggered widespread protests, including by the UN. Rozina Islam, a senior reporter of Bangla daily Prothom Alo, the largest daily newspaper based on circulation, was on Monday last detained for over five hours by Health Ministry officials for allegedly clicking a picture of a document with her cell phone without permission. She was later arrested by the police. The court of Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Baki Billah granted her bail on a bond of Tk 5,000 (approximately USD 59) with two guarantors -- one of whom must be a lawyer, and the other a legal guardian. She was also granted bail on condition of submitting her passport, The Daily Star newspaper reported. While pronouncing the bail order, the magistrate said, "It is the duty of journalists to protect the image of society and state.I hope that from now on, we will all act responsibly." Islam was lodged in Kashimpur Central Women's jail. The health ministry filed a case against Islam under the draconian 1923 Official Secrets Act that carries harsh penalties, including a possible death penalty. Reacting to reports of Islam's arrest, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' spokesperson Stephane Dujarric on Tuesday said it is obviously "something concerning. "Journalists need to be able to do their work free of any sort of harassment or physical threat anywhere around the world. And, obviously, that includes Bangladesh and every other country. I think we have seen the very important work that journalists all around the world have done during the pandemic, and they need to be able to continue that work, wherever they may work," Dujarric said at a regular media briefing at the United Nations headquarters in New York. Rozina, who earned the reputation of being an investigative journalist, has in recent months published several reports exposing the health ministry's alleged malpractices during the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing public attention. She also published several reports involving the health sector which included alleged graft in procurement at the health ministry, corruption in doctors' recruitment and how urgent medical equipment for coronavirus treatment were left at Dhaka airport for months. Several legal experts and senior lawyers said they could not recall any instance when the 1923 Official Secrets Act was used against any journalist. Journalists' unions and different media platforms have been staging demonstrations in Dhaka and other districts, demanding Islam's immediate release and punitive actions against the officials who "harassed" her. By PTI NEW DELHI: As the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic batters rural India, a voluntary group of doctors and professionals from the diaspora in the US and from India has launched a unique initiative that will provide virtual time-sensitive information to healthcare workers in rural areas on treating COVID-19 patients, real-time details on hospital bed availability and counter vaccine misinformation. 'Project Madad' has been created with a mission that "proper education and training" of local healthcare workers and Registered Medical Practitioners (RMPs) will be "fundamental" in controlling COVID-19 spread in rural India. The Madad team is initially working with RMPs in rural Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and hopes that its model will be scaled in other areas and assist healthcare workers to recognise COVID-19 symptoms, treat mild cases at homes and provide advice on vaccination, dangers of overmedication and other best practices. At a time when medical infrastructure and capacities in urban and rural areas are already on the brink and doctors overwhelmed with increasing caseloads, Project Madad is focused on educating and training RMPs, sharing information in local languages and procuring access to vaccines, basic medical supplies such as masks, oximeters and oxygen concentrators for communities. "When the COVID-19 crisis initially started, we noticed that rural India was not getting attention at all," Project Lead Raja Karthikeya told PTI in an interview. Karthikeya, who is based in New York, cited the example of Karimnagar in Telangana, where 70-80 per cent of infection cases are from rural areas, a trend increasingly seen in other places. To begin with, the team focussed on capacity building for rural healthcare workers, especially RMPs, channelled medical supplies and created social media campaigns and flyers in vernaculars to spread awareness. Minneapolis-based Dr Subbarao Inampudi, an eminent diagnostic radiology specialist, said "Our goal is to address the majority of the population living in rural areas. We emphasised to RMPs that 80 per cent of people who contract COVID will do well. "What you really want to do is decrease panic, take away people's fear and convert fear into carefulness," he said. Inampudi said a major focus for the team is to educate and counsel the RMPs on how they can prevent mild COVID cases from becoming moderate to severe and what to do when that happens. "That is the key. Simple techniques, not drugs. With experience in COVID-19 treatment in the US garnered over the past year, we learned a lot, we made mistakes. We're not making those mistakes again. Hopefully we can share our experiences of what we did, what worked and what didn't," he said. "The RMPs are enthusiastic that somebody is talking to them," Inampudi said. The team connects with RMPs through the Zoom platform on two designated days and time slots a week, dubbed the 'Madad time', keeping in mind differences in time zones. The team has connected with RMP associations at the 'mandal' or 'Tehsil' level in Telangana & Andhra Pradesh and so far has interacted with over 150 RMPs through sessions, where any number of healthcare workers can join. For the team, the focal points to reach local populations are RMP associations in the states, veteran medical practitioners through which it then connects with other micro-level networks. All doctors associated with Madad participate in the interactions together as a team. Since the doctors come from different disciplines such as immunology, gynaecology, pediatrics, they are able to provide advice on a range of medical issues. Balaram Reddy, who has a chartered accountancy firm in UAE and is the India Lead mobilising rural workers for the project, said he is seeing an impact of the project's efforts on the ground with the RMPs getting more confident in helping patients. The 27-member Madad team has received requests from Uttarakhand and even Nepal. Karthikeya said the project aims to expand to include Sarpanches and Collectors. A hotline will be in place for RMPs to connect to the project's doctors in the US for advice at any time. ALSO WATCH: Hyderabad-based educationist Devishobha Chandramouli is leading the awareness component, Bengaluru-based consultant Kaivalya Gundu is managing vernacular outreach. The doctors' team includes immunologist Dr Rani Vatti, internal medicine specialist Dr Sailakshmi Tatikunta and palliative care specialist Dr Haritha Rachamallu from California. "The RMPs can act as a bulkhead against COVID spread," Karthikeya said. "RMPs are trusted, they know medical histories of patients." They can also help in distributing medical supplies in a targeted manner to ensure appropriate utilisation of limited resources like oximeters. The team has also developed an app, which will be launched next week, that gives real-time information on hospital bed availability and even identifies routes to get there quickly. Online features also include live chat through which RMPs will be able to reach out to doctors for questions about treatments and symptoms and get access to necessary guidelines. Washington-based Dr Rajesh Anumolu, the architect of 'MadadMaps', said "Our goal is to provide a one-stop-shop that can get you from identifying to clarifying your misinformation, to hopefully not needing to use this service of finding a hospital. But if that's the last resort, we want to provide you a safe way to get there." Dr Rewati Tepparti, a Minneapolis-based hospitalist, stressed that the "right kind of knowledge needs to be percolated from top-down all the way, as this will help combat panic. "That will keep these people out of the hospitals and prevent clogging of the already overburdened healthcare system so that beds are available for patients who genuinely need them," she said. Karthikeya said the team encourages others to use its model to provide similar assistance in other rural areas. "Please, think about the villages. There's a whole lot of India outside our cities. This is an earnest effort to think about rural healthcare workers who may not be wearing a uniform but who are still out there saving patients." By PTI KATHMANDU: Authorities in Nepal on Sunday tightened security around the Supreme Court building and government offices here as top leaders of the Opposition alliance prepared to file a writ petition at the apex court against the "unconstitutional" dissolution of the House of Representatives by the President, according to a media report. President Bidya Devi Bhandari dissolved the House of Representatives on Saturday for the second time in five months and announced snap elections in November on the advice of Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, heading a minority government. She rejected the bids of both embattled Prime Minister Oli and the Opposition alliance's claims to form a government. ALSO READ: Nepal's EC tells PM Oli to conduct November snap polls in single phase Oli and Opposition leader Sher Bahadur Deuba had staked separate claims to the premiership. The announcement came after Prime Minister Oli in his last deal-sealing move on Friday midnight recommended the Office of the President to dissolve the 275-member House and announce dates for early elections. As leaders of the Opposition alliance prepared to move the court, security forces have increased vigilance around the Singhadurbar-Supreme Court area, The Himalayan Times reported. The security has been tightened in a bid to avert crowding and protests, a Nepali Police official stated. Police have made a few arrests on Sunday as political groups have taken to the streets to protest the government's move. Nepali Congress, Maoist Centre, Upendra Yadav-led faction of the Janata Samajbadi Party-Nepal and the Rastriya Janamorcha leaders were gathering signatures of their lawmakers before filing the writ. On the other hand, leaders from Madhav Nepal, Jhalanath Khanal-led faction of ruling CPN-UML are expected to submit their signatures too. The Opposition alliance on Saturday convened a meeting to discuss their strategies forward and decided to unitedly fight the unconstitutional, regressive, autocratic move of the government by every political and legal means possible. In a joint statement issued at the end of their meeting, the Opposition leaders said the President did not follow her constitutional responsibility of appointing a new prime minister based on the constitutional claim as per Article 76 (5) of the constitution with signatures of majority lawmakers. Instead she sided with Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli with malafide intentions and dissolved Parliament in an attack on the Constitution and democracy. This regressive move has pushed the country towards new political polarisation and complexity," they said in a joint statement. The statement was signed by Nepali Congress President Deuba, CPN-Maoist Centre Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', CPN-UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, Chairperson of Janata Samajbadi Party-Nepal Upendra Yadav and Vice-Chair of the Rastriya Janamorcha Durga Paudel. The president's announcement on Saturday plunged Nepal into further political crisis, a reminder of her December 2020 decision when she first dissolved the House at Oli's recommendation, a move that swayed the course of Nepali politics towards uncertainty. The Supreme Court had annulled the duo's move in February. Nepal's political crisis took a dramatic turn on Friday as embattled Prime Minister Oli and the Opposition parties staked separate claims for the formation of a new government by submitting letters of support from lawmakers to the president. Oli claimed the support of 121 lawmakers from his party CPN-UML and 32 lawmakers of Janata Samajbadi Party-Nepal (JSP-N) for his reappointment under Article 76(5) of the Constitution. Nepali Congress President Deuba claimed to have garnered the support of 149 lawmakers. However, a dispute emerged after a few lawmakers from the Madhav Nepal faction put out statements claiming that their signatures were misused and that they did not sign any paper to install Opposition leader Deuba as the prime minister against their party chief. Earlier on Thursday, the president's office stated that the government had forwarded a request to invoke Article 76 (5) as Prime Minister Oli, it has been learnt, is in no mood to undergo another parliamentary floor test as there is no prospect of an otherwise result given the complex internal dynamics within parties represented in the federal parliament. Meanwhile, Oli's CPN-UML party has initiated the process to take action against 11 lawmakers of the dissolved parliament on charges of supporting the Opposition party leader to oust the premier. A Standing Committee meeting of the party held on Saturday decided to seek clarification from 11 lawmakers, including senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal. They were asked to furnish clarification by Monday morning. Nepal plunged into a political crisis on December 20 last year after President Bhandari dissolved the House and announced fresh elections on April 30 and May 10 at the recommendation of Prime Minister Oli, amidst a tussle for power within the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP). Oli's move to dissolve the House sparked protests from a large section of the NCP led by his rival Prachanda. In February, the apex court reinstated the dissolved House, in a setback to Oli who was preparing for snap polls. PTI NSA AKJ NSA NSA 05231538 NNNN By PTI KATHMANDU: Nepal's Election Commission has advised the government led by embattled Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli to conduct the mid-term elections slated for November 12 and 19 in a single phase to prevent the further spread of coronavirus infections during electioneering. After a meeting with Prime Minister K P Oli on Saturday, Chief Election Commissioner Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya said it is Election Commission's constitutional duty to successfully conduct polls once the date has been announced. "We have abundant time for preparation and have suggested to the government to conduct the election in a single phase," Thapaliya was quoted as saying in a report in My Republica. In the meeting, the representatives of the Election Commission also suggested to the government to create a favorable political environment for elections, maintain peace and security, and prevent the spread of COVID-19 infections among others, it said. Nepal's President Bidya Devi Bhandari dissolved the House of Representatives on Saturday for the second time in five months and announced snap elections on November 12 and November 19 on the recommendation of prime minister Oli. Oli suggested that the Election Commission officials step up preparations for elections by devising a proper strategy based on its past election-management experience in view of the coronavirus pandemic. "On the one hand, COVID pandemic is raging, and on the other, the election should be carried out within six months. There is no situation for deferring the election due to the pandemic. Amid the pandemic too, various countries including India, the US, the UK, and Brazil have successfully completed elections," Oli said. Nepal on Sunday reported 8,980 new coronavirus cases, taking the national tally to over 505643 while the death toll stands at 6,153, according to the health ministry. A total of 129 more fatalities were reported from across the country in the past 24 hours on Saturday, the ministry said. Thapalya said the prime minister assured the commission of adequate security arrangement, budget, and human resources for the election, The Himalayan Times reported. The Election Commission advised the prime minister to review the decision to hold polls in two phases, Thapalya said. The president's announcement plunged Nepal into further political crisis and brought back memories of December 2020 when she first dissolved the House at Oli's recommendation, a move that swayed the course of Nepali politics towards uncertainty. The Supreme Court later annulled the duo's move in February. Alarmed by the President's step to dissolve the House yet again, the leaders of Nepal's Opposition alliance on Saturday decided to take all legal and political means to counter Prime Minister Oli and President Bhandari's "unconstitutional, undemocratic and regressive" move. The Opposition alliance blamed the president for making an assault on the Constitution and democracy in partnership with the prime minister, who had lost a trust vote in the House. The parties claimed that the government is hell-bent on its attempt to prolong the autocratic rule despite the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. Speaker of the House of Representatives Agni Prasad Sapkota also said President Bhandari's decision to dissolve the House was against the spirit of the Constitution of Nepal. By PTI COLOMBO: Sri Lankan Parliament's CCTV footage is being scanned to trace those came in contact with Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa during a debate in the assembly after he tested positive for the coronavirus. Parliament's Sergeant-at-Arms Naren Fernando said Premadasa's movements within the assembly will be closely observed and contacts would be advised to observe quarantine procedures. Opposition leader Premadasa and his wife Jalani have tested positive for the coronavirus. He tweeted that while his wife was admitted to hospital with symptoms of COVID-19 on Saturday he was asymptomatic. Premadasa was seen attending Parliament on all three sitting days when the assembly debated the Colombo Port City bill last week. Before Premadasa, several parliamentarians, including Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi, were found positive. Sri Lanka is going through a deadly third wave of the pandemic. The nationwide infection tally reached to 161,242 on Saturday while the death toll climbed to 1,178 with 46 new deaths reported. The number is the highest single-day COVID death tally in Lanka so far. The stressed health sector has urged the government to impose a strict lockdown for a fortnight. However, the government has shown reluctance to order a complete lockdown and has only imposed travel restrictions till May 30 with no inter-provincial travel being allowed. By Associated Press OHIO: At least three people were killed and three others were wounded in a shooting Sunday outside a bar in Youngstown, Ohio, police said. Chief Carl Davis of the Youngstown police department said gunfire was reported shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday in the area of the Torch Club Bar & Grille in Youngstown. Davis said three people were dead of apparent gunshot wounds and at least three others were wounded, one in critical condition. None of the shootings occurred in the bar but they stemmed from an incident which began there, he said. Arriving officers rendered first aid to victims near the establishment and officers from nearby departments were called in to help due to the large crowds in what he called a chaotic and tragic event. Authorities said no one was in custody but they were talking to several individuals. Police declined to comment on how many weapons were used or other details. Police were processing evidence from two shooting scenes near the bar as well as a traffic accident reported at about the same time. It wasn't immediately clear what relation the accident had to the shooting. WKBN-TV reported dozens of casings in front of the bar as well as in a parking lot two doors down, where a house was also struck by gunfire. Mayor Jamael Tito Brown said that, as a father of four, unnecessary violence involving young people just continues to pull at my heart." It is not easy for me to get the call in the middle of the night from the chief or one of his team to tell me about incidents like this, and it pains me," he said. Help support your local hometown newspaper/website. Independent local news reporting matters. Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription, for as little as $3, so we can continue to provide independent local reporting on our communities. Free access for current print subscribers As a home delivery subscriber, you get free unlimited digital access to news-daily.com including stories, photos, obituaries, e-edition and more on your computer, tablet or phone. All you need is your print subscription account number and your last name. Don't know your subscription number? Email access@news-daily.com with your delivery address. Activate your account now. Champaign, IL (61820) Today Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low 72F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.. Tonight Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low 72F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. When she came on the bench in 2018, Judge Marisa L. Cornachio, of the Willoughby Municipal Court, the need to provide specialized services to veterans was very clear, she said. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading. To subscribe, click here. Already a subscriber? Click here. 1. By now everyone should know that the best way to reduce the number of new cases of infection by COVID-19 is to inject vaccines. It does not matter which... 1 week ago Research led by Antonio M. Quispe of Centro de Investigacion en Bioingenieria, Universidad de Ingenieria y Tecnologia in Peru examined infection rates in Iquitos, Peru at different time points in 2020. Seroprevalence was found to be 70% in the population, which indicates that most people in the area were infected at some point and developed immunity to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). By the middle of 2020, Iquitos, Peru, had the highest number of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the world. Despite natural immunity, the city experienced a second coronavirus wave, with reinfections possibly owing to the P.1 variant. The evidence suggests that the vast majority of the inhabitants of Iquitos had been infected with COVID-19 by July, 2020. However, the transmission did appear to continue at a low level, as seen by a slight increase in seroprevalence in the test-retest findings, and such a high seroprevalence did not prevent a second wave driven by a more dangerous variant of the virus. Their study was recently published in The Lancet Global Health. ddd Why Iquitos Peru? At the time of the study, New York City had the highest seroprevalence, with other countries reporting seroprevalence ranging from 0.3% to 61.4%. In the absence of a COVID-19 vaccine, achieving herd immunity requires at least 70% seroprevalence. Iquitos, Peru, was chosen because it was one of the hardest-hit cities in the first wave a high number of infections and death toppled the public health system in a few weeks. How they did it The researchers followed people living in Iquitos, Peru, from July to September 2020. They recruited participants from all four districts, including sampling from 90,354 households. Eligible participants were screened in the first week of each month. They also donated blood samples via fingerpricks to test for IgG and IgM antibodies specific for SARS-CoV-2. The team also collected data on excess death counts via the Peru National Death Registry Information System. Results The published results reflect data from July 13-18, 2020, and the 1-month follow-up from August 13-18, 2020. Data from September 2020 was incomplete due to difficulties in getting participants to come for a second follow-up. In total, the study recruited 716 participants in all four districts. The representative samples also had a diverse group of participants based on gender and age. The average participant age was 29.2 years. About 51% of participants were women and tended to live in the urban areas of either the San Juan or Iquitos district. About 86% of participants reported no health conditions. Those who did have medical conditions reported heart disease, diabetes, chronic lung diseases, obesity, and kidney disease. Four people were pregnant, and one participant had Down syndrome. Of the 716 participants, 70% had either IgM or IgG antibodies specific for SARS-CoV-2. The results suggest a majority of people living in Iquitos, Peru, were infected with SARS-CoV-2 before July 2020. Antibodies appeared to be durable. After the 1-month follow-up, 66% were seropositive for IgM or IgG. Seroprevalence differed across age. People who were 60 years or older and children younger than 12 had the highest seroprevalence rates. The lowest seroprevalence came from the 18-29 group. However, this age group was also significantly less likely to test positive for COVID-19 after a month compared to participants younger than 12. Of the 87% who came for the 1-month follow-up, about 65% were retested and positive for COVID-19. There was a 2% incidence of new COVID-19 exposure. Results did show that people who tested positive for IgG antibodies tested negative for reinfection after one month. The incidence of new COVID-19 exposures was lower in people living in urban areas than in rural areas. Our study estimates show that most Iquitos inhabitants were infected with COVID-19 before our baseline measure in July 2020. However, transmission did appear to continue at a low level, as seen by a slight increase in seroprevalence in the test-retest findings. Despite such high seroprevalence, both Iquitos and Manaus have experienced second waves starting in January, 2021, probably due to the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 P1 variant in Manaus, which has shown higher transmissibility and reinfection rates, concluded the researchers. (Newser) The crimes of Jeffrey Epstein, his systematic sexual abuse of minors and young women, have been well documented. As has the alleged role of Ghislaine Maxwell, who is accused of procuring girls for Epstein to rape. But the scale of Epstein's abusemultiple girls a day, for years on endwas massive. How did he pull it off? At Politico Magazine, Tara Palmeri has an investigative piece about the network of women who enabled him. She makes clear that she's not excusing the men in Epstein's orbit or holding women to a higher standard. "But as a woman myself, I have been struck by the sheer number of women around Epstein, and many of the victims Ive spoken with say they feel especially betrayed by those who violated the unspoken rule that women protect other women, especially minors." Palmeri lays out the "infrastructure" of how all this worked. story continues below Not surprisingly, she puts Maxwell at the top, and the story recounts how Maxwell would be chauffeured around Florida allegedly looking for teenagers to "recruit," right off the street. Below her were scores of female assistants who scheduled the girls. Then there were the "recruiters," girls who were often abused by Epstein themselves but who also were paid to bring other girls into the fold. And finally there were the female socialites and professionals who welcomed Epstein into high society and gave him credibility, while seemingly turning a blind eye to his actions. A complicating factor: Some of the very women who have been called out as abusers or at least recruiters say they, too, are victims, and are seeking restitution from the Epstein victims' fund. "To me, the fact that so many women know so much more, yet have stayed silent, might be the most depressing part of this story," writes Palmeri. (Read it in full here.) (Newser) It may as well be on the checklist for female hikers gearing up for a trekthe knowledge that somewhere along the trail, some guy, even a well-meaning one, is liable to explain in condescending manner the ins and outs of trail life. At Outside, Zoe Gateswho just happens to be an editor at Backpacker with a focus on skills and survival contentrecounts her most recent such run-in. She and two female friends hiked to a Colorado lake on a windy, rainy day, where they met two men in their 60s who invited them inside their tent to get warm. That gesture of hiker friendliness was welcome. The subsequent barrage of questions from the men, not so much. They clearly thought the women were unprepared, even after learning that Gates worked for Backpacker and one of her friends for Outside. Apparently, their grave sin was being without rain pants (a deliberate choice). story continues below We ought to write letters to your bosses at Backpacker and Outside and let them know how unprepared their employees are," one of the men joked. "Their condescension put a damper on an otherwise great day, even more so than the rain," writes Gates. "It was far from the first time some aspect of outdoor life had been 'mansplained' to me. But it was a revelation into how other peopleparticularly menview me on the trail, regardless of my recreational or professional accomplishments." It's time for people to stop making snap judgments about other hikers' abilities, particularly when it comes to "women and hikers of marginalized identities," she writes. The constant annoyance might be enough to drive people off the trail. And if this kind of treatment can happen to someone who gets paid to be a hiking expert, "it can happen to anyone." (Read the full essay.) (Newser) The body of a Connecticut woman who'd been the subject of a search for nearly two weeks has been found, a development that led police directly to her young husband. Per ABC News, the South Windsor Police Department announced the discovery of 30-year-old Jessica Edwards' body in an East Hartford park on Friday. At the time, police said there was no person of interest in the mother's "suspicious" death. That changed hours later when police announced the arrest of her husband, 22-year-old Tahj Hutchinson, in connection with her death. story continues below Per the AP, the case attracted statewide attention as the search for Edwards, mother to a 7-month-old baby, wore on and family members became increasingly worried about her wellbeing. Hutchinson told police his wife left their home in South Windsor on May 10 in an unknown vehicle. South Windsor Police Sgt. Mark Cleverdon told reporters Friday they dont believe thats exactly what happened" but did not elaborate. Though Edwards' cell phone was turned off for as long as she was missing, her body was found through location data retrieved via search warrants obtained from a source police did not identify. Hutchinson is charged with 1st degree manslaughter and is being held on $1 million bond, per a press release posted to social media. (Read more murder stories.) (Newser) A volcano eruption in eastern Congo triggered evacuations, with about 8,000 people fleeing to Rwanda, as lava flows neared the major city of Goma. The flows slowed overnight, stopping just before reaching the city of 2 million, officials reported, and the Rwandan emergency agency said the evacuees were going back home Sunday, CNN reports. At least five people were killed in a crash trying to out of town, per the AP. "Panic spread as we were in contact with the residents of the north of the city," one man said, "who from their roofs could see the path of the lava as it made its way to the airport." Mount Nyiragongo's last eruption was in 2002, when hundreds of people were killed and more than 100,000 were left homeless. The lava covered runways then but did not reach the airport this weekend. A highway out of Goma was covered. story continues below Some of the refugees had walked to Rwanda but found the border closed. They then went to an area north of Goma. "Everywhere in the city you see people walking with their belongings, their children and even their goats and whatever they could grab," an international refugee official said. Others got in boats on Lake Kivu. The government was slow to broadcast information about the lava flow or where evacuees should go, per the Washington Post. "Information was circulating in all directions, one man said. And there was no warning before the sky went red, sparking the panic. Government officials said that they had no death toll but that 500 homes were destroyed. On Sunday, lava in Buhene, near Goma, was smoldering. One resident asked for government assistance, saying, "All the houses in Buhene neighborhood were burned." (Read more volcano eruption stories.) (Newser) Belarus forced down an airliner carrying a dissident who co-founded a media outlet popular with the political opposition, the New York Times reports. Roman Protasevich, the journalist and activist, was traveling from Athens to Vilnius, Lithuania, where he was living in exile. But the Ryanair flight with about 170 passengers was forced to land in Minsk. Under the pretext of responding to a bomb threat, Alexsander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, sent a bomber to escort the plane to the Belarusian capital, where Protasevich was arrested. Lukashenko is the first and only president of Belarus, in power since 1994, longer than Protasevich, 26, has been alive. story continues below Protasevich ran reports of police brutality in Belarus on his Telegram channel Nexta. It was on that channel that he said he believed he was under surveillance, the Washington Post reports. Political leaders in the EU expressed shock that a flight between two European cities could be forcibly diverted. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called it an act of state terrorism on Twitter. Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general of NATO, also took to Twitter, calling for an international investigation. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said the event was utterly unacceptable and called for consequences, Politico reports. (Read more Alexander Lukashenko stories.) 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It found the journalist acted "inappropriately", seriously breaching the 1993 edition of the Producers Guidelines on straight dealing. In 1996, the BBC launched its own internal probe into Bashir's conduct, which cleared him of any wrongdoing. This was also investigated by the inquiry, which found the probe "woefully ineffective". It also found BBC executives, including former Director-General Tony Hall, had engaged in a "cover-up" of Bashir's deception. During the interview, which was aired on the programme Panorama, Princess Diana disclosed intimate details of her failed marriage to Prince Charles, famously declaring, "there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded" - referencing Charles' affair with now-wife, Camilla Parker Bowles. She also spoke candidly of her battle with bulimia. Speaking to The AM Show on Monday, Sean Palmer, the chair of Monarchy New Zealand, described the findings as "absolutely extraordinary". "In the 21st Century, I think everyone expects the monarchy [will] deal with the media in some way. We expect a bit of intrusion. But the level of deceit and unprofessionalism that has come out of this report is just staggering," he said. Bashir has since claimed it was a mistake to use forged documents to scare Diana into a meeting, but Palmer dismissed the apology. "He made the decision at the time. He felt it wasn't enough to just have an interview with Princess Diana. He felt, 'I really have to ratchet up the emotion, I have to scare her, I have to put pressure on her'. It's absolutely shocking. That's a level far beyond what we would normally expect." But will the findings unite sons William and Harry? Diana's sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, have each responded to the report's findings, claiming both the broadcaster and Bashir's interview played a role in their parents' divorce and ultimately Diana's death two years later. In a video statement earlier this month, William said the broadcaster "made lurid and false claims about the Royal Family which played on her fears and fueled paranoia". "The interview was a major contribution to making my parents' relationship worse and has since hurt countless others," he said. "It brings indescribable sadness to know that the BBC's failures contributed significantly to her fear, paranoia and isolation that I remember from those final years with her. But what saddens me most is that if the BBC had properly investigated the complaints and concerns first raised in 1995, my mother would have known that she'd been deceived." Relations between Prince Charles and Prince Harry are reportedly at their "lowest-ever point" following Prince Harry's latest documentary. The Me You Can't See, a documentary series hosted by Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry, debuted on Apple TV+ on Friday, featuring the hosts and other famous figures discussing their mental health and experiences with trauma. The Duke of Sussex spoke about the trauma the death of his mother Princess Diana caused and how he sees her experiences mirrored in the way the media treats his wife Meghan Markle. "The clicking of cameras and the flash of cameras makes my blood boil. It makes me angry. It takes me back to what happened to my mum, what I experienced as a kid," he told Winfrey. The 36-year old also went into detail on his relationship with his father Prince Charles, lashing out at the way he and his brother Prince William were raised. "There are big waves for the eastern coast of the upper North Island due to a rapidly deepening low to the northeast," MetService says on Facebook. "The low in question is comparatively close to NZ (for swell) which means less of the clean, long-period swell waves and more of the noisy, short-period wind waves." These swell waves and wind waves combine to make the wave you see in the water. "In general, the wind waves outsize the swell waves until around Wednesday, so until then it is bad conditions for surfing - in short, a big dangerous mess!" MetService adds. "Not a good time to be in the water!" Forecasters and Civil Defence officials are warning people to stay away from beaches on the east coast of the North Island for the next few days as monster waves continue to lash New Zealand. Areas including Hawke's Bay and Gisborne can expect a wet and windy day on Monday. MetService has issued a heavy rain warning for Gisborne north of the city, with another 70 to 90mm of rain expected between 8pm on Sunday and 11am on Monday. It comes after the Coromandel region took a hammering on Sunday with roads flooded and some regions wiped out. The ACT Party is blasting the Government for a "despicable" Ministry of Education initiative they say speaks of the importance of recognising white privilege. But Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is pushing back at comments by ACT leader David Seymour, saying no education resources use the words "white privilege". According to a report by the NZ Herald last week, a Whangarei primary school pupil had to talk to their fellow students about what they had done to recognise their white privilege. In 2018, the Ministry of Education began working with several Maori leaders about ways to strengthen akonga Maori achievement and address bias. The ministry developed the kaupapa Te Hurihanganui, which it says "tests community-led approaches to addressing racism in the education system and improve outcomes for Maori learners and their whanau". Seymour says such initiatives make society "uncomfortable". "Let me give you a scenario; you've got a kid who may be not fed, not well-clothed, not loved, abused - they go to school and they're made to stand up and apologise for their privilege," he told The AM Show on Monday. "Why? Because of race." Seymour is accusing the Government is trying to "unteach racism by making people apologise". "It's making our society and our politics increasingly uncomfortable and I just wish they'd stop," he told host Duncan Garner. Good morning, delegates. It's an absolute privilege to be speaking to you all here today as your leader and a woman of the Waikato. I'd like to acknowledge National Party President Peter Goodfellow, regional chairperson Andrew von Dadelszen, my fellow board members, my Central North Island colleagues, and all of you, the members of the National Party. This is the final in our series of regional conferences up and down the country this year, and the turnouts have been fantastic. It's been heartening to see you all so engaged after a challenging year in 2020. It didn't end with the election result we wanted but we've had a really positive period of reflection since then through our internal review. The findings of this review are a key element of our regional conferences this year. The need for party and caucus discipline has been highlighted by delegates at all our conferences, but the focus is also on moving forward. Now, I suspect you may have heard or read a bit about my other regional conference speeches. I have been talking about some big issues facing New Zealand at the moment - democracy, governance, the Treaty of Waitangi - and I am going to come back to those. But first, let's talk about that Broken Compass Budget. On Thursday, Grant Robertson presented his Budget to Parliament and to New Zealand. We had mixed messages from the Labour Government leading into this Budget. First, our nurses, corrections officers, police officers, and teachers had their wages frozen. Then, in the same week, they announced their so-called 'fair pay agreements'. In reality, they are just a return to National Awards and compulsory unionism. So either Grant Robertson is trying to have a bob each way or there is some serious confusion in the Labour caucus. But it is no surprise that they produced a Budget that has all the direction of a broken compass. We saw a Budget that lacks ambition and a plan, rather than a pathway to prosperity and a roadmap for growth. There was nothing much in there for middle New Zealand. We expected benefit increases in this Budget and benefit increases is what Labour gave us. It was a Budget for benefits, not for jobs. Labour dressed it up as 'addressing hardship' but, in reality, the only reason they increased benefits was to compensate for all the hardship they have created. Increasing the cost of living by adding more costs onto businesses was always going to make life harder for our most vulnerable. Piling more costs onto residential landlords was always going to make life harder for renters by decreasing supply and forcing a spike in rents. This is consistent with a Government that is intent on creating greater reliance on the State and less autonomy for New Zealanders. It is easy to increase benefits - just sign the spending off; no delivery required. It's so easy that even this Labour Government can do it. Perfect for a Finance Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Infrastructure Minister, and, of course, the Minister in charge of Implementation, who clearly doesn't trust his fellow Ministers to deliver on anything. National believes that investing to get Kiwis off benefits, into work, and give them more control over their own lives is a better way forward. It is hard to grow an economy, create jobs, and develop support services but we think it is actually worth the effort. And I trust our team to have the ability to deliver. Speaking of trusting your team and valuing your team, it is clear this Government does not value Police and Corrections Officers. There is, actually, less than nothing in this Budget for law and order - $90 million was cut from the Police budget at a time when gang numbers are at a record high. New Zealanders are feeling less safe in their communities, and violent crime is rising. Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis has delivered on his promise to reduce prisoner numbers by 20 percent but he hasn't done that by cutting crime or improving rehabilitation. He has, instead, decided to just let criminals out early. A reduction in prisoner numbers by letting criminals out early is not what people in Tauranga, Hamilton, Taupo, and, definitely not in my hometown of Matamata, want to see. This is why we have Simeon Brown running rings around Kelvin Davis and the Labour Police Minister Poto Williams. Crime and gangs are a huge problem, and one that the Government won't properly acknowledge. There has been a marked rise in gun crime and that is simply not acceptable. National does not make friends with gangs. We do not cuddle patched gang members. We do not give in to them. We are the party of law and order. Meanwhile, Labour's Health Minister Andrew Little is spending nearly half a billion dollars to begin a restructure of our health system - the end of District Health Boards and the centralisation of public health. A Maori Health Authority with a veto power over the general public health system. A veto power that Jacinda Ardern does not want to talk about, but a veto power that her Minister of Health continues to back. A veto power that she and her Cabinet has approved. A restructure and veto power that will not improve Maori health. Getting doctors and nurses into poorly-serviced regions will improve Maori health. Economic growth that lifts New Zealanders out of poverty will improve Maori health. Better education will. Vaccinations will. Actually, building decent housing will. Shifting all health decisions to Wellington will not. And the Government has decided the perfect time for this is during the middle of a pandemic. Here's an idea: rather than spend half a billion dollars on starting a restructure, how about doubling the amount of new money allocated to PHARMAC for buying life-saving drugs? Ultimately, nobody should get too excited about the Budget we've just seen. The Labour Government has a profound inability to put anything it announces into action. KiwiBuild? Failed. Remember the so-called 'shovel-ready' projects from last year's Budget? Half of them haven't even seen a shovel in the ground. They were just words. Remember how climate change was Jacinda Ardern's nuclear-free moment? Under her government, greenhouse gas emissions have got worse as her ban on off-shore natural gas exploration bites and our imports of Indonesian coal through the Port of Tauranga grows exponentially. Remember the Pike River families? False hopes kept alive by a Government willing to spend $50 million dollars on a cruel politicisation of a tragedy. Remember how light rail in Auckland was going to be operating by 2021? Well, I can report from Auckland that there is still no business plan, no contracts signed, no idea how much it will cost - no light rail. How can they stand in front of us and promise to deliver anything in this year's Budget when they have failed to do so every year since they became Government? The National Party finance team is working hard to scrutinise every inch of the Budget. Andrew Bayly and Michael Woodhouse have already hit the road to talk with businesses about how it will impact them. National's view is that every dollar spent must be spent on growing New Zealand's economy. This is the key difference between National and Labour. Labour spends money on initiatives designed to keep people dependent on government. National spends on money on initiatives that empower New Zealanders by creating opportunities for every individual, every family, and every whanau to be in the driver's seat of their own lives. Limited government. Competitive enterprise. Reward for achievement. We are ambitious for New Zealand and we believe in New Zealanders. Now, I do want to discuss with you the challenging conversations we have been having over the past month. I am disappointed by the Prime Minister's refusal to engage with New Zealand on these issues in good faith. It can be hard to raise these topics, but I am not afraid of hard work. I am not afraid to tell people the truth. And we cannot afford to be complacent about our rights and freedoms - our democracy. There can be no justification for eroding fair representation and equal rights for every person, regardless of the ideological reasons presented. National is proud of the progress we made in Crown-Maori relations. We settled more Treaty claims than any government before, or since. These settlements meant iwi could invest in the future of their whanau, hapu, and their whenua. There is now a growing Maori economy. We supported targeted solutions to social development challenges through initiatives like Whanau Ora, which this Government failed to give extra funding in the Budget by the way, and we did not settle for a one-size-fits-all model of working with iwi. We did not just throw up expensive alternative systems and create competition for resources. We worked directly with iwi on appropriate and bespoke solutions. National still backs that approach. Yes, we do oppose the Maori Health Authority in the form that Labour has agreed to. We do oppose splitting Oranga Tamariki into a 'Maori response and everyone else response'. We oppose the proposed water reforms being undertaken without full consultation with all New Zealanders. We will not accept separate justice and education systems based on ethnicity. National believes we are better together. We don't waste hundreds of millions constructing separate systems when those funds could go towards deliberate programmes and strengthening the system as a whole. Dr Shane Reti has worked as a GP for many years in Northland. He has been a key member of a District Health Board. He knows healthcare inside out. Every day, he hears from concerned medical professionals and administrators. They foresee more bureaucracy and wasted funding. Another big issue facing all New Zealanders, which needs immediate action, is housing. National's proposed housing solutions will, quite simply, get houses built. By scrapping the Resource Management Act and incentivising councils with infrastructure grants we will increase supply, quickly. We will work with iwi on ways to enable construction of papakainga on their whenua. That's housing on Maori land - land that's already owned, and land where social housing could be built - and we will empower iwi to take a more active role in community housing of whanau, through construction and management. In fact, we will empower other community organisations to build more community housing for those in need. That's what we did in government and that is what we would promote. Organisations like Habitat For Humanity and Monte Cecilia Housing Trust are eager to work alongside Kainga Ora on more projects. This is just one area where we know we can make a huge difference to New Zealand. New Zealanders know they can trust National to get stuff built. I wish I had enough time to run you through all of our MPs because we are an impressive team. Our caucus is actually intelligent enough to write books. Speaking of which, Tauranga MP Simon Bridges is our Justice spokesperson and he has his eyes on a significant battle we will need to fight: so-called hate speech laws. Another example of how the Government is trying to regulate every little piece of our lives. National believes in freedom of speech and will be fighting for it. National is often described as a 'broad church'. That's one of the things that makes us great. And we are held together by several, enduring, core values: loyalty to our country, its democratic principles, and our sovereign as Head of State; national and personal security; equal citizenship and equal opportunity; individual freedom and choice; personal responsibility; competitive enterprise and rewards for achievement; limited government; strong families and caring communities; and sustainable development of our environment. We approach our plan through the lens of these values when we look to the future and at the considerable challenges New Zealand faces. They are strong values. They represent me and they represent you. I know that the National Party is the best party to lead to New Zealand. National is focused on building a better, more aspirational, future for New Zealand. National is committed to addressing past wrongs through Treaty settlements and improving outcomes for Kiwis across the board. We want our cities to be world-class, with superior infrastructure, clean beaches, and quality housing. We want to see land controls freed up and the Resource Management Act scrapped so we can get houses built fast. We want people to be able to afford a home and raise their children in safe communities. We want to see sensible social investment that will help people find meaningful work and lift their families out of poverty. We want to see investment in the first thousand days of our children's lives to give them the best start possible. We want to see investment in science and growth in our tech sector to attract the world's best and brightest to come here. We want to see businesses and farmers empowered to use science and technology to reduce emissions. National knows that enabling commerce will enable Kiwis to work together and grow their own future. We want a New Zealand that is ambitious for itself and New Zealanders who have the tools they need to succeed. We want a Parliament that will work for all New Zealanders to guarantee their hard work gets fair reward. When the country is moving forward, New Zealanders have enough money in their pockets to afford more than just the essentials. When the country is moving forward, houses are getting built and people can afford to buy them. This is what will see our inequities addressed. This is what will see health outcomes improve for all. But more than that, it will mean our children will grow up with aspiration and opportunity. I will continue to ask challenging questions and demand the Government talks to New Zealanders before making fundamental changes to our democracy. National wants more for New Zealand. We know that if New Zealanders are working together, we are all better off. We believe in New Zealanders and we firmly believe that we are better together. Thank you. During his appearance at Cardiff Crown Court on May 7, Narusis pleaded guilty to wounding or inflicting grievous bodily harm without intent and criminal damage. The driver spent four days in the hospital and Narusis has been sentenced to two years and eight months in prison for the assault. "Mandas Narusis attacked the motorist, who stopped sharply to avoid colliding with him after he walked out into Commercial Street while drunk," Constable Jennifer Evans, the officer in the case, said after his sentencing. "He then launched an unprovoked and sustained attack on the elderly man, who had just popped out to the shops. "The victim spent four days in hospital following this distressing incident. I hope that the victim can regain his confidence that he has lost as a direct result of this attack. "Narusis will now have time to reflect on his behaviour. Hopefully, he will use that time wisely." 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Submit 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. Community Perspective Send Community Perspective submissions by mail (P.O. Box 70710, Fairbanks AK 99707) or via email (letters@newsminer.com). Submissions must be 500 to 750 words. Columns are welcome on a wide range of issues and should be well-written and well-researched with attribution of sources. Include a full name, email address, daytime telephone number and headshot photograph suitable for publication (email jpg or tiff files at 150 dpi.) You may also schedule a photo to be taken at the News-Miner office. The News-Miner reserves the right to edit submissions or to reject those of poor quality or taste without consulting the writer. Letters to the editor Send letters to the editor by mail (P.O. Box 70710, Fairbanks AK 99707), by fax (907-452-7917) or via email (letters@newsminer.com). Writers are limited to one letter every two weeks (14 days.) All letters must contain no more than 350 words and include a full name (no abbreviation), daytime and evening phone numbers and physical address. (If no phone, then provide a mailing address or email address.) The Daily News-Miner reserves the right to edit or reject letters without consulting the writer. TDT | Manama The Daily Tribune www.newsofbahrain.com Loan deferrals have helped Bahraini families overcome the financial challenges posed by Covid-19, a study on the socioeconomic impact of Covid-19 in Bahrain has concluded. The study, "An Assessment on the Impacts of Loan Deferrals in Bahrain", by Sara Bahman and Omar Al-Ubaydli, was published by Bahrain Center for Strategic, International, and Energy Studies (Derasat) based on the Derasat-UNDP partnership to study the socioeconomic impact of Covid-19 in Bahrain. The study analyzes the first two decisions of the Central Bank of Bahrain CBB) to defer loan repayments for Bahrainis, in March 2020 and in September 2020, based on interviews with over 100 Bahraini households. The research paper concluded that loan deferrals, especially the one in March 2020, helped Bahraini families overcome the financial challenges posed by Covid-19, including decreased income and increased expenditure: a reassurance factor among them. The paper affirmed that had the deferrals not been approved, many Bahraini households would have had to use a combination of decreased expenditure and running down savings to manage their finances. A small percentage would have seriously considered defaulting on their loans were it not for the deferrals. According to the paper, the most important factor in determining a households support for and benefit from the deferrals was its financial strength, as measured by its income and the percentage of monthly income allocated to loan servicing. Households with low income and high servicing payments were particularly relieved to hear about the deferrals and benefited greatly from them. The survey was conducted in November 2020 before the expiration of the second loan deferral, and the participants indicated considerable support for the prospect of a third deferral, which the CBB eventually implemented in January 2021. May is the time when many put seed to soil, and combined with the rain in recent weeks, this is shaping up to be a good planting season. This rain should allow for the crops to get a healthy head start before the dry heat of summer arrives. A local soil expert said early indications look to be positive for farmers in the region. Atchison and Holt County has most of the corn in the ground and 80% to 85% of soybean, Wayne Flanary, a field specialist in agronomy at the University of Missouri Buchanan County Extension office, said. Buchanan County may not be as high due to the rain events that have been occurring in the area recently, but overall we are in good shape. According to the Missouri Department of Agriculture, for the week of May 9, 69% of corn and just over 21% of soybeans were planted statewide. This puts Northwest Missouri ahead of the rest of the state for getting crops into the ground. The spring season started off abnormally dry in Missouri, which is not what farmers in the area hope for when prepping for planting season. But the wet weather also did not delay plans. The dry conditions did not push farmers away from wanting to get their crop in the ground, Flanary said. The rest of Missouri is behind the overall trend in recent years of being ahead of the planting game. But the prices of crops look to rebound this coming harvest, as last years averages were down due to a massive amount of supply but little demand. Not knowing what will happen in the markets in the future, but as it stands people are really positive about the prices and it is a good thing for growers, Flanary said. Future prices can be reliant on a multitude of factors and the outlook could very well change come fall. But for farmers in Northwest Missouri, a positive aspect is that the soil is in good shape for whatever type of crop needs to be planted. Flanary said rainfall in the area could result in a loss of nitrogen in the soil. However, he advised farmers that if they notice a crop turning yellow prematurely to consider putting on supplemental nitrogen to help the growth process. If you lived in the Bridgeport area 100 years ago, you had a real estate opportunity in Southbury that doesnt come along every day. In the 1920s, owners of the Home Building Company, Inc. of Bridgeport owned land in the Berkshire Estates area of Southbury. Back then it was known as Berkshire Estates Summer Colony. The building company owners decided to sell small parcels of the land at a cheap price to factory workers in Bridgeport as a way to give back to the community and make a buck at the same time. The parcels of land were sold anywhere from $1 to $51 depending on the size and location of the land. The Home Building Company owners, because their company was based in Bridgeport, in the 1920s reached out to Bridgeport city dwellers looking for summer alternatives, someplace they could use as a campsite, said John Dwyer, the Southbury town historian. These were factory workers in Bridgeport who worked long hours and didnt have a lot of money. Southbury was a short drive from Bridgeport and the land was offered as a way to get away from the city and camp out. They offered the land at a very cheap price, and if the owner was interested, for $395 to $595 the building company would build a small cabin or cottage on the land. On weekends and holidays they would charter a bus to bring people to the land site in Southbury so they could see what it looked like. As a way to entice these people to show up for the party and get on the bus, they would offer raffles when they got there with a chance to get the land that way. Home Building Company, Inc. was founded in 1918 with Joseph R. Crocco the president. In 1920, before moving to Florida, according to Dwyer local farmers George Oehler and his wife Grace Oehler transferred 181 acres of land to Home Building Company, Inc., which created 300 lots on the land with the parcels ranging in size from 25-feet by 50-feet to 100-feet by 50-feet. As a historical footnote, this was during the time when Lake Zoar in the area was formed. Prior to the land transfer, in a historical report produced on Berkshire Estates by Dwyer, he states that between 1917 and 1920 the Connecticut Light and Power Company entered into agreements with the Oehlers in order to accommodate for the flooding of the Housatonic Valley as construction of the Stevenson Dam began and Lake Zoar was formed (1919). Over the years, many of the land owners made the weekend getaway a permanent home and would also sell their land to people who wanted to move to the area. In an effort to increase the size of the land, the owners living on those parcels of land would make requests to the Southbury Planning Commission to buy town land that adjoined their land. Southbury Town Clerk Lynn Dwyer, John Dwyers wife, said over the years people would abandon their small parcel of property in that Berkshire Estates area. As a result, taxes wouldnt be paid to the town and over the past 100 years many of the parcels of land would become town property. The most recent request to buy town land in the Berkshire Estates area came on Monday at the annual Planning Commission meeting. The commissioners discussed a request by Mr. Atkinson (first name unlisted) to buy town land that abutted his land. The purchase of town property would be the result of a recommendation from the Planning Commission to the BOS (Board of Selectmen) on a purchase of town property that is next to theirs, Southbury First Selectman Jeffrey Manville said. Most of these lots were too small even for a typical home. At times, the town will sell the town owned property if it adjoins another property and it helps make the homeowners lot larger and conform. These parcels of town land that are bought cant be developed and becomes one single property. This helps if there is a septic issue and more land is needed. In the archived video of the Monday Planning Commission meeting on the Southbury town website (Southbury-ct.org), the commissioners determined the request for town land made the Atkinson lot more conforming when it comes to providing a septic reserve area. The commissioners unanimously approved the Atkinson request to buy the land. The request now goes to the Board of Selectmen for approval. Manville said the Berkshire Estates area isnt the only area with town land that residents have asked to purchase. The Peach Orchard area was another interesting part of history, Manville said. There was a peach orchard and individuals owned pieces of the orchard. There is no orchard there now. Some people in that area at times would like a larger area or a buffer for their property and request to buy town land. Again, if recommended by Planning, the BOS would possibly act on that recommendation. As Connecticut lawmakers debate the future of police in schools, some elected school board leaders are expressing discomfort at the prospect of the state making decisions on behalf of local districts. The General Assembly is now weighing a bill that would create a task force to examine the role of school resource officers in public schools and recommend whether they should continue to be utilized. But several school board leaders worry the proposed legislation would reduce the power parents have over the schools their children attend. From my perspective, weve had nothing but a positive experience with our school resource officers and I believe it should be a local decision as to whether or not they should be deployed in schools, said Peter D. Bernstein, the chairperson of the Greenwich Board of Education. Bernstein noted that beyond overseeing school safety and security, resource officers participate in teaching and serve as role models through positive interactions with students. He pointed to the example of Carlos Franco, a longtime resource officer at Greenwich High School who was selected by the Class of 2018 to deliver the commencement address, as evidence of the communitys support for police in schools. Christine Vitale, the chairperson of the Fairfield Board of Education, echoed Bernsteins support for school police. She described resource officers as valuable members of our school community. They are instrumental in keeping our schools safe places for teaching and learning, she said. They have been partners in supporting in promoting a positive school climate for all students. Nearly a year after George Floyd was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis sparked a nationwide movement against racial injustice and police misconduct, the debate around law enforcement in American continues to rage on. For months, activists have called on state lawmakers to reform policing in schools, which they say disproportionately impacts students of color and contributes to the so-called school-to-prison pipeline. In Connecticut, Black students who attend school with a police officer are twice as likely to face arrest than their white peers, while Latino students are six times more likely to be arrested, according to a 2019 study by Connecticut Voices for Children, a New Haven-based nonprofit. Earlier this year, state Sen. Gary A. Winfield, D-New Haven, introduced a separate bill in the current legislative session requiring the state to eventually phase out resource officers. My opinion overall is, whether its an urban district or not, SROs do not belong in schools and that discipline is in the purview of district administrators, he told Hearst Connecticut Media in March. If there are resources needed in the school, that should be expressed. Winfields bill has not advanced in the General Assembly, but the proposed legislation to study police presence in schools won support from the assemblys joint Education Committee. The bill was sponsored by state Rep. Travis Simms, D-Norwalk. About 147 officers were stationed in schools across Connecticut in 2018, according to a survey of school districts by the General Assemblys Office of Legislative Research. Of the states 113 school districts, 70 were found to be using resource officers in some manner. The elimination of police officers in schools is widely opposed by law enforcement advocates and union leaders. Sgt. Kris Engstrand, the president of the Stamford Police Association, called the proposal impulsive lawmaking extremism in an March opinion piece. What happens when bullies or even gang members no longer see the physical, visible presence of officers? Will it be up to teachers or school social workers to intercede? These employees are not permitted to intervene in physical altercations, and for good reason. That is the job of trained law enforcement professionals, who can handle such situations most safely, Engstrand wrote. There are signs police reform could be on the horizon. Last July, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., sponsored legislation that would have limited federal funding for police in schools. The bill, known as the Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act, would have also provided $2.5 billion in grant money to hire counselors, social workers, nurses and school psychologists. The bill died in Congress last session, but with Democrats now in charge of both chambers it may soon be revived. In suburban schools, police officers almost never arrest students. Students feel genuinely protected by these officers, Murphy said in a statement last year. But too often, in some city schools, students feel like the police arent there to protect them at all, and they wonder why their school can afford a police officer but not a single guidance counselor or social worker. Still, any statewide changes will likely face stiff opposition from local officials. Nick Aysseh, the vice chairperson of the Fairfield Board of Education, said he firmly believes the choice to continue an SRO program should be left to the local level. I understand and respect many of the real issues brought forward about SRO programs across the country, he said, but at the end of the day, I believe a properly structured SRO program in the schools can actually help build a relationship between students, staff and the police. Includes previous reporting by Brian Zahn OTTAWA, ON, May 23, 2021 /CNW/ - The Honourable Melanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages, made the following statement marking Tourism Week in Canada: "Today is the beginning of Tourism Week in Canada. While in previous years, it was an opportunity to celebrate the sector's many successes, it now caps a particularly difficult period. While we cannot downplay the toll the pandemic has taken on the sector, there are still important opportunities for businesses. When it is safe to travel, Canada's tourism sector will once again thrive, showcasing the country's natural beauty and the diversity of its people. "We also welcome this occasion to commend the remarkable efforts of businesses in the tourism sector that have shown resilience and determination in the face of economic uncertainty while taking meaningful steps to respond to a global health crisis. "Our government has been there every step of the way to offer various sources of support to keep tourism businesses afloat and explore strategies for the sector's recovery. "We've helped small businesses pay their workers, rent and mortgages and cover their expenses through ongoing emergency support programs such as the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy and Lockdown Support, and the Canada Emergency Business Account. Businesses and non-profit organizations in the tourism, arts and culture sectors have received an estimated $15.4 billion in pandemic support to date, and we're committed to further assisting these hard-hit sectors. "In Budget 2021, our government proposes to fuel their recovery through a package of supports, totalling $1 billion over three years, including the creation of a $500-million Tourism Relief Fund to support tourism businesses, help them recover from the pandemic and position themselves for future growth. "There is reason to hope, and we will keep feeding that hope. Canada's vaccination effort is well under way. The Prime Minister has confirmed that there will be enough COVID-19 vaccines to offer every eligible and willing Canadian their first dose by this summer and enough doses for everyone to be fully vaccinated by September. Ongoing restrictions and Canadians' efforts to respect public health guidelines are helping get us closer to being able to travel. "Please rest assured that we are constantly evaluating the situation and making decisions based on the evolving scientific data available and the advice of public health officials. When the time is right, we look forward to all coming together again, exploring this great country, and welcoming visitors from near and far. "The end of the pandemic is close, and we all need to work together to get there. Our government is listening to Canada's tourism businesses so we can continue to support them as they adapt, rebuild and grow. "To Canada's tourism businesses: Thank you for all the efforts you've made to keep Canadians safe. International visitors are keen to once again step foot on Canadian soil, and we are anxious to welcome them when appropriate and to hold festivals, events, conventions and meetings. I encourage all Canadians to choose a Canadian destination for their travel plans when restrictions are lifted. You are key to supporting the recovery of the tourism sector, and there are so many beautiful places to discover right here at home." Stay connected Follow @CDNTourism on social media for tourism-related news: Twitter Follow @CanadaBusiness on social media for business-related news: Twitter, Facebook SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada For further information: Catherine Mounier-Desrochers, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages, [email protected]; Media Relations, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, [email protected] Related Links http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/icgc.nsf/eng/home This file photo shows a detail of a portrait of William Shakespeare, presented by the Shakespeare Birthplace trust, in central London in 2009, soon after its discovery. The portrait, believed to be almost the only authentic image of the writer made from life, has belonged to one family for centuries but was not recognized as a portrait of Shakespeare until the 2000s. There are very few likenesses of Shakespeare, who died in 1616. Connecticut Magazines resident wine expert Renee Allen shares three little-known wine varieties that she thinks you should try. Allen is a wine and spirits expert and the director of the award-winning Wine Institute of New England and a professor at the University of New Haven. Thermenregion, Austria, $25 The oldest wine estate in Austria, the Klosterneuburg Monastery grows native white grapes zierfandler and rotgipfler in vineyards just south of Vienna. Some say if you like Austrian grape gruner veltliner, youll like rotgipfler, but one has to have tried gruner veltliner to know this. Equal contributions from zierfandler and rotgipfler are blended together in an off-dry version of this traditional wine. The lemon-yellow wine announces itself with an audible release of carbon dioxide upon unscrewing its cap. Peach and lime dominate the delicately creamy palate, where a hint of fizz can be detected. The finish exhibits almond and spicy white pepper notes and ends with a salty smack. Dont let the tongue-twisting name prevent you from enjoying this little gem, which is capable of aging in your cellar long enough to learn how to pronounce it. Pair it with: dumplings in cream sauce, medium-spicy Asian dishes, and Viennese fish fillets. Jonathan Edwards Primitivo Rose 2019 Lodi, California, $25 With cool temperatures and a short growing season, Connecticuts climate presents some challenges to winegrowing. Known for their bicoastal approach to winemaking, Jonathan Edwards Winery hedges its bets by fermenting grapes for some of its wines on the West Coast before bringing the wine to North Stonington for aging and bottling. This roses primitivo grapes (genetic relatives of zinfandel) produce a wine of stunning luminescent copper with peach-fuzz pink highlights. The nose is an explosion of ripe, red fruits with a subtle undercurrent of macchia. The fruit becomes predominantly cranberry on the palate, where primitivos trademark bitterness combines with just the right amount of tartness. Juicy, lingering finish. Big, juicy and with a bit of grip, this flavorful wine is summer water on steroids. Pair it with: creamy burrata cheese with tomatoes and basil, stuffed mussels, or chicken rillette with crusty bread. Elena Walch Lagrein 2019 Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy, $18 When architect Elena Walch married into a venerable Alto Adige wine family, she brought her modern philosophy with her. Fifth-generation daughters now share responsibility for this family winery. The ancient Lagrein grape, the most significant red in a white-dominated area, flourishes here in the cool Northeast Italy climate, producing intensely hued, food-friendly wines. This bold wine is a deeply saturated, tongue-coating (literally!) violet purple. Dark red berries abound on the nose, peppered with hints of spice-laden chocolate. Notes of black cherry and plum bob on a sea of subtle sandalwood. Crisp acid, tannins that emerge from the background for a brief solo on the finish, and a full body make this an excellent candidate for pairing. Ample yet approachable. This wine has the heft of a cabernet with the quaffability of a merlot. Pair it with: pappardelle with veal ragu, cheese-topped bison burgers, or creamy polenta with roasted mushrooms. 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. NEWTOWN Every night around 5 p.m., Thomas TJ Silkowski flips the TV on in his studio apartment, hooks himself up to his dialysis machine and settles in for nearly 10 hours of treatment. He is usually alone, because he doesnt like other people coming into his small apartment, where his personal belongings and dialysis equipment occupy the same room. I dont have a lot of people come here because I have a small place, and its basically all dialysis. Thats all I do here, he said. Its not like a comfortable home. The 45-year-old Newtown resident has been trying to find a living kidney donor for at least eight years now, but his medical journey has been longer. Ive been doing this for a long time, he said. Its hard to keep your positivity going the further and further you get down the line. Across the U.S., kidney donors are needed at a much greater rate than heart or lung donors, according to data from the Health Resources and Services Administration. As of January 2021, more than 80 percent of people in need of an organ transplant were looking for kidneys. To put that in perspective, there are 90,746 people in the U.S. on a waiting list for kidney transplants. In Connecticut, the number of people registered for kidney transplants is 1,024. And Silkowski is one of them. Silkowski was born with just one working kidney, which doctors managed to get working through medical intervention. In his mid-20s, that single kidney stopped functioning properly, and Silkowski began to look into transplant options. There was a failed transplant from his sister, and another transplant from his step-sister that lasted 15 years. As a result, for the better part of eight years, Silkowski has been on dialysis, a treatment that filters toxins, waste products and excess fluid from the blood a job which is usually done by the kidneys. For about two years now, at-home dialysis has been part of his daily routine. Its just Silkowski, his two dogs and the sounds of the peritoneal dialysis machine, which fills a cavity in his abdomen with fluid to help filter his blood. Its like Im eating a Thanksgiving dinner every single time, Silkowski said of the treatment. Im used to it now, but having a kidney transplant would make me feel 1,000 times better. Taste better, smell better. Everything. For several years before that, he was doing a different kind of dialysis treatment one that was done at a medical center and filtered his blood directly. But Silkowski stopped that treatment after complications arose. It was hard on his body, damaging blood vessels in his fingers and toes, he said. There was one point a few years ago where Silkowski got really close to another new kidney. He was on the operating table with the kidney quite literally in reach. But then Silkowski had a bad reaction to the medication they gave him. They had to abort the transplant, he said. Silkowskis sister, Karen Silkowski Forget, was 16 when her little brother was born and has seen his battle from the beginning. She frequently helped their mom with young Silkowskis medical issues, and always knew that she might one day give him one of her kidneys. Hes my brother and I love him, thats pretty much the bottom line, she said of her decision. Finding a donor While Silkowski has spent a long time advocating for himself, last June, Jeff Brown, who lives and works as a senior field engineer in Abu Dhabi, found Silkowski on a Facebook group hed created with his brother to help raise kidney donor awareness. Brown offered to help. Silkowski said yes. Brown, 50, spends his free time working as an advocate for roughly 14 to 16 people, helping each find a kidney donor. He uses social media to broadcast the message, using bright, fun graphics to draw attention to each persons situation. Each day, he posts in local Facebook groups advertising on behalf of the people he advocates for. Brown doesnt charge for services, he just wants to help others in a similar situation out. The kidney patients we call them kidney warriors theyre going through enough as it is. They really should have an advocate, Brown said. Browns advocacy is personal: his wife has chronic kidney disease and got a transplant in 2018. Since then, hes been trying to help others in the same position. I saw her go through four years on dialysis, through this tribulation, so I try to look at each persons case through that lens, Brown said. While this is often an emotional and time-consuming work, there are good moments. In the past month, Brown has found three people donors for a total of six success stories since December. Silkowskis own page, aptly named TJ Needs A Kidney, is followed by 577 people, and has 493 likes. Bright photos show comic book-esque depictions of Silkowski and a big caption asks: Would you be my kidney hero? Hes a warrior in the true sense of the word, Brown said. He doesnt let it get him down. Silkowski Forget said it would mean the world to her to find her little brother a kidney donor right now. He deserves a better life, she said. Hes struggled with this for so long and hes in pain all the time. The good news is that some people have reached out to Silkowski to tell him they were going to call and register to be a donor, but he doesnt know what happens after that initial call because the process is confidential. In order to find a living kidney donor, people have to go through a work-up process to make sure theyre a good match and in good shape to donate. This can often take a while. For now, he waits. Theyre angels. I dont have words for them, Silkowski said of those who have reached out. It would change my life 1,000 percent. Right now, I cant do anything. To get more information about being a living organ donor, call the Center for Living Organ Donors at 866-925-3897. WATERVILLE, Maine (AP) Colby College graduates were treated Sunday to a poem in their honor by a presidential inaugural poet, who urged them to stay grounded during turbulent times. Richard Blanco said the poem spoke to the idea of centering oneself in childhood in order to see our most honest and creative selves, and thus be able to see others and the world around us more clearly. BRIDGEPORT Critically Injured New Haven firefighter Lt. Samod Nuke Rankins, who turned 29 Saturday, got a heros departure from Bridgeport Hospitals burn unit Sunday, exiting to hundreds of cheering supporters his Company 6 firefighters among them. Among those who formed two lines for Rankins to walk the middle with honor to a black SUV home were the widow, mother and stepfather of young firefighter Ricardo Torres, Jr., who died in the fire May 12 on Valley Street that almost took his friend Rankins life, too. It was a short, yet powerful walk for the tall, lean Rankins, using a walker; his parents, Novella Guiont and Sam Rankins by his side, as well as retired New Haven Fire Department Capt. Gary Tinney, a constant by Rankins side through it all. There were no speeches, but the emotions of the crowd and Rankin said it all in minutes. A short way into the walk, one of his entourage removed Rankins civilian cap and placed his white dress fire Lt. hat on his head there wasnt a dry eye in the crowd. Rankins was judicious with hugs and handshakes as he walked the path, but the hugs that happened were long and hard. Halfway to the SUV, the crowd broke into the Happy Birthday song as a bouquet of helium-filled balloons bobbed up and down. They crowd cheered, whistled and some yelled, Nuke, grateful he is alive to celebrate another birthday, even if it was in a hospital burn unit. The birthday song was one of the many junctures where his helpers wiped tears from his eyes. Almost at the SUV, but stalled in a hugging, greeting cluster, retired Bridgeport Fire Capt. Darrien Penix, like a brother to Rankins, yelled to him from the sidelines, You all make sure you dont get too tired, as the weather was hot, humid and the exit was in the sun. Rankins is an all-around, larger-than life figure in the New Haven community, as hes not only a firefighter and activist for the rights of his brothers and sisters with the department, but also an extraordinary community volunteer who helps the homeless, children and marginalized in society. New Haven resident Dawn Herring, who knows Rankins from their work feeding the homeless a few years ago and has casually kept in touch on Facebook, held a simple sign, We (heart) you Nuke. Hes polite, kind, giving, selfless, Herring said. I have sons his age and when I look at him, its like hes what you envision your son to be. She heard the fire engines on Valley Street that night from her home nearby, and when she woke up and saw prayers for Rankins on Facebook, My heart just sank, she said. Firefighter Nicholas Licata, the engine driver that night who is in charge of getting all the water hooked up and working reiterated what has often been said in the last two weeks, that, We are all family. Its a very emotional time for all of us with the loss of two firefighters in less than a week, and Rankins being critically injured, Licata said. He is referring to death of Torres who leaves behind a son, 3, and a pregnant wife, as well as the unrelated, unexpected death May 6 of firefighter, William Jamar McMillian, 27, who leaves behind a daughter, 5. Bridgeport Fire Department Deputy Chief Lanie Edwards doesnt know Rankins but said he and others from the department were there to support him, because the fire service is like one big family. Im hoping that he makes a full recovery, and can serve the citizens of New Haven again. New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker, masked, just kind of hung in with the crowd and told a reporter, said he was touched to see fallen firefighter Torres family there. They also attended a prayer vigil in New Haven last week for Rankins, Torres and McMillian. Im excited to see Lt. Rankins recovery and the outpouring of love and support by so many firefighters and community member, Elicker said. Lorise Brown, who organized the prayer vigil held last Saturday outside Pitts Chapel for Rankins and the others, has no doubt why Rankins was able to walk out of the hospital so soon, although he has a long recovery ahead. We had a prayer vigil last Saturday and this Saturday Lt. Rankins is coming home by the grace of God, Brown said. Pitts Chapel is the church of Rankins mom and much of her family. Penix said Rankins has a long road ahead physically and psychologically, noting the latter could trickier as time goes on. We have to be with him through that, Penix said. He said Rankins is, intelligent, caring, motivated, and takes joy in seeing others succeed even in situations when he has been part of the pool that didnt succeed. He has a heart and compassion for others, Penix said. He said Rankins led study groups to help aspiring firefighters. Rankins, a New Haven resident, has been a firefighter for little more than three years and rose through the ranks quickly. Rankins and Torres Jr. were pulled from the fire after each made Mayday calls indicating distress. It was said by fire officials and family that Torres died doing what he loved. In the days after Rankins awoke from an induced coma and managed to breathe on his own without a ventilator, doctors instructed him to speak as little as possible so his throat and lungs can heal. Family and friends said from the start that Rankins is known for his determination and fighting spirit. The morning of the fire, when his mom saw him at the hospital and Rankins was about to be intubated, he told her, If I dont make it, remember that I love you, she said, through Tinney. He added, Mom, you know youre my number one girl. Tinney has said Rankins has a phenomenal soul, a heart of gold, and is champion of civil rights for all Black, white, Hispanic. BARKHAMSTED A motorcyclist was injured after swerving to avoid a bear on Reservoir Road in Barkhamsted Saturday evening, according to state police. A dispatcher with Troop B in North Canaan said troopers responded to the scene of the crash at 5:37 p.m. WEST HAVEN Kelley Rose knew what she had to do in order to see her father. Rose, whose father is 71 with diabetes and heart issues, made sure her family got vaccinated against COVID-19. In her family of four, two received the Moderna vaccine, one received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and one received the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. We decided as a family to do what we could do to protect ourselves and our families, she said. But according to state data, Rose and her family are among the 49.54 percent of West Haven residents who had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of May 19; most available vaccines must be received in two doses, roughly one month apart. Amid that number, officials are looking for ways to reach those who still might be convinced to get the vaccine. The vaccine which in Connecticut had an age-based rollout in several phases since February has been available to residents as young as 12 since May 13. Although roughly half of West Havens total population of residents has received at least one dose of the vaccine, it lags behind many of its neighbors. Milford, Orange, Woodbridge, Hamden, North Haven and East Haven all have a higher percentage of residents who have received a first dose. Along Connecticuts coast, Bridgeport, New Haven, New London and Groton are the only municipalities with lower rates of vaccination than West Haven, and are the only other communities with fewer than half of their total population with at least one dose of the vaccine so far. Rose said she also has a 5-year-old grandchild not currently eligible for a vaccine who she and her family hope to protect through vaccinating themselves, which reduces their odds of transmitting the coronavirus. Addressing hesitancy Maureen Lillis, West Havens health director, said those in West Haven who are eligible and eager for the vaccine already have received it. Anyone who was interested and eager to receive the COVID-19 vaccine has been vaccinated, she said. Those who are firm about not receiving it simply wont. The challenge will be to identify those on the fence, finding ways to help them work through their fears and concerns, Lillis said. Some feel that the vaccine was not tested long enough, and others simply have no trust in government, implicating compliance with public health guidelines. So far, West Haven has held four mobile clinics at community sites such as churches and a food pantry. Four others are scheduled through June 19. The city also holds a regular walk-in vaccination clinic at 201 Noble St. on Fridays from noon to 3 p.m. To further reach that on the fence population, West Havens health department is planning a virtual town hall meeting with a panel that can address residents concerns directly. However, a longtime community activist believes the city has neglected to make some obvious efforts to reach the citys minority communities. They have to be told (about clinics), said Carroll E. Brown of the citys outreach to Black and brown residents. Brown said that when she and her husband became eligible for the vaccine, there were no sites available in her neighborhood in the citys Allingtown district. Ultimately, they sought out the vaccine where it was available in New Haven. They need to go to every church, but they dont always ask, Brown said. According to the city health department, mobile clinics were held at Good Shepherd Ministries and House of Jacob Church on April 24 and 25, respectively. Another clinic was scheduled for House of Jacob Church May 23 as well as a clinic at Brent Watt Park June 19. Mayor Nancy Rossi, who lives in the Allingtown section, said she was visited by outreach workers knocking on doors to reach people directly. Were all trying to get as close to herd immunity as we can, she said. Id like to see 100 percent, but unfortunately that isnt going to happen. But I think weve done good. City Council President Ron Quagliani, D-At Large, has been part of the citys vaccination clinic volunteer corps since January. He said he believes reaching people now is more challenging than it was when the demand for the vaccine outpaced the supply. There clearly is vaccine hesitancy here and it is my opinion that continued expansion of our faith-based partnerships is critical as our community members already have an established trust relationship with them, he said. While my whole family chose to be vaccinated, I have spoken with others that are still hesitant as they feel the science is too new, Quagliani said. My hope is as time passes and vaccine efficacy is strong, hesitancy will dissipate. Disparity Benjamin Bechtolsheim, COVID-19 vaccine director for the state Department of Public Health, said the map for vaccination rates initially favored areas in the state where there are nursing homes a reflection of the first people who were made eligible for the vaccine when it began to arrive in the state. Since then, however, a pattern reflecting statewide health disparities has emerged. The uneven coverage that is starkly seen on that map is something weve observed from the moment we started in the general population phases of the rollout, he said. We do see lower rates of coverage among communities of color, among younger people than older people and in rural, more conservative areas, Bechtolsheim said. Bechtolsheim said the current COVID-19 vaccine coverage in the state closely reflects that of annual flu vaccine coverage. Its something the department has been working on for several years but has by no means cracked. Were dealing with years of inherited systemic racism and continued systemic racism in the system, he said. We absolutely do want to see equal levels of high coverage across the state of Connecticut. Bechtolsheim said all data and evidence reflect that the easiest way to influence populations to receive the vaccine is ease of access and getting a nudge from a trusted messenger, which is often someone in the local community. Dave Reyes, the departments director of state and local outreach, said his team is mindful of making targeted approaches in every community. We understand access can be an issue to certain demographics, he said. In the early days of vaccine rollout, for example, the states vaccine management website was exclusively in English. Also, many vaccination clinics take place during regular business hours something that presents difficulties for working families that dont have flexibility in their working schedules. He said West Haven is one of the communities in the state that will be visited by DPH vans, which can bring mobile vaccination clinics to housing complexes and convenient, centralized locations such as the city Green. Outreach Summer McGee, dean of the University of New Havens School of Health Sciences, said West Haven is a diverse community that includes a significant number of college students. We need the state Department of Public Health to double-down in diverse communities like West Haven, New Haven and Bridgeport to educate and give greater access to vaccination, she said. The state should set up vaccination sites on the West Haven beaches this summer and get shots in arms as people hit the sand. Several of the citys residents who work in public-facing jobs said getting vaccinated was an obvious choice for them. Im a nurse and I've had my second dose since Jan. 6, said Karla Boutin. She said she intends on having her 15-year-old daughter receive a vaccine as soon as possible. City Councilwoman Colleen OConnor, R-At Large, said as a front-line worker she already received both doses of the vaccine. Better to be safe than sorry, she said. Former Mayor Ed OBrien, who currently is running for mayor, said he believes the city requires a unique approach to surrounding towns and cities. West Haven is a larger and more diverse city compared to surrounding cities and towns, what works for our neighboring communities is certainly not working for us, he said. He noted that, if it were a test, the current rate of people who received at least a first dose would be a failing grade. Mayoral candiate and City Councilman Barry Lee Cohen, R-10, said he is a proponent of the vaccine and he hopes the city can better communicate with its population that it hasnt reached yet. Theres no such thing as too much communication or too much outreach, he said. brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com A few weeks ago, the Connecticut House of Representatives took the critical step of passing HB 5592, a bill that would expand state benefits to veterans with other than honorable (OTH) discharges who were discharged for their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression, but this important bill still awaits action in the Senate. As the General Assembly recognized in 2018 when it expanded state benefits to certain veterans with mental health conditions, veterans benefits can have a crucial impact on a veterans ability to reintegrate after leaving the military. Education benefits, healthcare, property tax exemptions, occupational licensing, and more all contribute to a successful transition and allow our veterans to build their lives here in Connecticut. The loss of such benefits is associated with increases in suicide rates, homelessness, unemployment, and poor health outcomes. Despite the detrimental impacts of stripping veterans of benefits, current state law withholds these vital benefits from certain veterans who were discharged only because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. Under the U.S. militarys Dont Ask, Dont Tell policy, along with its even more restrictive predecessors, at least 114,000 LGBTQ servicemembers received less than honorable discharges for no reason other than their identities. After serving in an institution that required them to deny who they were and bearing the personal costs of that kind of rejection by their units and their country, these veterans were denied honorable discharges and stripped of the benefits that should have made them whole. The military has finally recognized the injustice of this policy and ended DADT, but LGBTQ servicemembers continue to face discrimination, most recently in the form of the now-repealed trans ban. It is unacceptable that our state continues to use discharges given under these conditions as the basis for benefits eligibility, and it is time that we recognize the service and sacrifice of our LGBTQ sisters and brothers. For the veterans impacted by this bill, the dignitary harm of being excluded from the community is immeasurable. Reflecting on his experience, Hubert Spires, a gay Air Force veteran from Connecticut who was denied an honorable discharge until he was 92 years old, said, I was thought of as nothing. These kinds of emotional impacts continue today, with transgender troops reporting feelings of worthlessness and fears of being sent away from their units under the trans ban. To compound these mental injuries and further dishonor these veterans service by withholding services that would assist their reintegration is unconscionable. These veterans volunteered to serve their country, and like many of us they struggled as a result. We make much of our commitment to veterans and the care that they are owed when they return home. As long as we deny benefits to veterans for their identities, we cannot say that we are living up to that commitment. Excluding these veterans with OTH discharges from state benefits is not only unjust, it is counterproductive. These are people with a demonstrated call to service who have valuable skills. We do not have a moral duty to care for these veterans, we stand to gain by restoring them and allowing them to be leaders here in our communities. We have lost far too many of these leaders already, and we cannot continue to turn them away. It is time for us to honor our commitment to all of our veterans regardless of who they are or who they love and pass HB 5592 in the Senate. Steve Kennedy is an Iraq war veteran and the Connecticut Team Leader of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. Sirens are wailing, rockets are flying, bombs are falling, and civilians are dying again, in this most intractable of conflicts. The other thing that is flying, as usual, is disproportionate condemnation of Israel from multiple sources. Hamas, which has been internationally condemned as a terrorist organization and openly declares its intention to destroy Israel, unleashed over a thousand rockets from densely populated areas in Gaza, targeting civilian areas within Israel proper. Many of these rockets fall within Gaza, injuring or killing Palestinians who are ruled by Hamas. In addition Gazans have been subjected to Israeli bombs, targeting Hamas infrastructure hidden within civilian buildings; Hamas knew exactly what it was doing but it didnt care. Concern for innocent lives, Palestinian or Israeli, is trumped by Hamas ideology. MISHAWAKA Police are investigating a Monday afternoon shooting at University Park Mall. It's the second shooting there in the past three days. Niagara Falls, NY (14301) Today Some clouds. Low 61F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Some clouds. Low 61F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. President Mohamed Bazoum of Niger has telephoned President Muhammadu Buhari over the death of the late Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Ibra... President Mohamed Bazoum of Niger has telephoned President Muhammadu Buhari over the death of the late Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru. Attahiru and other military officers died on Friday in an air crash near the Kaduna airport. Bazoum consoled Buhari, the federal government and the people of Nigeria. He described the mishap and deaths as tragic and unfortunate and expressed condolences to the government and people of Nigeria. He prayed to Almighty Allah to repose the souls of the deceased and grant fortitude to their families to bear the losses. Buhari commended Bazoum for sharing this moment of grief with Nigerians and assured him that the gesture was well noted. He expressed gratitude for the sacrifices of the departed military men and promised that the nation will not let their families down. The search for a successor to the late Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru, has commenced. Attahiru and other military o... The search for a successor to the late Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru, has commenced. Attahiru and other military officers died in a plane crash Friday evening, near the Kaduna airport, while on official trip. They were buried on Saturday. Among the deceased were the Chief of Military Intelligence, Brig-Gen. Kuliya, and Provost Marshall, Brig-Gen. Olayinka. There are speculations that Major General Danjuma Ali-Keffi, General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division of Nigerian Army, Kaduna, may become the COAS. But Ali-Keffi, a Nasarawa indigene, is not among the most senior Army officers. There are more than 30 Major Generals above him. At a time Nigeria is at war with terrorists and bandits, President Muhammadu Buhari is not expected to allow dozens of Generals to retire in one fell swoop. A top military officer told PRNigeria that several factors are considered for the appointment of service chiefs beyond seniority. The President has the discretion to appoint anyone he wishes, or probably a nomination from the Minister of Defence. Apart from seniority, officers considered must be grounded in military operations and intelligence, he said. Other officers being appraised; The Chief of Policy and Plan, Major General Ben Ahanotu of Regular Course 35 from Anambra State. He was the commander of the operation that captured Boko Haram founder, Mohammed Yusuf and his followers at their hideout in Maiduguri in 2009 before handing them over to the Police. Major General AM Aliyu of Regular Course 36 from Gombe State is another operation officer. He is the Chief of Administration and former Director Foreign Liaison at the Defence Intelligence Agency. He was responsible for processing intelligence for military operations. Major General Ibrahim Manu Yusuf of Regular Course 37 from Yobe State. He is Chief of Operation and former Force Commander Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF). Yusuf, formerly of the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, lectured at the Nigerian Defence College (NDC), Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), and Nigerian Army Peacekeeping Centre (NAPKC), Jaji. Major General Faruk Yahaya of Regular Course 37 from Zamfara State. He is the current Theatre Commander Operation in the North-East and former General Officer Commanding Officer, 1 Division. Ooo The former Chairman of Ikeja Branch of Nigerian Bar Association, Adeshina Ogunlana, has described reports that embattled Nollywood actor... Ooo The former Chairman of Ikeja Branch of Nigerian Bar Association, Adeshina Ogunlana, has described reports that embattled Nollywood actor, Olanrewaju James popularly known as Baba Ijesha, denied engaging him as his counsel as a ruse. It was reported that Baba Ijesha had through his lawyer, Kayode Olabisan, released a disclaimer on Saturday stating that he never briefed Ogunlana to be his legal representative. I wish to state categorically and emphatically that I have never briefed the lawyer nor instructed him to act on my behalf in any way, or manner howsoever and whatsoever. He (Ogunlana) is not my lawyer, and whatever you heard or hear from him concerning my lawyers, the police or court case, does not represent the true position. He has been acting without my knowledge or consent, he had said. Reacting, Ogunlana said funny characters were behind the disclaimer, adding that they were fighting back after a magistrate garnted Baba Ijesha bail. He said, Take my laughter as my initial response to the news that James Olanrewaju issued a press statement that I am not his lawyer. These people dont know me. God assisted us to grant him bail through the magistrate. Baba Ijesha can say that you are a thunderbolt. You are too much for me. But he can never disown me. He didnt, he will not. He can never say that he does know, brief me. I am telling you very confidently that all what you are seeing is a ruse. It is a shenanigan. It is all selfish interest both in th police that are trying to fight back. I take this as rumour peddled by funny characters. Nobody should panic and worry. Dismiss it. It cannot happen that Baba Ijesha will deny me. The actor was arrested by the police for alleged sexual assault and defilement of the 14-year-old foster daughter of comedienne, Princess. The comedian was granted bail by a magistrate last Monday in spite of strike by judiciary workers. Bigwigs of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the South West have backed the ban on open grazing. Bola Tinubu, Bisi Akande and Olusegun ... Bigwigs of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the South West have backed the ban on open grazing. Bola Tinubu, Bisi Akande and Olusegun Osoba are among those who called for restructuring of the country and the creation of state police in a meeting in Lagos State on Sunday. The party chieftains met to discuss topical national issues. Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun; Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, amongst others, were also present at the meeting. It was reported, 17 governors from the Southern Region had met a week ago in Asaba, Delta State, and resolved to ban open grazing and the movement of cattle by foot in the region. The governors, among other things, also called for the restructuring of the country along fiscal federalism lines, devolution of powers and the creation of state police. A communique released after the Lagos meeting on Sunday said partly, We endorse the position of the Southern Governors taken at their May 11, 2021 summit in Asaba, Delta State, regarding ranching. We do so because such a decision will lessen tensions between farmers and herders while also helping the long-term economic viability of both the farming and herding communities. We are mindful of the short-term dislocation this might cause but are also mindful that this position is in the best interests of all parties concerned. We, therefore, recommend that the federal and state governments cooperate fully with each other to enact the necessary measures to encourage this more effective and modern method of cattle-rearing so that both farmers and herders can pursue their livelihoods with greater productivity and in a more cooperative relationship that minimizes the friction between these two important pillars of our agricultural economy. SPEAK OUT The Tribune invites readers to express their views in the Voice of the People column and in Viewpoint. Letters to the Voice of the People are limited to 200 words. Viewpoint columns should be no more than 700 words. Both Viewpoint and Voice of the People submissions are subject to editing. All submissions must include the writer's full name, which will be printed. Letters, including e-mail, which do not include the writer's street address and telephone number will not be considered for publication. This information is kept confidential but is necessary for verification purposes. Letters may be mailed to the Editorial Department, South Bend Tribune, 635 S. Lafayette Blvd., Suite 138, South Bend IN 46601; emailed to vop@sbtinfo.com, faxed to 574-236-1765, or submitted through our online form here. Due to volume, it is not possible to print all submissions. Except in special circumstances, we do not print poetry or thank-you letters. We do not print letters announcing events to come, extensive quotations from other material, open letters or form letters. Watertown, NY (13601) Today Showers early, then partly cloudy overnight. Low 58F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Showers early, then partly cloudy overnight. Low 58F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%. Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death. Submit Private hospital, but yet another known representative of black-market, the Lanka Hospital in Sri Lanka has conducted PCR tests over five times in excess of daily limit The Ministry of Health has issued its final warning to a leading private hospital, Lanka Hospital, in Colombo that has allegedly conducted over five times the allocated daily PCR tests, Director General of Health Services (DGHS) Dr. Asela Gunawardena told the media. Gunawardena warned that if any private hospital exceeds the allocated PCR test limit, the Health Ministry would take stern action against them and immediately cancel the permit given to the respective hospital. We have given permission to private hospitals to conduct PCR tests through a special circular and there is a limit on the number of tests that they can perform. Recently, we got a complaint regarding a particular private hospital that had conducted PCR tests exceeding the limit imposed. We immediately warned them and the warning we issued was the final one. After this, if we receive any complaint, we will cancel their permit, Dr. Gunawardena stressed. Colombo based media reported that this private hospital in question, located in Colombo 5, had allegedly conducted around 7,000 PCR tests per day even though they could legally conduct only 1,200 PCR tests per day as per the Health Ministry rules and regulations. Furthermore, the same private hospital has allegedly conducted PCR tests in a garment factory under a leading apparel sector multinational company in Thulhiriya, and is now accused of destroying the information of those who had tested positive for Covid-19, it is learnt. Under a general circular letter numbered 02/01/2021, DGHS Dr. Gunawardena had informed all the heads of private hospitals and private sector laboratories that the Ministry of Health had decided to assess the private hospitals and private sector laboratories and to allow them to perform Covid-19-related PCR testing, considering the current pandemic situation in the country. In that circular, it is stated that all the approved laboratories should carry out Covid-19 testing while adhering to the circulars and protocols issued by the Ministry of Health, including that the quality assurance should be adhered to according to the External Quality Assurance Programme of the Medical Research Institute, and that their daily performance and testing capacity should be reported to the Ministry of Health, online. Furthermore, it is highlighted that the Epidemiology Unit needs to be immediately informed of Covid-19 cases. A New Orleans boy who went missing after leaving for school last week has been found and is in good health, New Orleans police said Monday. The 12-year-old boy was reported as missing on Saturday. Police said officers were told the child was last seen Thursday around 8:30 a.m. after he left home for school. He was wearing his school uniform. On Monday, police said the child is no longer missing but declined to release any other details about what happened. Editor's note: This story has been updated on Monday, May 24, 2021, to reflect that the child has been found. His name, photo and description have been removed from the story. As the sun smiled through the clouds over Jackson Square on Friday, a violinist wailed over drummers for a crowd in front of the Presbytere, tarot card readers told the future by the Cabildo and tourists forked over cash for art. The French Quarter tourist economy is back, and New Orleans artists are reaping the benefits. Yet even as Katie Leese racked up sales, the upbeat redhead who sells paint-on-canvas creations couldnt help growing emotional over last years one-two punch. First, a street performer in a turf war with other artists tossed her art cart and about a dozen more into the Mississippi River. Shed barely begun to grieve that loss when the pandemic put her and her colleagues out of a job. Leese says she didn't want the cart-wrecker jailed, but the sentence of probation and no prison time that was doled out this month to Landon Semones has divided members of the squares artist community. Some are livid. When Semones broke into a cart storage yard behind Washington Artillery Park on the night of Jan. 30, 2020, he might not have realized he was inserting himself into a history of conflict that has only partially been tamed by law and informal cultural code. Man accused of stealing French Quarter artists' carts surrenders to NOPD The man accused of stealing several Jackson Square artists carts and rolling them into the Mississippi River last month surrendered to New Or The Jackson Square artist colony dates from the 1950s, if not earlier, and there have been countless City Council debates, court cases and street squabbles over the right to work near the iron fence. In a practice that goes back decades, City Hall caps the number of artists permitted to sell on the square at 200. And after years of conflict, including a federal court case, tarot card and palm readers are confined to Chartres Street by day. When Semones began performing for pay under the Lower Pontalba building a few years ago, he ran afoul of artist veterans of earlier real estate wars. One of them said he tried to explain that performers are banned in the clear lane there. All it takes is one or two people like that, and we can be overrun, said the artist, who declined to give his name out of fear for his safety. Anything that takes away from the artists should not be allowed. Were very vulnerable out there. But Semones continued his bit, which involves attaching a bicycle to a maintenance hole cover to make it appear hes flying at a gravity-defying angle. After more disputes, French Market Corp. security was called. Semones demanded and received a summons. One cart was tossed into the river that night. A week later, Semones broke the lock on the cart storage breezeway and pushed at least 10 of the hulking, mostly handmade carts up the St. Peter Street incline and into the river. Many had stored inside their carts dozens of pieces that represented hundreds of hours of labor. And the destruction wasnt limited to artists who had squared off against Semones, said Nathan Henry Pitts, a painter whose cart survived. He just took the anger out on everybody, Pitts said. He was just indiscriminate." French Quarter art thief pushes cart towards river in surveillance video; man still wanted The Project NOLA crime camera network on Wednesday released a video clip purportedly showing the man accused of stealing French Quarter artist Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Some artists pegged the value of their losses in the thousands of dollars. There were also priceless memories: The cart belonging to Bob Clift, a 77-year-old portraitist who got his first permit in 1969, was miraculously retrieved from the river near the steamboat Natchez, but he lost a foot-thick scrapbook filled with decades of photos of his art. "This is something we will remember for decades," Pitts said. Within two months of the cart attack came the pandemic, which cleared the square and halted the bohemian dream that artists could make a living off of their work and a lucky draw in the permit lottery. Leese drained beers and her savings. Others drew unemployment. Clift kept to himself and fished around Bayou St. John. Artists said they began returning to Jackson Square only in the past few months. Clift waited until he got vaccinated. Business is already steady, and they expect a thriving autumn given the number of festivals scheduled one after another. But for some artists, the scars of the pandemic and the cart attack remain fresh. Semones surrendered to police on Feb. 17, 2020, after being identified on surveillance video. A month later, as the coronavirus pandemic surged in New Orleans, a magistrate reduced his bond and he walked free. At a May 4 court hearing, prosecutors reduced the felony theft charge against him to 10 misdemeanors and he pleaded guilty. Semones' defense attorney, Michael Kennedy, said he made the point to them that the artists didn't provide evidence supporting the value of their lost items. After reading reports from the NOPD, it was difficult to determine valuation of property, said First Assistant District Attorney Bob White. Criminal District Court Judge Rhonda Goode-Douglas sentenced Semones to six months' probation. He was not required to pay restitution. The outcome has incensed some artists who wanted jail time. They say authorities didnt take their loss seriously. Clift said Semones should have been sent to prison for 10 years. Semones hasnt been seen in the area recently. But some artists say theyve received social media messages from him promising a return, and they fear more incidents. Around the corner from Clift on Decatur Street, Leese had a mellower attitude. She hopes Semones will get therapy or counseling. And a year later she's started to see poetry in her loss. "There's something romantic about the fact that my paintings will forever be in the river," she said. A man accused of killing a woman in Old Jefferson Friday was found dead in a Houston, Texas, hotel room Sunday, police said. Larry Richardson Jr., of Metairie, apparently committed suicide in Texas nearly two days after he fled the 3400 block of Mole Cottage Street after allegedly shot and killed the woman Friday night, according to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office. Police sought to arrest Richardson on charges of second-degree murder and obstruction of justice. The Houston Police Department plans to conduct a full investigation into Richardsons death, a JPSO spokesperson said. No other information was immediately provided. His Republican adversaries often paint him as an unrepentant liberal, but the truth is that Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards has an instinct for where the political middle is. Hes pushed for an increase in the minimum wage, but only a modest one. He backs Second Amendment rights, but opposes removing permitting and training mandates for concealed carry. He brought Medicaid expansion to Louisiana after his predecessor Bobby Jindal had rejected it and the policy proved popular. And hes enthusiastically embraced the one issue that has consistently brought Louisiana Democrats and Republicans together in recent years: reducing Louisianas nation-leading imprisonment rate and helping formerly incarcerated people reenter the mainstream. So it was noteworthy, to say the least, to hear Edwards take on the drive to legalize recreational marijuana. Whether driven by his personal caution or by close ties to Louisiana sheriffs, the loudest skeptics of the idea, Edwards has until now opposed legalization. But last week the realist in him came out during his monthly radio show. Asked about various bills the Legislature has considered during the ongoing session, he acknowledged the inevitability that legalized pot is coming to Louisiana and other states that have not yet embraced it. So rather than simply stating opposition, he talked of figuring out how to get the transition right. In the past, as a legislator and as governor, Ive been opposed to legalizing recreational marijuana, he said. I will tell you, I have come to believe that it is going to happen in Louisiana eventually. Thats not an endorsement of legalizing it right now, he said, but a recognition that its time to study others states experiences and figure out how to make sure that we do it right. I think theres a growing number of people who are sort of where I am, not quite comfortable yet but understanding that were likely to get there, he said. Hes not exactly going out on a limb there. That the center has shifted was already evident, judging by how seriously lawmakers considered an effort led by state Rep. Richard Nelson, R-Mandeville, to fully legalize pot, which would mean setting up, licensing, regulating and taxing the market. The effort fell short in the House last week; a bill to tax marijuana, which would have required 70 votes, died 47-48, and Nelson then punted on the full legalization bill. That the idea made it out of committee and drew so much support, though, is a big sign of movement, and of public sentiment. People in general support it, regardless of where the politicians are, Nelson said, and clearly the governor sees what hes seeing. While recreational users will have to wait, still in play is a bill by state Rep. Cedric Glover, D-Shreveport, to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. This wouldnt set up a legal structure for selling the controlled substance, but would eliminate the possibility of jail time for those caught with marijuana for personal use, as opposed to distribution. The bill passed easily in the House and is awaiting action in the Senate. The possible state action follows similar initiatives in New Orleans, where police have been able to issue summonses instead of making arrests on municipal marijuana charges for some years now. Last week, City Council President Helena Moreno proposed the city go even further down the decriminalization path by automatically pardoning those summonses. Theres possible loosening elsewhere in state law as well. A bill by House Speaker Pro Tem Tanner Magee, R-Houma, to legalize the raw, smokable form of medical marijuana also passed the House and is awaiting Senate action. Whats making all this possible, it seems, is that a bipartisan criminal justice coalition bolstered by both social justice advocates and libertarians is holding, even as partisan tensions flare elsewhere. That the Republicans at the forefront are younger is notable as well, and mirrors generational changes in attitudes. The biggest takeaway, though, is that on at least this one issue, legislators are going where many voters already are, just as Edwards has a knack for doing. Its really something they should consider doing more often. RTHK: Goma residents flee to Rwanda as volcano erupts Lava from a volcanic eruption approached the airport of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's main city of Goma late on Saturday, and the government urged residents to evacuate. As the red glow of Mount Nyiragongo tinged the night sky above the lakeside city of about 2 million, thousands of Goma residents carrying mattresses and other belongings fled the city on foot - many toward the frontier with Rwanda. Nyiragongo's last eruption in 2002 killed 250 people and left 120,000 homeless. It is one of the world's most active volcanoes and is considered among the most dangerous. Rwanda's Ministry in Charge of Emergency Management said more than 3,500 Congolese have crossed the border. Rwandan state media said they would be lodged in schools and places of worship. New fractures were opening in the volcano, letting lava flow south toward the city after initially flowing east toward Rwanda, said Dario Tedesco, a volcanologist based in Goma. "Now Goma is the target," Tedesco told Reuters. "It's similar to 2002. I think that the lava is going towards the city centre." "It might stop before or go on. It's difficult to forecast," he said. Emmanuel De Merode, head of Virunga National Park, asked park employees in parts of Goma to evacuate, according a note seen by Reuters. He said lava had reached the international airport on the eastern edge of the city but that it was not likely to reach other parts of Goma. Celestin Kasereka, head of scientific research at the Goma Volcano Observatory (OVG), told reporters he did not think the lava was flowing fast enough to reach Goma. A United Nations source said all U.N. aircraft had been evacuated to the city of Bukavu to the south and Entebbe in neighbouring Uganda. The power was also out across much of Goma. Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde convened an emergency meeting in the capital, Kinshasa, where the government activated an evacuation plan for Goma. "We hope that the measures that have been taken this evening will allow the population to reach the points that were indicated to them in this plan," government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said in comments broadcast on national television. President Felix Tshisekedi will cut short a trip to Europe to return to Congo on Sunday, the presidency said on Twitter. On the streets of Goma, panic spread quickly. "We are panicked because we have just seen the entire city covered by a light that is not electricity or lamps," said John Kilosho. "We don't know what to do. We don't even know how to behave. There is no information." Others fled to the city centre from villages and neighbourhoods threatened by lava on the northern outskirts. "We looked at the sky and saw the red colour of the volcano," said Richard Hazika Diouf from the Majengo neighbourhood. "We have fled to seek shelter in town." Volcano watchers have been worried that the volcanic activity observed in the last five years at Nyiragongo mirrors that in the years preceding eruptions in 1977 and 2002. Volcanologists at the OVG, which monitors Nyiragongo, have struggled to make basic checks on a regular basis since the World Bank cut funding amid embezzlement allegations. (Reuters) This story has been published on: 2021-05-23. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Rwanda appeals for calm as over 3,500 people flee from DRC due to volcano eruption Xinhua) 16:06, May 23, 2021 KIGALI, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Mayor of Rwanda's Rubavu district, which borders eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), on late Saturday called upon its residents to stay calm as over 3,500 Congolese sought refuge in the district due to the eruption of the Mount Nyiragongo volcano. "We are appealing for calm among Rwandan residents in Rubavu district. We are closely monitoring the situation, and we hope that the volcanic lava will not flow towards the Rwandan territory," Rubavu Mayor Gilbert Habyarimana told Xinhua in a telephone interview after making the appeal to the public through local radio. The Rubavu district authorities together with members of the Rwandan security were on standby to help the people in case the volcano lava flows to the Rwandan territory, he said. Rwanda's national contingency plan is in place to ensure safety and humanitarian services following the fleeing from the DRC, according to Rwandan authorities in charge of emergency management. Those who fled from the eruption are being temporarily accommodated in schools and worship places, said Habyarimana on a separate occasion when briefing journalists. Nyiragongo, which is nearby DRC city Goma and located about 17 km north of Rubavu, erupted on Saturday, 19 years after its last eruption that killed about 250 people and left 120,000 others homeless. (Web editor: Meng Bin, Bianji) Norman, OK (73070) Today Thunderstorms, some heavy this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low 71F. Winds SE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected.. Tonight Thunderstorms, some heavy this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low 71F. Winds SE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. My Dad was not a simple man in many respects. As a young boy, he quit school and went to work to help support his family which included his parents, three brothers, and a sister, Pop being the youngest child in the family. He did odd jobs, including working in the local butcher shop which not only earned him some money to take home, but some things, like offal, to help feed the family. He enlisted in the Army in WWII, saw combat with Company B, 310th Medical Battalion attached to the 338th Infantry Regiment (Custer) on the Fifth Army front in Italy and was the recipient of the Bronze Star for heroic achievement in action. Upon return home, he did what many men in the Coal Region did got married and went into the mines. A near fatal injury from falling rock in a bootleg mine in the 50s ended his days underground, but coal and the Coal Region were in his blood; he bought a tractor-trailer and hauled coal from Schuylkill County breakers to Philadelphia and New York City five days a week. When road taxes and operating expenses became too much of a burden, he sold the truck to get away from coal. Just months later, he fund himself once again involved with it and mining, only this time it was above-ground, driving massive Euclid trucks (Yukes) for a local breaker. Although he tried at times, he was never truly able to escape the grasp Anthracite had on him. It followed him to his grave in 1989, after years of him fighting for breath as Black Lung ravaged this strong, hard-working, intelligent, loving man I am so proud to have had as a father. I know this world would be so much better off if only there were more like him. One of Dads favorite things was tapioca pudding, but he only liked the large pearl tapioca. Many times in restaurants in the Coal Region, this pudding would be on the dessert menu, but he always grilled the waitress as to whether it was the real (pearl) tapioca or that other stuff (instant or quick-cook variety). I always remember Dad putting a splash of milk on top of this pudding along with a sprinkling of cinnamon. Mom often made it for him, and I remember helping her measure it out and put it in a bowl to soak. To this day, I never look at this recipe without seeing Pop, sitting at the kitchen table, enjoying a big bowl of this pudding. Keep in mind This simple homemade tapioca pudding, is creamy, rich, and filled with slightly chewy pearls of tapioca. Although simple to make, the pearl tapioca requires several hours soaking time, so plan accordingly. Dont try to rush the soaking process or skimp on soaking time! The tapioca pearl are cooked when they become translucent with a dot of cloudy center remaining. The pudding may seem runny immediately after cooking, it thickens upon cooling. The tapioca pearls add the starch to this pudding to help thicken it, so SLOWLY bring the milk and tapioca up to where it starts to bubble and time your simmer from thereit may take 20-plus minutes or so for this step, dont rush it! The starch that renders from the pearls is necessary to thicken the pudding properly. Visit A Coalcracker in the Kitchen for the recipe and instructions! Washington, D.C. Congressman Fred Keller (R-PA) recently supported various legislative initiatives to reaffirm his commitment to investing in Israels sovereignty and its people, including signing onto a letter to President Biden urging the administration to take actions to weaken Hamas and co-sponsoring a resolution that condemns Hamas transgressions against Israel. In the letter led by Congressman Michael McCaul (TX-10), Keller called on President Biden to maintain U.S. security assistance to Israel and move to sanction Hamas for using civilians as human shields. We must work together to help our ally defend itself from Hamas and other threats, and to cut off the support to Hamas that enables it to kill and injure Israeli and Palestinian civilians, the letter reads. These attacks clearly demonstrate the critical importance of our security assistance to Israel, as agreed to in the 2016 U.S.-Israel Memorandum of Understanding. We urge you to uphold this commitment, and we continue to oppose any reductions in funding or added conditions on security assistance, which would be detrimental to Israels ability to defend itself against all threats, including the current assault. Read the full letter here. Congressman Keller also co-sponsored Congressman Jeff Van Drews (NJ-2) resolution that recognizes Hamas actions as war crimes, reiterates the groups designation as a terrorist organization, and expresses that the United States must continue to support Israels fight against terrorism. Find full text of this legislation here. In case you missed it, last week Keller co-sponsored a resolution introduced by Congressman Carlos Gimenez (FL-26) that denounces the acts of terrorism committed by Hamas and reaffirms support for Israel. Find full text of this legislation here. On supporting Israel, Congressman Keller made the following statement: The terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians illustrate the need for Americas bipartisan support for the State of Israel. Unfortunately, some Democrats have continued to waver rather than joining the majority of Congress in coming to the aid of our strongest ally in the Middle East and the only democracy in the region. Hesitating to support Israel at this critical juncture not only jeopardizes its securityit sends a dangerous message to Americas strategic partners around the globe. The United States must reaffirm our support for Israel and work swiftly to aid its people. Harrisburg, Pa. The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (DOC) announced that in-person visitation will resume at several prisons, including the State Correctional Institute at Muncy. This is the first time in-person visits from family and friends will be allowed since the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to visitation in March 2020. The decision of what prisons to include for the gradual reopening of in-person visits was based on vaccination rates, overall percentage of positive cases and sewage detection results, according to the DOC website. The first facility that reopened for visitation on Saturday, May 22, was SCI-Laurel Highlands. SCI-Waymart will open for visitation on May 27, followed by SCI-Muncy on May 30, SCI-Cambridge Springs on May 31 and Quehanna Boot Camp on June 3. As of May 22, the dashboard on the DOC website showed 4 positive cases for SCI-Muncy with a cumulative total of 472 cases. 62.4% of inmates are fully vaccinated, and 4.2% are partially vaccinated, according to the dashboard. As of the April 30 population report, SCI-Muncy had a total of 1,005 inmates. The DOC is asking that visitors schedule visits at least three days in advance. Visitors will need to complete a COVID-19 questionnaire and have a temperature check prior to entry. Each incarcerated person will be limited to three visits per month, but with approximately only a dozen slots available per day, we expect visits to book quickly, wrote the Pennsylvania Prison Society in a newsletter update. The advocacy group had encouraged readers to call the office of Governor Tom Wolf to ask that prisons begin to open up for in-person visitation. Because of your advocacy, Pennsylvania state prisons will start the process of reopening for in-person visits within the week. This is a big victory for incarcerated people and their loved ones, who have gone the entire pandemic without an in-person visit, the newsletter stated. Mitigation measures will be in place, including a masking requirement for visitors over age 2 and masking for inmates. Up to four visitors per inmate will be permitted at one time at SCI-Muncy. Vending machines and childrens play areas will be temporarily closed. Prior to the announcement, the prisons had allowed video visits with loved ones. The DOC has not yet announced when in-person visits will resume for the remaining 19 state prisons, including north central Pennsylvania facilities SCI-Coal Township and SCI-Rockview. Williamsport, Pa. A Jersey Shore man recently was sentenced for possessing bath salts with the intent to deliver them. Alex Bower, 28, pleaded guilty on May 19 to one felony count of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, and two misdemeanor counts each of possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia. Bower was arrested on Aug. 26 by Tiadaghton Valley Regional Police Officer Tyler Bierly. Bower was sentenced on May 19 by Lycoming County President Judge Nancy L. Butts to 20 to 49 days county jail with 49 days credit for time served. He'll serve an aggregate three years of probation with three months of electronic monitoring. Bower must forfeit $2,727 to the Commonwealth and perform 50 hours of community service. He must pay a $100 Act 198 fee. Docket sheet The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has provided updates on road work and construction projects this week: Lycoming County update Expect work to continue to encounter road work during evening or overnight commutes on Interstate 180 between Fairfield and Muncy townships as contractors work on the high-tension cable barrier installation. Work is being done this week between the Route 405 interchange in Muncy Creek Township and the Route 87 overpass in Fairfield Township and the Lycoming/Northumberland county line. High-Tension Cable Barrier Project continues next week in Lycoming County. This work will be performed between the hours of 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. The left (passing) lane will be closed where work is being performed. This project is expected to be completed in November 2021. In the western end of Lycoming County, work continues on Route 220 as part of a safety improvement project. The work is taking place between Woodward and Piatt townships. The following traffic patterns will continue. The Harvest Moon crossover is open. The Grandview crossover is open. The Northway Road crossover is closed. The Browns Road crossover is closed. The following roads will remain closed for construction activities. Eastern exit at the Sheetz gas station in Linden. Motorists will need to use South Pine Run Road to enter Route 220 northbound. Front Street in Linden (local traffic only). Youngs Road East at the Route 220 intersection. Youngs Road West at the Route 220 intersection. Detour using Pine Run Road and Route 220 will be in place for the Youngs Road East and Youngs Road West road closures. There will be alternating lane closures where work is being performed. The work will be performed during off-peak hours to minimize traffic impacts. Long-term traffic control will be set up using barriers, and two lanes of traffic will be maintained. Detour using Pine Run Road and Route 220 will be in place for the Youngs Road East and Youngs Road West road closures. Work is expected to be complete by fall 2022. Centre & Clinton County update Road work continues this week in Centre County: From Wednesday, May 26 and Thursday, May 27, drivers will encounter daylight lane closures on Route 350 from Wolf Run to Sandy Ridge as scratch work takes place. from Wolf Run to Sandy Ridge as scratch work takes place. From Monday, May 24 through Wednesday, May 26, drivers will encounter daylight lane closures on Route 64 from Zion to Hublersburg as mill and fill work takes place. This work is part of a $2.9 million project, to address improvements on 11 miles of roadway in Centre and Clinton counties. PennDOT will issue updates as work progress requires. Roads to see work under this contract in Centre County include: Route 64, mill and fill, resurfacing, and guiderail replacement from Zion to Hublersburg; Route 350, mill and fill, resurfacing, and guiderail replacement from Wolf Run to Sandy Ridge; Roads to see work under this contract in Clinton County include: Route 4001 (Kettle Creek Road) mill and fill, binder leveling, guiderail replacement, and gabion baskets PennDOT expects overall work across the two counties to be complete by late September. Drivers are reminded to use caution in work zones, obey posted speed limits and always buckle up. Bradford and Tioga counties update Motorists are advised that a portion of Route 1043 (Sheshequin Road) in Sheshequin Township, Bradford County, will be closed during daylight hours beginning next week. On Monday, May 24 through Friday, June 4, a PennDOT maintenance crew will close Sheshequin Road between the intersections with Hornbrook Road and Hornbrook Road, while they replace deteriorating pipes. Work will be performed during daylight hours, weather permitting. A detour using Hornbrook Road in Sheshequin Township will be in place while the work is being performed. The detour will be daytime only. Work is expected to be completed by Friday, June 4, weather permitting. Tioga County motorists who travel Route 414 in Morris Township, are advised a retaining wall project continues. The project is located at the intersection of Wilson Hill Road and continues north for .58 miles towards Morris, Tioga County. On Thursday, May 27, the contractor will spray a surface treatment for dust control along Wilson Hill Road. Work will be performed during evening hours. In April, Route 414 was closed between Wilson Hill Road and Dixie Run Road in Morris Township, Tioga County, while the contractor LTT, Trucking, LLC, began work on retaining walls and roadway reconstruction, due to embankment failures between Babbs Creek and Route 414. A detour using Wilson Hill Road, Route 4002 (Oregon Hill Road), English Run Road and Route 287 in Tioga and Lycoming Counties will be in place until mid-November, weather permitting. Motorists should be alert and drive with caution in the area. LTT Trucking, LLC., is the primary contractor for this $4,900,000, three-year project, which is expected to be completed in 2022. Northumberland County update Motorists are advised that Route 890 will be closed between Route 61 in Upper Augusta Township and Route 4018 (Brush Valley Road) in Rockefeller Township, Northumberland County, for maintenance work. On Monday, May 24, between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) maintenance crew will be performing center line asphalt repairs along Route 890. The following detours will be in place while work is being performed. Southbound traffic will follow Route 61 southbound in Hamilton to Route 147 southbound to Brush Valley Road. Northbound traffic will follow Brush Valley Road at Wolfs Crossroads to Route 147 northbound to Route 61. Motorists should be alert, slow down, expect travel delays, and drive with caution. ************************************************************* Motorists should be alert, slow down, and expect delays in travel when encountering these work sites. Rome, GA (30161) Today Partial cloudiness early, with scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.. Tonight Partial cloudiness early, with scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%. Palm Beach County: additional cases and more deaths. The county now has confirmed cases and deaths, including non-residents. Broward County: additional cases and more deaths. Broward has a known total of cases and deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. The death tally includes non-residents. Miami-Dade County: additional cases and new deaths. The county now has confirmed cases and deaths, including non-residents. This really shows why cities and counties should not make these kinds of deals with developers, he said. The developer just wants to get their project built. In 18 months theyll turn the property over to the owners and then its not their problem. The developer knows they are not the ones who will have to live with the long-term consequences of the deal. Community Reporter Erica Welch is the special sections editor for The News-Review, mother of two and a native of Roseburg. She is an alumni of RHS, UCC and Western Oregon University. Contact her at ewelch@nrtoday.com or 541-957-4218. Alicia Christiansen is the Forestry Extension Agent for OSU Extension Service of Douglas County. Alicia can be reached by email at Alicia.Christiansen@oregonstate.edu or phone at 541-672-4461. Norma Kline is the Forestry Extension Agent for OSU Extension Service of Coos and Curry Counties. Norma can be reached by email at Norma.Kline@oregonstate.edu or phone at 541- 572-5263. On the day of the chase, police were called to a home in Fort Lauderdale because a group of kids were trying to steal a car from the callers garage, said Casey Liening, a police spokeswoman. The kids a 12-year-old, two 14-year-olds and two 16-year-olds raced off in what police would later learn was a car reported as stolen out of Miami-Dade County. Liening would not say the age of the driver. Skylar Knox is a seventh grade student at Fremont Middle School in Roseburg and the schools FBLA chapter president. Her work can be found online at skylarknox.com. Robin Loznak is a photojournalist and wildlife photographer based near Elkton. He is a former photographer for The News-Review and worked as a newspaper photojournalist for 20 years. "Indiana is a great state to do business in," said Aaron Zeigler, president of Zeigler Automotive Group. "It's growing and exciting. It's a great place for business." Zeigler's new dealership at 1777 W. U.S. 30 in Merrillville complements its already extensive footprint across Chicagoland, he said. "There's no question it will draw from Illinois and the South Side of Chicago," he said. "We're well established in the Chicago area." The auto group is planning to make significant investments in its new Merrillville dealership, expanding the showroom, inventory and service department. "We're going to upgrade the facilities," Zeigler said. "We're going to make it newer, bigger and up to the latest Subaru standards." Zeigler Automotive Group plans to bring in an architect for a significant expansion to the building. Construction could start as soon as this year. "The work on the building is going to be extensive," he said. "We're going to expand the showroom by probably 30% to 40%." After retaining all the existing staff, the dealership will hire more salespeople and service technicians as it grows. CROWN POINT A Gary man pleaded guilty Tuesday to stabbing a man to death after a dispute over money for a prostitution in 2018 at a Merrillville motel. Laurence T. Richmond Jr., 35, killed 44-year-old Patrick Tangye Mbi on Feb. 6, 2018, by stabbing him in the head, face, shoulders, chest, back, flank, buttocks and left forearm, according to a plea agreement. Richmond pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter, Lake Criminal Court records show. Lake County prosecutors agreed Richmond acted in "sudden heat." If Judge Natalie Bokota accepts Richmond's plea agreement, he could face a sentence of 10 to 24 years in prison. In exchange for Richmond's plea, prosecutors agreed to dismiss a murder count. If convicted of murder, Richmond could have faced a sentence of 45 to 65 years. Richmond admitted he was aware Mbi was meeting with a prostitute in a room at the Super 8 hotel in the 8200 block of Louisiana Street in Merrillville, records show. Mbi had a disagreement with the prostitute over payment, and Richmond confronted Mbi as Mbi left the hotel room at the Super 8, records state. We have a way to go to beat COVID-19, and we must stay Michigan City strong. Council got no advance notice Parrys speech came as a surprise to City Council members, who didnt know about it until a 4 p.m. email saying the speech would be posted on the citys website and Facebook page. Im anxious to see this last-minute State of the City, Councilman Sean Fitzpatrick, D-4th, said at Tuesday nights council meeting. I still have zero confidence in his ability to lead the city. The council passed a no-confidence resolution this year, and Fitzpatrick has made it a point at every council meeting since to remind the public he still lacks confidence in the mayor. Councilman Don Przybylinski, D-at large, had said at the last council meeting that he has been waiting for Parry to fulfill his statutory requirement to report to the council annually on the financial state of the city. Przybylinski said earlier this week he thought Parry would address the council by Zoom from his office. Being where the need is greatest will eliminate travel as a barrier for people needing assistance, she said. This would give us the way of working more with our less fortunate in the area, she said. Pierzakowski said her office will be on the main level at the front of the building. Toward the back will be the food pantry, separate bathrooms and showers for men and women along with washers and dryers. There will also be a kitchen and day room equipped with things like computers along with seating for people to relax. The upper level will be used strictly for storage of clothing, furniture and other household items. Those items are presently stored in a much smaller space at the current location. So, well be able to collect more items to help our clients as were moving them into apartments. Its a win-win situation, she said. The facility will not be open during the night. In 2019, Pierzakowski helped lead the way for a homeless shelter at a church with beds for people to sleep on at night if they agreed to try and find work and seek help for any substance abuse issues. 12 weak finance Cos. to be consolidated By Duruthu Edirimuni Chandrasekera View(s): View(s): The Central Banks (CB) plan to revive at least 12 weak finance companies will see daylight by mid-next year. This plan will involve consolidation and have some mergers and acquisitions, CB officials told the Business Times. According to their size, and the trouble they are in, the finance companies will be consolidated, they said. We told the industry to come up with some proposals in line with our suggestions. Now the valuations are being done on 12, a CB official told the Business Times. He said there are three types of companies that the CB has identified in the finance companies sector. One is strong companies, mid-tier companies, and weaker companies. There are a couple of avenues available (for revival) for these and one is consolidation. We have a type of framework for mergers and acquisitions, he explained. This is done in a bid to strengthen the sector to withstand shocks. The CB last June said in a statement that, In respect of the non-bank financial sector, the Central Bank message is the need for consolidation. It also said that CB will use its authority and powers to push finance companies and smaller banks to merge as consolidation was necessary given there were too many financial institutions for an economy the size of Sri Lankas. The smaller ones should consider consolidating with the stronger. We have highlighted, time and again, that Sri Lanka has too many financial institutions given the size of its economy, it said. CROWN POINT Dozens of police officers hit the open road to make the memory of their fallen brothers and sisters live again. Members of about a dozen state, county and municipal police departments took part Saturday in the 2021 Lake County Sheriffs Department Candlelight Ride. They commemorate the lives of more than 40 officers and two police canines fallen in the line of duty in shooting deaths between 1914 and 2014. Retired Lake County Police Officer Robert Joseph, standing near the Police Memorial outside the Lake County Sheriffs Department, said he has been going to memorial ceremonies of fallen police since 1980. He said they were just traditional and formal ceremonies until fellow county officers, Frank Dupey Jr., and Jeff Minchuk decided, about two decades ago, to hold a more laid back event, too. Sandi Minchuk, Jeffs wife, said, We wanted something in addition to what the administration did, where we can tell stories, kid each other and have fun. CHICAGO An 11-year-old Portage boy is still in critical condition at Comer Children's Hospital after being struck by a vehicle on 130th Street, family told The Times Sunday. Melissa Fitzgerald, of Portage, said she and other family members are staying near her son, Jackson Ralich, as hospital staff tends to him. "He's a fighter and we have faith he will be okay," she said. "He's a strong, stubborn little boy. We just ask that everyone keep him in their thoughts and prayers." Around 2:30 p.m. Saturday police responded to the 2500 block of East 130th Street in Chicago, just west of Hegewisch, according to the Chicago Police Department. Police said Jackson was walking in the street when a vehicle driving west on 130th Street struck him. Jackson suffered multiple injuries to his body and he was taken to Comer Children's Hospital. No citations were issued related to the incident. Fitzgerald says the family is not upset with the vehicle's driver and thanked him for calling 911 and staying with Jackson until first responders arrived. "He was very shaken up about it," she said. "We know it was an accident." Civilian searchers still held on hope and came out to the Little Calumet River Saturday. I just hope and pray Kyrin comes back safe to his parents, said Sylvia Roberson, of Hammond. Its been a week. Its so sad. I also just want to come out and say my prayers for him and his family. Dana Starke, of Crown Point, has been joining civilian search efforts daily and tied pink ribbons to the trees behind the Hammond hotel because pink was said to be Kyrin Carter's favorite color. She said she has been coming to the stretch of the Little Calumet River since May 16. "I met Kyrin's mom and introduced myself," Starke said. "She said 'Thank you, I want you to know I love you guys, no matter the outcome. Thank you.' I told her, 'Let me know what you need, if you need someone to get you food or anything at all. I am a mom, too. You have to eat, you have to take care of yourself.' She just broke down crying." Starke said she has made new friends this past week among fellow searchers. They have been coordinating efforts together and some have even been providing water and snacks. "Since I have been out here, it's been so humbling to see all of these strangers come from everywhere to help," Starke said. "That's the way the world should be." TEL AVIV, Israel Thousands are rallying in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, calling for coexistence between Jews and Arabs. The demonstration on Saturday night was one of several held across Israel to call for peace between Israelis and Palestinians in the wake of 11 days of fighting in Gaza that ended with a cease-fire early on Friday. Demonstrators marched through the city and later gathered in the central Habima Square to hear from politicians and artists. Ayman Odeh, the leader of the main Arab party in parliament, called for a Palestinian state to be established alongside Israel. Odeh said: There are two peoples here. Both deserve the right to self-determination. Israeli author David Grossman said that the battle today is not between Arabs and Jews, but between those on both sides who strive to live in peace and in a fair partnership, and those on both sides who are fed by hatred and violence. GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip The top Hamas leader in Gaza, Yehiyeh Sinwar, made his first public appearance since the militant groups war with Israel erupted earlier this month. Fast-forward to this week when House Democrats and Republicans reached a deal for a congressional commission to investigate the first attack in the U.S. Capitol since Puerto Rican terrorists breached security and shot up the House chambers in 1954, and the first invasion since the War of 1812. The problem was that these two minority leaders have gotten cold feet. A back bench Republican, U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, said of the mob: If you didnt know the TV footage was a video from January the 6th, you would actually think it was a normal tourist visit. Subsequent tweeted photos show a terrified Clyde barricading the House doors. On Tuesday, Trump put out this statement: Republicans in the House and Senate should not approve the Democrat trap of the January 6 Commission. Hopefully, Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy are listening! And they were! After careful consideration. Ive made the decision to oppose the House Democrats slanted and unbalanced proposal for another commission to study the events of January the 6th, McConnell said Wednesday on the Senate floor of the proposed bipartisan commission would have an equal number of Republicans and Democrats, five on each side. A final report would be produced by Dec. 31. McCarthy changed mind Palestinians in Gaza do live in horrendous conditions, but not because Israelis force them to. They choose to. Israel unilaterally pulled out of Gaza in 2005 and left it under complete Palestinian sovereignty. Terrorists in charge The Palestinians could have started building, putting in place infrastructure for political and economic freedom that would allow them to produce the kind of miracle the Israelis have produced. But instead, they put Hamas terrorists in charge, who started shooting missiles into Israel. In a hard and imperfect world, it's so much easier to hate and blame than to take personal responsibility to create and build. We see the same in our own country. We have Black Lives Matter and a political left embracing critical race theory, which peddles the distortion and lie that American history is about a dominant, oppressive white class rather than an ongoing struggle for all to take personal responsibility to prevail under freedom. The key to being able to respond when these disasters struck was in the planning. These vehicles and pieces of equipment were at the ready when needed without the need for petroleum. Preparation before disaster strikes is key and its what we at South Shore Clean Cities strive to do every day. South Shore Clean Cities is one of more than 75 Clean Cities coalitions designated by the U.S. Department of Energy and is the only Clean Cities coalition in the state of Indiana. The organizations support the nations energy and economic security by building partnerships to advance affordable domestic transportation fuels, energy efficient mobility systems and other fuel-saving technologies and practices. The coalitions achieve this in a number of ways, including the advancement of alternative fuels, alternative fuel vehicles and sustainable vehicle technologies such as electric vehicles and their charging infrastructure. The efforts reduce the nations dependence on imported oil, improve air quality, support local jobs, drive economic development and promote improved quality of life. It's understandable that some are hesitant to return to the workplace. But with easier access to the COVID-19 vaccines and plunging cases, now is as good a time as any to make the effort to move forward. And we also know that a return to work can't be a return to business as usual. Companies and firms must learn from the pandemic. They must value things like safety and mental health and realize that they need to provide jobs that are worth working. If the governor's move provides a nudge to further stimulate the economy, it's especially welcome in The Region. As The Times' Joseph Pete reported last week, unemployment is still in double digits in Gary and East Chicago, and a relatively high 6.9% across the Gary metro region. These unemployment benefits were meant to be temporary. Some may argue that they should remain in place since they come at no cost to the state, but those without jobs have close to a month to seek employment. There are opportunities of all kinds in the market right now. Of the approximately 40 million used cars sold each year, over 450,000 have odometers that were illegally altered, according to federal estimates. Thats despite decades of efforts to curtail tampering, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Odometer fraud is a serious crime that costs Americans more than $1 billion annually, an agency spokesman said. Altering a vehicles odometer reading has been illegal since 1972 and was further discouraged by the Truth in Mileage Act of 1986, which requires mileage disclosure when ownership is transferred. In 1994, federal odometer tampering statutes were reworded to underscore that the practice is illegal. But odometer rollbacks are still stubbornly common. While lower mileage can seal the sale of a used car, drivers of leased vehicles may also be tempted. Those who choose a cheaper low-mileage lease but exceed the limit will incur a penalty at turn-in time, often as much as 20 cents a mile. An extra 5,000 miles a year over a four-year lease could mean a $4,000 bill. Be clear about your goals. When consulting with your hairdresser, bring a few pictures of your desired cut or color. Mr. Ericsson encourages his clients to find pictures of a model, actress or online personality whose face shape is similar to theirs. And most important, he said, look for people who have a similar hair density and curl pattern to yours. This will give you the best chance of a good result. My stylist was so grateful that I didnt just bring one picture, Ms. Campoamor said. I had a few that varied a little slightly, so we could work on what was best for me, my complexion, the shape of my face, all those kinds of factors. If youre not sure what kind of artwork youd like for your tattoo, Ms. Cest la Vie recommends getting tattoo art books from a library or bookstore. Many tattoo artists showcase their work on their social-media profiles, too. This can help you pinpoint the design style you like. Be patient. Many transformative looks cannot be achieved in one session. If youre lightening your hair, it might take several salon visits. A large tattoo or sleeve may take a few sessions. Be kind to yourself as you wait it out. To get her hair grandma-white, Ms. Campoamor said it took three trips to the salon over two months. I was not going to walk out of the salon with the exact look that I wanted because my hair was so dark, she said. Having that expectation defined at the very beginning really helped me manage my own journey through the process of how my hair was going to look after each appointment. Share the process. Keep friends and loved ones in the loop during your makeover. Send pictures and videos so they can join in the fun virtually. Ms. Campoamor credited her hype squad with making the experience enjoyable. It makes it a lot of fun too to have people going through it with you and cheering you on and getting super stoked about your new look, she said. Fertiliser: Strengthening the hands of the president By Cassian M. Fernando Feature View(s): View(s): President Gotabaya Rajapaksa determinately announced last month that he intends to make Sri Lanka the first country in the world to completely stop the use of chemical fertilisers. From the tone of his address and the repeated announcements that he made subsequently, it is obvious that he meant what he said and it is unlikely that he will backtrack from the important and progressive decision he has made. The use of chemical fertiliser in Sri Lanka commenced in the 1940s during the Second World War. Scientists came with the revolutionary agricultural invention of using vegetative propagated seedlings and cross pollination, instead of using seedlings turned out from seeds. This increased the plants available by at least five fold. Many clones were developed that were suitable for different soils and climates. The organic fertilisers available were thoroughly inadequate. And the farmers had to look for an alternative supply. If we take for an example the paddy varieties we are talking today are not of Al wee, Heenati or Ma wee, but BG, AT, and BW varieties. The yields varied from 2 tons from the earlier varieties to 7 to 9 tons per hectare. So those who are sounding an alarm to the ambitious wishes of the President predict a gloomy picture of yields coming down by at least 50 percent thus creating an acute shortage of rice in the market resulting in a virtual famine. According to available figures in the use of chemical fertiliser per hectare, Sri Lanka ranks the highest in the world. Use of chemical fertiliser per hectare: Australia 68 kg Pakistan 144 kg India 165 kg Netherlands 268 kg Israel 280 kg Bangladesh 289 kg Sri Lanka 300 kg It is said that due to improper application of chemical fertiliser a large quantity remains on the top soil and gets washed out to the water streams creating kidney diseases and other chronic cancerous diseases Import costs A huge sum is paid every year for the import of fertiliser and the figure keeps on rising each year. As imported fertiliser is given free or at an subsidised rate it is the government which has to face the brunt of the huge cost of imported fertiliser. Over the last few years there has been an attempt to go back to organic fertiliser. Some countries have different counters in the shops displaying food items produced by using organic manure. These cost more but are tastier. It is an established fact countries consuming tea are prepared to pay a higher price for tea produced without the use of chemical fertiliser. Due to use of chemical fertiliser over the past 80 years the soil is completely dead and toxic. The country needs the soil to be revived with a heavy dose of organic manure. A start has to be made. Although the SLPP manifesto states that it intends to revert to the use of organic manure in 10 years the President has now accelerated the process by fast tracking. A total ban is to be implemented around mid-2022. Why organic fertilizer? Organic food tastes better and contains high nutritional values. Organic farming creates balance between crop protection and animal husbandry Increases crop yield with less irrigation Improves ground water recharge and reduces depletion of ground water Organic farming preserves the long term fertility of soil and bio diversity through the sustainable production system Organic food reduces health risks Chemical free farming keeps harmful elements out of food consumed. Cost effective to farmers Hugh sum of foreign exchange will be saved to the country There is a reservoir of various sources utilised to date that go to create organic manure. In the past it was cattle manure that was mainly used. Farmers used cows for ploughing and the animal droppings were automatically added to the soil. In addition straw was also left in the field and allowed to get mixed with the soil increasing the fertility of the soil. Today straw is burnt and a good element of natural fertiliser is lost. Yields In answering the critics who are behaving like prophets of doom lets figure out the picture as prevailing today. They lament that the production or the yield will come down by 50 percent. According to Central Bank figures, Sri Lanka enjoyed a bumper crop in paddy production during the years 2019 and 2020. According to these reports Sri Lanka has produced nearly 3.2 million MT of rice during one season in each of the years 2019 and 2020, while the countrys annual household demand for rice stands at around 2.3 million metric tons. So the rice production is sufficient to meet the countrys rice demand for approximately 17 months. And the rice imports during these periods declined by as much as 34.8 percent. So if a ban is imposed and the production drops by 50 percent the country will still have sufficient rice to meet the demand. An important factor that has to be considered is, if there is a drop in production the universally accepted economic factors will come into play. The supply and demand equation will fix the price. In such a situation the farmer will get a higher price for his product which will substantially offset the losses he may incur. On the other hand the Government will come to the rescue of the consumer when the prices go up by using part of the monies that will be saved by the ban on fertiliser to subsidise the high price and make available rice to the people at an affordable price. Some critics were commenting that when the President made his intentions known more than half of those present at the conference returned to their offices threw the files on to their tables and nothing occurred up to date to implement the cherished desires of the President. Under the circumstances it is a welcome sign that the President has appointed a Taskforce to implement the project. Crisis times need crisis management. A ruthless task master is the need of the hour to ensure that the intentions of the President are put to practice. Organic manure We have in our hands a copy of a project proposal that has been made with the advice of a retired Deputy Director of Agriculture. The project envisages the use of green weeds found all over the country to turn out organic manure. This project depicts the use of raw material that are found in the environment but are not gainfully used at present and in addition are extremely harmful to the people and the environment. These weeds commonly called Salvinia or Japan jabare are found in almost all the lakes and streams and other water bodies in the country. The use of these green weeds will help to get rid of this nuisance by cleaning the water in the lakes, rivers, streams and other water bodies. Salvinia and other types of water hyacinth are regarded as a serious threat to waterways and irrigation systems in the country. These weeds are also invasive and thus threaten the existence of native submerged and floating leaf plants and create low oxygen conditions beneath the thick floating mats of water weeds and slows down the water flow. Most importantly they provide ideal conditions for breeding of mosquitoes thus creating a very serious health hazard to the society. In addition these weeds also threaten and spoil the habitats of fish and other living aquatic organisms. The project in addition to salvinia will use cow dung straw and a small quantity of compost manure required to generate bacteria. Currently the government is spending a considerable amount of money on cleaning these tanks streams and this project will help to reduce such expenditure thus killing two birds with one shot. Green weed fertiliser will be very rich in nitrogen. The project in addition will run a cattle dairy with 100 cows to supplement the weeds to produce organic manure. The proposal envisages the total use of salvinia within 5 to 7 years and in order to find green leaves thereafter, the project plans to cultivate 25 acres of land with such trees as gliricidia and ipil-ipil. Using 30 chambers the project will produce 250,500 kg organic manure per month and the four cattle sheds will also produce liquid manure from the bio gas plants mostly for use in horticulture in addition to providing around 25 street lamps in the estate. Reasearch also will be carried out to turn out insecticides using locally available herbs. The project requires 50 acres of land and an investment of Rs. 250 million. The project will provide direct employment to 35 including four agricultural graduates and two graduates in animal husbandry. In addition it will provide indirect employment to around 100 to 150 persons. There will be a net profit of Rs. 6 million per year after providing for the repayment of borrowed capita within 15 years. Selling price of organic manure will be Rs. 20 per kilo and a bag of 20 kilos will be Rs.400 while the market price will be Rs. 50 per bag. There will be a huge saving for the government. This can remain a model project for others to emulate so that the country will be free of very harmful chemical fertiliser. If the President succeeds in setting up 100 projects of this size, Sri Lanka will be self-sufficient in organic fertiliser. The protections, created in a 1990 law, allow foreigners who have had to flee their homes because of natural disasters and conflict to work and live in the United States. Haiti is one of 11 countries that are beneficiaries of the program, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The Obama administration granted the temporary protected status to Haitians living in the United States illegally after the 7.0-magnitude earthquake in January 2010. Senator Robert Menendez, Democrat of New Jersey and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the new designation could protect as many as 150,000 Haitians from having to return to the political and security crisis in their home country. The last thing our country should be doing is forcing an entire community in the U.S. to decide between packing up their lives and tearing their families apart by self-deporting, or becoming undocumented and forced into the shadows of our society, Mr. Menendez said in a statement on Saturday. As part of its hard-line efforts to curb legal and illegal immigration, the Trump administration sought to end protections for about 400,000 immigrants living in the United States, including Haitians. Officials at the time said that the emergency conditions that had compelled the immigrants to flee their countries earthquakes, hurricanes, civil war had occurred long ago and that most of the immigrants no longer needed the haven provided by the United States. Lawsuits blocked the cancellations, but in September a federal appeals court sided with the Trump administration, putting hundreds of thousands of immigrants on notice that they would have to leave the country or face deportation. Many of the people affected had been living in the United States for years. The Trump administration agreed to keep the protections in place at least through early 2021, meaning a new administration could decide to continue the policy. Eurovision 2021 was an audacious experiment in overcoming the coronavirus but it was about more than that. What else did it tell us? Rock n Roll isnt dead in Europe at least Maneskins win with Zitti E Buoni, a song filled with off-color lines and lyrics about smoking, was not the only sign of a rock resurgence. Finlands Blind Channel came in sixth with an angry nu-metal song called Dark Side, while The Black Mamba, representing Portugal, came in 12th with Love Is On My Side, a piece of classic 1970s rock music that wouldnt have been out of place in Paul McCartneys back catalog. French could be the next language to conquer global pop For the past few years, Spanish-language pop has surged in the American and European pop charts thanks to acts like Bad Bunny, Rosalia and C. Tangana. Is now the hour for French? On Saturday, Barbara Pravi came second for France with Voila a traditional slice of chanson that many critics compared to the songs of Edith Piaf. Third place went to Switzerlands Gjons Tears with Tout lUnivers, also in French. Europe hates Britain. (And Germany. But a bit less.) James Newman, Britains entry, suffered the biggest embarrassment of the night receiving no points from the judges, and none from the public either. Its the first time Britain has finished with zero since 2003. Could it have something to do with Britains departure from the European Union? But, also, maybe it doesnt. Germany, the dominant force in European politics, received only three votes on Saturday, coming in second-to-last. Spains entry won just six votes; the Netherlands, 11. Inspiration struck Zakiya Dalila Harris in Knopf Doubledays 13th-floor bathroom. As she was washing her hands one day, a Black woman shed never seen emerged from a stall. It was a surprise a pleasant one since Harris, an assistant editor at the time, was one of only two African-American people working on the floor. I remember being so excited, she said. And then being like, Oh, OK, we were not having a moment. Cool. I dont think she noticed any of this. As Harris walked back to her desk, she thought about why she had been so eager to connect with this stranger. She had been the only Black woman in her department for so long, as she had often been the only Black girl in her classes growing up in Hamden, Conn. She found her first group of Black female friends in college and has often felt anxious with other Black people about just not feeling Black enough. The beginnings of a story started to form in her mind. Now that story is her debut novel, The Other Black Girl, and it has captivated the publishing industrys attention since it sold at auction to Atria Books for more than $1 million. A television series, whose pilot Harris is writing with Rashida Jones (#blackAF, Parks and Recreation), is planned for Hulu. The book, a funny, sometimes creepy indictment of the book business, will go out into the world on June 1, crashing into an ongoing debate about how publishing can meaningfully diversify its work force, its leadership and its authors. A fraught quiet in Israel and Gaza The end of fighting between Israel and Hamas does little to address the underlying tensions that precipitated the more than 10 days of violence that ended in a cease-fire on Friday. Israelis emerged from bomb shelters frustrated at the hasty truce. Many wish the country had continued its bombardment, and officials acknowledge the possibility of more violence, perhaps in the near future. For Palestinians, the combat inflamed their quest for greater rights and recognition. Many look with rage at Gaza, where Israeli airstrikes destroyed about 1,000 residential units, officials said, and damaged or demolished mosques, hospitals, schools and infrastructure. Skirmishes continued around the region just hours after the cease-fire went into effect on Friday. In several places around the West Bank, Israeli forces used rubber bullets and live rounds to break up demonstrations. And in an echo of the police raids that brought about the conflict, Israeli soldiers also stormed Jerusalems Aqsa Mosque, saying they were responding to Palestinians throwing rocks and firebombs. Perhaps even worse, Ms. Cooper remarked early on that shed never heard of Brian Lehrer, the beloved WNYC morning host whose gently probing, public-spirited interviews embody the stations appeal, and that she didnt get why he was popular. She has since come to the view that Brian is the soul of the station and, in many ways, the city itself, a WNYC spokeswoman, Jennifer Houlihan Roussel, said in an email. In fact, Ms. Coopers mission was to jump-start the stations lagging digital transformation, something she had done with unusual success in San Francisco and that requires a willingness to make enemies. She has ambitious plans to hire 15 to 20 more reporters but first she had the near-impossible assignment of bringing together a group of traditional radio journalists, used to working for days and occasionally weeks on colorful local features, with the reporters at Gothamist, the scrappy local blog that WNYC bailed out in 2018. Ms. Cooper sought to professionalize Gothamist away from its bloggy and irreverent roots, telling reporters to be less openly hostile to the New York Police Department in their reporting, two reporters said. Ms. Roussel suggested that Ms. Cooper was trying to rein in Gothamists habit of adding an element of editorializing to its coverage that can be interpreted as bias. And Ms. Cooper started pushing the radio journalists to pick up their pace and to file stories for the web. That seemed like a reasonable request, but it led to another stumble in early February, when an 18-year veteran of the radio side, Fred Mogul, filed a story with one paragraph printed in a different font. The editor realized it was Associated Press copy; Ms. Cooper promptly fired Mr. Mogul for plagiarism without a review of whether hed ever done it before. Ms. Cooper declined to speak to me about Mr. Moguls termination. But one thing I learned this week about public radio is that no matter what is happening, someone is always recording it. And that was true when Ms. Cooper called a virtual meeting Feb. 5 over Zoom to inform the full newsroom of her decision to fire Mr. Mogul. According to a copy of the recording provided to me by an attendee, Ms. Cooper told the staffers, Its totally OK to be sad. But then several stunned radio reporters questioned the move, explaining that they regularly incorporated A.P. copy into stories on air and had imported the practice to WNYCs little-read website, crediting The A.P. at the bottom of the story. Go through every single one of our articles and fire all of us, because that is exactly what we have all done, one host, Rebeca Ibarra, told her. After this article was published online, Mr. Moguls lawyer, Cynthia Rollings, said in an email that he disputed the accusation that he had misused A.P. copy and said that his draft had included attribution to The A.P. She said Mr. Mogul has commenced legal action against Audrey Cooper and New York Public Radio for wrongful termination and defamation. (His response to an earlier email seeking comment went to my spam folder.) Whats Next? (May 23-29) Cracking Down In a push to boost federal tax revenue to fund infrastructure, the Biden administration is planning to give the Internal Revenue Service more money to chase down wealthy individuals and companies who cheat on their taxes. As part of the same effort to close tax loopholes, the U.S. Treasury Department is trying to convince other countries to back a 15 percent global minimum tax rate on big companies. The policy is meant to deter corporations from sheltering their operations in tax havens such as Bermuda and the British Virgin Islands. But a number of governments have been hesitant to sign on for fear that theyll scare off businesses. Eyeing the Competition Congress wants to bolster the United States ability to compete with China and is willing to throw money at the problem. The senate is working on a bill that would invest $120 billion in the nations development of cutting-edge technology and manufacturing. Known as the Endless Frontier Act, the legislation would fund new research on a scale that its proponents say has not been seen since the Cold War. In related news, the European Union blocked an investment deal with China on Thursday, citing concerns with the countrys abysmal human rights record. C.E.O.s in the Hot Seat Executives from the largest U.S. banks, including JPMorgan, Bank of America and Goldman Sachs, will testify before lawmakers this week about their actions (or lack thereof) to help struggling Americans and small businesses during the pandemic. Democrats on the Senate Banking and House Financial Services committees organized the hearings to scrutinize the banks role in lending money to alleviate the financial pressures of the past 15 months. The testimony could affect how lawmakers seek to regulate Wall Street in the coming years. It is an uncomfortable reality of the modern communal spectacle that more often than not, when it comes to a major award show or performance extravaganza or even sporting event, marketing has overwhelmed personal expression at least when it comes to the clothes. Red carpets are a big business for public personalities, and fear of looking silly an equally powerful deterrent. Brands have swooped in to exploit that tension to their own ends. We wrote off the Oscars years ago, but when even the MTV Video Awards and the Olympics become hashtag opportunities for Valentino, Giambattista Valli and Ralph Lauren (among many, many others), you know weve reached peak fashion penetration. Which is why Eurovision 2021, that no-holds-barred mash-up of emotion, inanity, genres, nationalities, wind machines, bursts of fire and just plain weirdness, was such a joy to watch. Usually, jewelry collaborations cross disciplines like Stephen Websters designs with the artist Tracey Emin but the new one between Moussaieff and the Taiwanese designer Anna Hu crosses generations, regions and aesthetics. Ive got some important stones, and she has got some good ideas new, fresh ideas, said Alisa Moussaieff, the 91-year-old owner and chairwoman of the family business, which has been buying and selling gems since the 19th century. (The company has worked with designers in the past, but only under the houses name.) Called Moussaieff by Anna Hu, the eight-piece collection features a diamond butterfly ring that can be worn five ways, including with the central 8.22-carat stone on its own (the choice of Maria Bakalova, a star of the Borat sequel, who wore it at the Oscars last month). Close to My Heart When she isnt herding reindeer in the fells of northern Sweden, Erica Huuva makes jewelry that celebrates her Sami heritage. She first fell in love with jewelry making in 2003 while on a two-year crafting course, introduced her brand in 2006 and now has two studios that produce her work. Ms. Huuva, 40, has earned acclaim for pieces that are sleek and modern yet incorporate some of the ancient design motifs found in early Sami jewelry and handicrafts. The making of traditional risku brooches lies very close to my heart, Ms. Huuva wrote in an email. As a wearer, when you carry the risku brooch on your chest, it is also a sign and a way to proudly carry your culture. As Iver Rosenkrantz and Patrick Tendayi Zindoga drove through the fertile countryside of northern Zimbabwe one day in late 2018, they noticed something out of the ordinary: A woman who had just started plowing a field with a few oxen under the scorching sun was entirely on her own. The business partners, who had recently acquired almost 125 acres nearby to mine aquamarine, took note because subsistence farmers rarely work alone, usually having the help of their children or other people. Several hours later, when they drove by the field again, they were impressed by her progress. Shes so strong, Mr. Rosenkrantz recalled thinking at the time, she would put any man to shame. Getting out of the car and conversing with the woman in a mix of English and Shona, a Bantu language spoken by local people, the men asked whether she might be interested in what they now market as Africas and possibly the worlds only mine to employ an entirely female work force. Today Rutendo Chigwajara, a 42-year-old divorced mother of three, is the assistant mine manager at Zimbaqua, outside the small town of Karoi. Helitours transformation into a state-owned company runs into a storm By Bandula Sirimanna View(s): View(s): Helitours (Pvt) Ltd, a domestic airline technically independent of the state, and managed by the Sri Lanka Air Force, is to be transformed to a state-owned company to improve its operations and minimise losses, official sources said. In May 2019 the government decided to formalise its status as a state owned company or military-run airline from a privately held company using the physical and human resources as well as funds of the Sri Lanka Air Force. The carriers current network of civil passenger transportation in military aircraft flights cover services from Colombo Ratmalana to Jaffna via Trincomalee China Bay and Batticaloa via Gal Oya, a senior official of the Civi Aviation Authority told the Business Times. The airline has two MA60s and one Y12E in its fleet, as well as a number of helicopters and in addition to the fixed wing aircraft facility, Helitours also provides the helicopter transport facilities to passengers as a dominant player in promoting tourism in the country, he said. Even though action should have been taken to transfer the ownership of Helitours shares to the Treasury Secretary this transformation had not been carried out even by the end of the year 2019/ 2020 under review, a government audit inspection revealed. The instructions of the Department of Public Enterprises and the recommendations of the Committee on Public Accounts towards the transformation process have not been followed. Later a decision was taken to review the financial status of the company for identifying a business plan which suits Helitours at an initial meeting between the Director General of the Department of Public Enterprises and the officials of Helitours (Pvt) Ltd. Accordingly operational functions and the management of Helitours (Pvt) Ltd is to be retained with the Board of Directors of Sri Lanka Air Force for the time being, a senior Treasury official said adding that a Treasury official has been appointed as a director of the company. An agreement has been reached as a temporary arrangement between Sri Lanka Air Force and Helitours (Pvt) Ltd to obtain aircrafts on lease basis. Accounting all maintenance expenditures and all movable and unmovable assets (including human resources) of Helitours (Pvt) Ltd and allocating a percentage of income of Helitours (Pvt) Ltd will be made to the public account and for welfare activities of Sri Lanka Air Force, he said. The company had made a profit of Rs. 57.4 million for a period of 10 years from 2010 to 2019, the government audit report confirmed. However income earned by hiring aircrafts amounting to Rs. 13.17 million by the Sri Lanka Air Force had been in arrears even by the end of the year 2019/2020 under review, the report observed. Revenue arrears of Rs. 10.82 million out of those arrears of Rs. 13.17 million had remained during the last 15 years, the audit inspection revealed. Helitours is in operation in accordance with the civil aviation regulations applicable to civil airline operators and has been issued with an Air operating Certificate (AOC) by the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL). The company is not only in compliance with the mandatory requirement of insuring passengers but is also subject to periodic audits by the CAASL. It has even been certified for off-shore operations on successful completion of safety audits which meet the stringent guidelines stipulated by the Oil and Gas Producers (OGP) organisation, a top official of the company said. At this time, two people who were in attendance at the house party on Saturday night are deceased, 12 others were injured by gunfire. Some were thankfully minor injuries, and those people have been released from area hospitals, while others continue to fight for their lives. Many others who were in attendance will carry the emotional scars of Saturday night, and we are working to ensure that they have the mental health and social service support they will need to process and move forward. This was a birthday party. A birthday party is supposed to be a joyous event, not a target for those hellbent on inflicting harm on a community. This was not a random act of violence. This was a targeted attack. We can confirm that two people are dead. Kevin Elliott, age 30, of Bridgeton, N.J., and Asia Hester, age 25, also of Bridgeton. We offer our condolences to their family, and to their loved ones. I can also confirm that weve recovered multiple firearms and shell casings from the scene. And that were working with our federal partners to determine where these guns originated from and whether they can be linked to other recent acts of violence in the area. In addition, one individual has been arrested and we fully anticipate the possibility of additional arrests as this case progresses. It has been estimated that there were over several hundred people at the subject party. We are appealing to anyone in the community who was at the party, anyone who may have taken pictures or video, anyone who may have witnessed suspicious activity after the shooting, to come forward and share that information with law enforcement. We all have a role to play in restoring safety and security to our community. These connections helped smooth Mr. McCarthys own rise. In 2002, he was elected to the California Assembly. In Sacramento, Mr. McCarthy organized social outings with colleagues, and poker nights became a regular draw for legislators at the place he shared with four other members. I learned everything that happened in every committee while were sitting around talking, he once told me of poker night. He traveled to colleagues districts, learned their needs, learned all about their families. In his first term, Mr. McCarthy was voted minority leader. Everyone loved Kevin. He worked especially hard to bond with his fellow freshman members on both sides of the aisle. He became fast friends with Democrat Fabian Nunez, who became Assembly speaker. The two men worked well together, in part because Mr. McCarthy understood the art of negotiation and compromise. Kevin is smart enough to know that, when dealing with politics, you have your views that are important, Mr. Nunez once told me. Beyond that, you have to accommodate the other side. Come budget time, Mr. McCarthy knew how to do the give and take. Mr. Thomas retired in 2006 and all but handed his seat to Mr. McCarthy. In the House, Mr. McCarthy continued his strategic schmoozing visiting colleagues districts, handing out campaign cash, learning what made people tick. In his second term, he was tapped to be the chief deputy whip. Kevins capacity to build and maintain relationships is not normal, Representative Jim Banks, the Indiana Republican, recently marveled to The Times. Mr. McCarthy joined forces with two other young up-and-comers, Paul Ryan and Eric Cantor. Known as the Young Guns the eventual title of a book they wrote about themselves the trio proclaimed themselves the new generation of Republican leaders. Each had a clear role: Mr. Cantor was the leader and seen as on the fast track to head the conference. Mr. Ryan was the policy wonk. Mr. McCarthy was the political strategist. In keeping with the zeitgeist, the Young Guns were feistier, more conservative and more uncompromising than the old establishment. Gone were Mr. McCarthys days of playing nicely with the other side. They were going to reshape the G.O.P. in their image. Today, Mr. McCarthy is the last Young Gun still in office. Mr. Cantor became House majority leader in 2011, before falling to a Tea Party challenger in his 2014 primary an early sign of the G.O.P.s anti-establishment drift. Mr. Ryan rose to be speaker in 2015, only to announce in April 2018 that he would not run for re-election, after a bumpy couple of years dealing with Mr. Trump. McCarthy is not one to resign on principle nor let himself get outflanked on the right. To survive the rise of Trumpism, he has had to execute increasingly impressive political contortions. There have been missteps and setbacks. On those rare occasions when he has offended Mr. Trump such as acknowledging that Mr. Trump bore responsibility for the Jan. 6 attack he has scrambled to make amends and prove his fealty. All that groveling would have crushed most mens spirits. Not Mr. McCarthy. He is a champion people pleaser and appeaser. But even the minority leaders formidable skills are being tested by this moment. Some days, finding a way through this mess without a full-on meltdown looks impossible. But if anyone can manage the necessary mix of political nihilism and constant self-abasement, it will be Kevin McCarthy. The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. Wed like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And heres our email: letters@nytimes.com. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram. To the Editor: Re Psychedelics Are Poised to Reshape Psychiatry (front page, May 10): We support removing criminal penalties for use and increasing medical research into psychedelics, but urge a go slower approach. First, the people advocating access and promoting the studies of psychedelic drugs patients, therapists, companies and investors are usually enthusiasts motivated by positive personal experiences using these substances. While understandable, this bias supplants the dispassionate, objective mind-set that serious scientific research requires. Clinical trials for approval by the Food and Drug Administration do not take into account the unfettered post-marketing use, when the volume and variety of patients receiving the drugs and the duration of their follow-up are vastly greater than in the controlled studies being conducted. Moreover, the level of training of therapists and methods by which these substances are optimally administered is far from standardized. METROPOLITAN A cover article this weekend about brickyards in the Hudson Valley misstates the years that the Croton Aqueduct was constructed. It was the 1830s and 40s, not the 1870s. SPECIAL SECTION: MUSEUMS Because of an editing error, an article this weekend on Page 12 about Maya Lins art landscapes in the Pacific Northwest describes her work Bird Blind incorrectly. The structures slats are engraved with the common and scientific names of the 134 species Lewis and Clark noted in their journey, not only bird species. The article also misidentifies the creator of the model of the Vancouver Land Bridge that is the centerpiece of the exhibition Along the Columbia River: Maya Lin and the Confluence Project. It was created by Johnpaul Jones and his architectural firm, not Ms. Lin. An article this weekend on Page 29 about a collection of works by Jean-Michel Basquiat on display at the Broad museum in Los Angeles misstates the background of the artists parents. Basquiats mother was of Puerto Rican descent and his father was an immigrant from Haiti, not the reverse. THE MAGAZINE An article last weekend about the dramatization of addiction in films referred incorrectly to the setting of Trainspotting. While the movie was shot primarily in Glasgow, the story is set in Edinburgh. Forty. Forty-one. Forty-two. I turned over the 43rd card. It was the seven of diamonds. I stared at it, both gobsmacked and baffled. Gobsmacked because it seemed wildly improbable that hed come so close. Baffled because it wasnt spot on. One off, Mr. Berglas said, evenly. He didnt try to sell 43 as a triumph. On the contrary, he said that in lectures to magicians he has always told his audience that one off isnt close enough. I left his house in a muddle, and I have returned to that muddle every time I think of this performance. Off by one seems, on some level, more perplexing than nailing it. Off by one implies that there is nothing automatic about this ACAAN, that it isnt a contraption that simply works when deployed. Its more like archery, which requires practice and concentration and can end with something other than a bulls-eye. I ran these ideas by Aaron Fisher, a highly regarded American magician who did a commentary in July on his YouTube channel of an old live show by Mr. Berglas. Mr. Fisher said he didnt know what to make of 43 either. But he noted that Mr. Berglas is not renowned for dazzling sleight of hand. He messes with minds, Mr. Fisher said, not decks. None of this resolved the stooge question. Mr. Berglas may have a number of different methods, depending on the circumstances. He never knows what hes going to do before he does it, Richard Kaufman writes in The Berglas Effects note the plural a lengthy book for magicians that explains every card trick in the Berglas canon, with one very notable exception. The book suggests that Mr. Berglas is nothing if not a masterful improviser and a born gambler. What seems like a cohesive performance is actually a high-wire display of spontaneity with a heavy overlay of psychological manipulation. In hindsight, it seems likely that his anger was part of the show, a framing device. I dont need to prove myself is just a different, more contentious version of Youll never forget what is going to happen next. Once youve been told that a demonstration is out of the question, youre ready to leave empty-handed. Compared to nothing, off by one isnt just thrillingly close. Its amazing. Demands that cities replace police officers with unarmed civilians and technologies like cameras to enforce traffic violations have been at the center of reform efforts, because many fatal encounters between officers and citizens, especially Black men, begin with a traffic stop. Chief Moore said the vehicle stops were necessary right now because there were so many guns on the streets, but he emphasized that other strategies such as working with gang interventionists were a higher priority. And he said the numbers of stops had relatively been low 538 so far this year in South Los Angeles, compared with more than 3,700 during the same period in 2019. (Last year the number of vehicle stops were minimal, he said, partly because of the pandemic.) As a Black man growing up in South Los Angeles, Mr. Harris-Dawson said he was routinely pulled over by the police, and that didnt stop even as he rose to power in city politics. One night last year, after attending a Lakers game, he was pulled over in his neighborhood, he said, because the police were suspicious of his government license plate. The expectation was like, Why is there a government plate in this area? Someone must have made off with a government car, he said. Mr. Harris-Dawson said that rather than being a pretext for more policing, the rise in crime should intensify efforts only at reform. I think it actually increases the urgency of the reimagining, said Mr. Harris-Dawson, who has supported a plan to stand up unarmed units to respond to mental health crises modeled on a program in Oregon, and sponsored a study to remove the police from routine traffic stops. Because what reimagining policing says, OK if there are people shooting each other and there are people having mental health crises, what one should the police be doing? Right now they do both. 1992 and Now In the decades since Ms. Jones grew up on the violent streets of Watts, overall crime has plummeted and relations between police officers and Black and brown communities of South Los Angeles have improved, propelled by reforms introduced in the aftermath of the police beating of Rodney King and the riots of 1992 that it provoked. The reaction on Sunday by one of the Republicans most willing to cross party lines, Senator Susan Collins of Maine, illustrated the depth of the impasse on infrastructure, even after offers and counteroffers on both sides. While she said that negotiations should continue on a $1.7 trillion infrastructure counterproposal Mr. Biden made on Friday, her position had not moved: The White House bill was simply too big. I think were still pretty far apart, but this is the test. This will determine whether or not we can work together, Ms. Collins said in an appearance on ABCs This Week, stressing that the combined $4 trillion proposed value of Mr. Bidens infrastructure and economic agenda is an enormous sum of money. The counteroffer that the Biden administration sent Senate Republicans on Friday cut more than $500 billion off the presidents initial proposal. White House officials hoped the concession would jump-start the talks, but Republicans swiftly rejected it. I was glad that the president put a counteroffer on the table, but if you look closely at it, what hes proposing to do is move a lot of the spending to a bill thats already on the Senate floor, Ms. Collins said. She was referring to a legislative package meant to bolster the nations technological and manufacturing abilities in a bid to outcompete China that might be the Senates best chance of passing bipartisan legislation in the coming months. Senator Roy Blunt, Republican of Missouri, said on Sunday that he believed lawmakers had a week or 10 days to decide if Republicans and Democrats would be able to cut a deal on infrastructure. He pointed to the vast gulf between the Biden administration and congressional Republicans, who have said that his plan is insufficiently targeted on what they consider traditional infrastructure, such as roads and bridges. GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo After a night of chaos and panic, the threat from an erupting volcano to a major city in Congo appeared to recede on Sunday when a river of molten lava halted at the citys northern edge. Tens of thousands of people fled the eastern city of Goma on Saturday night when lava began to spew from the flanks of nearby Mount Nyiragongo, one of the worlds most active volcanoes, throwing up clouds of noxious fumes and filling the sky with an ominous fiery glow. After crossing a major highway, the lava advanced toward Goma, a city of two million people which was devastated by the last eruption, in 2002, when molten lava smothered entire neighborhoods, killed several hundred people and left at least 100,000 homeless. Unsure which way the lava was flowing, terrified residents crammed into vehicles or fled on foot, many clutching mattresses and bags of hastily gathered belongings. At least five people died in accidents, the authorities said, as the city emptied. Hotels in crisis, care centres see surge in patients View(s): Sri Lankas hotels are facing its worst crisis as they once again seek government support to pay the employee wages and in the midst of some others looking at closing down as they run empty. Right now there are no bookings and since the countrys airport is closed, hotels are empty and some are contemplating closing, Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL) President Sanath Ukwatte told the Business Times on Thursday. He noted that a majority of the hotels are going to close since we have no guests during this period, but the Colombo hotels will remain open since they have delivery business. We have to stay home and bring the pandemic under control, he asserted. Hotels operating as care centres are now reaching maximum capacity as there has been a spike in the number of positive cases and now an increasing number of hotels are opening up to fight the battle against COVID-19, the THASL President pointed out. Opening up as care centres has also helped to pay salaries of the hotel workers and this service by the industry is also assisting the authorities to control the situation by isolating anyone becoming positive, it was noted. Mr. Ukwatte said that while hotels running as quarantine or care centres will continue their operations and remain open others might close due to lack of foreign and local tourists. He explained that this has turned out to be the worst year. We thought this year might be a good year but not so and after the airport opening we were looking forward but now it has come down to zero. Staff will be paid their salaries with some working on reduced pay as they have been operating for quite some time, he noted. Meanwhile, under the current circumstances Mr. Ukwatte noted that they hope the Cabinet approval granted last year for the wages subsidised loan for a period of six months will become operational now. The industry needs the support from the government at this critical time to restore our industry and safeguard the jobs of our people because if we dont do that then there is a danger of collapsing, he said. We see that the traditional markets like UK, Germany are getting back to normalcy and they have got back to normalcy as they have got their people vaccinated and dont let people leave the industry we see if the population is vaccinated there will be a huge control, Mr. Ukwatte added. He said that since the airport reopened the number of arrivals was building up which is why arrivals reached around 10, 000 tourists. Some others are optimistic that the situation by the winter season will be able to bring in an adequate number of traffic to sustain the industry. NKar Travels Managing Director and former President of Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) Nilmin Nanayakkara said that by September or October business is likely to turnaround since by then about 30-40 per cent of the population is likely to be vaccinated. While the concerning factor is the mutant that has spread within the community if Sri Lanka can be managed well by then, then we are through, he said. He expects traffic of about 30-40 per cent of the 2018 arrivals for the next winter season but how likely this could be achieved is yet to be seen. (SD) When Indias second coronavirus wave slammed the country last month, leaving many cities without enough doctors, nurses, hospital beds or lifesaving oxygen to cope, Sajeev V.B. got the help he needed. Local health workers quarantined Mr. Sajeev, a 52-year-old mechanic, at home and connected him with a doctor over the phone. When he grew sicker, they mustered an ambulance that took him to a public hospital with an available bed. Oxygen was plentiful. He left 12 days later and was not billed for his treatment. I have no clue how the system works, Mr. Sajeev said. All that I did was to inform my local health worker when I tested positive. They took over everything from that point. On Sunday, Mr. Protasevich was flying back from Greece after attending an economic conference there with the Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, Greek officials said. At the Athens airport, Mr. Protasevich had noticed a bald man following him and taking photographs, according to messages he sent that were published by a Telegram channel he edits. After his arrest, colleagues said they had immediately revoked Mr. Protasevichs access to the Telegram channel to make sure that data about its 256,000 subscribers could not fall into the hands of Belarusian law enforcement officials. Many of Mr. Lukashenkos political opponents have sought safe haven in exile in Lithuania and Poland, but Sundays events showed that his government can reach them even in the air. Both Lithuania and Greece are members of the European Union; Belarus is not. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, the E.U.s executive body, called the planes diversion utterly unacceptable. The Greek Foreign Ministry called it a state hijacking. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki of Poland called it an act of state terrorism. Germanys foreign minister, Heiko Maas, said that such an act cannot remain without clear consequences. His French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, called for a firm and unified response by the E.U. The American secretary of state, Antony J. Blinken, said: We strongly condemn the Lukashenko regimes brazen and shocking act to divert a commercial flight and arrest a journalist. We demand an international investigation and are coordinating with our partners on next steps. But even as European officials threatened consequences for Belarus, it was not immediately clear what those might be. The bloc already imposed sanctions last year against leading Minsk officials including Mr. Lukashenko himself for violent repression and intimidation of peaceful demonstrators, opposition members and journalists. That base lies close to Kiruna, Swedens northernmost city and home to the largest underground iron ore mine in the world. It is so huge, in fact, that several neighborhoods are being moved, as the city is slowly sinking into the excavated caverns below. A 50-foot rocket stands at one of the main intersections, a testament to Swedens space ambitions. Space is woven into the fabric of the city. The Swedish Institute of Space Physics is based in Kiruna, as is the Space High School for gifted teenagers. The space engineering program at Lulea University of Technology, also in Kiruna, attracts Ph.D. students from across Europe. An enormous satellite receiver dish, sticking out from the woods in a vast white valley, serves as a geographical landmark. Esrange has many of the attributes of other spaceports high fences and warning signs, and some used rockets on display. But it also has a church, a visitor center and the Aurora hotel, named for the northern lights that color the winter skies. Snow is everywhere, of course, and reindeer roam the terrain (no one knows how they get past the fences), but astronauts and moon landers are nowhere to be found. The leadership of Iran, engaged in a long shadow war with Israel on land, air and sea, did not try to conceal the pleasure it took in the most recent Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Over the 11 days of fighting this month, Tehran praised the damage being done to its enemy, and the state news media and conservative commentators highlighted Irans role in providing weaponry and military training to Palestinian militants in Gaza to hammer Israeli communities. Iran has for decades supported Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that controls Gaza and whose own interests in battling Israel align with Irans. Experts say that over the years, Iran has provided Hamas with financial and political support, weapons and technology and training to build its own arsenal of advanced rockets that can reach deep into Israeli territory. But in the assessment of Israeli intelligence, Hamas made its decisions independently of Iran in the latest conflict. Two students from St. Brendans Community School, Birr have won the Natasha Lynch Commemorative Award for Excellence in Social Media at the National Finals of this years Student Enterprise Programme. The programme encourages and celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit. The finals were broadcast virtually on Friday from Croke Park with An Tanaiste Leo Varadkar and Ambassador Derval ORourke speaking with host RTEs Rick OShea, as the students and teachers watched on from across the country. The two students were supported by the Local Enterprise Office in Offaly. The award they receive is the inaugural Natasha Lynch Commemorative Award for Excellence in Social Media. The winning students are Damien Delaney and Alex Byrne, who worked under the guidance of their teacher, John McIntyre. Their student enterprise was called Hology Photography. Hology Photography is a photography business which sells pictures framed, unframed and on canvas of the local area and more. Damien and Alex also plan to become a service provider taking pictures in the local area and expanding to even more products when Covid-19 restrictions are eased. There were 72 student enterprises competing in this years National Final in what is Irelands largest entrepreneurship programme for second level students. The initiative, funded by the Government of Ireland through Enterprise Ireland and delivered by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices in local authorities throughout the country, saw 29,000 students from almost 500 secondary schools across the country take part. Leo Varadkar warmly congratulated the students. I want to offer my congratulations to not only the finalists being recognised here today, but to everyone who took part in the competition. To be a finalist in the Student Enterprise Programme is a fantastic achievement in normal times and it's incredible given everything thats happened this past year. Everyone who took part should be very proud of all that they have achieved. I want to make a special mention of their teachers, parents and all those who helped them along the way. The ability to create an idea, turn it into a business and to run that business is a skill that will be invaluable later in life. Ireland has a proud history of entrepreneurship and no doubt those here today will all go on to achieve great things. Government will back you every step of the way. Orla Martin, Head of Enterprise in the Offaly Local Enterprise Office praised Damien and Alex, calling it a proud day for student enterprise in Offaly. She also congratulated the families of Damien and Alex, and their teachers in St. Brendans Community School. We would also like to pay tribute to all the other finalists and participants from around the country who are impressive ambassadors for student enterprise in their counties. Ms Martin pointed out that year-on-year the Student Enterprise Programme continues to produce the very best of ingenuity and entrepreneurship amongst our secondary school students. Its no surprise to see the challenges thrown up by the pandemic featuring in many of the student enterprise submissions and the ongoing willingness for students to create businesses that not only sell services or products, but that help address ongoing issues in society. We see every year that the National Finals are not an end point for our student entrepreneurs, but a stepping stone on the next stage of their entrepreneurial journey. From our class of 20/21 we will see some business leaders and global entrepreneurs of the future emerge. Damien and Alex are in Transition Year and they undertook this business project as part of the year's curriculum for TY. Speaking to the 'Tribune', Damien, said working on the project provided an important focus during the difficult days of the pandemic. Alex and I also decided that we would undertake something which we liked and which we knew we could do well. After discussing it for a while we took on this idea of setting up a photography business. During the Christmas period, they started developing their advertising strategy for the business, placing their pictures in the windows of local shops and selling them. We got really into it and it was getting very exciting until lockdown happened in December, he added. Then on March 9, following the hosting of the Offaly final of the Student Enterprise programme, which was held live online for the first time in the history of the competition, the pair were announced as the winners in County Offaly. This year's competition saw almost 500 students from ten schools in Offaly take part. We were watching it live in the kitchen, said Damien, and we found out and were absolutely delighted. I wasn't expecting, out of the whole county, to win it. It was such an amazing thing to happen. To win something, it has been a great joy in our lives. Having won the county segment, the two students got down to the task of completing the business plan for the national finals. Damien said his love of photography began a number of years ago when he and his granddad would go for walks in Birr Castle and take photos. It was a thing that I started when very young. But, it was during lockdown when I started to think it could become a business, something which I could make some income from. "Photography, for me, is something that allows me to appreciate everything that is out there. Hobbies like photograhy no doubt helped lots of people to get through t he experience of the pandemic and the lockdown. Photography focusses our minds on the beauty that is around us and focusses our minds on appreciating the beauty around us. Currently, the pair are selling their photography in the Buddha Lounge. It is also on display in the window of Jerro's shop, along Main Street, Birr. Damien's work is available to see on Facebook: Hology Photography - https://www.facebook.com/Hology Photography/ Email:hologyphotography@gmail .com or contact 085 868 3014. The National Finalists, who competed across three categories, Junior, Intermediate and Senior, saw judging take place virtually via electronic submissions. Each student enterprise was challenged with creating, setting up and running their own business, which must show sales of their service or product. The judging panel included business owners and representatives from enterprise agencies and associated bodies. Other category winners on the day were: Coppercase from St Macartans College, Monaghan, T-Snappi from Summerhill College, Sligo, and Go Green Now from Salerno Secondary School, Galway. This years Programme also saw the inclusion of two optional competitions which required participants to map out the life of a successful entrepreneur and how that could be achieved. In the Senior category, there was a Covid-19 themed Creative Business Idea competition in which students could push their most innovative business ideas via a video pitch, without having to produce a product or service. Last year, the 2019/2020 Student Enterprise Programme National Final winners in the Senior category were Handy Hose Holders from CBS Thurles in Tipperary for their practical milking parlour hose solution that has since been picked and listed by Glanbia. Since the Student Enterprise Programme began in 2003, over 250,000 students have taken part, learning key skills on how to create a business idea, start a business and grow a business. Full details of all this years 72 national finalists are available on the Student Enterprise Programme website at www.StudentEnterprise.ie A major study has just been published, which proposes a number of improvements to Birr's Camcor River. A public zoom meeting was held by Birr 20/20 about the Camcor River Study Notice of Public Meeting recently. During the meeting, those attending were told that the River Camcor study aims to provide a series of nature-based opportunities for improvements to the River and its adjacent public open spaces. The study took place during summer 2020 and it involved a considerable amount of stakeholder consultation and baseline surveys as well as analysis in the fields of ecology, landscape architecture, hydromorphology, and civil engineering. The result of many weeks of background work and extensive consultation is a carefully thought out and evidence-based plan for the intelligent management of the river, with the aim of making the most of this public amenity for the sake of the general public while at the same time creating opportunities for biodiversity. The study includes a number of proposed projects for the management of the river and the river corridor with the appropriate balance of use between civic amenity and wildlife. It will also serve as a guide to Birr Municipal District and Birr Tidy Towns on the management of the river in the areas under their control. The study was commissioned by Birr 20/20 and carried out by JBA Consulting. The study was commissioned by a letter by Salters Sterling on behalf of Birr 2020, sent in June 2020. Several people worked on the study including Ecologists, Landscape Architects, a Geomorphologist and an Engineer. The Camcor River flows through Birr Town, begins the report, and is an important part of the community from multiple aspects. It has great ecological, social and amenity value to the town. In the 2008 Paul Hogarth Birr Public Realm study, a major expansion and enhancement of this river area was proposed. The JBA ecologists surveyed and recorded details of flora, fauna, non-native invasive species and any evidence of mammals that may be present. The JBA surveyors took note of any suitable habitat that might have potential for biodiversity enhancement including locations suitable for instream enhancement works. The hydromorphologist examined erosion on the river and noted areas where mitigation measures might be appropriate. Landscape Architects conducted extensive surveys to address issues with access, amenity issues and identify potential walking routes and opportunities to improve connectivity. The quality of adjacent public spaces was also assessed to determine if any additional improvements could be provided to enhance the distinctive character and value of the associated public realm. There was a focus on providing an assortment of accessible projects which could be undertaken by local voluntary groups such as the Tidy Towns group. The team collaborated to consider and provide a range of appropriate options for looped walking routes branching out from the main river route. These are in a range of different length routes of varying difficulty to cater for different physical abilities. Ecologists assessed potentially suitable locations for instream enhancement works. These can be used to increase fish numbers and improve water quality. The length of the river survey ranges from Springfield Bridge on the Kinnity road (in the town's rural outskirts) through the town to the formal setting of Birr Castle Demesne. Planting will use a selection of native and ornamental planting, including species from the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan. The plan looked at providing additional seating, improving footpath linkages, creating biodiversity trails, educational resources, temporary events spaces and historical interpretation. Met Eireann has issued a Thunderstorm Warning for the majority of Ireland for this evening. The warning was issued at 4.43pm. Met Eireann is warning of localised thunderstorms with the risk of hail and spot flooding. It is also warning of treacherous road conditions. The warning is in place for Leinster, Muunster, Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan. A number of collisions have been reported already today on motorways across the country with three incidents on the M7 earlier that have now been cleared. A woman who grabbed a garda by the hair on the street while on bail for spitting at another garda has been jailed for three years and three months. Jacqueline McElhatton (45) spat at the garda in a court building after being arrested for spraying the employee of a pharmacy with hand sanitiser and then throwing the bottle at his face. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that McElhatton was on bail for these offences when she grabbed a garda by her hair after being approached on the street following a failed robbery. McElhatton with an address at Peter McVerry Trust, Conyngham Road, Dublin City centre, pleaded guilty to assaulting Garda Rachel Corcoran at the Criminal Courts of Justice Building, Parkgate Street, Dublin 8, on April 20, 2020. She also pleaded guilty to an assault at Rathmines Pharmacy, Lwr Rathmines Rd, Rathmines, on the same date in April 2020. McElhatton further pleaded guilty to attempted robbery at O'Connell Street, Dublin city centre, and to obstructing a peace officer at College Green, Dublin city centre, both on August 8, 2020. She has 125 previous convictions, including convictions for assault, obstruction and theft. Sergeant Charlie Dempsey told Ronan Prendergast BL, prosecuting, that on the date in April 2020, McElhatton entered the pharmacy in Rathmines and took a bottle of hand sanitiser from the till area. Sgt Dempsey said she was told by a man in the shop that browsing was not allowed due to Covid-19. McElhatton began spraying the man with the hand sanitizer before throwing the bottle at him, striking him in the face. Garda Rachel Corcoran received details of the offence and arrested the accused soon afterwards. While in a garda station, McElhatton coughed into her hands and then said she had Covid-19. McElhatton was brought to the CCJ building where she picked a cigarette butt off the ground. When told to drop it by Gda Corcoran, the accused spat at her right shoulder. Sgt Dempsey agreed with Garrett Charles Casey BL, defending, that all of his client's previous convictions were recorded in the District Court. Garda Tara Brennan told Lisa Dempsey BL, prosecuting, that a Brazillian man was walking down O'Connell St on the date in August 2020 and had stopped to take a photograph with his phone when he was approached by the accused woman. Gda Brennan said McElhatton punched the man in the face and grabbed his earphones, breaking them. She also attempted to take his phone from his hand, but he managed to prevent her. The man went in search of gardai while McElhatton followed him, eventually stopping a garda car beside Trinity College. He informed Gda Brennan what had happened and pointed out the accused. Gda Brennan approached McElhatton who became aggressive and grabbed the garda's hair. Both women fell onto the ground and the accused was arrested after an off-duty garda intervened to assist Gda Brennan. The court heard she was on bail for the offences in April 2020 at the time of these offences. Mr Casey said his client's offending is almost entirely down to her addiction issues and that she has taken steps to deal with them while in custody. Judge Melanie Greally said that gardai should not have to face this kind of violence when they are going about their duty. Judge Greally sentenced McElhatton to 15 months imprisonment for the offences in April 2020. She also sentenced her to four years imprisonment for the offences in August 2020 and ordered that this sentence run consecutive to the former sentence. She then suspended the final two years of the latter sentence on strict conditions, resulting in an effective operating sentence of imprisonment of five years and three months with the final two years suspended. What's Included With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please call our customer service team at 716-372-3121 or email nfinnerty@oleantimesherald.com. Lockdown blues View(s): After twice trying to get something accomplished, it would be expected that the third time would be lucky: Unfortunately, it was not to be. After twice trying to get something accomplished, it would be expected that the third time would be lucky: Unfortunately, it was not to be. The Chamber of Commerce (CCC), acting on behalf of dozens of its member firms and the business community, failed in a third attempt this week to secure vaccines for private sector workers from the government in a separate arrangement with vaccines being paid for. It was in the middle of last year that the chamber offered to buy 2 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from the government to vaccinate workers, particularly those from the garment sector. Half the quantity was to be donated to the government, while the balance 1 million doses were for workers. There was no positive response from the government. Earlier this year, a similar appeal was made and turned down. Then this week the chamber requested the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation for a separate allocation of the AstraZeneca vaccine at Rs. 5,000 per dose on an informal understanding that this would be possible and there was an overwhelming response from member firms keen to purchase the vaccine. But later in the week, the chamber was informed that no separate allocation can be made and the private sectors requirements would be incorporated in the national vaccination programme. There are allegations that through this method, the rich will benefit from vaccines but on the flip side it also allows the government to receive funds for vaccines for categories that can pay for it. This news came as the pandemic reached a tipping point this week, with hundreds of infections expected in the coming weeks, forcing the government to declare lockdowns (travel restrictions as defined by the authorities) and shut down the airport for a 10-day period for inbound passengers including tourists. All these measures were aimed at curbing a sharp rise in infections which saw a new high of over 3,500 cases on Wednesday. Its also a tipping point for the economy as the fresh lockdowns and a temporary halt to tourist arrivals would be a severe blow in terms of revenue collection by the government and foreign exchange earnings from the trickle of tourist arrivals. As I prepared to write my column, the phone rang. It was Kalabala Silva, the often agitated academic, on the line..and at this point it was a conversation I was not looking forward to, as Kalabala loves to talk while others are at work! Hellohello, he said. Yes, whats happening, I asked. Well, the COVID-19 pandemic is getting out of control and the government doesnt seem to be on top of the situation, which is a bad sign, he said. You may be right. The number of cases is astronomically high and the only way to tackle the crisis is by vaccinating a large percentage of the population, I said. Yes, but where are the vaccines? We are still short by about 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine for the second dose, while sufficient quantities of Sinopharm and Sputnik will in total be available (for the targeted population) only by the last quarter of this year, I am told, he said. Thats true, but vaccines are not the only problem. There is evidence that the crisis has been mismanaged with medical expert views not being considered, in particular a plea to enforce a 2-week lockdown as the only way to curb the spread, I said and then told Kalabala that I had to attend to some other work and ended the conversation. Lockdowns, though necessary from a health perspective, have a huge negative impact on the economy with losses amounting to billions of rupees per day from lost tax revenue to the exchequer. And for an economy that is striving to recover this year with growth projections in place, compared to negative growth last year, these disturbances can set the clock back. As I sipped my mug of tea, I heard noises in the kitchen. On a rainy day like this Thursday morning, the trio was enjoying a cup of tea in the kitchen. Apita hari prashna neda, me COVID wasangathaya hinda (We are having serious problems with the COVID-19 pandemic), said Serapina. Mama hari wasana-wanthai, mokada mata Sinopharmennatha MOH officiyen lebuna (I was lucky because I got the Sinopharm vaccination from the MOH office), noted Mabel Rasthiyadu. Oyata lebunada (Did you)? asked Kussi Amma Sera, adding: Mama, ena sumane ennatha ganna balanna one, istock evara wenna issalla (I must try and get it next week before stocks run out). Here are some issues to worry about: Surging number of COVID-19 cases, with some officials saying it would hit a million in three months time from over 151,000 on Wednesday While the government repeatedly says it has enough funds to purchase vaccines, why then is an appeal being made for donations from overseas and requests to INGOs and NGOs to channel their unutilised funds to the government? Tourism is unlikely to recover from the latest lockdown and the stoppage of tourist arrivals for a 10-day period May 21 to 31. There were expectations that the industry would recover during the September-October winter season traffic, but that wont happen now amidst regular disruptions through travel restrictions imposed on-and-off when there is a surge in infections. Whether the economy can recover from this latest blow remains to be seen. The redeeming factor is that worker remittances are rising and showed an increase in January-April 2021 compared to last year, despite a drop in the number of workers going abroad for work last year. Also on the positive side, is the success of large corporates like the Hayleys Group and Expolanka which have excelled in export earnings and logistics, enjoying a surfeit of pandemic-related work. According to a Central Bank statement on Thursday, the economy, which rebounded during the second half of 2020 and early 2021 as per available indicators, is experiencing renewed disruption due to the emergence of the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and related preventive measures, including isolations. While its adverse effects on economic activity are expected to be lesser than during the first two waves due to the selective nature of mobility restrictions and the ongoing vaccination drive, the third wave has once again highlighted the disruptive nature of the pandemic and the challenges faced in sustaining the economic recovery amidst the pandemic, it said. As stated earlier, while the economy will suffer, lockdowns are inevitable as health needs must take priority over the economy and business. As I wound up my column, Kussi Amma Sera walked into the room, this time with a mug of coffee that I had requested earlier. Sir, rate prashna godak neda (Sir, many problems in the country), she said. I nodded and wondered when the COVID-19 pandemic would end. When we would be able to return to normal life is anybodys guess. The Capitol Connection Does the field have a shot to beat Cuomo? Of the 11,200 Australians in India registered with the government as wanting to return, about 1000 are considered vulnerable. SBS 23 May 2021 Martin Bashir, the former BBC journalist found to have deceived Princess Diana in order to secure an explosive interview with her in 1995 has denied he was responsible for a chain of events that led to her death. When all is said and done, this is not a government that has our best interests at heart. This is not a government that values.. Eurasia Review 03 May 2021 The German Foreign Ministry has demanded that Belarus explain the diversion of a Lithuania-bound flight. It questioned the arrest of a Belarus government-critical journalist who was on board. The German Foreign Ministry has demanded that Belarus explain the diversion of a Lithuania-bound flight. It questioned the arrest of a critic of the Minsk government who was on board. The UN Refugee Agency says three former refugees were participating in this years Eurovision Song Contest and two of them were in Saturday's final DNA 31 May 2021 CGBSE class 12 exam 2021 is scheduled to be conducted from June 1 to June 5. Students can download the admit card from the website. The Ryanair plane was en route to Vilnius when it was diverted to Minsk. The opposition says the move was a bid to arrest a journalist on board who is critical of Lukashenko's government. The Ryanair jet was en route to Lithuania when it was forced to land in Belarus, where authorities arrested a journalist critical of Lukashenko's government. Officials have slammed the "unprecedented" move. Panasian Power PLC sees 63% hike in net profit View(s): Panasian Power PLC, one of Sri Lankas leading green energy solutions providers, has posted a consolidated net profit of Rs. 248 million for the financial year ending March 2021, a growth of 63 percent compared to the earlier financial year. The group saw a revenue increase of 62 per cent in the final quarter of the year 2020/21 when compared with the corresponding quarter in FY 19/20. Net profit margin also grew year on year by 7 percent. Key highlights for the year that paved Panasian Powers path to a successful financial year was the commissioning of a total of 6.75MWp of solar projects across the country amidst difficult operating conditions given the global COVID-19 crisis. This included a 3MWp ground solar project in Matara, and 3.75MWp of rooftop solar projects, along with the completion of pre-development for 2MWp of ground solar projects, the company said in a media release. Speaking on the organisations performance and pipeline developments, Panasian Power CEO, Pathmanatha Poddiwala said, These results, including our consistent performance over the years are a testament to the companys strategic plan and growth measures. Although the past financial year has been challenging given the global pandemic, we have focused on our priorities, and our diversification efforts through solar projects as well as retail of Sungrow inverters have gained traction. We will continue to grow value for our investors and are committed towards our contribution for a sustainable future for our country. Overall, for the year, the team at PAP highlighted their expertise in renewable energy development, with solar power projects continuing to be the focal point of the company strategy. Panasian Power currently has a series of high-performing solar power projects in its portfolio totalling 13MWp and a total generation capacity of 22MW, including hydro power. The company also engaged in revenue diversification with focus on the EPC segment, which yielded positive results, beating internal forecasts. The dissident, Roman Protasevich, co-founded a Telegram channel that is a popular opposition outlet in Belarus. The plane was flying from Athens to Lithuania when it was forced down. 2008-2021 One News Page Ltd. All rights reserved. One News is a registered trademark of One News Page Ltd. A Ryanair flight has been diverted and forced to land in the Belarus capital Minsk so an opposition blogger could be arrested, it has been claimed. Hull Daily Mail 31 May 2021 Travel to France from the UK will only be permitted for EU nationals, French residents, or those travelling for essential reasons The Ryanair jet was en route to Lithuania when it was forced to land in Belarus, where authorities arrested a blogger critical of Lukashenko's government. Officials have slammed the "unprecedented" move. The Ryanair jet was en route to Lithuania when it was forced to land in Belarus, where authorities arrested Raman Pratasevich, a blogger critical of Lukashenko's government. EU officials slammed the "unprecedented" move. Journalist Raman Pratasevich might face the death penalty after Belarusian authorities forced his plane to land in Minsk. A passenger on the flight described Pratasevich's reaction. A prominent opponent of Belarus's authoritarian president was arrested Sunday after the airliner in which he was traveling was diverted to the country after a bomb threat, in what the opposition and Western officials denounced as a hijacking operation by the government. Massachusetts-based biotechnology company Moderna, which has developed a messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine to tackle Covid-19, has declined the Punjab governments request for direct supply of its vaccine to the state. The US firm said as per its policy, the company only deals with central governments. With a digital Watches & Wonders show in April in Geneva that everyone hailed as an honorable solution in the absence of a physical event (read the interviews of Laurent Dordet here and Frederic Grangie here), the much-heralded return of "real" face-to-face events is a sign of double optimism: the joy of meeting and doing business without a screen, and the sign that the public health crisis is in fact coming to an end. Chronologically, let's salute the dynamism and impressive foresight of Carlos Alonso, publisher of the Tiempo de Relojes magazine and founder of the SIAR trade fair, whose professionalism and the relevance of the format offered have been unanimously acclaimed in the industry for years. Not only was he able to organize his 2020 edition last fall and enable the watchmakers present to make sales, but he is doubling down this year by setting up a summer SIAR, from mid-June. Independent watchmakers are flocking to it, while the usual edition in mid-October 2021 is also still to be held as planned. Caliente! Carlos Alonso SIAR 2015 This watch scene will be buzzing this fall, since in mid-October the Shanghai Watch Festival is also due to be held, organized by collector and entrepreneur Kelvin Sa, founder of the Shanghai Watch Gang club. This new, more institutional concept of his show, which previously took place in December in a fairly relaxed mode, is aimed at a wider audience, and is also slated to host the Grand Prix dHorlogerie de Geneve traveling exhibition. The latter is expected to stop off in India just before that. The highly popular and influential biennial Dubai Watch Week aims to bring the entire watchmaking community together again at the end of November, offering a clever mix of cultural panels, media presentations, booths open to the public and order taking by the powerful local retailer Seddiqi & Son, which initiated this major international event. Dubai Watch Week 2020 Switzerland in the front row Having made headlines last year by rising from the still smoldering ashes of the two major traditional Swiss exhibitions, the Geneva Watch Days are confirming they hit the spot by staging a strong comeback to the shores of Lake Geneva from August 30th to September 4th. Still directly organized by the founding brands behind the concept, joined by others won over by this entrepreneurial spirit and their independence, Geneva Watch Days will once again rely on a shared marquee open to the public and individual presentation areas spread throughout the boutiques and suites of the surrounding hotels. Geneva Watch Days founding brands' CEOs Geneva Watch Days During the same period in Neuchatel, the Imagination exhibition intends to bring together watch industry exhibitors, as well as jewellers and manufacturers of writing instruments, from September 1st to 6th. The Grand Prix dHorlogerie de Geneve is celebrating its 20th anniversary, as is its media partner, the WorldTempus website, and will be exhibiting in Geneva at the end of October for the first time all the Aiguille dOr Grand Prix awards since 2001, in addition to the 84 watches nominated for 2021. The prize-giving ceremony will take place on November 4th at the Theatre du Leman with a 1,200-strong audience this time? Two days later, the Only Watch biennial will complete its world tour (after kicking off at the Monaco Yacht Show September 22nd) with an auction held by Christie's Geneva. Everyone still remembers the record result of the 2019 sale (CHF 38.5 million donated in full to research), and no one is surprised that this ninth edition is attracting over 55 brands. Its exceptional founder Luc Pettavino was indeed honored with the GPHG Special Jury Prize in 2019. Sampath Bank digitalises KYC process with Department for Registration of Persons View(s): Sampath Bank PLC has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Department for Registration of Persons (DRP) to facilitate customer identification and verification through the DRP interface. This will enable Sampath Bank to onboard customers digitally, without them having to physically visit the bank, by verifying and confirming their identity via the DRP database. Digitalising the mandatory KYC (Know Your Customer) process, this partnership is testament to Sampath Banks commitment to leveraging technology and rolling out innovative solutions that deliver greater value to the nation, the bank proclaimed in a media release. Ajith Salgado, Group Chief Information Officer, Sampath Bank PLC, and P. Viyani Gunathilake, Commissioner General, Department for Registration of Persons signed the MoU at the Department for Registration of Persons Head Office in the presence of representatives from the Department for Registration of Persons and Sampath Bank, recently. We are delighted to partner with the Department for Registration of Persons on digitalising the KYC process a mandatory process which plays a pivotal role in protecting customers as well as the banking system. We invite all Sri Lankans to avail themselves of the added convenience and security offered by this facility and look forward to welcoming them on board Sampath Bank, digitally, said Ajith Salgado, Group Chief Information Officer, Sampath Bank PLC. Customers can currently use the digital onboarding service and open a new account with Sampath Bank even during extended hours, at any Sampath Virtual Teller Machine (VTM) located at selected branches. The bank is actively working on integrating the digital onboarding process into its other digital platforms by enabling the digital KYC process for all accounts opening operations as a step-by-step approach. Customers visiting a Sampath Bank VTM will be connected to a Customer Service Executive from the bank over a real-time live video conference to help them open an account. The Executive will request them to upload their NIC and other supporting documents through the VTM and seek their consent to verify their identity using the DRP database. Upon successful verification, the account will be opened immediately. Customers simply need to digitally sign the mandate displayed on the screen and make the initial deposit to complete the account opening process. They can also obtain activated debit cards and the SMS Alertz facility instantly. (MENAFN - Gulf Times) Britains Queen Elizabeth visited the countrys new aircraft carrier yesterday, named in her honour, before it leads a flotilla of Royal Navy ships to Asian waters on its maiden operational voyage. The queen, aged 95, stepped aboard the HMS Queen Elizabeth in Portsmouth, seven years after she named the vessel alongside her late husband Prince Philip who died last month. The 65,000-tonne Queen Elizabeth will carry eight British F-35B fighter jets and 10 US F-35s as well as 250 US marines as part of a 1,700-strong crew. It will lead the flotilla alongside two destroyers, two frigates, a submarine and two support ships on its journey of 26,000 nautical miles over 28 weeks. The group will be joined by a US destroyer and a frigate from the Dutch navy. The group will sail through the contested South China Sea, parts of which are claimed by China and South East Asian countries, on its way to the Philippine Sea. The ships will also stop in India and Singapore. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the deployment will help to project British soft power such as a belief in democracy and the rule of law.MENAFN22052021000067011011ID1102116807 Critical race theory is a racist doctrine that serves to lower the expectations people have of the Black community and must be removed from the nation's schools, Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, told Newsmax. Italy won the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday with rockers Maneskin stealing the show in Rotterdam as the tournament returned from a year off due to coronavirus. Clad in leather lederhosen and eyeliner, the Italians and their song Zitti e Buoni beat off stiff competition from France and Switzerland to win the 65th Eurovision. But there [] Belarus forced an Athens-to-Vilnius Ryanair flight carrying a wanted opposition activist to divert and land in Minsk Sunday, provoking an outcry from European leaders and the European Union. European leaders reacted furiously after the incident, which led to the arrest of Belarusian opposition activist Roman Protasevich, and which Polands Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki denounced as [] Belarus forced an Athens-to-Vilnius Ryanair flight carrying a wanted opposition activist to divert and land in Belarus on Sunday, provoking a furious outcry from European leaders. Belarusian state television reported that Roman Protasevich, a 26-year-old opposition blogger exiled in Poland, had been detained in Minsk after flight FR4978 was diverted from EU airspace ostensibly [] 14 people, including five Israelis, died when the cabin of Stresa-Mottarone cable car plunged into the ground. The aunt of the boy.. Jerusalem Post 24 May 2021 Ariana Grande has sent a message of support on the fourth anniversary of the terrorist attack at her Manchester Arena concert where 22 people were murdered. SWNS STUDIO 23 May 2021 A festival-lover has thrown his own Glastonbury themed party in his garden - complete with a stone circle, cardboard cider bus and.. In the year since George Floyd was murdered, police officers have killed hundreds of Americans. The families of the deceased said they want justice. The Israel-Hamas ceasefire held into a third day on Sunday as Israeli police admitted Jewish visitors to a contested Jerusalem holy site where earlier confrontations with Palestinian protesters helped to ignite the cross-border Gaza fighting. State revenue in shambles with mounting losses View(s): Sri Lankas already fragile and shaky economic recovery is set to get a massive hit in the first half of this year as the fiscal performance during the past few months has gone anti clockwise, several high ranking state officials warned. The third wave of COVID-19 has struck the country at an alarming rate leaving people helpless while exposing the under-preparedness of authorities to deal with the present health and economic crisis, they said. Total government revenue has come down to Rs. 396.9 billion during the past 4 1/2 months from January to mid-May as a result of COVID-19 constraints from Rs. 478/2 billion during the same period last year, a provisional statement of the Treasury revealed. The revenue loss was mainly due to a drop in tax collection and grants, poor performance in state institutions and a decline in manufacturing and service sectors, a senior Treasury official said. The mobility restriction has deprived the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) of collecting more tax revenues, as COVID-19 has affected the economically dynamic months in the festive season. Sri Lanka Customs revenue has also come down due to import restrictions and other unavoidable issues, he said adding that the impact of the latest COVID-19 wave has been unprecedented. However, since certain sectors of the country, including insurance, were active and mitigated the loss to a certain extent he said. Sri Lanka was on a steady path to recovery from the beginning of the year, with increasing consumer demand and robust corporate earnings, before the third wave of COVID-19 since end March, he added. At the same time, increased expenditure and lower revenue amid the pandemic contributed to a deterioration of the fiscal situation. With the higher recurrent expenditure incurred during January to mid-May, the total government expenditure increased to Rs. 1266.4 compared to Rs.930.9 billion, in the same period year last year. (BS) Eight days after Donald Trump turns 75 next month, New York City voters will cast their last ballots in an election that's sure to have consequences for the Daily Star 10 Jun 2021 As Europe's finest internationals prepare to go head-to-head in the multi-nation tournament this summer, there will be some notable.. In this Oct. 16, 2019 photo, Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Tom Ahart speaks to students about the By Degrees foundation starting college savings accounts for students at Harding Middle School in Des Moines, Iowa. Like superintendents across the country, the leader of Iowas largest school system has faced plenty of criticism as he attempted to educate children in the past year while also keeping them safe during the coronavirus pandemic. But as pressure eases in many districts thanks to falling infection rates, Ahart is facing more uncertainty. AGENCY [mdash]MaryAnn Wanner, 75, of Agency, died at 4:45 a.m. June 9, 2021 at Ridgewood Specialty Care. She was born February 18, 1946 in Lake City, IA to Lubbert and Erma DeVries. She married Martin Joseph Wanner and he preceded her in death on March 18, 2021. MaryAnn had worked as a beaut NEW YORK (AP) Eight days after Donald Trump turns 75 next month, New York City voters will cast their last ballots in an election that's sure to have consequences for the former president. Its not another White House run, but a vote in the Democratic Party primary for Manhattans next district attorney the person who would likely end up handling prosecution if an ongoing investigation of Trump's business finds criminal wrongdoing. The current district attorney, Cyrus Vance Jr., is leaving office at the end of the year, meaning there's a good chance he'll pass the two-year probe to his successor. The matter of who will take over has taken on new urgency after the announcement this week that the state attorney generals office had joined the DA's Trump criminal investigation a sweeping look at hush-money payments, property valuations, tax strategies, executive compensation and other dealings. In a solidly Democratic borough, the partys June 22 primary is highly likely to decide the winner. The eight candidates have made clear they're not afraid of taking on the former president, but most have been cautious to stay away from overtly anti-Trump rhetoric. While I cant say what I will specifically do without seeing all the facts and the evidence, if Donald Trump or any of the Trumps committed crimes in Manhattan, I will prosecute them, said candidate Eliza Orlins, a public defender who once appeared as a contestant on Survivor. It is more vital now than ever, that the office of the district attorney be understood not to be a political office, that the district attorney not be perceived to be in bed with anyone," said another candidate, Lucy Lang, a former assistant district attorney and former director of John Jay Colleges Institute for Innovation in Prosecution. The robust field includes three former prosecutors in the Manhattan district attorney's office Lang, Liz Crotty and Diana Florence and two former federal prosecutors, Tali Farhadian Weinstein and Alvin Bragg. Three candidates have never been prosecutors, including Orlins, civil rights lawyer Tahanie Aboushi and state Assembly member Dan Quart. No obvious frontrunner has emerged in the crowded field. The Trump investigation, which the former president has decried as a witch hunt, carries major implications for his political future and the fate of his company. Trump isn't the only topic of discussion in the race, amid reignited concern over street crime and the ongoing debate about criminal justice and the role of prosecutors, renewed in the wake of the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd a year ago. At the beginning of the race, maybe last year, a lot of folks thought that Trump would be a primary talking point, but he doesnt really seem to be the main issue in this crop of candidates, said Christina Greer, political science professor at Fordham University. Hes in a long list of issues, but crime and how the DA will prosecute particular cases seem to be the more prescient issues. The city has seen more than 155 homicides since the start of the year, the highest number for that period since 2011. Other major crime categories, including robberies, burglaries and felonious assaults, remain largely where they were before the coronavirus pandemic. The race could decide whether the next district attorney will continue criminal justice reforms, which in recent years have included scaling back drug prosecutions and locking up fewer defendants for long periods while they await trial. Crotty has racked up endorsements from law enforcement unions, who see her as the candidate most focused on public safety. Other candidates have garnered support from reform-minded activists and organizations. Vances office said he will continue to lead the Trump investigation through the end of his term. He has hired former mafia prosecutor Mark Pomerantz to assist in the probe and, in February, obtained eight years of Trumps tax returns, ending a lengthy legal fight. Vances former chief assistant district attorney Daniel R. Alonso, who is not a candidate, said its vital that the Trump case is left in the hands of somebody who knows what theyre doing, whos competent, whos experienced, who has judgment and who doesnt think politically. Frankly I dont think the voters are focusing enough on this issue, said Alonso. The candidates have, at the very least, sought to telegraph that they won't go easy on the powerful. Orlins knocked Vance for declining to bring charges against Trump's two eldest children, Ivanka and Donald Jr., in 2012 after investigating allegations they defrauded clients in a Manhattan condominium project. Vance concluded there was insufficient evidence of a crime. I think that we might not be in this situation that were in we might never have had a President Donald J. Trump if Cy Vance had done this earlier, if he had brought those cases and not declined to prosecute, Orlins told The Associated Press. Vance's decision in the earlier Trump investigation was one of several cases in his 12-year tenure where critics say he caved to powerful interests. Vance was criticized for dropping rape charges against French financier Dominique Strauss-Kahn in 2011, declining a chance to prosecute Harvey Weinstein in 2015, five years before his eventual conviction, and striking a deal in 2016 with a well-connected gynecologist to avoid prison for allegedly sexually abusing patients. Bragg said he would do away with what he deemed the office's two systems of justice. Aboushi said shell never put a badge or bank account above the law. Crotty said: It comes down to what are the facts of your case, and it doesnt matter how powerful the person is, its how powerful your facts are." Farhadian Weinstein has touted her experience taking on complex white collar cases. Florence has talked similarly about her record prosecuting real estate and construction fraud, saying she's in best position to continue the Trump investigation. Im not intimidated by anyone, Farhadian Weinstein said in an interview. We are all equal under the law and that doesnt change if you go on to occupy a position of power including the power of the presidency. Quart said: If there is evidence a serious crime has been committed, I would certainly prosecute, and that would be true for the president as much as its true for anyone else. __ Follow Michael Sisak on Twitter at twitter.com/mikesisak and send confidential tips by visiting https://www.ap.org/tips A not so smart incident at smart library opening at AGs Dept. View(s): The Attorney Generals Department yesterday made frantic efforts at pulling down a controversial plaque that was erected when the outgoing Attorney general Dappula de Livera and Chinese Ambassador Qi Zhenhong declared open a Smart Library on Wednesday within the Department funded by the Chinese Government. That the plaque was opened in front of the very eyes of the outgoing Attorney General on Wednesday and it took three days and tsunami-like backlash from several quarters to remove the plaque was the talking point yesterday, even within the Department. The bone of contention was that it appeared that Mandarin, the official language of the Peoples Republic of China had crept into official language status in the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. Compounding the faux pas was the fact that while the plaque contained Mandarin, it had omitted the other official language of the country Tamil. And in a Government Department given the responsibility to interpret the countrys Constitution, no less. The explanation given by the Departments spokesperson, who said that they were not sure who was responsible for making the plaque, further aggravated the issue. She said that once we were alerted to the fact, they decided to remove the plaque and replace it with a new one containing the Tamil language as well. But the plaque was opened in front of all the senior officials of the Department. Even at the function some senior officials had been murmuring if Mandarin had already been made an official language, or if it was only replacing Tamil. In the process, Mandarin has not become the fourth official language of the country, but there still remains three because Tamil has seemingly been dropped off the cliff to make way. But the case was not just an isolated incident. Earlier in the week, MP Chanakiyan Rasamanikkam raised issue in a Twitter message that a name board had sprung up in the Port city in only Sinhala, English and Mandarin. There was a similar board at the BMICH. While Sri Lankan authorities kept silent on the matter, the proactive Chinese embassy quickly reacted saying the BMICH name board was temporary and will be rectified to adhere to the official languages of the Republic of Sri Lanka. MP M. Sumanthiran was soon to follow on this by saying in Parliament that while the Government opposes a (Tamil) Eelam, it is allowing a Chi-lam to be created. Already, Mandarin name boards have sprung up in small shops and even night clubs catering to the growing Chinese population in the country, but what took the cake, or shall we say, the nian gao is when right in the midst of the controversial Port City Commission debate in Parliament, the countrys outgoing Attorney General and the Chinese Ambassador opened the Smart Library financed and supported by the Chinese Government in the premises of the Attorney Generals Department in Sinhala, English and Mandarin with Tamil dropped. Again, there was a deafening silence by the Government of Sri Lanka but this time round, there were no apologies from the Chinese embassy. Hopefully, alls well that ends well. Delivery to your doorstep, even illegal items The razzmatazz by a newly emerged mail order firm, selling a variety of illegal items through their website, has raised eyebrows. Walkie talkies, radio communication sets for vehicles, swords of different varieties, machines to counterfeit currency, and sex toys are among those advertised on their website. One must either pay through a credit card or cash on delivery and the items are delivered to the doorstep of the customer. Though the operators of the website have an address, their phone numbers and names of managerial staff are kept a secret. Attempts to reach one of them to seek their response on how they blatantly violate the countrys laws was not successful. We have a (HS) code for knives under which certain long knives too are allowed as they are needed for certain trades such as the butchery industry. However we do not allow the import of swords. The customs can take legal action if swords are brought into the country, though there are knives of different sizes imported, said the official spokesperson for Customs. Added a senior Police officer in the Western Province who did not wish to be identified, Possession of swords is prohibited. Therefore, the police can take action on persons who possess swords. The Offensive Weapons Act will be made use by the Police to file such action. Port City Bill: Dispute over missing two votes The voting in Parliament for the third reading for the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill has now run into problems with claims that two votes had not been taken into count, thereby depriving the government to maintain its prestige that it still has the support of a two thirds majority in parliament. The vote is now subject of an inquiry which Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena has decided to hold, according to Secretary General of Parliament Dhammika Dassanayake. According to a communique from Parliament, the number of votes received in in favour of the Third Reading of the Bill was 149 and the number of votes against was 58. But, Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella is already protesting that he has never heard of a vote being recounted in Parliament. His party members are already holding news conferences to say the government has lost the two thirds majority it managed to gain when the 20th Amendment was passed. But Sri Lanka Podujana Party (SLPP) General Secreary Sagara Kariywasam is insisting that two votes had not been taken into count. They are those of Justice Minister Ali Sabry and National List MP Jayaratne Herath. Meanwhile, two members of the All Ceylon Makkal Congress (ACMC) led by Rishard Bathiudeen have been suspended from the party for violating a party decision and voting in support of the Port Commission Bill. The two members are Ishak Rahaman and Ali Sabri Raheem. They were served the letters of suspension yesterday. They voted for the Bill while their party leader Bathiudeen who is currently in custody voted against the Bill. Nasheed gets taste of Lankan hospitality It was Sri Lankas Ambassador to Germany, Manori Unamboowe, who sent a meal to the Speaker of the Maldivian Parliament (Majlis), Mohamed Nasheed, who is now recuperating in a hospital in that country. It was made up of string hoppers, fish curry, pol mallung and cadju curry. Here, Nasheed, a former President of Maldives, enjoys his meals whilst reading a note from Ms Unamboowe. He later tweeted thanking the envoy, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa. Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) Nigeria's Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB -N) said it has been mandated by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to lead investigation into the crash of a military aircraft on Friday at Kaduna International Airport Harmony Korean BBQ, the first Korean barbecue restaurant in Bloomington-Normal, has been opened by the Epiphany Farms Hospitality Group (EFHG.) Ken Myszka, EFHG founder/CEO, had a huge smile when he told me how authentic the interactive Korean barbecue dining experience is at Harmony. Harmony has the same individual table hoods, burners and hot plates as barbecue restaurants in Seoul, Korea. Almost all of the Korean varieties of vegetables served are grown on the Epiphany Farms Estate at Moraine View farm between Downs and LeRoy. A set menu currently is available, and guests can do their own grilling or a member of the Harmony team will assist. A full bar is available that features Korean specialty drinks. Ken said the EFHG ownership is very passionate about Korean barbecues and has looked forward for the last 10 years to open one. Ken estimated he has dined at more than 100 Korean barbecue restaurants. Stu Hummel, EFHG vice president/corporate chef, chooses a Korean barbecue restaurant for dining whenever he has an opportunity. Kens wife, Nanam, is from Seoul, and when they visit, they will eat at a Korean barbecue almost daily. Nanam is the EFHG director of administration. Harmony, for now, is open only on Tuesday and Wednesday for dinner and by reservation only. It is in the former Hayashi Japanese Restaurant location at 7 Currency Drive. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} From Larrys notebook: Jims Steakhouse: Congratulations to owner Greg Comfort on 36 years! I still enjoy listening to his story of when he was 27 and his dad, whose name was Jim and who founded Jims Steakhouse in Peoria, bought The Brittany in Bloomington and gave Greg and a young chef one week in April 1985 to convert The Brittany and open a Jims. Times Past Inn: Owner Art Donaldson has discontinued catering as his first step toward retiring. He told me he will turn 65 this year and was tired after 36 years. His goal is to find someone to take over the restaurant as a buy-out and retire by the end of the year. Jersey Mikes Subs: An August opening is planned for the popular sub shop based out of Manasquan, N.J., with 2,000 locations in 49 states and territories. This is the first Jersey Mikes for Bloomington-Normal and it will occupy the empty space in the building that also houses Chipotle Mexican Grill, 305 N. Veterans Parkway. Pho Bowl Vietnamese Cuisine: A husband and wife from Vietnam have opened what they describe as a full-service, casual, authentic, Vietnamese restaurant. The restaurant has 11 types of pho and is in the former ZOUP! location at 115 Krispy Kreme Drive. Bloom Bawarchi: A $600,000 remodel is underway in the unit adjacent to the north at 503 N. Prospect Road, which will double the size of the Indian restaurant and house the B3 Indian Fusion Cuisine & Bar. Chi Family Express: The owners of the popular Chinese restaurant in Lincoln, Chi Family Restaurant, will open a carryout-only Chi Family Express later this summer at 3907 General Electric Road. A Larry Favorite menu item: Pork chops at Jims Steakhouse. Carius, of Bloomington, is a former food program and plan review supervisor for the McLean County Health Department. His Facebook blog, Bloomington-Normal Restaurant Scene, has 28,000 followers. Love 3 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 People masked and unmasked gathered around the Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park on Saturday afternoon. For the first time since the world has come to known COVID-19, water leaped from the mouths of four pairs of bronze sea horses, and the people clapped and danced as Mayor Lori Lightfoot exchanged fist bumps in front of the ceremonious display. The fountains first official switch-on marked not only the start of summer, but also the restart of tradition and normalcy. Because of the sacrifice of so many Chicagoans, we are but once again safely gathered and will literally flip the switch on our iconic summer Chicago, Lightfoot said before the fountain was turned on. When Buckingham Fountain roars back to life, just know it is also a symbol of our city roaring back to life. The Switch on Summer event, which was put on hold last year due to the pandemic, was organized by the Park District and Commonwealth Edison. Starting after 2 p.m., the livestreamed event on ComEds Facebook page began with remarks from WGN chief meteorologist Tom Skilling, who acted as an emcee. He introduced not only Lightfoot but also Chicago Park District CEO Mike Kelly, ComEd CEO Joe Dominguez and Dominique Lalrinzuala, the ComEd sweepstakes winner who hit the switch. Lightfoot spoke about how there are less and less coronavirus cases as more and more people are getting vaccinated, and she encouraged those who have not been vaccinated yet to do so. She also promoted the citys new concert series for those who have been fully vaccinated. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. Lalrinzuala, of Orland Park, wore a T-shirt that showed a Black woman in front of a rainbow background giving the Rosie the Riveter pose showing off a Band-Aid and the word vaccinated across her arm as she stepped onto the stage. Lalrinzuala, who is fully vaccinated with Pfizer, said she had been sitting on the shirt for a while and decided it was the perfect day to wear it. The pandemic, of course, was something that was tragic, she said. But we made it through, and Im just happy to be one of the ones who did see it through. ... Definitely overwhelming feelings about just being able to be at something like this. In the crowd, Laurie Pincus came from Iowa to visit Chicago for her 70th birthday. She heard on the news Saturday morning that the fountain was turning on, and she said her great-great-grandfather was first cousins with Kate Buckingham, who donated the fountain in 1927 in memory of her brother. I just knew we had to be here, Pincus said. We havent been here for a year and a half. ... A beautiful day and a beautiful moment in time. Nearby, 55-year-old Lynette Boyd-Peoples sat in a chair facing the fountain as her 16-year-old daughter Faith Boyd and 3-year-old grandson Faiths nephew Natwan NJ Nash waved around bubble wands. Weve been cooped up in the house all last year, Boyd-Peoples said. And I said it would be a wonderful event to take my grandson. ... Hopefully, hell remember it, but Ill keep bringing him back. Boyd-Peoples said 2020 was horrible. She lost her brother and aunt due to health reasons unrelated to the coronavirus, and she also had back surgery, which was difficult because she couldnt have anyone at the hospital with her due to the coronavirus-related restrictions. She is on disability leave from her job at Walmart but is looking forward to going back. She received her second dose of the Moderna vaccine Monday, and now, Im feeling fantastic, and Im just glad to be back out in society again. Its been kind of hard, but with the help of God, Im going to be OK. I know hes not going to put no more on me than I can bear, she said. So I just take one day at a time and keep reaching for the stars and stay positive with everything thats going on. I tell my kids just stay positive. Everything is going to get back to normal soon. This will bypass. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Democrats who control the Illinois House and Senate posted maps online Friday night showing proposed boundaries for new state legislative districts as part of a process required by the state constitution at least every 10 years. The proposed maps "comply with federal and state law and ensure the broad racial and geographic diversity of Illinois is reflected in the General Assembly," Democrats said in a news release emailed at about 7:30 p.m. "Redistricting is about making sure all voices are heard, and that's exactly what this map accomplishes," State Sen. Omar Aquino, D-Chicago, chairman of the Senate Redistricting Committee, said in the release. "This is a fair map that reflects the great diversity of our state and ensures every person receives equal representation in the General Assembly." The redistricting maps for the state's 118 House and 59 Senate seats, drawn with population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, immediately were criticized by Republicans and advocates for communities and good government. Much of the criticism centered on the accuracy of the ACS data and a lack of detail in the redrawn maps. Democrats, who have the votes to muscle partisan maps through the General Assembly and to the governor's desk by the legislature's scheduled May 31 adjournment, should wait for more accurate Census data scheduled for release in mid-August, critics said. That way minorities and rural residents typically undercounted in ACS data would be fully counted. Republicans and the advocates said the low-quality maps released by Democrats will make it impossible for the public to analyze boundaries to the street and neighborhood level before hearings scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. Democrats are up against a June 30 deadline the Illinois Constitution requires for lawmakers to pass new maps. If they miss that deadline, the task goes to an independent commission with an equal number of Democrats and Republicans. "It's really hard to make heads or tails of it," said Madeleine Doubek, executive director of Change Illinois, said of the maps. "If this is all they release, I don't know how anyone could provide feedback in a meaningful way." Change Illinois is a nonpartisan group that pushes for ethics and efficiency in government and elections. Change Illinois and other groups had asked lawmakers for at least two weeks to analyze detailed maps before giving opinions. Change Illinois was among the groups that issued a joint statement Friday night saying they "strongly reject" the use of Census ACS data because it would undercount Illinoisans by about 41,900 people statewide. The other groups included the Better Government Association, Illinois Black Chamber of Commerce, Illinois Chamber of Commerce, Latino Policy Forum, Illinois Muslim Civic Coalition and Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community. "The undercount is likely to have a greater effect on people of color," the statement said. "Black communities have historically been underrepresented, under-resourced, and targeted by large-scale misinformation campaigns designed to further disenfranchise them. "The ACS data collection did not have the benefit of the historic, people-powered effort and state funding that the Census did to ensure communities were counted, particularly Black communities," the statement said. Democrats said in their news release ACS estimates from surveys conducted between 2015 and 2019 vary by "just 0.3% from the state's official population count released by the U.S. Census Bureau in April." State Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez, D-Cicero, chairwoman of the House Redistricting Committee, said the "proposed map amplifies the diverse voices of the people of Illinois, allows communities to be represented by people of their choice and ensures that every person in our state has a say in their government. "This fair map reflects input from grassroots individuals and community organizations across our state, and I'm thankful for every person who took the time to make their voices heard," she said. "I look forward to continued engagement as Illinoisans provide feedback to this proposal in additional public hearings." Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. Democrats haven't yet released proposed new maps for U.S. House districts or Illinois Supreme Court districts. Illinois is losing one of its 18 House seats in Congress. Whitney Barnes, press secretary for Illinois Senate Republicans, said the proposed legislative maps are "just further proof that the Democrat majority is uninterested in providing the transparency that Illinoisans so desperately want from their government. "Even members of the General Assembly and their experienced staff cannot decipher these maps, and it is unreasonable to think the general public will be able to digest and understand them," Barnes said. Because of the proposed maps' lack of specificity, it's unclear how they might affect the chances of Springfield-area members of the House and Senate to win reelection. Rep. Tim Butler, R-Springfield, who represents the 87th House District and is GOP spokesman on the House Redistricting Committee, said Democrats' proposal was "a completely unprofessional way to roll out maps late on a Friday night, with basically a map that looks like clip art, where you can't even tell what the districts are. They don't even have community boundaries on here. This certainly is not the granular detail that we need to make an educated decision on the maps as we move forward." Spokespeople for House and Senate Democrats didn't respond to inquiries from The State Journal-Register about whether and when more detailed maps would be available. Rep. Avery Bourne, R-Morrisonville, a member of the redistricting committee who represents the 95th District, said the Democrats' approach to map-making was "the opposite of a transparent process." Bourne said 30 House Democrats, including House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch, D-Hillside, who succeeded former Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, previously supported a proposed constitutional amendment that would have called for an independent commission, rather than lawmakers, to draw redistricting maps. "This is the opposite of their public statements they've made about the map-making process," Bourne said. Rep. Ryan Spain, R-Peoria, said: "Releasing new partisan maps late on a Friday night proves that the Mike Madigan playbook continues in the Illinois House. In a further attempt to skirt any transparency, Democrats dropped partisan maps drawn in a locked room by politicians who hand-selected their voters." Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker recently said he would veto an "unfair" map but didn't elaborate. Pritzker's position has changed since he was a candidate for governor. He said in writing at the time he would veto any legislative map "drafted or created by legislators, political party leaders and/or their staffs or allies." A spokeswoman for Pritzker didn't respond to a request for comment on the Democrats' maps. The public hearings start at 4 p.m. Tuesday, when the House and Senate redistricting committees hold a joint meeting; 6 p.m. Tuesday, when the House Redistricting Committee will meet; 4 p.m. Wednesday, during a joint House and Senate committee meeting; and at 6 p.m. Wednesday, during a Senate committee hearing. Details on how to provide in-person testimony were not clear. Many Democrats on the House and Senate redistricting committees have been focused on meeting the June 30 deadline the Illinois Constitution requires for lawmakers to pass new maps. If they miss that deadline, the task goes to an independent commission with an equal number of Democrats and Republicans. If the commission cannot agree on new maps by Aug. 10, the name of an additional Democratic or Republican commission member is drawn from a stovepipe hat to break the tie by Oct. 5. Doubek said Change Illinois and other groups want lawmakers to seek approval from the Illinois Supreme Court to delay the June 30 deadline and allow the legislature to use Census data released in August without having to transfer redistricting decisions to the commission or face drawing a name out of a hat. Democrats said their proposed maps would comply with several constitutional and statutory standards, including the Voting Rights Act of 1965, to ensure new maps preserve clusters of minority voters "if they are of size or cohesion to exert collective electoral power." Democrats said legislative redistricting maps must create districts that are substantially equal in population, compact and contiguous. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Illinois lawmakers responded Saturday to the first draft of the long-awaited proposed state legislative maps, which were released late Friday, setting off the once-a-decade process wrought with bitter, partisan strife. Democrats dubbed their proposal a fair map that represents the broad diversity of the state, yet it was widely denounced by Republicans and good government groups, who said it relies on flawed data and is built to protect Democratic incumbents and give the party an overall partisan advantage. I think this is a slap in the face to the people of Illinois, to be honest with you, said state Rep. Tim Butler, R-Springfield, the minority spokesman for the House Redistricting Committee. In the year 2021, the fact that the majority would put out these simple, rudimentary PDF maps as their maps to the people of Illinois, is just really unconscionable. Democrats unveiled the map just after 7 p.m. Friday, which was long after lawmakers left town for the weekend and allowed the party to avoid additional media scrutiny on the controversial topic. The party is seeking to meet a June 30 deadline to pass a map that will lock in their supermajorities in the state House and Senate for another 10 years. Per the state constitution, the legislature controlled by Democrats is given the first crack and drawing a map. If one isnt approved by the end of June, the process is turned over to an eight-person commission divided evenly between Democrats and Republicans. If they cannot agree, the Illinois Secretary of State draws a name either a Democrat or Republican to break the tie. This would essentially give Republicans a 50% chance at drawing the map, a scenario supermajority Democrats are certain to avoid. Democrats touted the proposed map as fair, reflecting the geographic, racial and ethnic diversity of the state while taking into account feedback received from more than 45 redistricting hearings held across the state in March and April. Hearings are planned on the proposed boundaries on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. Redistricting is about making sure all voices are heard, and thats exactly what this map accomplishes, said state Sen. Omar Aquino, D-Chicago, chairman of the Senate Redistricting Committee. This is a fair map that reflects the great diversity of our state and ensures every person receives equal representation in the General Assembly. But Republicans and good government groups sharply criticized the proposal, which offered almost no details about the demographic makeup of each district or the underlying data used to create them. And as of Saturday afternoon, there has been no legislation filed detailing the proposed lines. Butler said he received a courtesy call from state Rep. Lisa Hernandez, D-Cicero, the House Redistricting Committee chairwoman, just 12 minutes before the maps were released. He said it was the first time he and his fellow Republicans saw the proposed districts. Though dozens of public hearings were held across the state, most were not well attended. In any case, Butler said Democrats took everything they heard in the hearings and threw it out the window of their secret room in the Stratton Building. I mean, look, they drew these maps in a locked room where the public wasn't allowed in, they produced maps and put them out at 7:30 p.m. on a Friday night after they had told all their members to head home for the weekend and turn off their phones, Butler said. This is in no way transparent and open and public-involved. This is worse than the Madigan playbook. 'Veto any partisan map' Another point of contention is the use of population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureaus American Community Survey instead of redistricting data from the 2020 census. The latter, which includes counts of population by race, ethnicity and other factors, is typically used by state legislatures to draw legislative and Congressional maps. However, delivery of that data has been delayed until the end of September by the COVID-19 pandemic. If Democrats are to meet the June 30 deadline, it means using alternative data sets. CHANGE Illinois, a nonpartisan nonprofit that advocates for an independent redistricting process, said they strongly reject any map that utilizes ACS as its underlying dataset, saying it would lead to an undercount of nearly 42,000 Illinois residents. We urge Illinois lawmakers to seek relief from the courts and halt current attempts to pass maps that erase thousands of Illinoisans, the coalition said in a statement. We urge Gov. J.B. Pritzker to fulfill his repeated pledges to veto any partisan map, but especially one built from an undercount of Illinoisans. Pritzker campaigned on independent maps in 2018, vowing to veto any map that was drawn by lawmakers, political officials or staffers. But the governor has slowly walked back on that promise, saying Wednesday that he planned to veto an unfair map, leaving the definition of that open to interpretation. I have not seen a map from the Republicans, I think I would have liked to have seen what they would like to see, Pritzker said Wednesday. I have not seen what the Democrats have come up with yet. So, I hope theyll produce a map soon too, and well see where we go." Republicans, without the votes in the General Assembly to stop a Democratic map, hope Pritzker will keep his initial promise. "This will be a good test for Pritzker," said state Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet. "Did he mean what he said when he said he would veto a map that wasn't a fair map with an independent commission that was used a computer system that didn't know where the incumbents live?" What's proposed for Central Illinois McLean County would be split among three Senate districts and five House districts. The most significant change proposed involves the 46th Senate district, a swingy Peoria-based seat that currently includes working class areas in Fulton County. Under the new proposal, the district would stretch from Peoria to the urban portions of Bloomington-Normal, presumably adding thousands of Democratic voters in the process. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The Twin Cities, currently split between Sally Turner and state Sen. Jason Barickman, R-Bloomington, would largely be unified under one legislative district under the proposal. The 91st House district, which covers half the Senate district, would include Bloomington and Normal along with portions of Peoria, Tazewell and Woodford counties. Both the House and Senate district could give Democrats an opportunity to compete in the county, which currently has an all-Republican state legislative delegation. On the other hand, the Senate districts Barickman and Turner each represent would become more rural in nature. I think there was nothing surprising about last nights disclosure other than the abundant lack of transparency that exists around it, Barickman said Saturday in an interview with The Pantagraph. Its difficult to ascertain the specific impact to anyone because theres a lack of detailed data," he said. "Its a PDF that doesn't allow you to even determine where the actual boundaries exist. Barickman said he expects there to be changes before the final maps are approved. State Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, whose 105th House district would also serve to get more rural under the proposed, said the process was "obviously flawed" and "lacked transparency." Its different. Its an opportunity to represent potentially new people, which I have always enjoyed representing people, whether that is those who I have been representing for years in my district," Brady said. "The one thing I think is important to keep in mind is the true data that have been used in this is skeptical, Im very skeptical of the data. The western and southwestern portions of the county would be included in the 87th House district, which would also encompass most of Tazewell County and the northern portion of Logan County. The new district would include the home of state Rep. Keith Sommer, R-Morton. The northeastern portion of the county would be in the 106th House district, currently represented by Thomas Bennett, R-Gibson City. Macon County would be split into three Senate districts and four House districts. Most of the urban core of Decatur would continue to be in the 48th Senate District, currently represented by state Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield. The district would pick up most of Springfields Democratic-trending west side while dropping conservative Macoupin and Montgomery counties. Watch now: Springfield alderman chosen to fill Manar's seat in Illinois Senate (copy) Andy Manar resigned Jan. 17 after eight years in the Illinois Senate to become a senior advisor to Gov. J.B. Pritzker, departing the chamber with just under two years left in his term. Turner could not be reached for comment Saturday. The 96th House District, which covers half the Senate district and connects the east side of Springfield and Decatur, appears to remain mostly intact. The district is represented by state Rep. Sue Scherer, D-Decatur. "Last night was the first time I saw the entire map," Scherer said in a statement. "I'll be reviewing it this weekend." The other half of the district, the 95th House District, would include a sliver into rural Macon County. It also includes rural portions of northern Christian County and loops around Springfields urban core to capture outlying areas on the citys south and west sides and north end. It appears to include Butler's Springfield home. The proposed map would place most of northern and eastern Macon County, currently represented by state Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, in state Sen. Sally Turners 44th Senate District, which would also include all or parts of DeWitt, Logan, McLean, Menard, Piatt, Sangamon and Tazewell counties. The 88th House District would cover the northern and western portions of the county, an area currently represented by state Rep. Dan Caulkins, R-Decatur. "It's not really a map," Caulkins said. "I mean, it's a painted picture of Illinois that has different areas colored in claiming to be House districts and Senate districts." "This is Mike Madigan all over again," he said. The county's southern portion, currently represented by state Rep. Brad Halbrook, R-Shelbyville, would be in the 107th House district. Rose's 51st Senate district would shift south and east, straddling the Indiana border, stretching from Champaign County to as far south as Lawrence County. It would not include any portion of Macon County. Much of Rose's new district would include pieces of state Sen. Darren Bailey's current district. Bailey, R-Louisville, is seeking the GOP nomination for governor and thus forgoing a reelection bid. Mac White, chairman of the Coles County Democrats, said he is still assessing the proposed boundary maps, but believed that Rose, a Charleston native, Rose would be a more capable advocate for the Coles County area that current 110th district Rep. Chris Miller, R-Oakland. Bailey released a statement about the proposed legislative boundary maps Saturday afternoon via his office, which indicated that he will be touching more on this topic in the coming week. "A closed-door redistricting process was brought to fruition as Democrats posted a 'map' using inaccurate data," Bailey said. Democrats are pushing ahead with their agenda so they can pick their voters and keep their power. The governor needs to own up to his campaign promise and step in and end the madness." Sierra Henry of The Pantagraph contributed to this report. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Many centres continue to record a high turnout for the second shot of the COVID-19 vaccine in Accra. As a result, there was congestion at some centres, while some people disregarded the COVID-19 safety protocols when the second round of the special vaccination exercise started last Wednesday, a total of 13, 682 people received the shot in Accra, Kumasi and parts of the Central Region. Yesterday, when the Daily Graphic toured some centres to assess the situation, many people had reported as early as 5:00a.m., but the exercise started late, creating large crowds. Places visited included the Adabraka Polyclinic, Osu Government Maternity Home, Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Chorkor Police Station and the Ledzokuku-Krowor Municipal Assembly (LEKMA) Hospital. COVID-19 safety protocol Even though Veronica buckets were placed at the centres and chairs spaced up to ensure social distancing, as well as periodic reminders of adherence to the protocols, it was difficult to enforce it due to the large number of people, some of whom had their face masks hanging on their chin. At the Greater Accra Regional Hospital and LEKMA, however, the protocols were enforced with some difficulties. There were also agitations at some centres where people attempted to jump the long queues, while at other centres the process was slow due to some technical challenges. Concerns At the Adabraka Polyclinic, management had to use a rope to demarcate the centre when more people were rushing to the area. A nurse who spoke to the Daily Graphic on condition of anonymity said she felt unsafe because of peoples disregard for safety protocols at the centre. We try to make sure people comply with the safety protocols, but all have proved futile. Some of them even get upset when we remind them to wear their face masks, claiming they were insulated because of the first shot they received. Now Ive decided to rather protect myself and not talk again and that is why I am wearing double masks, she said. Despite the challenges, however, many who were in the queue said they were ready to wait for their turn rather than go and return another day. Though the arrangement could have been better, given that a similar thing happened during the first round, there is nothing I can do but to wait for my turn no matter how long it will take because I cannot come back on another day, Nii Adjetey Adjei said at the LEKMA hospital. For his part, Mr Asiedu, who was also yet to take his jab at the Adabraka Polyclinic said he did not see the need to wear his face mask as he claimed he was secure due to the first jab he took. They said the vaccine is meant to protect us against the virus so if that is the case why do I have to continue wearing this mask? I suffocate when I put it on and if I dont take care, that may even kill me, he said. Those who successfully took the second jab expressed delight over the exercise claiming that they were now immune to the coronavirus. Source: Graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament of Adaklu, Mr Governs Kwame Agbodza, has urged political office holders and technocrats in Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to serve as the fulcrum for development. "Those who fought to be elected or appointed into the Assembly should have the development of the area in mind, and nothing else," he said. Community engagement Mr Agbodza gave the admonition in an address at the Adaklu Assembly's Public Consultation Community Engagement on the preparation of its 2022 - 2025 Medium Term Development Plan. It was attended by chiefs, opinion leaders, Assembly members, Unit Committee members, Assembly staff, heads of decentralised departments, among other personalities. Mr Agbodza, therefore, urged public servants to work hard to justify their appointment and posting to the Assembly devoid of political affiliation. Projects He said the district was left behind in development projects but he was happy that things were turning out for the better. The MP said he was committing part of his share of the MPs Common Fund and other resources to eliminate all schools under trees in the district in the next three years. He said though the Free Senior High School was good, the government failed to match infrastructure with enrolment. Mr Agbodzah commended Pencils of Promise and Adanu, educational Non-Governmental Organisations working in the district, for the yeoman's job they were doing to raise the standard of education, adding "PoP built 24 classroom blocks for basic schools in the district." He also praised teachers and health workers for working diligently to transform the district. Revenue Mr Agbodza urged the Assembly to intensify the collection of revenue in the district to boost its Internally Generated Funds in order to undertake more development projects and also use a percentage of it to award scholarships to needy brilliant students. He urged the people to take the COVID-19 vaccine when it was their turn to do so, saying "the assertion that the vaccine is meant to wipe the black race or will make people impotent or barren is a fallacy." The Adaklu District Chief Executive, Mr Phanuel Kadey Donkor, informed the gathering that projects not included in the Assembly's Medium Term Development Plan would not be executed. He told the people that the future of the district was bright due to the numerous development projects being undertaken by the government and the Assembly. Source: Graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Country in the dark as Port City Bill is passed View(s): The Port City Bill was finally passed on Thursday with the contents of the Law shrouded in secrecy. The Bill was placed on the order paper of Parliament during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year break leaving would be petitioners who wished to challenge the Constitutionality of the Bill with barely two days to do so. After the Supreme Court heard 24 petitions it issued a determination stating that some clauses would require a two third majority while other clauses would in addition require a referendum. The Government last Thursday moved several Committee stage amendments to bring it in line with the Supreme Court recommendations. How accurately this was done will have to be determined only after the final version of the Act is printed. After the Bill was passed there was some confusion about the numbers who had voted in support of the Bill. If there was confusion with the numbers who had voted it is suggestive that even the committee stage amendments may not be as accurate. From the time the Port City was conceived there have been various concerns expressed about the feasibility of the project. The project itself was an unsolicited one and gave rise to environmental concerns among fishermen on the shores north and south of Colombo. The immediate concerns however related to the contents of the Bill itself. There were many suggestions that a white paper should be circulated to get the views of the public. Venerable Elle Gunawansa Thero and Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith at a joint press conference called on the Government to permit further discussion before proceeding with the Bill. The Government simply gave a deaf ear to the two religious leaders and proceeded to approve the bill in Parliament. Even the veteran LSSP leader Professor Tissa Vitharana was not allowed to move an amendment to the bill. The Government it seems was in no mood to delay the passage of the bill. Whether it was its desire to please the Chinese at all costs or some other reason only time will tell. The Chinese were for their part were quite gung ho even before the bill was passed and invited some Parliamentarians to visit the Port City. How the Chinese Embassy in Colombo could extend such an invitation raised eyebrows with no clear indication whether the Foreign Ministry had given the green light for such an invitation. A name board within the Port City with English, Chinese and Sinhalese lettering too was the subject matter of much discussion. The peoples attention with regard to the Governments handling of the COVID-19 virus and the difference of opinion between the Government and the medical specialists caused much concern. While medical specialists insisted that only a continuous 14-day lockdown will serve the need of the hour the Government had a different view. On Friday, the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) along with the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA), Association of Medical Specialists (AMS) and Sri Lanka Medical Intercollegiate Committee (SMIC) urged the government to lockdown the country for at least two weeks (14 days), at a stretch. In a media statement the four organisations pointed out that it would not be long before the hospitals were overwhelmed. This will lead to a breakdown of the health sector. Any of the steps implemented so far had not been able to get the situation under control, they said. The medical associations said the detected number of daily cases had crossed the 3,000 mark and the actual number in the community was three times that figure. When the infection is spreading this extensively, there is no country that has managed to contain the infection without a strict lockdown (or curfew) being declared. As such, while acknowledging the very significant short-term hardships the common man will have to face, we see no option than a strictly implemented mobility restriction as an effective strategy that is left to contain the infection, SLMA said in a media statement. In their statement the SLMA went on to point out that the decision to call for a lockdown was taken on the scientific observations given below: 1. Minimum 14 days would cover two cycles of incubation periods of the infection that is likely to be adequate to break the chain of uncontrolled spread of the disease. 2. The infection is rampant in all provinces, making inter provincial travel restrictions to be of no useful benefit at this stage of the outbreak. 3. As isolation of Grama Niladhari (GN) divisions occur with a five to seven day delay following the detection of cases, isolation of GN divisions does not serve the purpose of restricting the transmission of infection. By the time the GN divisions are isolated, the infection with an inherent high transmissibility has spread way beyond the GN divisions. 4. Country-wide lockdown for just a few days at a stretch will not have any significant effect on the case load or transmission of the disease as it does not cover even one incubation period to reduce infectivity and transmission of the infection. 5. Repeated, intermittent and short lockdowns, with people coming together for work in enclosed areas following this, will not have any benefit on the economy as it will only create a scenario that will only increase the numbers of COVID-19 cases within these premises. 6. Letting people go out according to National Identity Card numbers is unlikely to serve any purpose at this stage of infection characterised by high transmissibility. 7. Allowing public transport with seated passengers, 25% of the capacity of customers in supermarkets, restaurants (dining in), hotels, rest houses, shopping malls, shops etc., will increase the number of cases at this stage of spread of infection in the community. In addition, they said a 14-day complete lockdown or a curfew at a stretch at this crucial juncture will have a much healthier impact on the economy, in the formal as well as the informal sectors, and the health sector, rather than isolating sections of the country randomly or by interprovincial travel restrictions. It would be prudent for the Government to take into consideration all the well-considered and scientifically argued suggestions of the health authorities in planning its strategies. (javidyusuf@gmail.com) Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia Sunday joined the Christ the King Catholic Church for a mass service to mark the farewell of Reverend Father Andrew Campbell, outgoing Parish Priest, after serving for 12 years, and 50 years of missionary work in Ghana. The occasion also marked the 70th Anniversary of the Christ the King Parish, which saw the Vice President joining Rev. Father Campbell to cut the Anniversary Cake. Vice President Bawumia commended Rev. Father Campbell for his exemplary leadership, love and care towards cured lepers, street children and humanity in general. On behalf of government, he acknowledged the role of Rev. Father Campbell, who was the Chaplain at the Jubilee House, the seat of Government, in providing the spiritual needs of the leadership. "I don't know but our spirits bond together and as he (Father Campbell) has not retired from priesthood duties, he will continue to help society in diverse ways," Dr Bawumia said. The Vice President presented GHC100,000 to Rev. Father Campbell, as he retires from active duties, in appreciation for his diligent work. Dr Bawumia also presented GHc50,000 to the Church on the occasion of its 70th Anniversary, on behalf of Government. He acknowledged the immense contributions of the Catholic Church towards providing quality healthcare and educational needs of many Ghanaians. Rev. Father Campbell, in his farewell address, thanked the parishioners for their love and support in ensuring a successful tenure. He urged them to extend the same support and cooperation to the incoming parish priest and continue the outreach programmes to win more souls for Christ. The foundation stone of the Christ the King Catholic Church was laid on May 22, 1951 by Rev. Father Charles Erb. The 70th Anniversary was held on the theme: "Celebrating our Faith and Love; Doing Something Beautiful for God". It attracted high-profile dignitaries including the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, Samira Bawumia, wife of the Vice President, Mr Henry Quartey, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, and Mr Sam Okudzeto, a Member of the Council of State. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwesi Amoako-Atta has said government has earmarked 120 out of 200 programmed bridges in various part of the country for completion at the end of President Nana Addo's second term. He made the disclosure at governments press briefing in Accra on Sunday May 23, 2021. According to him, this forms part of governments broader plan of improving the countrys road network and bring development close to Ghanaians. Part of the programmed bridges for construction Mr Amoako-Atta said are 50 bridges under the Czech Bridges Programme of which bridge components are being fabricated in Czech Republic with the arrival of 21 of them in the country pending the start of work. He also disclosed that among the 120 bridges is Dikpe, Iture and Ankobra Bridge, the Volivo cable-stay bridge, Adawso to Ekyeamanfrom Bridge over the Volta in Afram Plains, 89 Mabey Bailey Bridges as well as the reconstruction of Buipe, Yapei and Daboya Bridges. This he said the contract has been awarded preliminary designs submitted pending approval for work to begin. Additionally, touching on completed bridges in the country, he said 69 steel bridges across the feeder roads network are completed and will be launched under the Sinohydro Project, 20 bridges rehabilitation on trunk roads network, 13 Spanish bridges and 7 Northern Bridges in Kulungugu, Garu1, Garu2, Doninga, Sisili and Ambalara have been completed and opened to traffic. Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A swift intervention by fire officers on duty at the premises of the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) prevented a possible destruction to one of the major electricity installations in Tema. A security guard of GRIDCo spotted smoke emanating from one of the pylons on the company's close circuit television and quickly alerted the fire service department stationed on the companys premises and they managed to douse the fire. The actual cause of the fire is under investigation, but preliminary investigations by the police indicated that the fire was set by an unidentified person who intruded the installation. Complain The acting Public Relations Officer of the Tema Regional Police Command, Chief Inspector Dede Dzakpasu, told the Daily Graphic that at about 3:40 a.m. of last Thursday, the Chief Technician of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Tema Regional Office, Mr Isaac Collins Aidoo, accompanied by a colleague, lodged a complaint with the police that someone had set fire to a 33 kilovolt electricity cable connected to a pylon adjacent GRIDCo and close to the Tema Oil Refinery. The installation, which was fenced with a wire mesh, was intruded by the yet-to-be-identified person or persons. She said when the police visited the scene, the fire had been doused by fire personnel on GRIDCos premises called to the scene by a security guard who spotted smoke emanating from the pylon on the company's CCTV. Preliminary investigation Chief Inspector Dzakpasu said initial investigation and examination of the crime scene indicated that the perpetrator(s) had cut part of the wire mesh fence before getting access into the installation to burn the pylon. According to her, the police saw burnt debris of vehicle tyres at the base of the pylon, an indication that the perpetrator(s) had used a vehicle tyre to set the fire to the pylon. Chief Inspector Dzakpasu appealed to the public who might have any relevant information on the incident to contact the Tema police. Recall The incident is the latest of such installations coming under threats. In March 2019, one of GRIDCo's towers in Tema collapsed after alleged thieves vandalised the bolts and nuts at Tema along the Volta Smelter transmission site. That incident, which happened at about 1:30 a.m., saw the power generation systems losing some 180 megawatts of power and plunging some parts of the country in darkness. Source: Graphiconline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A heavy rainstorm has ripped up the roofs of some structures of the Kusanaba Senior High School in the Bawku West District of the Upper East Region, breaking three computers and other machines. The Administration block and three classrooms were also affected, compelling the administrative staff including; the headmaster of the school to work under trees. In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mr Daniel Abugri, the Headmaster of the school, said the incident occurred on April 20, 2021 and had affected the activities of the school. He said all the materials in the stationary store were either destroyed or soaked with water making most of them, including important files impossible to salvage. As we speak, I have no administration block, I sit under a tree with my accountant and other officers, we only managed to get some small space to put office materials there and it is affecting work greatly, he said. He said as a result of the return of the final year students, coupled with shortage of infrastructure, management of the school used the little resource available to re-roof two of the three classrooms that were ripped-up. The Headmaster therefore appealed to the District Assembly and other stakeholders and philanthropists to assist the school repair and re-roof the structures to prevent further damage especially as the rains had set in. When the GNA contacted Mr Timothy Nasaal Yuornuo, the Bawku West District Director Education, he said about 20 schools in the district lost their roofs due to the rainstorm, including 19 basic schools. He said the management of the schools had officially communicated to the District Education Directorate, which also communicated the information to the Bawku West District Assembly for assistance. He affirmed that academic work in most of the schools were being done under trees and the situation was significantly affecting quality education and called for urgent assistance. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Tema West constituency chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Boakye has descended on the Ashanti Regional Security Coordinator DCOP Opare Addo describing him as 'deceitful'. A group of persons alleged to be part of the supposed disbanded pro-NPP vigilante group, the Delta Force, were arrested for allegedly attempting to forcibly remove DCOP Opare Addo from his office. Expired Tenure The acting National Security Coordinator, Major General Francis Adu Amanfo (rtd) in defending the act said the tenure of DCOP Opare Addo had expired. He had no locus to be in the office because a new officer had been appointed, and he should have handed over to the officer, and he says he wont hand over. So that is why a team was sent from Accra to go and mitigate and facilitate the handing and taking over the process. The bottom line of all of this is that Opare Addo had a contract with National Security and for four years he was the regional liaison for the National Security. His term of the contract has expired. It was not renewed because of non-performance and his own criminal activities Meanwhile, DCOP Opare Addo has denied ever engaging in any criminal activity. Speaking to this on Me Man Nti programme on Neat FM, Nana Boakye said the Regional Security Coordinator wants to elicit sympathy and that was why he mentioned the name of 'Delta Force'. "...but he's being deceitful. The personnel were from the National Security. He is just playing on the emotions of Ghanaians. When the officials came; were they wearing Delta Force shirts? He is a liar" he fired. Listen to him in the video below Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Thank you for reading the Philadelphia Tribune. You have exhausted your free article views for this month. Please press the "subscribe" button below and see our introductory price of $0.25 per week for 13 weeks. Otherwise, we look forward to seeing you next month. Dancing to the tune of the Port City fiddler while the nation burns View(s): There is great and coruscating anger that bubbles to the fore as covid-afflicted Sri Lankans die in (uncounted) numbers while ruling party politicians fixate on the exact parliamentary majority on which it won the Port City Economic Commission Bill vote in Parliament this week. Why this palpably indecent hurry? Who cares whether the Bill was passed by a two thirds majority or a simple majority in the House at a time when the nation is burning? Is this a simple stroking of the monstrous ego of the Rajapaksa regime? Or does the Governments curious if not frenetic obsession on this point, exemplified by palpitating if not perspiring Ministers insisting that the votes were counted incorrectly, originate from another source of concern? Several amendments were proposed by the Supreme Court as imperative, in the absence of which, the Bill could only be passed by the special (two thirds) majority required by Article 84(2) of the Constitution, while others were stipulated as needing a referendum. Were these amendments, as judicially framed, actually reflected in the Bill passed by the House on Thursday? Who will indeed know in the shambles that passes for parliamentary law making these days? A detailed study is warranted once the law is publicly available. One excellent question by the nationalist monk Elle Gunawansa Thero during the joint press conference held with the Roman Catholic Churchs Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith was precisely this. Who can check what amendments will go in this Bill if passed in such haste? he questioned. That request was, of course, summarily disregarded. That the Government cares tuppence for monks in whose temples the Rajapaksas once plotted their return following the 2015 defeat is no secret. Indeed, these monks are now openly scoffed at by governing politicians who once worshipped at their feet. Some would snigger that this is well deserved. Regardless, the unseemly dance by the Government to the tune of the Port City fiddler is on the rationale that this will bring Chinese caviar (if there ever was such a thing) and champagne for a people who cannot even sustain themselves on dhal and rice. A few days ago, a wretched farmer in the rice bowl of the North Central Province, left without an alternative for chemical fertilizer which was abruptly banned, shrieked pointing to his wasted fields, so we will all get food by this Port City? This Government which came to power on the votes of farmers now talks only of the Port City. We will stop farming. Let all of us starve and die. A grotesque twisting of a good venture It is not the intention in this column space to analyse the Courts Determination on the Bill but suffice to remark that the judicial interventions thereon were a nod to the barest fig leaf covering our national nudity. That it had to be left to the apex Court to declare that the reclaimed territory of the Port City was state owned (how could it ever be not?), to extend the authority of regulatory authorities to the proposed Commission and strike down the more pervasive discriminatory clauses that sought to treat Sri Lankans as second-class citizens is profoundly shocking of and by itself. Indeed, the ignoble spectacle of the Prime Minister resplendent with kurakkan shawl promising on the floor of the House that the Chairman of the proposed Commission and the majority of its members will be Sri Lankans as if this is some grand magnanimous gesture, is pitiful. To be clear, the issue is not in the idea of the Port City itself. Rather, it is the grotesque manner in which the Bill has been twisted to create an entity which, despite the Courts input, will be a law unto itself, creating a layer of the uber privileged, super rich with their accompanying political parasites to the exclusion of all others. To what depths have the dignity of the nation fallen in obsequious worship of the yuan? This is manifested in countless other ways as well. Official notifications apparently routinely replace the Tamil language with Chinese. This included, quite scandalously, a plaque in a new electronic library launched with Chinese funding at the Department of the Attorney General a few days ago. Should not the state law office (at least) have taken greater care to avoid such manifest violations of the law and the Constitution in the first place?An assurance that the plaque would be replaced by one which reflects all three languages is an afterthought surely. Where is the Government policy on all of this? Repeated errors of judgment on covid prevention Meanwhile, the covid-afflicted die in their homes, others survive in isolated communities without assistance while the seemingly fortunate wait in miserable queues to obtain vaccination for insulation (or so they pray) against the covid plague. Repeated errors of judgment by the political leadership, the Ministry of Health and its associated mouthpieces including the Director General of Health and his deputies along with the good but sadly incoherent gentlemen of the Epidemiology Unit continue unchecked. What will happen if primary health services including Base Hospitals situated throughout the nation making up the spine of Sri Lankas long established public health system, break down completely? This is being reported even now in some instances while politicians parade the installation of new beds which are useless in the absence of sufficient skilled staff, equipment and infrastructure. Senior medical professionals have united in a pressing demand for more stringent measures in dealing with a relentless third wave. But this is much like the playing a violin to deaf elephants as the pithy Sinhala saying puts it with economic consequences being advanced as the counter argument. Even so, the objection that daily wage earners would not be able to work if a short and drastic lockdown is imposed is simply without merit. For that finite period, which will act as a circuit breaker to the covid wildfire that is now raging, that segment of the population can surely be compensated by moneys out of the Presidents Itukama Fund or perchance, huge sums apparently spent on luxury cars for the public sector in the midst of this crisis. In sum, four gigantic flaws have characterized our pandemic response. First, a colossal arrogance which never acknowledges that mistakes have been made, including the ridiculous insistence that there is no community spread despite Sri Lankas map being painted red with covid reaching every nook and cranny. Cries of the dead ring in our ears Second, allowing the military to lead what should essentially have been a competent public health sector response supported at logistical levels by the military. Thirdly, the unconscionable use of the covid emergency to fatten their purses by political and corporate favourites. Fourthly, restraining freedoms of expression and information regarding the gravity of what confronts us. The military Secretary of the Health Ministrys recent prohibition on health sector personnel speaking to media without prior permission has been defied by the Public Health Inspectors Union and the Association of Lab Technicians. And in directing state officials to speak to him rather than to the media which, he says, will instill fear in the public, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has perpetuated this fundamental error. The President must apprise himself that informing the people about dangers facing the nation does not result in fear. Instead, it leads to heightened awareness and support for necessary emergency measures. Thus, if health authorities had placed restrictions on inter-provincial travel without permitting the people to throw caution to the winds during the traditional New Year (Avurudu), we would not have had this present agony. Who will answer for the avoidable deaths of Sri Lankans that ring like a grisly chant in our ears each passing day, drowning out congratulatory applause that wafts across the seas from Beijing for having passed Colombos Port City Economic Commission Bill? NAMANVE Coca-Cola Beverages Africa in Uganda has unveiled a new Minute Maid Fruity Boost Mango drink, changed to support the Buy Uganda, Build Uganda agenda. Launching the new Minute Maid Fruity Boost Mango at the Century Bottling Company Namanve Plant, General Manager Melkamu Abebe said the fruit and dairy blend was the first product off a brand new US$15million line installed this year to produce drinks from raw materials made in Uganda. We are very happy today to reveal to Ugandans a high quality, tasty and healthy nutritious drink with content that is from Ugandan farmers! We made a promise to Ugandans and to the Government and we are meeting that promise by bottling Minute Maid Fruity Boost Mango containing milk from Uganda! he said. Abebe added that the drink was also designed for the health conscious Ugandans who opt for beverages that contain natural nutrients, as well as Ugandans who like vibrant products. We talk about health and safety every day in many ways these days. Every contribution that everybody can make to increased health in our society is welcome and we believe that a dairy juice blend can be added to the list. We are always on a quest to become a total beverage company, meeting all the refreshment and hydration needs of our consumers Minute Maid Fruity Boost Mango fits the bill, Abebe said. Coca-Cola Beverages Africa in Uganda bottles various non-alcoholic ready-to-drink beverages at its Rwenzori and Century Bottling plants in Namanve and Mbarara. The beverages include carbonated soft drinks (sodas), juices under the Minute Mid brand, Rwenzori Pure Natural Mineral Water, and Predator and Power Play Energy drinks. Conrad van Niekerk, Managing Director of Coca-Cola Beverages Africas Central Africa Region, said the decision to go local was premised on the companys strategy to increase local investments in Uganda. I have personally believed in BUBU before I even heard the term, and I fully agree with the government policy. As a company we are walking the talk by buying more and more of our ingredients and raw materials locally from Ugandans to support both the local business community as well as Ugandan farmers, van Niekerk said. The governments Buy Uganda, Build Uganda (BUBU) initiative seeks to promote the consumption of local goods and services, promote the use of and conformity to standard to guarantee quality goods and services and to provide capacity programs to local suppliers of goods and services. Supporting the communities we operate in is at the centre of our company strategy. We will not stop finding more opportunities to support the economy by doing business the right way, he added. Players in the agricultural sector are set to benefit from this development as it will provide a market for their produce. Agriculture remains the major source of livelihood in Uganda and the country is believed to have the potential to become the food basket for sub-Saharan Africa with the right investments in place. According to the Uganda National Household Survey (UNHS) 2016/17, the bigger proportion of the working population is engaged in agriculture, forestry and fishing (65%). It also accounted for the largest share of employment (36%) with a total GDP contribution at current prices of 24.9 per cent in the FY 2016/17 compared to 23.7 per cent in FY 2015/16. According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), Uganda produced 2.7billion litres of milk in 2019/20 an increase from 2.5 billion litres in 2018/19. An increase in milk production earned Uganda $131.5 million in 2018 and $135.9 million in 2019. This is an increase of 6% when the two years production revenue earnings are calculated. As Coca-Cola is set to start consuming more of it from the local market, this will increase the demand for milk in the market. Unveiling Minute Maid Fruity Boost Mango today is proof that we are ahead of the changing market trends and that we move with agility to meet our consumers needs. Innovation is at the heart of everything we do, and is now being presented to Ugandans in this bottle from the development and design to the raw material and the research that went into combining the fruit juice with Ugandan milk. We are BUBU and proud of it, said Flavia Nabaasa, Business Development and Commercialization Director. Raising a toast at the launch, Sales Director Ivan Oboth said Minute Maid Fruity Boost was originally being imported from Kenya but when it became popular with many Ugandans the company decided to develop its production in Uganda. Minute Maid Fruity Boost Mango is a high quality healthy infusion of milk and juice that will both refresh and energise consumers. I am keen on health and fitness and I drink it often myself with great effect, he said. Comments A goal the State Ports Authority once called "aggressive" is well within reach as the maritime agency enters the final months of fiscal 2021, thanks to the coronavirus-driven import boom that continues to set cargo records at the Port of Charleston. Trouble is, that goal might happen a year too early to help pad SPA workers' paychecks. Back in September 2019, the authority's board of directors approved a long-term incentive plan that would pay employees, including executives, double their annual bonus if the agency attained an operating cash flow of $115 million in fiscal 2022. With two months left in the current fiscal year, the SPA has already notched $100.2 million of that goal. And that's without any revenue from cruise ships, which COVID-19 shut down more than a year ago. Finishing above the $115 million figure seems likely. But this is fiscal 2021, and the bonus plan is for fiscal 2022, which begins July 1. Whether the SPA can repeat the cash flow feat next year is anybody's guess. Some analysts are expecting a return to a service-dominant economy, with consumers spending more on luxuries like vacations and restaurant meals than imported hard goods like furniture and electronics. Jim Newsome, the SPA's president and CEO, said initial projections are that next year's cash flow will be less than this year's. Newsome is also reluctant to call the $115 million figure a sure thing for this fiscal year. "It is too early to extrapolate May and June as we have some one-time expenses such as berth dredging and the like," he said. Regardless, there is some good news on the bonus front for the SPA's 700 or so workers. When the budget was put together for the current fiscal year, the economy was in the depths of pandemic shutdowns and things looked bleak. Shipping lines were canceling voyages and Charleston's port missed its growth goal for the first time in years. That caused the SPA's board to cancel bonuses for fiscal 2021 as part of a belt-tightening move. But when cargo levels rebounded, the board reversed course and re-established an incentive plan for the current year. "The overall container market has been very strong ... due to pandemic-related consumer spending," Newsome said. "We have also opened a container terminal, implemented a new operating system, and will spend more on rail truck drayage due to a truck capacity shortage, all of which increase our expenses. But, our team has done a good job managing discretionary expenses, which mitigates some of those increased expenses." While bonuses were down last year, they can amount to some serious cash. Newsome, for example, received an extra $331,250 after leading the port to a record cargo year in fiscal 2019. Bottom line: There likely will be a bonus payout for SPA workers when this fiscal year's final numbers are tallied. It just won't be the double bonus that board members envisioned for hitting the $115 million cash flow target. Iron man The International Iron Workers union was founded 125 years ago, and Herman Clark has been a member for more than half that time. Clark recently was honored with a 70-year membership pin by Charleston's branch of the iron workers union. He moved to Charleston in 1950 to work on the old Sergeant Jasper apartment building overlooking Colonial Lake on Broad Street. His job was to heat the rivets that were used to connect girders to the columns of the structure. He was 26 years old at the time. After the apartments were torn down in 2018 to make way for a newer and much fancier version by The Beach Co., the Charleston-based developer invited Clark for a 97th birthday celebration and a tour of the new site. Sign up for our new business newsletter We're starting a weekly newsletter about the business stories that are shaping Charleston and South Carolina. Get ahead with us - it's free. Email Sign Up! "I never saw a building as beautiful as this one is," Clark said during his February tour of the mixed-use building dubbed The Jasper. "The view from the top of Colonial Lake is beautiful." Clark moved to Charleston after serving in World War II. He said he picked a career in construction because he liked to work outdoors. "Being out in the open air was nice," he said, according to a report on The Jasper's website. "I didnt like to be inside and thats why I did construction work." Clark also worked on the Silas N. Pearman Bridge, the newer of the since-demolished Cooper River spans, and The Post and Courier newspaper's press. The local iron workers union gave Clark his 60-year pin in February and, after doing a little research, realized he actually should have received his 70-year pin. It was delivered May 19 at the union's headquarters on Pepperdam Avenue in North Charleston. Metal movements The Century Aluminum boss who went toe-to-toe with Santee Cooper officials over electricity costs for the metal-maker's Mount Holly smelter near Goose Creek, is stepping down. The company announced May 17 that Mike Bless will retire as president and CEO effective July 1 following 15 years with Century, including nearly 10 years as CEO. He also will step down from the company's board of directors at that time but will remain an adviser through next March. Jesse Gary, currently Centurys executive vice president, chief operating officer and general counsel, will succeed Bless. "This leadership transition comes at the right time for Century, with Mike having established a strong foundation for continued growth and success of the company," Andrew Michelmore, board chairman, said in a statement. Century recently started replacing equipment at its Berkeley County site off U.S. Highway 52 as part of a new deal with electricity provider Santee Cooper that will let the smelter increase capacity and hire more workers over the coming years. The metal manufacturer plans to invest $50 million this year to increase Mount Hollys aluminum-making annual output capacity to 140,000 tons. The company expects capacity will reach 170,000 tons per year or 75 percent of full production by the time the expansion is finished next year. The company also will hire about 70 workers as part of the expansion, bringing its local payroll to about 370 employees. The new contract will let Century purchase all of the power needed for Mount Holly about 300 megawatts at a fixed price through at least 2023. Santee Cooper isn't the only utility in South Carolina being prodded to change its ways. Duke Energy, which cut its teeth in the Palmetto State, also is feeling the heat. An activist hedge fund is pressing the Charlotte-based power-and-gas giant to dismantle the seven-state franchise it has built up since building its first electric plant near Rock Hill about 120 years ago. Elliott Management Corp. fired off a letter May 17 urging Duke's directors to explore its proposal. The West Palm Beach, Fla.-based investor, which described itself as a top 10 stockholder in the company and is requesting seats on the board, estimated its plan would generate as much as $15 billion of line-of-sight value for shareholders. Elliott wants to carve up Duke into three smaller geographically focused utilities that would serve the Carolinas, Florida and the Midwest. It said "greater operational focus" would result in "improved execution, better system reliability, lower costs and increased investment in critical infrastructure, including renewables. Duke dismissed the idea almost immediately, saying it's the latest in a series of structural changes the $40 billion fund has brought to the table since July. "Throughout, Duke Energys board of directors has reviewed their proposals in depth and determined that they are not in the best interests of the company, its shareholders and other stakeholders," it said in a written rebuke last week. McMaster's missive The shakeup plan also is drawing blowback from politicians, including South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster. His office caught wind of the proposal from media reports about a week before Elliott went public with the details May 17. He dashed off a formal letter dated May 13 to Duke CEO Lynn Good, telling her to stand her ground. "I believe that it is in the best interest of South Carolina ratepayers for Duke Energy to remain an independent company headquartered in the Carolinas," he wrote. McMaster described the utility operator headquartered just across the state line as "an important partner in our economic prosperity, employing thousands of people and providing power to hundreds of thousands more." In addition, he said, Duke plays a key role in emergency management response efforts when hurricanes and other disasters wreak havoc with South Carolina's electric grid. McMaster also pointed to the failed V.C. Summer expansion and the uncertainty it has created for state-owned Santee Cooper, which was responsible for 45 percent of the losses from the abandoned nuclear project and is set to face much stricter oversight under a reform bill being negotiated in Columbia. The fallout from the $9 billion Fairfield County boondoggle "makes it even more important that our state has abundant access to reliable, consistent and affordable power," the governor told Good. Sign up for our new business newsletter We're starting a weekly newsletter about the business stories that are shaping Charleston and South Carolina. Get ahead with us - it's free. Email Sign Up! Duke delivers electricity to 775,000 customers and gas to another 150,000 in South Carolina. Its service territory stretches across the entire upper swath of the state, from Oconee to McCormick counties in the west over to Horry and Georgetown counties along the coast. South Carolina has a prominent and early place in the corporate archives. The nucleus of the utility later named for early financial backer James Buchanan Duke was the Catawba Power Co. Formed in the late 1890s, it was led by Dr. W. Gill Wylie, a surgeon who returned to his native South Carolina from New York to build a hydroelectric dam across the Catawba River in York County. One of the goals was to attract industrial jobs to diversify the then-rural area's impoverished farm-based economy. A newspaper report in 1900 called the construction project "an immense affair, costing in the immediate neighborhood of $1,000,000." Four years later, a cotton mill in Rock Hill became one of the first manufacturers to plug into the new water-driven power source. Duke has come a long way since then. It's now the third-largest U.S. utility based on its stock market value. It runs nine subsidiaries that employ 27,500 workers that distribute power and gas to nearly 9 million homes and businesses in the Carolinas, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Florida. Trading barbs Elliott is targeting Duke's expansion-minded past as a liability, saying the company has been more focused on "empire building" than on making prudent investments that make money for investors. "Our extensive diligence and conversations with stakeholders have made it clear that the companys sprawling, noncontiguous portfolio of utilities has burdened shareholders with a 'conglomerate discount' relative to the value of Dukes utility franchises," it said. Elliott also homed in on several "execution missteps" that have strained the company's balance sheet, including a 2014 coal ash spill that required billions of dollars to clean up and a failed investment in the $8 billion Atlantic Coast Pipeline project that was scuttled last summer. It also said that recent moves improve the utility's "investment proposition" after rumors surfaced that would-be Santee Cooper buyer NextEra Energy was looking to make a play for Duke weren't enough to move the valuation needle. Elliott sees no major changes for the utility's core Carolinas operations if it gets its way. The hedge fund predicted Duke would remain headquartered in Charlotte after a split and that its "role in the business community of North and South Carolina would be undiminished." And even as a smaller independent company, the utility would "command considerable scale, with significant runway for further growth and investment." Duke isn't buying it. It called the hedge fund's plan illogical and insisted that its business "is stronger and more impactful as a consolidated, standalone entity that remains as one." "This 'shrink-the company' strategy that underlies all of Elliotts proposals runs counter to the strategic direction of the entire industry at a time when scale is needed to efficiently finance the companys unprecedented capital investment and growth opportunities," Duke said. The timing of the breakup plan has puzzled some analysts who follow the electric-and-gas industry. Duke's stock price, which faltered for years after the $32 billion buyout of Raleigh-based Progress Energy in 2013, has topped some expectations over the past 18 months. After the Wall Street Journal broke the news about Elliott's investment May 10, shares of DUK immediately rose about 2.4 percent to nearly $104. They've since given back some of those gains. "If Elliott had come out with this when the stock was underperforming I think they would have gotten a better reception on this than they have now," Mike Doyle of Edward Jones told the trade publication Utility Dive. Hotels and restaurants in the Charleston area have bemoaned a lack of applicants all spring. The labor shortage led tourism leaders to put on hospitality-only job fairs, which presented an opportunity to glean some insight on the issue. The Office of Tourism Analysis at the College of Charleston used the hiring events to survey the participants. The job seekers were asked about what's most important to them when seeking a new position, while the employers looking to hire were asked what they perceive is most important to applicants. Responses were gathered at job fairs organized by the Lowcountry Hospitality Association and Explore Charleston. The first was held in April at the North Charleston Coliseum and the second was held earlier this month in Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park's Cooper River Room. According to results from the job seeker survey, pay is the most important factor. Of 10 different criteria, competitive wages were ranked as "very important" by over half of the respondents, more than any other factor. Free parking was second, followed by health insurance. When employers were asked to rate how important they think the same criteria are to prospective recruits, they also put wages first, but more of them about 83 percent marked pay as very important compared to job seekers. That's an indication that, while wages "absolutely are important" to hospitality workers, employers should realize that potential candidates are considering other priorities, said Daniel Guttentag, director at the Office of Tourism Analysis. "There's clearly a lot of other factors that prospective employees are taking into consideration as they weigh their different job opportunities, and, really, it's a buyer's market," Guttentag said. "They have options. So, they're going to pick and choose based on the sort of overall collection of factors." Employers' perceptions and job seekers' answers also differed on the importance of commute time. About 27 percent of job seekers said it was very important while 15 percent of employers did. Sign up for our new business newsletter We're starting a weekly newsletter about the business stories that are shaping Charleston and South Carolina. Get ahead with us - it's free. Email Sign Up! "I think it speaks to how important it is for employers to really double down on trying to target prospective employees that live in the general area," he said. "If you're in Mount Pleasant, double down on seeking out employees in Mount Pleasant and then the same on the peninsula, in North Charleston, and so on." When asked about how long they would be willing to commute for a job, the most common answer was half an hour. Surveyed employers also underestimated the importance of sick days. Just 15 percent of the employers that responded said sick leave was very important to employees, compared to a quarter of the job seekers. The COVID-19 pandemic has likely made the need for sick leave top-of-mind for workers, Guttentag said. Even if a person didn't fall ill with coronavirus last year, they may have had to miss out on work to quarantine after exposure to the virus. Some good news for employers from the survey, Guttentag said, is that most of the job seekers, about three-fourths, are looking for full-time work, and it didn't seem like they're focused on one specific industry. Many checked boxes to indicate interest in several areas. Hotel and lodging jobs were the most desired, with 68 percent indicating interest. And the vast majority already have some kind of hospitality experience, with food and beverage being the most common. For most of the employers surveyed, their biggest staffing challenge right now is the lack of applications for openings. That underscores what people are saying about the sector right now, Guttentag said. "You have everybody staffing up at the same time," he said. "We knew it would be tough." RED WIDOW. By Alma Katsu. Putnam. 352 pages. $27. A moment of weakness in Beirut almost cost CIA officer Lyndsey Duncan her job. But when the Russian double-agent who mentored her, Yaromir Popov, is brutally killed, Lyndsey is taken off leave and thrown into the whirlwind case, back at the CIA after five years. She finds an unlikely friend in Theresa Warner, dubbed the Red Widow around the office ever since her husband Richard was killed two years ago undercover in Russia. Now, Theresa frets over her young son in suburbia, despite her steely persona of a femme fatale, with blood red lipstick and an inky black wardrobe. Still reeling from Popovs death, Lyndseys main mission is initially to keep Popovs wife and daughter, still stranded in Russia, safe but she eventually stumbles into an even more intricate web of lies, corruption and scandal closer to home. Katsus previous novel, The Deep (2020), a supernatural take on the sinking of the Titanic, was the kind of lurid, spooky historical fiction readers have come to expect from the author, full of famous names and riches and soaked in tragedy. The heroine of that novel, a nervous girl named Annie, had visions. Here, Lyndseys sixth sense is for peoples true feelings. Shes known as the human lie detector by the agency, recruited out of college with an eagle eye for peoples body language (darting eyes, hand over mouth, etc.). Sign up for the Charleston Hot Sheet Get a weekly list of tips on pop-ups, last minute tickets and little-known experiences hand-selected by our newsroom in your inbox each Thursday. Email Sign Up! An intelligence background bolsters Katsus prose with realism: she worked for the CIA and NSA for 35 years, and expertly evokes Langley, Va., and Washington, D.C., in a mix of drab apartments and towering monuments, polished floors and decades-old furniture. Far from glamorous, Lyndseys work is full of monotonous paperwork, bureaucratic red tape and forced small talk in a sea of cubicles. At times, this sluggish atmosphere threatens to seep into the plot: its 2018, but half the action takes place in flashbacks, sandwiched between Lyndseys stressed musings. Through these glimpses into the past, we learn more about Lyndseys time in Beirut, and we get a glimpse into Theresas inner turmoil. In the present day, a flight attendant turned witness to a crime, an agent with an addiction and a glowering henchman of Vladimir Putin all add additional color. Though Katsus characters are seemingly built for drama armed with backstories, quirks, and a few good one-liners they all have a certain prepackaged quality. This is especially true of Theresa, whose widows weeds and distinctive pout make her memorable but border on cliche, a strange choice in an otherwise modern, gritty story. Another nondescript agent suddenly becomes a #MeToo caricature when the plot requires it. Thankfully, Lyndsey is a likable, slightly mysterious heroine readers will want to see again. And her creator, having traded ghosts and gore for more subdued thrills, still manages plenty of jaw-dropping revelations, along with an ambiguous ending. A majority of Greenville County Council members voted to replace two council members who each served on local economic development boards for more than a decade. Both said it was payback for their support of an unsuccessful rezoning of a 152-acre parcel on Old Grove Road. The vote on May 18 also showed an unlikely union that has formed around new council chair Willis Meadows, who seized the chairmans role this January. It also signaled continued council infighting and what one member called a lack of trust that, if not corrected, could damage the big-picture issues the council must tackle for the county as a whole. The councils committee of the whole voted 7-5 to appoint Councilman Ennis Fant to serve as the council representative on the board of the South Carolina Technology and Aviation Center, formerly the Donaldson Center. Councilwoman Liz Seman had served on the SCTAC board for the past 12 years but lost the nomination vote. The council committee also voted 7-5 to appoint Councilman Stan Tzouvelekas to the board of the Greenville Area Development Corporation, a seat Councilman Butch Kirven had held for 16 years and sought again. Seman said her removal was a grudge vote due to her support for a rezoning on Old Grove Road against the wishes of two councilmen who each represent one side of the road, Fant and Lynn Ballard. Kirven also supported the Old Grove Road rezoning, which failed to gain approval and has since been canceled. He also called the votes retaliatory in nature. Meadows said the insinuation is "ridiculous." We dont operate that way. We vote according to issues and we vote according to things that come before us," Meadows said. The council still must finalize the appointments by a full vote of the council during a business meeting. After she lost the appointment vote, Seman said council members had stabbed her in the back. She confronted Ballard after the committee vote, saying he could have at least told her ahead of time that she was going to be voted out. A phone call wouldve been nice, she told Ballard. She told him it wasnt too late to change his mind. Ballard said he didnt know anything about a so-called grudge vote. I was doing a good job, she said of her time serving on the SCTAC board. The center is home to more than 110 advanced manufacturing and technology companies. One of its major companies, Lockheed Martin, was recently awarded a $900 million contract for maintenance and upgrades of F-16 military fighter jets at its facility. Later in the May 18 meeting, Seman nearly choked up as she said it appeared it would be her last time to update the council on SCTAC operations. Fant said it was interesting how the votes aligned on Old Grove Road and on the votes to replace Seman and Kirven but declined comment on whether it was coordinated. In January, Fant was furious when councilmen Tzouvelekas, Steve Shaw and Chris Harrison backed Meadows for chairman instead of Seman, who had already said she would put Fant in charge of the councils planning and development committee. He said at the time that the councils support of Meadows would move the county backwards. But over the last month, Fant said he has spoken frequently with Meadows, Shaw and Tzouvelekas to negotiate on the contentious Old Grove Road project. He congratulated Tzouvelekas as he left the May 18 meeting. With a smile, he called it a little weird that he was aligned with Tzouvelekas and Shaw, who had each voted opposite him in the chairmans race. You never know week to week, he said. But he said the GADC position was one he had long wanted, since SCTAC is in his district. He saw it as a tribute to late councilwoman Lottie Gibson, who he said always wanted to serve on the board but never got the chance. So I did it for her, he said. Lack of trust and vision? Kirven said the issues dividing council members right now go beyond the votes being taken and are the result of a lack of trust. All relationships go back to a trust factor and right now theres very little, if any, trust among council members," he said. "Some have more trust with others and they know who they are. Some you just cant trust for 30 seconds. Sign up for our Greenville weekly update newsletter. Sign up for weekly roundups of our top stories, news and culture from the Upstate. This newsletter is hand-curated by a member of our Greenville news staff. Email Sign Up! He said there are personal things involved that are distorting the situation. Kirven is the immediate past chairman and has served in that role for 12 of the past 16 years. He supported Seman to lead the council this term after he realized he would not be re-elected and decided not to run. In 2017, he removed Meadows as finance committee chair after Meadows was part of a group that sued the county over a council vote on fee increases. In an interview May 20, Kirven said he didnt want to mention names, but criticized leadership that was taking personal satisfaction in power but had not unified the council and wasnt creating a vision for the community. The leader is supposed to be talking about the councils vision, the community goals, are we aligned with the communitys vision. Weve heard none of that, Kirven said. They are playing small ball as a council rather than operating with a strategic vision in mind, he said. We can do a lot better than that. Im very disappointed were not. Meadows said the council has a vision, but that it may not align with Kirven's. That vision is partly laid out in the county's priorities through its budget, which was just introduced this past week and is focused on beefing up public safety and emergency services and maintaining the county's financial health, he said. "I think council has a vision and I think they're fairly well united on the vision," he said. "I really don't know what Mr. Kirven is talking about." Wings of the City That was the backdrop as item 8a came up for a vote on the councils agenda May 18. It was located on the consent agenda, which typically contains mundane or procedural items on which there is no disagreement. The entire consent agenda is approved by a unanimous voice vote. Item 8a was for the approval of the county finance committees recommendations for use of its accommodations tax funds to support local festivals and exhibits. The finance committee had stripped away $7,500 in funding for the Hispanic Alliance to market the city of Greenvilles Wings of the City sculpture exhibit, which is located in Falls Park and at the Peace Center plaza until October. After Fant motioned to approve the consent agenda, Seman requested to remove recommendations for the accommodations tax funds from the consent agenda so it could be discussed further because it did not have consent of the full council. Meadows ruled her motion out of order and stated that it did not need to be removed from the consent agenda. Ive already gotten stabbed in the back once tonight from this group, Seman said. He asked for an opinion from county attorney Mark Tollison, who said the councils rule was that an item could be removed from the consent agenda at the request of a council member, but he said it was up to Meadows to decide. A week earlier, it was Meadows himself who made the motion to remove the funding for the Hispanic Alliance after some residents complained about the sculptures. Meadows said he would keep the item where it was, meaning the council could either approve all of the funding for local projects or none of it. Kirven called it a railroad job, a set up deal between Meadows and Fant to pass the item before objections could be lodged. I strenuously object to that procedure, Kirven said. Councilman Dan Tripp also objected to the procedure. Im on the opposite side of the issue, Tripp said. I voted to remove the funding. Lets just take a vote up or down. Youre going to win the vote, but dont put a member out over a procedural tie-up. Meadows relented. Later he apologized to Seman publicly in the meeting for not listening to her. I shouldve done that and I didnt. By voting on which projects it approved and didnt, Seman said the council was curating public art. She said it was not qualified to do that and had set up rules and a recommendation committee so it could avoid questions of whether council members liked the exhibit or did not like the exhibit. She moved to approve the original recommendations. Fant then asked to hold off on approval of the item until the councils next meeting, saying emotions were high and the extra time could give council members a chance to come to an agreement on the matter. The mantra became accepted wisdom: South Carolinas public schools have struggled for decades due to a crippling lack of money. And what they did get was hampered by enough bureaucratic morass to stifle any whiff of innovation. Student test scores fell behind. Racial disparities widened. School buildings crumbled. But now a deluge of federal COVID-19 relief money is giving local school boards a nearly $3 billion opportunity to change that. If they use it wisely, the historic cash flow could transform education as we know it in South Carolina. If they dont, they will have wasted a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity maybe two or three lifetimes and substantiated every excuse the state Legislature has ever given for not sending them more resources: waste, incompetence and corruption. Thats what will keep me up at night and terrify me, said Patrick Kelly, a high school history teacher and lobbyist for the Palmetto State Teachers Association. If schools dont move the needle on student achievement over the next two years, then I get really worried. The sheer volume of money is more than three times what public schools normally get from the federal government. And its flowing into local district coffers with little oversight. State legislators cant touch it. Nor can they let it supplant state spending. The state Department of Education can only make sure the spending is legal under federal law, which gives broad categories for its use. Instead, accountability for the infusion of cash rests with local school boards elected officials who often bring neither teaching experience nor financial expertise. They run the gamut of effective arbiters of education to toxic partisans. Even the most adept boards have scant experience handling this volume of money, a sudden deluge that will dry up in 2024. Justin Farnsworth, who sits on the Dorchester District 2 board, said they just want to make sure we get the best bang for the buck and not put ourselves in a hole for future years. The influx of money comes several years after a Post and Courier investigation in 2018 called Minimally Adequate, which detailed how the states schools remained mired in inequities. As a whole, they trailed other states in nearly every measure. While lawmakers shirked their own funding requirements, gaps in achievement and resources widened. After the series ran, lawmakers pledged to overhaul the tangled, antiquated way the state funds public schools and direct more money to classrooms. As promised, House Speaker Jay Lucas introduced a massive, 84-page bill in January 2019 aimed at beginning to transform the system, though it didn't touch funding formulas. That was supposed to be next. The bill quickly met backlash from teachers in the newly formed advocacy group SC for Ed, who complained the bill was written without their input. They fought hard to kill it and start over. The state House overwhelmingly passed the bill anyway in March 2019. The Senate passed its own vastly different version a year later in March 2020. And then COVID hit. The larger effort floundered, although pieces of it have passed since, or will soon. Teachers got their largest pay hike in 35 years. And an upcoming vote could expand state-paid, full-day kindergarten to all at-risk 4-year-olds. Yet, the $3 billion coming down the pike could impact schools far more than the big reform bill might have. For teachers, the enormity of relief matches the enormity of their exhaustion. Since March 2020, they have traversed a gantlet of ever-changing rules. They juggled in-person and online teaching. They watched parents and politicians spar over face masks. They counseled students struggling with worsening mental health problems all while grappling with their own fears of contracting the virus. Its been nonstop, fourth grade Anderson County teacher Justus Cox said. We all feel it. Meanwhile, more students fell behind. Only 30 percent of the states third through eighth graders are now projected to meet grade-level proficiency in math and English. Thats why The Post and Courier is launching a new ongoing investigation called Promises. It will follow the massive amount of federal aid flowing into local districts to see how their school boards spend the money and what outcomes they achieve with it. As state Education Superintendent Molly Spearman told the newspaper in 2018: We keep kicking the can down the road and keeping things like they are. I dont know if we can ever get everybody to sit down at the table and really change it. Now, they have to. The race is on to figure out how to spend so much money. As Spearman told the newspaper last week: "It's an opportunity weve never had before. Making plans South Carolina's school districts will get $2.94 billion total from three packages of COVID relief money approved by Congress since the pandemic began. So far, districts across South Carolina have spent just under 70 percent of the $194.7 million Congress allotted in the first aid package from when the coronavirus first forced schools and businesses to shut down. They have spent less than 1 percent of the $846.4 million they will get from the second wave. Roughly one in four of the states 79 traditional school districts still havent even submitted plans for spending it. No-shows include the states two largest districts: Charleston and Greenville counties. And now comes the third and largest wave. It will make for a busy summer. Two-thirds of the $1.9 billion in this latest package will flow into the state on Monday, and local districts can start drawing from it then. Four days later, the deadline will loom for districts to send Spearmans office their strategies for catching up students who have fallen behind. The state will use those strategies to craft its overall plan, due to the federal government June 7. The rest of the money will become available when the states plan is approved. Its a quickly winding clock, Kelly, the high school teacher, said. The money we are talking about coming in is not only beyond a districts federal allocation but starting to push doubling a districts budget. Theyre not staffed to deal with that money. And many school districts already struggled with financial acumen, even before the pandemic hit. Spearman has assumed management of three rural school districts since 2017 due to abysmal academic performance and financial ills. In February 2019, she also declared a fiscal emergency in a fourth, Sumter County, publicly putting that district on warning the state might take it over, too. With budgeting help, the county rid itself of that emergency designation last year. Then last fall, Spearman declared a financial takeover of Clarendon District 1 in Summerton. The district was operating in the red and had failed to withhold taxes or pay into employees retirement. Blame and finger-pointing over schools financial woes aren't new. They have persisted over the past two-plus decades as the states academic performance fell from bad to worse, to dead last in some measures, behind even Mississippi. School boards faulted legislators for shortchanging them. Legislators faulted school boards for making bad decisions locally. Amid that blame game comes the chance to make real progress, especially for students who most need the help. At least 20 percent of the relief money from Congress' latest aid package must help catch students up academically from so-called COVID slide, learning lost to the pandemic. Like all states, South Carolina suspended standardized testing last spring. But, beginning last summer, districts administered other tests that gauge individual student growth. The results are troubling. Seven in 10 students in third through eighth grades arent projected to meet grade-level proficiency in math and English language arts. And fall-to-winter growth was far below what is expected in all grades for reading and for most grades in math. After COVID forced the sudden closure of schools, districts created a hodgepodge of remote learning efforts. Some students connected to their teachers online while others relied solely on paper-packet instruction picked up and dropped off weekly. And tens of thousands of students stopped communicating with their teachers altogether for the rest of the school year. Now districts must figure out how to reboot and meet their needs quickly. The academic recovery plans due to Spearmans office on May 28 must explain how districts will help students who fall into three levels, from a little to significantly behind, using their own testing data. They can include tactics like high-dosage one-on-one tutoring, year-round calendars and promoting students to the next grade but keeping them with their same teacher as last year. More detailed plans are due in late August, after school districts seek public input on how to spend the money. Some districts are struggling, said Jon Butzon, a state Board of Education member and former director of the Charleston Education Network. They dont know how to write a plan. Theyre not sure how to get their heads around it. Spearman said guidance from her agency includes frequent webinars and an assigned coordinator to each district whose full-time job is to help local officials develop strategies and budget their plans. The office is hiring four more coordinators, for a total of 10, who will be part of a new division. Although her agency cant force districts to take the advice offered, We are telling them if they do something with the money theyre not supposed to, they have to pay it back. Her staff will be tasked with oversight but it will come on the back end and won't focus on whether districts spent the money effectively. Instead, monitoring will include whether districts followed their own rules for things like procurement and whether receipts match what they reported they bought. Meeting Street model The phones at Meeting Street Schools have been ringing more than usual. Districts across the state want to know how its schools have boosted student performance using an infusion of extra money. Meeting Street runs three public-private elementary schools: two in North Charleston and one in Spartanburg. They all get the usual per-student state and federal dollars. But they also receive another 5 to 15 percent more from companies like Boeing and individuals including its founders, Charleston businessman Ben Navarro and his wife Kelly. And that money has given its schools a leg up with the kinds of improvements other schools are now considering with their COVID relief money: two teachers per classroom, comprehensive mental health and social-emotional support, and extended learning time in the form of afterschool and summer programs. The schools data shows the impact of those additions. At Meeting Street Elementary @Brentwood in North Charleston, for instance, students placed in the 73rd percentile in math and 53rd percentile for reading. That far outperforms other elementary schools with similar poverty levels in North Charleston, which averaged in the 23rd percentile for both reading and math, according to data collected in 2018. That is the most recent available. Even before the latest round of COVID relief money, more districts had begun to consider creating public-private schools like those operated by Meeting Street. Lawmakers made it more doable last month with a bill that got overwhelming support in both chambers. On April 23, Gov. Henry McMaster signed the bill, which allows school districts to operate multiple schools of innovation, which get more flexibility from state laws and regulations. Couple that with passage of the latest federal COVID aid package, and Meeting Street CEO Christopher Ruszkowski has been hearing from superintendents. They want to know how to follow its model. The stimulus provides an opportunity for recovery but also some degree of reinvention as well, he said. Leona Davis attended Burns Elementary before it partnered with Meeting Street. Davis, whose niece is a fourth grader there now, said the difference is night and day. She is especially grateful for the schools two-teacher model, which pairs a new teacher with a veteran in its classrooms. Her nieces teachers have her phone number in case anything goes wrong, and she feels close relationships with them. "The involvement that they have with the students and our families is so phenomenal," Davis said. "There's no comparison to it. The children are loved and at the same time the parents are aware of everything that goes on in the school." Meaningful changes Over the next three years, South Carolina and other states can try many upgrades normally out of financial reach. But some educators worry that 79 districts might do 79 different things. School administrators are already getting bombarded by companies eager to sell them their products. We have to be really careful to avoid these disjointed initiatives something here, something there, something someplace else that doesn't form a cohesive and comprehensive approach," Charleston County School District superintendent Gerrita Postlewait said. Charleston County will have $249.2 million total to spend on its approach, second only to Greenville County's $254.6 million share. Recent Post and Courier interviews with teachers and other education experts yielded key areas most would like districts to focus on: Two teachers per classroom Intensive instruction tops the list. And few ideas get more support than two teachers per classroom, especially for younger students. Cox, the fourth grade teacher, works at Varennes Elementary School, a high-poverty school in Anderson. He is starting his fifth year teaching and about to finish his master's degree. Pairing new teachers with experienced ones in a classroom could boost retention significantly, he said. We are thrown into the fire, he said. We can read all the theories and all the great psychology, but youre not going to really learn until youre in that room. Thats the part were missing. However, the federal money will dry up in three years. Schools cant go out and hire 1,000 new teachers only to lay them off then. The states severe teacher shortage wont help either. Already at crisis level, the shortage worsened amid the pandemic, as fewer hires over the summer created a spike in vacancies when the school year started. As of February, 515 openings remained across South Carolina, representing 1 percent of the state's K-12 teaching positions, according to the state Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention and Advancement. But lawmakers recently made it more lucrative for retired teachers to jump back in. And Kelly offered a novel idea: tap third-year college education majors, the states future teachers. They could take a gap year to work as the second teachers in classrooms. That would give established teachers help and the student teachers invaluable classroom experience. Districts would pay them with COVID aid money and could throw in senior year tuition payment to lure them to schools most in need. This strategy also could yield a trove of data to gauge how much impact two teachers make on a broader range of students than Meeting Street schools alone can provide. Heres the case study, Kelly said. For the next two years, lets lean in on those things weve said we should try. Mental health assistance Given the pandemics toll, students desperately need more access to mental health professionals. The mental health crisis is growing and is real in schools right now, Kelly said. Most students who receive mental health care get it through their schools, yet entire school districts lack even a single full-time psychologist. National guidelines for guidance counselors recommend one per 250 students. In South Carolina, schools run closer to one per 347. Summer and afterschool programs One of the states foremost schools experts is Terry Peterson, who served as chief education adviser to Richard Riley, a former U.S. education secretary and South Carolina governor. Peterson has long extolled the need for quality summer and after-school programs. This includes camps, career and college exploration, and apprentice-style projects. Now, he is advising groups in about eight states to consider their best use of the COVID relief money. He hopes South Carolina schools will use their funds this way and points to two local groups already offering this type of help: Engaging Creative Minds and WINGS for Kids. Dorchester District 2 is among many districts targeting major chunks of the new money at summer learning, Superintendent Joe Pye said. The district will receive a total of $62.1 million from the three waves of funding. It will use the third one, about $40.5 million, to help pay teachers for summer math and reading camps through 2024. This may not solve the problems totally, Pye said, but it will certainly keep things moving along. The road ahead Unable to dictate local decisions, Spearman plans to promote certain ideas with an offer districts "would be foolish not to take advantage of," she said: a slice of the $327 million her agency will get in federal COVID aid, in the form of matching funds for ideas proven to work. That is the extent of what were able to do," she said. "So, were going to be using that tactic. This summer, districts must seek public input for spending the money coming their way. Given the opportunity for big changes, Spearman urged the public to get engaged. Attend public board meetings. Ask questions. And dont wait for local districts to hand out their spending proposals. Federal law doesnt require the boards post their third-wave plans for the public to see until they already are finalized and approved right as the next school year begins. Public Security Minister tells Parliament that Naufer Moulavi is the main culprit, but outgoing and outspoken AG disputes that claim While Sri Lanka investigations still incomplete, US Justice Dept. files case in LA court against three suspects Naufer identified by FBI as second Emir, but strong speculation as to who the first Emir is and the mystery may never be known Third Covid spike rages; number afflicted may reach 4,000 a day, while Govt. ignores expert advice for total lockdown The events behind the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks that left 268 innocent men, women, and children dead, are becoming curioser and curioser. There is strong speculation that the real perpetrators behind the attacks, that shook the world, may not face punitive action. A complex turn of events is driving the issue beyond many facts that have transpired. That is with attempts to point the finger at unexpected quarters amidst concerns that the real culprits may go scot free. This is due to the complex turn of events that could be a bigger mystery than the gory massacres themselves. The latest turn of events came after an official statement in Parliament on Wednesday by Public Security Minister, retired Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera. This is what he said: The Attorney General has made a statement that there were shortcomings in the extracts of the Police investigations over the Easter Sunday attacks. Though Moulavi Naufer was a key figure in the group and the leader, the AG has said that he could not be identified as the mastermind of the attack. Investigations are underway by the CID, the FBI from the United States, and the Australian Federal Police among other international teams. So far 704 persons have been arrested, 203 of them are in remand custody and 84 are held under detention orders. Another 244 are on bail, 168 released and 32 indicted. Moulavi Mohamed Naufer has been found to be the mastermind, according to our police investigations and US investigations. He is the person who brought the IS ideology to Sri Lanka in 2016 and directed Zaharan to imbibe in this ideology. Zaharans wife too has confirmed this. He also carried out IS training in Sri Lanka. His laptop and books confirm this. He supervised the training camps in Nuwara Eliya and Hambantota. He also gave in marriage his sister-in-law to Zaharan. They studied in the same Madrasa school. Naufer was Zaharans senior. He played a major role in the Darul Aadal organisation. The FBI too has confirmed that Naufer played a major role in the attack. Now to the most important fact. Nowhere has the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which conducted investigations in Sri Lanka, said that Naufer Moulavi is the mastermind of the attacks. Why then is Minister Weerasekera plugging his own line of findings when the FBI has not taken up that position? Only he has the answers. According to the FBI, Mohamed Naufer, the second emir for the group of ISIS supporters that called itself ISIS in Sri Lanka, who allegedly led the groups propaganda efforts, recruited others to join ISIS, and led a series of multi-day military-type trainings. The word Emir means a Commander or a Prince. Going by the FBI description of Naufer as the second emir, it is only logical that there is a first. Who is this? Should not such a person be the Commander of ISIS in Sri Lanka? This description came a year years ago. Surely, Minister Weerasekera could have had this clarified through diplomatic channels. Naufer, together with two others Mohamed Anwar Mohamed Riskin and Ahamed Milhan Hayathu Mohamed now stands indicted by the US Department of Justice in the US District Court in Los Angeles on charges of terrorism offences. Riskin is accused of helping to manufacture IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) used in the attacks. Hayathu Mohamed has been indicted for allegedly executing a Police Officer to obtain his firearm, shot a suspected informant, and scouted a location for a separate terrorist attack. The reference to Hayathu Mohamed is over an incident in Vavunativu in the Batticaloa district in December 2018 when two Police officers were killed. They were manning a watch hut there. CID investigations concluded, wrongly though, that the murder was the work of Tiger guerrilla remnants. The FBI findings threw more light. The attack by those backing ISIS in Sri Lanka was to seize the weapons of the two officers. One assault rifle was found in their camp at Wanathavillu in the Puttalam district and was later identified. This is not the first time Minister Weerasekera has accused Mohamed Naufer (Moulavi) as the mastermind behind the Easter Sunday attacks. As pointed out in these columns (The Sunday Times Political Commentary) on April 11, 2021, firstly, if indeed Naufer Moulavi was the mastermind, why was he not summoned to testify before the Commission of Inquiry that probed the incidents? Secondly, has the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) any evidence to confirm this belated claim? In the voluminous reports of the Commission, there is no reference to Naufer being a mastermind. Neither is he named for being behind any of the attacks. However, the Commission has only named Milhan Hayathu Mohamed as among the three persons who are directly connected with the terrorist acts referred to in the mandate. If indeed there was any other evidence with the CID to prove beyond doubt that Naufer Moulavi was the mastermind it has not come to the public domain. Nor has Minister Weerasekera made it known to back up his own claim. Even findings in the report of the Commission of Inquiry that Naufer Moulavi studied at a college operated by the Sri Lanka Jamaathe Islami are challenged. In a letter to the Sunday Times contesting the reference made to his organisation (quoting the Commission report), Assistant General Secretary, M.H.M. Hassen said, It is mentioned that Naufer Moulavi studied at a college operated by the Sri Lanka Jamaathe Islami. We would like to state that The Sri Lanka Jamaathe Islami does not operate any such educational institutions. He denied that Naufer Moulavi had ever been a paid employee or an office bearer of the SLJI in its history. A US Embassy spokesperson said, Following the Easter Sunday attacks, the Government of Sri Lanka asked for our support, and the FBI responded quickly partnering effectively with Sri Lankan counterparts to investigate the tragic terrorist attacks. To further place matters in context, a January 8, 2021 dated news release of the US Department of Justice, appearing in its website, is important. Here are significant highlights: The Justice Department announced today that three Sri Lankan citizens have been charged with terrorism offenses, including conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization (ISIS). The men were part of a group of ISIS supporters which called itself ISIS in Sri Lanka. That group is responsible for the 2019 Easter attacks in the South Asian nation of Sri Lanka, which killed 268 people, including five U.S. citizens, and injured over 500 others, according to a federal criminal complaint unsealed today. The complaint outlines the defendants roles in the conspiracy and the events that led to near-simultaneous suicide bombings in the Sri Lankan cities of Colombo, Negombo and Batticaloa on April 21, 2019. One of the U.S. citizens killed was a Department of Commerce employee who had traveled to Sri Lanka on official business. Two days after the attacks, ISIS claimed credit for the terrorist acts, attributing the murders to Islamic State fighters. In late April 2019, the then-leader of ISIS praised the attackers for what he called a retaliation against the West for defeating ISIS the prior month in Baghuz, Syria. ISISs Easter attacks in Sri Lanka killed 268 people, including five Americans, many while they worshiped, said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers. Today, we charge these defendants with bearing their share of the responsibility for these deaths. According to these charges, the defendants were committed supporters of ISIS, recruited others to ISISs violent cause, purchased materials for and made IEDs, helped to prepare and trained others who participated in the attacks, and murdered in the name of this deadly foreign terrorist organization. They are in custody in Sri Lanka. We fully support the Sri Lankan investigation and prosecution of these terrorists and will continue to work with the authorities there to pursue our shared goal of holding these defendants accountable for their crimes. At the same time, these charges reflect that the U.S. justice system remains a powerful tool to bring to bear against those who harm our citizens abroad. We will continue to pursue justice for the victims of these heinous attacks and for all American victims of terrorism. This case clearly demonstrates that the United States will take decisive action to ensure terrorists face justice when they target Americans anywhere in the world, said Nick Hanna, the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California. The United States remains confident in the Sri Lankan authorities ability to bring the perpetrators to justice and this complaint makes clear that we stand ready with these charges in the event the defendants attempt to evade justice. The domestic charges announced today for an attack on foreign soil represent the FBIs commitment to deliver justice to traveling American victims and to protect U.S. interests here and abroad, said Kristi K. Johnson, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBIs Los Angeles Field Office. For decades, and particularly since 9/11, the FBI has deployed agents to various parts of the world to establish an investigative foothold and to liaison with local counterparts with a shared goal of combatting terror globally. Our enduring hope is that criminal prosecution whether domestic or foreign will bring some peace to the hundreds of victims killed or injured in Sri Lanka as a result of this horrific attack. The criminal case filed on Dec. 11, 2020, in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles is the result of a nearly two-year investigation by the FBI, which assisted Sri Lankan authorities in the wake of the suicide bombings that targeted Christian churches and luxury hotels frequented by Westerners. The defendants named in the complaint, along with other suspects linked to the attacks, currently are detained in Sri Lanka, where a criminal investigation is ongoing. According to the complaint, the three charged defendants and others involved in the conspiracy including eight terrorists who died in the suicide bombings conspired to provide, provided, and attempted to provide material support, including services and personnel, to ISIS through various actions, including: (1) creating, maintaining, and serving as members of a group of ISIS supporters in Sri Lanka devoted to ISIS, its ideology, and to planning and encouraging violent attacks to advance ISISs goals; (2) obtaining explosive materials and IED components; (3) manufacturing and testing IEDs, including the types of IEDs ultimately used in the attack; (4) recruiting other ISIS in Sri Lanka members; (5) using ISIS-created training materials to instruct and train the attackers and their co-conspirators in the use of firearms and explosives; (6) procuring safe houses for the group to prepare for attacks in the name of ISIS, including the Easter Attacks, while avoiding law enforcement detection; (7) following ISIS directives to use specific end-to-end encrypted messaging applications to conceal the criminal conspiracy; (8) murdering two Sri Lankan police officers to obtain the officers firearms; and (9) shooting a suspected police informant. All three defendants are charged with conspiring to provide, providing, and attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. Additionally, Naufar and Milhan are charged with aiding and abetting the receipt of military-type training from ISIS. The FBI-led Joint Terrorism Task Force in Los Angeles, including personnel assigned responsibilities for extraterritorial matters, is leading the investigation. This matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Annamartine Salick, George E. Pence IV and Christine M. Ro of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section, and Trial Attorney Alicia Cook of the National Security Divisions Counterterrorism Section. The Criminal Divisions Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance. Why then is Public Security Minister Weerasekera making an all-out effort to change the course of history and come to his own conclusions? Quite clearly, they transcend the findings of the Commission of Inquiry. Before one can address the issue in question, it is relevant to note that the FBI has been able to conclude an investigation and file indictments within a period of two years. That too in a US court on an incident that occurred in Sri Lanka. What about the CID and even the local intelligence agencies? Leave alone filing charges, they have not been able to cohesively lay bare how the attacks came about, who the leader is, who funded them, how they operated and who gave them political support. Of course, one lot who held sway during the previous yahapalana regime then had to give way to another new group. That politics has been the cancer that afflicted a once premier organisation like the CID is all too well known. The department no longer tolerates politically independent officers. Minister Weerasekeras reiteration of the governments new position in Parliament has its origins in the remarks outgoing Attorney General Dappula de Livera made. He charged that the CID had not been able to complete investigations and report to him so he could file indictments before retirement. De Livera retires as Attorney General on Tuesday. The remarks first prompted Minister Weerasekera to call for a report from the CID. He followed that up with the statement in Parliament on Wednesday. One of de Liveras strong points compared to other Attorneys General, is that he devoted considerable attention to maintain a high profile in the media. His stock in trade was key elements in different cases and an occasional jibe at the Police. There have been times when this was an embarrassment to the government. It was yet helpless, and it turned out to be costly. The task he undertook could have been easily carried out by a spokesperson of the Ministry of Justice. Moreso, since the AGs Department was functioning under it. Allowing him a free hand cost the government. For his media drive, he used the services of a colleague who served as Co-ordinating Officer. Ahead of the passage of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution, that he made efforts to remain as AG did not pay dividends. So much so, he rejected an offer to be Sri Lankas new High Commissioner to Canada. He learnt of his possible posting from newspaper accounts. He declared he wanted to serve the people. If Minister Weerasekeras remarks were intended to be a rebuke to AG de Livera, his statement raises much more serious issues. Firstly, the CID has so far not been able to file a single indictment through the AG against those involved in the attacks. That includes the case of Naufer Moulavi. Secondly, the Commission of Inquiry that probed the Easter Sunday incidents did not have any material evidence to link Naufer as a person involved in the attacks leave alone being a mastermind. Hence, the question is whether identifying Naufer as the mastermind an effort to take the outcome in an entirely different direction. This is particularly in the light of the Commission making accusations of criminal negligence against many persons including former President, Maithripala Sirisena. Of course, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has declared repeatedly that no one responsible will be spared. The unhappiest in this situation is Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith who has been blowing hot and cold over governments actions. Early last month, he declared the church would launch protests every Sunday to show its displeasure over the lack of government action. The threat died as the CID launched investigations into the roles played by former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen and his brother Riyaj. Here again, fresh investigations have begun more than two years after the incident. This week Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith did come in for some strong criticism after he teamed up with the Ven. Elle Gunawansa Thera, for a joint news conference. It was not on the Easter Sunday incidents but on the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill. The Cardinal said that no country should be given control of the manmade island located outside the Presidential Secretariat. The criticism was particularly in the light of the Catholic prelates association with Ven Gunawansa Thera, an opposition activist known for his fiery rhetoric. Ahead of the presidential election, he was a strong supporter of Gotabaya Rajapaksas candidature. Father Cyril Gamini, Parish Priest of St Annes Church, Kurana, Negombo and a spokesperson for the church spoke to the Sunday Times. He said, The Government and the Police need to give a clear explanation on the comments made by the outgoing Attorney General Dappula de Livera regarding the progress of the investigations into the Easter Sunday attacks. We were surprised by the comments by AG Livera who has been Attorney General for almost two years. He did not take up this position before. We were given the impression so far that the investigations were on track. The outgoing AG also in an interview to a TV station mentioned that the attack was a conspiracy. We need an explanation on that as the Church also believed the attack was a conspiracy. On the other hand, we do not accept the recent comments made by the Minister of Public Security, Sarath Weerasekara, who claims that Naufer Moulavi was the mastermind of the attack. He may have been a person involved, but we do not accept the claim by the Minister as this suspect had been custody for a considerable time. Only now he has been named the mastermind. We want to know who the actual mastermind is. Therefore, we need a clear explanation from the relevant persons. We also want to know if there is political pressure on the investigators. In an interview with News First channel, AG de Livera said: Evidence and ntelligence material and relevant pieces of information must be carefully evaluated in order to reach a conclusion on the leadership with regard to the 2019 April 21st attacks. There is a Grand Conspiracy with regard to the 2019 April Attacks, said the Attorney General adding that the information by the State Intelligence Service with regard to times, targets, places, method of attacks and other information is clear evidence there was a Grand Conspiracy in place. Speaking exclusively to News 1sts Zulfick Farzan, Attorney General de Livera said that the identities of those involved in the grand conspiracy must come by the way of evidence. He said the AGs Department is now focused on a conspiracy surrounding the terror attacks adding that there are multiple suspects connected to it including Naufer Maulavi, the person that the Sri Lankan government ruled as the mastermind of the attacks. On the 06th of April 2021, Sri Lankas Public Security Minister Rear Admiral (Retd) Dr. Sarath Weerasekara told reporters that Naufer Maulavi was identified as the mastermind of the 2019 April 21st attacks. However, Attorney General de Livera speaking to News 1st said Naufer Maulavi is a key figure in the conspiracy to carry out the attacks, and it is not possible to confirm if he was the mastermind, though he is leader of the group. This needs to be looked at holistically and time would tell, said the Attorney General adding the present investigation is on a group of people who participated in planning the attacks. The suicide bombers are the people who executed this conspiracy and they are not among the living, said the Attorney General noting that a considerable number of people who assisted the suicide bombers have been identified by detectives. The conspirators of these attacks are at a different level. People like Zaharan Hashim (the leader of the group that carried out the attacks) would have been involved in the conspiracy though he decided to explode himself, De Livera added. We cannot say the investigation on the Grand Conspiracy has been concluded, said de Livera. According to the Attorney General, some planned the attacks and there are those who acted in between to direct the suicide bombers to execute the attacks as part of the grand conspiracy, however, the evidence must be looked at very carefully. For the moment the investigators have not brought evidence of foreign individuals who are connected to the attacks, and these people are referred to as others unknown to the prosecution, said the Attorney General noting it is probable they would never be known, however, the investigations are focused on three people living overseas (Lukman Thalib and Son in Australia and Abu Hind in India) for their connection to the attacks. Commenting on the controversy surrounding Pulasthini Rajendran alias Sarah Jasmine, the Attorney General said her death at the Sainthamaruthu gun battle followed by an explosion is yet to be confirmed. We understand that she fled to India, but that too is not confirmed. Actually, her whereabouts remain unknown, said the Attorney General. There is no evidence to prove there was a foreign hand in the attacks, at the moment, said the Attorney General adding that the Foreign Violent Extremist Religious Ideology was imported to Sri Lanka at some point and it played a key role in carrying out the attacks. Attorney General Dappula De Livera said there are many other cases connected to the 2019 April 21st attacks that need to be looked at and they are; 01. 16th April 2019 motorcycle explosion in the Eastern Province (Kattankudy) 02. The Grand Conspiracy 03. The Sainthamaruthu Gun Battle and Explosion 04. Public Officers in the Defence and Police hierarchy who failed to prevent the attacks 05. PCoI recommendations on former President Maithripala Sirisena and former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. These matters need to be investigated and more evaluation needs to be done, stressed the Attorney General, highlighting that the probe is more complex than thought. Covid and fertilser crises This weeks events show that Minister Weerasekeras remarks have only added to the governments woes over which the catalogue is growing every day. The most important is the COVID-19 pandemic, with its third spike recording a death toll of 411 in the past 20 days. Yesterday, the overnight total of deaths was 44. The active cases in the latest wave have exceeded 30,000 and bed space in some hospitals has run short. Creditably, State Minister Sudarshini Fernandopulle was bold enough this week to exhort that increasing the bed strength in hospitals and intermediate care centres was not the answer. She declared that at least a two week lockdown would be necessary. Frontline workers, particularly doctors and nurses, have exhausted themselves in meeting with the increasing number of patients. Her views have been endorsed by those in the medical profession. As expected, the daily active toll has now exceded the 3,000 mark with projections being made for 4,000 per day in the coming weeks. It is a tragic irony that the government has not been able to come to grips with the crisis so far. Her appeal, also directed to the Sri Lanka community abroad, for equipment and other needs, demonstrates the bind the government is in. Only a few days before, there were statements being made that the government had no shortages. This clearly demonstrates not only a lack of forward thinking but most advice from the medical profession was being ignored. The State Minister called on the private sector to assist in getting the required vaccine. They were galvanised to rise to the cause only to be shot down yet again as their initial proposal in early February met with the same fate. Another cause for serious concern has been the ban on chemical fertiliser. The matter figured at a government parliamentary group meeting chaired by Prime Minister Rajapaksa. Parliamentarians from several districts protested that the ban was causing tremendous hardships to farmers. They said that the worst hit were tea and rubber plantations. Some even went to the point of saying they faced the threat of being politically wiped out by the ban. The protests by MPs saw heated exchanges with Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage. At the end, he undertook to brief President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on the situation. Earlier, both Minister G.L. Peiris and State Minister, Nivard Cabraal, briefed the MPs on the Bill to set up the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Zone. This was ahead of it being taken up for a two-day debate and being passed by Parliament. US Congress resolution against Lanka Another matter of significance is the introduction in the US Congress of a bipartisan resolution calling for an international mechanism for crimes committed in Sri Lanka. It has been moved by Deborah Ross. The resolution says: (1) acknowledges the 12th anniversary of the end of the war in Sri Lanka and offers its deepest condolences to all those affected by the conflict; (2) honours the memory of those who died and reaffirms its solidarity with the people of all communities in Sri Lanka in their search for reconciliation, reconstruction, reparation, and reform; (3) commends the United Nations Human Rights Council for prioritising the collection and preservation of evidence related to human rights violations, a process that must not be interfered with by the Government of Sri Lanka; (4) recognises the bravery and commitment of advocates for justice across all communities in Sri Lanka, including the Tamil families of the disappeared, whose protests and demands for answers have at times been met with threats, intimidation, and harassment by government security forces; (5) urges the international community to advocate for and protect the political rights and representation of the historically oppressed northeastern region of Sri Lanka and work towards a permanent political solution to address the underlying issues that led to ethnic conflict; (6) recommends the United States explore investigations and prosecutions pursuant to the recommendations of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; and (7) urges the United States to work with the United Nations General Assembly, the United Nations Security Council, and the United Nations Human Rights Council to establish a credible and effective international mechanism for accountability for the grave crimes committed during the war in Sri Lanka. The sting is in paragraphs 3,6, and 7 which seek to invoke the UN Security Council, the only body with legal teeth. This is whilst the Sri Lanka issue remains on the agenda for the UN Human Rights Council sessions in September, this year. Thus, the government has a lethal cocktail of many issues to cope with in the weeks and months to come. Employees of the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control put in close to 100,000 hours and millions of dollars' worth of overtime through the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, but some of that extra work wasn't done by public health employees. Documents provided through a Freedom of Information Act request showed that thousands of employees worked outside of their usual schedule as the contagion required the state to build an infrastructure for contact tracing and testing. The total tab from March 2020 to the beginning of this February was $3.3 million in overtime wages, or 99,259 extra hours. In the Public Health wing, thousands of staff worked extra hours. But notably, hundreds of employees of the sprawling agency's Environmental Affairs section were also drafted, doing everything from data entry to staffing testing events to driving around doses of a new medication. In total, 341 employees who usually work in environmental regulation or permitting helped in some way during that period. The episode is one of the rare examples of environmental employees and public health employees working on the same mission at the agency. DHEC is one of the largest organs of state government, with close to 4,000 total employees and broad responsibilities. It reviews applications for new hospitals, battles infectious diseases, conducts restaurant inspections, checks the safety of dams, gives permits to build in sensitive coastal areas and reviews plans for septic tanks, among many other functions. That's led some to argue over the years that the agency should actually be broken apart, a suggestion that's mostly stayed in the background. This year, the proposal got new life as it has been championed by Senate President Harvey Peeler, R-Gaffney. But ironically, the past year has seen potentially the most coordination ever between the agency's wings. When the need to conduct a special testing event or fix the data management system for test results arose, a call went out to all environmental employees. Sometimes the request verged on desperate. "This is a all-hands-on-deck call. We need help. Specifically, we have a high-level, short-term project for which we need people to enter data," Will Britt, a deputy incident commander working on coronavirus, wrote in a September message. "We will take as many as we can get for as many hours as we can get them." More than 100 employees ended up offering their help for that request. Helping the effort Almost as soon as the virus started prompting shutdowns in the United States, DHEC began asking environmental employees if they could pitch in. A March 17, 2020, email asked for up to 25 people to help in the Agency Coordination Center, DHEC's center of operations and resource management. Volunteers helped to input data from tests, assemble testing kits and distribute scarce resources. Sometimes they were called in when the state's data-keeping infrastructure went awry. Shortly before agency officials admitted a "systems issue" had made them temporarily under-report positive tests, environmental employees received an email with the subject line: "Urgent!!: Assistance Needed Sunday, January 10th Public Health Lab!" Robertha Dorsey, a financial analyst for the DHEC program that regulates gas stations' underground tanks, said she jumped at the chance to help out. Mostly, she shuttled doses of the drug Remdesivir around the state to the sickest COVID-19 patients. "We didn't have a lot of drivers, but we had enough to get the work done," said Dorsey, whose longest delivery trip was from the Columbia area to Myrtle Beach. "If this was my loved one, I would hope somebody would try to get the medicine to them." Workers didn't always get paid for this extra time, however. To earn any overtime, they had to work at least 15 hours in a week on coronavirus efforts, and then only got paid for any time above 40 hours in that period, according to multiple emails. Employees of DHEC typically work 37.5 hours a week. For her part, Dorsey said she didn't volunteer because of the money. "I did it to help," she said. Derrek Asberry, a spokesman for DHEC, said the pandemic created "unprecedented circumstances" and that "it was necessary to pull as many resources as possible into our response as we worked to increase public awareness, provide answers, and keep South Carolinians as safe as possible." The repeated call-outs for help were just one of the symptoms of the stress that the pandemic put on the agency in the last year. The department was without top leaders for months, though Dr. Edward Simmer was selected as the agency's new director in December. In another episode, South Carolina lawmakers were briefly befuddled as they offered DHEC more money to fight the pandemic, but the agency hadn't made a formal request. The agency's response to the pandemic is one of the factors that has made lawmakers give a new look at an old proposal: splitting the department apart. To split or not to split Usually, the lower the bill number, the higher the priority, and the bill to sever DHEC was given the title S.2. But the legislation did not make it out of committee in the state Senate in 2021, and won't have a chance to make it to the floor for a vote before next January, since regular session has ended. An original version of the bill suggested creating a new Public Health agency, and splitting DHEC's environmental responsibilities between the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Agriculture. The idea brought swift criticism from many, in part because some environmental programs would be regulating the same businesses that the Agriculture Department is designed to promote, and because it would have split up related programs, like those within DHEC's Bureau of Water. The bill has since been amended and would instead create a new "Department of Environmental Services" instead of splitting up environmental programs. Environmental advocates said a dedicated environmental agency would make regulation of the state's air, water and land stronger. Not everyone agrees. In an April subcommittee meeting, Simmer said it did make sense that two separate missions were housed in the same agency, because "protecting the environment is really a focus on peoples health too." But he also admitted that there was always a risk that public health efforts, particularly during the pandemic, might overshadow the other half of the agency. Regardless of whether DHEC is split or not, the state has many positions to fill there after the ravages of the pandemic. As of May 17, 13 percent of positions in Environmental Affairs and 23 percent of positions in Public Health were vacant. In total, that's 642 jobs that need to be filled. Asked whether there was concern at the agency over employees burning out, Asberry, the spokesman, wrote: "Like many others, this pandemic has been exhausting for DHEC staff mentally, emotionally, and physically. We have a dedicated staff and we also provide adequate opportunities for vacation time, medical leave, personal days, etc." Asberry didn't specify when or if the agency would continue asking for volunteers this year. But Dorsey said the requests seem to have significantly dropped off, and she hasn't personally volunteered since January. Syndicated and guest columns represent the personal views of the writers, not necessarily those of the editorial staff. The editorial department operates entirely independently of the news department and is not involved in newsroom operations. Protesters stood outside the courthouse for hours Friday demanding Justice for Jamal. Its become the rally cry of the community, because few people can watch the horrifying video of Jamal Sutherlands death at the Charleston County jail and not want someone to pay. The first payment could come as soon as this week, with a simple vote of County Council. The rest is likely more than a year away and that includes the inevitable lawsuits, potential charges of federal civil rights violations and possibly even criminal prosecution. But South Carolinas definition of murder makes the sort of justice that some people expect nearly impossible. This week, one of two things will almost certainly happen: County officials will agree to a settlement with the family or the Sutherlands lawyer will file a wrongful death civil suit. Attorneys for the county and family spent the day before the videos release trying to negotiate a settlement. The mediation didnt get far because the two sides were so far apart. Those talks have continued quietly for the past week. A settlement is still possible, even probable. Some council members argue the countys liability is limited; others grouse about having to pay even though county government played no role in this, other than funding the sheriffs budget. Still others dont want to set a multimillion-dollar precedent. But neither side relishes a long, costly court battle. And some council members would prefer to avoid a potentially devastating verdict. Juries are unpredictable and could respond harshly to those videos. Thats because those videos show two deputies pepper-spray and repeatedly Taser a man suffering from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder ... just to take him to a bond hearing on a simple misdemeanor charge. For many people, its the very definition of excessive force. One deputy sat on his back while trying to cuff him as another put a spit-mask over his face. A few minutes later, Sutherland was dead. Its nearly impossible not to connect those dots, despite any autopsys findings. And if a jury reacts the way most people have, a lawsuit wouldnt go well for the county. No matter what County Council does, it wont satisfy those demanding that 9th Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson charge the two deputies with murder. Because that wont happen. Sign up for our opinion newsletter Get a weekly recap of South Carolina opinion and analysis from The Post and Courier in your inbox on Monday evenings. Email Sign Up! South Carolina law doesnt differentiate between degrees of homicide. When Wilson charged former North Charleston police officer Michael Slager with the murder of Walter Scott in 2015, she noted that state law only considers that act an unlawful killing with malice aforethought. Basically, murder charges require premeditation. That legalese, coupled with SLEDs report, an inconclusive cause of death and the fact that those deputies were acting under orders and supervision, makes murder charges a practical impossibility in Sutherlands case. Wilson hinted as much on May 11. In order for the state to hold someone criminally responsible for anothers death, the state must prove unlawful conduct was the proximate cause of death, she said in a statement. Still, protesters equate justice with murder charges which is understandable. Some of those expectations belie a misunderstanding of the law, mixed in with a little partisanship. Truth is, the SLED report gave Wilson all the cover she needed to declare no charges were warranted ... if thats what shed wanted. Instead, shes hiring more experts to examine evidence and asked for another opinion on the cause of death. Wilson isnt trying to get out of filing charges in this case; shes trying to get to the bottom of it. Even Sutherland family attorney Mark Peper noted at a May 14 news conference that Wilson has few options available. Thats why the Justice Department is reviewing the case for possible civil rights violations, and why state lawmakers want to change the way law enforcement handles people with mental health issues. We will get justice for Jamal, Peper said at the time. Justice comes in many forms. It comes through policy change. It comes in the form of civil litigation. It comes with punishment, of being held accountable in the criminal system. Some justice will come. Sheriff Kristin Graziano has changed some jail policies as a result of Sutherlands death, and she suggests more are coming. And one way or another, the county will pay the family for the loss of their son. And if Wilson finds evidence that those deputies who were fired last week violated the law or jail policy, there could be criminal charges. Its messy, and it wont be the clear-cut murder charges some want. Many people will then ask if that's really justice, and it's not. In a just world, Jamal would still be alive. It has been several years since the Army Corps of Engineers announced a partnership with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources to restore the Crab Bank shorebird estuary. The plan proposed to deposit 660,000 cubic yards of spoil material over the north end of what remained of Crab Bank. This plan raised red flags with the town of Mount Pleasant as well as commercial and private interests on Shem Creek. Many felt that the plan would threaten the mouth of Shem Creek as well as the Hog Island Channel between Patriots Point and the north end of Crab Bank. It also was feared that a land bridge could form in this channel and pose a threat to the nesting birds from predators. Fortunately, all these concerns were put to rest in April when the Army Corps of Engineers announced that the location of the project was being moved even farther to the southeast than even the preferred location. This decision was a win-win-win for all parties interested in this project. I would like to commend Mount Pleasant Mayor Will Haynie and Town Administrator Eric DeMoura as well as Town Councilman Howard Chapman for working to achieve this outcome. I also want to commend Town Council for allocating the necessary funds for the engineering and economic impact studies that illustrated the importance of Shem Creek and its continued viability to Mount Pleasant. And I also commend Lt. Col. Rachel Honderd of the Corps of Engineers for her willingness to find an agreeable compromise for this issue. Lastly, thanks to Sen. Lindsey Graham and Rep. Nancy Mace for working with the town, the Corps and DNR to bring about a very satisfactory result to this controversial issue. JIMMY BAGWELL Chairman Save Shem Creek Corp. West Coleman Boulevard Mount Pleasant Left-lane drivers There are different ways to view the recent bill to ticket slow drivers in the left lane. Ive heard that if you see a little old lady driving slowly in the left lane and you say, Bless her heart! then you are probably a Southerner. JOSEPH R. COCKRELL South Battery Charleston Road crew rocks On May 12 and 13, a Charleston County Public Works road construction crew visited the Melrose subdivision in West Ashley to make a few repairs to the surface of Melrose Drive to take care of several emerging bumps in the road from the growth of underlying tree roots. I want to thank Drew Simpson and his crew for their work, professionalism and willingness to answer questions that I had about the repairs they were doing since the location was directly adjacent to my house. I also wish to commend them for their wonderful customer service, as they were very personable and patient, especially when faced with the few grumpy drivers who were completely put off from having to make a detour when driving through the neighborhood. We should be thankful we have folks like Mr. Simpson and his crew working for the county. I know I am. RICK DEVOE Sign up for our opinion newsletter Get a weekly recap of South Carolina opinion and analysis from The Post and Courier in your inbox on Monday evenings. Email Sign Up! Terrell Street West Ashley Address silt issue The May 12 letter about the good and bad news for Charleston Harbor is on target about what is happening to our harbor, inlets, creeks and marshes in and around Charleston. I have been a resident of James Island for more than 40 years and have seen firsthand how the silt and sediment have settled in and around creeks and inlets. During a recent low tide, I attempted to travel Schooner Creek on James Island into Charleston Harbor. I was seaward of Fort Sumter and was amazed at the huge shift in only the past few years. The entire area between Cummings Point and Fort Sumter is almost impassable at low tide due to the buildup of silt and sand. Bass Creek on Morris Island, where the legendary Civil War cannon Swamp Angel was located, has been impossible to enter at half tide for years. Our creeks and inlets are suffering from the never-ending dredging and silt movement from these operations. We must do something soon or we may all have to stay home unless it is high tide. I call on the leaders in our community to address this concern and not wait too long in solving these issues. Our commerce is important, but so is our enjoyment of those areas in and around Charleston that we all love so much. AL HITCHCOCK Sea Eagle Watch Charleston Generous employers The May 16 edition of The Post and Courier gave me something to think about. I had just returned from my adult Sunday school class where we studied the Parable of the Generous Employer in Chapter 20 of Matthew. In that parable, at different times throughout the day, jobless people were hired to work in a vineyard. At the end of the day, those who where hired the last hour were paid as much as those who had worked all day. Some workers complained that it wasnt fair. After reading Post and Courier reporter Emily Williams article SCs reasoning for stopping federal jobless aid stirs debate as well as Llewellyn Kings commentary Where have the restaurant workers gone, I realized why are we not finding workers to work in the hotels, the bars and the fast-food industry. If the service industry in our state and others paid a decent wage, there would be no shortage of workers. Minimum wage or less, usually without health benefits, is not enough. Does that mean that I might have to pay more when I access these services? Sure, why not? The parable makes the point that it is up to the employer to pay whatever he or she chooses. The employer in the parable chose to pay his laborers out of his generosity and abundance. Can anyone do less? HARTMUT FEGE Bent Tree Lane Pawleys Island COLUMBIA The long-debated question over the constitutionality of a controversial state law that blocks South Carolina cities from taking down Confederate monuments and other war memorials is about to be heard by the state Supreme Court. And there's a chance the court could opt to avoid that central issue, since top Republican officials have encouraged the justices to toss the dispute on technical grounds. Jennifer Pinckney, the widow of slain state senator and Emanuel AME Church Pastor Clementa Pinckney, filed the lawsuit to be heard May 25 along with Columbia Councilman Howard Duvall and former state Sen. Kay Patterson. The trio contends the Heritage Act the law passed by the Legislature as a compromise measure when they voted to remove the Confederate battle flag from the Statehouse dome in 2000 violates the state constitution by improperly constraining lawmakers and local governments from removing or modifying monuments and other historical markers. Rather than through a more achievable simple majority, the law requires a two-thirds vote by the General Assembly to take down any monuments or rename any public areas dedicated for historical figures from a list of 10 major wars, including the Civil War, or for Native Americans or African Americans. Critics have long argued the two-thirds requirement unconstitutionally restricted future Legislatures from taking action by simple majority. "By allowing a past majority from twenty years ago to control future legislatures, neither the people nor their elected representatives can be fully heard," the plaintiffs, represented by state Sen. Gerald Malloy, D-Hartsville, and attorney Matthew Richardson, wrote in their brief. Even Republican Attorney General Alan Wilson agreed on that point, writing in a non-binding 2020 opinion that the two-thirds threshold should be struck down. But Wilson said the rest of the law should remain in tact. With so much unsettled division over the law, Wilson encouraged the state Supreme Court to take the case and potentially determine whether the act passes constitutional muster. The lawsuit names Gov. Henry McMaster, House Speaker Jay Lucas and Senate President Harvey Peeler as defendants due to their official roles enforcing the law. The plaintiffs also claim the law violates "Home Rule" by preventing local governments from controlling monuments and markers in their own areas while delegating that authority to the state instead. And they argue the selection of 10 wars and two ethnic heritages violates a prohibition against arbitrary classifications. Sign up for updates! Get the latest political news from The Post and Courier in your inbox. Email Sign Up! Lucas and Peeler declined to comment on a pending legal issue, but McMaster's spokesman Brian Symmes said the governor "maintains that the Heritage Act provides a good framework for dealing with questions around historical monuments." "It preserves monuments while allowing South Carolinians to voice their concerns through their elected representatives," Symmes said. "That thoughtful, democratic process has proven to be important in the past and needs to be prioritized moving forward," he added. Some of the legal arguments put forward by the state officer lawyers could still prevent the court from deciding the main issue in the case. In a 22-page response brief, Lucas' attorney noted that no attempted legislation to amend or repeal the Heritage Act has ever received a simple majority without also clearing the two-thirds threshold, therefore suggesting there is no pressing legal dispute for the court to address. Nine bills have been introduced to alter something protected by the Heritage Act since it became law. Four of them passed overwhelmingly and the other five never received a vote. Most famously, the state House voted 94-20 and the Senate 37-3 to remove the Confederate battle flag from the Statehouse grounds after the 2015 Emanuel AME shooting. Lucas' attorney called the lawsuit "a generalized complaint about a legislative policy decision." "They do not like the Heritage Act," the attorney, Grayson Lambert, wrote of the plaintiffs. "But that does not make the Heritage Act unconstitutional. And its constitutionality is the only question before the Court." Even if the two-thirds requirement gets struck down, Lambert echoed Wilson in saying the rest of the law should remain. He said the designation of the 10 wars and two ethnic classes is allowed because the law focuses on "monuments and memorials to the most impactful wars and ethnicities on the State's history." Arguments over the case will be heard in the S.C. Supreme Court at 10:30 a.m. May 25. Plaintiffs will have 20 minutes to make their case and defendants will have 20 minutes to respond followed by a five-minute rebuttal. The return of the S.C. Governor's Cup Billfishing Series is a sign that life is returning to normal for the Palmetto State's offshore fishing community. There won't be five tournaments this year as originally hoped for, but there will be three events starting with this week's 53rd annual Georgetown Blue Marlin Tournament. Two events on the original schedule have been postponed because of marina construction, the Bohicket Marina Invitational Billfish Tournament originally set for May 5-8 and the Megadock Billfishing Tournament that was scheduled July 14-17. Both of those tournaments are expected to be back on the schedule for 2022. The last time the series had only three tournaments was 2009. Fishing days for the Georgetown Blue Marlin Tournament, fished out of Georgetown Landing Marina, are May 27-30. The Carolina Billfish Classic will be held June 23-26 and the Edisto Invitational Billfish Tournament is scheduled July 21-24. Wally Jenkins, program coordinator for the Governor's Cup, said interest is high for this year's series. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, only one event was held in 2020, the Carolina Billfish Classic out of Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina. That tournament drew 47 entries with anglers releasing 10 blue marlin and 54 sailfish. No Governor's Cup champion was recognized last year because there was only one tournament. This will be the 33rd year of the event that was formed with the idea of promoting catch and release fishing. Prior to the start of the Governor's Cup, there was a 90-percent rate of caught billfish being brought to the dock. Now there is a 99-percent release rate in South Carolina. The only billfish that can be harvested in Governor's Cup tournaments are blue marlin, and they must measure 105 inches from the tip of the lower jaw to the fork of the tail. The federal regulation is 99 inches. White marlin, sailfish and spearfish are catch and release only. Scoring in Governor's Cup tournaments is one point per pound for blue marlin landed. Blue marlin released earn 600 points; white marlin and spearfish score 300 release points; and sailfish receive 200 points for releases. Jenkins said he expects more than 70 boats to fish Georgetown, typically one of the largest events in the series. There were 56 boats in 2019 and 58 in 2018. Going back in Georgetown history, the tournament had 66 boats in 2003, 64 in 2001 and 2002 and drew 72 entries in 2000. "When Bohicket was canceled, I heard from a lot of fishermen who were disappointed. That's the time when blue marlin are here in larger numbers," said Jenkins. "Evidenced by the number of boats, the feeling is the fishing community wants to get back to business as normal." That appears to be the case for the Edisto Invitational, which has a waiting list. Jenkins said interest in outdoor activities has been up in South Carolina during the pandemic and revenue from fishing license sales has increased. "When this all started we were fearful people would not be buying licenses and participating in outdoor activities," he said. "Hopefully this trend will remain now that people are enjoying the outdoors more." America's Boating Club Americas Boating Club Charleston will hold boating safety classes June 12 and June 26 at 1376 Orange Grove Road, Charleston. The classes begin at 9 a.m. and end around 4 p.m. Successful participants earn the S.C. Department of Natural Resources Boater Education Card. The cost is $25 for adults and youth 12-18 are free. Call 843-312-2876 or email lynes@tds.net. Note: We've recently updated our online systems. If you can't login please try resetting your password. You must login with an email address. If you don't have an email associated with your account email circulation@postregister.com for help creating one. Ni Hao Xi Jingping, View(s): I thought I must write to you now because, for some strange reason you are in the news in our little island. One may have thought it is due to the raging pandemic that has shut us down even though no likes to use the word lockdown and because that originated in your country. That is not the reason. You might be surprised to know that some are even suggesting that you are in effect the leader of our land because we seem to do what you want, and give all that you ask for from us. All this is because of the fuss over this Port City extending out of Colombo, which we appear to have handed over to you. It is not that your country has not helped us in the past. We remember how, in the early 70s, when we had the worlds first female Prime Minister leading us, Mao Tse-Tung and Chou En-Lai were very good friends of our nation, and we had a very good working relationship with your people. Your country gifted us a conference hall named after the Prime Ministers late husband and that is the major conference venue we have to this day. Later, you also gifted us with our superior courts complex, where ironically, a case against handing over the Port City to your country was heard! I suppose the difference now is that, while your country continues to be generous, you also seem to be asking too much in return. You may have given us billions of Yuan in loans, and a few million vaccines to fight the coronavirus, but you seem to want total control of the Port City in return. What has also changed in that 50 years is that you have now become a major power in the world, if not a superpower. So, just like the Americans and Russians did previously, you also now want to gain control of events in the region to your advantage and you use smaller nations like us for that purpose. What was surprising was the ease with which you have won over the R clan and the pohottuwa chaps. These are the same people who shouted themselves hoarse about selling our assets to foreign powers when they were in the opposition, blaming the yahapaalanaya clan for doing that. Even those who supported the pohottuwa at the last elections and helped them to come to power, including those who wear saffron robes, are astonished at this change of heart. They knew that the R clan always had a soft spot for you and your Yuan, but they didnt realise that you would get this far. All this was also happening in the midst of another disaster of Chinese origin the coronavirus. It was odd that the laws related to the Port City were being rushed through at a time when the energies of the government should have been devoted more to reducing deaths from the deadly pandemic. These laws were passed when medical experts are demanding a lockdown, and many asked whether Gota maama had got his priorities correct. I am sure he did, at least from his point of view. What difference would a few hundred more deaths make, if he can have his vistas of prosperity? If the powers-that-be got what they originally wanted, some laws which apply to the rest of the land wouldnt apply to the Port City. We would have needed a visa to enter the city. Special approvals would be needed for many activities there. It could have even been administered entirely by Chinese! Naturally, people asked whether we were becoming a Chinese colony! We hear of what is happening in Hong Kong in recent times, and its changes since the British left less than 25 years ago. Many were worried that in this instance, we could have two countries with one system yours! Fortunately, the highest court in our land intervened, because in Paradise, people still have the right to go to courts on issues which they feel strongly about. They still dispense justice even though faith in the system is tested now and then, especially when the likes of Senadhipathi walks away a free man. Sitting in a court house built by your people, they made significant changes to what was originally planned. What that means is that the Port City will still go ahead but with changes to ensure that it will be part and parcel of our little Paradise and not something that is entirely Made in China. That must have been a disappointment for Gota maama and the pohottuwa chaps. Nevertheless, Xi Jingping, we know that the devil is in the detail. Now that you have a foothold in Paradise, you will want more, so we must beware. For now though, hurry up and send us some more vaccines, will you? Yours truly, Punchi Putha PS: Xi Jingping, what are your thoughts about the fear that, in 25 years time, when Namal baby is leading this land, the lion will be replaced by the dragon in our national flag and our national anthem will be Chee Lanka Maatha, Apa Cheeeeena Lanka, Namo Namo, Namo, Namo Cheenaa? Will Sri Lankas Port City be Chinas Trojan Horse? View(s): It was significant, no less than ironical, that the SLPP Government chose to present the Port City Bill to Parliament on the day the nation was commemorating the defining triumph over the Tamil militias long-drawn struggle to establish a separate state of Eelam on Lankan soil twelve years ago. On March 18, 2009, when Prabhakarans bullet riddled body was found in the mangrove belt on the banks of the Nandikadal lagoon in Mullaitivu, thus ending the 30-year terrorist war, the patriotic cry that roared was deafening even as the scramble to claim sole credit was frantic. But in her hour of triumph, the exultant nation was generous, and whoever offered his chalice had it poured to the brim without stint to be drunk to the lees without restraint. But memories of Lankas finest hour seem to have faded, and winds that blew in exultant relief following the slaying of the Eelam spectre no more blow in regal sway to kindle the governing conscience into learning from past horrors; and the terrible toll the nation paid in flesh and blood to exorcise the phantom from the land, no more serve as fitting warnings that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. Instead, the easily foreseeable consequences that may inexorably flow from granting to the Chinese exclusive rights to occupy for 99 years the new land born from Lankas territorial waters midwived by the Chinese, an unsolicited project proposed by the Chinese, financially aided by the Chinese, and heavily promoted by the Chinese are met with apathy; and the long term threat posed to Lankas territorial integrity and the possible de facto usurpation of the Lankan peoples sovereign rights seem not to have been looked askance but tossed aside in the face of promised Chinese trinkets. Perhaps the irony was lost, when the SLPP Government chose May 18 as the day to present to Parliament the Port City Bill which, from whatever angle one looks at it, seeks to create on the islands capital shore, a separate entity possessing all the makings of a separate pseudo state, with its own set of rules and regulations, with its own established oligarchy in overall command; and, had it not been for the timely intervention of the Supreme Court, would have required a visa to enter for all Lankans. Considering its radical nature and the paradigm shift it would cause in the body politic of Sri Lanka, the bill had been surrounded with controversy not merely for its content which excluded, in the Port City zone, the applicability of 14 statutes prevailing in the rest of the island but also for the questionable manner in which, as claimed by the Opposition, it was surreptitiously advanced through its many stages. The Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill was presented to Parliament on April 8 by Leader of the House Dinesh Gunawardena. The 20th Amendment to the Constitution had reduced the time within which a Bill could be challenged in the Supreme Court from 14 to 7 days. With the 10 and 11 being Saturday and Sunday and 13 Tuesday and 14 Wednesday being Aluth Avurudu holidays, the Government declared ad hoc 12 Monday as a public holiday, leaving only 15 Thursday as the final day to lodge petitions. The Supreme Court on April 23 concluded the consideration of petitions filed challenging the bill and announced that the determination would be directed to the Speaker. The judgment was expected to reach the Speaker on May 4 and the debate scheduled to be held on the following two days. But due to the Speaker not receiving the court determination, the debate was postponed. The Speaker received it that Friday and it was decided to present it to Parliament this week on the 18 May. The opposition also charged that the bill had been presented in the backdrop of a raging coronavirus resurgence. With an unstoppable third wave sweeping across the land, the most virulent so far seen in the island, with the attention, energy and resources of the nation totally marshalled to meet the paramount threat, was this the time, was this the right climate, asked the opposition in unison, to hold a short two-day debate within 24 hours of receiving the Supreme Court determination of a Bill that sought to change the face of the land and, possibly, endangered its territorial integrity and sovereignty of its people? But, in spite of opposition clamour to delay the debate in view of the compelling circumstances, SLPP party leaders stuck to their guns and steadfastly refused to allow the rising pandemic fires delay their journey to the Promised Land. In the light of the Supreme Court determination, the Oppositions demand for more time to study the far-reaching implications it will hold for Lanka seems justified when it was revealed that 26 clauses in the bill were inconsistent with the Constitution and required a two-thirds majority to be enacted. Furthermore nine of these clauses also required a referendum to be held in addition to a two-third parliamentary vote to be ratified. One glaring example of a clause the Supreme Court found vitiating the Constitution and demanding a two-thirds majority vote and reference to the people at a referendum to remedy the defect was Clause 68(1)(f) of the original Bill which stated: Notwithstanding the provisions contained in any other written law, any person who, within the Area of Authority of the Colombo Port City (f) contravenes or fails to comply with any rule, code, direction or guideline made or issued in terms of this Act, commits an offence and shall be liable on conviction after summary trial before a Magistrate, to a fine of not less than rupees one million and not more than rupees five million or to imprisonment for a term not less than three months and not more than two years, or both such fine and imprisonment and the court may take into consideration the grave nature of the offence committed, in fixing the amount of such fine or the period of such imprisonment. The offending sub clause(f) of Clause 68 was held by the Court as contravening or failing to comply with any rule, code, direction or guideline made or issued in terms of this Act, and was accordingly deleted thus ruling out the need for a two-thirds majority vote and public approval at a referendum for the bill to be enacted. Another Clause the Court found repugnant to the Constitution was Clause 30(1) which stated: Subject to Part VII, Part VIII and section 33 of this Act, the Commission shall be the Single Window Investment Facilitator responsible for the consideration and determination, in an expeditious and coordinated manner, whether to accept or reject for good reason, any application made to the Commission for a registration, licence, authorisation or other approval as may be necessary, to engage in any business in, to invest in, to reside in, to be employed in, or to visit, the Area of Authority of the Colombo Port city. The words or to visit was held to be in conflict with the freedom of movement guaranteed in the Constitution. Since the said offending words were also found in Clause 33(1), the Court also called for its deletion. The Court held, It is pertinent to observe that Clauses 30(1) and Clause 33(1) require a person to obtain prior approval of the Commission in order to visit the Area of Authority of the Port City. These two clauses were duly deleted as the Court had directed. Another instance for example was Clause 3(6) of the Bill which had stated: The relevant Regulatory Authority from whom such concurrence is being sought by the Commission, shall as soon as practicable in the circumstances, as a matter of priority, provide such concurrence to the Commission. Since this would have robbed the Regulatory Agencies of exercising any discretion and its regulatory role reduced to a mere rubber stamp with its concurrence made compulsory, the Court held that the offending words, provide such concurrence, be replaced with the words communicate its decision. The same key phrase was used to replace the offending words when it appeared in Clause 55(2) which stated that The Condominium Management Authority, shall as a matter of priority in the circumstances, provide such concurrence to the Commission. Again when the Commission sought concurrences from the relevant Regulatory Authority and the Securities and Exchange Commission and asked the parties in Clause 30(3) and Clause 58(1) respectively to render such concurrence, the offending words were directed by the Court to be substituted by the words communicate its decision. Thus did the Supreme Court deal with all the 26 clauses it found repugnant to the Constitution, suggesting suitable amendments to each which, if followed, will cease the inconsistencies with the Constitution, ruling out the need for a two-thirds majority, let alone a referendum, for enactment. The Government faithfully incorporated the amendments as suggested in the committee stage and the Port City Bill was duly passed on Thursday eve by a simple majority, with 149 voting for and 58 against. Undoubtedly for the Government, it was a case of alls well that ends well. But merely because the controversial Port City Bill had passed Constitutional muster, it did not douse the flames of fear the Chinese built Port City had ignited, kindled and raised in the nations breast. The ambit of the Supreme Court was limited to determining only whether the Port City Bill vitiated the Constitution or not. As the Supreme Court noted in the Additional Solicitor Generals submissions where reference was made to the Courts determination in the Third Amendment to the Constitution Bill S.S.D. No2/1982 to 5/1982 where this court observed a clear distinction must be borne in mind between the law and the administration of the law. A law cannot be struck down as discriminatory because of the fear that it may be administered in a discriminatory manner. Mere possibility of an abuse of power is not sufficient to hold that a law offends the fundamental right of equality. Thus merely because the Port City Bill had passed the Courts Constitutional fitness test with the necessary amendments made to rid it of any inconsistencies repugnant to Lankas Supreme Law, what lies beyond the Constitution in the still unknown bourn of the future in practice, gives the nation pause for thought; and shrouds the collective conscience in fear and in despair, staring at the alarming prospect of having a foreign power, a regional and rapidly emerging superpower to boot, in occupation on an area of reclaimed land set next to the hearty of the capital of Lanka for the next 99 years. Will these natural fears be assuaged simply by assurances of past friendship, by reference to past ties, when the eastern hand was stretched unreservedly even as it is now to help Lanka without stint? But the concept of friendship in international relations between nations have long been debunked with the ruling diplomatic dictum for centuries holding that relations between nations are governed by permanent interests, not by permanent friendships. Holding otherwise is to commit pathetic fallacy, and attribute human feelings to abstract States. The fear grows undiminished that with Chinas presence as a legal tenant, the island will soon be turned into a theatre of conflict, nay, an arena of war when America and western powers, even Russia and Japan now replaced as the Easts rising sun by China, rush to stake their claim to this strategically located hub in the Indian Ocean. How will India react if she perceives the Lankan isle as a Chinese aircraft carrier anchored on her doorstep? Long after the curtain has fallen on the chief protagonists of the present Port City drama, long after the present cast of political leaders, their supporters, the antagonists, judges, lawyers, professionals, rights activists, members of the clergy and the present generation of spectators have each taken their cues, made their bows and departed to the great beyond, will the new progeny they spawned and left behind to the mercy of the fates, find to their horror that the Port City their forefathers vaunted as a veritable gold mine, a cornucopia of ever flowing wealth, as the nations Kapruka, has turned into Lankas monster, or has become Chinas Trojan Horse? Unless China and Sri Lanka can provide iron clad guarantees to the contrary and enter into a joint treaty embodying the same and have it ratified in Chinas 2980 member strong supreme legislative body the National Peoples Congress, the ominous fear the nation harbours in her worried heart, even if unfounded, still genuine concerns, will remain forever unabated. There are enough destructive and unlawful woke policies going forward these days to keep dozens, if not hundreds, of public interest law firms working full time. Im happy to report on two recent court successes (for now) in cases challenging such policies. In Texas, U.S. District Judge Reed OConnor has issued a temporary restraining order sought by a restaurant owner against the Biden Small Business Administration. The owner challenged the Biden administrations Restaurant Revitalization Fund which gives priority to businesses owned by women, racial minorities, veterans, and other socially and economically disadvantaged groups. Judge OConnor enjoined the SBA from giving such preferential treatment based on racial and gender classifications. The plaintiff, owner of the Greers Ranch Cafe, claims to have lost nearly $100,000 in revenue during the coronavirus pandemic. He presented evidence that, because he is White, the entire $28.6 billion in the Restaurant Revitalization Fund might be depleted before his application for relief will be considered. Team Biden argued that its discriminatory program can survive strict scrutiny the standard under the Fourteenth Amendment for judging racial classifications because it remedies the effects of past and present discrimination. The court rejected this contention. It stated: [The governments] evidence largely falters [because]. . .it lacks the industry specific inquiry needed to support a compelling interest for a government-imposed racial classification. While the Court is mindful of. . .statistical disparities and expert conclusions based on those disparities, [d]efining these sorts of injuries as identified discrimination would give . . . governments license to create a patchwork of racial preferences based on statistical generalizations about any particular field of endeavor. Croson, 488 U.S. at 499; see also Adarand, 515 U.S. 200 (extending Crosons holding to the federal government). Racial classifications are suspect, and that means that simple legislative assurances of good intention cannot suffice. Id. at 500. Thus, the Court concludes that the government has failed to prove that it likely has a compelling interest in remedying the effects of past and present discrimination in the restaurant industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. The other case arises from Virginia. Its a challenge to the race-based admissions policy of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ) rated the best public high school in the country last month by U.S. News and World Report. The Fairfax County School Board scrapped the standardized test that TJ used to select students objectively (and that probably helped make the school as good as it is) in favor of a system that distributes the vast majority of slots to the top 1.5 percent of students at each of the countys middle schools. The new policy disfavors Asian-Americans. Thanks to the objective test-based admissions policy the School Board has now discarded, they make up more than 70 percent of TJs student. Accordingly, a group of Asian-Americans sued the School Board. It moved to dismiss the lawsuit. But Senior Judge Claude Hilton, a conservative who has been on the bench since 1985, denied the motion. Judge Hilton was not persuaded by the School Boards claim that the policy is racially neutral. It may be neutral on its face, but, said Hilton, Everybody knows. . .that its designed to affect the racial composition of the school. Everyone does know that. And adapting a facially neutral policy for the purpose of favoring members of one race at the expense of another is intentional discrimination. Literacy tests for voting in the Jim Crow South were sometimes facially neutral. So was the poll tax. But the intent behind these devices was to exclude Black voters and to preserve political control by Whites. Judge Hiltons ruling means the Asian-American plaintiffs can proceed with their case. It doesnt mean they win. A trial will likely take place, at which plaintiffs can present evidence that the change in admissions policy was motivated by race. Its my understanding that public statements of school board members provide ample evidence of this. In the meantime, Judge Hilton declined to enjoin admissions based on the new policy for the upcoming school year. He found that such an injunction would be too disruptive at this relatively late date. I understand this ruling and it may be correct. However, racist admissions policies are sufficiently pernicious that a very strong showing of disruption should be required before they are allowed to remain in effect even for one school year. President Muhammadu Buhari was absent at the burial ceremony of his Chief of Army Staff, Ibrahim Attahiru, drawing condemnation from Nigerians who questioned his absence from critical national occasions and his perceived lack of empathy. Mr Attahiru, a lieutenant general, and 10 other officers were laid to rest at the National Military Cemetery, Abuja on Saturday, a day after they died in a military plane crash. They died in the crash that occurred in Kaduna on Friday while on official assignment to Zaria in Kaduna State. They were travelling to the Depot Nigerian Army, Zaria for the passing out parade of regular recruits slated for Saturday. It was the third military air disaster this year and the army posted videos on social networks of the service attended by top political and military leaders at the national mosque. The religious services for the deceased were organised by the military. The Islamic funeral service was held at the National Mosque, Abuja for the late army chief and five others who were Muslims while the Christian funeral services burial rites were held at the Nigerian Air Force Protestant Church, Abuja for the officers who were Christians. After the religious services, the bodies of the dead officers were taken to the National Military Cemetery along Airport Road for internment. Tears, anguish. Buhari missing Family members, friends, colleagues and sympathisers wept uncontrollably as their remains were lowered into the graves. In attendance were the Chief of Defence Staff, Lucky Irabor, a general; Chief of Air Staff, Isiaka Amao; and Chief of Naval Staff, Gambo Awwal, all of whom were appointed on January 26 as Mr Attahiru by Mr Buhari. Among government officials present were the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Gambari; Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed and Minister of Communications and Digital Strategy, Isa Pantami. Others were the Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar; Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, governors of Borno, Kaduna, Yobe and Kebbi. But conspicuously missing at the sombre event was the president of the republic. No one has explained to the nation why he stayed away. Eulogy In the address read on his behalf by Mr Magashi, Mr Buhari said the death of the officers would not be in vain. He described Mr Attahiru as a dedicated and committed officer. He said, Today is indeed a trying moment for the Nigerian Army and indeed the armed forces of our country, a period that witnessed the death of 11 brave officers and men of the armed forces in an ill-fated crash in Kaduna. These fine gentlemen had a glorious career in the armed forces in the course of which they served gallantly in several capacities. Mr Buhari said Mr Attahiru inspired courage and confidence in the Nigerian Army which informed successes recorded during his watch. ADVERTISEMENT He led the Nigerian Army from the front and was a source of inspiration worthy of emulation by all officers and men of the armed forces of Nigeria, the president said, promising to ensure that the contribution of the deceased officer to the unity, peace and security would be remembered Efforts to reach the presidents media aides, Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu, to comment on why the president did not personally attend such a high-profile funeral as sometimes done by other world leaders, were not successful. However, criticisms against the president intensified with the news that he just returned to Abuja from France where he attended the African Finance Summit but did not deem it fit to attend the burial of his top military chief and other military personnel who died on duty. Mr Buhari left Abuja on Sunday and returned on Thursday, two days before the burial. Buhari: Lacking empathy Reno Omokri, a former aide to former President Goodluck, said the absence of the president from the funeral ceremonies showed that the country was leaderless. Sad that President Muhammadu Buhari did not attend the burial of the late Chief of Army Staff, (Lieutenant) General Attahiru. He was represented by his Defence Minister Attahiru died serving Nigeria. Buhari, who went to Paris for four days, could not go to Attahirus funeral for 30 minutes, the ex-aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan and staunch Buhari critic, tweeted. I ask again, where is the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria? When the occupant of the highest office in the land becomes so redundant to the point that he cannot attend the funeral of his Chief of Army Staff and other officers who died in a plane crash while on official assignment, it is an indication that the country is leaderless. Buhari has become a mere mannequin. He is neither useful to the country nor to humanity, Lagos-based human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, wrote on Facebook. In another tweet, Mr Omokri recalled that when the nation was thrown into mourning following the death of a former Chief of Defence Staff, Owoye Azazi, in 2012, Mr Jonathan attended the burial ceremony. Another popular blogger, Japhet Omojuwa, tweeted, If you can go to France, you can attend the burial of your COAS + others and use that platform as an opportunity to reassure your troops whilst celebrating the loss of our gallant men. But I shouldnt tweet this. I shouldnt attract unnecessary negative energy to my timeline. Abiola Sanni, a twitter user said, Im very disappointed and heartbroken This is the least the President could have done. Not the first time This is not the first time the president is being condemned for failing to attend significant national burials and not visiting victims of monumental tragedies. Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president had in 2018 described the absence of President Buhari at the burial of soldiers killed by Boko Haram in Metele, Borno State, as totally unacceptable. Mr Abubakar also criticised Buhari in 2019 for not attending the burial of the five Nigerian Air Force officers, who died while prosecuting the war on terror. Other popular burials Mr Buhari did not attend was that of his late Chief of Army Staff, Abba Kyari, who died from COVID-19 last year. In similar fashion, Mr Buhari had in December sparked outrage over his failure to visit Kankara after over 300 schoolboys were abducted while he was on vacation at his country home in Katsina, which was not far from the scene of abductions. He, instead, detailed a delegation led by the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, to travel from far away Abuja to Katsina, where he was, to comfort the grieving families. Many commentators say Mr Buhari has proven again and again that he is a man bereft of empathy for the the people he governs. State governors who are members of Nigerias largest opposition party, PDP, have frowned at the probe of their party by the anti-graft agency, EFCC. The governors said if the EFCC must probe their partys finances, it must also probe that of other parties including the ruling party, APC. The stance of the PDP Governors Forum (PDP-GF) on the EFCC probe was announced on Saturday by the Director-General of the forum, C.I.D. Maduabum. If EFCC is even-handed and non-partisan, it should also conduct an investigation into other political parties including the ruling party, Mr Maduabum wrote in his statement. Mr Maduabum said the PDP was up to date in the submission of its yearly financial account to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as required by the Constitution. He said the PDP governors were not aware that INEC made any complaints to EFCC on PDPs returns. He said the recent invitation of PDP officials by the EFCC raised some concerns on the impartiality of the anti-graft agency. Mr Maduabum said PDP as a political party was accountable to its members and the general public for its actions. The PDP governors were concerned that it was a misplaced priority and move to silence political opposition, the DG said. He advised the EFCCs new leadership to learn from the mistakes of its predecessors. Even the petition in question did not make a single allegation of misuse of government funds, nor cheating of any individual or public authority by the PDP. It is, therefore, surprising that EFCC should use its scarce human and other resources to begin an investigation into PDP finances, Mr Maduabum said. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a member of PDP, Kazeem Afegbua, had petitioned the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for a probe of the partys accounts. Mr Afegbua in the petition submitted to the EFCC and ICPC in April, asked that the PDP leadership account for the N10 billion allegedly realised from the sale of forms in the 2019 general elections. This made the anti-graft agency invite PDP officials for investigation. The PDP, however, denied the allegation that it generated N10 billion from the sale of nomination and expression of interest forms in 2019. The partys National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, at a news conference in Abuja, said that the PDP generated N4.6 billion, and raised a budget for its expenditure, in line with all known financial regulations. The PDP governed Nigeria from 1999 to 2015 when it lost the general elections to the APC. ADVERTISEMENT The APC, PDP and many other parties have routinely refused to be transparent with party finances, often violating campaign finance laws. The Director of the International Institute of Journalism, (IIJ), Abuja, Emman Shehu, in this interview, bares his mind on the contentious issues of restructuring and devolution of powers. He also proffers solutions to Nigerias current challenges. Excerpts: PT: What is your position on the rising calls for restructuring and devolution of powers in the Nigerian polity? What do you think this means? Shehu: As you rightly noted, restructuring has become a difficult topic in Nigeria today. There is no clear definition of what restructuring means. It starts from one extreme to the other: the extreme of fracturing the country into as many parts as possible from one extreme of breaking up the country into countless fragments like a China plate dashed on the floor, to the other extreme of going back to the old regions. I call it extreme because it is impracticable as we would see when we try to closely analyse the situation. The regions were split into states to reduce the cumbersomeness of size and governance, and it allowed several communities that had been repressed to get a leeway. Do you think those communities would now willing surrender themselves to the old subjugation? What would even happen is that politicians would now create a new hierarchy of leadership over the regions, for example a Governor General of a number of states with all the appurtenances including a multitude of aides, which means more bloated governance. Underlying all of this is the fact that changes have to take place as the country evolves. Even the American nation, in terms of democracy, their constitution has evolved. We like talking about the American constitution but even their constitution has evolved. It isnt what it was by the time it was created by the founding fathers. But it changed gradually and dispassionately to avoid crises So every country evolves as anything that is living evolves. But the Nigerian problem is that there is too much politicisation of almost any issue you can think of. And this is made worse when we approach general elections. It is like people who have lost in the previous elections try to use restructuring as a threat to get what they want at all costs, throwing caution overboard. So a lot of time and energy are spent trying to stop the overheating of the polity, rather than focusing on constructive engagements that would yield meaningful progress for the greater good. We have to agree that there is no country that was just created on its own. That is the reason history is replete with accounts of conquests from ancient times across all parts of the world. Countries were created out of one form of colonialism or the other. When we try to say Nigeria is an artificial creation, every country is an artificial creation, if we are to take it that way. One needs to read the history of how countries came about to understand this. That is why you have conquests littering the history of countries. In the Nigerian context, we have gone from the colonial creation, as we like to say to our own creation, creation of regions and creation of states. And we still seem not to be satisfied. Those creations came as a result of agitations. PT: What are the causes of these agitations? People are looking for justice, they are looking for a situation where they can be recognised as human beings and as partners in the progress of the nation. For me the solution lies in devolution (of powers) which is what happens in most countries. The three major areas that should be addressed are: the judiciary, state legislatures, and the local governments. PT: What about the security architecture? Shehu: I am coming to that. I think the devolution should start from the local governments. And people are being dishonest. This current administration has asked that there should be such a devolution. The governors have refused. When you empower the local government, allow them the freedom to operate, this is going to reduce some of the pressures. Then, of course the judiciary, allow the judiciary the freedom to operate and then the state legislatures that are held ransom by the various state governors. That way we would have progress. On the issue of security, this is a very important aspect of devolution. Some people are crying about state police without looking at the ramifications on a wider level. You only need to look across the nation to see the confrontation the governors have with the opposition or the people that they are not on good terms with. It frightens one to think of what the governors would do if they have the police at their beck and call. I have never been a supporter of state police. It is still too early in our stage of development. I also speak from the position of being a religious minority in the core north. Even this Sharia that we have now (in some states) we can see what it is like when the state governors are in control of law enforcement. ADVERTISEMENT Imagine if they now have state police across the country. It is going to create more insecurity rather than stemming the current insecurity. PT: So how do we tackle the issue of insecurity then? The first step is to create a justice system that is fair to everybody. That is number one. The justice system does not work fast enough to ensure that people who are involved in misdemeanour are punished appropriately and on time. The other way is to ensure people trust the law enforcement agents. At the moment, there is a deficit of trust which is obvious if you have had any reason to be involved with law enforcement agencies. You will know that anything can happen even to you who has a genuine case. We also need to empower numerically the law enforcement agencies. We dont have enough to actually police our various communities. This is the major deficit. It is not about creating state police. We could overhaul the police, do the same thing with the military. Also their roles should be properly defined. The military should not be playing the role of the police. This complicates issues. We also have situation where policemen are acting as bodyguards for the elite in the society, it is unacceptable. For security to be properly addressed, there should be an overhaul of the security architecture to also enhance intelligence gathering. PT: So, who should initiate these measures, the government in power as the opposition would argue or the parliament as the government usually pushes back? Shehu: We should take any exercise that comes with changing aspects of the constitution seriously. You know at the moment, the parliament has started a process of constitutional amendments. Are people taking this serious, that is the issue. People are not taking it serious. When the exercise is closed, people will now say the parliament has done nothing. So let us work with what is available. It is like my brothers in the East who keep complaining. Have they ever held their parliamentarians accountable? Most times it is the failure of the parliamentarians and failure of the citizens to hold their parliamentarians accountable. The provisions are there but who holds his representative responsible? We all focus on the federal government. We dont even hold our governors accountable. A lot of things can be done even at the state level. Also note, that devolution is a process and we cannot pack too many things into the process. Even in other countries practising devolution, you will see that they take things one step at a time to avert overloading the process and ending up with disastrous consequences. Even in the United Kingdom there are age-old agitations but the underlying approach is one of caution. About 800 suspects linked to the Islamic terrorist group, Boko Haram, have been prepared for prosecution which will start as soon as the ongoing judiciary workers strike is over, an official has said. The 800 are among about 1,000 terrorism suspects whose case files have been analysed by the prosecutors handling the Federal Ministry of Justices complex cases. The suspects are currently being held in the military detention facilities in Maiduguri, Borno State. A Deputy Director at the Federal Ministry of Justice in Abuja, Chioma Onuegbu, who heads the Complex Casework Group (CCG) in the ministrys Department of Public Prosecutions, said this in Abuja on Friday at a training organised for journalists. The training with the theme, Media Management on Networking for Justice Accountability was organised by Wayamo Foundation. According to Ms Onuegbu, of the about 1,000 case files that were reviewed, 800 of them have prima facie evidence to proceed to trial, while 170 have been recommended for release due to lack of evidence. She added that of the 800 case files with prima facie evidence, 280 of them had been filed in court. Out of the 1000 files, after our vetting and legal advice, we found that over 800 of them had prima facie evidence to proceed to prosecution and charges have long been drafted in respect of those 800. 280 of those cases have also been filed at the Federal High Court and the charges served on the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria (LACON) who is defending the suspected terrorist, she said. The rest of the cases found to have prima facie evidence are to be filed at the Federal High Court when the courts resume from the ongoing judiciary workers strike that is now about seven weeks old. Ms Onuegbu added, Out of the said 1000 case files, 170 were recommended for release for lack of evidence to prosecute them. In preparation to move to Maiduguri with the judges for the trial, the LACON was also served with the 280 files to enable them proceed to Maiduguri and confer with their client (the suspected terrorist) before the commencement of trials. PREMIUM TIMES understands that the number of suspects being prepared for trial is a far cry of thousands of Boko Haram suspects that are being held in the military detention facilities in Maiduguri and Kainji, Niger State. Boko Haram, which started in Maiduguri, Borno State, in about 2009, has waged deadly war leading to death tens of thousands and displaced millions of residents in the North-eastern part of Nigeria. A recent report indicates that the leader of the deadly group, Abubakar Shekau, was killed following the invasion of the terror groups stronghold in the Sambisa forest area by a column of Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters. ISWAP is a breakaway faction of Boko Haram. Previous trial phases The CCG ,established five years ago, has conducted three different phases of trials of Boko Haram suspects since inception. The first phase was October 2017, followed by another in February 2018 and the last was in June 2018. The fourth phase was for the case files of 1,000 suspects received in 2019. ADVERTISEMENT Ms Onuegbu said the prosecution of the suspects was delayed due to the escalation of the Boko Haram attacks in 2019 and was further hampered by the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020. Efforts are being made by the military to move the relevant inmates (whose charges are ready) to another safe location for the prosecutions to commence, she said. ADVERTISEMENT The House of Representatives has postponed the planned security summit in honour of late Chief of Army Staff, Ibrahim Attahiru, who died in a military plane crash on Friday. Mr Attahiru died alongside 10 other military officers and men while on official assignment to Zaria in Kaduna State. They have since been buried. A statement on Sunday by the Clerk of the House, Chinedu Akubueze, said the summit, which was earlier slated for Monday, had been rescheduled for Wednesday. This is to inform the general public that the House of Representatives has postponed its national security summit scheduled to hold from Monday, May 24, 2021, in honour of the late Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General Ibrahim Attahiru, and 10 other military officers and men that died as a result of air mishap on Friday, the statement said. The security summit will now kick off on Wednesday, May 26, 2021. The postponement became necessary as the late Army Chief was one of the major stakeholders that would have taken part in the summit. Last month, the lawmakers resolved to hold the summit to address security challenges in the country. Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, who disclosed this through the Majority Leader, Ado Doguwa, during the public hearing on Armed Forces Support Trust Fund in Abuja, said the summit was expected to generate solutions to the security challenges in the country. He also said the five-day event would take a holistic view of the various security issues and the best ways to solve the problems. The Senate convened similar summits in 2018 and 2019. ADVERTISEMENT The immediate past Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, says his successor, Ibrahim Attahiru, was on the verge of making the nation proud before his tragic death. Mr Buratai, an ambassador-designate, in his tribute to late Mr Attahiru, said he was making tremendous progress in the counterinsurgency and counterterrorism efforts when the tragedy occurred. He described the incident as tragic to all Nigerians and peace-loving people, adding that Mr Attahiru and the officers that died with him were top-level officers whose records of service were meritorious. According to him, the unfortunate incident deeply saddens him as it robbed Nigeria of the services of Mr Attahiru who had left no one in doubt as regards his determination to succeed in the various military operations across the country. He was on the verge of making the nation proud in the counterinsurgency and counterterrorism efforts when this tragedy occurred. I do not doubt his ability as he had served under me in various capacities and was well-grounded for the job with active support and collaboration of his colleagues. I was deeply shocked and saddened by the news of the passing away of my immediate successor, Lt.-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, the Acting Chief of Military Intelligence, Acting Provost Marshal (Army), his Chief of Staff, the Aide-de-Camp and the Acting Deputy Director Finance in the office of the COAS, his Orderly, as well as the pilots and crew in an air crash on May 21 at Kaduna Airport. I would like to, on behalf of my family, reiterate my deepest sympathy and condolences to the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Federal Republic of Nigeria, the families of the deceased, the Honourable Minister of Defence, the Chief of Defence Staff, the Chief of Air Staff, gallant officers, soldiers and airmen of the Armed Forces of Nigeria over the passing away of these courageous, loyal and patriotic Nigerians in line of duty, he said. Mr Buratai urged the armed forces to close ranks and make sure that the legacy of the officers lives on by consolidating on the gains made in the various operations. According to him, they gave their lives in the line of duty and patriotic service to the nation. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of these great heroes. May the Almighty Allah grant them eternal rest, he said. (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently direct Mrs Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning to disclose spending details of the $700 million looted funds reportedly recovered by the Federal Government in the past four years, including the list and location of projects completed with the money, as well as details of the contractors that executed the projects. SERAP also urged him to direct Mrs Ahmed to disclose how the government plans to spend the returned 4.2m Ibori loot, including details of planned capital expenditure, and whether there is any plan to ensure that the money and any future returned Ibori loot would be spent to achieve justice and effective remedies for victims of corruption in Delta State. The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN, had last week stated that the Federal Government recovered over $700m looted funds, disclosed the return of 4.2m linked to James Ibori, and the plan to repatriate more than 80m of Ibori loot. In the Freedom of Information request dated May 22, 2021 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization said: Disclosing spending details of the recovered $700m loot, and spending plans for the 4.2m Ibori loot would promote transparency, accountability, and be entirely consistent with your constitutional oath of office to ensure the well-being of Nigerians. SERAP said: Rather than borrowing another N2.3trillion ($6.18bn) external loan, SERAP urges you to ensure a transparent and accountable use of recovered loot to fund the 2021 budget, improve the countrys economy, and address widespread poverty. This would promote a just and honest government, and ensure that recovered loot is not re-stolen at the expense of the poor. The letter, read in part: SERAP therefore urges you to withdraw your latest request seeking the approval of the National Assembly to borrow another $6.1billion in the public interests, and to ensure accountable fiscal stewardship of Nigerias money for both current and future generations. Providing the information and widely publishing the details would also enhance your governments authority and credibility to demand the return of more looted public funds from abroad, as well as facilitate the repatriation of potentially billions of dollars still stashed in rich countries. Your government has a legal obligation under the UN Convention against Corruption to ensure that recovered stolen public money is not embezzled again, and that any returned loot is spent for the benefit of the real victims of corruptionthe ordinary Nigerians whose commonwealth has been stolen, and who continue to suffer the consequences of grand corruption. SERAP notes that the consequences of corruption are felt by poor citizens on a daily basis. Corruption exposes them to additional costs to pay for health, water, education and administrative services. Another consequence of corruption is the growing inequality in the country, where the privileged few have access to all public resources, while the vast majority of citizens are deprived of access to public services. Our requests are brought in the public interest, and in keeping with the requirements of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended]; the Freedom of Information Act, and the countrys international obligations including under the UN Convention against Corruption and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights to which Nigeria is a state party. Our requests are also entirely in line with the judgment by Justice Mohammed Idris ordering your government to widely publish up-to-date information on recovered stolen funds since the return of civilian rule in 1999. Your government has refused to obey the judgment, despite publicly promising to do so. We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within 14 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions to compel your government to comply with our request in the public interest. As a signatory to the UN Convention against Corruption and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, Nigeria has committed to ensure transparent and accountable management of public resources, and unhindered access to public information. These commitments ought to be fully upheld and respected. According to our information, Mr Malami recently reportedly disclosed that your government has recovered over $700 million looted funds from the United States, the United Kingdom, Bailiwick of Jersey, Switzerland, and Ireland in the past four years. Mr Malami also disclosed the return of 4.2 million linked to James Ibori, former Delta state governor, and his associates. Your government is also reportedly working towards securing the repatriation of more than 80 million linked to Ibori. The letter was copied to Mr Malami and Mrs Ahmed. Curtin Computing and Engineering degrees at SLIIT INTERNATIONAL A step towards internationalisation of higher education View(s): View(s): The Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) opened its brand-new campus, SLIIT INTERNATIONAL, at Nawam Mawatha, Colombo 2 last month.Spread over 131 perches of prime land in central Colombo, SLIIT INTERNATIONAL is a most modern higher education facility in the countrys non-state higher education sector with up to the minute academic infrastructure and facilities. These facilities will be leveraged to deliver Curtin Universitys full degree programmes in Computing and Engineering in Sri Lanka in a world class setting. SLIIT has an enduring partnership with Curtin University in Australia which is ranked amongst the worlds top 1 percent of universities. This makes Curtin the highest ranked university to offer Computing and Engineering degrees for completion in Sri Lanka. SLIIT INTERNATIONAL, the latest venture of SLIIT, is expected to help propel higher education in Sri Lanka to the next level. Professor Lalith Gamage, MD/Vice Chancellor of SLIIT stated that this would be a major step towards making Sri Lanka a hub for transnational education. The CEO of SLIIT INTERNATIONAL, Dr Athula Pitigala-Arachchi, says the state-of-the-art university campus is a boon to local students desiring an international higher education experience. Especially now, when students are unable to travel to overseas universities, SLIIT INTERNATIONAL offers the best of both worlds. Our degree programmes are entirely Curtin; the curriculum is identical to what Curtin offers in Australia, and students have the advantage of studying in Sri Lanka without incurring additional costs and risks of international travel. More to the point, they do not have to put their lives on hold while waiting for the pandemic to clear to venture out; instead, they can get on with their studies and complete a Curtin degree in Sri Lanka which would have the same world recognition as a Curtin degree obtained in Australia. This is an ideal opportunity for students to obtain a globally recognised foreign degree that would ensure employment anywhere in the world. Curtin is one of the worlds best, and students would be studying for their degrees here in Sri Lanka. We have made certain that SLIIT INTERNATIONAL has the look, feel and amenities of a truly international campus, so that students will have an experience similar to studying overseas. Our faculty members, approved by Curtin University, are experienced and well versed in delivering the Curtin curriculum, says the CEO. Students studying at SLIIT INTERNATIONALwill be registered with Curtin University as Curtin students and will have access to Curtins online resources. Since Curtin is truly a global university with campuses located in Australia, Dubai, Malaysia and Mauritius, students will be able to transfer to any one of them, if they so desire, once international travel resumes. The Engineering Degree programmesson offer include Civil and Construction Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Mechatronic Engineering while the Computing Degree programmes include Computer Systems & Networking, Information Technology, and Software Engineering. The curriculums are designed to give students an industry-oriented learning experience and ensure global employability. The Engineering degrees are accredited by Engineers Australia while the Computing degrees bear accreditation of the Australian Computer Society. Enrolments are now open for the July 2021 intake. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has announced it will allow a limited number of Hajj pilgrims in 2021 despite the COVID-19 crisis. The Gulf country confirmed the news Saturday with details regarding health standards and COVID-19 prevention protocols. As part of the standards, Saudi health ministry said, pilgrims MUST have had both doses of the vaccine with a Vaccination card provided by the individual countries Health Organisation. It also noted that only 60,000 people will be scheduled to perform Hajj this year. This number, the ministry said, includes local and foreign pilgrims. Saudi Arabia barred foreigners from hajj last year for the first time in the kingdoms modern history, allowing only a limited number of Saudi citizens and residents. But this years decision, according to the ministry, is based on the countrys keenness to enable the guests and visitors of the Grand Mosque and the Prophets Mosque to perform the rituals of Hajj and Umrah. Before the advent of COVID, and enforced social distancing globally, about 2.5 million pilgrims used to visit the holiest sites of Islam in Mecca and Medina for the week-long haj, and the lesser, year-round umrah pilgrimage. In its statement, the Saudi ministry gave the following conditions for Hajj 2021: 1) Only 60,000 Hujjaj will be scheduled to perform Hajj this year which includes local and foreign pilgrims. 2) Those performing Hajj MUST be between the age of 18-60 years of Age. 3) Those performing Hajj MUST be in a good state of health. 4) Those performing Hajj MUST not have been in hospital for any illness within the past 6 months prior to travelling for Hajj. (Proof Is Required) 5) The pilgrims MUST have had both doses of the vaccine with a Vaccination card provided by the individual countries Health Organisation / Hospital / Ministry. (Proof Required) 6) The Vaccine taken MUST be on the approved list that is recognised by the Ministry of Health within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 7) The pilgrims MUST Quarantine for 3 days if they are classed as foreign pilgrims as soon as they arrive in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 8) The 1st dose of the vaccine MUST have been taken by the 1st Shawaal 1442. Note: This day has passed and was the day of the Eid Ul Fitr 1442. 9) The 2nd dose of the vaccine MUST be taken by the 14th day before arriving within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. ADVERTISEMENT 10) The conditions of Social Distancing and the wearing of the Mask and other Precautionary Measures will continue to protect pilgrims. ADVERTISEMENT The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has prayed for wisdom as President Muhammadu Buhari selects a new Chief of Army Staff to replace Ibrahim Attahiru who died in a plane crash in Kaduna on Friday. The northern Nigerian socio-political organisation stated this in a condolence message to the president over the death of Mr Attahiru and 10 other military officers who died in the accident. The ACF, in a statement signed by its chairperson, Audu Ogbeh, said it prays that our Lord God grants our President the wisdom to select suitable replacements for the heroes departed, particularly for the Chief of Army Staff. The ACF said the security situation in Nigeria calls for the best, nothing but the best. The association recalled that the president only recently appointed Mr Attahiru and other service chiefs to lead the fight against insurgency and other forms of threats to Nigerias national security. It said Nigerians were just beginning to appreciate Mr Attahirus approach to tackling the countrys multiple security challenges when the news of his tragic death hit them. The ACF said the death of the gallant officers on active service came as tragic news to all members of the forum. We condole with members of their families in this their hour of distress and emotional trauma. Only God can alleviate the pains they are facing now. On behalf of the Arewa Consultative Forum, I wish to condole with the President, Commander in Chief over the tragic death of the Chief of Army Staff General Ibrahim Attahiru and ten others in an air crash We have since then been praying at the ACF that God will grant the President, the army high command, the rank and file, the fortitude to bear this tragic loss. We similarly pray for the other gallant members of the armed forces who lost their lives, the statement said. With rising allegations of incessant harassments, arrests and sometimes abductions of holders of opposing views to state-backed positions, Nigerias human rights record in the recent time isnt attractive to many social commentators. The violent attack of protesting workers by those described as hoodlums in Kaduna State recently is one of the many instances to back their claims that the civic space is closing in on Nigerians. The chronicles of extra-judicial killings during the lockdown announced by the government to curb the rampaging coronavirus pandemic as captured by PREMIUM TIMES serialised report, and the human rights abuses that characterised the nationwide protests against police brutalities in 2020, have all strengthened the belief that Nigeria is in need of salvation. The degenerating situation may have provided good grounds for the launch of an intervention by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)- an independent agency of the United States of American government that is responsible for administering foreign aid and development assistance. Tagged; Strengthening Civic Advocacy and Local Engagement (SCALE), the project is being implemented in the country by Palladium, an independent organisation and implementer of international development programmes working in more than 90 countries of the world. According to the organisation, the five-year USAID-Nigeria SCALE project, which was launched in 2020, aims to strengthen the capacity of the countrys civil society organisations for collaborative advocacy with government on priority policy areas that can improve the quality of life for Nigerians. Stakeholders forum Recently, the project held a dialogue in Lagos where representatives of the military, police, civil society organizations (CSOs), government, media, among other stakeholders, took turn to discuss different perspectives on the civic space in the country. The dialogue, which was themed; Safeguarding Civic Space, stressed the need for key stakeholders to identify and develop action plans towards addressing the nations shrinking civic space. The projects lead anchor, otherwise regarded as chief of party, Lydia Odeh, said the dialogue was part of its conversation series that are aimed at strengthening collaboration for safeguarding civic space in Nigeria. She said the initiative was organised to help participants to develop capacity for implementing efficient and effective policies that support transformational change and contribute to improving quality of life for Nigerians, adding that and an open civic space enables people to pursue many roles. The main objective of this activity was to bring together stakeholders from civil society, government including the Nigeria Police Force and Nigeria Army to identify and develop action plans to address shrinking civic space issues, Ms Odeh said. Ms Odeh explained that open and safe civic spaces serve as unique havens for citizens from diverse backgrounds to build required competences to participate in conversations around nation building. She also noted that government interference coupled with security challenges, and the coronavirus pandemic have heightened the vulnerability of civic spaces, and thereby diminishing open dialogue with the government and other critical stakeholders. Security operatives speak Also speaking at the event, the Nigeria Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Lagos State Command, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, a deputy superintendent of police, also highlighted the importance of dialogue between citizens and the police. Mr Adejobi also emphasised the need for taking collective responsibility in understanding relevant laws and regulations that govern citizens and rights to peaceful protest and assembly. He said; While issues of inclusion are non-negotiable, as citizens, we will continue to sensitise ourselves on the various legal frameworks that govern our land and also understand the concept of agitation, which bothers around consultation, consolidation and confrontation. All these need to be taken into account when engaging on protest issues. We will continue to engage and collaborate with citizens to ensure our communities are safer. The commandant of the Nigerian Army School of Public Relations and Information, Aliyu Yusuf, a colonel, who was represented by his acting deputy, Jonathan Unuakhalu, a major, also canvassed mutual understanding between the people and the security forces. Representatives of Special Control Unit on Money Laundering (SCUML), an organ of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Network of Nigerian NGOs, among other participants, also made presentations on pertinent subjects including issues around vulnerabilities of non-profit organisations to money laundering and terrorist financing in Nigeria, and how to improve citizen-government relations. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has denied supporting the agitation for a Yoruba nation. The governors denial came following comments by a self-styled Yoruba activist, Sunday Adeyemo (also known as Sunday Igboho), who claimed that Mr Akeredolu is supporting the ethnic groups break away from Nigeria. PREMIUM TIMES, on Saturday, reported how protesters demanding a Yoruba nation stormed Akure, the capital of Ondo State. The protesters grounded activities in the state capital by obstructing vehicular movements. Speaking at the rally, Mr Igboho said: Politicians have sold us to Fulani and now these Fulani are beyond their control. It is time we free ourselves. He also reiterated that there will be no election in 2023 and I have a strong belief that we are going to succeed. Mr Igboho said the Yoruba nation agitators had the support of Mr Akeredolu to hold a rally in Akure. The governor is aware of these things we are doing, we have his support. We are no more under the Fulani. All we want is Yoruba nation, he said. Akeredolu speaks Mr Akeredolu has, however, said he has no support for Mr Igboho and his cohorts. The governor in a statement by his spokesperson, Richard Olatunde, said he acknowledged the right of individuals and groups to hold peaceful rallies but it must not be misconstrued to mean support for secessionist agenda and or balkanization of the nation. Far from it. Unequivocally, the Governors opinion on the Akure rally or any other of its ilk, is only to the effect that he is not opposed to any civil protest which is not in breach of the extant laws of the nation. He neither believes, nor supports the quest for the Yoruba nation outside of Nigeria in the manner canvassed. Governor Akeredolu stands by a virile, united and indivisible Nigeria as demanded by the Southern Governors Forum. Therefore, the vigour, zeal, leadership and candour displayed by Governor Akeredolu for a just and fair Nigeria is altruistic, and borne out of patriotism for the Nation as well as love for his people, the Yoruba ethnic nationality. It is important, therefore, to state without any equivocation that the Yoruba nation secessionist promoters do not enjoy any lending hand in Governor Akeredolu. ADVERTISEMENT The member of the House of Representatives for Maiduguri Metropolitan Council, Abdulkadir Rahis, has sacked one of his aides over a Facebook post in which he called the late Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau a hero. The lawmaker also disassociated himself from the comments. Mr Shekau led a faction of Boko Haram known as the Jamaat Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Dawah wal-Jihad (JAS) until his death last week. He reportedly detonated an explosive vest he was wearing after being cornered by fighters of a broke away group of the terrorist organisation. The legislative aide, Bukar Tanda, reportedly wrote on his Facebook that he admired Mr Shekaus courage, saying he lived a life of a hero and died a true hero. He did it in such a way that not even traces of his corpse will be found, Mr Tanda wrote. Following the comment, the lawmaker, Mr Rahis, in a statement, announced the dismissal of Mr Tanda and distanced himself from the statement. I wish to formally write and notify you of termination of your appointment as my legislative aide. Your actions, utterances and opinions of recent are at variance with my interest, that of my constituency and our great party, the APC. This letter also serves as disclaimer to any action or position you took or wish to take, on any matter that may have the remotest connection with me as a person or my office, the lawmaker said in the statement. An aide to the lawmaker told PREMIUM TIMES that Mr Rahis signed the letter of disengagement following the controversial comment. Security invitation However, Mr Tanda, who was invited by security agents over his comment, later deleted the controversial post and said it has been misunderstood by many for political reasons. He denied showing sympathy for the terrorist group leader and commended the lawmaker for giving him the opportunity to serve. For the sole purpose of record and posterity, I wish to categorically state that I have never in my entire life shared anything in common with any criminal person or group under whatever pretext and I hold no sympathy nor affection to any of such characters. To Honourable Abdulkadir Rahis, I cannot find the right words to express my appreciation for the opportunity to serve as your Aide and more importantly for the spirit of brotherhood you shared with me all through our memorable years of togetherness. Your decision to terminate my appointment accepted and in good faith and I found nothing wrong in your decision. I wish you all the best in your endeavors, Mr Tanda wrote on Facebook He added that his engagement with the security service team remained one of the best moments in this allegations against my personal integrity and reputation. I am very delighted that I was respectfully invited and interrogated. ADVERTISEMENT The House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the status of recovered loots has invited the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed. Also invited are the National Security Adviser, Babagana Mongunu, Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, Accountant General of the Federation; Ahmed Idris and Auditor General of the Federation; Aghughu Arhotomhenla. The National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA); Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC); Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority; the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC); the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC); the Nigeria Police Force; Nigeria Customs Service and Nigerian Navy have also been invited by the committee. The committee is also inviting former Ministers of Justice; former National Security Advisers; former Chairmen of EFCC; former Chairmen of ICPC; former IGPs and former Comptrollers General of Nigeria Customs Service. The chairman of the committee, Adejoro Adeogun (APC, Ondo), in a statement on Sunday, said the panel was probing the status of all recovered loot; movable and immovable assets recovered between 2002 to 2020. He said the public hearing was scheduled for Monday. Mr Adeogun explained that the essence of the hearing is to ensure effective and efficient management and utilisation of the recovered assets. The Committee called for memoranda from relevant individuals, institutions and the general public pursuant to Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended). The House had recently constituted the panel to investigate the use of recovered loot and assets from previous government officials. In July 2020, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, disclosed that the Nigerian government had recovered over N800 billion in looted funds and secured the conviction of over 1,400 persons. This administrations fight against corruption is as strong as ever, and we have the records to back up this claim, Mr Mohammed said. This administration recorded over 1,400 convictions, including high profile ones, and recorded recovered funds in excess of N800 billion, not to talk of forfeiture of ill-gotten properties. This is no mean feat. Despite the feat, the government still borrows money to fund its budgets. In August, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) sued President Muhammadu Buhari over failure to disclose information and documents relating to the names of people from whom N800 billion in looted public funds have been recovered. The group also demanded specific dates of recoveries, as well as the projects the funds were expended in. In his speech to mark the Democracy Day on June 12, 2020, Mr Buhari had said the N800 billion recovered looted funds were being ploughed into development and infrastructure projects. The South-west leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have kicked against the agitation for a Yoruba nation. The leaders, who met in Lagos on Sunday, said they were not in support of the ethnic groups break away from Nigeria. They also discussed the issue of insecurity facing the region and Nigeria as a whole. Those present at the meeting included leaders like Bola Tinubu, Olusegun Osoba, and Bisi Akande, among others. The six governors in the region were also said to be present at the meeting. According to the resolution obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, the APC leaders expressed their strong opposition to separatist agitations and hate speeches. While urging those indulging in such to desist forthwith, they renewed their belief in the unity, stability and sustainability of the country. They also supported the ban on open grazing by southern governors. The resolution came on the same day Governor Rotimi Akeredolu opposed the clamour for a Yoruba nation. Read full resolution below: 1. The Leaders commiserate with and condole the President and Commander-in-Chief, President Muhammadu Buhari, the military authorities, families of the Chief of Army Staff and other officers who died, and indeed the entire nation over last Fridays tragic plane crash in Kaduna. 2. They express their strong opposition to separatist agitations and hate speeches. While urging those indulging in such to desist forthwith, they renew their belief in the unity, stability and sustainability of the country. 3. We note with significant concern the security situation in the country. Terrorism and violent criminality threaten many areas, adversely affecting the lives and livelihoods of too many innocent and peace-loving Nigerians. While mindful of the resource and other constraints facing the nation, we urge the federal government to continue to make the necessary expenditures and allocate sufficient resources to enable the military and security agencies to tackle the difficult security challenges confronting us. 4. For Nigeria to overcome these challenges, we must do so with unity of purpose and action. The desire for peace and the chance for a prosperous and just society is universal and transcends all regional, religious or ethnic divisions. Sadly, many public figures have made statements that spark division and undermine the needed unity of purpose. We urge government at all levels, security agencies, and public leaders across the country to do everything possible to prevent tension so that we sustain the necessary unity to defeat these challenges to our national security. All responsible Nigerians must speak and act in a manner that strengthens our common cause against these common threats to our collective peace, justice and development. 5. We restate our abhorrence of violence as a means to achieve either political or economic power and influence. We strongly condemn violence of any form in any part of the country, regardless of ethnic or regional identity of the perpetrators of the violence or of the victims. Government must do all it can to protect potential victims and to assist those who have previously been victimised by terrorism or widespread banditry. 6. We hold to the view that true federalism where more power and resources are allocated to the states will be an essential part in strengthening society and improving democratic governance so that we beat the present challenges but also engender durable peace and security. True federalism and the reallocation of resources and authority that comes with it will empower the states to solve localized issues before they spread and transform into national ones. In addition to mitigating political competition for control of the national government, greater federalism will empower grassroots economic development and political reforms that will stand as bulwarks against the terrorism and criminality now experienced in too many parts of the nation. A hallmark of this enhanced federalism will be the establishment of state police forces. 7. We endorse the position of the Southern Governors taken at their May 11, 2021 summit in Asaba, Delta State, regarding ranching. We do so because such a decision will lessen tensions between farmers and herders while also helping the long-term economic viability of both the farming and herding communities. We are mindful of the short-term dislocation this might cause but are also mindful that this position is in the best interests of all parties concerned. We, therefore, recommend that the federal and state governments cooperate fully with each other to enact the necessary measures to encourage this more effective and modern method of cattle-rearing so that both farmers and herders can pursue their livelihoods with greater productivity and in a more cooperative relationship that minimises the friction between these two important pillars of our agricultural economy. ADVERTISEMENT 8. We also thank traditional rulers for their important role in the polity and appeal to them to keep intervening to maintain peace and stability. 9. And finally, we use the opportunity of the meeting to urge the Federal Government to provide, through the CBN, short, medium and long term financing for states and those who may wish to set up ranches as part of the agricultural sustainability policy. I believe that when the Bible is presented in a way that has utilitarian value for peoples daily lives, the way Pastor Ibiyeomie does, it brings people closer to seek Gods face When they hit the road at dawn, they feel that the word of God is their inexorable escort. I have been teaching communication strategy to university students and business leaders for over two decades. But every day teaches you something new. And sometimes, the animated chatter between the police and a recalcitrant driver at a traffic stop may produce a glowworm of knowledge that eluded you at Harvard. Listening to Pastor David Ibiyeomies sermon a while back, about the dramatic encounter between Jesus and Nathaniel both impressed and startled me. His teaching gave me a second intuition on the powers of diplomacy, tact, and the judicious use of praise in building human relationships, and winning people over. As a cleric, I have long admired Pastor Ibiyeomies interpretive powers, his ability to analyse the Bible as an ecclessiastical text, and present it simply as a manual for every day life. I believe that this is an important way of presenting the Bible, because despite the tantalising promise of heaven, most people want to live a full and meaningful life here on earth. And they want the Bible to serve as a practical tool kit, a sort of moral lamp to guide them in the darkness of their daily hustles. The encounter between Jesus and Nathaniel is narrated in John 1: 43-50. As he prepares to leave for Galilee, Jesus calls out to Philip to follow him. Although Pastor Ibiyeomie interpreted this encounter in the context of soul winning and evangelism, there seems to be a lot in this single encounter that we can learn from about the dynamics of social intelligence, human psychology, product branding, industrial relations, marketing On his way, Phillip meets Nathaniel and immediately offers to introduce him to Jesus, saying: We have found the one Moses wrote about in the law, and about whom the prophets also wrote Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. But Nathaniel was dismissive and sceptical of Jesus. Nazareth! Can anything good come out from there?, he asks. But as Jesus saw Nathaniel approaching, he greets him enthusiastically, praising Nathaniel: Here truly is an Isrealite, without deceit. Caught off-guard by the unexpected compliment, Nathaniel asks Jesus: How do you know me? And Jesus said: I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you. Then Nathaniel declared: Rabbi, You are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel. Although Pastor Ibiyeomie interpreted this encounter in the context of soul winning and evangelism, there seems to be a lot in this single encounter that we can learn from about the dynamics of social intelligence, human psychology, product branding, industrial relations, marketing, leadership, and even the interaction of fundamental forces in physics. Below are THREE lessons for communication and relationship managers, from the encounter between Jesus and Nathaniel. ADVERTISEMENT 1. SEE THE GOOD IN PEOPLE: When we see the good in imperfect people, we set the stage for them to see the best in us. In business, we can apply this principle in our relationships with customers, partners, communities, co-workers, etc. Although Nathaniel approached Jesus from a place of prejudice and stereotypical perception, Jesus neutralised that with the force of his own positivity, by praising Nathaniel as a man without guile. In return, Nathaniel acknowledged Jesus as a Rabbi, Son of God and the King of Israel. Sociology teaches us that human interactions are notoriously complex. Yet, positivity could see you through the door, and probably keep you in the room of opportunities for much longer. 2. PRAISE PEOPLE: In a world full of criticism, negativity and one-upmanship, the judicious use of praise could be a tonic for a good relationship. There are numerous psychological and brain studies that show that praise makes people feel respected, happy, and keeps them motivated. But from the way Jesus used it, we see a crucial difference between praise and recognition. While recognition may be based on merit and performance, praise appreciates the intrinsic and unconditional worth of the human person. In business relationships, praise and appreciation are important elements of social intelligence. Although praise and recognition are sometimes used interchangeably, they are not the same. Many organisations set particular days aside for the recognition of selected staff. But from the way Jesus used it, we see a crucial difference between praise and recognition. While recognition may be based on merit and performance, praise appreciates the intrinsic and unconditional worth of the human person. This is why long after the confetti at a recognition ceremony have all been swept away, the organic impact of judicious praise remains. 3. STAY ON THE MESSAGE: Every communication process has at least three components: a sender, a message and a receiver. Of these three, the message is the most crucial component, because it is the purpose of the communication. When Jesus called Philip, his purpose was evangelism. And after the pleasantries with Nathaniel, Jesus launched straight into evangelical matters. Marketing and sales managers may apply the same standards in their business communications. If the purpose of the interaction with customers is to deliver service or sell a product and make some profit, stay on the message. Clearly, stock brokers, car manufacturers, students, delivery truck drivers, pilots, bank executives, food vendors and everyone can learn from the encounter between the two men. I believe that when the Bible is presented in a way that has utilitarian value for peoples daily lives, the way Pastor Ibiyeomie does, it brings people closer to seek Gods face. When they hit the road at dawn, they feel that the word of God is their inexorable escort. They may become kinder and more purpose driven. And when our days on earth are done, we may look with faith, not trepidation, at the gates of Gods promised Kingdom. Austin Tam-George is a former Commissioner for Information, Rivers State. Perhaps if Alois Hitler, father of a man who would later be the albatross of the whole human race, had performed a ritual which the Yoruba call the Esentaye a traditional earthly journey investigation on his son, Adolf, six million Jews who were exterminated in excruciating circumstances decades later by the same man, who grew up to become the most notorious troubler of the world, would probably have had their lives spared. Alois Austrian-German society of the 19th century ostensibly didnt believe in Esentaye and would have thought it to be craps. Not doing this, itself to be, for the world, the proverbial offspring of the cobra that is always the harbinger of its death. Adolf Hitler later grew up to become one of the most infernal dictators in human history. With the benefit of hindsight, a spiritual divination of his dastardly mission on earth at his birth on April 20, 1889 would have spared the world of Hitlers sadism. With the Esentaye literally meaning, touching the earth with the feet traditional African Yoruba society sought not to be ambushed by an insidious human destiny that could bring society or an individual to ruins. Their belief is reinforced by a worldview that each human being is born to fulfill a purpose or destiny in life, positive or negative. They held that society isnt only complicit in the way an individual turns later in life, it could also be a bearer of the pall if the individuals later life turns destructive. To guard against this, the Yoruba society attempted to seek insight into the tomorrow of its children so that it could help redirect the sail of a disaster-prone destiny or help nourish any destiny that was on the right course. So on the third day after the birth of a child, its parents, grandparents and the Ifa priest, are gathered in a short restricted ceremony to divine what purpose the child had come to fulfill on earth. Chants, rituals and sacrifices were made to the gods and the particular Ifa corpus message which reveals the childs name, destiny and the dos and donts of his life, is administered. This was the same ritual administered in Professor Ola Rotimis The gods are not to blame on baby Odewale, given birth to by King Adetusa and Queen Ojuola in the land of Kutuje. The Ifa priest, Baba Fakunle, on divining the babys Esentaye, proclaimed that this child would kill his father and marry his own mother! It came to pass. Like the Austrian-German society at Hitlers birth, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufais Daudawa Fulani family, at his birth on February 16, 1960, probably also considered the Esentaye rituals as some heathen crap. But when I first met him for the very first time in Lagos, sometime in the year 2000, my mind did a psychological and psychoanalytic Esentaye on the diminutive, brilliant and self-defined man called El-Rufai and my submission was as scary as Baba Fakunles spiritual prognosis and projection. Without any Ifa corpus but armed with logic and perspicacity, I concluded that Nasir, with his Fulani blood, the brilliance, depth and huge appreciation of the contours of Nigeria which he displayed at that forum, would soar very high. Regrettably, I concluded, he would run a leadership that is sans blood flowing in its veins. Like Hitlers. It was at the Akodo Resort on the Lagos Lekki Peninsula and the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) which the young El-Rufai headed as Director General, had invited journalists to interrogate and appreciate what the newly established BPE was about. At the opening session addressed by the DG, he swept everyone off their feet with his suavity and depth. However, on multi-billion Naira investments of the Nigerian state that had begun to be sold off, El-Rufai spoke like a cold-hearted mortician who had come to embalm the dead. My picture of him, aftermath that encounter, was a man totally drained of blood and human feelings. I left Akodo persuaded that young Nasir was a budding Nigerian German Chancellor and Fuhrer, Adolf reincarnate. So when, years after, he began to exhibit that cold-heartedness, first as Minister of the FCT during which he bulldozed billions of Naira-worth properties, in the name of the law, as if man was made for law and not vice versa; and later, as the Kaduna governor which he administered both as a suzerain and it, his fiefdom, I gloated at having reincarnated as Baba Fakunle. El-Rufai is brilliant and most likely very accountable in government. A friend who worked with an NGO told me that of all states in Nigeria, his Kaduna is like a Mecca for foreign development partners because his governance of the state approximates and manifests key indices of performance and accountability. These partners underscore those as the KPIs associated with a developing country. That is why, if infrastructure and development were the gauge of governmental success, it is not likely that any state in Nigeria will surpass the miniature-statured Nasirs Kaduna, just like Adolf conquered the whole world for his Aryan race. However, when it comes to the human elements of governance, the blood touch, El-Rufai scores less than zero. His lack of regards for the other person is huge and his magisterial belief in himself, at the detriment of others, verges on the arrogant. When Nasir speaks, he waxes epigrammatic and profound. He does not engage in herd mentality and does not care whose ox gets gored on account of his decision to paddle his canoe alone. For him, a middle of the road in any equation is effeminate. Some people claim that El-Rufai seeks superlatives in all he does due to his scant physical quantity. When Sheik Gumi became the new face of negotiation with bloodsucking bandits in the North and governors were in a stampede to touch the nape of his compromised robe so that the blood flow in their land would cease, due to his atypical reasoning, the Kaduna chief executive told Gumi and all others to go jump inside the river. Bandits should be serially killed and not negotiated with, he proclaimed. Most certainly as retaliation for his verbal artillery-shelling of their base, kidnappers convoked on his Kaduna for a vengeful retaliation. A few weeks ago, he was asked to react to the killing of three of the kidnapped students of Greenfield University and what further steps his government would take to rescue them. El-Rufai, who had vowed that while other governors were paying multi-million Naira ransom, Kaduna wouldnt pay a dime, said his government was in amity with the military to flush bandits out and rescue the remaining 17 students. I was assured by the Air Force and Army that they know where the students are and have encircled them. We are going to attack them. We will lose a few students but we will attack the bandits and recover some, he had said, (emphasis mine). The two phrases in the above statement, lose a few students and recover some, though very honest reality of such military engagements, show who Nasir really is. He does not dress shibboleths that he disbelieves in with any worthy apparel. The question people ask is, those few students who would be lost, are they chickens or goats? If he was their parent, would he speak as cold-mindedly as this? Those who begrudge Nasirs cold analyses and submissions lose an essential element of his persona. So when he sacked 5,000 civil servants on a very realistic, pure economic calculation that Kaduna could not continue to bear the burden of a workforce that constitutes just a few percent of its citizens and residents, proceeding last week to unilaterally and magisterially declare the NLC President, Ayuba Philibus Wabba wanted, he was merely manifesting a frozen heart whose arteries are impermeable to human feeling. To say the truth however, Kaduna had always been that unlucky with its governors. In October, 1997, as Kaduna State military governor under General Sani Abacha, current Customs Controller, Hameed Ali, sacked about 30,000 striking civil servants. He then proceeded to detain 18 local government chairmen and arrested a journalist who reported his Hitleric gangsterism. The poor folk was severely beaten by Alis goons and tortured at the Government House. In that same last week, aside the troublous irritancy of El-Rufai, Nigeria was to contend with another infected mind that oozes putrid odour. Abubakar Malami, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, starred shamelessly in that drama. While impugning the decision to ban open grazing by southern governors made in Asaba, Delta State, Malami last week said on a Channels Television programme that the governors call was unconstitutional as it violated and denies the rights of Hausa/Fulani herders. Then he made an asinine comparison, for which Nigerians have hoisted him on a well deserved crucifix ever since. It is as good as saying, perhaps, maybe, the northern governors coming together to say they prohibit spare parts trading in the north, he had said. Malami has since got a quantum of deserved ripostes from across Nigeria since he made that mental slip, parceled as verbal shelling of his base. He does not need more from me. The most heroic response he got came from Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, the governor of Ondo State. What made Akeredolus response heroic was that it was against-method, something in the mould of philosopher Paul Feyerabends argument while canvassing the scientific method of examination of Karl Popper. Like Feyerabends, Akeredolus intervention was unusual because it upset political mores and governmental behavior that had been the norm in Nigeria overtime. It was sparsely exampled and very unhypocritical. The norm was for governors to nest their views in support of status-quo and hide behind a finger. This they did in the name of political correctness and kowtowing before the almighty Federal Government. Akeredolu chose to repudiate all that and stood behind his people. History will record appropriately that when Nigerian high places became jam-packed with political vultures and fawners, despite the fact that the land is filled with blood of innocent citizens spilled by invading Fulani herdsmen, a governor chose to bond with his people, no matter the systemic frown at it. As if the menace of El-Rufai and Malami was not enough for a week filled with dispiriting views from Nigerian high places, the Governor of Cross River State, Ben Ayade chose to pollute the already troubled waters. This is not just because he decided to tread the shameless, self-serving path that has become famous with Nigerian politicians. The fad among them is to breakfast with one political party at dawn, have lunch with another by mid-day and dine with yet another by sunset. What however rankles with Ayade is his deployment of the usual brainless justification of such political act, in the service of his political adultery. Hear him: He left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) so as to buoy President Muhammadu Buharis commitment to this country, his nationalistic disposition and all the efforts he has made to bring Nigeria to where we are today, its obvious that we should join hands with him to build a Nigeria that we can be proud of. From his first word to the last, you could see that Ayade, a former lecturer in the Department of Microbiology, University of Ibadan, merely needed a nationalistic hyperbole to dress his despicable, maggots-oozing sore. This, he did excellently. When politicians, especially governors, take this kind of unpopular, anti-people detour, two issues are likely to be responsible. First is the possibility that the federal eye had sighted cockroaches brimming in their wardrobes and wanted to make an example of them. A party jump is thus quickly resorted to as self bailout. Second is the likelihood that some political scammers had succeeded in fooling the governor that he had been found worthy to step into Buharis shoes in 2023. Like they did to Ebonyis Dave Umahi. If not, why would Ayade assault Nigerians with those less-than-sensible reasons for his political adultery? What commitment to country, what nationalism, what effort has Buhari made towards sustenance of Nigeria that needed Ayades dalliance? When former colleagues of Ayades in UI said they were not surprised at his latter serpentine manifestations in political office as his Esentaye judging by his actions while he was a teacher in the university showed such tendencies, I promptly rested my case. If you realize that the El-Rufais, Malamis and Ayades constitute the bulk of the cold-blooded sharks that populate the Nigerian political and governmental rivers, why then do we still marvel that Nigeria is neither progressing nor standing still, but regressing fast into unmitigated anomie? Attahiru: Death, thou too shall die! The death last Friday evening of Nigerias Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru and ten others, in an ill-fated flight in Kaduna, Kaduna State has once again thrown Nigeria into mourning. Though death has become the usual meal on Nigerias menu, General Attahirus death, as well as those on his entourage, shocked Nigerians to the marrows. The deaths of these soldiers seem to be speaking to Nigerians in riddles. However, like every human being, the moment we leave the cemetery, the life that we felt was not worth living upon sighting the dead lying still, is suddenly mollified and we continue to assume our individual mortality. As the holy write counseled, moments like this present eternal lessons of our human existence and should be more desired. When we see the dead lying inside their lonely coffin rest homes, we should substitute ourselves for them. In other words, the question to ask is, what if I was the one inside that coffin? Most of the atrocities in high and low places are committed because we assume our immortality and magisterially divine that our own death is farther down the alley. It will not happen to me in Jesus name or May Allah forbid! are the words that come out of our subconscious whenever we see our friends, colleagues and fellow travelers on lifes lonely road being lowered into the sepulcher. But why should Allah, Jesus forbid a process that is the culmination of our humanity? Except for human beings whose bodies are dead to death; who have witnessed enough dead in a lifetime and almost see themselves as dead, a death beside us should awake us to the need to live right and prepare for the last day. Life is too worthless and unworthy of the glories and beatification that we unnecessarily accord it. While I agree that life will be meaningless without all those fleeting icings that we mistakenly take for lifes cake itself, we should remember that, like General Attahiru and our brothers who paid the supreme price on Friday, we will die our own deaths at the intersection when the final whistle is blown. I extend my condolences to the families of the bereaved. Festus Adedayo is an Ibadan-based journalist. ADVERTISEMENT Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau has condoled with the NASCO family, over the passing of the founder of the NASCO Group of Companies, Ahmed Nasreddin, who died at the age of 96. The governor in a condolence message by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Makut Macham, on Saturday in Jos, expressed grief over the death of the nonagenarian. Mr Lalong described the death of the patriarch as a great loss not only to his family and NASCO, but to Plateau people and Nigeria. He eulogised the deceased as a visionary leader, who established NASCO in Jos in 1963, as the first jute bag factory in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa. He said the industrialist established NASCO in response to the desire of the nations founding fathers to meet the challenges for the effective bagging, storage and export of the large agricultural products in the country. This vision by the late Ahmed Idris Nasreddin saw the company growing from its little beginnings to become a major conglomerate with successful companies in manufacturing, real estate, hospitality and logistics, trading among others. The NASCO Group is also the producer of one of the most popular biscuit brands in Nigeria. NASCO has over the years remained a major employer of labour in Plateau and continues to contribute to the economic prosperity of the State and Nigeria at large through tax revenue and corporate social responsibility. He noted that because of the faith that the late Mr Nasreddin had in Plateau, NASCO remained rooted in the state in spite of the difficult moments and experiences of various crises which affected its development. Mr Lalong, while condoling with the family, management and staff of the NASCO conglomerate, said the legacies of the business mogul would continue to prevail. He expressed confidence that the company he founded many years ago would continue to wax stronger, as operated successfully by his son, Attia Nasreddin, and other members of the family. He assured the NASCO family of the support and collaboration of the state government in their operations, while praying God to grant his soul eternal rest. (NAN) Biomedical student with a passion for scouting wins Baden Powell Award By Ruqyyaha Deane View(s): View(s): Twenty-two-year-old Randi Hathnagoda began her journey as a Girl Guide when she was in Grade 4 at Maliyadeva Balika Vidyalaya, Kurunegala. Always having a passion to volunteer and serve the community, after leaving school, Randi went on to become a Rover Scout which is a programme that brings a scouting experience to adults. As a 3rd year Biomedical Sciences undergraduate at CINEC campus with dreams of becoming a biomedical scientist who could do her bit for the world, Randi recently was awarded the prestigious Baden Powell Award which is the highest Rover Scout award. The Baden Powell award is given to a Rover Scout who achieves all four professional stars which are the Rambler Star, Scoutcraft Star, Project Star and the Leadership Star. We do different projects and dedicate our time to Scouting to achieve these stars, she says adding that the experiences and memories she gets from Scouting are priceless and unforgettable. It was at a ceremony on April 25 that she was awarded the Baden Powell Award by Sri Lankas Chief Scout Commissioner and Kotelawala Defence University Vice Chancellor, Major General Milinda Peiris, at the 34th National Rover Moot held at the Pallekele Scout Training Centre, Kandy. It was a proud and humbling moment for Randi. The Rover Scout programme targets personal development and giving back to the community meaningfully, also spending more time outdoors. If a girl or a boy is a ball of clay, Scouting and Girl Guiding helps to mould the clay ball into a creative shape. Those activities help a person with self-discipline and I believe every young person should benefit from them. They can build self-confidence, vision, integrity, courage, dedication, enthusiasm and other leadership qualities and skills, Randi says adding that her two younger siblings, a brother and sister are a Senior Scout and Girl Guide respectively. For anyone who may be inspired by her journey, Randis advice would be to fearlessly take up every challenge, seeing it as an opportunity, forget lifes failures and obstacles and push ones self ahead for the future. Being dedicated, confident and truthful will definitely groom ones future and path in life, she believes. Randi is grateful to all those who supported her from her family and loved ones; to her fathers friend Captain Rohith Fernando; the Commissioners at the National Scout Headquarters;the Crew mistress of the Ethugalpura Pioneers Girls District Rover Crew of Kurunegala, Mrs. G.W. Ariyamala; her Girl Guiding mistresses, Mrs. Rudrani Gunasekara, Mrs. Chandani Elkaduwa and Mrs. Semini Herath of Maliyadeva, Kurunegala; her fellow Rovers and officials of the CINEC campus. ADVERTISEMENT The Katsina emirate council has announced the dismissal of the district head of Kankara, Yusuf Lawal, for alleged complicity in banditry. Kankara is the location of a boys secondary school where about 300 students were abducted by bandits last December. The secretary of the emirate council, Bello Ifo, told reporters late Friday that the district head was found guilty by a committee that investigated his alleged association with bandits. The official, however, did not explain how the dismissed district head was associated with the criminals. PREMIUM TIMES reported on May 1 how Mr Lawal was suspended following complaints from residents and a security report indicting him. The emirate council, thereafter, set up a committee to investigate the district head. On Friday, the committee said it found Mr Lawal guilty of aiding and siding with bandits and kidnappers operating in the Kankara axis and recommended his removal from his position. Some traditional rulers in Katsina and neighbouring Zamfara State had been accused of aiding banditry in their domains. Residents said some of the traditional rulers side with the gunmen out of fear for their own lives because security agents seldom respond to distress calls or act on intelligence reports from traditional rulers. Kankara was in the news last December following the abduction of over 300 students of the Government boys Science Secondary School in the town. The mastermind of the abduction, a notorious bandit called Auwalun Daudawa, was a few months later killed in a clash with a rival group in a forest between Katsina and Zamfara states. ADVERTISEMENT At least 51 persons sustained injuries late Saturday after a fuel tanker exploded in Kano. The incident occurred at a filling station in Sharada in Kano metropolis while the tanker was offloading the inflammable substance. The states Commissioner for Works, Garba Idris, told reporters that 51 persons were affected and blamed the station for violating procedure of offloading the substance. The official blamed the filing station for offloading fuel in day time despite the scorching sun. Everybody knows it is against the law to offload the substance in the hot weather like that of Kano, which was responsible for the explosion. The fire disaster affected 51 persons, including eight officials of the fire service, Mr Idris said. Also, the spokesperson, Federal Fire Service in Kano, Nura Maigida, said the agency was investigating the cause of the fire. ADVERTISEMENT The police in Enugu State said they have arrested three persons for alleged armed robbery and unlawful possession of firearms. The police said they recovered three firearms, one live cartridge, two vehicles, two daggers, one mobile phone and other incriminating items from the suspects. The police spokesperson in the state, Daniel Ndukwe, said in a statement on Saturday in Enugu that the cooperation between the police and operatives of Neighbourhood Watch led to the suspects arrest. Acting on intelligence, police operatives at the Abakaliki Road Division arrested one Chidiebere Okoye, 22, and Ede Ifeanyi, 25, both of Onuasata area of Enugu on May 17. Their arrest led to recovery of one locally-made pistol, one dagger and an ash-coloured Toyota Camry car with registration number: GGE 547 GT. The duo and gang members still at large allegedly snatched the vehicle from their victim at gunpoint on May 10. The suspects confessed to the crime, Mr Ndukwe, an assistant superintended of police, said in the statement. Similarly, on May 13, operatives at the Nsukka Urban Division with the assistance of Neighbourhood Watch intercepted a red-coloured Toyota Avensus car with registration number: FST 968 AA. The car is suspected to have been stolen on Urban Girls High School Road, Nsukka. The suspected criminal occupants on sighting the police operatives abandoned the vehicle and escaped. Upon thorough search of the vehicle, two cut-to-size single-barrel guns, one live cartridge, one Techno phone and other incriminating items were further recovered, he stated. The police spokesperson said operatives at the Awkunanaw Police Division arrested a suspected armed robber, Miracle Ogba, 18, on May 13. The arrest, he said, followed a report made at the division that armed robbers invaded a shop at Garki, Awkunanaw Enugu, and stabbed one of their victims severally, robbed them of cash, phones and personal effects. The suspect confessed to the crime, while a dagger allegedly used to stab the said victim has been recovered, he stated. Mr Ndukwe said the police were investigating the cases and that the suspects would be prosecuted at the end of investigations. (NAN) Two witnesses on Saturday narrated before the panel on police brutality in Lagos how soldiers shot at protesters at the Lekki Toll Plaza on October 20 last year and carried lifeless bodies into their van. The protesters were calling for an end to police brutality when they were attacked by soldiers at the toll gate. Olamilekan Sanusi, who appeared before the panel, said he was part of those who volunteered to clean the protest ground, especially the stage area. He said he counted at least 10 bodies after the gunshots. Mr Sanusi said that at about 6:30 p.m., he heard gunshots and saw people running towards Oriental Hotel. I saw men of the Nigerian army. Later when they said we should sit on the floor, I saw a military man and I saw protesters carrying lifeless bodies to the military mens feet, he said. Later on, I counted ten people at the feet of the military men, they were not moving, they were lifeless. Later on, I saw them carrying people close to Diamond Bank, they were packing bodies and putting them in the van, he said. Mr Sanusi said an officer, who said he was acting on a directive of power beyond him, came on the stage and pleaded with the protesters to go home. He also said the officer requested that they nominate five representatives among themselves to discuss with him but they turned him down. After coming down from the stage, I think he left and the shootings began again, he said. Then three military men came to the stage, destroying things, scattering mixers, poles and speakers, then they pushed some speakers on me. I fell, I could not move but I could hear what people were talking. I heard one woman crying, and saying, you must not die, I could hear a car on motion and I was trying to open my eye, I saw the woman in blue, drenched in blood holding a man and saying you must not die. I woke up at a military hospital and was later referred to Marina General hospital. The person that brought me there told me that six protesters were in the hospital and I was in a coma for seven hours. Mr Sanusi said that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu visited them at the hospital and gave them N10,000 each, and he used his to get drugs and clothes. The doctor had to beg me to sit on the chair with my drip because many protesters were still coming. More than 11 people died in the hospital and some were laid on the floor. In the toilet there was blood everywhere, he said. Mr Sanusi said that one of the nurses advised him to leave because the soldiers were coming to finish protesters in the hospital. I sneaked out of the hospital using the small entrance door leading to the governors road. Mr Sanusi told the panel he wants the Lekki Tollgate to be dedicated to those who were allegedly killed by the Nigerian Army on October 20 2020. I want the panel to find those who ordered the shooting and I want the tollgate to be a memorial ground, he said. ADVERTISEMENT The chair of the panel, Doris Okuwobi, admitted the X-ray evidence of Mr Sanusi and marked it exhibit A. Shot in the chest Another witness, Ifeanyi Agbeeze, told the panel he had been living in pains after he was shot in the chest by a soldier during the October 20 shooting. Mr Agbeeze, a comedian, said himself and his friend had earlier left the protest ground on October 20 but returned after they were unable to get a bus home. We got back to the tollgate around past 1 p.m. Around 2 p.m., we heard that the Lagos government have declared a curfew, he said. Around past 4 p.m., I saw two men removing the CCTV camera, I dont know why. Later the billboard light went off, I felt something bad was going to happen but I couldnt figure what exactly it was, said Mr Agbeeze. Around 6:45 p.m., I heard siren along Sandfill, a van coming, I moved closer to the stage, I saw the military van, I thought they were coming to calm us. Somebody announced that everyone with cars should turn on their car headlights and face the stage because the light was already off. And we were instructed too not to insult anybody and not be violent. When we heard the siren, they said we should come to the stage and sit on the floor. Mr Agbeeze said when the shooting began, someone beside him was shot and when he tried to help him a military man dressed in full military man shot me in my chest. I immediately ran then I discovered that everywhere was dark and asked myself where am I running to? He said that one of the protesters took him to Marina General Hospital where he was later referred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH). They did X-ray for me and their boss came gave the film to me. The doctors asked me if I had gotten through with my people. I was in LASUTH for six days and when I was discharged, I was still feeling much pain, I told the doctor that I dont feel okay, so, I didnt leave the hospital that very day. He said that he had to leave the hospital when he got information that some soldiers were going around to finish off protesters in hospitals. Mr Agbeeze said after he left LASUTH, he went to a private hospital and on December 29, he did another x-ray which showed he had a fracture. Since then, till now, I still feel the pain I went for another x-ray on May 18, 2021, he said. He (the doctor) also asked me to go and do a CT scan but it is expensive, I dont have the money yet. I want justice, I want to know who ordered the shooting. The army had initially denied taking live bullets to the protest ground. But after changing its testimony several times, it eventually admitted it indeed took live bullets to the scene but only engaged armed miscreants. ADVERTISEMENT The Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) says the suspended conduct of chairmanship and councillorship elections in Ido Local Government Area will hold on Sunday. Isiaka Olagunju, the Commissions Chairman, made this known to journalists on Saturday in Ibadan. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that OYSIEC had earlier suspended the election in the local government area following the omission of Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) logo on the ballot papers. Mr Olagunju expressed regret over the omission, saying that the commission had decided to conduct the election on Sunday between 8.00 a.m and 3.00 p.m. He said that the commission had contacted the contractor that handled the printing of ballot papers, promising to deliver them today so that the election could go on as planned on Sunday. The OYSIEC chairman appealed to residents of Ido Local Government area to remain calm, regretting inconveniences the election postponement might have caused them. Mr Olagunju reiterated the commissions commitment to a free, fair and transparent election. (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT The police in Ogun said they have commenced an investigation into the multiple gas explosions that occurred in Abeokuta in the past week. This is contained in a statement released on Saturday by Abimbola Oyeyemi, the police spokesperson. Six persons have been confirmed dead, while eight other persons were injured in the multiple gas explosions. PREMIUM TIMES reported a gas explosion on Friday, at Onikoko area of Abeokuta, barely 24 hours after the Obasanjo Presidential Library gas explosion. Two persons were injured in the explosion on Friday. The Ogun state police command in conjunction with other security and government agencies, has constituted a technical investigative team to unravel the cause or causes of the recent explosions in Abeokuta metropolis, killing six and injuring eight other persons. Two gas plants suspected to have supplied the gas and the cylinders that caused these explosions have been sealed up by the Command, while samples of the gas from the plants have also been taken for analysis by the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON), Mr Oyeyemi said in a statement. Four incidents of gas explosion occurred in Abeokuta metropolis in the past week, killing six. PREMIUM TIMES reported a gas explosion at Obasanjo Presidential Library on Thursday, killing one person. Three persons, including an infant, died in a gas explosion at Oke-Egunya area of Abeokuta on May 12, while two more persons died in the gas explosion that happened at Conference Hotel on May 18. Mr Oyeyemi, a deputy superintendent of police, said the outcome of the investigation of the gas explosions will be made public. In order to prevent further disaster, welders throughout the state are advised to stop using oxygen gas simultaneously with liquified petroleum gas-LPG (cooking gas), while carrying out their welding jobs. Area commanders and DPOs have also been directed to disseminate this information to welders and their associations as well as maintenance technicians in their respective jurisdictions and monitor compliance, the Ogun police said. The Federal University, Oye Ekiti, and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have reached an agreement to settle out of court on issues bordering on the suspension of the unions chairman, Gabriel Ominojo. The unionist was among others suspended in 2019 for contending with the management of the institution over sundry issues affecting the school. The unionists also allegedly disrupted a meeting of the universitys governing council. He had approached the National Industrial Court in Akure seeking the quashing of the suspension as well as the payment of damages, including his entitlements. Mr Omonijo, a senior lecturer in the Department of Water Resources and Agrometeorology, told the court that the investigative panel that recommended his suspension to the university was biased. He said the members were hostile individuals who had prior issues with him. He also said that his suspension without pay by the university was wrong and unjust, claiming that he was only invited in respect of the allegations made in the petition by ASUU to the Minister of Education. In the suit with registration number NICN/AK/21/2019, filed by the plaintiffs lawyer, Funmi Falana of Falana & Falanas Chambers in Lagos averred that his indefinite suspension without pay by the university was illegal, unconstitutional and a violation of the provisions of the Trade Union Act. Mr Ominojo confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday that the lawyers of both parties agreed sometime in March to settle out of court. It is true we are meeting to resolve the issues and settle out of court, he said. A committee was earlier set up and it was agreed that an out of court settlement was the way forward. We are right now meeting and working out the terms of the settlement. Abayomi Fashina, the universitys vice-chancellor, first gave the hint of the settlement while speaking at an event in Oye Ekiti marking his 100 days in office on Saturday. As part of our efforts to restore orderliness and peace, we are bringing back Dr Omonijo and Mr Seun Odedeji who were suspended on accounts of their union activities during the time of my predecessor, he said. We have promised this and we have opted for out of court settlement. 100 days in office At the Saturday event, Mr Fashina also advised his colleagues across the country to think outside the box to be able to fund their universities, saying no institution of learning could develop with sole and absolute reliance on money from the government. On the cases of kidnappings and cult killings in higher institutions, Mr Fashina said the university was investing in intelligence gathering and digital gadgets to monitor the campus and apprehend evil doers before perpetrating their nefarious activities. God is the one bankrolling us. If you think outside the box, you will do many things, he said. We are going into partnerships with bodies, organisations and well meaning individuals for them to invest here. We are also using our vast human resources to achieve results. ADVERTISEMENT We are also blocking leakages to be able to raise our IGR and these have been paying off. Mr Fashina said Nigeria had not been able to achieve food security status despite its human and material resources because the government paid lip service to agriculture. READ ALSO: FUOYE governing council suspends new VC appointment over 120 petitions We have provided modern agriculture implements in the faculty of agriculture, he added. We are putting our students into cropping with the hope to empower them after graduation. Students must learn the skills for survival. Agriculture has a lot of value chain, to me, farming is a way of life. Mr Fashina, who inaugurated some projects, promised to provide modern structures and road networks to connect the school, give it aesthetic value and increase quality of education within the next one year. He said he had flagged off the landscaping of the school to correct erosion, create parking spaces and add aesthetics to the university. ADVERTISEMENT The Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) has shifted the local government election in Ido Local Government Area to May 26. Isiaka Olagunju, the OYSIEC chairman, disclosed this on Sunday in Ibadan. OYSIEC had on Saturday suspended election in the council due to the omission of Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) logo in the ballot paper. The commission later fixed the election for Sunday. Mr Olagunju said the commission had picked Sunday for the election, having been assured by the contractor that newly printed ballot papers would be ready for Sunday. He, however, said the ballot papers were just delivered Sunday morning few minutes to the ongoing declaration of results from the remaining 32 councils areas where election held. As you all know that we suspended local government election in Ido Local Government due to the omission of the ZLP from the ballot. We later fixed Sunday for the election having been assured by the contractor that the ballot will be ready. I want to inform you that we just received the ballot papers this morning. Having considered the inconveniences this might cost our staff and the process, we have agreed to shift the election to May 29, Mr Olagunju said. He accepted responsibility for the inconveniences caused by the omission of the ZLP in the ballot paper. Mr Olagunju also restated the commissions commitment to free, fair and credible elections. (NAN) ADVERTISEMENT A 400-level student of Aquaculture and Fisheries Management of the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Olayinka Toyinbo, has been kidnapped by suspected gunmen in Odeda, Ogun. This was contained in a statement issued by Head, Directorate of Public Relations of FUNAAB, Kola Adepoju, on Sunday in Abeokuta. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the student was reportedly abducted in a private farm in Abule Itoko, Odeda Local Government Area, about 25 minutes drive from the institution, around 8 a.m on Saturday. A friend of the abducted student, who claimed to have witnessed the scene, said Mr Toyinbo was kidnapped by the gunmen at the private farm, where he had been living and working as a practising livestock farmer for the past three years. He said the kidnap victim undertook the job to sustain himself as a self-sponsored indigent student of the university. Mr Adepoju said the institutions management had reported the abduction at the state police headquarters, while working with the command to ensure the safety and release of the kidnapped student. Other sources, however, told NAN that two other persons also reportedly kidnapped alongside the student were the owner of the farm and a 17-year-old Togolese lady. It was further gathered that the kidnappers had already established contact with the wife of the farmer, demanding N50 million ransom from each of their victims. When the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Abimbola Oyeyemi was contacted, he said that he was not yet aware of the incident. (NAN) United Nations, May 23 : The United Nations Security Council on Saturday welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza. Through a press statement, the council welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire beginning May 21 and recognized the important role Egypt, other regional countries, the UN, the Middle East Quartet and other international partners played in this regard, Xinhua reported. The council called for the full adherence to the ceasefire and mourned the loss of civilian lives resulting from the violence. The members of the Security Council stressed the immediate need for humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian civilian population, particularly in Gaza, and supported the secretary-general's call for the international community to work with the United Nations on developing an integrated, robust package of support for a swift, sustainable reconstruction and recovery. The council members stressed the urgency of the restoration of calm in full and reiterated the importance of achieving a comprehensive peace based on the vision of a region where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace with secure and recognized borders. An Egyptian-brokered ceasefire agreement came into effect early on Friday at 2:00 a.m. Palestinian time between Israel and militant groups led by the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). President Xi Jinping extended condolences to scientist Yuan Longping's family on Sunday and called on people to learn from him, the "father of hybrid rice". Yuan Longping, renowned for developing the first hybrid rice strain that pulled countless people out of hunger, passed away in a hospital in Changsha, capital of Hunan province, on Saturday. Having spent over five decades in hybrid rice research, he has helped China work a great wonder -- feeding nearly one-fifth of the world's population with less than 9 percent of the world's total land. Joining forces to Break the Silence By Janidu Wijebandara Sharing stories on sexual violence or gender-based discrimination View(s): View(s): Sri Lankan culture, structurally ambiguous as it is, has keenly held a traditional disparity between the genders throughout the years. Often baseless differences and cultural notions continue to restrict women and liberate men, in turn supported by the ingrained misogyny of lawmakers and the lawbreakers alike. As a result, most of the society has simply composed themselves to either accept or blindside such narratives of sexual violence and gender based discrimination leaving the next in line to confront and hopefully resolve it, in true Sri Lankan fashion. Determined to address this growing threat against women and society as a whole, the members of the Rotaract Club of the University of Colombos Faculty of Arts, in collaboration with Youth Govern Sri Lanka, initiated a project in December last year titled Break the Silence, inviting anyone who had suffered from sexual violence or gender-based discrimination, to share their stories. This was followed in an extensive panel discussion held online on January 25, where Tarangee Mutucumarana, Uwasara Arambewela and Namalee Herath provided their own insight into the topics of discussion, and additional legal advice stemming from their respective fields. Youth Govern SL, an independent non-profit organization led by students both within and outside the country, joined forces with the Rotaract Club of the Arts Faculty to gather peoples experiences regarding sexual violence and gender-based discrimination. Their open invitation for these testimonials ushered in the voices of an unflatteringly large number of victims. Traditionally silenced as part of the norm, many were reluctant to voice their opinion, with a deep-rooted anxiety and fear of speaking up. Menasha Samaradiwakara, who represents both organizations in this project mediated the panel discussion. Tarangee Mutucumarana, a lawyer by profession and also Director of the YEHELIYA Foundation, provided important legal advice and her personal take on matters of sexual violence. The numerous incidents she has come across in her practice, and the current reaction of the legal system to this very issue were included in her areas of focus, through which she pointed out how these incidents are often tolerated and swiftly discredited by most, including people who have sworn to uphold the law. Namalee Herath, Officer-in-Charge of the Divisional Child and Women Bureau, Gampaha laid out the various steps currently being implemented to counter the problem of such accusations and allegations being discarded. Uwasara Arambewela looked at the aspects of psychological trauma and the disintegration of mental health in victims of sexual violence and gender-based discrimination, highlighting the urgent need for a multi-disciplinary approach to combat the growing threat. The testimonials were all posted as videos on Instagram as well as Facebook. The recording of the webinar was also posted on Facebook. Much on the lines of the Dubbaka assembly bypoll in neighbouring Telangana, where the BJP scored an upset victory and went on to rattle the ruling TRS party in the Hyderabad civic polls by emerging as the second largest party, the Tirupati Lok Sabha bypoll in April was expected to be the turning point for the saffron party's fortunes in the coastal state of Andhra Pradesh. However, the results that emerged on counting day, May 2, were more like a thunderbolt for the BJP. Its candidate, former Karnataka chief secretary K. Ratnaprabha, came in a distant third polling around 57,000 votes, far behind the TDP candidate Panabaka Lakshmi's 3.54 lakh votes. In comparison, the victorious YSRCP candidate Gurumoorthy polled around 6.26 lakh votes. Post-bifurcation in 2014, the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh remains an enigma for the BJP which brought in Sunil Deodhar who scripted the party's stunning and historic poll victory in Tripura, to steer the campaign for Andhra Pradesh. The mission was simple and clear -- to win Andhra in the 2024 assembly polls. For the BJP behemoth that has gradually stamped its electoral imprint across the length and breadth of the country, the South, with the exception of Karnataka and Pondicherry, remains largely unconquered territory. Tamil Nadu and Kerala continue to resist the BJP's pan-Indian allure, for obvious reasons. It is only in the two Telugu states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana that the BJP smelt potential for the near future -- read 2024. Telangana, with its traditionally strong RSS presence, readily accepted the saffron party, and it is where it has emerged as the only opposition party worth its name. However, it's been a different story in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. The BJP did get its shot at power in the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh following the 2014 assembly elections. The combined forces of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the star power of filmstar-politician Pawan Kalyan, and the BJP managed to defeat YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's YSRCP. However, disagreements -- ostensibly over granting special category status to Andhra Pradesh following bifurcation but really more to do with the BJP's growing ambitions to carve out a solitary path to power in the state -- drove the allies inexorably apart. Fighting the ensuing polls in 2019 seperately, the three erstwhile allies were routed comprehensively at the hustings. Compared to 2014, when it won four Assembly and two Parliament seats, the BJP drew a blank in 2019. Ever since, the BJP had been targeting the ruling YSRCP as well as the opposition TDP on a range of issues. That Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy is a Christian, missionary and conversion activities are on the rise, had come in handy for the BJP. Incidentally, the last year also saw a number of incidents such as thefts, desecration, and temple mishaps in the state, prominent among them being the burning of the temple chariot at Antarvedi. The BJP never lost an opportunity to target the government on these issues while alluding to the Chief Minister's religious background. It was at this juncture that the Tirupati Lok Sabha bypoll, necessitated by the death of YSRCP's Balli Durga Prasad, offered a litmus test for the opposition camps to test their relative strengths. It was a no-holds barred poll campaign that saw the BJP bring out the armour, in addition to leaning on the starpower of Pawan Kalyan. But it all came to nought. The results are basically a repeat of the trends seen in the 2019 assembly polls. The results show that divided, the opposition stands no choice against the might of a young Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, who has consolidated his grip on the minorities and backward classes, apart from the forward Reddys. The writing on the wall is now doubly clear after the Tirupati bypoll. With less than one per cent of the popular vote in its kitty, the BJP currently lacks the ground presence and the infrastructure to make its presence felt on the electoral landscape of Andhra Pradesh. Secondly, traditional strategies such as polarisation that helped in states such as Assam and Tripura won't work here. The party needs to customise its approach more like it does in regions such as the Northeast, or even perhaps Karnataka, where it does not overtly rattle the minority communities. More importantly, it must seriously work on retrieving the credibility it lost by reneging on granting special category status to Andhra Pradesh -- something that all concerned parties had agreed upon on the hallowed floors of Parliament. Going forward, the BJP needs a strong ally, much like the Janata Dal(U) in Bihar, to help it gain traction at the hustings. Under the circumstances, the only potential ally on the horizon remains the TDP. For the TDP as well, an alliance with the BJP could make the difference between regaining political power or fading away to oblivion. With three years to go before the state goes to the polls, there's ample time for waving olive branches, building bridges and sewing up a winning alliance which includes Pawan Kalyan and his Jana Sena. It's definitely time for the BJP to return to the drawing board, if gaining Andhra Pradesh in 2024 is the objective. (The writer can be contacted at narendra.puppala@ians.in) Lucknow, May 23 : Dhirendra Singh, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Jewar Assembly area of Greater Noida, has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath demanding an audit of private hospitals that have been overcharging patients in the Covid crisis. "I have not complained against any particular hospital. The doctors are working like heroes during the pandemic but many private hospitals have forgotten their social responsibilities. It is time to wake their conscience, an audit is required for such hospitals who are accused of overcharging," said Dhirendra Singh. He said that some hospitals force patients to deposit extra money for oxygen at a time when the pandemic is raging in the country, some levy extra 'emergency charges' on a CT scan, and many have made bills amounting to lakhs of rupees for critical and non-critical patients. He further said, "At such a time, when private hospitals play a crucial role in fighting the pandemic, there are a number of complaints against them for overcharging, with bills as proof. For a better healthcare system in the country, not only do such practices have to stop, but hospitals must also adopt a couple of primary health centres in nearby villages as a corporate social responsibility. This will help improve the health infrastructure of the villages." Following the letter, the district chief medical officer (CMO) has sought responses from private hospitals in Gautam Buddha Nagar within three days. Gautam Buddha Nagar Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Deepak Auri said, "If found overcharging, strict action will be taken against the private hospitals." Lucknow, May 23 : Uttar Pradesh, despite being the most populous state, has become the first state in the country to inoculate maximum number of youths. Since May 1, when registrations opened for the category of 18-44, about ten lakh youths have so far been able to receive a jab in the state. Currently, the drive is running in 23 districts of the state. According to the government spokesman, this is the highest number of vaccinations in this category since the inoculation exercise for 18+ began. It is noteworthy that the deadly virus powered by new Covid variants, has been impacting the younger population more. With the anticipation of the third wave, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is also planning to extend the drive and vaccinate parents of the kids under 10 year as soon as possible. "Before the third wave of corona arrives, we are making arrangements to provide protection to the parents of all children under 10 years of age by giving them vaccine doses," said the spokesman. Taking the lead in Covid vaccination, the state has, so far, administered as many as 1,62,16,379 doses of vaccine. Of these, 1,28,74,451 have received their first doses and around 33,41,928 got their second doses of vaccine. The chief minister has been consistently working to ramp up the vaccination drive in the state. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister, who was in Kanpur on Saturday, said that he had instructed all the officials to reconstruct, renovate, provide all modern types of equipment and restart a municipal corporation hospital for children, which has been closed for past years. He further said that every medical college should prepare for 100-ICU pediatric beds, 100 bed for (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) NICU with oxygen, 20-25 NICU bed in district hospitals and some CSC (Common Service Centre) in rural regions have also been directed to start preparing for the third wave. The Chief Minister said that the government's aim is to prepare for the third wave while battling the second wave. The Chief Minister also said that the state government aims to control the second wave of the pandemic within May 30 and urged the citizens to adhere to Covid-appropriate behaviour in order to achieve that target. The Chief Minister has already extended the Corona curfew till May 30. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Amsterdam, May 23 : A stabbing incident that took place in Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands, has led to one death and four injuries, police said. In a statement on Saturday, the police said that the incident occurred at around 11 p.m. on Friday in the Ferdinand Bol street near the city centre, reports Xinhua news agency. A 29-year-old man from Amstelveen has been arrested as the suspect. The police are investigating the incident and keeping all options open. "So far there has been no direct indication of a terrorist motive," it said in the statement. Washington, May 23 : The oldest survivor of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre in the US and her two brothers have testified at a hearing of the ouse of Representatives recently and appealed to Congress for justice, according to the National Public Radio (NPR). "I will never forget the violence of the white mob when we left our home. I still see Black men being shot, Black bodies lying in the street," said Viola Fletcher, aged 107 now, the oldest survivor of the massacre that occurred on Greenwood Avenue in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1921. "I still smell smoke and see fire. I still see Black businesses being burned. I still hear airplanes flying overhead. I hear the screams," Xinhua news agency quoted Fletcher as saying by NPR on Wednesday when she testified before a House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing, which was also attended by her two younger brothers. "I am 107 years old and I have never seen justice. I pray that one day I will," she told the lawmakers. Greenwood was destroyed by the attack that was launched on May 31, 1921 and the two-day massacre left hundreds of Black people dead, according to NPR. Amaravati, May 23 : At first sight, they are no different from thousands of middle-aged couple in Andhra Pradesh, who are coping with the Covid pandemic. In fact, Kasi Annapurna has tested Covid positive once and her husband G. Srinivas, twice in the last one year. But this hasn't deterred the couple, from East Godavari district, going all out to help the residents of K. Jagannathapuram village, weather the pandemic. It was early this year that the entire family was hit by Covid, following Srinivas' brother's return from Mt Abu in Rajasthan. The family who lives in nearby town of Amalapuram took refuge in their ancestral home. Speaking to IANS, Annapurna, a former Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituency representative, said, "In March, our family tested positive and went into isolation at our ancestral home as most of the government isolation centres were shut down after the first wave." However, with Covid cases on the rise in the prelude to the second wave, the couple, on recovering, decided to convert the sprawling house into a makeshift isolation centre for the needy inhabitants - basically for people who didn't have enough room in their own homes but needed to isolate themselves. "After we recovered, we felt we should help others who need space to recover. We made arrangements for Covid positive people with no space for quarantine facilities in their homes. Apart from food, and steam inhalation facilities, we organise medicines and medical attention, through local government services," Annapurna said. Since then, at any given point, the house has been a temporary refuge to around 15 persons who need to go into isolation. The couple and their extended family, also organise food and nutrition for such people who usually test negative in around two weeks time. Apart from converting their ancestral home into an isolation centre, the couple and their family are helping out villagers with food, succour, and organizing the last rites of Covid victims. Srinivas sets out everyday to supervise help for Covid hit people and their families. Irrespective of their caste or creed, he organises the last rites of many Covid victims. In fact, the couple's home has a long history of providing refuge to the local people in times of natural calamities. Annapurna credits their humanitarian efforts to her late mother in law who used to open the doors of their home, to less fortunate of the people whenever natural calamities struck the area. The village, with a population of around 4,000, is located in the Konaseema delta region of East Godavari district, and prone to flooding during monsoons and cyclones. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Kinshasa, May 23 : After an erupted of the Mount Nyiragongo volcano in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the lava flow reached the airport in the nearby Goma city on Sundaym prompting authorities to launch evacuation plans. The evacuation plan for Goma has been activated, Xinhua news agency quoted government spokesman Patrick Muyaya as saying. "The government is discussing urgent measures to be taken now," Muyaya tweeted. Thousands of Goma residents have fled the city on foot to reach the border with Rwanda as the city with a population of nearly 2 million was illuminated with orange flames. DRC President Felix Tshisekedi is returning from Europe to oversee the relief efforts and is closely monitoring the security and humanitarian situation in the country's eastern North Kivu province, his office said. North Kivu Governor, Lt. Gen. Ndima Kongba Constant, said in a televised address on Saturday that local civil defence forces started evacuating Goma residents following the eruption. The Nyiragongo volcano, located not far from the DR Congo's border with Rwanda, started to erupt on Saturday. According to the Goma-based volcanological monitoring office, the lava is heading towards the border with Rwanda. The city of Goma is home to two active volcanoes, Nyamulagira and Nyiragongo. The last time a major Nyiragongo eruption occurred was in 2002, when about 250 people were killed and 120,000 others left homeless. Saturday's eruption of Nyiragongo is similar to that in 2002, said the authorities, adding that other districts of the city were not in danger as the lava was unlikely to reach those areas. Earlier, General Constant Ndima, military governor of North Kivu province, of which Goma is capital, appealed for calm and urged people to follow the guidance of civil protection units. Jaipur, May 23 : Covid-19 has widened the digital divide in the desert state as gadgets and social media-friendly sections of society are finding easier access to education, vaccination and medication compared to those in rural Rajasthan. The vaccination drive is slow in the villages as villagers find it tough to access the CoWin app. Leader of Opposition Gulabchand Kataria, an MLA from Udaipur, said, "Around 90 to 95 per cent of people from the cities of Gujarat are coming to villages in Udaipur, Banswara and Dungarpur for their vaccination as rural Rajasthan is yet to learn how to register for vaccination on CoWin app." In his letter to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Kataria said that 70 per cent of his constituency comprises tribals who are unable to get vaccination slots on the app. "Youth in Udaipur villages residing in Gongunda and Khairwada do not know how to book a vaccination slot online. The same is the case with those living in Pratapgarh and Banswara," he said, adding the inability to book vaccination slots could lead to unpleasant situations. The digital divide is showing up in other areas as well. In-person classes have been stopped in schools across the state since last year. Those unable to attend online classes fear they could lose out to those who have laptops and phones. "In the long run, our children could suffer and trail behind kids of their age group once the pandemic is over," said Sandhya, whose child studies in Class VIII in a government school. Another parent, Girija, is worried for her child who cannot access online classes. "How are our children expected to be promoted to the next class when they have not studied anything in the last one year?" she asks. Besides vaccination and education, medical help is another area where those using social media are seemingly better placed than those not tech savvy -- they tweet and tag their political representatives when in need for medical help, unlike those who cannot do so. Former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, BJP state president Satish Poonia and former deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot are among the senior politicians who are available on social media, working with their teams to reach out to those seeking medical help. Vidhi, a Jaipur resident, said, "My father got a ventilator bed while another neighbour of ours could not as we asked for help on Twitter and they were unable to do so." New Delhi, May 23 : Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Sunday demanded that government should put out a daily statement of the number of vaccines administered district-wise as there is a huge shortage in the country. Chidambaram said in a statement, "After Delhi suspended vaccination of 18-44 years age group because of shortage of vaccines, there is more bad news from Telangana. No vaccines have been administered in 29 out of 33 districts of Telangana because there are no vaccines." He demanded that the Union Health Ministry should put out a statement of the number of vaccines administered district-wise every day as the number for the whole State hides many alarming facts. "Will the 'no shortage' Union Health Minister please answer the facts emerging from Delhi and Telangana," he asked. Vaccination for the youth (aged between 18-44 years) in Delhi has been halted from Saturday, except in a few centres, since no stocks of the anti-Covid vaccine for the age group now remain with the Delhi government. All centres administering vaccine jabs to youth have been temporarily shut from Saturday and will remain closed until the Delhi government receives further supply from the Centre. Addressing a press conference on Saturday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said he has written to the Centre and requested it to provide vaccines for those aged between 18-44 years. As per government data a total of 19,33,72,819 vaccine doses have been administered through 27,76,936 sessions, according to the provisional report till 7 a.m on Saturday. These include 97,38,148 Healthcare Workers (HCWs) who have taken the first dose and 66,91,350 HCWs who have taken the second dose. Chennai, May 23 : The Southern Railway has delivered over 1,000 MT of Liquid Medical Oxygen to Kerala & Tamil Nadu through 16 Oxygen Express trains since the second wave commenced in the country, according to a statement. The railways has delivered a total of 246.56 MT of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) to Kerala so far and received its first loaded oxygen express carrying 6 Oxygen containers (117.9 MT) dispatched from Tata Steel Siding in Kalinganagar, Odisha on May 16 at Vallarpadam Container Terminal, Kochi. The second Oxygen Express for Kerala dispatched from Rourkela carrying 128.66 MT in 7 containers arrived at Vallarpadam Container Terminal, Kochi at 01.35 hours on May 22, 2021. Tamil Nadu has so far received a total of 770.16 MT of LMO delivered through thirteen oxygen express trains from May 14 to May 21, 2021. The sixteenth loaded Oxygen Express with 3 loaded tankers (19.54 MT) from Rourkela arrived at Madukkarai near Coimbatore on Saturday. The seventeenth loaded Oxygen Express dispatched from Rourkela with 84.1 MT in 4 containers is expected to arrive at Tondiarpet on Sunday. Indian Railways has delivered nearly 14,500 MT of LMO in more than 884 tankers to various states across the country. A total of 224 Oxygen Express trains have completed their journey so far and brought relief to various States. Oxygen Expresses have been delivering more than 800 MT of LMO to the nation each day now. The Railways said that it had mapped different routes with Oxygen supply locations and keeps itself ready with any emerging need of the States. States provide tankers to the Indian Railways for bringing LMO. 224 covid bodies buried at Oddmavadi; community leaders seek another site View(s): As of yesterday morning, the number of COVID-19-infected bodies interred in the Muslim burial site in Oddamavadi had risen to 224 and community leaders have called for the Government to approve at least one more identified site to ease the burden of officials and workers at the present location. There were 14 new bodies on Friday and, by yesterday morning, ten more for the site which is also opened to those of other religions who may wish to carry out burials instead of cremations. While the area allocated for interment was initially 10 acres, there are now some reports that it would be reduced to three, said Niyasdeen Sattar, President of the All Ceylon Janazah Association. Mr Sattar, whose organisation overseas Muslim funerals, said they were trying to clarify the situation. Each body is placed three feet apart, and if only three acres were available, the site would only be able to accommodate 250-270 bodies. Around 335 bodies were cremated before the Government allowed burials in March this year. At the moment, there is no immediate problem but the numbers are going up, said Ali Zahir Moulana, former Batticaloa district MP and community leader. The space is also for Christians, Hindus and Buddhists who want to bury their dead. There have been other places identified according to the criteria and passed by the National Water Supply and Drainage Board and the National Geological Bureau on a request by Water Supply Minister Vasudeva Nanayakkara. One of these is Irakkamam in the Ampara District and another site is in Mannar. Identifying more than one location would ease the burden on staffincluding health officials, public health inspectors and even Pradeshiya Sabha members who are mandated to be present. They have to handle an increasing number of bodies in full PPE under the glare of the sun and also allow the deceased to be buried in places closer to their homes, thereby easing the transport burden for relatives, Mr Moulana said, adding that it is difficult to bury 20 to 25 bodies a day. Washington, May 23 : Two people were killed and eight others injured in a shooting incident that took place in the US city of Minneapolis in Minnesota state, police said. The Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) said officers responded to "an exceptionally chaotic scene" at 1.59 a.m. on Saturday at a bar in the city centre, reports Xinhua news agency. Preliminary investigation revealed two people both pulled out guns and began shooting at each other as they got into a verbal confrontation. "Of the 10 victims shot, preliminary information shows all are adults. Five are males and five are females. The two deceased are males. One male is in critical condition and the remaining seven have non-life-threatening injuries," the MPD said in a statement. The incident took place along the 300 block of North 1st Avenue. The names of the victims and suspects have not been publicly released. "These brazen senseless acts of gun violence must stop. The perpetrators of these crimes should never find refuge or anonymity in our communities," Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said in a statement on Saturday evening as an investigation into the incident was still ongoing and additional law enforcement agencies were called to assist in the process. The violence, which came just days before the one-year anniversary of the killing of George Floyd under police custody, followed other recent shootings in the city, including the death of a six-year-old girl earlier this week. Hyderabad, May 23 : Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday ordered another inquiry against former minister Eatala Rajender. The inquiry was ordered after the chief minister received another complaint of land grabbing against Rajender. Pitla Mahesh Mudiraj, resident Ravalkol village in Medchal district lodged a complaint that Rajender's son Eatala Nitin Reddy grabbed his land. Mudiraj requested the chief minister for justice. According to Chief Minister's Office, Mahesh Mudiraj had applied to the CM with a complaint. The CM instructed Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar to immediately conduct an inquiry into the complaint. The CM also instructed the Revenue department and ACB Vigilance department to conduct a comprehensive probe and submit a report to the government. This is the third inquiry ordered against Eatala Rajender, who was dropped from the cabinet by the chief minister early this month. Chandrasekhar Rao had ordered first probe against Rajender on April 30 after some farmers from Medak district alleged that he grabbed their assigned lands for a poultry farm run by his family. Rao on May 2 sacked his cabinet colleague. He also ordered another probe by a committee comprising four IAS officials into alleged encroachment of endowment lands by the former minister and his followers in Medchal district. Rajender has denied allegations of land grabbing and called the inquiry a witch-hunt. Los Angeles, May 23 : Los Angeles County, the most populous in the US, has continued to report cases of coronavirus variants, public health officials said. Although the strains first detected in California (B.1.427/429) have been dominant in the past in Los Angeles County, the most common circulating variant of concern in the metropolitan area with over 10 million residents is now the one detected in the UK (B.1.1.7), Xinhua news agency quoted the county's Department of Public Health as saying on Saturday. Of the 40 specimens analysed by the Los Angeles County Public Health Laboratory in the past week, 53 per cent were the B.1.1.7 variant and none were the B.1.427/429 variants. The lab also detected six cases of P.1 variant which was first found in Brazil and one infection with the South African strain, the Department said. It noted that the identification of these variants and the news of spreading variants from across the globe highlights the need for Los Angeles County residents to continue to take measures to protect themselves and others and it's particularly true for those who are not vaccinated against Covid-19. Public health Officials pointed out in the update that recent research findings provide added evidence that the currently available vaccines appear to be highly effective against the variants of concern that are circulating here now. Officials cited a new study by the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) which showed that over the last few months, during a period when the current viral variants have been circulating widely, vaccines reduced the risk of getting infected with Covid-19 by 94 per cent among fully vaccinated healthcare workers. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported 265 new cases and 14 deaths on Saturday, increasing the overall infection tally up to over 1.23 million with 24,166 related fatalities. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) New Delhi, May 23 : Taking a strong note of a media story released by a global wire Agency titled "U.S. defended Amazon after article showed company bypassed Indian law" of May 21, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has strongly condemned the most uncalled for remarks of US Mission in India about Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal protecting misdeeds of Amazon. As per media story of the wire agency, the US Embassy in India in an internal email purported & reportedly sent by Thomas Carnegie, a U.S. embassy official in New Delhi, to John Kerry, one of President Joe Biden's top envoys in reference to questionable business practices of Amazon said, "This could come up in the call since as you know Minister Goyal is prone to bring up tangential topics,". It is most striking that the note was prepared by Carnegie, a U.S. embassy official in New Delhi, defending Amazon India's business illegal practices which have come under the lens of regulatory and enforcement agencies in India. In the letter to Goyal, CAIT further said that this is not the first time that the country has been humiliated. As per the same global wire agency in another story titled "Test the Boundaries", released about three months back, it was reported that an internal note of Amazon referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as 'not an intellectual or an academic person' thereby attempted to reduce the stature as the Prime Minister of the world's largest democracy. The validity of this story can easily be established that although more than 4 months have passed and the global wire agency has levelled serious charges against Amazon but no substantial action has been taken by Amazon to deny the contents of the said media story. CAIT National President B.C. Bhartia and Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal in a joint statement issued here said, "We strongly deplore both Amazon and the US Mission in India for creating the note to defend Amazon's position and its illegal business practices after a prominent section of our media exposed Amazon's illegal, unfair and discriminatory business practices and its violation of wide-ranging Indian laws.The sweeping statement made in the reported e-mail is a blatant attack on the dignity and integrity of the Government of India and reeks of seemingly vested interests that the US Mission in India has in Amazon.". Both Bhartia and Khandelwal said that it is not just unusual but also unwarranted for the US Embassy to make such remarks against a Cabinet Minister whose reputation precedes him and is an attack on the functioning of a sovereign nation and its Government. It is also unusual that the purpose of such a remark is to defend a private company and its long-standing illegal, unfair and discriminatory practices. "It is unimaginable to see how a foreign private company can make such staggering remarks about our Prime Minister, Government of India or any of its cabinet ministers, especially in a country that is largest democracy of the world and is stated to be one of its biggest markets and become one of its top 5 markets in terms of revenue by 2023", CAIT said. CAIT said that Amazon has been at the forefront of destroying the backbone of the Indian retail industry i.e. Kirana Retail yet it regularly makes an attempt to paint a picture in which it portrays itself as a saviour of small and medium merchants and traders. Amazon's cat and mouse game with the Government of India has been going on for a long time and it has been indulging in creative structuring of its entities and associated business enterprises to control inventory and subsequently, prices in e-commerce which is expressly prohibited by the FDI Policy. Owing to its ruthless and discriminatory business practices, there are active investigations ongoing by the Competition Commission of India (CCI), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and before the courts of law, CAIT said. Bhartia and Khandelwal said that it is pertinent to note that India has always welcomed foreign governments and industry with open arms and has created a conducive environment for business to thrive in India. While the Government of India and its functionaries are working tirelessly to engage and facilitate business in India, these foreign governments and private foreign companies are making a mockery of the establishment based out of their deep-rooted prejudices against India and its highest functionaries, CAIT said. "Amazon and the U.S. Mission in India should be warned to desist from their interference in Indian Policy and its enforcement and also from their utterly irresponsible and derogatory remarks made against the PM and your good self", CAIT said in the letter to Goyal. Washington, May 23 : The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating reports of heart inflammation in teenagers and young adults after taking mRNA vaccinations against the Coronavirus disease, the media reported. According to the agency's vaccine safety group, there were "relatively few" cases and that they may be entirely unrelated to vaccination, The New York Times reported on Saturday. The condition, called myocarditis, is an inflammation of the heart muscle, and can occur following certain infections. The CDC "concluded that there are relatively few reports of myocarditis to date and that these cases seem to occur: predominantly in adolescents and young adults, more often in males than females, more often following dose 2 than dose 1, and typically within 4 days after vaccination". The CDC did not specify which vaccines caused the condition and the ages of the patients involved. The US has given emergency authorisation to two mRNA vaccines, from Moderna Inc and Pfizer/BioNTech. Most cases appear to be mild, it often goes away without complications. It can also be caused by a variety of viruses, the CDC said. "It may simply be a coincidence that some people are developing myocarditis after vaccination," Celine Gounder, an infectious disease specialist at Bellevue Hospital Center in New York, was quoted as saying to the NYT. "It's more likely for something like that to happen by chance, because so many people are getting vaccinated right now," Gounder added. The CDC strongly recommends Covid vaccines for all Americans ages 12 and older. According to experts, the potentially rare side effect of myocarditis paled in comparison to the potential risks of Covid, including the persistent syndrome called "long Covid". Acute Covid itself can cause myocarditis. In the general population, about 10 to 20 of every 100,000 people each year develop myocarditis. Many others likely have mild symptoms and are never diagnosed, according to researchers. While the CDC monitoring systems found less cases than would normally be seen in young people, the agency cautioned the healthcare providers of the "potential adverse event" and also posted some guidance on its website for doctors and clinicians to be alert to unusual heart symptoms among young people who had just received their Covid shots. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Mumbai, May 23 : Actress Sonakshi Sinha motivated her fans to not give up through a post on Instagram on Sunday. The actress looked stunning in a picture that she posted of herself wearing a black ensemble. She teamed this up with open hair. She wrote about how she was checking in on her fans and encouraged them to "hang in there". "Just checking in... you got this, hang in there," she posted. Meanwhile, the actor had also taken to Instagram a few days back to inform her fans that she had received a jab against Covid-19. On the work front, Sonakshi will be seen in "Bulbul Tarang", which will have a digital release. She also has the film "Bhuj: The Pride Of India" lined up where she will be seen alongside actors Ajay Devgn, Sanjay Dutt and Nora Fatehi. Besides this, the actress is gearing up for her web series debut "Fallen", where she plays a cop. New Delhi, May 23 : Indiabulls Housing Finance has extended its support initiatives for the Covid-hit employees and their families. The company has decided that in case of a death of any of its employees due to Covid, it would continue to pay the monthly salary to the bereaved family for a period of two years, among other measures. In an email to the employees, Gagan Banga, MD of Indiabulls Housing Finance Limited said: "I would like to reassure all of you that Indiabulls Housing is behind your family and you. In the unfortunate event of the demise of any of our employees to Covid, we will continue to pay the monthly salary of our employee to their family for two years." He also said that the company will cover their children's education till they graduate from any Indian college. "This financial assistance won't be able to bring back our dear colleagues but I hope it will provide the family some time to stabilise, reorient and deal with this unfortunate life changing event," the MD wrote. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Lucknow, May 23 : A controversy has erupted over the appointment of UP minister for basic education Satish Chandra Dwiwedi's brother Arun Dwiwedi as assistant professor in the Siddhartha University in Siddhartha Nagar. Arun Dwiwedi has been appointed as assistant professor in the psychology department from the (EWS) economically weaker section quota. According to reports, there were two posts of assistant professor for the subject of Psychology. While Dr Harendra Sharma has been appointed from the OBC quota, Dr Arun Kumar Dwiwedi has been appointed in EWS (Economically Weaker General Candidate) category. Interestingly, the Vice-Chancellor Surendra Dubey's term was coming to an end on May 21, but the government has extended his term a day earlier on May 20, until the appointment of the regular vice-chancellor. Arun Dwiwedi was given the appointment letter by the Registrar of Siddharth University on Friday. Vice chancellor Dr Surendra Dubey said that they had received about 150 applications from which 10 were shortlisted on the basis of merit. "The ten candidates were called for interview and Arun Dwiwedi ranked second. We were not aware of his relationship with the minister," the vice chancellor told reporters. All efforts to contact the minister proved futile and he did not take calls. Meanwhile, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra alleged on her Facebook post that while thousands of teachers are waiting for their jobs, the state education minister had found 'opportunity in adversity' and managed a job for his brother. She termed the incident as a joke on the poor and weaker sections of the society. Priyanka also asked if chief minister Yogi Adityanath would take cognizance of the matter and take action. New Delhi, May 23 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday directed all senior officers to work in close co-ordination with states to ensure the safe evacuation of people from high-risk areas in the wake of cyclone Yaas and instructed all concerned departments to ensure timely evacuation of those involved in off-shore activities. While chairing a high-level meeting to review the preparedness of states and Central ministries and agencies concerned to deal with the situation arising out of cyclone Yaas, the Prime Minister spoke about the need to ensure that time duration of outages of power supply and communication network are minimum and are restored swiftly. Modi also asked officials to ensure proper co-ordination and planning with state governments to ensure no disruptions in Covid treatment and vaccination in hospitals. He also spoke about the need to involve district administrations in the process of planning and preparedness for better learning from best practices and seamless co-ordination. The Prime Minister directed officials that advisories and instructions on do's and dont's during the cyclone be made available in easy to understand and local language to citizens of the affected districts. He further spoke about the need to involve various stakeholders like coastal communities and industries by directly reaching out to them and sensitising them. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the cyclone is expected to cross West Bengal and north Odisha coasts by May 26 evening with the wind speed ranging 155 kmph gusting to 185 kmph. The cyclone is likely to cause heavy rainfall in the coastal districts of West Bengal and north Odisha. The IMD has also warned of storm surge of about 2-4 metre in costal areas of the two states. Modi was apprised that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is reviewing the situation round the clock and is in touch with the state governments and UTs and the Central agencies concerned. The Prime Minister was informed that the MHA has already released first instalment of SDRF in advance to all states. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has pre-positioned 46 teams which are equipped with boats, tree-cutters and telecom equipments in five states and UT. In addition, 13 teams are being airlifted on Sunday for deployment and has kept 10 teams on standby. Indian Coast Guard and the Navy have deployed ships and helicopters for relief, search and rescue operations. Air Force and Engineer task force units of Army, with boats and rescue equipment, are on standby for deployment. Seven ships with Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Units are on standby along western coast. Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has taken measures to secure all oil installations in the sea and to bring back their shipping vessels to safe harbour. The Ministry of Power has activated emergency response systems and is keeping in readiness transformers, DG sets and equipments for immediate restoration of electricity. The Ministry of Telecom is keeping all the telecom towers and exchanges under constant watch and is fully geared to restore telecom network and the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has issued advisory to the sates and UTs, likely to be affected, for health sector preparedness and response on Covid in affected areas. Ministry of Port, Shipping and Waterways has taken measures to secure all shipping vessels and has deployed emergency vessels (Tugs). The NDRF is assisting the state agencies in their preparedness for evacuating people from the vulnerable locations and is also continuously holding community awareness campaign on how to deal with the cyclonic situation, the Prime minister was informed. The meeting was attended by the Home Minister, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, Minister of State for Home Affairs, Cabinet Secretary, Secretaries of Ministries or Departments of Home, Telecommunications, Fisheries, Civil Aviation, Power, Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Earth Sciences, Chairman Railway Board, Members & Member Secretary of NDMA, Director Generals of IMD and NDRF, and senior officers of PMO, MHA. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Chennai, May 23 : When Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin assumed power after taking oath of office on May 7, there was a general feeling that cult politics is on the way back to Tamil Nadu and that the new Chief Minister will practice what was known to him since the days of his late father M. Karunanidhi, his bete-noire and former Chief minister of the state, late MGR and the late Chief minister J. Jayalalithaa. Politics practiced in those days was politics of hostility and politics of showing off power with Jayalalithaa becoming a classic example of creating an aura of working behind the curtains with even party colleagues and fellow ministers not being able to communicate with the Chief minister. Jaya even made it a practice that even senior ministers prostrated before her in open stages where mammoth public gatherings were held. The political fights, slugfests and the oneupmanship were too much to be tolerated in the political sphere of the state. The fights reached a crescendo when Karunanidhi arrested and put Jayalalithaa behind bars in the disproportionate wealth cases and when Jaya came back to power, she took her revenge. An octogenarian Karunandhi who was a former Chief minister was picked by the Tamil Nadu police and arrested and TV channels across the globe flashed the face of Karunanidhi who was wailing in front of the camera. Similar was the fate of Murosoli Maran, Karunanidhi's nephew and then Union minister in Vajpayee cabinet who was also arrested and picked up from his residence. Stalin seems to have put an end to the politics of hostilities and is focusing more on one of inclusiveness. After the passing away of Jayalalithaa, the politics of cult or showbiz politics had to take a backseat as her successors in AIADMK, Edappadi K. Palaniswami and O. Panneerselvam being the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister let go of the aura created by Jaya and instead were more accessible to the public and people could even meet the Chief Minister either at his office or residence. More than this Palaniswami was down to earth and quick in implementing things and tried to develop a politics of alliance with the central government and even entered into a political alliance with the BJP in the state. Jayalalithaa had also entered into a political alliance with the Vajpayee government but the relationship was always sore. Stalin in his new avatar even after constituting a 13 member committee of legislators from all political parties having representation in the Tamil Nadu assembly has gone one step ahead by holding meetings with this committee on a day in a week and taking up the opinions and views of the legislators to tackle the Covid menace. C. Rajeev, political analyst and director of Chennai based think tank, Centre for Policy and Development studies while speaking to IANS said, "As a person observing Tamil Nadu politics from close quarters, I am of the opinion that the politics of vendetta and oneupmanship which was practiced during the years of Karunanidhi, MGR and Jayalalithaa is gone and there is a politics of consensus evolving now. This will be good for the people of Tamil Nadu as inclusive politics has always been the one which favours the public the most and Stalin, contrary to expectations of a large number of people of the state is indeed practicing the politics of inclusiveness which is a welcome sign for the wholesome development of Tamil Nadu." It has to be seen whether Stalin will continue with his politics of inclusiveness in the days to come or whether he will resort back to the politics of exclusiveness and hostilities. However the possibilities of such a political positioning from Stalin is remote as being a practical politician he knows clearly that with an NDA government at the centre, he will be the loser if politics of hostilities is practiced in Tamil Nadu. Stalin, according to insiders, is firm in opposing the central government in its politics but having a good bonding with the Modi dispensation for the development of the state. A flicker of light amid pandemics darkness View(s): In Sri Lanka and all over the world, millions of Buddhists will celebrate the thrice-blessed day of Vesak on Wednesday and Thursday. The COVID-19 pandemic now on its third and worst upsurge in Sri Lanka has restricted Vesak celebrations, but these two boys are seen carrying home-made lanterns for sale to many families which hang them around their homes and will do so this year, too, despite the pandemic. Pic by Indika Handuwala Amaravati, May 23 : Telugu Desam Party's Andhra Pradesh unit president K. Atchannaidu on Sunday slammed the YSRCP government for not immediately taking any steps to resolve the problems of the Covid patients who were being prevented from entering Telangana. Voicing his concern over Covid patients being stopped on the inter-state border, Atchannaidu alleged that the chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana were playing with the lives of the common people at a time when the Coronavirus epidemic had caused untold suffering. The TDP leader condemned the lathicharge on the motorists by the Telangana police at Pondugala checkpost. Atchannaidu alleged that the Telangana police were not allowing Andhra Pradesh vehicles on the border and even threatening the vehicle users if they tried to cross over. He said that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy was behaving as if these border problems were not his concern. "It's like pouring out the problems of the AP people before a deaf man. In no other State in the country, incidents like these are happening," he said. Atchanaidu asked whether Telangana was not part of India to deny entry to people from Andhra Pradesh. He said the AP officials were not talking to their Telangana counterparts when such untoward incidents were taking place on the borders. The Governments should explain whether some other laws outside of the Indian constitution were in force in Telangana. They were not showing any humanitarian concerns to the AP patients. The TDP leader wanted to know how the AP Government would react if the Telangana officials would stop any ruling YSRCP MLA or minister on the borders from going to take emergency treatment in Hyderabad. Atchannaidu demanded the AP Government to form a task force so as to coordinate with the Telangana officials for resolving the border problems. The TDP would not watch silently if the AP government continued to ignore the patients' woes on the borders, he added. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Agra, May 23 : Three persons have been booked for allegedly raping a 12-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh. Shamshabad police station in-charge Pradeep Kumar said: "A case has been registered under section 376 D (gang-rape), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 5/6 of POCSO Act at Shamshabad police station against three accused. Police have rounded up a few persons for interrogation and raids are on to arrest the accused." The incident took place on Friday when the victim was alone in her house as her parents had gone to attend a wedding ceremony, the police official said. "One of the accused lured the girl and took her to a secluded building on the outskirts of the village, where his friends were already present. All three committed the crime and escaped. They also threatened the victim with of dire consequences if she told anyone about the incident," the official added. Mumbai, May 23 : Actress Kriti Sanon took to Instagram on Sunday to reminisce memories of her shooting the film "Heropanti", as it completes seven years. The film was directed by Sabbir Khan and marked Kriti and Tiger Shroff's debut in Bollywood. The film was a remake of the Telugu film "Parugu". She posted a video comprising of pictures of the shoot of the film and wrote about how it was the "best phase" of her life. The video starts with the picture of her audition day and also showcases the last day of shoot where she co-actor Tiger Shroff ate a full packet of biscuits. "7 Years of Heropanti, 7 Years in the industry, 7 years of Loving what i do.. Its been a beautiful journey so far, the best phase of my life..These pictures bring back so many memories.. Missing you guys more today @tigerjackieshroff #SajidSir @sabbir24x7 @wardakhannadiadwala @nadiadwalagrandson," she wrote. Meanwhile, the actress will be seen in the film "Bhediya" which also stars Varun Dhawan. The film is being directed by Amar Kaushik, and is slated to release on April 14 next year. She also has the film "Mimi", which is based on surrogacy. She will also share the screen with Akshay Kumar in Bachchan Pandey. Besides these, she has "Ganpath", "Hum Do Hamare Do" and "Adipurush". Gaza, May 23 : The Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City, referred to by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, reopened for Jewish visitors on Sunday, days after a ceasefire came into force between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza. Violence between Palestinians and Israeli security forces at site, which is sacred for both Muslims and Jews, contributed to increasing tensions before the outbreak of the 11-day military conflict in and around Gaza, reports dpa news agency. The unrest earlier in May was triggered by Palestinian anger over Israeli police blockades in the Old City during the fasting month of Ramadan. The confrontations meant that for Ramadan, no Jewish visitors were allowed in to the Temple Mount until access was restored on Sunday. In another sign of confidence that the ceasefire between Israel and the militant Hamas in Gaza will continue to hold, government offices in Gaza were set to resume their work on Sunday, a spokesman for the local government said. Local government activities had ceased when Israeli airstrikes began on May 10 in response to rockets fired at Jerusalem. In Gaza, Islamist Hamas controls the administration. The airstrikes targeted Hamas military infrastructure and also caused extensive destruction to residential and high-rise buildings, health facilities and other public buildings, bringing the daily life of the more than two million inhabitants of the impoverished coastal strip to a standstill. A ceasefire has been in place since May 21, ending 11 days of Israeli air raids and Palestinian rocket fire that left more than 240 people dead in Gaza, including 66 minors, and claimed 12 lives in Israel. Tensions in Jerusalem have remained high, however. Israeli police arrested nine people on Saturday, according to a report. Five Palestinian men were taken into custody in their homes in East Jerusalem and the Old City, and four other Palestinians near the al-Aqsa Mosque, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, citing witnesses. The report said security forces had already arrested dozens of Palestinians on May 21. Chennai, May 23 : Young promoters of space startups are reaching for the skies. They are raising funds, getting components manufactured overseas, designing rockets and satellites from home and gearing up to send their own rockets or rockets of others carrying their satellites into space. They tell you that their earlier plans were affected by the Covid-19 lockdowns, but they hope their rockets and satellites would be set for lift-off in a year's time. Two private rocket makers, Skyroot Aerospace and Agnikul Cosmos, recently announced raising $11 million each. On the other hand, the Bengaluru-based satellite maker Syzygy Space Technologies Pvt Ltd, commonly known as Pixxel, had to postpone its first satellite launch slated early this year by an Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) rocket owing to a software glitch. After that, the Covid-19 second wave swept the country, resulting in lockdowns and mobility restrictions. "The lockdown and coronavirus has impacted our operations and put our plans behind by a year. But learning from the first wave, we developed backups," Awais Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer, Syzygy Space Technologies, told IANS. While Syzygy Space's engineers are upgrading the satellite designs working from home, Ahmed said with Europe opening up, the company is getting some of the components manufactured there. "Nearly 20 per cent of the satellite components come from overseas. Upgrading of satellite designs are happening by working from home," Ahmed said. "As things stand and if the Covid-19 situation improves, we hope to orbit our two satellites between October and December this year, one by ISRO and the second one by the US-based SpaceX," Ahmed added. According to him, the company has raised $4 million to date, which is sufficient for the first two launches. The company plans to have a constellation of satellites to be called 'Firefly'. Rocket maker Skyroot Aerospace's Co-Founder and CEO Pawan Kumar Chandana told IANS: "We are aggressively targeting a launch to orbit in 12 months. Other than unavoidable delays due to the lockdowns, most of our development is on track." According to him, the third stage (simply put rocket's third engine) of Vikram, a rocket developed by Skyroot, is nearing completion while the other two stages are in various phases of manufacturing and soon testing of the full stage will be done. "We are using the extra time to make several design improvements which are yielding us time and cost benefits," he said. "The supply chain has slowed down and a lot of raw materials and manufacturing got stuck. This has put us back by a couple of quarters. However, we are taking more precautions and optimising the processes in other ways to meet our schedules," Chandana said on lockdown impact. As regards the $11 million funds raised, Naga Bharath Daka, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Skyroot, said, "The fresh funds will fuel the rocket programme and will support in completing development and testing of all subsystems of our first launch vehicle Vikram-1, besides strengthening our world class team." "We started bookings for launches starting from mid next year and are actively engaging global customers. We intend to raise $40 million more to fund our aggressive growth plans over the next few years," Daka added. The pandemic has also impacted another private rocket maker, the city-based Agnikul Cosmos, putting its plans behind by a couple of months. "Earlier our plan was to fly our rocket Agnibaan during the third quarter of 2022. Now, it may be by the end of 2022. We were not able to test our rocket engine," Srinath Ravichandran, Co-founder and CEO, Agnikul Cosmos, had told IANS. The lockdown has given Agnikul time to focus on optimising the rocket's electronics and software. With the availability of oxygen becoming precarious in the country in the wake of Covid 2.0, Agnikul has put on hold the testing of its semi-cryogenic engine, Ravichandran said. Queried about the deployment of the $11 million raised recently, Ravichandran said it will be used for scaling up the team. "Currently, we have about 60-65 employees and we will be adding 25-30 more persons," Ravichandran said. Agnikul also plans to offer post-satellite launch services or end-to-end service like providing images. (Venkatachari Jagannathan can be contacted at v.jagannathan@ians.in) Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Mumbai, May 23 : Actress Elli AvrRam, who moved to India at a young age to pursue her dream of becoming a Bollywood actress, says that her stay here has taught her a lot. The actress is originally from Stockholm, Sweden, and says that her experiences in India have contributed to shaping her personality in a big way. "The struggle have truly been worth it, I'm so proud of myself for taking the step and leap of faith, to move to India at a young age, because it has truly shaped me into a person that has so many more perspectives and understandings about life and it's different situations. I've learnt so much living in India, and I feel blessed about it," she told IANS. Meanwhile, the actress, who has been seen in films such as "Malang" and "Mickey Virus", says that she is glad about the way her career has shaped up. "In regards to my place in Bollywood, I have not only the filmmakers who have believed in me, to thank, but also the Indian audience who accepted, appreciated and supported me and keeps doing it. Without their love I wouldn't be where I am today," she says. Islamabad, May 23 : Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to take decisive measures and ensure implementation of the UN Charter and the UN Security Council Resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir and play a key role in resolving the longstanding dispute. "Pakistan desires normal relations with India, however, the onus is on India to create an atmosphere to enable meaningful engagement," the Minister said during his interaction with the Guterres in New York. Qureshi also renewed his invitation to India for a dialogue and said that the only solution to the Kashmir dispute is through talks, based on the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. "India is running away from table talks with Pakistan on Kashmir," he said. Qureshi briefed Guterres about what he called serious human rights violations in the "Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir", including incarceration of political leaders and extra-judicial killings. The Foreign Minister also brushed aside the criticism on Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, by the opposition political parties, for selling of the Kashmir cause, stating that the premier can never compromise on the Kashmir cause as he is the "Ambassador of the Kashmir cause and is the voice of the people of Kashmiris to the world". "Let this be clear, Pakistan's position on the issue of Kashmir is very clear. There can be no talks until India reverses its decision of August 5, 2019," he insisted. Talking about his visit to New York for the Palestinian cause, Qureshi said that his visit to attend the UNGA session on Palestine was "an expression of Pakistan's support for the legitimate case of the Palestinian people for their right to self-determination". Qureshi called for a collective effort to end the human tragedy in Palestine, aimed at averting threats to regional peace. He demanded the UN to constitute an "International Protection Force" to ensure safety and security of the Palestinian people. "If the world body cannot do it, a coalition of willing can be formed for the purpose." Islamabad, May 23 : Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has inaugurated the largest Chinese-built nuclear power plant, as the country tried to stretch itself away from dependency of fossil fuels for its energy needs. The Karachi Nuclear Power Plant Unit-2 (K-2), established with the cooperation between Pakistan and China, is a coal-fired power production unit, which would be the country's sixth nuclear power plant and is expected to bring dramatic increase the nuclear energy capacity. Prime Minister Khan, who virtually inaugurated the K-2 nuclear power plant on Friday, said the unit would generate at least 1,100 MW of clear energy. "This is important for us because Pakistan is among the top 10 countries at risk due to climate change," he said. "Unfortunately, we have not focused on producing energy from water and despite the country having potential to do so," the premier said lamenting the previous governments for ignoring the serious issue of the country's energy needs. Pakistan has been struggling with fulfilling its rising energy needs, which have triggered due to energy shortage and the rising power prices, putting immense pressure on the people, who question the country's policies. The Prime Minister said that the country would not pursue any more power based on coal, as their construction would come with an environmental cost. However, with the rising energy shortage, large-scale construction of new power plants, most of which are coal-fired, have boosted the country's energy capacity. The China National Nuclear Cooperation (CNNC) has designed the K-2 nuclear power plant. Its construction started in 2015 and is planned to begin operation by the year 2022. "The project will help to train manpower and facilitate technology transfer from China. 40,000 experts visited the country over an extended period of time. This is another area of cooperation with China," said Khan. He added that Pakistan was fortunate to have strong ties with an emerging power like China, who he said has stood by Islamabad during difficult times. "We are confident that China will stand with us during difficult times. It is fortunate for us that Pakistan has strong ties with an emerging power and a developed country such a China. " The K-2 plant will be a major addition to facilitate the country's energy needs. It has a 60-year life expectancy, extendable to 20 more years and is designed with higher plant availability and capacity factors, and extended refueling cycle. Aligarh, May 23 : As Uttar Pradesh is struggling to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the emergence of black fungus cases, the possibility of a locust attack also looms large. The Aligarh District Administration has now sounded an alert over a likely locust attack. Officials have issued the advisory after swarms of locusts were spotted in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer city. The state's Agriculture Department has geared up and remains vigilant. Farmers have also been warned on the issue, Desert locusts that move in large swarms, can consume crops up to their own weight every day. When millions of locusts descend on a crop, they destroy everything. The desert locust is considered the most destructive migratory pest in the world and a single swarm covering one square kilometre can contain up to 80 million locusts. Last year, almost 17 districts in Uttar Pradesh were put on alert after the locust swarms which travelled from Pakistan invaded India and made their way to at least five states, leaving a trail of destruction. According to District Agriculture Officer Vinod Kumar Singh, on the basis of the advisory issued by UN's Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), Rajasthan has sounded an alert for a possible locust attack and directed authorities to plan, coordinate and execute a strategy to repulse it. Following this, the Uttar Pradesh government has issued directions to be fully prepared and ensure a timely response to tackle an infestation of the short-horned grasshoppers. Kolkata, May 23 : After Sonali Guha, more BJP leaders who left Trianmool Congress before the election, expressed their willingness to return to their previous party and former MLA Amal Acharya and Trinamool leader from Malda Shyamali Murmu are some of them. Though the party is yet to clear their stand on these turncoats but BJP already said that it would not affect the performance of the party in the state. Sarala Murmu who was allotted ticket for Habibpur assembly constituency left the party on March and joined BJP alleging that the district leadership were not allowing her to work. Though sources in the party said that she left the party because she wanted to contest from Malda South. Murmu wrote a letter to chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday expressing her willingness to join the party. However, there was no official confirmation to the letter yet from the party. Speaking to the media Murmu said, "I was always worker of Trinamool congress and wanted to work under the leadership of our chief minister Mamata Banerjee. It was an emotional decision to go to BJP and I have realised that. There is no place to work in BJP and I want to return back to Trinamool congress". Not only Murmu but the two-time MLA from Itahar in North Dinajpur resigned from the party and joined BJP after he was denied ticket this time. "I had joined BJP but I didn't work. Most of the time I was at home and now I want to join Trinamool Congress again. Hope party will forgive my mistake and give me a chance to work," Acharya said. The ruling Trinamool Congress, however did not make any comment on this. "There are many people who want to come back including 6 MLAs and 3 MPs. They had left the party when the party was in problem and now, they want to come back. I cannot make a comment on this because there has been no policy decision on this issue. The party will decide the future of these people," Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said. BJP was, however, not too much worried about this exodus. "Before the election these people thought that BJP would come to power and so they joined the party and now they want to leave. Our party is a huge party and this kind of joining and leaving the party continues. So, we have nothing to say on this. If they want to leave, they can leave," state BJP president Dilip Ghosh said. On Saturday, the turncoat Trinamool Congress leader who switched camp just before the assembly polls Sonali Guha wrote an emotional tweet to chief minister Mamata Banerjee expressing her willingness to return back to old party again. Guha said that she had left the party out of extreme emotion and in a fit of temper but now she realised that she has made a huge mistake. In an emotional tweet to the chief minister, the former MLA of TMC wrote, "Sekhane (BJP) nijeke maniye nite parini. Mach jemon jol chara thakte pare na, temoni ami apnake chara banchte parbo na. Didi ami khomaprathri, daya kore amake khoma kore din. Apni na khoma kore ami bancho na (I could fit myself there (BJP). As a fish cannot live without water, I cannot live without you. Sister (Mamata) I beg your pardon. If you don't forgive me, I won't be able to live)". "Apnar aanchaler tole amake tene niye baki jibonta amake apnar snehatole thakar sujog kore din (Take me under your fold and allow me to live the rest of my life under your guidance and blessing)," she had said. Agriculture economists praise switch to organic farming but concerned over blanket ban on chemical fertiliser View(s): Sri Lankas agriculture economists have welcomed a decision by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to adopt a Green Socio-Economic Model enabling the switch to organic farming from a chemical fertiliser-based model but have raised concerns on its application without due thought. In a letter to the President, the Sri Lanka Agricultural Economics Association (SAEA) said the new model would be critical to conserving the environment and improving human health. The SAEA is of the view that most of the current farming systems in Sri Lanka are unsustainable. Hence, the conversion of them into organic farming systems, in the long run, would help promote health of the people and nurture integrity of the nations environment. It is well known that many countries currently take systematic and pragmatic approaches to achieve this long-term objective by first setting targets, standards, and subsequently, investing and promoting farmers to adopt best practices, it said. It added that, we would like to extend our appreciation to the government for taking such a valuable decision to adopt the green socioeconomic model in Sri Lanka. However, the SAEA raised some concerns about the appropriateness of the newly introduced regulation to restrict forthwith the importation of chemical fertilisers and pesticides by the Gazette Extraordinary No 2226/48 of May 6, 2021, to achieve the above-mentioned broader development goal. The association predicted massive economic losses due to potential yield losses in the absence of proper substitutes for chemical fertilisers and pesticides with the implementation of the import ban on fertilisers and pesticides. The immediate adverse impacts on food security, farm incomes, foreign exchange earnings and rural poverty can be detrimental to achieving the cherished long-term goals, it said adding that the SAEA was proposing less costly policy alternatives in place of the newly introduced import ban. The SAEA is of the view that the policy instrument identified by the government to promote organic farming is less appropriate due to potential economic losses and its incompatibility with other policy goals of the government. It said that agronomic studies reveal that the average yields from paddy can drop by 25 percent if chemical fertilisers are fully replaced by organic fertilisers. This loss in productivity could reduce the profitability of paddy farming by 33 percent and rice consumption by 27 percent if paddy is cultivated just with organic fertilisers with a complete ban on rice imports. In contrast, applying organic fertiliser with the recommended dosages of chemical fertilisers would improve the profitability of farming by 16 percent. Furthermore the absence of chemical fertiliser would drastically reduce the productivity of the Vegetatively Propagated Tea (VPT). With a 35 percent productivity drop, the export volume of tea would go down from 279 to 181 million kg, causing an income loss of Rs. 84 billion. These losses could further be aggravated due to increased cost of labour to apply bulky organic fertilisers. Coconut yields would go down by 30 percent if chemical fertilisers and pesticides are not applied leading to a loss in foreign exchange earnings as high as Rs.18 billion (See www.sundaytimes.lk for the full text of the letter) New Delhi, May 23 : Despite the Covid positivity rate in the national capital declining to 2.5 per cent and the single-day cases also reducing to around 1,600, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday announced the extension of the ongoing lockdown in the city until May 31 in view of the second wave of the pandemic. Delhi has been under a lockdown since April 20 and during this period daily Covid cases were over 25,000 and the average positivity rate was above 30 per cent. Addressing a press conference, Kejriwal said the second wave of the pandemic has been very dangerous and the Delhi government had imposed the after consultations with people from various sections. "Daily cases are still above 1,000. So, we are extending the lockdown till May 31, 5 a.m. If cases keep decreasing like they are right now, we will start the process of unlocking next week. We will not open everything at once. Unlocking will be gradual," he said. Delhi reported around 1,600 cases in the last 24 hours with the positivity rate dipped to around 2.5 per cent. On Saturday, 2,260 cases were reported and the positivity rate was 3.58 per cent. Sunday is the third straight day Delhi's daily positivity remains below 5 per cent. Delhi's vaccination drive for those in the 18-44 age group has however, come to a halt as the national capital has run out of jabs. Kejriwal said he was sure that the city would get help from the Centre to combat the shortage. "As of now, our top priority is to see how we can vaccinate people as quickly as possible. However, there is a shortage across the country. There is also an apprehension about a third wave. If we vaccinate everyone, we might be able to avoid it. I am personally speaking to vaccine manufacturers about the availability. "We are ready to buy vaccines from any authorised company, irrespective of the costs involved. We are even willing to spend an amount that is equivalent to Delhi's budget to get everyone inoculated," Kejriwal added. In Delhi, around 50 lakh people have received at least one dose of the vaccine so far. While stocks are available for those above 45 in the healthcare and frontline workers category, Delhi has run out of vaccines for those in the 18-44 age group. Kejriwal also lauded healthcare workers, who have worked tirelessly during the pandemic. "Doctors and nurses didn't sleep for days. They have worked day in and day out to serve patients. Many of them have als succumbed to Covid. We are indebted to them and cannot repay what they have done. "The Delhi government has decided to give Rs 1 crore to their families. I have been meeting the kin of the frontline workers who have succumbed to the virus," the Chief Minister added. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Gurugram, May 23 : In two weeks' time, Covid-19 positivity rate in Gurugram district has come down to 12.13 per cent from 24 per cent. Similarly, the recovery rate has also increased to 95.65 per cent, according to an official statement of the district administration. According to health officials, now the number of daily reported patients in Gurugram district has come down significantly. Only 516 Covid cases were reported in Gurugram on Saturday. Deputy Commissioner Gurugram Yash Garg said that on April 29, the district registered a positivity rate of 41.98 per cent, 34.91 per cent on April 30, 34.4 per cent on May 2, 24 per cent on May 11 and on May 23, it came down to 12.13 per cent. "The recovery rate of the district's corona patients is increasing rapidly. Presently, the recovery rate of the district has been 95.65 per cent, which is commendable," Garg said. He said that to provide maximum health facilities to the people and increase awareness about preventive measures of Covid infection, the health workers are providing health facilities to the people as per their needs. Also, the awareness of corona infection in the district has increased among the people. Corona patients in Gurugram are now also recovering from home. Civil Surgeon Gurugram, Dr Virender Yadav said that the trust of people about home isolation in the district has increased compared to the previous year. Also, the team of dedicated doctors has also been set up for counseling of patients living in home isolation so that people can seek help during home isolation period. Yadav said that 8 to 10 thousand people are being tested daily. An intensive testing campaign is being carried out by the Health Department team in the high-rise area. "To combat Covid infection, it is necessary to identify corona infected patients in the district as soon as possible. Due to timely identification of such patients, they are treated in time, which also reduces the risk of their lives. We appealed to the general public that the only way to prevent corona infection is Covid appropriate behaviour and Covid vaccination. Therefore, people should get their registration done soon for vaccination on the Arogya Setu App or CoWin portal so that the chain of corona infection can be broken," Yadav said. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Islamabad, May 23 : Pakistan on Sunday reported its lowest number of positive coronavirus results in three months, as life returns to normal and business activity and educational institutions reopen gradually. The national positivity ratio was recorded at 4.96 per cent, its lowest since March, according to the Health Ministry. There were 3,084 new cases out of the 62,061 tests conducted during the last 24 hours, dpa news agency reported. Pakistan has so far recorded 900,522 cases and 20,251 deaths. Most of the deaths occurred during the ongoing third wave, as a majority of the new patients were infected by a variant first found in Britain. A downward trend in the number of new infections encouraged authorities to ease coronavirus-related restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the virus. National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the body responsible for the country's response to the pandemic, will allow the reopening of markets, businesses and educational institutions in districts where Covid-19 positivity ratio is less than 5 per cent, to start on Monday. Meanwhile, educational institutions nationwide will be reopened in a staggered manner from June 7. The tourism sector will also be reopened under strict Covid-19 protocols, also starting on Monday. Meanwhile, a free vaccination drive has started picking up pace, with reports of more than 5 million doses administered. A Health Ministry spokesperson said that more vaccination centres are being set up across the country as more people are getting themselves registered. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) New Delhi, May 23 : India's two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar, who was on the run for over a fortnight for alleged links with the murder of former international wrestler Sagar Dhankar, was arrested by Special Cell on Sunday. Special Cell Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Pramod Kushwah said that Kumar and his associate Ajay Kumar, another accused in the case have been arrested. Kushwah said that Kumar was arrested by a team of Special Cell SR led by Inspector Shiv kumar, Inspector Karambir and supervised by ACP Attar Singh. However, he did not share the details from where he was arrested. The Special Cell has taken Kumar and his associate to Rohini court where he will be produced before a judge. On May 18, Kumar had moved an anticipatory bail in New Delhi's Rohini court, but the court rejected his bail plea. Last week, Delhi Police had announced a cash award of Rs 1 lakh for information on the celebrated wrestler who was absconding since May 4. On May 4, two groups of wrestlers clashed with each other at Chhatrasal Stadium leading to the death of 23-year-old Dhankar due to injuries he sustained during the brawl. The Delhi court had also issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against Kumar. Delhi Police issued a lookout notice for Kumar. "A lookout notice has been issued for Kumar," Dr Guriqbal Singh Sidhu, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (North West Delhi) had said. Kumar, employed with the Indian Railways, is posted as an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) at Chhattrasal Stadium, where the brawl allegedly took place. Kumar won bronze in 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and silver in 2012 London Olympic Games in 66 kg category. Hong Kong, May 23 : Hong Kong residents will need to get vaccinated against Covid-19 if they want to travel abroad, Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced on on Sunday. "When the SAR (special administrative region) government discusses travel arrangements with other countries or places, it will require Hong Kong residents to be vaccinated, to make sure they would not be infected when they are abroad, and would not bring the virus back to Hong Kong," Lam wrote on social media, in a discussion about the government's plan to tackle the fact that relatively few residents have availed themselves of vaccines. The World Health Organization (WHO) say that at least 60 per cent of any population need to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity. Hong Kong has struggled to get 20 per cent of its residents to get vaccinated with their first dose, dpa news agency reported. Critics blame Hong Kong's vaccine hesitancy on the lack of trust people have in the government, following two years of anti-government protests that were brought to an end with a national security law that went into effect almost a year ago, bring with it a vast changes to the city. Safety concerns have also stifled the roll-out of Covid-19 jabs, after the government briefly halted its vaccination programme in March amid packaging concerns about a batch of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines, a move that further knocked public confidence. Meanwhile, experts say that vaccinations have a limited shelf life and warn that centres will close operations in September. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Hyderabad, May 23 : A baby, who had tested positive for Covid-19 a week after birth last month, has returned home after recovering at a private hospital here. Described as one of the youngest Covid survivors, the baby was discharged last week, doctors at KIMS Cuddles said on Sunday. The baby was born pre-term on April 17, due to severe Covid in the mother needing mechanical ventilatory support. Born with a birth weight of just 1,000 grams and treated initially for prematurity-related respiratory distress, the baby's first Covid screening swab came out negative. On the eighth day after birth, the baby's oxygen levels were falling and the baby was facing increasing breathing difficulty that required ventilation. A repeat PCR test culminated that the baby was SARS-COV2 positive. The baby, who then weighed only 920 grams, was put on ventilator and shifted to Covid isolation ICU by the team of doctors. "The newborn was nursed by our team of doctors and nurses in personal protective equipment in a specialised isolation neonatal ICU and provided ventilatory support, intravenous antibiotics, and nutrition. The neonate was monitored with multi para monitors showing a real time display of its vitals such as blood pressure, oxygen saturations etc. The ventilator support was weaned to nasal ventilation and later to CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure). The newborn was managed with a combination of supportive care and steroids," said Dr C. Aparna, Clinical Director - Neonatology and Senior Consultant Neonatology and Paediatrics, KIMS Cuddles. The family including father Rahul, a medical coder by profession and mother Bala Mounika, were constantly updated about the newborn's clinical condition using video calls. Efforts were undertaken to motivate the mother to send expressed breast milk due to the numerous advantages of the same. After clinical recovery and another PCR test, the baby was shifted out of isolation, nursed in radiant warm room and given appropriate developmentally supportive care with mother's milk, kangaroo care, micronutrient supplementation and thermal support. The baby had consistent weight gain of nearly 15-20 grams/day and was transitioned from tube feeds to oral feeding. After nearly 30 days of meticulous medical attention in the hospital, the baby was discharged in good health on breastfeeding with a weight of 1,500 grams on May 17. The team at KIMS Cuddles has so far delivered 35 mothers with Covid of which only 2 newborns tested positive - both tested positive in the second week suggestive of postnatal transmission. All babies survived with nearly 20 per cent requiring NICU admission. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Chennai, May 23 : Tamil Nadu Food and Civil Supplies Minister R. Sakkrapani, who is also in charge of the Consumer Affairs, has warned the shopkeepers who have jacked up the prices of vegetables leading to panic buying from the shoppers a day ahead of total lockdown in the state. The minister in a press release said that the government would take stringent action against the shopkeepers who hiked the prices of vegetables expecting a windfall before the lockdown. In a statement, the minister said that it has come to the notice of the government that some shopkeepers and traders have resorted to hiking prices of vegetables. The release said that it would amount to exploiting the public during the time of a pandemic and that the government would make a case under the Essential Commodities Act against those shopkeepers who increase the prices of vegetables. Most of the vegetables are sold for double or triple rates on Sunday as the state is bracing for total shutdown from Monday. Potato in the retail market at Pammal in Chennai was sold at Rs 40 to Rs 50 per kilogram while its regular price in the same market is Rs 20 to Rs 25 per kilogram. Beans are sold at Rs 150 which is double its normal price of Rs 70, ladyfinger at Rs 50-60 while normally it was priced at Rs 20 per kg and onion at Rs 60 while its regular price is Rs 30 per kilogram. PUNE: A group of 7 young men and women, and a minor girl from ASSAM, rescued from an alleged human- trafficking racket in the name of jobs in Kashmir, sent home by a flight from Srinagar, on Sunday. Image Source: IANS News PUNE: A group of 7 young men and women, and a minor girl from ASSAM, rescued from an alleged human- trafficking racket in the name of jobs in Kashmir, sent home by a flight from Srinagar, on Sunday. Image Source: IANS News PUNE: A group of 7 young men and women, and a minor girl from ASSAM, rescued from an alleged human- trafficking racket in the name of jobs in Kashmir, sent home by a flight from Srinagar, on Sunday. Image Source: IANS News Pune/Srinagar, May 23 : A Pune NGO has laid bare an alleged human trafficking racket perpetrated in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir since the past few months and has urged the Centre and local administration to intervene in the matter on priority. Recently, at least eight youngsters, including a girl, were rescued by volunteers of NGO, Sarhad, and sent back to their homes in Assam by an AirAsia flight on Sunday afternoon. Sarhad founder Sanjay Nahar said that the scam recently came to light after the eight were lured to Srinagar by a local recruitment firm on the promise of well-paying jobs in apple or fruit-processing factories. Sarhad Jammu & Kashmir Students Association President Aqib Bhat told IANS that "a woman representative of Madiha Placements offered these Assam youngsters factory jobs paying Rs 8,500 month, plus other benefits. These youths immediately agreed and decided to come here, 3,000 km from their home state." The excited young group comprised Philimon B. Basumatary, 21, Rahul Basumatary, 20, Pusha Kerketta and Ajit Tigga, both 24, Yekub Ekka, 19, Jyotish Lakra, 18, Tahima Tigga, 20 and the 17-year old girl -- all dreaming of the prospects of building a good future in a distant land. Around mid-April, they were picked up by the woman agent, representing Madiha Placements, from Assam and brought to New Delhi in an unreserved general compartment of a train. After the long and arduous journey, they were dumped to spend the night on a pavement in the national capital and the following day, herded in buses to reach Srinagar on April 20. More shocks lay in store for the weary group that wiped off all their joys of reaching the beautiful valley, now in its mid-summer bloom. "Instead of the promised jobs in apples or fruit-processing factories, they were sent to some private homes or estates to serve as domestic labourers. When they protested, they were threatened and at least one of the youths was assaulted and forced to live and perform tough menial jobs against their wishes," Bhat said. As their ordeal continued, one of the duped youths, Philimon - who had been educated with Sarhad in Pune - happened to come in contact with Bhat and recited the travails of his friends - all stuck in Srinagar with false job promises, no resources, no help and no hopes. "We were shocked. We immediately contacted the local authorities and with great difficulty, got them freed from their employers in different locations. As they had nowhere to go, last week they stayed with me for three days. The recruiter had paid them only part salary - Rs 5,500, and promised to pay their full dues only if they work for a year, virtually making them bonded labourers," Bhat said. Bhat and his team decided to send them back and again made huge efforts to collect funds to book them on an AirAsia flight bound for their homes - seeking to eject the bitter memories of ther 'heaven on earth'. On its part, Nahar has decided to take up the issue of such human-trafficking and bonded labour style employment very seriously and systematically. "We have written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking his intervention and also appealed to Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir, Pandurang Pole, for a thorough investigation into such fraudulent manpower consultants," Nahar said. According to Nahar, the recent incident could be just the tip of the iceberg and there are more than 2,000 such people brought from Assam and other northeastern states to Kashmir and reportedly ditched in a similar fashion. Bhat and Nahar have urged that all people who come for jobs to Jammu & Kashmir must have a compulsory police verification done at both ends, and a copy of the employer's appointment letter or contract with all the terms and conditions including salary, etc, should be deposited with the Collector. Sarhad independently plans to verify the credentials of the scores of such recruitment agencies that have cropped up in Jammu & Kashmir in recent times and inform the UT administration and Centre of the same. (Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in and Sheikh Qayoom can be contacted at sheikhqayoom@gmail.com) New Delhi, May 23 : As the Education Ministry began deliberations to conduct the Class 12 board exams, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi has raised concern about conducting exams and said the health and safety of students matter. "I have said this before and am repeating it again. The mental health of children is as important as their physical well-being. It's about time our education system incorporates sensitivity towards children's well-being and starts taking these issues seriously," she said. "Gatherings in closed spaces promote the spread of Covid. This wave has shown that children are vulnerable to new strains. In any case, expecting children who are already under immense pressure to sit for their exams wearing all sorts of protective gear for hours at a stretch day after day is insensitive and unfair. Many of them are likely to have family members who are down with Covid too. They are already dealing with enough stress. "I fail to understand the reasoning behind holding these exams, not to mention having stretched this decision out for months," she said. Students preparing for the CBSE Class 12 examinations have been sharing their concerns about these exams being held during the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic. "Their health and safety matters. Why are we not learning our lessons?" she asked. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had in April cancelled the exams for Class 10, while those for Class 12 were postponed in view of the exponential spike in Covid-19 cases across the country. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) New Delhi, May 23 : The long-term threat posed to Sri Lanka's territorial integrity and the possible de facto usurpation of the Lankan people's sovereign rights seem not to have been looked askance but tossed aside in the face of promised Chinese trinkets, a column in Sunday Times Sri Lanka said on Sunday. Sri Lankan Parliament passed the controversial Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill last week amid protests by the Opposition parties which gives the Chinese 99 year rights over the port. "The fear grows undiminished that with China's presence as a legal tenant, the island will soon be turned into a theatre of conflict, nay, an arena of war when America and western powers, even Russia and Japan now replaced as the East's rising sun by China, rush to stake their claim to this strategically located hub in the Indian Ocean. How will India react if she perceives the Lankan isle as a Chinese aircraft carrier anchored on her doorstep?", the column in the Sunday Times said. "Perhaps the irony was lost, when the SLPP government chose May 18 as the day to present to Parliament the Port City Bill which, from whatever angle one looks at it, seeks to create on the island's capital shore, a separate entity possessing all the makings of a separate pseudo state, with its own set of rules and regulations, with its own established oligarchy in overall command; and, had it not been for the timely intervention of the Supreme Court, would have required a 'visa' to enter for all Lankans", it said. The Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill was presented to Parliament on April 8 by Leader of the House Dinesh Gunawardena. The 20th Amendment to the Constitution had reduced the time within which a Bill could be challenged in the Supreme Court from 14 to 7 days. The column said the Opposition also charged that the Bill had been presented in the backdrop of a raging coronavirus resurgence. With an unstoppable third wave sweeping across the land, the most virulent so far seen in the island, with the attention, energy and resources of the nation totally marshalled to meet the paramount threat, was this the time, was this the right climate, asked the opposition in unison, to hold a short two-day debate within 24 hours of receiving the Supreme Court determination of a Bill that sought to change the face of the land and, possibly, endangered its territorial integrity and sovereignty of its people? "But, in spite of opposition clamour to delay the debate in view of the compelling circumstances, SLPP party leaders stuck to their guns and steadfastly refused to allow the rising pandemic fires delay their journey to the Promised Land", it added. Born to a COVID-19 mother a little heart beats with hope after life-saving op By Kumudini Hettiarachchi View(s): View(s): A ray of sunshine and hope amidst the doom and gloom of a cyclone of COVID-19 in Sri Lanka. A tiny newborn of a COVID-19 positive mother, just six days old, having undergone major and complicated heart surgery is now recovering in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CISU) of the premier Lady Ridgeway Hospital (LRH) for Children, Colombo. This would certainly be a first in Sri Lanka and may be even in the world, but no one has checked. For, the first and foremost duty and commitment of all those involved had been to save this fragile life. In these troubled times of the rampaging coronavirus, this is a testament to the strength and grit of Sri Lankas excellent state health service and its collaborative response to give the best to the humblest of this country. Admitted to the Avissawella Base Hospital, this COVID-19 mother (35) had given birth to twin boys, each with a birth weight of around 2.5kg, on Tuesday (May 18). Thereafter all three of them had been transferred to the Colombo East (Mulleriyawa) Base Hospital. This was the mothers fourth pregnancy with, sadly two miscarriages in-between, and there was much hope for the eldest child to have siblings through this pregnancy at least. Donning the unwieldy Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), it was Mulleriyawa Hospitals Consultant Neonatologist Dr. M.R.S.U.C Ranawaka and Consultant Paediatrician Dr. Dharshika Ranasinghe who examined the twins. Sensing that everything was not right with the second twin who had sub-normal levels of oxygen in his blood (low oxygen saturation), we did a chest X-ray. We also had serious concerns about the size of the babys heart, says Dr. Ranawaka, explaining that the X-ray indicated plethoric lung fields. Plethoric lung fields are seen in conditions which increase the pulmonary blood flow. (Pulmonary circulation moves blood between the heart and the lungs. It transports deoxygenated blood to the lungs to absorb oxygen and release carbon dioxide. The oxygenated blood then flows back to the heart.) Dr. Ranawaka says that they had a suspicion that the baby had severe heart disease which needed to be confirmed and attended to immediately. The super coordination between state hospitals for the benefit of this tiny patient fell into place, with him being transferred to the LRH to be seen by eminent Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist Dr. Duminda Samarasinghe without delay. Performing an echocardiogram (an ultrasound) of the heart, Dr. Samarasinghe then confirmed that the baby had malformation in the heart called Infracardiac Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection. The pulmonary veins usually transfer oxygenated blood from the lungs to the left side of the heart (left atrium). But in this congenital heart anomaly (defect), instead of draining into the left atrium, the pulmonary veins form a common chamber, which drains below the diaphragm and sends the blood into the right side of the heart (right atrium) through the inferior vena cava, explains Dr. Samarasinghe when asked by the Sunday Times. The baby needed emergency surgery and an immediate and intense discussion on logistics ensued among the different specialities on how to give the little patient critical post-surgical care as LRH was not a COVID-19 treatment hospital, while not jeopardizing the other patients already in the ICU. All wheels, though heavy and involving much work, have turned smoothly, with the LRHs multidisciplinary staff rising to the occasion. They included the Paediatric Cardiology Team guided by Dr. Duminda Samarasinghe; the Cardiac Surgical Team by Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon Dr. Sithamparanathan Mugunthan; the Cardiac Anaesthesia Team by Consultant Cardiac Anaesthetist Dr. Thusitha Jayathilaka; and the Cardiac Intensive Care Team by Consultant Paediatric Cardiac Intensivist Dr. Manjula Hewageegana and their nursing teams. An ICU is a busy place with most patients being attached to ventilators and the work that would have gone into moving other little ones to isolate this baby would have been tremendous, says Mulleriyawa Hospitals Dr. Ranawaka, adding simply that the state health sector patients-lava atha arinne ne (wont abandon patients). It was a matter of life and death It was a dire emergency this Obstructed-Infracardiac Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection was a matter of life and death, says Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon Dr. Sithamparanathan Mugunthan. Taking all precautions including wearing the hot and heavy PPE against COVID-19, as the babys mother had earlier tested positive, Dr. Mugunthan and his team set about repairing the heart defect of the two-day-old baby boy before them on the operating theatre table on Wednesday (May 19). Imagine, how tiny the babys heart is.unfazed they set about the complicated open heart surgery lasting nearly eight hours from 9 p.m. on Wednesday (May 19) to around 3.30 a.m. on Thursday (May 20). While Consultant Cardiac Anaesthetist Dr. Thusitha Jayathilaka and his team; Perfusionists Rohitha Thilakaratne and Anoma Kandanarachchi; and the Nursing Team under the guidance of M.G. Shamintha Nirmalee were invaluable members who gave of their all for the surgery, the health assistants had also been very active during the procedure. A happy family with 2 newcomers Overjoyed is Shamal Harindra Gnanaratne and his elder daughter who is 10 years old.Not one but two new members have just become a part of the family, with the twin-boys being born on Tuesday (May 18). Shamal, a policeman attached to Police Headquarters, although in quarantine back home in Ruanwella, is longing for the day when he can see his wife and hold his newborn sons close. Wifta avulak ne, amaruwak ne, he says, adding that his wife is okay. Hyderabad : The arrival of fourth Oxygen Express to Telangana transporting 120 tonnes of LMO in six tankers. in Hyderabad 14 May 2021. (Photo: Snaps India/IANS) Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, May 23 : Indian Railways has delivered more than 15,284 Metric Tonnes (MT) of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) in more than 936 tankers to various states across the country. About 234 Oxygen Expresses have completed their journey so far and brought relief to various states. In a statement Ministry of Railways said, "Nine loaded Oxygen Expresses on run with more than 569 MT of LMO in 31 tankers." First Oxygen Express to Assam with 80 MT of LMO in 4 tankers reached Assam today at around 11.30 am. Delivery of LMO by Oxygen Expresses to Karnataka crossed 1,000 MT. "Oxygen Expresses have been delivering more than 800 MT of LMO to the Nation each day now," the Ministry said. It is Indian Railways endeavour to deliver as much LMO as possible in the shortest time possible to the requesting states. Oxygen relief by Oxygen Expresses reached out to 14 states namely Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Telangana, Punjab, Kerala, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Assam. According to Ministry, 614 MT of Oxygen has been offloaded in Maharashtra, nearly 3,609 MT in Uttar Pradesh, 566 MT in Madhya Pradesh, 4,300 MT in Delhi, 1,759 MT in Haryana, 98 MT in Rajasthan, 1,063 MT in Karnataka, 320 MT in Uttarakhand, 857 MT in Tamil Nadu, 642 MT in Andhra Pradesh, 153 MT in Punjab, 246 MT in Kerala, 976 MT in Telangana and 80 MT in Assam. Railways has mapped different routes with Oxygen supply locations and keeps itself ready with any emerging need of the states. States provide tankers to the Indian Railways for bringing LMO. Oxygen Expresses started their deliveries 29 days back on April 24 in Maharashtra with a load of 126 MT. Criss crossing the country, Indian Railways is picking up oxygen from places like Hapa, Baroda, Mundra in the West and Rourkela, Durgapur, Tatanagar, Angul in the East and then delivering it to States of Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Telangana, Punjab, Kerala, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Assam in complex operational route planning scenarios. In order to ensure that Oxygen relief reaches in the fastest time possible, Railways is creating new standards and unprecedented benchmarks in running of Oxygen Express Freight Trains. "The average speed of these critical Freight trains is way above 55 in most cases over long distances. Running on high priority Green Corridor, with a highest sense of urgency, operational teams of various zones are working round the clock in most challenging circumstances to ensure that Oxygen reaches in fastest possible time frame. Technical stoppages have been reduced to one minute for crew changes over different sections," the Ministry said. Tracks are kept open and high alertness is maintained to ensure that Oxygen Express keeps zipping through. All this is done in a manner that speed of other Freight Operation doesn't get reduced as well. The Ministry explained that running of new Oxygen is a very dynamic exercise and figures keep getting updated all the time. More loaded Oxygen Expresses are expected to start their journeys later in the night. New Delhi, May 23 : The second wave of Covid-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll of human lives, especially the senior citizens who have become helpless after their sons or daughters died and are now being forced to stay in old age homes. Manoj Sharma, who lives in Toronto, Canada, lost his brother due to a heart attack. His 88-year-old father is now alone in Delhi and now has been shifted to an old age home as noone left to look after him. Though some of his family members live in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR), they could not come and meet him due to the fear of contracting Covid-19. Thereafter, the old father had to be sent to the Panchvati Senior Citizen Centre in Delhi. The Panchavati Senior Citizen Centre is an old age home for senior citizens run by a trust where the elderly are provided a place to stay though they have to pay for it. Manoj Sharma told IANS, "The health system has collapsed during the Covid-19 crisis, my brother died of a heart attack. Though, my brother did not contract Covid-19 nor did my father." "After my brother passed away, we (immediate family) sent my father to an old age home where he is being looked after." "Some of our family members reside in Delhi-Noida but due to the strict restrictions enforced during the Covid-19 lockdown nobody is permitted to enter anybody else's house. We considered many options and also spoke to an agency to look after my father at home, but he had not undergone a Covid test," Manoj added. "We got support from a place so we shifted my father to an old age home to avoid disturbing anybody from the family during the Covid-19 crisis. Right now my father is fine there and only he will decide what to do next if the situation becomes normal again?" Praising the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Seva Dal which performs cremation of people in Delhi free-of-cost, Manoj said, "My father was calling an ambulance at the time my brother suffered a heart attack but no one could reach out to him for help. After which my father called the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Seva Dal which cremated my brother and are doing a commendable job of helping other people." There are several stories where people have become alone after losing their loved ones, with no one to look after. A Delhi resident Lavina Singh has nobody by her side in this world anymore. Her father died years ago and her mother died of Covid-19 last year. Since then she has become an orphan. Her immediate family members also left after her mother's death. She is now living alone. Lavina Singh told IANS, "My mother died of coronavirus infection on December 6 last year. Nobody came to see her after her death, I did e everything on my own, from treatment to funeral, all alone. Some neighbours residing in the same building helped me a lot in these difficult times." "I have been living here for the last seven years and was working in a dental clinic where I used to earn Rs 6,000 per month. But during the Covid crisis, they have asked me not to come to the clinic." "My mother and I used to earn but now she is no longer alive and my workplace is also shut down. I have to pay the house rent, electricity bill and other expenses. However, my landlord did not ask me to pay rent during the lockdown but how long will they support me. Once the lockdown is lifted, I will have to find another job." "My family lives in Delhi but neither did they come at the time of my mother's death, nor have they contacted me." Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) New Delhi, May 23 : If health experts clear anti-Covid vaccine jabs for 17.5-year-olds, then all Class 12 students across the country must be vaccinated before the CBSE exams, said Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Sunday. Sisodia, who holds the Education portfolio, made the demand during the high-level virtual meeting with Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and other Union Ministers along with state education ministers to deliberate on the conduct of the exams. However, it was inconclusive. "During the meeting, I demanded making arrangements for vaccinating Class 12 students before board exams at a meeting with the central government. Conducting the examination by toying with students' safety will prove to be a big mistake. First vaccine, then exams," Sisodia said. In a post meeting press conference, he demanded that the Central government should arrange vaccines for around 1.5 crore Class 12 students across the country and the same number of vaccines for teachers. Sisodia said that nearly 95 per cent of Class 12 students are above the age of 17.5 years, and suggested that Centre should talk to experts aif they can be given anti-Covid vaccines. Following the Centre's directive, he had on Saturday held a virtual meeting with teachers, educational experts, parents, and students to gain view of collective view regarding holding of the CBSE's Class 12 board exams. Keeping in mind the severity of the second wave of the pandemic and the emergence of new variants like black fungus etc., many students, teachers and their families are apprehensive about holding the exams, Sisodia had said. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) SCR's Oxygen Express sets off on third run from Telangana to bring more LMO from Odisha Image Source: IANS News Amaravati, May 23 : With Cyclone Yaas likely to disrupt supply of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) from steel plants in eastern India to Andhra Pradesh, the state health authorities have taken steps to ensure uninterrupted supply. Covid-19 special officer M.T. Krishna Babu said on Sunday that in view of the cyclone, the Centre has directed five states including Andhra Pradesh to effectively manage Covid patients by ensuring adequate supply of food, medicine, and other necessary infrastructure. Ensuring uninterrupted LMO supply becomes critical considering the fact that Andhra Pradesh is largely dependent on supplies from steel plants located in eastern India like Angul, Kalinganagar and Rourkela. Any disruption of the supply from these places can cause severe distress in the state. In order to mitigate the risk of any such disruption, the state government has taken initiative to increase the supplies from Odisha in the last two days using Oxygen Express trains in order to maintain buffer stocks in all the districts. Almost 100 MT of LMO has been sourced from Rourkela, and a further 100 MT is expected before May 24 from the state through Oxygen Express, he said. Apart from this, the state government has taken steps to monitor and ensure that the regular supply of almost 200MT using road transport tankers from Angul, Kalinganagar and Rourkela is not interrupted due to cyclone Yaas. The state has been in regular coordination with the local administration concerned in Odisha to ensure seamless supplies. Further, the International Committee of the Red Cross, through the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL), is handing over 120 MT of LMO through 6 ISO cryogenic tankers of 20 MT each to the state at Visakhapatnam Port. This 120MT shall be placed as a reserve stock in Guntur and Tirupati as a buffer stock in case of emergency. "In these critical times, we thank Reliance Industries Ltd, Jamnagar, for supporting Andhra Pradesh by supplying more than 200MT of LMO from RIL, Jamnagar, to Andhra Pradesh on three Oxygen Express trains on May 16, May 19, and May 22. We are thankful for their kind gesture which has really helped to manage the situation in view of increased case load resulting in the requirement of more oxygen," the official said. The government has alerted the Energy Department to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the three important LMO sources located in the Ssate - the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd, Visakhapatnam, the Ellenbarrie Industries Ltd, Visakhapatnam and the Liquinox Gases Pvt Ltd, Srikakulam. These three sources together account for supply of 210 MT of LMO and are crucial for ensuring oxygen supply in the state. Besides these primary sources, there are 49 re-fillers who convert the liquefied oxygen into gaseous form and distribute it through cylinders for last-mile use to various hospitals. Power supply to these re-fillers has to be ensured without any interruption and the Energy Department has taken measures in this regard. The state government has also asked the Collectors to ensure uninterrupted power supply to all the hospitals by checking the availability of diesel generators. It was instructed to make arrangements of standby generators in case generators sets are not available in any hospital. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Mumbai, May 23 : Actor Tiger Shroff took to Instagram to celebrate virtually seven years to his debut with "Heropanti". The actor shared a few action clips from the film and wrote a long caption, expressing his gratitude. He wrote: "Eternally grateful for all your love support and acceptance just wanted to put together and share some of my fav action clips through my journey as an action hero. Special thanks to my #tigerian army, as long as my legs donaAt give out on me hope i can continue to entertain you lots of love always." The actor also took to his Instagram stories to congratulate his "Heropanti" co-star Kriti Sanon, who also made her debut with the 2014 film. Uploading a picture of them together, he wrote: "Happy 7 years Kriti. Rise and shine every year! See you on the sets soon. " The two actors will soon be seen together again with their new film "Ganpath". Mumbai: Indian Navy ships & aircraft continue to search for the missing crew members of the Ill fated Barge P305. CG units have joined the WAR effort, in Mumbai on wednesday, 19 May, 2021.(Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News Mumbai: Indian Navy ships & aircraft continue to search for the missing crew members of the Ill fated Barge P305. CG units have joined the WAR effort, in Mumbai on wednesday, 19 May, 2021.(Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News Mumbai, May 23 : The Indian Navy recovered four more bodies from the Arabian Sea as divers from a specialised vessel continued to search for the remaining missing persons after the tragedy that befell Barge Papaa-305 last Monday in the Bombay High Fields, officials said here on Sunday. With this, the toll has shot up to 70 and around six are still reported missing, while 188 have been rescued safely so far. The specialised vessel, INS Makar, which located the wreckage of the Barge Papaa-305 late on Saturday is now continuing to search for the sunken anchor-handling tugboat 'Varaprada'. Divers went down and completed their survey of the barge and no more bodies were found in it, said an official spokesperson. In a related development, bodies of eight persons - suspected to be fishermen from fishing vessels that may have gone missing during the Cyclone Tauktae fury last week - washed ashore in Raigad in the past 24 hours and further investigations are underway. The Indian Navy deployed INS Makar and INS Tarasa to the BHF, around 175 km off Mumbai, to make an underwater search for the wrecks of the two vessels which sank and trace more bodies using expert divers and special equipment. INS Makar is a lead ship of the Makar-class of catamarans used for hydrographic surveys by the navy, producing navigational charts and is capable of collecting marine environmental information by conducting limited oceanographic surveys. INS Tarasa is a patrol vessel of the Car Nicobar-class in the series of four Water Jet Fast Attack Craft. Besides, a P81 long-range multi-mission maritime patrol aircraft conducted reconnaissance missions over the designated areas along with ALH, Seaking, and Chetak helicopters, besides the ships like INS Kolkata, INS Kochi, INS Betwa, and INS Beas still in the vicinity to trace more bodies. "The ongoing search and rescue operations by the ships, helicopters and aircraft will continue in the area to locate the remaining crew of the sunken vessels," said the official. New Delhi, May 23 : Sanjeev Guptas Liberty Steel is in a loan breach of 18 million pounds with Metro Bank. The BBC reported that Metro Bank asked for early repayment of an A18m loan from the troubled steel group Liberty more than two years ago - and it is still waiting for its money. The report said this revelation is another example of the financial pressures weighing on Liberty's owner GFG Alliance. The group's future has been in doubt since its main backer, Greensill Capital, went into administration in March. GFG says "no loan terms have been breached for non-payment". The report said while politicians welcomed Gupta dubbed 'the saviour of steel', there were always questions about where the money came from to keep open ageing factories that others had not been able to run profitably. This came to a head in May when the UK Serious Fraud Office announced an investigation into GFG, the Gupta family's group of businesses, looking into alleged money laundering and fraudulent trading. GFG has said it will co-operate fully with the investigation. However, problems had arisen with a loan secured on the Newport steelworks as early as 2018, an analysis of Land Registry documents and filings for companies linked to GFG has shown. Valued at A21m, the steelworks is owned by a UK company, Liberty Steel Property Newport Ltd (LSPN), controlled by Sanjeev Gupta. Since the Greensill collapse, those pressures have intensified. One investor, Credit Suisse, has begun proceedings to wind up GFG Alliance for money it is owed and Tata is reportedly suing Liberty Steel over unpaid debts. GFG requested a A170m bailout from the UK government, which it rejected, BBC said. Writing in Nikkei Asia, Lionel Barber said, "The would-be savior sounds more like the Pied Piper of Dubai, a trickster who has led many investors, governments and workers astray". Barber said far from being the feisty upstart, Gupta was born into an Indian business dynasty, growing up in the Punjabi city of Ludhiana, where his grandfather owned steel mills and his father, PK, built a business making Victor bicycles. In the past six years, Gupta's lifestyle turned ever more extravagant. He took ownership of a sprawling Welsh countryside estate, a colonial mansion in Sydney, and 114,000 acres (461 sq. km) in the Scottish Highlands, including the foothills of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles. Even as the financial foundations of his empire crumbled last year, he bought -- in his wife's name -- a six-story mansion in London's Belgravia, a coveted location, for the sum of 42 million pounds ($60 million), Barber said. How Gupta was able to finance these trophy assets remains unclear. His steel business certainly enjoyed a close relationship with Greensill whose backers included SoftBank and General Atlantic, the U.S.-based venture capital fund, he added. New Delhi, May 23 : A Delhi court on Sunday sent wrestler and Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar, arrested in connection with his alleged involvement in the death of a 23-year-old old wrestler at the city's Chhatrasal Stadium, to six days police custody. The police questioned Sushil Kumar inside the court and then sought his custody for 12 days for further interrogation in the matter. Duty Metropolitan Magistrate Divya Malhotra, however, granted six-day custody of him, along with co-accused Ajay. Additional Public Prosecutor Atul Shrivastava, representing Delhi Police, submitted that some CCTV footage, the alleged weapon used for committing the offences and also the mobile phones are yet to be recovered by the police as he sought 12 days custody. Sushil Kumar was evading arrest and he has been on the run for close to three weeks. According to the police, he and his associates allegedly assaulted fellow wrestler Sagar Dhankar and his two friends Sonu and Amit Kumar at the stadium on May 4 night. Dhankar succumbed to his injuries later. Shrivastava added the accused would have to taken to various states for the purpose of interrogation and 12 days remand was justified against the backdrop of Covid-19 guidelines. Sushil Kumar's counsel contested this argument and submitted that non-bailable warrants were issued against the accused persons which shows police have already identified all of them. Police cannot seek Sushil Kumar's custody for the purpose of identification of other persons when his client had already stated he was falsely implicated in the case, he said. Shrivastava, however, insisted that Kumar's custodial interrogation was required to unearth the conspiracy and the motive for the offence. The police in the status report challenging Sushil Kumar's anticipatory bail plea cited the autopsy report, which claimed that cause of death to be "cerebral damage due to dande ki pitaayi (beating with wooden staves)". In the anticipatory bail plea, Sushil Kumar said: "The victims are falsely implicating the applicant because he had asked Sagar to leave his property as the same was being misused by him. It is also known to everyone associated with the Chhatrasal stadium that the purported victims were trying to defame and fix the Applicant for a long time and are trying to falsely implicate the applicant in the present matter." Kumar's anticipatory bail plea was rejected by the court. The Delhi Police have filed an FIR under Sections 302 (murder), 308 (culpable homicide), 365 (kidnapping), 325 (causing grievous hurt), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. They have also included Sections 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (common intention) of IPC and various sections under the Arms Act. New Delhi, May 23 : Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC) is extending logistical help to families of affected crew members of Barge P-305. In a statement, the company said it is providing all necessary logistical help and support for the dependent family members to travel to Mumbai and back. It is also making arrangements for families to take back the mortal remains of the deceased persons to their hometowns. To facilitate the dependent family members, ONGC has also set up a help desk. ONGC Helpline Numbers for families of crew of Barge Papaa-305 are -- 022-26274419, 022-26274420, 022-26274421. On May 16-17, Cyclone Tauktae crossed Mumbai offshore where ONGC's major production installations and drilling rigs are located, and three construction barges of Afcons working on a project of ONGC in Western Offshore fields in the Arabian Sea and one floater drilling rig of ONGC were severely impacted. Out of these, Barge P-305 sank. The Indian Navy, along with the Coast Guard and the ONGC, are continuing with extensive search and rescue operations for the crew members who are still missing. ONGC management has also decided to extend an immediate relief of Rs 1 lakh to the survivors and Rs 2 lakh for the BNVs and missing persons' families. Bengaluru, May 23 : A woman Covid patient, found abandoned at the main Bengaluru railway station, was admitted by railway officials and police to the adjacent railway hospital for treatment, an official said on Sunday. "As the middle-aged woman with high fever was found abandoned in the main city station since Saturday, we rescued and admitted her in our hospital for treatment, as she tested Covid positive," the South Western Railway zone official said. Preliminary investigation by the Railway Police Force (RPF) revealed that the woman was allegedly left at the station by her family members, suspecting she had contracted coronavirus. "Our staff, led by city Station Deputy Manager K.R. Kumar gave food and water to the woman before shifting her to the hospital," said the official. RPF Assistant Sub-Inspector Shankarappa and woman constable H. Meena assisted the staff in comforting the woman, and facilitating her treatment. Lauding the efforts of his staff and the RPF in rescuing the woman, Bengaluru Division Railway Manager A.K. Verma said such a timely gesture saved a woman's life. "Such acts of selflessness and compassion by our staff reinforce faith in humanity," he said. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Decision on tourist arrivals in two weeks, after COVID situation is reviewed By Damith Wickramasekara View(s): View(s): A decision on whether to allow tourist arrivals into the country will be taken in two weeks after reviewing the countrys COVID situation, a senior Tourism Ministry official told the Sunday Times. As at present, all passenger flights into the country have been halted until May 31. However, Tourism Ministry officials are hoping to discuss and review the situation with health officials in two weeks to decide whether to recommence tourist flights. There are currently about 2000 foreign tourists in the country, the ministry official revealed. New health guidelines mean they must spend 14 days in quarantine after arrival. Officials are hopeful that health authorities will still allow tour groups who have completed their quarantine period to travel to designated tourist sites under a secure bio-bubble. Tourism authorities will also review the COVID situation in India in two weeks with health officials to look into the possibility of recommencing passenger flights from the country. Indians made up the largest number among tourists who visited Sri Lanka in April and the official said they were keen on bringing down Indian tourists into the country under a special bio-bubble programme. Srinagar, May 23 : Police and the Army had carried out a joint operation in J&K's Kupwara border district and recovered 15 sticks of plastic explosives. Defence ministry spokesman, Lt Colonel Emron Musavi said in a statement on Saturday that based on intelligence gathered by J&K police, a joint operation was launched by police and the army in Karnah, Tangdhar area of Kupwara district on Saturday. "The joint operation led to the recovery of 15 sticks of plastic explosive near Nichli Jabri village of Tangdhar. "The explosives were hidden in a 'dhok' (Highland pasture hut) for further transportation to the hinterland". The statement added that such intelligence based operations are carried out by police and the army with zero inconvenience to locals. New Delhi, May 23 : After a brief hiatus, farmers protesting against the Centre's three farm laws have started gathering again at Delhi borders to strengthen their agitation. Some peasants have already reached the Singhu border from Haryana's Karnal district. They said that the government should not be under the wrong impression that the protest has dwindled to a trickle but will be fortified again soon. Nearly, 3000 vehicles have reached the Singhu border from Karnal. Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) leader Darshan Pal told IANS: "The farmers had to move to their village for sometime due to the harvesting season. But now they have started returning to the protest sites." Earlier, a letter was sent to the Centre that the farmers' union are ready to hold talks with the government. Meanwhile, the SKM has appealed to the farmers to reach in maximum numbers at the Delhi borders. THey have also demand strict action against those cops who had allegedly attacked the protesters and resorted to tear gas and stone pelting. The protest will also see participation of senior farmers leaders from Punjab as well as SKM leaders. Besides, the farmers' leaders had also called for a nationwide protest on Wednesday and appealed to all the countrymen to put a black flag on their houses and vehicles and also burn effigies of the Modi government. On completion of six months of the protest on the borders of Delhi and 7 years to the Modi government at the Centre, the SKM has decided to put black flags on this day as a protest against the Modi government. Several trade unions, student organizations and democratic groups have been openly supporting the farmers' protest. Farmers have been protesting against the Centres' agri laws since November 26 last year at various borders of the national capital. Gurugram, May 23 : A property dealer was allegedly beaten to death by twelve men over a monetary dispute at Sikenderpur Badha village near here, police said on Sunday. Six people were arrested in connection with the case which include the key accused identified as Mukesh Yadav, Pramod and Raj, all residents of Hayatpur village of Gurugram. The deceased was identified as Hargovind a resident of Sikenderpur Badha village in Gurugram. police said that the prime accused Mukesh was the brother of gangster Rakesh Hayatpur, who had killed the sarpanch of Hayatpur village in 2011. The deceased's wife Pooja told the police that she along with her husband Hargovind and his friend Sandeep were returning from Farukh Nagar area in their car late night on Saturday and when they reached near canal chowk, Sikenderpur Badha village in Sector-86, their car was forcefully stopped by Mukesh, Pramod and Raj at gun point. They were in their two SUVs along with 14-15 men who then stepped out of their cars and started beating her husband with sticks and later fled the spot after threatening Pooja and Sandeep. Thereafter, the victims called the police to the spot who took the injured property dealer to a hospital for treatment but he was declared dead on arrival. "There was some financial and property dispute between my husband and Mukesh. Mukesh had earlier beaten my husband at our home over the matter and had threatened him several times," Pooja said. A police officer privy with the matter said, preliminary investigation revealed that some property and money related disputes led this murder, few of the accused have been arrested remaining will soon be nabbed further probe is on". A case of muder in connection with the matter has been registered at the Kheri Daula police station against the accused. New Delhi, May 23 : Twelve opposition parties, led by the Congress, have extended their support to the call given by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) for a countrywide protest on May 26 to mark the completion of six months of their agitation against the the Centre's three farm laws. "We extend our support to the call given by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) to observe a countrywide protest day on May 26 marking the completion of six months of the heroic peaceful Kisan struggle," said the statement. Other signatories included former Prime Minister and Janata Dal-S supremo H.D. Deve Gowda, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M.K. Stalin, Jharkhand Chief Minister and JMM chief Hemany Soren, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav, J&K National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah, Communist Party of India chief D. Raja and Communist Party of India-Marxist's General Secretary Sitaram Yechury. Opposition leaders, including Congresss' interim chief Sonia Gandhi had, on May 12, jointly written to Prime Narendra Minister Modi, demanding repeal of the farm laws to "protect lakhs of our 'annadatas' from becoming victims of the pandemic so that they can continue to produce food to feed the Indian people". "We demand the immediate repeal of the farm laws and the legal entitlement to the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of C2+50 per cent as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission. "The Central Government must stop being obdurate and immediately resume talks with the SKM on these lines," they had said. Health workers administering the COVID-19 vaccine to people during COVID-19 vaccination drive at KC General Hospital and some people waiting during COVID-19 vaccination drive in Bengaluru on Sunday 23 May 2021. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, May 23 : Vaccination centres to administer anti-Covid jabs for the 18-44 age group will be shut from Monday as the Delhi government's stock for this segment has been exhausted, a ruling AAP legislator said on Sunday. While the vaccination drive for 45 and above with frontline and healthcare workers will continue, but the state's Covaxin stock is not for more than one day and there is no clarity yet from Centre on supply of next installment, MLA Atishi said, while presenting details of vaccination drive so far. She said that a total of 64,240 people were vaccinated on Saturday, of which 44,676 received their first dose and 19,538 their second. Over 50 lakh doses of vaccines were administered in Delhi so far, and 11,51,356 people have been fully vaccinated after receiving both shots. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had on Saturday written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging that Delhi be provided vaccines as early as possible. He has said that all vaccination drives for the 18-44 group will be halted until Delhi receives new stock of vaccines. Kejriwal has told the media that Delhi has provided 16 lakh doses of vaccines in May for the 18-44 age group, while Delhi needs around 80 lakh doses of vaccines for all age groups per month. Kolkata: Cargo barge being tied up the side off on the banks of the Ganges for preparation of the fear of Super Cyclone Yaas in Kolkata 23 May, 2021. (Photo: Kuntal Chakrabarty/ IANS) Image Source: IANS News Kolkata: Cargo barge being tied up the side off on the banks of the Ganges for preparation of the fear of Super Cyclone Yaas in Kolkata 23 May, 2021. (Photo: Kuntal Chakrabarty/ IANS) Image Source: IANS News Kolkata, May 23 : The district administrations of West Bengal's South 24 Parganas and East Midnapore have started evacuating people from low-lying areas after the India Meteorological Department predicted that 'Yaas', which may turn out to be "very severe cyclonic storm", will make landfall somewhere between Paradwip in Odisha and Sagar in South 24 Parganas on May 26 evening at a speed ranging between 155 km/hr and 165 km/hr. The administration has started evacuations in the areas like Sagar Island and Bakkhali in South 24 Parganas, Digha in East Midnapore and Sandeshkhali and Dhamakhali in North 24 Parganas. "We are asking the people who mainly stay in mud houses in the low-lying areas to leave their homes and go to the cyclone centres. The government has made arrangements for food and other arrangements. People who are detected with Covid have also been asked to shift to safe homes," a senior state government official said. Besides taking out residents from their homes, the state government is making every effort to ensure that there is not a single tourist left in Digha and Mandarmani - the two main tourist spots near the sea in East Midnapore district. "Police has checked every hotel to see whether there are any tourists left. Though there are not many people because of the lockdown but even if there are any, they have been told to leave the hotel immediately. The hotel staff have also been asked to leave and either go back home or shift to cyclone centres," an official in East Midnapore district said. "People are asked not to panic but cooperate with the state government and the police," he added. Meanwhile a 90-member team of the National Disaster Response Force, the State Diaster Response Force and coastal guards have been pressed into action to evacuate the people from the low-lying areas. State administration has stored huge amounts of baby food, water pouches, tarpaulins and candles in all the cyclone centres and safe homes. "For Covid patients, we have made additional arrangements for generators in all the hospitals and safe homes. The doctors and the paramedical staff have been asked to stay in the hospitals 24x7 so that they can respond to any kind of emergency. Army has been asked to stay on standby," a state official said. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said that she had "extensively reviewed the disaster management preparedness with regards to the impending Yaas cyclone with all senior officers of relevant Central and state agencies along with DMs & SPs. "All officials have been advised of integrated command, advance planning and early evacuation from coastal & riverine areas to rescue shelters including cyclone & flood shelters, and to conduct relief and rehabilitation operations at the earliest. "Fishermen have been alerted to immediately return. 24x7 control rooms have been set up (Ph No - 1070 & 033-22143526). All agencies have been asked to spring into action. Relief materials have been dispatched & Quick Response Teams are mobilised. I request all to stay alert," she had said. Six districts that have been identified to be at high risk of devastation by the cyclone are North and South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, and East and West Midnapore. Every block of these districts will have three High Tension and three Low Tension gangs for undertaking immediate restoration work of power supply. Same will be followed for Bidhannagar. Each gang will have six to seven electricity workers. The gangs will report to the BDOs by 1 pm on 25 May. In Kolkata, two gangs would be deployed for every KMC ward along with materials. A control room has been set up in the Power Department that will function 24x7 from 25 May. The contact numbers for the control room are 8900793503 and 8900793504. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Bengaluru, May 23 : With the pandemic foraying into the hinterland during its second wave, Karnataka would conduct spot testing in villages across the state to detect the virus spread, said Revenue Minister R. Ashoka on Sunday. "Special teams will conduct on the spot and door-to-door testing in villages to detect how many are infected, as positive cases have been rising in semi-urban and rural areas of late," said Ashoka, who is also the vice-chairman of the state disaster management authority. State Revenue Secretary Manjunath Prasad has formed the special teams through a notification to conduct on the spot testing in villagers across the state. "As many people in villages are hesitant to take the test, the special teams will persuade them to come forward for testing, as the transmission chain of the virus has to be broken at the earliest," asserted the Minister. In the absence of testing centres in the rural areas, special teams comprising doctors, auxiliary nurses and anganwadi workers will visit every house in the villages to test the rural folk. "The teams will identify symptomatic patients and conduct rapid antigen test on the spot to detect to what extent they are infected for treatment," said Ashoka. In case of a person testing positive, doctors will decide if he or she has to be in home isolation or admitted to a hospital for treatment. "Primary contacts of a Covid positive patient will also be tested on the spot and medical kits will be given to those who will be home quarantined," he said. The state health department will soon launch mobile clinics with doctors and paramedic to visit villages for tracing, tracking, testing and treating Covid-hit. "Final year medical internship students, BSc (nursing) and Ayush graduates will be recruited for the rural programme," added Ashoka. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Chennai, May 23 : With a more strict week-long lockdown set to be implemented from Monday, several parts of Tamil Nadu on Sunday witnessed panic buying with people thronging shops and markets selling provisions and meat. Police had to file cases and even undertake baton charges to disperse the people entering shops and establishments without properly wearing masks, and not maintaining social distance. As many as 300 cases were registered against people in Nilgiris district for not following Covid protocols. Police and revenue authorities found it hard to manage the huge crowds in several places of Udhagamandalam as they thronged markets to buy provisions and other essentials. Retired school headmaster Balamurali said: "I had come to the nearby shop to buy provisions for a week and to some vegetables as there is nothing left at home for me and my family consisting of my wife and daughter. I am worried over the huge rush seen here and I think the government should have allowed provision shops to function for a specific time each day so that people can come and buy." A similar situation was witnessed at Kanyakumari district with people thronging meat shops and other stores to buy things. "I have come to the market to buy some meat and rice. I needed more provisions but the heavy rush was unbearable and I came back home. The government must have allowed small and nearby shops to function as well as meat and fish shops for some time daily. People are thronging the market and I don't know whether I will catch the disease or not," Kaliamma, 58, told IANS. In Madurai, Salem, and Erode, similar situations were reported with police chasing away people near a meat market in Madurai. "I had come to buy some meat and vegetables as I had brought rice and other provisions a couple of days before. However I found that people are not at all wearing masks properly as well as not maintaining social distance. This is a sad sight and we are unnecessarily creating trouble. Police have to resort to caning here to disperse the crowd who were thronging at the meat market, retired government employee Joseph Thomas told IANS from Madurai. With the state going for a one week total lockdown, people are not clear whether the lockdown will be extended and whether provisions and food will be available and hence the panic. Anju Ashok, a research scholar in Delhi who is now holidaying at her home in Nagercoil, told IANS: "There is no proper awareness among the people even though more than a year has passed since the virus came to the country. Unless we are not serious in listening to what the government and authorities say, there will not be any progress here." Bhopal, May 24 : The Congress has adopted an aggressive political strategy in Madhya Pradesh after its recent victory in the Damoh Assembly by-elections, with party leaders, including former Chief Minister Kamal Nath, intensifying their attacks on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) governments in the state and at the Centre. In Damoh, the defeat of sitting Congress MLA Rahul Lodhi, who switched over to the BJP last year and contested on its ticket, to the Congress' Ajay Tandon came as a shot to the party With the state hit hard by Covid, Congress leaders launched a blistering political attack on the BJP government for its failure to tackle the pandemic. Even the filing of a case against Congress MLA and former cabinet minister, Umang Singhar, for abetting a woman's suicide saw party leaders rally behind him and go on all out offensive against the BJP. Kamal Nath, who claimed that more than one lakh people had died in the state during March and April this year due to the pandemic, also accused the BJP government of political vendetta by filing a case against Singhar, and said that he too has a CD against the BJP. His aggressive stance has sent out a message to the workers at the ground level that they must raise their voice against the BJP government. With bypolls for three state Assembly and one Lok Sabha constituencies along with urban civic bodies and panchayats polls coming up ahead, Congress workers and the party as a whole have adopted an aggressive approach. Political experts believe that the Congress has realised that it is competing with BJP's organisational machinery in the state. As the BJP organisation is steadily intensifying its preparation on the ground, grooming workers from the younger generation, the Congress has realised that the BJP can be fought only when there is enthusiasm among the Congress workers and leaders, they say. The Congress has been forced to change its overall outlook to match the BJP as an organisation, they claim. Mumbai, May 24 : Sunny Leone uploaded a funny video on her social media page, where her team struggles to fit her into a beautiful yellow gown.The video is from the set of her reality show "MTV Splitsvilla", and Sunny is getting ready for a shot. In the clip, four people from her team struggle to zip her up in the dress.As everyone tries their hand at zipping her up, Sunny captioned the Instagram video saying: "Takes an army to make a gown look perfect." On the work front, the actress will soon be seen in "Shero". The film is directed by Sreejith Vijayan and is scheduled to be released in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Malayalam.The actress is all set to make her digital debut with the web series "Anamika", helmed by Vikram Bhatt. Doctors who see the horror of this disease day in and day out at COVID HDUs By Namini Wijedasa View(s): View(s): Their plea to the public reduce our burden, the virus doesnt travel by itself Warn of the unpredictability of the new wave; those who seem to be recovering can suddenly take a turn for the worse and even die, while someone who arrives in terrible condition can get better COVID-19 is escalating in Sri Lanka. And doctors are forced each day to make difficult decisions: Who is well enough to unhook from oxygen supply so another can take that place? The work never stops in a COVID high dependency unit (HDU) and the suffering of patients is intense. A doctor who covers shifts in one such section described the pain they endured when their conditions deteriorated. The case of a 40-year-old village officialwho had also been on COVID frontline dutysticks starkly in his mind. The oxygen saturation in his blood was just 46 percent when it should have been between 98 and 100 percent. Despite having stayed on a different floor of his house to protect his wife and children, the family also contracted COVID. This patient was administered a high flow nasal cannula which delivers oxygen at 60 litres per minute. Fifty percent or more of our patients need high flow nasal oxygen, the doctor said. If they get worse, we hook them up to the CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) or ventilator. But both the high flow nasal cannula and the CPAP are very difficult to bear, he said. They are fixed tightly to the face. Patients suffer intensely. They can be on these machines for six to seven days. They cant eat properly. They cant use the toilet. Their lips and throat dry up. On top of that, they have to bear the symptoms of their illness, he described. They cant draw air into their lungs. There are needles and monitors. If the machines are taken off, saturation drops. As time passes, some of them suffer severe depression. They saw the village official experience this. He became confused. He worried constantly about his children and their condition (they have recovered). He said repeatedly that he wanted to die. And he pulled off the high flow nasal cannula. It was only by sedating him that they were able to continue treating him. He, too, got better and was discharged. Another older male patient experienced similar sentiments and tried to pull his CPAP off owing to suicidal feelings. He also spoke about the past and events at home. It becomes more difficult for us to manage such patients, the doctor said. They dont want to stay. They dont want to suffer anymore. And when they pull the machines off, we have to unpack yet another new PPE and go back in to hook them back up. But such feelings are expected. They are mentally down, he observed. Nobody can visit them. They have to stay in one place for a long period of time. Yet they are awake, unlike other ICU patients who might lose consciousness. They cannot entertain themselves, not even read a book. Even if we switch a TV on, we cant turn them towards it. They are completely bedridden. None of the medical personnel interviewed for this article will be named. Neither will their hospitals be identified as a result of a circular issued by the Health Ministry Secretary barring staff from communicating with media. But the insights they shared can only come from frontline workers dealing with this nightmare every day. Their objective in speaking was to bridge the gap in knowledge between what they see of this disease and what the public know. One doctor who spends her time now between hospital and her quarters said when she breaks that routine for a day and you see everyone gallivanting around as if nothing is happening, its really, really, really sad. The first and second waves of the pandemic didnt produce too many serious patients, the HDU doctor said. The symptoms were mild and it was rare to find someone deteriorating to COVID pneumonia. There werent even enough to fill their small HDU. Things changed dramatically with the third wave. It started after the Tamil and Sinhala New Year, the doctor recalled. From the time it started, more than fifty percent of COVID-positive patients we receive are oxygen-dependent. Their condition usually sees them in severe distress. And it is across age groups. During previous incarnations of the virus, the symptoms would appear within a few days of contracting it, a PCR would be done and then admission would take place. This time, the symptoms take time to appear, the doctor said. There are also instances of the first PCR returning negative but the second returning positive. The social stigma surrounding COVID-19 prevents many from seeking treatment. So they dont push further when they test negative. They are afraid they cant go to work or that their plans will be disrupted and their children affected, he pointed out. This is particularly pronounced at village level where a COVID-positive house is a much-feared thing. Even if a positive result is returned, therefore, they try to treat themselves. By the time some of these patients come to hospital, they have gone straight to COVID pneumonia. And they are oxygen-dependent. Doctors at several other medical institutions said they are forced to keep increasing COVID wards because of the sheer numbers of positive cases. If we get ten patients, five to six are oxygen-dependent, the doctor estimated. Category one and two patientsas they are groupedare asymptomatic or have minor symptoms. But category three and four develop pneumonia and need HDU treatment for at least 14 days. The dire cases can go up to 21 days in hospital. This means, available resources are blocked for a single patient for a protracted period of time. Doctors talked about how unpredictable the disease was. With many other sicknesses, we have indicators that tell us how a patient is doing so we know where the case is heading, said another doctor. With COVID, someone who seems to be recovering can suddenly take a turn for the worse and even die, while someone who arrives in terrible condition can get better. Resources were also an issue. A drug called Tocilizumab is effective in COVID patients, doctors said. But it is hard to obtain. Before administering it, a person must also undergo four tests. Most Government hospitals dont have that facility. For a patient to send someone to a private institution to get these done is a challenge when his family is quarantined. And the cost of carrying out those investigations is prohibitive for most. The village official was one patient who was given the medication. This disease is hard for people also because of its unpredictability, another doctor said. People see a patient walking away to hospital. Next thing they know is this person has died and they cant even see his or her face one last time. The body is sealed immediately. Another HDU doctor said COVID wards are heavy work. The work doesnt end, he said. It is a lot of stress. Apart from patient management, there are bookings where HDU beds are requested and we have to decide who is stable enough to release to a ward so that another patient can come in. There is documentation to complete. There are referrals and recalls. The most difficult feeling is not of sadness but of hopelessness and helplessness, he continued. That can cut much deeper. Physical tiredness apart, mental tiredness is tough for both doctors and nurses. Some patients ventilated and intubated, yet their saturation is dropping right in front of our eyes. We can see it drop but can do nothing. And now the young deaths are emerging. One patient in his 80s was in the unit for nearly 17 days and was getting better when he suddenly arrested, he said. We couldnt think why. There had been no indication. He died. COVID is unpredictable. But we do save a lot of people, he smiled. There is great satisfaction from that. Still, particularly nursing staff go through a lotat home and in the workplaceto keep this show running. The main thing is for the public to reduce our burden. The virus doesnt travel by itself. London, May 24 : Another 2,235 people in Britain have tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 4,462,538, according to official figures released on Sunday. The country also reported another five coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 127,721. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test, Xinhua reported. Nearly 38 million people, or more than 70 percent of adults in Britain, have been given the first jab of the coronavirus vaccine, according to official figures. The latest data were revealed as British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he is "increasingly confident" that England is "on track" for the British government's roadmap exiting the coronavirus lockdown. His remarks came after a study by Public Health England (PHE) showed promising results for the two main vaccines being used to fight the virus in Britain. According to the PHE study, which took place between April 5 and May 16, the Pfizer vaccine was 88 per cent effective against symptomatic disease from the India-related variant two weeks after the second dose, compared with 93 per cent effectiveness against the Kent variant. Meanwhile, the AstraZeneca jab was 60 percent effective, compared with 66 per cent against the Kent variant over the same period. However, they were only 33 per cent effective three weeks after the first dose, the PHE report said. Experts have warned that coronavirus may continue to evolve for years to come, and eventually it is likely current vaccines will fail to protect against transmission, infection, or even against disease caused by newer variants. The British government's roadmap is expected to see all legal limits on social contact to be removed on June 21. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dr. Kims Seventh Book, Cosigning Bad Behavior By Commission or Omission, is a Wake Up Call for 2021 Dr. Kim Logan-Nowlin announces the launch of her seventh book, Cosigning Bad Behavior By Commission or Omission, which is available today on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-a-Million, Target, and Walmart. What: Book Release Celebration When: LIVE on Tuesday, May 25, 2021 at 9:15 p.m. (EST) Where: Facebook Fanpage (Kim Logan-Nowlin) and YouTube Channel (Dr. Kim Logan-Nowlin) About the Book The release of Cosigning Bad Behavior by Commission or Omission written by Kim Logan-Nowlin, Ph.D. is especially timely as the nation approaches the one-year memorial of George Floyds murder, because it is more important than ever for people to stand up for what is right. I am disappointed by the way society, in many cases, chooses to ignore bad behavior based on who is involved. Whether we live in the best suites or the worst streets, we should not cosign bad behavior, said chaplain of Detroit Medical Center, Dr. Portia Lockett, who endorsed Cosigning. Too often many people stand by and watch wrong being done, but this book gives undeniable evidence on why cosigning bad behavior can be so destructive. When you see something, know better, and you do nothing about it, you have cosigned that bad behavior, says Dr. Kim. Every chapter in this book includes a case study in which Dr. Kim draws from her more than 30 years of work as a licensed professional counselor (LPC). She shares their stories anonymously to illustrate the message of the book. Each story gives testament to the painful consequences and devastation people face when they cosign bad behaviors, but Dr. Kim doesnt leave her readers without tools and principles to help them avoid making the same mistakes. Cheating spouses, ungrateful children, dishonest employees, gamblers, addicts, bullies, liars, corrupt politicians, ungodly pastors, and more individual situations are discussed in detail with practical tips and action points. These points reveal how to avoid taking part in negative behaviors that can slowly destroy an otherwise good life. In 2021, Cosigning is an authoritative call to actiontake responsibility for your life! The failure to either confront such behaviors or to actively support them is counterproductive to strong, stable families, friendships, business and communities, says Cosigning endorser Kenneth Anderson, Executive Director of Leadership Empowerment Enterprise in Huntsville, AL. This book explains to the readers why they should communicate clearly to others that they will have no part in negative lifestyles of dishonesty, immorality or take part in criminal activities. Dr. Kim shares solid evidence of participating in bad behaviors in relationships, how to avoid participating willingly in damaging habits, and what to do if you are faced with a negative opportunity to incriminate yourself or support someone else. She catches her readers coming and going by bringing home the message on how cosigning bad behavior often happens without direct intention but rather by omissionpeople seeing something wrong but doing or saying nothing about it. It is said that silence is golden, but it can also be destructive, says Dr. Kim. Cosigning Bad Behavior by Commission or Omission offers valuable wisdom for anyone in any type of relationship or business who is looking for help, healing, hope, inspiration, and guidance. To learn more about Cosigning Bad Behavior by Commission or Omission, join Dr. Kim LIVE on her Facebook fanpage (Dr. Kim Logan-Nowlin) or her YouTube channel (Dr. Kim Logan-Nowlin) on Tuesday, May 25, 2021 at 9:15 p.m. (EST) for her latest book release celebration. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. always said, He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it. Lets stop cosigning bad behavior! ### For more information/bookings contact: Kim Logan-Nowlin, Ph.D., LPC, BCPC, MFT, ACAC, AFFLP Kim Logan Communications 3011 W. Grand Blvd., Suite 423 Detroit, Michigan 48202 (313) 664-4900 info@drkiminspires.com https://www.drkiminspires.com Rent A Car For Uber Logo Rent A Car For Uber A Chula Vista, California -based car rental company-Rent A Car For Uber recently announced its comprehensive range of services to assist rideshare drivers and car owners in earning passive income. The company will help rideshare drivers and car owners to rent cars for Uber, Lyft, door dash, Amazon, GrubHub, and more. Sharing more information about their rental services, a Rent a Car for Uber spokesperson stated, "We are committed to providing rideshare drivers and car-owners with a unique opportunity to leverage their inventory to earn profits from car rentals and rideshare or mobility services." Rent a Car For Uber is a unique platform for rideshare drivers looking to drive or rent cars. The company aims to provide them with assistance with renting vehicles for rideshare and earning a living. Rent a Car for Uber's pricing model includes insurance, unlimited miles, roadside assistance, and mechanical coverage. Based in Chula Vista, the rental agency will help car owners to list their vehicles and earn passive incomes instead of letting their cars sit idle. The company will help car owners to find reliable and trusted drivers for their cars, further allowing them to make passive income. Rent A Car for Uber also makes it convenient for rideshare drivers and car owners to rent a car quickly and in a hassle-free manner. Car owners and rideshare drivers can rent vehicles for driving with Lyft, Uber, Amazon, delivery, and more. While rideshare drivers can sign-up with Rent A Car for Uber to find their preferred cars and confirm their bookings to earn some extra cash, car owners too get an opportunity to sign-up with the platform and respond to a driver's request. Car owners can further have the driver's documents verified by the rental agency before handing the keys to the driver. This will provide them with ample opportunities for earning profits by renting their cars to rideshare drivers. For more information about the company, visit https://rent-a-car-for-uber.business.site/. European media group Beta Film has acquired worldwide distribution rights of the French adaptation of the TV crime series The Island of Thirty Coffins. Led by The Beach and 8 Femmes star Virginie Ledoyen, the 6x60' series is based on the novel by Maurice Leblanc, also known for his narratives on the adventures of Arsene Lupin which served as a source for the French hit series Lupin. Created by Elsa Marpeau (Capitaine Marleau) and Florent Meyer (Lupin), The Island of Thirty Coffins is directed by Frederic Mermoud (The Returned); next to Virginie Ledoyen star Charles Berling (Marie Curie, Capitaine Marleau) and Stanley Weber (Borgia, Paula). The Island of Thirty Coffins circles around Christine, who lost her son at birth 15 years ago. Or so she thought, until she receives a video which could prove that he is not dead. She returns to the island of her childhood in Brittany to get to the truth. Produced by Thalie Images for France 2, shooting has been wrapped on the Island of Ouessant in Western France last week and is now under way all over Brittany and in Paris. Stephane Moatti, Producer Thalie Images, commented: It is an amazing opportunity to adapt Maurice Leblancs iconic book The Island of Thirty Coffins. The setting on a spectacular island with its disturbing strangeness is the heart of this thriller. Im excited that this series produced with France Television will travel internationally thanks to Beta Film. Added Jerome Vincendon, EVP International Sales & Acquisitions French-speaking Europe, Beta Film: We are fascinated by the richness and creativity of the ever growing and blooming French production market. International success stories, such as Lupin and Call My Agent prove the strong, competitive creation landscape in France and underline its worldwide significance. We are very happy to dive even deeper into the French-speaking market and strengthen our crime slate with The Island of Thirty Coffins. Rapp News and Foothills Forum are continuously covering the impact of COVID-19 on our community. Sign up to have the C-19 Daily Update delivered to your inbox every morning. Click here to sign up... Coronavirus New-case total not available but other stats are Berks COVID case numbers not available due to technical problem with Pa. statistics Celebrating the 75th anniversary of Lincoln Park Community United Methodist Church on Sunday were, from left, the Rev. Evelyn Kent Clark, South District Superintendent of the United Methodist Church's Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, Bishop Peggy Johnson and Pastor Chris Kurien. Dropout rate rises as online teaching fails rural pupils By Chrishanthi Christopher View(s): View(s): The Governments failure to adopt an effective plan to take classroom learning to the homes of students during pandemic times has resulted in many children dropping out of schools, the main education union said. Reports are coming in that Ordinary and Advanced Level students, predominantly from rural areas in the plantation sector, have left school in search of jobs, it said. The Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) said children disillusioned with the education system are opting to work and earn money to supplement their family budgets during these difficult times. The children are taking up menial jobs in factories, sales outlets and delivering food in Colombo and other cities where jobs can be found, the unions General Secretary, Joseph Stalin, said. He said the online classes and learning programmes conducted via television have been a failure among students in rural Sri Lanka. The Education Ministry, he claimed, has not been successful in taking lessons to students in the 15 months that have passed since the pandemic started. The only progress made is the plan to switch the dates of the Ordinary Level and Advanced Level exams to minimise waiting time for students to enter Advanced Level classes and universities, he said. In a recent decision, the ministry announced a plan to hold the Ordinary Level (O/L) exams in August and Advanced Level (A/L) exams in December, which would give a nine-month advantage for O/L students, helping them to finish school early. Waiting times for university entrants will be also reduced because the ministry will expedite A/L results, releasing them a few weeks from the final day of the exams. Re-scrutiny of papers and determination of districts of applicants to grant admission to universities will also be expedited. The CTU, while welcoming the changes, said that with schools being closed for the whole of last year the ministry should have formulated a concise syllabus for the benefit of students who have lost valuable classroom studies. Even this year, in the first term schools functioned at only half or a third of classroom capacity due to the necessity for social distancing. Mr. Stalin said online studies did not give a level playing field to rural students because of poor data coverage in their areas. Transmission of lessons via television channels had also proved futile as those areas lack adequate reception coverage. Households that have two or more school-going children are disadvantaged when parallel classes are held for different grades as most of the homes have only a single television or a mobile phone, the CTU Secretary said. His suggestion that the ministry gain assistance from the National Institute of Education (NIE ) and the National Education Commission (NEC) to formulate a more concise syllabus for O/L and A/L students sitting exams this year was rejected by Ministry Secretary Professor Kapila Perera, who said there were no plans to change the syllabus. He said the ministry was doing its utmost to get lessons across to students. We are using WhatsApp, Zoom, YouTube and the television media to take lessons to students, he said. Also, we are monitoring the progress made by making regular inquiries. He agreed, however, that the media used were insufficient to cover all syllabuses. We have around 54 subjects together with the basket subjects and need more channels to telecast lessons, he said. Negotiations are being carried out to have more television channels for this purpose. Meanwhile, teachers in provincial schools are complaining that they are under stress as provincial education departments are pushing them to have online classes for students. They said they are unable to conduct classes as the mobile data coverage in the areas they live in is very poor. In addition, they end up paying huge sums on their phone bills, Mr. Stalin claimed. CTU Nuwara Eliya District Secretary V. Indraselvan said teachers who are poorly paid cannot afford the additional expenses. He called on the government to provide data coverage to schools so that teachers can work from schools to send out lessons. The Education Forum Sri Lanka (EFSL), among its several recommendations to manage the present situation has called on the ministry to use all 246,952 teachers serving in public schools to monitor education disseminated online and on media channels. It recommends using teleconferencing as a better way of taking lessons to children as this could be done even with analogue phones. A survey has revealed that 96 per cent of households in Sri Lanka possess mobile phones. Other suggestions include vaccinating all teachers on a priority basis and testing for infection in students coming from high-risk areas. The EFSL also recommends decentralising power to make decisions on opening and closing schools at provincial and divisional levels so that an entire school does not have to be shut down because of a single infected case. Instead, a classroom or a section could be closed to avoid the spread of coronavirus, it said. Crime Man arrested after multicounty crime spree Suspect stole several vehicles in a 1-afternoon multi-county crime spree, state police say He had been sought last week by police in Bethel Township There are enough destructive and unlawful woke policies going forward these days to keep dozens, if not hundreds, of public interest law firms working full time. I'm happy to report on two recent court successes (for now) in cases challenging such policies. In Texas, U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor has issued a temporary restraining order sought by a restaurant owner against the Biden Small Business Administration. The owner challenged the One year ago, the Supreme Court issued the groundbreaking ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County that bans employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In his 6-3 majority opinion, Justice Neil Gorsuch, a conservative jurist appointed by President Trump, noted that an employer who fires an individual for being gay or transgender fires that person for traits or actions it would not have questioned in members of a different sex. This decision was historic, but critical gaps remain in our federal civil rights laws that leave LGBTQ Americans vulnerable to discrimination in many aspects of their daily lives. Its now time for our fellow Republicans to heed the calls of religious leaders, business professionals and the American people to take the next step in expanding liberty for all by codifying nondiscrimination protections into law. While many are surprised to learn that our nation lacks a comprehensive federal law prohibiting discrimination against gay and transgender people, its a fact of life for millions of our fellow Americans. Despite overwhelming support for LGBTQ rights and equality among Democratic, independent and Republican voters, a majority of U.S. states -- 29 in total -- lack comprehensive and explicit anti-discrimination laws. Rectifying this failure of public leadership is long overdue. The time for Congress to act is now. Thats why we have joined together to form the Conservatives Against Discrimination Leadership Council. Our focus, along with that of a prolific group of conservative public leaders spread out across America, will be to encourage elected Republicans to engage in bipartisan collaboration to make federal LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections a reality. Passage of these protections will make our country stronger, more competitive, and codify into law the very pillars of personal freedom and liberty this country was founded on more than 200 years ago. The Equality Act, legislation that would secure comprehensive nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ Americans, recently passed the U.S. House with bipartisan support and is currently under consideration in the United States Senate. When the Senate Judiciary Committee held its first hearing on the bill in March, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) expressed willingness to forge collaboration and compromise to expand protections for LGBTQ Americans in a manner that prevents discrimination against anybody in the community and protects Americans of faith. Since that time, multiple leaders on Capitol Hill, including members of both parties, have expressed a willingness to negotiate in good faith to make these hopes a reality. Senators will be heartened to learn that these common-sense protections enjoy broad-based public support, including from 62% of Republican voters. This level of support is even more encouraging to conservatives when taking into consideration Americans religious affiliation. The Public Religion Research Institute found in its recently released American Atlas survey that more than six in 10 members of every religious group support nondiscrimination laws. These figures include more than eight in 10 Hispanic Catholics (81%), white mainline Protestants (82%), and even religiously unaffiliated Americans (82%). Further, approximately three in four Black Protestants (73%), white Catholics (77%), and Mormons (78%) favor protections. As of May 1, support for passage of nondiscrimination protections has also been formally endorsed by more than 400 companies that employ 14 million people and operate in every state across the country. An additional 60 business organizations, including the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Restaurant Association, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, have endorsed the Equality Act. This broad groundswell of support across the public, private and nonprofit sectors should encourage elected leaders of both parties to negotiate in good faith and find common ground in advancing legislation. Everyone should have the freedom and opportunity to work hard, earn a living, provide for their families and contribute to communities. These arent just conservative values -- theyre American values. Lets unite, collaborate and take the next step to make equality for all Americans a bipartisan achievement this Congress. Republicans should take the lead in forging bipartisan consensus. Theres no time to waste. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is a former Republican U.S. representative from Florida and the first Latina elected to Congress. 63 of Kewadin, passed away June 1, 2021 at her home. A memorial for Sandra will be held at a later date this summer. Sandy's wishes are for you not to get sappy, but have a big bash to celebrate because she'll be up "there" preparing for the after party. Beacon Cremation and Funeral Service, Greenville, NC (27833) Today Thunderstorms this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Low 71F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Thunderstorms this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Low 71F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near an inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible. First he pleaded, then screamed and cried By Nadia Fazlulhaq Heartbreak behind the COVID mortality stats View(s): View(s): Twenty-six-year-old Kavindu Pereras memories of his fathers battle with the COVID virus are a living nightmare. My fathers final words still haunt me, the young Moratuwa man said. The day before he died he called me thrice from the ICU saying, Puthe, mata wathura tikkak denna kiyannako (Son, ask them to give me some water). First he pleaded, then screamed and cried. I had to explain to him that there is no way of removing the oxygen mask, and that he was suffering from COVID pneumonia, and that drinking water could affect his already-damaged lungs. I was helpless, listening to my fathers pleas for a drop of water, Kavindu said. His father died at the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital after a two-week struggle from COVID-19. Kanishka Perera, 56, was an old boy of Prince of Wales College and Ananda College (1982 batch), an engineering graduate of the University of Moratuwa, and worked as the Cargills Bank IT Assistant General Manager . My father developed a cough and high fever on April 27, and had difficulty breathing. A PCR test taken two days afterwards showed that he and my stepmother were virus-positive. He was really struggling to breathe and showing extreme fatigue. We were desperately calling every single private hospital but were told that rooms were full. Finally, we were able to send him to Club Koggala Village, a COVID intermediate treatment centre run by the army, Kanishkas son said. Within a few days, he was transferred to Karapitiya Teaching Hospital after showing severe symptoms. Kavindu tested negative but as he had been exposed to his father he was instructed to stay quarantined at home. Thaathi called me frequently, saying he couldnt stay in the ward, had to walk to the washroom holding the oxygen mask, and was feeling dizzy, Kavindu said. The ward was overcrowded. He was transferred to an ICU bed as soon as one became available. He called me to say that wearing the CPAP (a machine with pump and mask that delivers air pressure to those with constricted airways) was extremely painful, he said. Kanishka Perera succumbed to the virus in the early hours of May 13. This pandemic proved that despite influential contacts, one can be really helpless, Kavindu said. We struggled to reserve a time slot at the crematorium. We couldnt get a priest in Colombo in time. We asked a priest in Galle we knew to say the last prayers. I watched from a distance as my fathers body was taken into the crematorium, he said. Kavindu suspects his father, a frequent visitor to the local fish market, contracted the virus there. The wife of Randolph (Randy) Rajaratnam, Mihiri, is in grief and shock at her husbands sudden demise a week ago, family members said. Randy was a strong family man. He was the pride and joy of his parents, his mothers golden son, his sister-in-law, Maithri Jansz, said. He was a devoted husband who supported and nudged his wife into greater achievements academically and professionally. He was a loving father who spent quality time with his children. They as a family invested a lot of time together. He took care of people around him, not just his family, and never ignored their needs. He was also a hard worker who supported his junior colleagues, Ms. Jansz said. Randy Rajaratnam, 58, an old boy of St Thomas Prep and S. Thomas College, Mount Lavinia, was the General Manager (Technical and Engineering) at MAS Silueta. COVID-19 deaths are being reported from all parts of the country as the death toll passed the 1,000 mark this week. The casualties show there are no barriers to this scourge: age, wealth, profession or eminence in society have not spared the victims. The Chairman of Laksala and Salusala, CEO of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party office and former consul-general of Sri Lanka in Los Angeles, Pradeep Gunawardena, was struck down this week. Dharshana Degambada, a well-known businessman and social worker in Maharagama, owner of the DAD group of companies and the Ariyana Reach Hotel in Maharagama, also succumbed to the virus this month. Air Lanka inflight instructor Fazlin Ghaffoor was yet another May casualty. He was a wonderful colleague to work with. His sudden death is so painful to all of us. All the former Air Lanka crew members are really devastated, a workmate said. Mr. Ghaffoor died at the Nagoda Hospital in Kalutara. While the government continues to publish statistics of COVID deaths, behind these numbers are loving fathers, mothers, devoted husbands, wives, wonderful colleagues, known personalities, social workers, teachers, farmers and others whose lives were snatched unexpectedly by the virus. Greenville, NC (27833) Today Thunderstorms this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Low 71F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall may reach one inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Thunderstorms this evening followed by occasional showers overnight. Low 71F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall may reach one inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Brattleboro, VT (05301) Today Periods of rain. Low 53F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Periods of rain. Low 53F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. Beckley, WV (25801) Today Occasional showers with a thunderstorm possible. Low 64F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Occasional showers with a thunderstorm possible. Low 64F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Floating armouries murky not just in SL but worldwide, says HC as Avant Garde Chairman and 6 others freed View(s): Avant Garde Chairman Nissanka Senadhipathi and six others were unanimously acquitted by the Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar on Friday over the Avant Garde floating armoury case. Delivering its verdict, the Bench comprising High Court Judges Adiya Patambendige (President), Manjula Thilakaratne and M.W.J.K. Weeraman noted that former Defence Ministry Secretary Karunasena Hettiarachchi, who testified at the trial, had clearly stated that the floating armoury in the Red Sea maintained by Avant Garde and Rakna Lanka, a company coming under the Ministry of Defence, was completely legal. The Attorney General had indicted seven accused, including Avant Garde Chairman Nissanka Senadipathi, Rakna Lanka Chairman Victor Samaraweera and the Ukranian Captain of MV Avant Garde, Gennadiy Gavrylov in connection with the discovery of 813 firearms and 200, 935 rounds of live ammunition from the floating armoury. In its verdict, the court however, stated that based on the ex-Defence Ministry Secretarys testimony, the vessel possessed a valid licence to transport firearms and ammunition from the Red Sea to the Galle Harbour and hand them over to Rakna Lanka. The prosecution had failed to prove that this document was a forgery, the court said. The court rejected the argument brought by the AGs Department of corporate criminal liability against the accused. It has noted laws on maintaining floating armouries in international waters to protect shipping continues to be murky not just in Sri Lanka but throughout the world. The AGs Department should have been far more careful when serving criminal indictments when there are legal loopholes even in international law regarding the maintaining of floating armouries, especially given that the activities had been conducted based on a legal agreement between Rakna Lanka, a Government owned company and Avant Garde, the court states. The judges have also questioned why some of the accused had been arrested and indicted. Victor Samaraweera, Rakna Lankas Chairman, had been arrested and remanded based solely on his position as Rakna Lanka Chairman. Three other accused had also been arrested and indicted simply because they happened to work at these companies. The court has taken special note regarding the fate of the vessels Ukranian captain, noting that he had been kept in remand custody simply on account of him being captain of the vessel and that the ordeal had resulted in him being imprisoned in the country without access to his family and even having to undergo heart surgery. The countrys criminal justice system would have to be reconsidered when looking at these issues, the court has also noted. Ben Lambert / Hearst Connecticut Media HAMDEN A town resident is facing charges following an incident in a Hamden Walgreens, according to police. Officials charged Jabron Matheney with public indecency and second-degree breach of peace, a release from Capt. Ronald Smith read. The 27-year-old has been detained on a $10,000 bond, according to Smith. I love it when a plan comes together. Col. John Hannibal Smith, The A-Team It did seem like a very big hurdle to overcome, and the finish line seemed to keep moving away rather than closer at times, but all in all, the construction of a new community swimming pool in Frackville happened. There was a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 14 at the new pool, which is at Memorial Park. There were delays getting to this point, some of the problem being the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, but the ceremony showed the project is almost completed. Some landscaping is still needed, but its getting there. The pool has water jets in the wading area for the young children, and some other additions. Because of the cost, the initial design was scaled back, but not that much. The pool was not opened, and wont be until around Memorial Day weekend. No exact day has yet to be determined due to finishing the landscaping, making sure about having enough lifeguards (more on that later) and receiving all the certifications. Its close. There were young children at the ceremony who loved the look of the pool. At the edge of the pool where the water jets shoot up, they ran through the water and were having a great time. The wading area is handicapped accessible. Emceeing that ceremony was Ronald Jordan, Frackville Borough Council president. Speaking about the project were state Sen. David G. Argall, retired state Rep. Neal P. Goodman, Field Representative Nathan Gerace for U.S. Congressman Dan Meuser, Mid Penn Bank Vice President/Commercial Loan Officer Spiro Kasapidis and Director Tom Ford of DCNRs Bureau of Recreation and Conservation. Cutting the ribbon were Mayor Kim Phillips and members of Frackville Public Spaces (originally named the Frackville Community Pool Committee) that included Karen Domalakes, Helen Miernicki, Suzanne Domalakes, JoAnne Klemow and Judy A. Ragazinsky. Karen Domalakes is president of Frackville Public Spaces and a former councilwoman. The former pool in Memorial Park was constructed in 1978. The last year it opened was 2014. In early 2015, deterioration in the walls was discovered, and after an engineering study, it was found that three of the six pool walls had pulled away and the south and west walls had cracks large enough to fit a hand into. All of the filtration buckets were also cracked. It was going on 40 years of use from the old pool. Not too bad of a run. There was discussion back and forth about fixing it, but basically you could have put a lot of money into repairs and not guarantee it would last long. The underlying conditions that were not exactly known, so it would have been throwing good money away. However, a brand new pool was a lot more money, and in not the best economic times the challenge seemed pretty formidable. Speaking of money, there have been complaints about why do such a costly project when there are other things to fix. The grant money can be used elsewhere. Well, no it cant. The thing about grant money, be it from state or federal, is that its dedicated to a certain purpose. Lets say there is recreational grants available. You can apply for it, but it has to be used for something that fits into that category. It cant be used elsewhere, such as fixing roads or sewer lines or whatever. Frackville was fortunate to get large grants for the pool, but the funds are limited to the pool project for which they were applied. When the grant is awarded, you cant just decide to cancel the project so the funds can be used on something else. If not used for its original purpose, the money has to go back. One shoutout has to go to the individuals and organizations who supported the project and donated a good amount of money to it and/or supported the various fundraisers held by the pool committee. Every bit helps, and it showed the state that there is local support for a new pool. That meant a lot. I mentioned before about lifeguards. The American Red Cross has lifeguard classes hosted by the City of Pottsville. Course prerequisites are that you must be at least 15 years old, swim 300 yards continuously, tread water for two minutes using only legs and complete a timed brick retrieval. According to Jill Freeman, who will be involved with the ARC classes, Local pools are currently hiring lifeguards for the 2021 season. I will be running a lifeguard class at the end of May, and there are a lot of great employment opportunities in Schuylkill County. If you intend to take a lifeguard class, apply now and indicate that on your application. Most pools will hire you prior to certification, but cant let you begin work until you are certified. This notice may be after the deadline, but you can check with Freeman at jill.s.matz@gmail.com. For more information, call the borough main office at 570-874-3860 to get in contact with councilwoman Helen Miernicki, who can also give you details on being a lifeguard. Go to the Borough of Frackville Facebook page and see the post on lifeguard training. You can download a PDF application for a position or go to the borough office and pick one up. (Staff writer Usalis can be reached at jusalis@republicanherald.com) HEGINS A mother and her young son died Saturday morning when flames tore through a double home converted into three apartments in Hegins Township. Killed in the fire were Tawnya Bowman, 44, and her son, Daniel Bowman, 4, according to Schuylkill County Deputy Coroner Albert Barnes. Barnes said a virtual autopsy will be performed on both victims at the Simon Kramer Cancer Institute, New Philadelphia, to determine the cause and manner of death. Firefighters were called to 951 E. Main St. just after 10 a.m. for a report of structure fire with entrapment, and found heavy fire and smoke coming from the two-story home when they arrived. Arriving at the scene, firefighters confirmed that two people were still inside the burning home. Attempts to rescue the two were unsuccessful and both were later found inside deceased. Shortly after 11 a.m., Schuylkill County deputy coroners Barnes and John Mika arrived at the scene, followed a short time later by state police fire marshal Trooper John Burns of the Frackville station. Barnes said he pronounced Tawnya and Daniel Bowman dead inside their first-floor apartment at 2:30 p.m. Burns said his investigation determined the fire was accidental, starting on a couch inside the apartment the mother and son lived in. Three other occupants Mark and Ann Bowman, parents of Tawnya and grandparents of Daniel, along with their other son, Mark Bowman were not injured. Burns said the double home was converted into three apartments, one for Mark and Ann Bowman, one for Mark Bowman and the third for Tawnya and Daniel Bowman that was located on the first floor. Patty Daley, disaster captain with the American Red Cross Tri-County Chapter, said the organization is assisting the three members of the Bowman family with food and clothing. Reports indicated a firefighter was injured fighting the blaze but that could not be confirmed Saturday since Hegins Township Fire and Rescue Company Chief Chad Richards could not be reached for comment. About an hour into the incident, it appeared that the fire was under control with smoke dissipating from the building becoming lighter both in color and volume. That, however, quickly changed. The fire was apparently still burning in the attic of the home where a metal roof kept flames and smoke inside. The fire eventually broke through, sending heavy smoke and flames into the sky, prompting Richards to evacuate firefighters from inside the building. Drivers of fire apparatus parked outside began to blow the air horns in short blasts to alert firefighters that were still inside the home to exit quickly since the fire was burning out of control above them and the condition of the building was deteriorating. Firefighters and EMS units from Schuylkill and Dauphin counties responded to the blaze that prompted area fire police to shut down East Main Street, Route 25, for several hours while the fire was brought under control and the investigation into how it started conducted. In addition to firefighters who responded to the scene, firefighters from other companies were called to stations in Hegins, Minersville and others to stand by in the event an emergency would happen in those jurisdictions. ORWIGSBURG James R. Ferrier was working as a police officer when the man who preceded him as what was then called a district justice put it in his head that he should change his career. I got to know (District Justice Lester Reber), Ferrier said May 11, the day he announced he would be retiring on May 31 as magisterial district judge in Orwigsburg-based District 21-3-04. Reber urged him to consider the position once he retired. Ferrier had been working as a police officer in four boroughs Auburn, his native Cressona, Hamburg and Orwigsburg and the thought stuck with him. I found it intriguing to do the job, Ferrier said. He found the idea so good that he took the certification course, which the state requires for any non-lawyer seeking the position now called magisterial district judge, in 1984. When Reber did retire, Ferrier successfully sought the job. Then-Gov. Dick Thornburgh appointed him in May 1986, and he has held the position ever since, being elected in November 1987 to his first six-year term and being reelected five times, most recently in 2017. Deputy Court Administrator Amy Ryan OBrien said senior magisterial district judges will fill Ferriers position, as they are currently doing at county judge Christina E. Hales former magisterial post in Frackville, until a successor either is nominated by Gov. Tom Wolf and confirmed by the state Senate or is elected. Ferriers district includes Auburn, Cressona, Deer Lake, Landingville, New Ringgold, Orwigsburg, Port Clinton and Schuylkill Haven boroughs and East Brunswick, North Manheim, South Manheim, Walker, Wayne, West Brunswick and West Penn townships. Ferrier said that when he first took office, the county had 12 district justices. They all were valuable to him, he said. All these guys were very good about trying to help the new guy out, Ferrier said. Ferrier now is the longest-serving of the countys seven magisterial district judge. He has paid it forward by helping his colleagues as they have taken office, and they say they will miss him. Jim was a mentor for the younger magisterial district judges, Port Carbon-based Magisterial District Judge David A. Plachko said Wednesday. Plachko said Ferrier was a helpful and knowledgeable colleague. He was someone you could always count on for sound advice, Plachko said. He had a great deal of knowledge. Hale said she valued Ferriers helpfulness and knowledge as one of her colleagues. If any issues ever came up, he was the first one to volunteer to help cover that judges court, Hale said. He was an excellent jurist who will be missed. Ferrier said he always tried to follow one rule while on the bench. I tried to be as fair and honest as I could, he said. Thats what I tried to be the whole time. That fairness and honesty came to be applied in more and more cases over the years, according to Ferrier. The numbers have increased. Weve gotten busier and busier, he said. You think back, there were thousands of cases. One he recalls is that of Jeffrey L. Zimmerman, who fatally beat his wife, Cindy Lee Zimmerman, on July 6, 2006, in her parents Orwigsburg home. Jeffrey Zimmerman currently is serving a life sentence at State Correctional Institution/Fayette for first-degree murder. There were lots more, however, of many different kinds. We had quite a few larger drug raids over the years. They were bigger delivery-type cases, he said. The DUI checkpoints always produce a lot of cases. Weddings are one of the pleasant aspects of his job, Ferrier said. He said he has officiated at 1,010 of them, with the 1,000th having been his nieces. Its one of the nicest things you can do, Ferrier said. People appreciate it. You make a lot of friends out of it. One lawyer who has appeared before Ferrier hundreds of times is Assistant Public Defender Christopher M. Riedlinger, who covers Ferriers office. Riedlinger said he knew Ferrier would handle every case before him in the same way. He was fair and even-handed, Riedlinger said. He applied the law without favoring either party. As is the case in every walk of life, changes have come to Ferriers office. One thing that changed was the computer system. The police have gone to e-filed citations that they file directly from their patrol cars, he said. In the morning, we can go in and print out any case. Another change is reflected in the consequences for a motorist who receives one of those citations, according to Ferrier. The fines have gone through the roof, he said. While the standard fine for a routine traffic violation such as careless driving or disregarding traffic lane is $25, when all costs and fees are added to the fine, a driver will actually pay $143 now, Ferrier said. He said he is using videoconferencing for many hearings due to the COVID-19/coronavirus pandemic, but he is not certain whether that will continue after the pandemic ends. Ferrier said he wants to do some traveling with his wife, Diane, after his retirement and go riding on his beloved motorcycles. He will spend much of this summer helping his brother-in-law remodel his house. President Judge William E. Baldwin said Ferrier has been an excellent member of the judiciary and his successor will have big shoes to fill. Hes done a great job for us, Baldwin said. Hes built up a reputation of being thoughtful and fair. Hell be missed. Chesapeake Bay not only is the nations largest and ecologically most important estuary, but a bellwether on the crucial question of whether the states and the federal government collectively can drive large-scale restoration of important ecosystems. The Chesapeake is a key test case because of environmental considerations, and because of its economic value. The recreational fishery alone generates about $1.6 billion a year in economic activity, and the bays commercial fishery annually produces more than 500 million pounds of blue crabs and oysters. Economic losses due to pollution from upstream over the past several decades have been estimated to be as high as $1.4 trillion. The 13,000-square-mile Susquehanna River watershed, mostly in Pennsylvania, is by far the largest source of the bays freshwater 55% and pollution. Pennsylvania is part of a bay restoration coalition, along with New York, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, and the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. All make annual contributions to a restoration effort, which is supposed to hits its goals in 2025. Pennsylvania is far behind on its agreed-to $300 million annual contribution, to the point that the other members have sued the EPA for failing to force Pennsylvania to comply. The state should use some of the $7 billion it has coming from the federal COVID-19 recovery plan to catch up. And Congress should approve the governors recent request for A Billion for the Bay to meet the restoration goals. Telegram founder Pavel Durov launched an offensive against smartphone manufacturer Apple on May 21, as he commented on a New York Times report that alleged the multinational technology firm has given the Chinese government ample control over its data centres in Guiyang. Equating Apple's business model to that of China's administration, Durov said, it seeks to hold 'complete control' similar to the Communist Party of China (CPC) which also invariably holds total access over the data of its citizens. 'Obsolete hardware from the Middle Ages' Durov stated that the consumer electronics manufacturer is efficient at selling 'overpriced, obsolete hardware to customers locked in their ecosystem.' In his criticism against the US tech firm, Durov explained 'Every time I have to use an iPhone to test our iOS app, I feel like I'm thrown back into the Middle Ages,' while adding another barb against the company's 'clunky' and 'outdated' software which keeps pushing its devices with specs such as 60Hz displays instead of 120Hz screens that most Android devices have as staple incentive these days. However, the cloud-based messaging software founder's most vicious tirade against Apple was that owning an iPhone will make you a 'digital slave of Apple'. Durov further condemned the fact the Apple users can only use iCloud to back up their data natively and criticised Apples policy of not allowing its users to download apps from anywhere else but the iOS App Store. 'Apples totalitarian approach is only appreciated by the Communist Party of China,' he concluded. History of feud This is not the first time Apple and Telegram have thrown shades at each other. Their love-hate relationship goes a long way back to 2018, when Durov slammed Apply in a Twitter post where he outlined "7 reasons" why every iPhone user should be worried about the AppStore's 30 per cent tax for some app developers. Following the backlash, Apple was later forced to cut it down to 15 per cent. In response to Durov's public rant, Apple promptly removed the Telegram app from AppStore over concerns surrounding the "distribution of child pornography" on its freeware cloud-based social media and messaging software. Apple is currently being sued by the Coalition for a Safer Web for failing to remove access to Telegram while still blocking Parler, and also alleging it is being used by hate groups and extremists to attack the Capitol. The petition charges Apple with allowing Telegram to be available on App Store despite the company's knowledge that Telegram is being used to "intimidate, threaten, and coerce members of the public." Protests have erupted in Tamil Nadu demanding a ban on Samantha's debut Hindi web series 'The Family Man 2', which is accused of misrepresenting the Eelam Tamil community in Sri Lanka and the LTTE organisation. The hit Hindi web series 'The Family Man' starring Manoj Bajpayee will see the protagonist return as Srikant Tiwari in the sequel, along with Priyamani and Samantha in pivotal roles is directed by Raj & DK. It is expected to be released on Amazon Prime soon. The show's trailer which was released recently shows Samantha as a Sri Lankan woman, who also essays the role of an LTTE member and someone with links to Pakistan and other terrorist outfits. Samantha plays LTTE woman as Twitter trends #FamilyMan2AgainstTamils Certain visuals from the trailer have raised grave concern among the show's fans in Tamil Nadu who are anguished over the portrayal of the Tamil Eelam community as terrorists. The day the trailer was released, there were protests on Twitter against the web series. A hashtag was also trending on social media that urged Amazon not to broadcast the series. It is imperative to note that NTK founder Seeman who is known to have had a great fascination and a personal connection himself with the LLTE has raised strong objection against the show. In his statement to the media regarding this, the director-turned-politician opined, "The preview of 'The Family Man 2', which has been announced for release on the Amazon Prime website, and the footage featured in it are shocking. It is obvious that the series, which portrays the LTTE as terrorists and seeks to portray Tamil people as violent, is portrayed as such intentionally and the mere thought of broadcasting it is akin to causing violence against the Tamil community. While it is no coincidence that the plot of the series, which will be released in Hindi, was filmed in Chennai, an Eelam woman is portrayed as a terrorist and the colour of her outfit bears a stark resemblance to that of an LTTE uniform, with reference to the terrorist group's connection with Pakistani ISI. Cast faces backlash for portraying Tamils as terrorists in The Family Man 2 The attempt to portray Tamil people in this work of fiction as terrorists through the web series has been highly condemned, in particular by politicians from Dravidian parties. Seeman also urged the complete abolition of the telecast of this series, which seeks to portray the Tamil Eelam people who are already on the "brink of extinction" as the greatest pains, great wounds and injustices inflicted on society. And the audacity to portray the Tamil people as violent extremists is also reprehensible, he added. Seeman also warned the makers of the series that if refuse to pay heed to their demand and broadcast The Family Man 2 online, they will face the "worst possible repercussions" if the Tamil people are misrepresented. Notably, there is opposition not only to the web series but also against Samantha who starred in the series. Some have raised banners against the actor for allegedly insulting Tamil people and Tamil identity. 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. Manju Warrier is a celebrated veteran actor who has been working in the Malayalam film industry since the early 2000s. She has worked in a variety of films in the last few years, most of which have been received extremely well by the fans. The actor does not shy away from experimenting with her roles and some of her films are proof of how versatile and self-challenging she is, as an artist. Have a look at the list here. Manju Warriers unique role-selections 1. Jo And The Boy Jo And The Boy is a comedy-drama film that hit the theatres in 2015. The plot of the film revolves around a lady named Jo who finds inspiration in a kid. She aims at becoming an animator and even quit her job to pursue her dreams. The film has been directed by Rojin Thomas and features Sanoop Santhosh and Pearle Maaney, amongst others. 2. Aami Aami is a drama film that hit the theatres in 2018. The plot of this film revolves around the life of Kamala Suraiya, who was lovingly called Madhavi Kutty. She was a renowned writer from Punnayurkulam in Thrissur, who lived an extraordinary life despite various obstacles. The film stars actors like Anoop Menon and Tovino Thomas in key roles. 3. How Old Are You How Old Are You is a drama film which hit the theatres in 2014. The plot of this film revolves around the life of a middle-aged woman who is trying to change her life and fly off to Ireland. The film showcases Manju Warrier as an ordinary, strong, and driven Indian woman who tries to take control of her life. 4. Rani Padmini Rani Padmini is a 2015 film that celebrates womanhood and their unique bonds with each other. The plot of the film revolves around two women with polarizing personalities who grow fond of each other, over time. The film has been directed by Aashiq Abu and stars Rima Kallingal and Sreenath Basi in key roles. 4. The Preist The Preist is a thriller film which released in the year 2021. The plot of the film revolves around a series of mysterious suicides and the efforts that go into solving them. It stars Mammootty in the lead role, alongside Manju Warrier and Nikhila Vimal. The film, The Preist, has been directed by Jofin T Chacko and was well-received amongst the people. IMAGE: MANJU WARRIOR INSTAGRAM 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. Inside Red China by Helen Foster After Edgar Snow's stories on Red China caused a great sensation, his wife, Helen Foster, realized that Snow's journey had become part of the history of China. With all the interviews and other accounts Snow brought back about Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Peng Dehuai and others, she decided that she would continue with Snow's unfinished trip to Yan'an to get more first-hand information about the CPC leaders and the Red Army. In May 1937, Helen finally made her way to Yan'an, where she had many in-depth conversations with Mao Zedong about the Chinese revolution. One day, Mao Zedong handed her a copy of the CPC's Ten-Point Program for Resisting Japanese Aggression and Saving the Nation. With his eyes lit up, he talked about how, working with the Nanking government, these ten points could be achieved and the Japanese imperialism would be defeated; and how it may be the end of China if otherwise. In Helen's eyes, Mao Zedong was like a god on the Olympus in the small yet bustling town of Yan'an. "Big" was the word she used to describe this leader of the revolutionary base. He would provide the contour of a policy or theory and leave the details to others to execute. As an individual, he was least insignificant, selfish, mediocre or revengeful. He was a product of the Chinese revolution. At the same time, Helen also saw the other side of Mao Zedong. He was an ordinary but larger than life person, the epitome of China, and the representation of the peasants who accounted for 80 percent of the population in his country. Health Minister asked to redraw plan to produce Chinese vaccines here By Damith Wickremasekara View(s): View(s): Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi has proposed to the Cabinet that a joint venture with a Chinese company be set up to produce COVID-19 vaccine for five years, but the Cabinet wants the Minster to review the proposal as the pandemic may not last that long. The ministers proposal seeks permission to produce in Sri Lanka a second Chinese vaccine which is yet to be granted approval by the World Health Organisation. Accordingly, the Chinese company Sinovac Biotech has expressed its interest to produce the vaccine and held discussions with a local company for the production, the proposal noted. The Health Minister has sought cabinet approval to reach an agreement for a buyback system where Sri Lanka will purchase the products and in the event of an excess, they could be exported. Accordingly, the cabinet paper sought approval for the production of the vaccine for a five year period and to enter into an agreement for the State Pharmaceutical Corporation (SPC) to buy the Sinovac vaccines. The ministers justification was that the government had run into problems in providing the required number of vaccines for COVID-19 cases in view of the high global demand for the vaccine. The cabinet resolved that the proposal should be reconsidered after discussions were held with the relevant parties including the Chinese company. The minister was advised to resubmit the proposal. The move came despite Government claiming that the required number of vaccines has already been ordered from different sources. Telly industrys several celebrities jetted off to the Maldives for a week-long vacation before the lockdown took place in Mumbai, due to the increasing COVID-19 cases. While some fans complimented their photos, many also fumed over the stars for showing off their privilege during such tough times. Here's a list of TV actors who shared several pics from their holiday before the lockdown. Hina Khan says travel brings more power Actor Hina Khan escaped to the Maldives on March 18 to enjoy a short break. She shared many glimpses while flaunting her vibrant outfits. She remarked that travelling brings more power and wrote, The Maldives is my kind of happy place, Love it. Shefali Jariwala Shefali Jariwala and Parag Tyagi's series of pics while being seated in a bathtub went viral in no time. The duo shared many sets of pics and also penned heartening notes for each other. "She dreams in shades of blue," wrote the Kaanta Laga actor. Surbhi Jyoti Surbhi Jyoti headed to the destination with her friends - Srishty Rode, Rithvik Dhanjani, Arryaman Seth, and others. The Qubool Hai actor's 'So Pretty challenge' video by Reyanna Maria with Rithvik sparked many dating rumours too. Meanwhile, Srishty's video on the viral song Nadiyon Par also went viral. Namish Taneja Namish Taneja of the Swaragini fame was holidaying in the Maldives with his wife Aanchal Sharma. He even tested positive for the novel Coronavirus, a few days before he was supposed to be flying back to India. He was quarantined at the resort. Arrti Singh Reality show participant Arrti Singh's pics in a blue bodysuit garnered the attention of many on the internet as fans rushed to compliment her look. Arrti reached the destination on April 10 and returned after a few days. Aamna Sharif Kasautii Zindagii Kay actor Aamna Sharif, who played the role of Komolika in the show, jetted off in February. From enjoying the beautiful beaches and the serenity of the island to enjoying the queen-size breakfast by the pool, Aamna shared all the pics from her holiday. Her photos in a baby pink bikini took the internet by storm. (IMAGE: HINA KHAN/SURBHI JYOTI'S INSTAGRAM) 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. With Cyclone Yaas nearing, the Odisha government on Sunday, May 23, instructed the evacuation of vulnerable people to safety. During this challenging time, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has ordered that oxygen be delivered to hospitals both within and outside the state. For deployment in cyclone-affected areas, the state government has prepared 66 ODRAF, 22 NDRF, and 177 fire service teams. The CMO informed that the required arrangements have also been made to ensure the availability of electricity and water in the affected areas. Odisha govt deploys ODRAF, NDRF Chief Minister's Office tweeted, "DMs & SPs instructed to ensure the evacuation of vulnerable people to safety. CM Naveen Patnaik has directed to ensure the supply of Oxygen to hospitals within & outside the State during this difficult time. Reviewing #Odisha's preparedness for the probable cyclone situation, CM @Naveen_Odisha stressed that all lives are precious for the Govt & instructed officials to ensure flawless arrangements. CM assured the people of Govt's preparedness & said that there's no need to be worried. pic.twitter.com/0zjXfq5262 CMO Odisha (@CMO_Odisha) May 23, 2021 He added, "State Government has prepared 66 ODRAF, 22 NDRF & 177 Fire service teams for deployment in cyclone-affected areas. Necessary arrangements have also been made to ensure electricity & water supply." The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) informed on Saturday that a low-pressure system developed over the east-central Bay of Bengal will intensify into a cyclonic storm by May 24. It will intensify further into a 'Very Severe Cyclonic Storm,' according to the IMD, which will pass north-northwestwards, crossing West Bengal and the adjacent north Odisha and Bangladesh coasts on May 26 evening. Cyclone Yaas update The IMD had previously predicted that cyclonic storm Yaas would hit the coasts of Odisha and West Bengal on May 26, bringing heavy rain to both states from May 22 to 26. Fishermen in West Bengal have been advised not to go out into the sea from May 23 evening onwards due to the cyclonic storm Yaas, and those in the deep sea should return to the coast by May 23 morning. Forces started taking precautionary measures as soon as the IMD released the cyclonic warning. Marinos and fishermen in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands were informed of the weather warning by Indian Coast Guard ships, which advised them to return to shore to prevent any casualties. The Centre has also advised the states to ensure that all health departments are fully supplied with required supplies in the event of a pandemic. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reviewed the preparedness on Thursday as cyclone warnings were issued. The Indian Air Force (IAF) has also stepped up, deploying one C-17, three C-130s, and two An-32s to transport NDRF personnel from Jamnagar to Bhubaneswar and Kolkata. Following the devastation caused by cyclone Amphan last year in West Bengal and Odisha, the states are now preparing for Yaas. Picture Credit: PTI West Bengal officials, on Saturday, informed that the state has taken all precautionary measures to deal with 'Cyclone Yaas' which is likely to hit the state on May 26. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will personally monitor the situation by staying in the control room that has been set for crisis management, added officials. Taking on to Twitter, the Chief Minister highlighted that control rooms with phone number- 070 & 033-22143526 has been put in place. Mamata Banerjee also tweeted that 'relief materials have been dispatched and quick response team is mobilised'. Fishermen have been alerted to immediately return. 24x7 control rooms have been set up (Ph No - 1070 & 033-22143526). All agencies have been asked to spring into action. Relief materials have been dispatched & Quick Response Teams are mobilised. I request all to stay alert.(3/3) Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) May 22, 2021 In a series of tweets, the CM mentioned that she has reviewed the 'disaster management preparedness with alert generated to fishermen to immediately return from fishing hamlets. I have extensively reviewed the Disaster Management preparedness with regards to the impending Yaas cyclone today afternoon with all senior officers of relevant Central & State agencies along with DMs & SPs.(1/3) Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) May 22, 2021 On Thursday, the Chief Minister held a high-level meeting with state officials to review the preparedness of the situation after IMD alerted that Cydclone Yaas will hit the state. Apart from state, Central forces have also prepared to avoid any casualties. After Cyclone Tauktae, the forces have prepared themselves for next natural calamity. IMD issues alert for West Bengal and Odisha The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), issued a warning for West Bengal, Odisha that might witness heavy rainfall along with strong winds on the morning of May 26. Apart from these two states, Tamil Nadu, Andara Pradesh, Andaman, and Nicobar might also see the effect. Kolkata Metrological Department head, Dr. Sanjib Bandyopadhyay informed that rainfall is predicted to start from 25th May. According to the IMD's official statement, a cyclonic circulation is forming on the Southeast and adjoining Central Bay of Bengal. Low pressure area has formed over eastcentral BoB today morning. To intensify into a CS by 24th May. To intensify further into Very Severe Cyclonic Storm, move north-northwestwards and cross West Bengal and adjoining north Odisha & Bangladesh coasts around 26th evening. pic.twitter.com/DakiLqpw0f India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) May 22, 2021 Cyclone Yaas According to the weather officials, low pressure is likely to form on the North Andaman Sea which is predicted to intensify into cyclone Yaas. Dr. Sanjib Bandyopadhyay, head of the Kolkata Metrological Department said that the cyclone would continue to move northwestwards, intensify further and reach North Bay of Bengal near Odisha, West Bengal coast around 26th May morning. Apart from the disaster management preparations, the Centre has asked all the alerted states to ensure that health departments are equipped with essentials. Additionally, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has also swung into action with deployment of one C-17, three C-130s, and two An-32s for transportation of NDRF personnel from Jamnagar to Bhubaneswar and Kolkata. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Director General SN Pradhan on Sunday informed that they have started positioning rescue teams in West Bengal and Odisha ahead of Yaas. The cyclonic storm YAAS will hit with the speed of 120-130 km per hour and assured that NDRF is ready to handle any kind of situation, added NDRF DG. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) had previously predicted that cyclonic storm Yaas would reach the coasts of Odisha and West Bengal on May 26 and that both states would see heavy rain from May 22 to 26. "The cyclonic storm Yaas will hit the states at the speed of 120-130 km per hour. NDRF has already deployed it teams and is ready to handle any kind of situation," said SN Pradhan. NDRF DG Pradhan further informed that the cyclone will land in the northern part of the Bay of Bengal. It could land at East Medinipur, Sundarban areas in West Bengal or Odisha in Bhubaneswar. He also informed about the teams that have been deployed in Odisha and West Bengal: At present, 75 teams are ready and 59 teams have already been deployed. 16 teams are on standby if needed. Indian Air Force sent various teams to West Bengal and Bhubaneswar Odisha govt sought 27 NDRF teams, we have sent 22 and 5 from local. 35 NDRF teams sent to West Bengal. NDRF DG further added that it is very difficult to handle severe cyclone amid the COVID-19 pandemic as team members have to visit the infected areas. "It is very difficult to handle the severe cyclone, amid COVID-19. Team members have to go to infected areas-- we have arranged Doctors for each team. It will intensify into a very severe Cyclonic Storm from 25 midnight and will move north-northwestwards and will reach North Bay of Bengal near West Bengal and adjoining north Odisha and Bangladesh coasts around May 26," said SN Pradhan. PM Modi Holds Meeting On Sunday, In order to review the preparedness, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting on Cyclone Yaas with top Ministers and senior government officials. PM Narendra Modi attends meeting with senior govt officials & reps from National Disaster Management Authority, Secretaries from Telecom, Power, Civil aviation, Earth Sciences Ministries reviewing preparations against approaching #CycloneYaas Union HM Amit Shah was also present pic.twitter.com/612KZ6mr0y ANI (@ANI) May 23, 2021 Cyclone Yaas On Saturday, the IMD confirmed that the cyclonic storm was moving swiftly in the northwest direction and will transform into a complete cyclonic storm by May 26. The body has issued a warning for West Bengal and Odisha that might witness heavy rainfall along with strong winds on the morning of May 26. Apart from these two states, Tamil Nadu, Andara Pradesh, Andaman, and Nicobar are also expected to face the effects of Cyclone Yaas. "Low-pressure area has formed over east-central BoB today morning. To intensify into a CS by 24th May. To intensify further into Very Severe Cyclonic Storm, move north-northwestwards and cross West Bengal and adjoining north Odisha & Bangladesh coasts around 26th evening," as per IMD's update. Low pressure area has formed over eastcentral BoB today morning. To intensify into a CS by 24th May. To intensify further into Very Severe Cyclonic Storm, move north-northwestwards and cross West Bengal and adjoining north Odisha & Bangladesh coasts around 26th evening. pic.twitter.com/DakiLqpw0f India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) May 22, 2021 (Image Credits: PTI/ANI) The Earth Anthem, originally penned by Indian diplomat and poet Abhay Kumar, was, on May 22, translated into 100 languages. The translation was made as the people across borders marked International Day for Biological Diversity, an occasion dedicated to promoting biodiversity issues. According to ANI, the celebratory song is inspired by the Sanskrit phrase Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, which means the world is one family. United we stand as flora and fauna/ United we stand as species of one Earth", reads a line from the poem expressing solidarity with all the livings species on our planet and calls for protecting the rich biodiversity on Earth. 'Celebration of rich biodiversity' Kumar, who has served at discreet diplomatic capabilities in countries including Russia, Madagascar, Nepal, composed the poem while serving in the Russian city of St. Petersburg in 2008. Since its inception, the Earth Anthem has not only been translated in a myriad range of languages but has also been performed across the globe on World Environment Day and Earth Day. Earth Anthem calls for unity of all the species on Earth and among all the people and all the nations to fight the triple crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental pollution. The lyrical poem also calls people to rise over our differences and unite to save our planet for future generations besides understanding the symbiosis or mutual interdependence between humans and other species of the planet. International Biodiversity Day International Day for Biological Diversity is a United Nations-sanctioned day that aims to promote understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. This day is celebrated on May 22 each year since 2001. Biodiversity is the living fabric of our planet. UNESCO states that it underpins human well-being in the present and in the future, and its rapid decline threatens nature and people alike. To reverse this decline, it is important for people to take their roles, actions and relationships with biodiversity seriously. The 2021 theme for International Day for Biological Diversity is Were part of the solution. As per the Convention on Biological Diversity, the slogan was chosen to be a continuation of the momentum generated last year under the over-arching theme, Our solutions are in nature, which served as a reminder that biodiversity remains the answer to several sustainable development challenges. Image: ANI/theabhayk/Twitter As part of the ongoing COVID Relief Operation 'Samudra Setu II launched by the Indian Navy, the Indian Naval Ship (INS) Jalashwa arrived in Visakhapatnam on Sunday with critical COVID relief consignment including oxygen cylinders and ventilators from Brunei and Singapore. INS Jalawsha reached with 18 cryogenic oxygen tanks and other critical COVID care material including 3,650 oxygen cylinders and 39 ventilators from Brunei and Singapore. "Operation Samudra Setu II - INS Jalashwa arrives Visakhapatnam with Critical COVID Relief Consignment including oxygen cylinders and ventilator from Brunei and Singapore," said the Indian Navy. Taking to Twitter, the Indian Navy said that the COVID relief materials including oxygen containers and ventilators were facilitated by the Indian Missions and the consignments are being handed over to Government agencies in various States and NGOs. The #COVID relief materials including Oxygen Tanks, Cylinders & Ventilators were facilitated by the #IndianMissions and the consignments are being handed over to Govt agencies in various States and #NGOs @DefenceMinIndia @SpokespersonMoD @indiannavy pic.twitter.com/9mr2ZZliS1 Defence PRO Visakhapatnam (@PRO_Vizag) May 23, 2021 INS Trikand Meanwhile, INS Trikand reached Mumbai today with 40 metric tonnes of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) from Qatar-- with two Liquid Med O2 (LMO) containers of 20 MT each & 100 O2 cylinders. According to the Navy, INS Trikand is part of seven ships deployed for COVID relief Operation 'Samudra Setu II' for shipment of Liquid Medical Oxygen and associated medical equipment from friendly foreign countries in the Persian Gulf and southeast Asia. The Indian Navy said, "Indian Navy assets continue to remain deployed on multiple missions in support of nation's fight against COVID-19, search and rescue for Cyclone Taukate and in readiness for Cyclone Yaas." Similarly, on May 10, INS Airavat arrived in Visakhapatnam with eight cryogenic oxygen tanks and approximately 4,000 oxygen cylinders along with other critical medical equipment/supplies from Singapore. Operation Samudra Setu-II Indian Navy had launched Operation Samudra Setu-II to augment the ongoing national mission for meeting oxygen requirements in view of the surge in cases of COVID-19. Seven Indian Navy Ships has been deployed under this operation- Kolkata, Kochi, Talwar, Tabar, Trikand, Jalashwa, and Airavat. Indian Navy also has the surge capability, to deploy more ships when the need arises to further the nation's fight against COVID-19. It is pertinent that the ships are combat-ready and capable of meeting any contingency in keeping with the attributes of the versatility of sea power. #IndianNavy launches Operation #SamudraSetu_II to augment ongoing national mission #OxygenExpress. Mission deployed warships will undertake shipment of liquid #Oxygen filled cryogenic containers & associated medical equipment in support of nations #FightAgainstCOVID19 (1/2). pic.twitter.com/fLRWobOp7U SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) April 30, 2021 Operation Samudra Setu was launched last year by the Navy and around 4000 Indian citizens stranded in neighbouring countries, amidst COVID 19 outbreak, were successfully repatriated back to India. COVID-19 Situation in India As per the Union Health Ministry, India reported 2,40,842 new COVID-19 cases, 3,55,102 discharges & 3,741 deaths in last 24 hours. Total cases: 2,65,30,132 Total discharges: 2,34,25,467 Death toll: 2,99,266 Active cases: 28,05,399 Total vaccination: 19,50,04,184 (With ANI Inputs) (Image Credits: @PRO_Vizag-Twitter) Cyclone Yaas: PM Modi To Hold Meeting With HM, Top Officials To Review Preparedness Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to hold a review meeting on Cyclone Yaas with top ministers and senior government officials on Sunday. The meeting will feature representatives from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) along with Secretaries from Telecom, Power, Civil Aviation, Earth Sciences Ministries. Preparations to tackle the cyclonic storm will be discussed in the meeting. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other Ministers from the Cabinet are also expected to join PM Modi. PM Modi to hold a meeting with senior govt officials & reps from National Disaster Management Authority, Secretaries from Telecom, Power, Civil aviation, Earth Sciences Ministries to review preparations against approaching #CycloneYaas today. HM & other ministers will also join. pic.twitter.com/NHVf1Jf4Da ANI (@ANI) May 23, 2021 Read full story here Olympian Sushil Kumar Arrested By Delhi Police Special Cell In Chhatrasal Stadium Case Weeks after Sushil Kumar was reported absconding, the Delhi Police on Sunday arrested the Olympic wrestler in the Chhatrasal Stadium brawl case. As per Special CP-Special Cell Neeraj Thakur, Sushil Kumar was arrested in Delhi on Sunday morning along with his associate Ajay Kumar in the murder of 23-year-old junior wrestler Sagar Rana. A team of Special Cell SR led by Inspector Shivkumar, inspector Karambir and supervised by ACP Attar Singh has arrested the wrestler Sushil Kumar and Ajay from Mundka area of the national capital. "Wrestler Sushil Kumar has not been arrested yet. A team of Delhi Police is present in Punjab," says a Senior Official of Delhi Police A non-bailable warrant was issued against Sushil Kumar & others in case relating to the killing of 23-year-old Sagar Rana at Chhatrasal Stadium ANI (@ANI) May 23, 2021 Read full story here Bangladesh Lifts Air Travel Ban To Israel, Issues New Passport Amid Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Joining other Muslim-majority countries by easing its stance towards Israel, Bangladesh on Saturday, lifted its travel ban to Israel - hinting at a shift in Bangla-Israel relations. Bangladeshi passports which earlier read 'This passport is valid for all countries for the world except Israel' now reads 'This passport is valid for all countries for the world', as per Bangladeshi news site 'Weekly blitz'. Bangladesh which backs a sovereign Palestinian state is one of the 26 countries which did not recognize Israel as a state over the Israel-Palestine conflict. Read full story here Bihar: IMA Forms 8-member Panel To Probe 96 Doctor Fatalities In State In 2nd COVID Wave With doctor fatalities rising amid India's second COVID wave, the Indian Medical Association (IMA)'s Bihar Branch has constituted an eight-member committee on Saturday, to probe the reason of the rise in deaths. The committee which will be headed by Dr. Sahjanand Prasad Singh - IMA President-elect - will ascertain as to why Bihar tops the list of doctor deaths due to COVID in India. Bihar has seen 96 fatalities in doctors as per IMA. Read full story here COVID-19: Family Members, Dependents Now Covered Under Vaccination At Workplaces Family members and dependents of workers can now also be covered under the COVID-19 inoculation drive at industrial and workplace vaccination centers, announced by the Health Ministry on Saturday. In a letter to all chief secretaries, the Health Ministry said, The family members and dependents of the workers, as defined by the respective employers, can also be covered with COVID-19 vaccination at the Industrial CVCS (COVID Vaccination Centers) and the Workplace CVCS." Read full story here Indore, May 23 (PTI) Investigators are trying to ascertain whether the three persons, including two women, detained for allegedly indulging in 'suspicious activities' in the Army area in Mhow in Madhya Pradesh, were spying for Pakistan, officials said on Sunday. The trio has been questioned by Intelligence officers and police. "We have found important clues about the two women and a man in Mhow region and our investigation and inquiries are continuing regarding their contacts with some suspected people from Pakistan through online mediums," the officer said. Indore's Inspector General of Police (IG) Harinarayanachari Mishra said the three detainees are yet to be arrested. Through a high-level investigation, it is being ascertained whether these people were spying for Pakistan in the nearby military cantonment Mhow, located about 37 km away from Indore, the officer said. Police and intelligence agencies have been interrogating the trio on the basis of clues about their suspicious online links with some people from Pakistan. "We are investigating the matter," the officer said without elaborating. According to sources, Army intelligence personnel had been tailing the trio for the last one month and found them clicking pictures of the Military Hospital and other Army buildings situated near Mall Road in Mhow on Wednesday evening. Thereafter, with the help of civil police, both the women were detained and when sensitive information was found in their mobile phones, senior police and Army officers were informed about it, they had said. PTI HWP ADU NSK NSK (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) In the Chhatrasal Stadium Case, various media reports all through Saturday claimed that Olympian wrestler Sushil Kumar has been arrested in Jalandhar. Now, the Delhi Police has rubbished the reports that have created a huge buzz. Speaking to Republic TV, Delhi Police joint commissioner of Police Northern Range, SS Yadav refuted the reports of the wrestler's arrest and said that Sushil Kumar is still on the run. The reports also claimed that Sushil Kumar along with his associate Ajay Kumar has been arrested - this is untrue. "Sushil Kumar has not been arrested," said Delhi Police joint commissioner SS Yadav. As per sources, Sushil Kumar's location is said to be traced to Punjab. Ten teams were sent to nab him. Till Saturday evening he wasn't found anywhere. Sushil Kumar is using 12 different numbers to dodge the police, sources said. On Friday, it was revealed that eleven security guards who were employed at Delhi's Chhatrasal Stadium during the brawl between two groups have been replaced with new ones by the administration. Olympian Sushil Kumar has been under the scanner for his alleged involvement in the murder of wrestler Sagar Rana reportedly as a result of a brawl between two groups at the Chhatrasal Stadium. As per sources, the old security guards were not informed of the reason for the change, while the CISF has been deployed at the Stadium. Sushil Kumar's anticipatory bail plea dismissed Earlier on Tuesday, the accused wrestler's anticipatory bail plea in connection with the murder case was dismissed by a Delhi Court in Rohini. Additional Sessions Judge Jagdish Kumar after hearing the arguments had reserved the order on the pre-arrest bail filed by the two-time Olympic medal-winning wrestler Sushil Kumar. Fearing arrest, the wrestler had moved the Rohini court in Delhi on May 17 seeking anticipatory bail, asserting that the probe against him is biased and that no injuries caused are attributable to him. There were also reports of him being photographed, allegedly in Meerut at a toll plaza. What Is Chhatrasal Stadium Case? Sagar Rana died, while two of his friends got injured, after they were allegedly assaulted by Sushil Kumar and other wrestlers on May 4 night, at the Chhatrasal Stadium premises in the national capital. According to the police, the brawl involved Sushil Kumar, Ajay, Prince Dalal, Sonu, Sagar, Amit and others. Dalal, a resident of Jhajjar in Haryana, was held in the case. A case was registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Arms Act at the Model Town Police Station. Kumar is on the run since Rana's death and the police are making efforts to trace him by conducting raids in the Delhi-NCR region and neighbouring states. (Image Credits: PTI) STORY: Motorsport Prince William - A motor fit for a king! Prince William gives an Extreme E car a spin LENGTH: 01:33 FIRST RUN: RESTRICTIONS: See Script TYPE: Nat sound SOURCE: VNR STORY NUMBER: 5276943 DATELINE: 22nd May 2021 - Fife, Scotland, UK RESTRICTIONS: Use on broadcast and digital channels, including social. Available worldwide. Can be used for the duration of your current contract. No takedown necessary for stand alone digital users. All usage subject to rights licensed in contract. For any questions regarding rights restrictions please contact planning@sntv.com SHOTLIST: Knockhill Racing Circuit, Fife, Scotland, UK. 22nd May 2021. +++ PART MUTE FROM SOURCE +++ 1. 00:00 MUTE SHOT. Various of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, being welcomed to the track and inspecting the off-road electric vehicle 2. 00:19 Prince William (right, in helmet) getting into the vehicle with 3. 00:37 Pair drive away 4. 00:39 Vehicle on the track 5. 00:44 In-car with Andretti United's Catie Munnings driving 6. 00:57 Vehicle on the track 7. 01:02 In-car with Prince William driving 8. 01:28 Vehicle on the track SOURCE: VNR DURATION: 01:33 STORYLINE: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, was given a masterclass in electric racing on Saturday at the Knockhill Racing Circuit in Scotland with Extreme E, the pioneering series using sport to highlight global climate change issues. The test drive was organised ahead of COP 26, which takes place in Glasgow later this year. As well as gaining an understanding about the series' electrification, environment and equality background, the Prince took a look at Extreme E's hydrogen fuel cell - created in collaboration with British-based AFC Energy - which charges its electric race fleet using zero-emission energy. Prince William was hosted by Extreme E CEO and Founder Alejandro Agag, a driving force behind the electric motorsport revolution and Adam Bond, CEO of AFC Energy, along with members of two of Extreme E's British teams - George Imafidon, a Junior Engineer on Lewis Hamilton's X44 team and driver Catie Munnings, who races for the Andretti United team. She was on hand to show the Prince how to get the best out of the series' electric race vehicle. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) Major fire on ship carrying dangerous chemicals off Colombo Port By Chris Kamalendran View(s): View(s): Sri Lanka Air Force, Navy and Ports Authority firefighters were yesterday battling a major fire off the Colombo Port on a Singaporean vessel carrying chemicals. A senior navy official said the intensity of the fire was increasing after leakage of the chemicals inside the vessel. However, 25 crew members including Indians and Chinese were still on board and were out of danger, Commodore Indika Silva said. He said the vessel was 9.5 nautical miles off the Colombo Port and around the Uswetakeiywa area in Wattala. The vessel X-Press Pearl had sailed from the north Indian Port of Gujarat and was enroute to Singapore via Colombo when it was caught in a storm leading to damages to the chemical containers. The fire broke out when the vessel was anchored off the Colombo Port where it was due to unload 500 containers and reload 600 containers from Colombo. Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) chairperson Dharshani Lahandapura told the Sunday Times the ship was considered to be carrying dangerous cargo as it contained chemicals including Nitric Acid and Methyl . She said the ship also had hazardous waste which was being shipped to Singapore. She said that the container which had started leaking has more than 25 MT of Nitric Acid. The priority will be to douse the fire and then move the ship to a safe zone before making any attempt to board the ship, she said. In September last year, the vessel MV New Diamond carrying 270,000 tonnes of crude oil was caught fire off the eastern coast. Patrice Talon was sworn in as president of the African state of Benin for a second term Sunday, after being re-elected last month amid controversy. The investiture ceremony took place at the Charles De Gaulle Stadium in the capital of Porto Novo. "I will be the president of all Beninese," Talon said in his inaugural speech. "The elections and the misunderstandings or quarrels they generate are now a thing of the past." "In cohesion, all together, let's get to work to definitively consecrate the recovery of the great nation that we are," he added. The election campaign was marred by violent demonstrations. And a number of government critics - including possible presidential candidates and former ministers - were arrested over allegations such as criminal association and money laundering. Defeated presidential candidate Alassane Soumanou, who attended Sunday's ceremony, said he would monitor the government's performance. "When it's good we will support it," he said. "If it's not good, we will fight it." (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) STORY: Nigeria Army Burial - Funeral of Nigeria Chief of Army staff, officers killed in plane crash LENGTH: 01:42 FIRST RUN: 2032 RESTRICTIONS: TYPE: Natsound SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS STORY NUMBER: 4327265 DATELINE: 22 May 2021 - Abuja SHOTLIST: RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Abuja - 22 May 2021 1. Various of military officers carrying coffins covered with Nigerian flags 2. Mid of woman crying 3. Mid of woman carrying a little boy crying 4. Various of military officers carrying a coffin covered with the Nigerian flag 5. Wide of mourners and military personnel standing next to a coffin 6. Mid of military personnel leaving the coffin 7. Mid of people seated praying 8. Mid of military personnel firing rifle volleys 9. Various of service members saluting 10. Wide of burials STORYLINE: Nigeria's Chief of Army staff Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru and ten other officers who were killed in a plane crash were laid to rest in Abuja on Saturday. The military officials died when the plane crashed on Friday after making an official trip to Kaduna state. There was no immediate information provided about what may have caused the plane crash, but Brigadier Gen. Mohammed Yerima said more details would be released soon. The names of the other military officials who died were not made public. The U.S. diplomatic mission to Nigeria called Attahiru's death "a tremendous loss to Nigeria" on Twitter. Attahiru had been appointed to the position earlier this year by by President Muhammadu Buhari. =========================================================== Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: info@aparchive.com (ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) China has been invading its neighbour Bhutan for several years now, the latest research concluded. As per news agency ANI citing an Australian media report, the paper published by the journal Foreign Policy has stated that China has built an entire town, replete with roads, a power plant, two CPC buildings, a communications base, military and police outposts and a warehouse, almost 8 kilometres into Bhutan. In early April, China also welcomed a delegation of international visitors to the city of Kunming in Yunnan province. The delegation discussed Chinas mountainous southern border that remains uninhabited and consists of wild terrain. Bhutan has a population of 800,000 as opposed to Chinas massive 1.4 billion. Noting the difference in population, the research paper stated that there is little Bhutan can do except watching Beijings ambitious expansion of its territory and eating up large gulps of the tiny neighbour. "This involves a strategy that is more provocative than anything China has done on its land borders in the past," wrote Robert Barnett in Foreign Policy earlier this month, as per ANI. The largely Buddhist Bhutanese have a lot in common with the people living in Tibet that now lies within China. However, diplomatically and economically, the government in Thimpu has stronger ties with India. Meanwhile, Beijing doesn't even have an embassy in Bhutan. It is not new that China and Bhutan dont agree on the location of their 470-kilometre border. By some of the accounts, Beijing claims 12% of the territory governed by Thimpu. Both nations held their 25th meeting in Kunming concerning the frontier. China building whole town within another nation China is long known to have interfered in disputed territories and make its way to claim it, but reports stated that building a whole nation within the internationally recognised territory of another nation is striking even if the region is disputed. Named Gyalaphug, or Jieluobu in Chinese, an administration block at its centre features a hammer and sickle. Reportedly, a banner close by proclaims Resolutely uphold the core position of General Secretary Xi Jinping!" Reportedly, it is estimated that several hundred people and even more yaks could now live in Gyalaphug. That number is further boosted by a rotation of construction workers, party members, police and soldiers. "There is little that Bhutan can do," said Barnett as per ANI, considering that China would know it's evidently violating a 1998 agreement to leave the disputed areas be, reported Australian media outlet. IMAGE: AP Several hundred dog owners gathered with their pets outside the Greek Parliament on Sunday in protest against against a proposed new law that would mandate the sterilization of household pets. Protester Gegias Dimitris branded the draft law "unacceptable". Another demonstrator, Xiros Christos, described his dogs as his "children", and broke down as he accused the government of trying to take them away from him. The protesters dispersed peacefully after chanting slogans and listening to a speech. The draft law is currently under public consultation and is expected to be put to a vote this year. The Greek government says the legislation is trying to eliminate "amateur breeding" and its often abusive practices, as well as addressing the issue of stray animals. Earlier this month Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis tweeted that the new bill would include provisions to care for stray animals, support adoption, protect them from abuse and ensure their well-being. "It is time for Greece to take courageous steps towards the protection of our little friends," he added. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) Lithuania, on May 22 said that it was quitting the Chinese led 17+1 grouping and asked other European countries to quit it as well. In an email written to POLITICO, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis asserted that there was no such thing as 17+1 anymore adding that his country was out of it for practical purpose. Accusing the 16+ 1 project of diving the bloc, he said that it was high time for European Union (EU) to shift to a more uniting and efficient 27+1 format. In 2012, China started its 16+1 initiative in the Central and Eastern European Region (CEE), which later turned into 17+ 1 with the addition of Greece. Through the medium of the project, Beijing promised to inject capital, revamp old infrastructure and invest in locals, thus triggering a race amongst CEE state to become Chinas Gateway to Europe. However, almost a decade later, the once ambitious project has dwindled and only verbal promises remain. Earlier in February, China was scheduled to host its ninth summit with the CEE countries, however, it was postponed indefinitely due to coronavirus pandemic. Now, Lithuania has asked other EU members to follow its suit and step out of the pact. It is imperative to note that the Lithuanian parliament- the Seimas- earlier on Thursday, tagged the Chinese treatment of minority Uighurs as genocide and also demanded a United Nations (UN) probe into the camps in the countrys northwest Xinjiang region. EU to freeze discussions on Chinese deal This comes as Members of the European Parliament voted to freeze discussions on an investment deal with China until Beijing removes the retaliatory sanctions it imposed on EU lawmakers. According to ANI, the motion stalls the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) and it was passed by 599 MEPs, with 30 votes against and 58 abstentions. While taking to Twitter, Reinhard Butikofer, chair of the Parliament's delegation for relations with China said that the deal has definitely been put in the freezer. According to the motion, "any consideration of the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment, as well as any discussion on ratification by the European Parliament, has justifiably been frozen because the Chinese sanctions are in place. IMAGE: AP Pope Francis on Sunday prayed for protesters in Colombia, as well as people in eastern Congo facing the aftermath of a volcanic eruption. Francis made the remarks in an address to a crowd that had gathered at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican, for the pope's weekly Angelus prayer. "I pray that the beloved people of Colombia understand how to accept the gifts of the Holy Spirit so that through a serious dialogue they can find just solutions to the multiple problems that they are suffering from," he said. He urged "everyone to avoid, for humanitarian reasons, dangerous behaviour to the population as they exercise their right to peaceful protests." Protests in Colombia began last month after President Ivan Duque attempted to ram through a tax increase amid a pandemic that has left millions without work or food. Although he quickly backed down, protesters have remained on the streets, broadening their fight to include grievances ranging from the decrepit state of Colombia's health care and education systems to the slow implementation of a 2016 peace deal with Marxist rebels. Human rights groups such as Human Rights Watch say that the death toll since the protests began has risen to 55 and that in at least 15 cases the alleged aggressors were police. Francis also prayed for the people of the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo who were forced to flee their homes to escape the erupting Nyiragongo volcano. Mount Nyiragongo erupted for the first time in nearly two decades on Saturday, turning the night sky a fiery red and sending lava onto a major highway. The Pope also offered prayers for Christians in China. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) EU has accidentally blocked the UK authorized critical lung cancer drug as it moved the production to Dublin citing the Brexit red tape on the exports, the Northern Ireland protocol, and other arrangements of the post-Brexit deal, according to UK's press reports. Hundreds of vital packages were wasted of the medication called Osimertinib sold under brand name Tagrisso for cancer treatment, after EU told the firm that it cannot be authorized under an international scheme. The drug, used to treat non-small cell cancer, was supposed to have approval by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) last month. But the EU stalled the review, which was supposed to be held by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, a subgroup of the EMA. The medicine, however, has already been licensed in both the UK and EU since 2016. In May, although, the UK issued new usage of the medicine at an earlier stage in the cancer disease for the patients' post surgery to curb episodes of resurgence. This could increase the survival rates by up to 75 percent. EU on Saturday said that the drug will not be approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and hence will not be available to the cancer patients living in Northern Ireland (NI). There are 2 types of Brexit red tape: The first - form-filling, visas, customs paperwork. We are now drowning in that red tape. The second - regulation relating to our rights, standards and protections. Thats the red tape Tories want to cut. The red tape BS is v sly indeed. sarah murphy (@13sarahmurphy) May 20, 2021 It was only after the deal was done we discovered that we also needed a Movement guarantee to use our bonded facility fully, an organic importer license to sell the wines & of course still to come is the prospect of Vi-1 certificates. Thats 11 different barriers to trade. 9/19 Daniel Lambert (Wines). (@DanielLambert29) May 14, 2021 The Northern Ireland protocol adheres to some of the EU rules and regulations, and the commission on Saturday insisted that because the EU block did not carry out the assessment of osimertinib, the drug cannot be prescribed within the bloc or within Northern Ireland. Experts lashed out at the commission calling the EUs understanding of the post Brexit regulations an embarrassment as they reminded on British TV networks that Northern Ireland (NI) must have the same access to the full range of medicines as the rest of the UK. A Belfast news journalist Sam McBride first reported on the issue of the EUs blockade of a cancer drug to NI in a report, carried by News Letter, that stated EU withheld the Osimertinib drug from patients in Northern Ireland citing the laws around the Irish Sea border of the post-Brexit deal. Shortly, the European Commission spokesman Daniel Ferrie fired tweets of denunciation at McBride saying this is entirely incorrect. Others called it a disreputable attempt by Boris Johnsons government to undermine the protocol, including outgoing DUP Leader & NI First Minister Arlene Foster. GB and NI protocol divergence & implications Cancer Research UKs public affairs manager in Northern Ireland, Margaret Carr, warned in a statement to Mirror that the divergence of regulations between GB and NI will have implications on the cancer patients, who will be devoid of the medication. Meanwhile, the leader of the Traditional Unionist Voice party, Jim Allister termed the confusion a health disaster for those in need. He called for an inquiry as he insisted that the life-giving cancer drugs prohibition in Northern Ireland was unfair to have been left under the control of the EU Medicines Agency. Being denied what fellow UK citizens can avail of is the iniquity of the protocol, Allister reportedly said. STORY: Peru Candidate Fujimori Protest - Thousands protest against new Fujimori candidacy LENGTH: 02:12 FIRST RUN: 0024 RESTRICTIONS: TYPE: Spanish/ Natsound SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS STORY NUMBER: 4327272 DATELINE: 22 May 2021 - Lima SHOTLIST: RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Lima - 22 May 2021 1. Various of crowd in public square, holding a large Peruvian flag 2. Various of demonstrators holding signs with the faces murdered by paramilitary groups during Fujimori's mandate 3. Person holding sign against Keiko Fujimori's candidacy 4. Relatives of forcefully sterilized women, holding banner reading (Spanish) "Forced sterilizations are crimes against humanity." 5. Various of demonstrators holding signs against Keiko and Alberto Fujimori 6. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) "Because Keiko (Fujimori) represents corruption. So no more of the same, of the status quo that we have lived for 20 years, his father's dictatorship. Even her government plan is the same as her father's of 20 years ago. She represents a dictatorship." 8. Various of people in demonstration 9. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) "It is a criminal organization, she even governed with her father. Did she say something when her father made women forcefully sterilized, against their will? No! She was an accomplice. And not only that. She wants to take power because she knows what is coming her: jail due to the grave felonies she had committed." 10. Various of people playing drums, chanting, and holding signs against Fujimori in demonstration STORYLINE: Thousands marched on Saturday in Peru against the presidential candidacy of Keiko Fujimori, the political heir of her father, former President Alberto Fujimori. Alberto Fujimori, President of Peru between 1990 and 2000, serves a 25 years sentence found guilty of murder and corruption during his administration. Hundreds of thousands of women were also forcefully sterilized during his presidency, most of them indigenous. Keiko Fujimori, who served as first lady during her father's mandate, herself faces accusations of laundering money she received for her unsuccessful 2011 and 2016 presidential campaigns. Brazilian construction company Odebrecht and other Peruvian millionaires have told the prosecution that they gave money for Fujimori's campaigns. Fujimori has denied all charges but spend almost a year in prison while being under investigation and was only released before the elections. A prosecutor has requested 30 years in prison for the 45-year-old if found guilty. She contends against the leftist teacher Pedro Castillo on June 6 runoff elections, after a first-round in which dozens of other presidential hopefuls participated. All polls ahead of the June 6 vote show Castillo in first place, but Fujimori has started to get closer, and the results are uncertain, according to experts. =========================================================== Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: info@aparchive.com (ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) STORY: Gaza Sinwar - Hamas leader pays respects to commander killed in war LENGTH: 01:45 FIRST RUN: 1919 RESTRICTIONS: TYPE: Natsound SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS STORY NUMBER: 4327258 DATELINE: 22 May 2021 - Gaza City SHOTLIST: RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ++QUALITY AS INCOMING++ ASSOCIATED PRESS Gaza City 22 May 2021 1. Various of top Hamas leader in Gaza, Yehiyeh Sinwar, arriving at mourning house of Hamas commander who was killed in the war 2. Various of Sinwar shaking hands with people in the mourning house 3. Various of Sinwar sitting inside the tent of mourning house STORYLINE: The top Hamas leader in Gaza, Yehiyeh Sinwar, made his first public appearance since the militant group's war with Israel erupted earlier this month. Israel bombed the homes of senior Hamas figures during 11 days of fighting, as part of its attack on the group's military infrastructure. The home of Sinwar himself was also targeted. Sinwar was seen on Saturday as he paid his respects at a house of mourning for a Hamas commander killed in the fighting, which ended early Friday. He hugged and kissed the son of the slain commander and told mourners they would next meet in Jerusalem. Israel's defence minister, Benny Gantz, has said top Hamas leaders remain targets, despite the ceasefire. In the fighting, Israel unleashed hundreds of airstrikes against militant targets in Gaza, while Hamas and other militants fired more than 4,000 rockets toward Israel. =========================================================== Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: info@aparchive.com (ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) Hezbollah supporters on Sunday marked the end of the recent Gaza fighting - and the 21st anniversary of Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon - with a rally at the Lebanon/Israel border. Fighters and supporters from the militant group gathered at the border fence facing the Israeli town of Metula. They waved Palestinian flags and yellow Hezbollah banners, and chanted slogans. United Nations peacekeeping vehicles patrolled the area as the event took place. Ali Fayyad, a Lebanese lawmaker from the Hezbollah bloc, likened the conflict in Gaza to Lebanon's historic conflict with Israel, particularly the cycles of "balance and deterrence". Israeli troops pulled out of southern Lebanon in 2000, after an 18-year occupation dating back to the 1982 war. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) Motor traders body flashes red light over move to assemble vehicles with used parts View(s): The Ceylon Motor Traders Association (CMTA) has protested to the Government against a proposed Cabinet memorandum to allow the assembly of vehicles with used parts by one company, saying it is a violation of multiple local and international laws. The CMTA, which states it is a Ceylon Chamber-affiliated body that has represented manufacturer-authorised franchise holders for the past 100 years, has raised safety concerns related to the project. It points to a lack of roadworthiness in vehicles assembled in this manner and an adverse impact on the environment through air pollution from increased vehicles emissions. Permitting vehicles to be assembled with used parts is a clear violation of several laws and regulations of the country and international treaty obligations including the Motor Traffic Act (MTA), the Intellectual Property Act, the Consumer Affairs Authority Act, etc, the letter this week to W M D J Fernando, Cabinet Secretary, said. It was copied to other relevant ministers and officials. The economic impact of such a venture on the automobile industry in Sri Lanka is far greater and so much more than meets the eye, the association stressed. It would disrupt the business of legitimate vehicle importers that have made significant investments into sales and after-sales infrastructures as well as employment, training and development of over 32,000 direct and indirect staff. It would also disrupt the business of companies that have invested in legitimate new vehicle assembly operations in accordance with prevailing laws and regulations. Lack of roadworthiness would not only endanger lives and property but would result in damage to the reputation of well-known global brands whose parts are being used to assemble such vehicles, CMTA warns. This will cause global automobile manufacturers to lose faith in the market and in good governance of the country, resulting in the country potentially being blacklisted by the original brand owners, it states. The CMTA states that no person can knowingly use a vehicle assembled other than with branded new parts/without permission of manufacturer. It also mandates that the Commissioner General of the Department of Motor Traffic cannot register a vehicle unless assembled with brand new parts/without permission of manufacturer. It allows the Commissioner General to cancel the registration of a vehicle that is not assembled with brand new parts. And it states that no person can assemble a vehicle unless with brand new parts and with written permission of the manufacturer. Israeli police used stun grenades Saturday to disperse Palestinian protesters in the Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah, where clashes with Jewish settlers have led to unrest across Israel. The protests were over plans to evict dozens of Palestinian families from their homes in a long-running court case over land ownership. The issue was one of the triggers that ignited the 11-day war between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza. The two sides agreed to a ceasefire early Friday after fighting that left over 230 Palestinians dead and 12 Israelis. However, tensions in Jerusalem remain high. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) World's largest container ship, MV Ever Given that had stranded sideways blocking Egypts key maritime route Suez Canal was caused due to the negligence of the Suez Canal authorities, an attorney disputing the compensation claims said Saturday. The Suez Canal Authority had earlier last month slapped a $916.5 million claim against Japanese vessel owner Shoei Kisen after the vessel ran aground and halted the worlds supply of goods cargoes, and oil tankers causing a massive backlog and trade loss worth billions. The head of Egypts Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Lt. Gen. Osama Rabie in a live interview with state TV had said that the Ever Given container ship, which ran aground in the waterway for almost a week, was seized near Bitter Lakes and will not be allowed to sail until it paid the compensation. "The investigation establishes those who are responsible for the accident and so designates the sides, which will pay compensation," Rabie told a news conference. "The Suez Canal is not to be blame for the accident, it is the affected party, he had stressed. "Strong winds have never led to closing the canal," Rabia noted, adding that the vessels captain bears sole responsibility for directing the vessel. He furthermore emphasized, that the MV Ever Greens marine pilot fulfils the consultative function of steering the ship, as he reiterated that it was always up to the ships captain to make final decisions." On Saturday, however, a lawyer for the Japanese company Shohei Kisen argued that the Panamanian flagged vessel veered off its course because the SCA had insisted that the ship was good to enter the waterway during the bad weather. And therefore, the strong winds and sandstorms lodged the giant container ship at an angle across the waterway. The Ship company held the canal authority guilty and at fault for the incident. It said in an official press release on the website that it had submitted all the data of the voyage information recorder VDR to the investigators of the Suez Canal Authority, and has been cooperating with the inspection necessary for the accident investigation. [This satellite image from Maxar Technologies shows the cargo ship MV Ever Given stuck in the Suez Canal near Suez, Egypt. Authorities prepared to make new attempts to free the giant container vessel stuck for the fifth day and reopen a crucial east-west waterway for global shipping. Credit: Maxar Technologies via AP] [Credit: Maxar Technologies via AP] The 1,300-foot container ship MV Ever Given was seized by the Egyptian authorities last month and since then has not been allowed to leave the anchorage of Great Bitter Lake. Egypt asked the Panama flagged ship company to pay billions of dollars in compensation for blockage of the strategic global trade waterways that incurred the Mideast nation an estimated $95 million in transit fee. The country incurred a cumulative revenue loss of $16 million per day, according to the London based financial data firm, Refinitiv after the mammoth after MV Ever Given had wedged slantways in Egypts key maritime navigational artery in the Suez Canal, and was dislodged by Salvors on the sixth day. Probe to ascertain mechanical or technical glitch A probe was ordered to determine whether the gush of winds or either the mechanical or technical snag had lodged the 400-meter-long (1,312-foot) gigantic ship in the canal. An Egyptian government-owned news outlet Ahram Gate reported that The Suez Canal Authority has secured a formal court order to seize the container ship Ever Given for "failure to pay an amount of $ 900 million." Ever Given, owned by Japanese firm Shoei Kisen KK, was bound for the Netherlands loaded with almost 220,000 tons of goods and was traversing from China. Thousands of Lebanese and Palestinians gathered in central Beirut on Saturday to celebrate the ceasefire in Gaza, seen by many as a victory for the Islamic militant group Hamas over Israel. The celebration took place in Martyr's Square, where people raised Palestinian and Lebanese flags along with flags of a Lebanese Islamist group. They listened to speeches in support of Gaza. There have been protests almost every day in Lebanon in support of the Palestinians since the violence escalated on May 10. The fighting began on May 10, when Hamas militants in Gaza fired long-range rockets toward Jerusalem. Israel responded with airstrikes, and the clashes led to 11 days of fighting which left more than 250 people dead, the vast majority of them Palestinians. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) Islamabad, May 21 (PTI) E-commerce giant Amazon has added Pakistan to its sellers' list making Pakistani entrepreneurs eligible to sell on the platform, the Commerce Ministry announced on Friday. The ministry said that Pakistani manufacturers would gain access to a worldwide e-commerce platform with Amazon and it would open up a new chapter of the supply chain where Pakistani manufacturers could sell directly to customers. "This marks the accomplishment of a milestone of the National e-Commerce Policy, and is the outcome of sustained engagement with Amazon since the last quarter of 2019," it said. The listing will encourage manufacturers to work back from customer needs, design new products, offer high quality at competitive prices and also access new market segments, it said. The ministry said that Eric Broussard, Vice President, Amazon International Seller Services, said in his message that by connecting with and forming part of the global e-Commerce network, "an excellent opportunity has been created for Pakistani entrepreneurs". We are excited to announce that as of today, Pakistani entrepreneurs are eligible to sell on Amazon. We are eager to work with Pakistan's dynamic business community, including small and medium-sized sellers, and help connect them with customers around the globe, he said. Adviser on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razzaq Dawood said that the Ministry of Commerce will continue discussions in the Focus Group for Amazon to further guide Pakistan's business community to make the best use of this opportunity. In order to reap full benefits, a lot of hard work has to be done in training, quality assurance, improvement in logistics, payment systems, customer relationship management etc., he said. Pakistan remained off Amazon's list of sellers despite the company's presence in neighbouring India, and Pakistani retailers wishing to sell their products on the marketplace would register their companies from other countries. After being added to the list, Pakistani merchants will be able to sell their products on the platform with ease. However, it will take time to fully utilise it as reportedly, the Ministry of Commerce initially shared the names of only 38 exporters with Amazon for registration. The foreign investment flow into Pakistan has significantly slumped by 32.5 per cent to USD 1.55 billion in the first 10 months of the current fiscal year, as per ANI citing a new report carried by the Pakistani daily The Express Tribune found. This implies a monetary disaster for the country as its already battered economy from the COVID-19 pandemic will further topple the financial flow into its vital sectors such as energy, telecommunication, oil, and fuel exploration, which have been moderate in its international funding at 1.55 US billion dollars between July 2020 to April 2021. Last year, the country had received a USD 2.3 billion inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI), as per the estimates of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). "FDI inflows into Pakistan remain moderate," Pak-Kuwait Investment Company Head of Research Samiullah Tariq told The Express Tribune, as cited by ANI. "They should grow over the next one year in the wake of stability in the rupee-dollar parity and improvement in the balance of payments position in FY21, he added. Furthermore, he said that Pakistans Special Economic Zones (SEZs) projects have been under various developmental phase and received FDI fundings. Just about last month, Pakistans foreign investment declined by 40 per cent and totalled to approximately 35 per cent total dip as compared to the cash inflow nine months ago. SBP data suggests that the FDI inflow in March was USD 167.6 million that declined from the previous USD 278.7 million funding the month before. The trend has reflected no improvement for investors, the State Bank of Pakistan said in a statement. It attributed the downfall to the COVID-19 situation that has fluctuated the global market. Country on FATF 'Grey List' Pakistan has been on the 'Grey List' of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) as the international intergovernmental organization that funds G7 stated earlier that it does not demonstrate 'effective implementation of targeted financial sanctions against all its designated terrorists. As per the agency, Pakistan needed to complete its action plan following which the FATF would verify the implementation and sustainability of its moves. Until then, it decided to retain Pakistan on the greylist up until the next performance review during the June Plenary session. At a press briefing, FATF president Marcus Pleyer told a press briefing that even as Pakistan had made significant progress, it had still failed to "fully comply" with three of the 27-point action plan, and demanded that the country takes effective steps to elude the foreign financial sanctions and penalties. Thousands of supporters of Pakistan's main Islamic Jamaat-e-Islami party gathered in the southern port city of Karachi on Sunday to protest against Israel's military offensive on the Gaza Strip. Large numbers of protesters carried placards carrying pro-Palestinian messages and chanted slogans, including some that were antisemitic. Sirajul Haq, Jamaat-e-Islami's party chief, said the recent cease-fire that went into effect following 11 days of fighting between Israel and Hamas was "not a permanent solution." "Israel always carries out atrocities against Palestine when it wants, and breaks the cease-fire. Israel should withdraw itself from the land of Palestine permanently," he said. The rally took place days after Pakistans prime minister Imran Khan said he believes that world opinion was changing in favour of the Palestinians. In a televised video message, he thanked his countrymen for holding nationwide rallies to express solidarity with Palestinians. Pakistan is among few countries with no diplomatic ties with Israel. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) As the United States troops prepared for the total pullout from war-torn Afghanistan on Bidens September 11 deadline after 20 years of conflict, concerns have risen over tons of military armaments and advanced equipment left behind in nearby Bagram Air Base, the largest remaining military outpost that might arm the Taliban rebels. As a security measure, the US forces will not transport the military equipment back to the States or hand it to the Afghan military. But instead, the personnel smashed and destroyed shards of tanks, artillery, and other arms into metal scraps at sprawling Baba Mirs sprawling scrapyard. Although, military officials told on-ground reporters that it was impossible to trash every single of the $7 billion worth, about 20 percent of US military gear and armament left behind by the fledging troops, leaving the Pentagon in a quandary, according to classified reports. Selling all-terrain army vehicles, and weaponry to the Afghan government or allied nations from the war zone may be more complicated and lengthy, and therefore the American armed forces are now dismantling the weaponry to deter the risk of it falling into the hands of Afghan militants or the terrorist organizations that can flare instability in the region as thousand US and NATO troops head for the door. As Afghan civilians infuriate after the US soldiers abandoning the ally in the terror-prone region, the scrapyard owners are, in turn, aggravated about the piles of waste that could fetch profits had it been sold as intact military equipment. But the US troops, now packing up across the military bases in Afghanistan have a different worry. Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific affairs, David Helvey said that military leaders were working to prevent logistics breakdowns with the Afghan security forces." We're going to continue to maintain contact with our partners to determine what we can from outside the country, and maintain good situational awareness of their current capabilities," he said. "And we're looking at any areas where they may be challenged and we may be able to help them." In the defense base northwest of the capital of Kabul, the US forces have been taking stock of military equipment, loading the maximum into the US Air Force C-17 to ferry it back to the United States through Pakistan via Central Asia. ABC reports that as many as 60 C-17s have been flown out of Afghanistan with arms, as of last week. Although, the military troops have remained confidential about the sensitive equipment being left behind, and what is being shipped back home. "We will be transferring facilities, some vehicles, and other equipment that the Afghan national defense forces can utilize in their ongoing efforts to secure the country," Brig Gen Matthew Trollinger, Deputy Director of politico-military affairs for the Joint Staff, told Senate lawmakers during a hearing on Afghanistan. "We will be retrograding equipment that we're able to bring back to bases and stations in the continental United States as well as elsewhere, and then we'll be disposing of equipment that essentially is either obsolete, inoperable, or legally we're not able to transfer to Afghanistan, he added. [Afghanistan US military scrap pile. Copyright: The Associated Press.] [Baba Mir's scrapyard outside Bagram Air Base. Copyright: The Associated Press.] 1,300 military equipment destroyed Officials on condition of anonymity told the Broadcasting corp. that some of the US Army helicopters, military vehicles, weapons, and ammunition, will be handed over to Afghanistans National Defense and Security Forces. Some military bases will be turned in, including the New Antonik base in Helmand province, owing to the growing Taliban threat with terror factions occupying nearly 80 percent of the region. As many as 1,300 military equipment has been destroyed, the unidentified defense personnel informed, of this, 387 million pounds (176 million kilograms) of scrap has already been sold to the Afghan government for $46.5 million, a spokeswoman for the militarys Defense Logistics Agency, had said. US Central Command, earlier this week, said that the drawdown had completed between 13 percent and 20 percent. [US flag is lowered as American and Afghan soldiers attend a handover ceremony from the U.S. Army to the Afghan National Army, at Camp Anthonic, in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan. Credit: AP/Afghan Ministry of Defense Press Office] At least three cadres of Nepali Congress (NC) were detained in front of President's Office Sheetal Niwas after massive protests broke out against the dissolution of the House of Representatives (HoR) in the Himalayan nation. Demonstrators in large numbers flooded the streets as they chanted anti-government slogans against President Bidya Devi Bhandari as he dissolved the HoR the second time as per Article 76 (7) of the Constitution of Nepal and announced mid-term elections to be held between November 12 and November 19. Bhandari acted on the recommendation of Nepals Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, ANI on Sunday reported. Amid the political turmoil, Nepals opposition alliance vowed legal actions against the decision made by the PM who headed the minority government and could not have secured a vote of confidence in the chamber. Last year as well, Prime Minister Oli had abruptly dissolved the Nepalese Parliament in course of political feuds within his ruling Nepal Communist Party. His recent move is set to be challenged in court by the opposition leaders as they dubbed Olis actions as constitutional and anti-democratic. Protesters on Sunday flooded the streets in defiance against the Nepal PMs dismissal of the legislature. They called to snap the elections. "If the Prime Minister appointed according to clause (5) fails to get the vote of confidence or if any member fails to be appointed as Prime Minister, the President shall, on the recommendation of Prime Minister, dissolve the House of Representatives and fix a date to conduct another election within six months, Article 76 (7) of Nepals Constitution states. Nepal spiralled into the fresh upheaval as it already struggled with the onslaught of the COVID-19 death toll and caseload that stretched the healthcare system in recent past weeks. Crowds gathered demanding that the Nepal parliament must be reinstated, as the law enforcement attempted to disperse the protesting mob citing the ongoing COVID-19 guidance. Protesters waved the red hammer and sickle flags and chanted slogans against the government as they expressed angst at the dissolution. PM Olis government had also been facing mounting criticism related to the mishandling of the pandemic. Nepals political crisis explained With 121 seats, the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) is the largest party in the 275-member House of Representatives. On the other hand, the Nepali Congress, the CPN-Maoist Center of ex-PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal also known as 'Prachanda'and the Janata Samajbadi Party have 63, 49, and 34 seats respectively. The rivalry between the Oli and Madhav Kumar Nepal camps in the CPN-UML camps escalated to the extent that the Nepal President dissolved the Parliament on December 10, 2020, and set the ball for fresh elections. While the country's Supreme Court reinstated the Parliament in February, the Nepal PM escalated the feud by suspending Nepal and other senior leaders close to him for 6 months. Amidst the turmoil within the ruling party, Oli finally decided to seek a vote of confidence on May 10. However, he was dealt another blow as the CPN-Maoist Center withdrew its support, reducing the government to a minority. Thereafter, he lost the confidence motion after securing just 93 votes in the session attended by 232 lawmakers. Whereas 124 members voted against the motion, 15 others stayed neutral. Though the CPN-Maoist Center decided to back the Nepali Congress, the CPN-UML rival faction and Janata Samajbadi Party showed hesitancy in the formation of an alternative government. STORY: Australia Israel Rally - Pro-Israel rally at Sydney synagogue LENGTH: 02:27 FIRST RUN: 0712 RESTRICTIONS: No access Australia TYPE: English/Natsound SOURCE: AUBC STORY NUMBER: 4327288 DATELINE: 23 May 2021 - Sydney SHOTLIST: RESTRICTION SUMMARY: NO ACCESS AUSTRALIA AUBC - NO ACCESS AUSTRALIA Sydney - 23 May 2021 1. Dave Sharma, Australian lawmaker, talking to a congregation member 2. Photographer taking picture of Sharma and other dignitaries 3. Speaker addressing crowd 4. Sharma addressing the crowd 5. SOUNDBITE (English) Dave Sharma, Australian lawmaker: "I'm very pleased a ceasefire has been reached in the conflict between Israel and Hamas but I'm very conscious as well that the Jewish community in Australia, particularly in this part of Sydney and in parts of Melbourne as well, has come under pressure, attack and verbal assault and things have really veered into anti-semitism and I think it's important that we call it out and say that it's unacceptable. Some of the slogans, some of the posters, some of the chants that have been used at these rallies really have no place in Australian society. I think the mainstream of politics here in Australia is committed to a two-state solution and that means that both Jewish Israelis and Palestinians should be able to live side by side in peace and security. I think that we should recognise that this war has done a disservice to civilians on both sides. Gaza civilians have suffered greatly, tremendous loss of life, and Israeli civilians have too. The conflict has not achieved anything of note but it's important to recognise that this conflict started because Hamas started firing rockets at Israel and the conflict ended because Hamas chose to honour a ceasefire and stop firing rockets at Israel. I hope very much for the sake of that region and the people there that Hamas does what it needs to do: recognise the state of Israel, commit to previous peace agreements and enter into good faith negotiations towards a two -state solution." 6. Various of attendees 7. Attendees praying STORYLINE: An Australian lawmaker on Sunday criticized the "unacceptable" anti-semitism which he said had been shown by some in the country following the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas. An 11-day war which saw hundreds of people killed - mostly Palestinians - came to an end on Thursday after a ceasefire was agreed by both parties. At a pro-Israeli rally that took place at the Sydney Central Synagogue on Sunday lawmaker Dave Sharma said he was "very pleased" a ceasefire had been reached. He said the Australian Jewish community, particularly in parts of Sydney and Melbourne, had come under pressure in the past week and had been targeted by verbal assaults. "Some of the slogans, some of the posters, some of the chants that have been used at these rallies really have no place in Australian society," he said. "I think the mainstream of politics here in Australia is committed to a two-state solution and that means that both Jewish Israelis and Palestinians should be able to live side by side in peace and security." Sunday's rally was organised by the New south Wales Jewish community. On Saturday pro-Palestinian rallies took place across Australia in many of the nation's main cities. =========================================================== Clients are reminded: (i) to check the terms of their licence agreements for use of content outside news programming and that further advice and assistance can be obtained from the AP Archive on: Tel +44 (0) 20 7482 7482 Email: info@aparchive.com (ii) they should check with the applicable collecting society in their Territory regarding the clearance of any sound recording or performance included within the AP Television News service (iii) they have editorial responsibility for the use of all and any content included within the AP Television News service and for libel, privacy, compliance and third party rights applicable to their Territory. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) In an important first of its kind milestone for the Tamil-Canadian community, a Tamil chair has been established at the University of Toronto this year. The project of launching the first-ever Tamil chair in a Canadian university was launched by the University of Toronto along with Canada-based Tamil groups back in 2018. Now, three years later, the officials have raised the sufficient funds that were pledged initially. Hence, the position will be located at the universitys Scarborough campus. Outside the Indian subcontinent, Canada reportedly has the largest Tamil population with over 300,000 people who have roots in India, Sri Lanka along other nations. As per the official release, over 3,800 donors contributed to the 2018 grassroots campaign which was spearheaded by the Canadian Tamil Congress and Tamil Chair, Inc. Since then, several individuals, businesses and governments as well as community organisations have pitched in to bring about reality to the dream of bringing Tamil Studies home to U of T. While the bulk of the donors are local to Scarborough and the eastern GTA region, the campaign has also earned international recognition, with philanthropic support arriving from ports as far as France, Australia and Malaysia. The Tamil community in my riding of #TorCen and across Canada is celebrating the historic accomplishment of reaching a $3 million fundraising goal to establish a Chair in Tamil Studies at the @UTSC, the first of its kind in Canada.#SJVChelvanayakam@ctconline @tamilchairTO pic.twitter.com/S32ilQmCiL Marci Ien (@MarciIen) April 29, 2021 Important milestone for the Tamil-Canadian community on establishing a Tamil Chair @UTSC. Congratulations and thank you to all the donors and supporters for raising $3M in support of this initiative @ctconline #TamilChairInc #SivanIlanko #scarbto https://t.co/1VmUAFJhbl Gary Anandasangaree (@gary_srp) April 26, 2021 First of its kind in Canada While Tamil is among the worlds seven classical languages and its history dates back to over 2,000 years, the Chair in Tamil Studies represents the first of its kind Canada. As per UTSC, the chair is a boon to universitys large and active Tamil-heritage student population, enabling the preservation and memorialization of Tamil culture and language through scholarship, and establishing a focal point for Tamil scholars all over the world to collaborate or pursue higher Tamil studies. The fourth-year Arts student, Kanitha Uthayakuma who has been actively part of the Tamil Students Association at UTCS said on the placement of Tamil Chair at UTSC, There are a large number of Tamil students at UTSC. A lot of Tamil students want to learn their history. Having the opportunity to study Tamil at the university level would be great. Sivan Ilangko, committee chair for the Chair in Tamil Studies, who is also president of the Canadian Tamil Congress and a director of Tamil Chair, Inc. said we are proud. We are proud to establish a Tamil Chair at Canada's most prestigious university the University of Toronto and in particular to its Scarborough Campus, a part of our great city that is home to a large Tamil population. On behalf of the Canadian Tamil Congress and Tamil Chair Inc. we would like to thank each and every donor, volunteer and community group who contributed to this historical initiative, said Sivan Ilangko. Thanks to over 3,800 local and international donors, the Tamil Chair campaign at #UTSC has met its fundraising goal. #UofT https://t.co/vNJyAqqWXG pic.twitter.com/WSMFhYlVOm University of Toronto Scarborough (@UTSC) April 30, 2021 IMAGE: @UTSC/Twitter New rules to protect fisheries sector from foreign domination View(s): The Government has passed regulations to ensure that any entity engaged in the export, import and re-export of fish and fishery products has a majority Sri Lankan shareholding after observing a trend of foreign interest in the industry. An amendment has been introduced to regulations first promulgated in 2017 to state that any establishment that intends to export, import or re-export fish or fishery products shall be a corporation, board or other body which was or is set up with funds or capital wholly or partly provided by the Government. It could also be wholly owned by one or more persons who are citizens of Sri Lanka or be wholly owned by any company, society or other association of persons, incorporated or established under any written law in which majority of the voting shares are held by citizens of Sri Lanka. The earlier regulation did not offer such protection to the domestic fisheries sector and only specified that any person engaged in export, import and re-export of any fish or fisheries products shall register with the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources for that purpose. It also referred to anyone who wanted to register an establishment for the same purpose without specifying that it needed majority Sri Lankan shareholding. We want to ensure protection to the domestic fishermen and fisher societies, a Fisheries Ministry official said. Earlier, it was possible to register a company with 10-15 Sri Lankan shares but now we would require at least 51 percent of equity to be held by a Sri Lankan. This is because we observed a trend of foreigners seeking to invest in the fisheries and fisheries products sectors and if they came in a massive scale with large investments, domestic fishermen will lose their livelihoods, he said. Around 69 million eligible voters headed to the polls in Vietnam on Sunday to elect 500 delegates for a five-year term at the National Assembly, Vietnam's legislative body, as the country combats a new wave of COVID-19 that has spread to 28 out of 63 municipalities and provinces. General Secretary of the Communist Party, the country's top leader, Nguyen Phu Trong was among the first to cast his ballot to elect the country's lawmakers at a polling station in the capital, Hanoi, on Sunday morning. (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) As a special farewell, UKs Queen Elizabeth II visited the countrys largest warship group on May 22 before it embarks on its visit to 40 nations including India, Japan, the Republic of Korea through the South China Sea. Led by the British monarch, the UKs Carrier Strike Group will visit more than one-fifth of the worlds nations when it sails next month. She was also briefed on the entire plan by Commodore Steve Moorhouse, Commander UK Carrier Strike Group with the Queen meeting with the officers who will "make it happen." As per Royal Navys official release, the task group will visit all the nations including India, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Singapore in a deployment covering 26,000 nautical miles. Meanwhile, the group will also embark upon exercises with French carrier FS Charles De Gaulle in the Mediterranean along with naives and aircraft from other allies such as the United States, Canada, Denmark, Greece, Japan, UAE. A special farewell visit from Her Majesty The Queen... Her Majesty visited @HMSQNLZ as the aircraft carrier heads off on her #UKCarrierStrikeGroup deployment later today. Read more: https://t.co/D0TD9xdASS pic.twitter.com/CuYseiipn7 Royal Navy (@RoyalNavy) May 22, 2021 We were honoured with a very special send off: Her Majesty The Queen was briefed on our plan by Commodore Moorhouse - and met the sailors, marines and aviators who will make it happen on her behalf.@smrmoorhouse #CarrierStrike pic.twitter.com/5bCv3YX4kl HMS Queen Elizabeth (@HMSQNLZ) May 22, 2021 Three cheers for Her Majesty The Queen The ships company bid farewell to The Queen as she departs HMS Queen Elizabeth. pic.twitter.com/AGpYeLn9P6 The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) May 22, 2021 What consists of Carrier Strike Group? In the Pacific, the ships from the Carrier Strike Group will mark the 50th anniversary of the Five Powers Defence Arrangements between Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and the UK by taking part in Exercise Bersama Lima. Notably, HMS Diamond and Defender; frigates HMS Richmond and Kent; an Astute-class submarine in support below the waves; and Royal Fleet Auxiliary support ships RFA Fort Victoria and RFA Tidespring are being deployed for the first time in the group. Additionally, over 30 aircraft will also embark across the task group that include F-35 jets from 617 Squadron, the Dambusters, and the US Marine Corps VMFA-211; Wildcat helicopters from 815 Naval Air Squadron and Merlin helicopters from 820 and 845 Naval Air Squadrons. Royal Marines from at least 42 Commanda will also be deployed with the carrier. Dutch frigate HNLMS Evertsen and American Arleigh Burke destroyer USS The Sullivans are also participating. Projecting UKs influence In a statement, UKs Defence Secretary ben Wallace noted that when Britains Carrier Strike Group sets sail next month, it will be flying the flag for Global Britain projecting our influence, signalling our power, engaging with our friends and reaffirming our commitment to addressing the security challenges of today and tomorrow. The entire nation can be proud of the dedicated men and women who for more than six months will demonstrate to the world that the UK is not stepping back but sailing forth to play an active role in shaping the international system of the 21st Century, he added. Why is the mission being carried out? As per Royal Navy, the upcoming deployment is aimed to bolster the already strong defence partnerships in the Pacific region where the UK is dedicated to reaching an even more enduring regional defence and security presence. It further added that the scheduled events in Singapore, Korea, Japan and India will provide the opportunity to enhance the security partnership and elevate the political relations. Commodore Steve Moorhouse, Commander UK Carrier Strike Group, said that Carrier Strike Group (CSG21) is significant as the first operational deployment of a Queen Elizabeth-class carrier but, at the strategic level, it symbolises so much more. The most significant deployment of its kind for a quarter of a century, it is a visible demonstration of the Royal Navys resurgence after decades of contraction, Moorhouse added. In its totality, the units from the Carrier Strike Group next month will visit more than 40 countries and undertake in excess of 70 engagements, visits, air exercises and operations. IMAGE: @RoyalNavy/Twiter London, May 23 (PTI) A new study by health officials in England shows for the first time that two doses of COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective against the B1.617.2 variant first identified in India. Public Health England (PHE) said on Saturday that while the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was 88 per cent effective against symptomatic COVID-19 from the B1.617.2 variant of concern (VOC) two weeks after the second dose, the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine was 60 per cent effective against symptomatic disease from the B1.617.2 VOC. However, the effectiveness from both types of vaccines was found to be only 33 per cent against the VOC found in India after just one dose of either jab. The Serum Institute of India has been producing the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines as Covishield for use in India as protection against COVID-19. This new evidence is groundbreaking and proves just how valuable our COVID-19 vaccination programme is in protecting the people we love, said UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock. Its clear how important the second dose is to secure the strongest possible protection against COVID-19 and its variants and I urge everyone to book in their jab when offered, he said. "I'm increasingly confident we're on track for the roadmap because this data shows the vaccine after two doses works just as effectively, and we all know that the vaccine is our way out of this," added the minister, raising hopes that the June 21 end to lockdown date remains on track. The analysis shows that vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic disease from the B.1.617.2 variant is similar after two doses compared to the B1.1.7 VOC discovered in Kent and currently the dominant variant in the UK. The Pfizer jabs were found to be 93 per cent effective against the B1.1.7 VOC compared to 66 per cent effectiveness from AstraZeneca against the B.1.1.7 variant. After just one dose, they both showed around 50 per cent effectiveness against the B1.1.7 VOC. PHE said it expects to see even higher levels of effectiveness against hospitalisation and death over time. This study provides reassurance that two doses of either vaccine offer high levels of protection against symptomatic disease from the B1.617.2 variant, said Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisation at PHE. We expect the vaccines to be even more effective at preventing hospitalisation and death, so it is vital to get both doses to gain maximum protection against all existing and emerging variants, she said. The analysis included data for all age groups from April 5 to cover the period since the B1.617.2 VOC emerged. It included 1,054 people confirmed as having the B1.617.2 variant through genomic sequencing, including participants of several ethnicities. PHE noted that the difference in effectiveness between the vaccines after two doses may be explained by the fact that rollout of second doses of AstraZeneca was later than for the Pfizer vaccine, and other data on antibody profiles show it takes longer to reach maximum effectiveness with the AstraZeneca vaccine. Separate PHE analysis indicates that the COVID-19 vaccination programme has so far prevented 13,000 deaths and around 39,100 hospitalisations in older people in England, up to May 9. Todays data is astounding and a true reflection of just how important it is to get both your jabs when offered. I encourage all those offered an appointment to get their jab booked in as soon as possible and take full advantage of the high levels of protection the vaccines bring, said Nadhim Zahawi, UK Vaccine Deployment Minister. PHE said there are currently insufficient cases and follow-up periods to estimate vaccine effectiveness against severe outcomes from the B1.617.2 variant but that it will continue to evaluate this over the coming weeks. However, as with other variants, it remains confident that even higher levels of effectiveness are expected against hospitalisation and death. PTI AK NSA (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) United Nations, May 22 (AP) The UN Security Council is welcoming the cease-fire between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers and calls for full adherence to the cessation of hostilities. Saturday's statement was approved by all 15 members of the council. It said the council mourned the loss of civilian lives resulting from the violence and stressed the immediate need for humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian civilian population, particularly in Gaza. The statement further said it was urgent to restore calm and reiterated the importance of achieving a comprehensive peace based on the vision of a region where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace with secure and recognised borders. Council members backed U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' called for the international community to work with the United Nations in developing a robust package of support for a swift, sustainable reconstruction and recovery. The council recognised the important role in achieving the cease-fire played by Egypt as well as other regional countries, the U.N., the Quartet of Mideast mediators the U.N., U.S., European Union and Russia and other international players. The United States, Israel's closest ally, had earlier blocked four proposed council statements calling for a cease-fire that all other members supported, saying it could interfere with Biden administration efforts to end the hostilities. (AP) RS RS (Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com) Frankly speaking, if we are fired at, we will have to shoot back, said a Chin villager. Refugees from fighting between Myanmar's military and Chinland Defense Force gather in a remote area of the western state which borders India and Bangladesh. In Myanmar -- where opposition to the military junta that overthrew the elected government has raged from the Himalayan foothills to the tropical Andaman Sea coast people in the poor landlocked state of Chin stand out for the fierceness of their fight against regime troops. The volunteer militiamen of Chin, the poorest of Myanmars 14 states and regions, have reported killing 100 junta soldiers in clashes since late April in response to brutal military repression of peaceful protests that erupted soon after the Feb. 1 coup detat that toppled national leader Aung San Suu Kyis civilian government. What is most striking about the Chinland Defense Force (CDF), a network of volunteers formed in April, is that they are taking on Myanmars army the second largest in Southeast Asia -- with slingshots and the same crude flintlock Tumee rifles their forefathers used to fight off British colonizers in the 1880s. "The Tumee rifle is a gun like the ones before World War I, or the ones of the Napoleonic era, a CDF member told RFAs Myanmar Service. Almost every house in the villages has one to hunt for food in the fields and forests. "There are a lot of hunters in Chin State, and they know the terrain of the dense forests and mountains well, said Shan Tun, a Chin researcher and a central executive member of Chin National League for Democracy. They can even shoot a running wild animal. Shooting has always been one of their skills, though they do not have proper military training, he added. Hunting wild animals like jungle fowl, deer, boar, and goats is not a sport but a necessity in largely rural Chin, where people make only about 2,000 kyats (US $1.20) a day, two-thirds of the World Banks international poverty line and less than half of Myanmars minimum wage. "It's a very difficult area to live in, said a resident of Chin, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid retaliation. We have to save three or four days to put a decent dish on the table and its very difficult for families with five or six children, the villager said. "We in Chin State are underdeveloped and a mostly peaceful people, but it is not possible for us to continue our peaceful protests against those who are killing us. Frankly speaking, if we are fired at, we will have to shoot back, he added. Significant trouble for British occupiers Following the Feb. 1 coup, most Chins joined compatriots across Myanmar in daily street protests, only to be met by deadly military violence that has killed 820 civilians nationwide. In the three months to May 1, 28 civilians in Chin state were killed and more than 200 were arrested, according to the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO). Fighters of the CDF were engaged in daily battles from May 12 until May 15, when the junta occupied the town of Mindat with 1,000 fully-armed troops who used civilians as human shields and sprayed gunfire indiscriminately, the CHRO said last weekend. The CDF pulled out May 16 to protect civilians from further artillery attacks and fire from helicopter gunships, one Chin fighter said. Za Op Ling, deputy executive director of the CHRO, told RFA that more than 35,000 civilians from Chin state have fled their homes15,000 of whom have crossed Myanmars border into Indias Mizoram state. The CDF killed at least 10 military junta troops this week around Hakha, the state capital, militia sources said. The military made a terse announcement on state TV on May 15 that it had lost several men, but has not commented on the reported casualty count in the recent fighting. Political analyst Than Soe Naing said the CDFs performance against regime forces is rooted in geography and history. Chin, which borders present-day Bangladesh and the northeastern Indian states of Mizoram and Manipur, was the last part of the country to come under British colonial rule. "If you look back in history, Chin State was where the colonial forces faced the biggest opposition, he said. Although our groups had only hunting rifles and some old double-barreled guns, the British troops couldnt defeat us easily. We gave the colonialists the most significant trouble in the mountainous terrain, added Than Soe Naing Chinland Defense Force fighters rest in an undisclosed location in the western state after weeks of fighting heavily armed Myanmar regime forces, Credit: Chinland Defense Force via Facebook 70 years of struggle Factors that helped Chin fighters in the 1880s are working in the CDFs favor now, he said. We have mountains 4,000 feet above sea level. The roads do not have many bends or curves, and most of them have only one-lane traffic, said Than Soe Naing. What galvanized the Chins a collection of Tibeto-Burman tribes and clans with distinct languages such as the Asho, Cho, Khumi, Kuki, Laimi, Lushai and Zomi -- to rise up against the superior firepower of the junta goes back many decades to the independence of Burma as the country was then known -- from Britain in 1948, said researcher Shan Tun. "Chin State has long been under pressure politically, economically and educationally. If you look at the education sector, there are not enough school teachers in Chin State, and teachers in Yangon cannot work here, he said. We have lived like this for 70 years and have become bitter. Young people of today realize that the political system needs to change, added Shan Tun. The Chin, one of eight major ethnic groups in Myanmar, had a seat at the table in the 1947 Panglong Conference, where the majority Bamars (Burmese) and Shan and Kachin leaders discussed an independent Union of Burma. But the Chins didnt get state status until 1974, and like nearly everyone in the country, were abused by the military governments that ruled from 1962 until 2011, and joined the 1988 pro-democracy protests that launched the political career of Aung San Suu Kyi. While initially not among the main ethnic groups in rebellion against central authorities, a Chin insurgency did emerge after the 1988 crackdown on the democratic movement. The brief hope offered during the 1990 elections, which saw a number of Chins elected, was quickly smashed, said a report by the NGO Minority Rights Group International. As it did for 2020 elections, the military did not honor the result of the 1990 vote. A rapid junta military buildup in Chin after 1990 was accompanied by massive loss of traditional lands and the fleeing of many Chin to India and other countries to escape slave labor and other violations of their rights at the hands of the military, the report said. A young Chin fighter runs through the forests of Chin state. Credit: Chinland Defense Force via Facebook. Scattered across Myanmar and Asia Some 85 percent of Chin state's 480,000 people are Christian, the product of American missionaries in the late 19th century, and their faith made them a target of church closures, physical attacks on pastors, and forced labor specifically targeted against Christian Chin in order to coerce them to convert to Buddhism, said the Minority Rights Group International report. Repression, war and a lack of job opportunities have driven many Chin young people to more developed parts of Myanmar or overseas. In addition to the 480,000 people that a 2014 government census counted in Chin state, exile groups estimate that there are 200,000 Chin in Rakhine state; 280,000 in Sagaing region; 200,000 in Magway Region; and 120,000 in parts of the country. The 35,000 Chins that fled fighting between CDF and the military in Mindat and other besieged mountain towns are only the latest addition to a huge pool of refugees. The latest 15,000 Chins to cross the border this month to Indias Mizoram join an estimated 100,000 Chin refugees from 1990s conflicts and from the military attacks in Rakhine state on ethnic Muslim Rohingya in 2016-18 and the war with the Arakan Army that began in late 2018, relief groups say. Another 56,000 are living in Malaysia, most not registered with the UN refugee agency. A Chin political activist told RFA that what his people want is equality under a federal system as do other ethnic groups in the country of 54 million people. "We just want a federal system. If we can unite in federalism and build an equal political system, I think we will all have a system we want." Reported by Soe San Aung for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Paul Eckert. The head of NATO has joined the leaders of several EU countries in demanding an investigation into the diversion on May 23 of a Lithuanian-bound flight to Minsk, where authorities arrested one of its passengers, opposition activist and journalist Raman Pratasevich. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance was closely monitoring the "forcible landing" of the flight -- from Athens to Vilnius -- in Belarus and the reported detention of Pratasevich. "This is a serious & dangerous incident which requires international investigation. Belarus must ensure safe return of crew & all passengers," Stoltenberg said on Twitter. Ryanair said the flight arrived safely in Vilnius on May 23 after a delay in Minsk of several hours. The Irish airline said earlier that "nothing untoward" had been found after it was notified of a potential security threat on board by Belarus air traffic control and instructed to divert. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda earlier slammed the arrest of Pratasevich on Twitter, calling it an unprecedented event" and saying the Belarusian regime is behind this abhorrent action. Lithuania later summoned the Belarusian ambassador and urged its EU allies to do likewise. It also called for EU countries to jointly recommend that planes avoid Belarusian airspace. The proposal will be put forward at a meeting of European leaders on May 24 and will include a call to recognize the incident as a violation of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) rules, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said. "This is a brutal affront against all [the] EU," Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said in a statement. The ICAO said the incident "could be in contravention of the Chicago Convention," which prohibits any use of civil aviation that may endanger safety. The ICAO is a UN agency directed by 193 governments, including Belarus, to support cooperation in air transport but has no regulatory power. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki earlier asked the European Council's president to discuss immediate sanctions against Belarus during the May 24 meeting, and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the incident requires a "strong and united" response from the European Union. The German and British foreign ministries also expressed alarm, and European Council President Charles Michel said an investigation by the ICAO "will be essential." Belarusian state news agency BelTA reported that authoritarian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka had personally ordered a fighter jet to escort the Ryanair jet, which was carrying more than 100 passengers, to land in Minsk. Pratasevich was taken away by police shortly after the Ryanair flight landed in the Belarusian capital. Pratasevich was a key administrator of the Telegram channel NEXTA Live, which has been covering the protests that broke out in Belarus following the countrys disputed presidential election last August. Belarusian authorities in November launched investigations into Pratasevich and a colleague, Stsyapan Putsila, on suspicion of the organization of mass disorder, disruption of social order, and inciting social hatred. Pratasevich was a 2017-18 Vaclav Havel Journalism fellow in Prague. The Vaclav Havel Journalism Fellowship -- a joint initiative of RFE/RL and the Czech Foreign Ministry -- is available to aspiring, independent journalists in the European Union's Eastern Partnership countries and Russia. Pratasevich spoke to Current Time from an undisclosed location in Poland on November 19 after Belarusian authorities issued a warrant for his arrest. "It seems to me that the [state] power now considers nearly any expression of a different opinion in general to be a crime, Pratasevich said, saying this was clear from the number of people who were being detained. Current Time is a Russian-language network run by RFE/RL in cooperation with VOA. Belarus has been rocked by protests since Lukashenka, in power since 1994, was declared the landslide winner of the poll amid allegations of vote-rigging. Since then, more than 30,000 people have been detained, hundreds beaten or tortured, and journalists targeted in the crackdown by Lukashenka, whose government has been hit by Western sanctions. In October, a court in Minsk designated the NEXTA Live channel and its logo as extremist and instructed the Information Ministry to restrict access to information resources using the name and logo of the Telegram channel, as well as their distribution in the Belarusian segment of the Internet. NEXTA Live then changed its name and logo, switching from the Latin transliteration of its name to a Cyrillic one. Fearing prosecution, Pratasevich and Putsila fled the country and their whereabouts have not been known. In October, Putsila, along with several Belarusian activists, received the European Parliament's 2020 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. Media in Belarus have been targeted by the Lukashenka government in the ongoing crackdown. The watchdog Reporters Without Borders has designated Belarus as the most dangerous spot in Europe for journalists. On May 21, Belarusian security forces raided a Minsk studio used by a Polish-based TV station that has produced investigations critical of Lukashenka and his associates. Belsat said uniformed officers broke into a studio on May 21 used for producing a talk show, detaining six people, including four cameramen. In April, the channel published an investigation into the business dealings of Lukashenka's daughter-in-law and others associated with him. Earlier this year, two journalists for Belsat were handed what their lawyers called an "absurd" sentence of two years in prison each for reporting live from a rally in Minsk in November. Earlier this week, police launched a probe of the country's largest independent online media outlet, Tut.by, searching the homes of several of its editors and blocking its website. Meanwhile, a Minsk court on May 21 sentenced another reporter who covered the police raid on Tut.by to a 15-day prison sentence, a media advocacy group said. The Belarusian Association of Journalists said 27 media workers are currently behind bars, either awaiting trial or serving sentences. With reporting by AP, Reuters, AFP, and Current Time ZHANAOZEN, Kazakhstan -- More than 250 ethnic Kazakhs have left Turkmenistan this month to resettle permanently in their ancestral homeland, Kazakhstan. One train carrying ethnic Kazakh emigrants was cheered by a large crowd of relatives already in Kazakhstan as it arrived at the railway station in the southwestern city of Zhanaozen late in the evening of May 13. Im excited that I've returned to my homeland for good and am reunited with my children, said Zeinesh, an elderly woman who was greeted by her family on the railway station platform. Zeinesh says that on the other side of the border, she was sent off by a group of relatives and friends she left behind in Turkmenistan. Azhargul, another recent emigre, says she has mixed feelings about relocating. Azhargul says she is happy to start a new life in Kazakhstan, but disappointed that several of her relatives were not able to leave Turkmenistan with her. Because of them, I wasnt sure if I wanted to emigrate, she said. Otherwise, Ive been waiting for this day for more than a year. More than 400 ethnic Kazakhs were meant to relocate in Kazakhstan by early 2020, after their resettlement documents were approved by both countries. But their travels -- set to take place in two groups -- were postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. The first group of about 200 people finally arrived in Kazakhstan in February 2021. They were followed by the second group, which arrived by train on May 13. Kazakhstan offers citizenship to ethnic Kazakhs who emigrate to their ancestral homeland from abroad. About 1 million ethnic Kazakhs from Uzbekistan, China, and other neighboring countries have moved to the oil-rich Central Asian country since the 1990s. Several people among the latest group arriving from Turkmenistan said that poverty, low wages, and a lack of freedoms in the country they left behind had played an important role in their decision to move to Kazakhstan. But they say the key factor has always been a desire to reunite with family members whove already settled in Kazakhstan. Azhargul said she plans to stay in the Caspian Sea town of Zhanaozen in Kazakhstans oil-producing Manghystau region. Thats because there are many members of her extended family whove been living there for several years. Staying In Manghystau Like Azhargul, many ethnic Kazakhs who emigrate from Turkmenistan have chosen Manghystau for permanent settlement -- despite a high unemployment rate in the province. They dont want to go to other regions because they have many relatives in Mangystau who have already settled here, bought land, and built houses, says Raikhan Daribaeva, an activist who helps resettle the emigres, who are known as Qandas in Kazakhstan. The Kazakh government offers financial incentives, subsidized housing, and other benefits for them. However, those state benefits come with a precondition. They must move to sparsely populated northern regions of Kazakhstan, where there is a shortage of workers. Not everyone wants to move to the north, which is notorious for its harsh winters. Those who stay elsewhere in Kazakhstan do not receive support from the government. Most of them depend on their relatives in Kazakhstan for support until they are able to stand on their own feet there, Daribaeva explains. They are required to register upon their arrival at the home address where theyre going to live, Daribaeva says. Its their relatives who offer them a place to live. These relatives also help them with their paperwork -- getting new documents, registering with local doctors, applying for pensions and social benefits, or looking for jobs, she says. Daribaeva emigrated from Turkmenistan in the early 2000s. She has since set up a nongovernmental group called the Munaily District Civic Initiative. It advises ethnic Kazakhs in other countries about emigration and resettlement issues. Ethnic Kazakhs from Turkmenistan have been emigrating to Kazakhstan for more than 20 years, selling their homes and property and using the money to begin their new lives. However, many of the latest group that arrived from Turkmenistan described their financial situations as dire. Several who spoke to RFE/RL said they had quit their jobs and sold their homes as soon as their resettlement paperwork was finalized in 2019. They had hoped they would move to Kazakhstan within months. But pandemic delays forced them to live off the money they received for selling their belongings. I spent all my savings, and toward the end I had to borrow money for food, one woman told RFE/RL. Still Worried For Those Left Behind The fresh arrivals also spoke about the hardships people in Turkmenistan experience in daily life. Jobs are very hard to come by in Turkmenistan, one young woman said. Many people have no work and no income. Wages are very low. Many people I know make about $20 a month. You cant get a job without paying a bribe. The woman said a lot of people in Turkmenistan -- not only ethnic minorities -- want to leave the country if they can." And Turkmen students who study abroad dont want to return to Turkmenistan, she said. Despite Turkmenistans vast energy resources, poverty is widespread because income from the countrys natural gas exports doesnt trickle down to ordinary people. New arrivals also say they hope to enjoy relative freedom in Kazakhstan, which -- despite not being a model democracy is considered less restrictive than Turkmenistan. Often compared to North Korea, Turkmenistan is one of the most repressive countries in the world. The government controls all aspects of peoples daily lives. One woman who spoke to RFE/RL on condition of anonymity says she still fears for the security of her relatives in Turkmenistan. That sentiment is shared by many others. An ethnic Kazakh family that just resettled in the Munaily district of Manghystau said they were summoned by the Turkmen security services before they made their trip to Kazakhstan. The family said officials check peoples mobile phones to see if they have been using proxy services to gain access to websites, applications, and social media that are blocked in Turkmenistan. Despite being in a different country, many of the new arrivals refused to speak on the record about the situation in Turkmenistan. They said they fear that any criticism would lead Turkmen authorities to retaliate against their relatives still in Turkmenistan. Written by Farangis Najibullah with reporting by RFE/RL Kazakh Service correspondent Baghdat Asylbek The speaker of the Iranian parliament said on May 23 that a three-month monitoring deal between Tehran and the UN's nuclear monitoring agency has expired, escalating tensions amid diplomatic efforts to save the Iranian nuclear deal with world powers. "From May 22 and with the end of the three-month agreement, the agency will have no access to data collected by cameras inside the nuclear facilities agreed under the agreement," Irans semiofficial Fars news agency quoted Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf as saying. His comments further underscored the narrowing window for the United States and others to reach terms with Iran. Tehran is already enriching and stockpiling uranium at levels far beyond those allowed by its 2015 nuclear deal. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said this week that it was in talks with Tehran on how to proceed with the monitoring deal. The IAEA had said its director-general would brief reporters later on May 23 in Vienna. The United Nations agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the AP. Under what is called an additional protocol with Iran, the IAEA collects and analyzes hundreds of thousands of images captured daily by its sophisticated surveillance cameras, the agency said in 2017. The agency also said then that it had placed 2,000 tamper-proof seals on nuclear material and equipment. Irans hard-line parliament in December approved a bill that would suspend part of UN inspections of its nuclear facilities if European signatories did not provide relief from oil and banking sanctions by February. The IAEA struck a three-month deal with Iran to have it hold the surveillance images, with Tehran threatening to delete them afterward if no deal had been reached. It wasn't immediately clear if the images from February had been deleted. With reporting by AP and Reuters North Macedonia received support in its bid to begin European Union membership talks from Austria, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia, a day after Bulgaria said it planned to continue to exercise its veto to block the small Western Balkan nation. The foreign ministers of the three countries on May 22 voiced support for North Macedonia, along with small neighbor Albania, to start talks with the EU, saying that separate bilateral issues should not block enlargement into the region. Bulgaria on May 21 said it did not plan to lift its veto on long-delayed accession talks between North Macedonia and the EU over a language and history dispute with its neighbor. Bulgaria, which joined the EU in 2007, wants Skopje to acknowledge that both its identity and language have Bulgarian roots. Skopje has long insisted Macedonian is a distinct South Slavic language that forms part of the country's culture and national identity, while Sofia says Macedonian is a regional dialect of Bulgarian. Unanimity is required from all EU member for the adoption of the negotiating framework. Austrias Alexander Schallenberg, the Czech Republic's Jakub Kulhanek, and Slovenias Anze Logar arrived in Skopje to offer their backing for EU accession talks, scheduled to start in June. The three will travel to EU hopeful Albania on May 23. Kulhanek said it is not fair for an EU member nation to condition the process on a bilateral issue. This is a crucial time, and we cannot allow [the process] to be stuck with such demands, he said. Many in the West have urged the EU to speed ascension talks, seeing membership in the bloc as a way to counter Russian and Chinese efforts to gain influence in the region. European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi and Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency, visited North Macedonia after talks in Sofia. Zoran Zaev, North Macedonias prime minister, on May 21 said the two EU officials presented a proposal that he said provided a good basis for resolving his countrys dispute with Bulgaria. Skopje, which first applied for EU membership in 2004, received a positive assessment from the European Commission in 2005. Macedonia settled a nearly three decade-long dispute with neighboring Greece over the countrys name, leading it to change it to North Macedonia. Athens considers the name Macedonia to refer to one of its regions. Western Balkan nations Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, and Bosnia-Herzegovina are at various steps in their quests to enter into membership talks with the EU. With reporting by RFE/RLs Bulgarian and Balkan services, and AP Rajaratnam new Attorney General By Ranjith Padmasiri View(s): View(s): Acting Solicitor General Sanjay Rajaratnam, PC, will be the next Attorney General (AG) of Sri Lanka. Educated at St Peters College and Royal College, Colombo, he has served the AGs Department for the past 34 years, having joined in April 1988. Mr Rajaratnam has held the post of Senior State Counsel, Deputy Solicitor General, Additional Solicitor General and Senior Additional Solicitor General until his appointment as Acting Solicitor General in October 2019. He is a Solicitor of England and Wales and also holds a Master of Laws (Merit) from the Queen Mary University of London. He was conferred silk in November 2014. He has had wide experience in the civil and criminal branches of the law. Mr Rajaratnam has appeared in several notable cases and has held consultancy in institutions such as the Financial Intelligence Unit of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. He was a member of the Cabinet-appointed Committee of Officials examining bills prior to being presented in Parliament. He is also a member of the Law Commission of Sri Lanka and the Council of Legal Education. He is the son of senior lawyer late Siva Rajaratnam. MARIUPOL, Ukraine -- Inside a small community center on the outskirts of this city in eastern Ukraine, just 20 kilometers from the front lines of Kyiv's simmering conflict with Moscow-backed separatists, residents gather to learn the basics of first aid and prepare for the possibility of full-scale war with Russia. An eight-hour crash course conducted exclusively in Ukrainian teaches them methods to staunch blood flow, deal with shrapnel wounds, and administer emergency assistance to heart-attack victims. The participants -- yoga teachers, gym trainers, lawyers, policemen -- come from various walks of life. "We don't want war," Kateryna Sukhomlynova, the 42-year-old instructor and longtime volunteer for the Ukrainian armed forces, said during a coffee break between classes last week. "But we want to be ready if war comes." The prospect of an invasion, unimaginable for most Europeans, has for the past seven years hung like a specter over this industrial port city located just 50 kilometers from Russian territory. Amid increasingly strained ties between Moscow and the West, a massive buildup of Russian troops along the border last month fueled fears of a military offensive, as well as speculation that the Kremlin was simply sending a signal of strength to Kyiv and its backers in the new administration of U.S. President Joe Biden. Russia, which said the troops had gathered for military exercises, announced in late April that many units participating in the maneuvers had been ordered to return to their permanent bases. However, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said troops would remain "in a state of readiness for an immediate response" in connection with perceived threats from long-scheduled NATO exercises in Eastern Europe. But in Mariupol, a city well used to rumors of invasions and war, many seem inured to headlines announcing new negotiations or prophesying a fresh escalation. "Everyone's just tired," says Pavel Kovbasenko, a 23-year-old who works at the blast furnace plant of Azovstal, one of two steel factories that power the city's economy. That's because the tension has rarely subsided since separatists in nearby Donetsk, capital of the surrounding Donetsk region of which Mariupol is the second-largest city, took up arms in April 2014, with Moscow's backing. Mariupol found itself in deadly proximity to a conflict that rapidly spiraled out of control in large areas of the Donetsk and neighboring Luhansk regions, and prompted concerns that Russia might seize swathes of Ukraine's southeast to gain control of the Azov Sea and land access to the Crimean Peninsula it seized from Ukraine that March. A shaky cease-fire declared in September 2014 raised hopes of an end to the fighting. Then, in early 2015, a massive salvo of Soviet-made Grad rockets rained down on Mariupol's eastern district, killing 27 people, wounding 97 others, and decimating a crowded open-air market. Ukraine accused the separatists of launching the attack with weapons supplied from Russia; the Kremlin has denied any involvement in a war that has now claimed some 14,000 lives and uprooted millions more. The feared invasion of Mariupol never came to pass, and on the surface, the artillery strike seems a distant memory. The end of Ukraine's long coronavirus lockdown in early May brought crowds to the city's newly redesigned park and packed its bars and cafes with patrons. There are the usual gripes over corruption, stagnant wages, and the slow pace of reform since the Maidan revolution overthrew the pro-Russia government of President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014. But talk of Russia's latest saber-rattling was nothing new. "We've heard it all many times. We're used to it," Diana Berg, a graphic designer who left her native Donetsk when fighting erupted in April 2014, said in an interview outside a cafe overlooking Mariupol's bustling Prospekt Mira (Peace Avenue). "Yes, it's quiet now, but we know that can change at any moment. Everyone here has a suitcase packed." Away from the city center in Mariupol's eastern district, however, the muffled sounds of explosions can often be heard in the evenings, a deadly orchestra that resumes once international monitoring teams have left frontline towns. In Shyrokyne, an abandoned former resort east of Mariupol that sits just a kilometer from the front line, Ukrainian Army volunteer Oleh Horbenko operates a fleet of drones that surveil enemy positions. He analyses the data on a large screen in his makeshift office in a house vacated by fleeing civilians in 2015. An ex-soldier who retired in 2016 because he had passed the age limit for active duty officers, the 60-year-old Horbenko believes Russia's recent troop buildup was aimed at facilitating a vast transfer of military equipment near insurgent positions. "They may have withdrawn the troops, but the equipment remained," he said, echoing an assessment backed by some Western analysts. Horbenko's wife and two sons, aged 17 and 21, live in Dnipro, a city four hours' drive north that he visits during lulls in fighting. He used to take orders from Moscow while fighting for the Soviet Union in Afghanistan; now he fights on the side of an independent Ukraine, against an enemy that Moscow backs. A Russian-speaker like most residents of Mariupol, he disapproves of Ukrainian nationalism. But he believes harsh Western sanctions against Russia are the only way to end the violence. "You can't win this war by military means. Russia understands that a full-scale assault on Ukraine will be a Pyrrhic victory," he says. Horbenko's 80-year-old mother, who lives in Russia, used to visit each summer and stay in his dacha outside Dnipro. But her support for Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom many Ukrainians hold ultimately responsible for the war, means mother and son avoid discussing politics. She has not visited since 2014. "She tells me, 'When you finally stop your war and retire to the dacha, I'll come to see you,'" he says. "I always respond, 'OK, maybe when you get rid of Putin.'" EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was originally published on Richland Source in 2014. There is a famous statue on the lawn in front of the Ohio Statehouse you may have seen it's known as the These Are My Jewels monument. It is an ornamental column surrounded by seven men, from the top of which arises a woman a mother, symbolizing Ohio who is showing off her great children. The men she presents to the world are Ohios most influential leaders of the 1800s: presidents, governors and Civil War generals. The sculpture was inspired by a familiar legend from Roman history about a particularly noble and loving mother. Her name was Cornelia, and when she was confronted in the marketplace by her rich friends who wanted to know why she was out in public dressed so plainly without jewelry, she pointed to her children and replied, These are my jewels. If such a monument were to be re-imagined today, to be placed on the Courthouse lawn in Richland County, it could, perhaps more appropriately for us, re-define "greatness" in terms a mother knows best: as a person strong enough to care for others. Our community has a rich legacy of great women and men whose overriding passion was for the protection of children, animals, old folks, strangers those who need help to navigate this life. If Mother Richland had the opportunity to show off to the world the greatness of our communitys heart, these would be a few of her jewels. Aunty Bradford The influence of Ellen Francis Bradford is still compelling in local memory, more than 125 years after her death, because of her great love for children. Though born a slave and largely uneducated, she rose as an inspiration in the Congregational Church for the effect she had on the lives of Mansfields poor. In the decades following the Civil War, she would host huge parties for children at her home on Marion Avenue. She called these events birthday parties and they happened any time of year whenever she felt the kids needed to feel special because it was a party for each and every child who came. They all got birthday presents, and if anyone asked who the party was for she smiled and gave a hug and answered, Why its for you, honey. Frend Boals Officer Boals has a living legacy in Mansfield, and all over the world, that re-ignites every summer when preschool kids go to Safety Town. As a Mansfield policeman in the 1930s, he took a look at the literature that schoolkids were reading about traffic safety, and realized that words and pictures were no substitute for authentic experience. His prototype town with streets and buildings, crosswalks and traffic light is replicated all over the U.S. every year and in places as far away as Ireland and Germany. One of Mansfields gifts to the world, from the imagination of Officer Boals, is children who are safer and more aware. Florence and Helen Workman They were known in town as the Workman Sisters, and their love for animals knew no bounds. They grew up in stylish surroundings chauffeured around town and educated in Paris but once they took in the first stray dog to their home on Park Avenue West, there was never again a thought of fancy dresses or any kind of furniture that couldnt survive dog hair and slobber. They never turned away a mistreated or unwanted dog, a strategy that in time necessitated a new residence out of town where dogs could come and go through a window to the yard. Their work for strays took them through all their fathers fortune and kept them mostly in debt. But their refuge for homeless animals established a precedent for compassion in our community that is continually repaid to this day through our continuance of their work. John Finney Before the Civil War it was a very serious crime to give any kind of help to a runaway slave. But John Finney cared less for the laws of the land than for the laws of his heart. To him helping the fugitives wasnt a dangerous task, it was simply his responsibility as a man facing helpless people in terrible need. He said there was nothing political about feeding the hungry and protecting the vulnerable. The Finney farm, at the corner of Lexington-Springmill and Walker Lake Roads, had a more or less continual flow of fugitive traffic for about 10 years. Coming alone or in pairs or small groups, the refugees he assisted to freedom numbered in the hundreds by the time his career ended as a Conductor of the Underground Railroad. Though often a thankless and terrifying undertaking, Mr. Finney never refused to jump in harms way. Seventeen years after the end of slavery, he received visitors from Buffalo, New York, who came to thank him: a young couple with their daughter once slaves, now citizens of the United States. John Chapman There really isnt anyone who hasnt heard of Johnny Appleseed, and it is awe-inspiring to realize that for the greatest part of his life he called Richland County his home. His legacy looms clear around the world as a sort of patron saint of wildlife and horticulture, yet the legends and mythology are all rooted in little local memories passed down through the generations of his acts of kindness and selflessness that took place right here. For example, this story was written by a woman in Mansfield and published in the Herald. It was reprinted a generation later in the County History, then it transformed through time into legend, then it amplified and etherealized into myth, whereupon it became part of the American soul: There was a woman on Walnut Street, Mrs. Leiter, whose husband felt bad that John was walking around barefoot. So he went to the bootmaker on Main Street and bought some brand new shoes. Johnny put the shoes on his feet on Walnut Street, expressed his sincere gratitude, and then walked three blocks over to Sugar Street to the home of a family struggling to survive, took the shoes off his feet and handed them to a barefoot teenager. Thats the kind of generosity of spirit that blossoms way beyond the life of just one man to influence the lives of all around him. It still touches us today more than 150 years after he left the earth. It expresses the kind of noble heart we would like Richland County to be known for. Galion High School honored its Class of 2021 on Sunday afternoon with commencement exercises in the gymnasium. Rebecca Sparks was the valedictorian and Kayla Brady was the salutatorian. The class song was "Time of Your Life" by Green Day. Its class colors were silver and hold and its class flower was the Tiger Lily. The class motto was, "It doesn't get any less scary, you just get more comfortable being scared." Principal Ronald Williams announced 41 of the graduates had earned college scholarship funds. Close 2021 Senior Spotlights are brought to you by School Specialty. Full Name: Corinne Fanello High School: Ontario High School / NC State College Accomplishments: Associate of Arts Degree in Business Administration from North Central State College and graduating from Ontario with Summa Cum Laude honors/4.7 gpa, 1st Team All-Conference (Softball), YEA/Young Entrepreneurs Academy graduate Future Plans: Complete nal two years of college at Heidelberg University (something in the business eld) along with playing softball, and then obtain MBA. List Of Extracurriculars: Teen Advisory Board for the Mansfield Richland County Public Library, National Honor Society, Drug Free Senior Program, Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society, Ontario Varsity Softball/4 years, Leadership Committee, Key Club, Buddies Mentoring Program, accounting internship at CNG. Favorite Quote: Im not good at the advice. Can I interest you in a sarcastic comment? Chandler (Matthew Perry) from Friends Personal Message To Your Senior: Corinne, your sense of humor is going to make you many friends in life (and maybe some enemies too)! Your love of playing pranks and joking around is only part of your charm, and your commitment to success should take you far. Your intricate mind is always questioning, and your thoughts are so provoking that it's hard to keep up with you. Watching you grow has been entertaining, educational, and exhausting! Just slow down a bit, relax, and enjoy the next couple years at college - adulting will come fast enough! Always remember - we love you more! Parent 1 Name: Angie Fanello Parent 2 Name: Mick Fanello Management at The Oaks Course is dedicated to growing the game of golf. One segment of the population that is a focus is junior golf. The Oaks regularly hosts junior events where young players can develop the future of the game and have fun. On Friday, June 11, The Oaks hosted a US Kids Golf Click for more. News featured Controversial Conyers apartment complex rezoning approved by 3-2 vote Special Photo Conyers City Hall CONYERS Before a packed house at City Hall Wednesday night, the Conyers City Council voted 3-2 to approve an ordinance amending the Comprehensive Land Use Plan to change the zoning for 25.5 acres at the southwestern intersection of Ga. Highway 20 and Old Millers Chapel Road, and bordered by Lennox Road, to allow for a 264-unit gated apartment complex, along with two variance requests made by the developer. Council members Gerald Hinesley and Cleveland Stroud, along with Mayor Vince Evans, voted in favor, while council members Connie Alsobrook and Valyncia Smith cast the dissenting votes. The approval came following a heated public hearing on the proposal that included allegations of conflict of interest and inadequate studies done, and an earlier vote to deny the ordinance amendment that failed by a 2-3 vote, with Alsobrook and Smith voting in favor and Hinesley, Cleveland and Evans voting against. According to Scott Gaither, deputy director of Conyers Planning and Inspection Services, the acreage is combining all or part of three separate properties, with a request to rezone the properties to the citys Gateway Village zoning. Planners and Engineers Collaborative Inc. (PEC) from Peachtree Corners is representing the three owners whose property makes up the 25.25 acres. If the rezoning is approved, the property will be developed by Lennar Atlanta from Roswell, known for its luxury homes and apartments. PEC asked for a variance to allow for a reduction from the citys requirement of 850 square feet for a one-bedroom apartment to a minimum of 725 square feet, and also asked for a reduction from the city-required number of three points of access to two points of access. Gaither told the council that planning staff members were not opposed to the variance requests. He added that several studies have found that the county is in need of a variety of housing types, including apartments. At their meeting on May 13, the Conyers-Rockdale Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend denial of the rezoning requests and variances, but did not give a reason for their recommendations. During the public hearing, Chris Cassidy, division president for Lennar Atlanta, told the council the apartments will be 40% one-bedroom and 60% two-bedroom. Rent for the one bedrooms will be $1,495 a month, and for the two bedrooms it will be $1,831 a month. The complex will feature a clubhouse, pool, physical fitness center, outdoor exercise areas, and other amenities. They will be marketing the development, to be called Emblem Conyers, to young professionals and older couples and retirees. Cassidy said they are not marketing to young families and estimated the number of school-age children to be between seven and 10 in the entire complex. Cassidy said an estimate of the property taxes per year on the complex will be $850,000, with $350,000 for the school system and $250,000 each for the city and county. Three people spoke in favor of the rezoning and 10 spoke against it. The three that spoke in favor said: Current residents have borne the burden of taxes and the $250,000 would help ease the burden. Gated apartments are more secure and have less crime. A safer environment is needed in the area. Apartments are needed in the area. The majority of those who spoke against the proposal live in several single-family home neighborhoods adjacent to the property Marthas Vineyard, Nob Hill/Downing Park, Irwin Place, Henson Village and Weatherstone. They presented a petition with 400 signatures of those against the complex. Among their concerns were: Traffic Other residential projects approved in the area over the last five years have greatly increased traffic problems, and adding more than 500 more vehicles would overwhelm the roadways and affect the quality of life. They also expressed concern about only two entrances and exits from the complex being able to handle all the traffic. Aging infrastructure in the city and county will not be able to handle the additional load. They especially noted current stormwater problems in the area and said the runoff from the complex could greatly exacerbate those problems. Potential overcrowding of schools Despite Gaither providing information that the three schools in the area are underpopulated and Cassidy stating they are not marketing for families, concerns were that the two-bedroom apartments could attract families with school-age children and cause overcrowding in the schools and more school buses adding to the traffic woes. One opponent alleged a conflict of interest since one of the property owners, Frances Jones, is the wife of City Manager Tony Lucas. She also alleged violations of state and federal laws by property impact and environmental studies not being done. During rebuttal, both attorney Tommy Craig of Covington, representing the developer, and city attorney Michael Waldrop stated that the states conflict of interest law applies only to voting members of the council and not to Lucas. Waldrop added that he has investigated the other allegations and found no evidence of wrongdoing. Gaither stated engineers have certified the stormwater study that shows the post runoff will be no great that pre-runoff from the land as it is now, and that the runoff will run west toward a pond on the property, and not toward other neighborhoods. He added that Rockdale Water and Sewer has stated its has the capacity to add the complex onto its water and sewer lines. Gaither added that planning staff is also proposing a list of conditions regarding access and working with GDOT to look at the traffic light at Ga. Highway 20 and Millers Chapel to see if that light has to be improved. If it does, that is something the developer would have to bear the cost for. Following the close of the public hearing, Smiths motion to deny the request was defeated, and a motion by Hinesley to approve the request was approved by the 3-2 vote. Since the vote was not unanimous, the second reading of the ordinance could not be waived. The second reading and final vote will come at the councils June 2 meeting. Subdued Vesak celebrations once again due to COVID-19 Pix by M. A. Pushpakumara and Rekha Tharangani Fonseka View(s): View(s): Preparations to commemorate Vesak under tight Health Ministry guidelines, due to the worsening COVID-19 situation in the country were underway over the weekend. Buddhists all over the world commemorate the birth, enlightenment, and passing away of the Lord Buddha with religious events. Hanging Vesak lanterns, putting up pandals and lighting traditional oil lamps are some of the main customs here. But this year many of these traditions will have to be confined to homes. Vendors kept Vesak decorations ready for sale in advance this year, but there was less demand. Next week, all temples will be conducting religious events without the participation of people. Rocky Mount, NC (27804) Today Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to cloudy skies after midnight. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to cloudy skies after midnight. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Gemological Science International (GSI) has opened a new laboratory in Jaipur, India. Since this state is the capital of colored gemstones, the laboratory will have a dedicated division specializing in colored gemstone geographical origin and identification. A team of GSI professionals will provide highly qualified services for the certification of gemstones. Rough&Polished spoke with GSI's new Jaipur office Head, Meenu Vyas, an industry expert, FGA, to find out what services and initiatives the new GSI lab will offer. What does it mean for you to head the new GSIs Jaipur office? GSI is one of the major gemological organizations in the world and is well known in India. As part of this international organization, I believe I can bring an even higher level of gemological services, research, and education not only to Jaipur but to all of Northern India. This GSI facility will open new avenues for this important community of jewelry buyers, traders, manufacturers, and others. Finally, Jaipur will have an international gemological organization that they rightly deserve and Im proud to be the one who will manage it. What are the specifics of the Jaipur division compared to other Indian offices? Jaipur is the colored gem center of India, and one of the most important gemstone hubs in the world. While GSI Jaipur will offer a variety of services similar to other GSI offices worldwide, Jaipurs office quite understandably will make color stones its main priority. Are all Indian GSI offices coordinated? Are you planning to launch any joint projects with other Indian GSI divisions? All GSI offices work together and coordinate their activities. We constantly exchange information and news between our different locations. Every new discovery is immediately shared with every office. In pre-pandemic times our gemologists were traveling between the different offices and had opportunities to work with their colleagues from different locations. I am sure once travel can resume these practices will be back in place. What services do you think will be the most demanded at the lab regarding the Indian diamond community? While every GSI office offers a standard menu of basic services, each one also offers a variety of customized services for local needs. And of course, in Jaipur, these services will be related to color stones. Can we say that the Jaipur office will mostly focus on grading colored gemstones? Why? The Jaipur office will not only focus on grading color stones, but in addition to GSI basic services, we will have color stone-related services. These services will be education, research, identification, and certification of color stones and jewelry. How often does the Jaipur division intend to host educational programs? Education will be one of GSI Jaipurs main activities; we believe that education is one the most important cornerstones of our industry. As a matter of fact, we already had a number of different educational events, even before the official opening of our office. We plan to greatly expand our education operations in Jaipur and all of Northern India. And please remember, GSI already offers online natural diamond courses, as well as the first LGD course in the world. Are there any planned already? Who can apply? As I mentioned we already had a number of training sessions for members of the industry in Jaipur. Moving forward, we will have a large variety of different educational programs. We will have a number of both online, and in-person courses of varying duration. In Jaipur, we, of course, will concentrate on color stones, but it does not mean that we will ignore diamonds. Victoria Quiri for Rough&Polished Drawing on Buddhist practices to help deal with pandemics By Peter Harvey View(s): View(s): Around our interconnected world, we have all been dealing with a shared threat from the COVID-19 virus. We share this world with many other forms of life, whose over-exploitation seems to have triggered the virus spreading to humans, so this situation was predicted by scientists to arise at some time, and will probably do so again, if we are not more careful. Of course access to vaccination is very important, but we also have to be heedful and mindful. As the slogan used in the UK says, be alert to Hands, Face and Space. Be careful what you touch, and keep cleansing your hands with soap and/or alcohol gel; be careful to minimise touching your face, especially mouth and eyes. As the virus spreads mainly through particles in the air breathed out by infected people, wear a face mask and try to avoid being closer than two metres to people, other than those in your own household. Mindfulness and heedfulness are qualities emphasised by Buddhism, so this should help us be careful of what we touch etc., as a kind of mindfulness of the body practice. We should be mindful of the air we share with those around us; indeed wearing a mask helps one be more mindful of ones breathing! We should also be mindful of the space round us, in which we and others move. Concentration on such things as breathing, or qualities of the Three Jewels, of course aids calm, which is always beneficial, but especially in these times, which can bring anxiety. Chanting also has a calming effect on the body and mind. And patience and equanimity can also help us deal with the long-haul of repeated lock-downs. We can also draw on metta and karuna, loving kindness and compassion, to encourage us to take care of the health of family members, friends, and others we interact with and often depend on as well as ourselves. In the Sedaka Sutta (Samyutta-nikaya V.169), an acrobat says to his assistant, who stood on his shoulders: Now you take care of me and Ill take care of you. Thus, guarding one another, taking care of one another, well show off our skill, receive our reward, and come down safely from the bamboo pole. But the wiser lady assistant replied: Thats not the way to do it, teacher. You take care of yourself, and Ill take care of myself, and thus with each of us guarding ourselves, taking care of ourselves, well show off our skill, receive our reward, and come down safely from the bamboo pole. The Buddha agreed with her point and said: Monks, the establishing of mindfulness is to be practised with the thought, Ill take care of myself. (and) Ill take care of others. Monks, one who takes care of himself takes care of others, and one who takes care of others takes care of himself. How, monks, is it that one who takes care of himself takes care of others? It is by training development and cultivation (of wholesome states). And how, monks, does one who takes care of others take care of himself? It is by patient acceptance, by harmlessness, by loving kindness and by compassion. This emphasizes that mindful cultivation, in oneself, of wholesome states of mind and action is an effective way of benefiting others, while kindly care for others in turn benefits oneself. What an individual cannot do, though, is directly control others. Now contemplation of the dukkha of illnesses etc. can aid liberation it helped spur the Buddhas renunciation, so in this sense the presence of illness can be indirectly beneficial. Contemplation of the various kinds of illness that the body can suffer are amongst those recommended to the gravely ill monk Girimananda (Anguttara 10.60), along with e.g. contemplation of impermanence, and of breathing, in the hope that, hearing of them, his illness would subside, which it then did. Girimanandas mindfulness of certain key perceptions would naturally lead to investigation of what they are about, and on from this to the third of the health-giving seven factors of awakening, viriya, vigour or mental strength suggestive of an enlivening energy and strength of will. Of course, one of Girimanandas curative contemplations is mindfulness of breathing, which certainly can induce an enlivening energy. It should be noted that the Buddha said that only some illnesses are caused by ones past karma (Anguttara 4.87, 10.60, Samyutta 36.21), though of course any illnesses that humans can get depend on being reborn as a human, which comes from karma. If all illnesses were seen as caused by karma, one might wrongly think that Buddhists would therefore not seek medical help. Of course the Vinaya refers to many medical treatments used by monks, in line with the need for members of the Sangha to look after their sick fellows. As the Buddha said: Monks if you do not tend to one another, who then will tend to you? Monks, whoever would tend to me should tend to the sick (Vinaya I.302). What, though, of the protective power of the chanting of pirit/parittas? They are said to work only for a person who has some term of life remaining, who is virtuous and with confidence in the Three Jewels, and cannot cure a person of an illness if it is due to their past karma (Milindapanha 15054). How might they be seen to work? Firstly, to chant or listen to a paritta is soothing and leads to self-confidence and a calm, pure mind, due to both its sound-quality and meaning. As the mind is in a healthier state, this may cure psychosomatic illnesses, strengthen the immune system, and make a person more alert and better at avoiding the dangers of life. Secondly, chanting a paritta, especially one which expresses loving kindness to all beings, may calm down a hostile person, animal or ghost, making them more well-disposed towards the chanter and listeners. Thirdly, as well as generating new punna merit or karmic fruitfulness paritta-chanting may stimulate past karmic fruitfulness into bringing some of its fruits immediately. Fourthly, chanting or listening to a paritta is thought to please those gods who are devotees of the Buddha, so that they offer what protection and assistance it is in their power to give. Finally, the spiritual power of the Buddha, and of the truth he expressed, is seen as continuing in his words, with its beneficial influence being liberated when these are devoutly chanted. The Ratana Suttaparitta is said to have been given as an aid to a community in overcoming a sickness. It begins by wishing peace of mind to any assembled deities, asking them to have loving kindness for, and to protect, humans who bring them offerings, especially by sharing karmic fruitfulness with them. Twelve verses describing the excellences of the Three Jewels then follow, each one ending with by this truth, may there be well-being (etena saccena suvatthi hotu). Finally, three verses, said to be from the deva Sakka, request the assembled devas to praise the Three Jewels. Uttering significant truths about the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha is seen to have a great power of influence over those that hear them, such as these devas, and sometimes the physical world. The commentary says that the Ratana Sutta was given by the Buddha when a drought had led to famine and death in Vesali. The stench of rotting bodies had then attracted non-human beings (harmful spirits), who brought more deaths, which were also brought on by a sickness. The Buddha was asked to come and help, and when he was met by representatives of the city at its edge, heavy rain began to fall, which swept away the dead bodies. Sakka and other devas also arrived, at which most of the non-humans fled. The Buddha then told Ananda to learn the Ratana Sutta, and that he and the city leaders should recite it as a paritta as they walked around the city. This they did, after contemplating the perfections of the Buddha. Ananda carried the Buddhas bowl, sprinkling water from it as he chanted, and as soon as he began the verses containing certain truth-utterances, the water drove away the remaining non-humans and started to cure the sick. The Sutta was then recited for seven days until the plague was ended. As I see things, the protective power of parittas largely comes from the good states of mind they help induce, and the harmonious energy that these and the chant infuse through the body. I would certainly not see parittas as preventing one catching the virus, except through helping one be more careful. Nor would they necessarily prevent serious illness, or even death, from the virus. However, they may well help strengthen a persons general level of health and so help their body fight the virus and lessen its effects, especially if this in addition to having been vaccinated. Of course our heedfulness as regards the threat from the virus also needs to be exercised in Buddhist contexts. Communal chanting, even of parittas, could spread the virus, unless it is done outdoors, and with good spacing between people. One can of course chant them oneself, in the home. Offering of dana to monks would also need to be done very carefully, so as not to transmit the virus. (The writer is Emeritus Professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of Sunderland and meditation teacher in Samatha Trust) Translations of the Ratana Sutta (Khuddaka-patha VI): Piyadassi Thera: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/snp/snp.2.01.piya.html Thanissaro Bhikkhu: https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/KN/StNp/StNp2_1.html) Letters to the Editor View(s): Destroying two unique school cultures in the name of a merger Many questions baffle us on the proposed school merger of Sri Wijayarama Maha Vidyalaya and Devi Balika Maha Vidyalaya. There is no transparency in this so-called surprise project. Listening to the arguments of the representatives of Sri Wijayarama Maha Vidyalaya and Devi Balika Maha Vidyalaya, the first question to ask is what is the rationale behind this project? If charity or social responsibility are key concepts of the stakefholders, they have very many deeds to get merits from. How many schools in this country are underfunded? How many hospitals are under-resourced? Why is public transport in shambles? So, what prevents large-hearted entrepreneurs from helping those hundreds and thousands of institutions that are utterly neglected? Down a quiet, leafy street of Wijerama, Sri Wijayarama Maha Vidyalaya cannot boast of the pomp and pageantry of other renowned schools. In every sense humble, this school has catered to the local children for decades. However, the present state the school has fallen into, is an inexcusable folly that every government is responsible for. So, why not give the boost this school needs to upgrade it to the level of many other co-ed schools that could bring pride to our island nation? The great writer Victor Hugo once declared, He who opens a school door, closes a prison. Will you close to the local children, whose living is a struggle, their only door to education? As a resident of Wijerama, I appeal to the kind-hearted souls, who seem to care for the schools present predicament, to do all you could do to salvage this beautiful school with its own pulse and character. Devi Balika, Colombo, needs no introduction. It has in every sense its own personality; unparalleled and unique. Since its inception, Devi has had the sole duty to educate the cream who come from the scholarship examinations. Although it was meant to cater to science education alone, it branched off as a huge tree of diverse streams. What Devi is today is not what it had been. Hundreds of thousands of former Devians would remember the humble origins. The multi-storeyed buildings, the auditorium, high-tech labs are all later additions. But what created the essence of Devi Balika brand is the contribution of the hardworking teachers, principals, well-wishers, support staff, parents and last but not least the proud Devians themselves. If you commodify this brand, it is robbery in broad daylight. For the past 68 years, Devi had its own trials and tribulations. There were times of anarchy. But Devi persisted. Why should such a wholesome entity be otherwise? Let Devi Balika be Devi Balika at its historical location. As a former teacher of the school, I appeal to the generous gentlemen to spare this school as it is for the generations of girls who would blossom into professionals your country needs. On top of the myriad of issues the children of both schools would face, you all will collectively destroy two unique school cultures. Savithri Jayasinghe Cooray Via email Renunciation He was but a common man, though born to rule a Kingdom Supernatural powers he had none; but lots of compassion and wisdom Shielded from pain and poverty for fear he would renounce it all King Suddhodana ensured his son, was groomed to reign above all. A patient doubled in pain, crying aloud in agony A corpse being carried to the pyre, by a sad bereaved family A senile man so crippled, who could hardly find his way A serene monk so peaceful, no worries to cloud his day These four foretokens did, so disturb his mood and mind How do we alleviate suffering? He felt compelled to find Musicians and dancing girls performing for his fun and pleasure He quietly stole away, depressed and filled with displeasure. He looked into Yasodaras chamber, where lay his newborn son No time for fond farewells, a swift glance and he was gone. Channa-his lifelong friend, confidant and able minister Was woken to fulfil his role; a final task to administer The birth of a son and heir, is unique and special wed say How could he leave Rahul on such a memorable day? Abandoned without any warning, such a loving and dutiful wife He left to show us the way to ease suffering in life. Kantaka his favourite stallion; saddled up ready for the night Ahead lay an uncertain journey, as he prepared to take flight He rode into the moonlit midnight, no star to guide his way Until he reached Neranjana; the flowing waters lapped the bay. With several sweeps of his sword, the long hair locks were shaved Discarding princely attire, a saffron garb was draped It was too much to bear; it broke loyal Kantakas heart To watch his lifelong master, renounce and thus depart. Fickle fortune, shallow life, birth brings suffering and pain Birth after birth in Sansara, it does perpetuate the same To break this vicious cycle, avoid greed and attachment As in the Eightfold Noble Path, practise compassion and detachment In Four Noble Truths he taught us; Greed is the cause of pain Pain needs to be abolished, but how can we achieve this aim? Torturing himself in extreme, he sought this route in vain Walk the Middle Path he finally did proclaim. Dr. Rasieka Jayatunga Spotlight on breaking uneasy silence over mental illness By Yomal Senerath-Yapa In our series on the Gratiaen Prize shortlisted writers we feature playwright Jehan Aloysius View(s): View(s): Trapped in a mausoleum of a house, Joyce is a schizophrenic. Victim to hallucinations, she is covered in a blanket of paranoia which makes her suspect her husband, Rajeev, of infidelity and even being responsible for the death of their daughter Nicky. Her one ally is art, which she uses to give wings to her stifled voice, and to accuse, torment, test and tease all those who oppress her. Thus begins the dark play called Mind Games, a psychological thriller that breaks the uneasy silence over mental illness. It is a tale of a family with secrets and forcefully silenced voices, says Jehan Aloysius, that uncannily versatile playwright, who this time unpacks something close to his heart. The setting is a grand but desolate Sri Lankan house a few decades back. It has a touch of the Victorian Gothic novels mansion where the sensitive yet strong women characters feel fettered in a world that is patriarchal- denied the right to live unbridled, following their hearts and dreams. But Joyce is never really the Victorian mad woman in the attic- given that she uses her art and other strategies to break away from the patriarchal forces and attitudes to find her voice, and let it be heard and believed. Nonetheless being a strong, creative or artistic woman who is restricted creates a kind of pressure cooker for emotions and conflict to well up explains Jehan, and at the heart of this story is that very conflict, together with dark secrets within the family which turn malignant, and poison relationships; grow like a cancer and consume people. Jehan is rather proud of his new play, because it is universal (precisely because it is abidingly personal). Mental sickness is far more common than most of us think, says Jehan, hence the need to bring it under the stage lighting. Ive found that writing plays is therapeutic indeed. Ive also realized the power of theatre as a tool that can offer healing for audiences and performers, as well as for the writers and creators of shows. I firmly believe its important to break the silence and stigma of mental health issues. So, I sincerely hope Mind Games can stimulate more open discussion on the subject. He adds that the protagonist, Joyce, is based on two very real people in my life who are in a constant battle with this condition. The script at first was short and one-act, but over the years it was revised, and from 2018 was thoroughly refined and rewritten with stringent readings from people who were familiar with the issues discussed. The issues included not only mental maladies but also domestic violence- physical, mental and sexual. Joyce is probably the most feminist of Jehans characters up to now- though he has created many of them, all ready to subvert patriarchal authority within the domestic space, and do so in radical ways. Joyce is in a constant battle with the patriarchal forces that attempt to dominate her and demonize her voice. She feels that she is victimized and demonized due to her gender, creativity and schizophrenia. She is an outspoken feminist, and seems to align herself with other creative women such as Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath and to some degree Germaine Greer as well. The Gratiaen judges commended the play for its poignant character development and Jehan is gratified. Creating Joyce was a major challenge, he admits, given her complex mind and that her perception for a part of the play is not normal. The narrative being exclusively through dialogue, speech and conversation alone need to capture the nuances, poetry, subtext, context, social status, personality and emotion. Language too has to show social divisions and different personalities. As someone who studied psycho-linguistics with a focus on the Lankan context, I attempted to give each character the correct tone and subtle shading to be authentic to their social status and context- without resorting to making the language sound overly Lankan just for the sake of it, Jehan says. Whether some of the scenes are real or surreal, is up to the spectator to decide, as Joyce tends to drag us along into her hallucinations. Her heightened manic state makes some scenes consciously over-the-top or melodramatic. While Jehan planned an emotional arc for all the characters, Joyces arc is the most dominant. It is also of course the least stable, so the narrative gets intentionally fragmented and non-linear. While Mind Games has none of what Jehan calls injected local colour or flavour, it does mirror very faithfully Sri Lankan middle class life, attitudes and prejudices of the period. Jehan modestly hopes that readers will accept and appreciate what is a cathartic portrayal of a world perceived as taboo. The importance of meditation in these difficult times By Udumbara Udugama View(s): View(s): Very often we hear our elders say Society today is not what it used to be. People are always busy. Life is a rat-race. Not only adults, even schoolchildren are running a race in this competitive world to achieve their educational goals. People crave for material wealth and forget about their mental and spiritual well-being. There is no end to their craving and tanha (greed). They need more and more. It is a stressful and disturbed life. Ven. Ajahn Brahmavamso Thera, the well known meditation teacher and Abbot of Bodhinyana Monastery in Serpentine, Western Australia, during a visit to Sri Lanka once said, Meditation brings peace to the mind and is good for busy people. He was giving a discourse on meditation. Mindfulness Meditation teaches you to slow down the thoughts that race through your mind. This calms your mind and body. With the COVID-19 pandemic taking a deady toll, people are experiencing depression, anxiety and stress. We see people air their disgust and frustration when cities and villages are closed and they cannot move about freely, to attend to their day-to-day work. This stress and anxiety will affect their health. Vesak Full Moon poya falls on May 26 this year. This Thrice-Blessed Day is of great significance to Buddhists, as it marks the birth of Prince Siddhartha Gautama, attainment of Enlightenment and parinibbhana (passing away) of the Buddha. There are many rituals and ceremonies conducted by Buddhists who visit the temple on Vesak day. This year though, with the increasing number of COVID -19 cases in the country, devotees will be restricted from going to the temple for their religious activities. Although they cannot express their religious devotion by way of rituals and ceremonies by visiting temples, they can practise certain religious activities at home observe atasil, (taking and observing the eight precepts), listen to Dhamma talks and meditate. These progammes are conducted on TV and radio. The practice of meditation has become very popular in the world today. There are many forms of meditation and one does not have to be a Buddhist to meditate. Anyone who wishes to calm the mind can do so. The ultimate goal of a Buddhist is Nibbana, which ends the samsaric re-birth of all beings. To achieve this state of Nibbana, one has to pass through four stages of enlightenmentsotapanna, sakadagami, anagami and arahant. To arrive at these stages, one has to practise meditation to bring the mind to a higher level, void of any defilements. Without the restraint of kaya and vachanaya (body and word), one cannot restrain the manasa (mind). Our mind is often in a state of unrest, with thoughts flashing through at lightning speed. Ven. Ajahn Brahmavamso speaks of the beautiful silence and clarity of mind. In meditation, one has to let go. The mind should not dwell in the past or think about the future and should forget the outside world. Silence the mind. It is important to bring the mind to the present moment. There should not be any upadanaya (clinging). Once the mind is unburdened, there is clarity of mind. In most of Ajahn Brahmavamsos discourses he says, put down the two suitcases you carry. The one in the left hand has thoughts of the past and the suitcase in the right hand carries the future. The mind should not dwell on the past or think about the future. When one meditates one should think of the present moment only, to achieve the desired effect. Of the many meditation practices, Metta meditation can be considered the easiest for a beginner. To calm the mind, one should try the Metta meditation, the practice of loving-kindness before one tries the Anapanasati (inhaling and exhaling of breath) meditation or the satipatthana (focus of mindfulness) meditation. Metta is goodwill and friendliness. It is a form of meditation practice to curb ones anger, jealousy, hatred and ill-will. It should start with ones own self. Extend kindness to yourself and then to others. The Karaniya Metta Sutta is the instructions the Buddha gave a group of monks who went to meditate in the forest during the vassana (rains) season. The tree deities did not like their presence and harassed them during the night, not allowing them to meditate in peace. The monks went back and informed the Buddha of their difficulties. The Buddha instructed them by a discourse, the Karaniya Metta Sutta loving kindness and advised them to return to the forest to complete the vassana season in meditation. The monks returned and repeated the Metta Sutta of loving kindness. The tree deities became calm by these words and thereafter did not disturb the monks. The Metta meditation can be performed anywhere, anytime. It is not necessary to be confined to a seated position, although one could do so too. The loving kindness can be performed while walking, standing or attending to normal day-to-day chores. When you are interacting with others at the work place or at any other time, you can radiate thoughts of loving kindness to everyone. These radiant thoughts of loving kindness in you will make anothers life pleasant. Next, you show metta to your family and close associates, neighbours, even to people whom you dislike and finally to the whole world - unknown, unseen living beings. May I be happy May I be safe May I be peaceful May I be healthy May I be healed May I find true peace and happiness You may even use two lines of the above in your meditation. When turning to others you may say may you be happy, may you be healed etc. adding or reducing the lines. The idea is to wish someone to be free from suffering radiating kind thoughts. Healing means both physical and mental healing. Most importantly, healing of the mind from mental wounds, anguish, unhappiness, traumas, neuroses, unwholesome psychological conditioning of the mind. The Kararaniya Metta Sutta has ten stanzas which instruct a person on the standard of conduct (karaniya- what should be done) the moral conduct to be achieved, and how metta should be practised for ones purity of mind, to achieve peace. This sutta is a set of ten instructions/stanzas how one could reach enlightenment through loving kindness. 1st stanza karaniya mattha kusalena yantam santham padan abhisamecca sakko ujuca suju ca suvaco cassa mudu anatimani. He who is skilled, (in working out his own) well-being and who wishes to attain that state of peace-calm (Nibbana) should act thus:he should be able, upright, exceedingly upright, obedient, gentle andhumble. 7th stanza mata yata niyam puttam ayusa ekaputtamanurakkhe evampi sabbha bhutesu manasam bhaveye aparimanam. Just as a mother would protect her only child with her own life, even so let him cultivate boundless thoughts of loving kindness towards all beings Thoughts of Metta, loving kindness bring many benefits to the meditator. One sleeps in comfort, awakes in comfort, does not see bad or evil dreams, is dear to human beings, protected by deities, not harmed by fire, poison and weapon, the mind can concentrate quickly, one has a serene countenance and one dies without the mind being confused. If we cultivate metta, loving kindness towards all living beings and discipline ourselves, it will end conflict and disputes and make the world a better place for all to live in peace and harmony. On this Vesak Poya, let us cultivate metta, loving kindness towards all living beings, irrespective of their ethnicity, religion, caste or creed. CAIRO (AP) A senior Sudanese official said she resigned on Saturday in protest over the killing of two protesters during a rally earlier this month, when the military dispersed a demonstration in Sudan's capital. Aisha Musa, a civilian member of the ruling military-civilian Sovereign Council, said she submitted her resignation a day after troops forcibly dispersed a protest outside the military headquarters in Khartoum. Two young protesters were killed and over three dozen were wounded, according to a local medical group. Prosecutors were questioning some 100 troops over the deadly dispersal. Musa, a university professor and rights activist, announced her resignation in a televised statement. She claimed that civilians in the 14-member Sovereign Council have been sidelined. There was no immediate comment from the ruling body, chaired by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan. Mousa called for sweeping reforms to the justice system and quick investigations into the killings of protesters during and after the popular uprising that led to the militarys overthrow of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. Sudan has since been on a fragile path to democracy and is ruled by a joint military-civilian government, which includes the Sovereign Council and also an executive Cabinet. The deadly rally earlier in May had demanded justice for the dozens killed in a 2019 crackdown on protesters. The government established an independent committee in 2019 to probe the crackdown, but the panel repeatedly missed its deadlines for reporting, angering the victims families and protest groups. London, KY (40741) Today Thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 Eureka! Community Policing in Lanka View(s): It is very heartening that the Government has at last accepted the much-desired concept of Community Policing (CP). This idea is now institutionalised with the appointment of a State Minister to handle the subject. The pressure on the Government this time around perhaps follows from the question raised by the media: Why is this recurring violence on the people by the Police? The familiar stomping incident and much more have brought on this media question. There was no adequate reply by the Police Media Spokesman. Comments are forthcoming today, as the question has been there for over several decades. The CP initiative is a reflection on law and order situation today. Is this a veiled suggestion of an underlying cover for regime policing, different from CP in the true sense? The idea of CP emerges out of a perception that current policing is one of regime policing rather than CP. Nonetheless, community policing can have no meaning if it is to echo on regime policing. Many countries are grappling with this problem when is it Regime Policing? when is it Community Policing? Their puzzle befuddles, here too. Community Policing is a term with direct and immediate relevance to the people. But the reality is that CP is necessarily dependent on the Criminal Justice System (CJS). If CP is to go through the several CJS agencies, the results of CJS to the community will be gained only in an incidental manner. The impediments of the CJS as it is now functioning, are explained below. Effective policing can only come from effective, direct, and immediate action, from the CJS. Delay and malfunction of the CJS on the other hand can only reduce the effectiveness of CP. Laws delay in CJS is not helpful to CP. This term, CP, is now being used to launder failure of the CJS system from delay. For, the problem for CP from CJS is more than mere inefficiency. This is all the more so when the laws delay is driven by money incentives. Postponement of cases, in this trend, is delay washed clean. The manifold ramifications in this process can barely be discussed here due to space restrictions. It is reported that there are more than 700,000 cases pending in courts. With the Prosecution (AG) there are more than 8,000 cases pending indictment. The Police only contribute to this. The Prisons add to this problem in their own brutal way of correction and rehabilitation! Together, the CJS does not permit any impelling progress for CP in the process. Community Policing, now proposed, would have to contend with these dysfunctions of the order. Community Policing, likewise, begs for justice, morality and public order. For justice, morality and public order are what CP can best serve. CP, bedraggled by money, power and finance, face the opposite effect of undermining law and order. Laws delay plainly aggravates law and order. This is a matter of common community experience. As a direct result of this, more offences and more serious crimes are added to the numbers. Order is the casualty. The law is thus undermined by money, power and finance in the process. Thus, the Bail Act which provides for bail as the rule, which incurs no expense, is changed, in effect, by making remand the regular occurrence with the money and expenses involved. This has been discussed before. The law is replete with many other examples of such tenor and tone brought on by these untoward impulses. Community policing has little space then to waddle in this mire. Regime policing enjoys this bog. It may be that the very recent initiative for CP, a few days ago, had an eye to the wordings of the Constitution, to think that the idea of CP may help policing be made more democratic and socialist, in terms of the Constitution. The idea is good but does not cover further ground. For, it is necessary that this very proposal may extend to the CJS itself which is barely democratic, less socialist. The CJS is elitist and not for the people. The CJS laws are made by law professionals even to the extent of excluding the law of the people, such as conciliation, mediation, compounding and with the AJL 1973. Thus, lawmaking and processing in courts are far removed from the community. Its clamour for community justice, for morality and public order, for community courts, for community prosecution, for community correction, and for CP to have even a bleak chance of carrying through these ideals, has become a cry too far. Monopoly runs the order, when even laws that suit the people directly, as conciliation and compounding of cases were opposed by the courts. Courts argued that these instances were a usurpation of judicial power. In fact, monopoly considerations drove the opposition by courts to peoples powers. A particular judicial training does not reform the monopoly, as when village elders, Buddhist priests etc. can serve better. It is also clear that the new understanding of CP, by the authorities, lacks awareness of the fact that the concept of CP, in it, is redundant. For, the Police and the Community are just one as Sir Robert Peel said in 1829, that Police are the People and the People are the Police. Is it necessary then that this simple view in 1829 has to be restated in 2021? Reiteration and repetition of CP over 70 years has not helped to recognise this simple fact. Failure is not in the comprehension of this plain fact but rather in the disregard of this reality. Previous Commissions and Committees since 1948, and repeatedly since, paid no attention to this fundamental fact. Instead, the interests of these Commissions only touched around many other issues, making a raft of recommendations thereby. Together or consequently, time after time, they yielded little result. Today this opportunity for CP may yet be missed for similar superficial reasons. CP needs to be intelligently taken into account. CP may take a modest line in limited area of work, but promising in expectation. CP can be limited to the minor cases and disputes that lead to more offences and more serious crimes. Details of CP are simple to deal with. Reducing CP to a mere public relations (PR) exercise must be avoided at all costs if CP is to duly function. Many contradictory ventures have been taken on in the name of CP, none of them self-sustaining, most of them even eyewash, sometimes corruptive. The people have languished too long under Regime policing. The biggest drawback for the people is the bondage under Regime policing. Stupidity and want of intelligence that marked the history of CP for so long must be avoided. This article is perforce addressed direct to new Minister apart from the readers. (The writer is a Retired Senior Police Officer. He can be contacted at seneviratnetz@gmail.com; TP 077 44 751 44) For more stories like this, check out The Chronicles weekly Travel newsletter! Sign up here. In a summer ahead, when many major recreation lakes will be drained to low levels, you can be sure that the Sacamento-San Joaquin River Delta will stay full and provide a gateway for water recreation, particularly kayaking. Out of Antioch, a popular trip involves renting a kayak for a three-hour sunset paddle to Kimball and Sherman islands, where a nesting pair of bald eagles has taken up residence. They have a little baby now and thats really cool, said Kathy Bunton, owner of Delta Kayak Adventures out of Antioch Marina. Every trip there in the last three months, weve seen at least one of the bald eagles every time. Five boat rental services out of Antioch and nearby Bethel Island, starting at $18 for a single kayak, are your passports to wide-open spaces and miles of water. Between the pandemic and fall wildfire smoke, last year was rough for many outdoor tour operators. Bunton said she had to shut down for four months. But with restrictions across the Bay Area beginning to ease heading into summer, pent-up demand is driving kayak reservations through the roof, she said. Now its the busiest Ive ever seen. I ended up hiring four people, Bunton said. To get out on the water, even if just for a little bit, is a great way to get away. On weekends, kayak rentals are selling out by reservation so fast that Bunton is not allowing walk-ups or all-day rentals. We want to give everybody a chance to go, Bunton said. For all-day rentals, book on a weekday, she said. Jessica Christian / The Chronicle For new kayakers, the paddle to Dow Wetlands or Browns Island is a great place to start. Launch from Antioch and you can enjoy bird-watching and long-distance scenic views across to Mount Diablo. Those trips take about two hours. It takes another hour, round trip, to venture to Sherman Lake. For most in the Bay Area, the closest rental service for the San Joaquin Delta is Delta Kayak Adventures out of Antioch Marina, 42 miles from San Francisco. When you first arrive at the marina, youll discover the rental shop is actually a sailboat at the dock with a nearby fleet of kayaks, 23 singles, 7 tandems, plus Stand Up Paddleboards and a Pescador pedal fishing kayak. Newcomers will get an orientation, and then with calm water and no high winds in the forecast, be set free. Its a short paddle downstream to the Dow Wetlands Preserve, a rich habitat for resident shorebirds, with egrets and herons common, as well as migrants, including avocets and stilts. The occasional river otter is always a happy shock. With calm water when the wind is down, you can extend to New York Slough and the edge of Winter Island and Browns Island, also excellent for a variety of shorebirds. There are other boat and kayak services at Bethel Island, located another 20 minutes or so past Antioch. If youre leaving from Bethel Island, the best destinations are Franks Tract and Old River, with excellent birdwatching and fishing for bass. The delta, of course, is filled with a matrix of rivers, sloughs, cuts and coves. To take advantage of this, Delta Kayak Adventures also offers trips in other areas: Out of Wimpys Marina on the Mokelumne River to Delta Meadows Lost Slough; out of Brannan Island State Recreation Area at Decker Island; out of Hogback Island for Steamboat Slough and out of Tiki Lagoon to Spud Island. One trick is to time your departure so you are paddling with the tide. Leave at the bottom of the outgoing tide, so you will be paddling the same direction as the tide downstream. Then, on the return trip, you will either face slack water during the tide change or get a push from the start of the incoming tide. For those looking to escape traffic jams on highways or major recreation lakes with low water levels look no further than the miles of wide-open space on the delta. Tom Stienstra is The Chronicles outdoor writer emeritus. Email: tomstienstra2021@gmail.com. Twitter: @StienstraTom. RAVENNA, Italy (AP) As she has each evening for the last eight months, Giuliana Turati opened her well-worn copy of Dantes Divine Comedy as the last of 13 peals of a church bell reverberated around the tomb of the great Italian poet. Italy is honoring Dante Alighieri who died in exile from Florence on Sept. 13, 1321 in myriad ways on the 700th anniversary of his death. Those include new musical scores and gala concerts, exhibits and dramatic readings against stunning backgrounds in every corner of the country. Pope Francis has written an Apostolic letter, the latest by a pope examining Dantes relationship with the Roman Catholic Church. But nowhere is the tribute more intimate than before his tomb, which was restored for the anniversary, as dusk falls each day in the city of Ravenna, a former Byzantine capital. Turati, a life-long Ravenna resident, comes to listen as volunteer Dante-lovers read a single canto, following along in the copy of the Divine Comedy" inscribed with the year she studied the poet's masterwork in school: 1967. There is always something new, Turati said. Even if you have read and reread it, Dante always has something new to tell us. The daily reading, part of a yearlong celebration of Dante that started in September, is intended to connect ordinary people -- residents and tourists, scholars and the uninitiated -- with the Divine Comedy as an appreciation by the city he adopted while in exile. Copies of the Divine Comedy in 60 languages are housed nearby, and organizers envision they also will be read by foreign tourists as soon as post-pandemic travel resumes. Reading Dante is perhaps the truest and most profound homage that we can offer, said Francesca Masi, secretary general for Ravennas Dante 700 organizing committee. It requires everyone to make an effort to go toward Dante, while too often we ask Dante to come toward us, perhaps stretching a little without understanding him, ideologizing him. Instead, this solemn way of reading, without comment, is respectful. Dante spent years composing Divine Comedy during his banishment from his native Florence, the home of the vernacular he elevated to a literary language through his poetry. While Dante was embraced as a symbol of Italys unification in 1861, Florence and Ravenna continue to battle for Dante's legacy. Disputes over who has the right to claim his remains still erupt in newspapers seven centuries after his death. Florence, so it seems, would have given up its claim by sentencing Dante to exile, his return punishable by death. The sentence is written in a 14th-century court ledger on display through Aug. 8 as part of an exhibition on Dantes relationship with Florence at the Bargello National Museum. The museum is housed in a medieval palace that Dante would have known and visited as the seat of the highest judicial magistrate, and where he was sentenced in absentia in the same vaulted room that now displays a famous bronze of David by Renaissance sculptor Donatello. The museum also holds a fresco of Dante, painted by his contemporary Giotto after the poets death, and also of Lucifer, depicted with Dante's own imagery three heads and the wings of a bat. It is very important, because it means that the iconography introduced by Dante was immediately received in Florence in the figurative arts, Bargello National Museum Director Paola DAgostino. Another exhibit in the San Domenico Museum, near Ravenna in Forli, brings together 300 works from all over the world to tell the story of Dante through the ages, from pieces that influenced him to ones he influenced, museum director Gianfranco Brunelli said. The exhibit, put on in conjunction with Florences Uffizi and running through July 4, includes art contemporary to Dante, elaborate manuscripts of his work, portraits of the poet and pieces inspired by his epic, monumental poem by artists such as Picasso, Giotto, Tintoretto and Michelangelo. Brunelli said it's no surprise that Dante has continued to fascinate people through the centuries. Dantes themes are those of heaven and earth. He speaks of salvation and pardon, of things very fundamental to human life," Brunelli said. "For this reason, art couldnt do other than return an infinite number of times to Dante and his themes. After being sentenced to exile in 1302, Dante spent much of the rest of his life in Verona and then Ravenna, where he arrived in 1318 or 1319. He died of malaria after a diplomatic mission to the Republic of Venice, 100 kilometers (60 miles) to the north. In Ravenna, Dante would have visited the citys ancient Byzantine basilicas and famed mosaics, and it is believed that he took inspiration for some passages of his masterpiece. Masi, on a recent tour, indicated the Procession of the Virgins inside the Basilica of SantAppolinare Nuovo, which is reflected in a verse from Purgatory, his masterpiece's second section: And they wore white-whiteness, that, in this world has never been. For the anniversary, another notable adopted citizen of Ravenna, Riccardo Muti, plans to conduct a new orchestral musical score inspired by Purgatory and written by Armenian composer Tigran Mansurian on Sept. 12, as part of the Ravennal Festival dedicated to Dante. It will be followed by performances in Florence and Verona. The closing festivities in September are to include an annual pilgrimage by officials from Florence, who arrive in Ravenna with an offering of oil to keep the flame above Dante's mausoleum tomb lit for another year. Dante found his peace in this city, Muti told The Associated Press, adding that he found it a comfort to live just 200 meters (yards) from the final resting place of this extraordinary soul. I personally feel this closeness to his bones as a privilege, as if from that tomb emerges a sense of honesty, of righteousness, of a good omen for the Italian people from Ravenna to the world, Muti said. So far, governments large and small have stopped short of requiring people to get vaccinated, instead encouraging, cajoling and, in some cases, bribing the public to get the lifesaving shots. Officials in Santa Clara County may have found another way, by making it potentially easier for fully vaccinated people to do their jobs. As the county moved to the states least restrictive yellow tier, it announced businesses are required to determine the vaccination status for each of their employees and some contractors, or potentially face fines of up to $5,000 per violation per day. Companies can rely on contractors to check their own workers vaccine status, but the guidance urges businesses to double check. Businesses in Santa Clara County have to ask and record each employees vaccination status by June 1, including noting anyone who refuses to say, and treating them as not being fully vaccinated. Companies are also required to follow up every 14 days with workers who are not fully vaccinated or refuse to talk about their status. The order applies to people who work on-site in the county. Others, like people working from home, are encouraged but not required to share their status. Employers are expected to either keep records of an employees government-issued vaccination card, or have people fill out a self-certification form. While government guidance has supported companies asking about and tracking that kind of the information, it has to be treated confidentially, just like other medical records. Requirements on masking and social distancing are more relaxed for vaccinated people based on guidance issued last week from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Proposed statewide rules will also likely lift many restrictions on vaccinated people at work next month, like social distancing and mask mandates. Rather than mandating the vaccine itself were seeing methods to further encourage more individuals to get vaccinated, said Hannah Sweiss, an employment lawyer at law firm Fisher Phillips who is part of the companys COVID-19 task force. If we have different restrictions for people who are vaccinated in the workplace then we need to understand who is vaccinated and who is not. Even asking the question about vaccine status is a fraught step for some employers, said DJ Robertson, president of Greenlees Bakery in San Jose. Robertson was hesitant to even comment on the requirement, saying it has the potential to irritate employees and customers alike. Some people are definitely not going to be thrilled about that, he said, adding that decisions about vaccinations get to deeply held beliefs for some. Other Bay Area counties in the yellow tier, including San Mateo and San Francisco, are not currently enforcing the same rules requiring businesses to ask about vaccine status. Part of the reason could be that doing so has the potential to ratchet up workplace tensions. Aside from outright vaccine refusal and skepticism, there are religious and health reasons why a person might refuse to get vaccinated, said Domenique Camacho Moran, a labor and employment attorney at New York law firm Farrell Fritz. We dont want to walk around with yellow T-shirts and green T-shirts, for vaccinated and unvaccinated people at work, she said. Tensions and said discrimination claims could arise if people who refuse to get vaccinated for religious or health reasons are treated differently at work required to mask and distance than vaccinated people, she added. Moran also said reading the rules as encouraging vaccinations made sense. I think there is a very reasonable subtext that those who are vaccinated are going to enjoy a better life, she said. But for those who refuse for one reason or another, keeping vaccination status confidential will be almost impossible. Somebodys individual vaccination status is going to be known if theyre going to be taking off a mask, said Sweiss, the attorney. Other cities have approached the issue by giving employers more flexibility. In New York employers have the option to work on the honor system when it comes to vaccines. They can also mandate employees get the shot or ask about vaccine status, said Moran. She said despite the changes from the CDC about masking for vaccinated people, she is telling many companies she works with to have employees keep their masks on. For many companies the more reasonable approach is We really want everybody to go get vaccinated but we want to keep your masks on at work, Moran said. At least for now. Chase DiFeliciantonio is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: chase.difeliciantonio@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ChaseDiFelice Gov. Newsoms latest budget proposal allocates millions of dollars to reforming the states troubled Employment Development Department, which has struggled to handle unemployment claims for a deluge of people left jobless by the pandemic. Hiring more people to help guide claimants, offering direct deposit, improving language access and creating a more user-friendly online interface are among the proposed changes to the EDD in the revised $213 billion state budget Newsom issued this month. Lawmakers applauded the suggested changes. The proposal is a step forward to ensure EDD as a safety net works for Californians, said Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo, D-Los Angeles, in an email. There are other long-term investments that still need to be made to support those who were able to open claims only to encounter problems down the line, she said. But the Governor deserves credit for his laser focus on accessibility for those (who) needed to open and reopen claims this year and next, as well as his commitment to implement direct deposit. Department workers have reported struggling with calls from angry and despondent Californians unable to navigate the system and get the benefits they desperately need. EDD did not answer a request for comment. The budget must be approved by mid-June. State lawmakers, who report being swamped by constituents desperate for help with their unemployment benefits, are unlikely to push back against the proposal EDD allocations. The supermajority Democratic Assembly and Senate have been receptive to the overall budget. Here are the specific EDD budget proposals: Claim volume: The budget would provide a one-time $276.3 million allocation to tackle work that piled up from the huge volume of new claims, as well as from ongoing benefit renewals and extensions. The proposal said the money would allow hiring of contractors to address this situation in about 12 months, versus the 3.5 years that EDD said it would otherwise take. Language access: The budget includes $21 million over two years to improve education and outreach among the 7 million Californians who speak languages other than English. It would create a multilanguage portal on EDDs website, and translated forms and notices, as well as setting up a multilingual access unit and expanding the agencys existing interpretation services. It also would give grants to local organizations to educate communities with limited English proficiency. We were thrilled to see that, said Marisa Lundin, legal director of the indigenous program at California Rural Legal Assistance. If you speak a language other than English or Spanish, its the wild West about what kind of access youll be granted. Many of her clients are farmworkers who speak languages such as Mixteco, Triqui and Zapotec, each of which has multiple variants. Navigators staff: The budget proposes $11.4 million to hire navigators, trained staff who would work at Americas Job Centers of California to help guide people filing benefit claims, especially those who lack technology to use the online system. The job center offices, which largely have been closed during the pandemic, offer one-stop shops for workforce services. Direct deposit: The budget allocates $11 million over two years for EDD to implement a direct-deposit option for benefits, something offered by 48 other states. Currently the money is put on a Bank of America debit card or mailed on a paper check. Claimants have reported fraudsters gaining access to the debit cards, and some say the bank is not responsive when that happens. This policy is long overdue and a commonsense solution to so many of the problems weve heard families face that have delayed access to their unemployment benefits for months at a time, said Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, who has a bill pending that would mandate that EDD add direct deposit. Modernization: The budget includes a one-time $11.8 million grant to modernize the agencys information technology, with a focus on improving the experience of those filing for unemployment benefits, the document said. Despite being in tech-centric California, EDD relies on obsolete technology, which has caused claimants to struggle. The pandemic has exposed many of EDDs antiquated processes and outdated infrastructure, resulting in a delay or inability for many Californians to access (unemployment insurance) benefits, is how the budget put it. Several state lawmakers, including Carrillo, have legislation pending to address a range of EDD issues. Some of those proposed bills address the same issues as those targeted in the budget, such as language access and direct deposit. Carrillo said thats not an issue. In the legislative process it is common for proposed legislation to complement components of the state budget, she said. My colleagues and I are committed to getting as much done this year as we possibly can, knowing that EDD, like many state departments, needs long-term structural changes to bring it to modernization. Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid Gov. Gavin Newsom just proclaimed May 22 to be Harvey Milk Day, in honor of the trailblazing San Francisco politician and gay rights activist. Heres what why Milk is an icon and hero to millions: Born in 1930, Milk grew up in New York, working on Wall Street and serving in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. A diving officer on a submarine rescue ship stationed in San Diego, he left the service after four years in 1955 under disputed circumstances. Milk long claimed that he was dishonorably discharged for his sexual orientation, which was discounted by many historians until last year, when the Bay Area Reporter obtained 152 pages of old naval records supporting Milks account. Milk moved to San Francisco in 1972, drawn by the citys vibrant gay community. He opened a camera store in The Castro and soon started running for city and state offices, wielding his considerable skills as a public speaker and community organizer to build coalitions for liberal causes. Often joining with labor and civil-rights leaders on his campaigns, he developed a reputation as The Mayor of Castro Street. In 1977, Milk ran a historic campaign from his base in The Castro, aiming for a seat on the Board of Supervisors. He ended up beating 16 other candidates to become one the first openly gay elected officials in the United States and the first in California. Soon after taking office, he introduced the Human Rights Ordinance, which made it illegal to discriminate based on sexual orientation. The San Francisco bill was among the toughest such laws in the country at the time, and when it passed, Milk said he hoped it would allow a lot of gay people in professional positions to feel comfortable about coming out. Then the images and stereotypes of who is gay will be changed as people start to realize that gay people are in every walk of life. He served as supervisor for 11 months until Nov. 27, 1978, when a jealous colleague and political rival, Supervisor Dan White, brought a revolver to City Hall, shooting and killing both Milk and Mayor George Moscone. Milk was just 48. Milks political vision, energy and charisma galvanized the nascent gay-rights movement in America and made him an enduring icon, inspiring a generation of activists. He built an army of foot soldiers that laid the groundwork for advances in equality and justice, not just for LGBTQ people, but also for many others, longtime friend Cleve Jones wrote last year. His death catapulted that movement, as we who followed in his footsteps channeled our anger, shock and pain to demand change, to fight for justice and to never surrender. Milks legacy continues to spread locally: A $2.4 billion terminal named after him at San Francisco International Airport has been completed, a neighborhood group in The Castro is pushing to build a memorial and the Navy is now putting the finishing touches on the USNS Harvey Milk, a 742-foot warship scheduled to sail next year. Today we honor a hero for not just his own community, but for every Californian fighting for freedom and equality, Newsoms proclamation reads. Let us remember his words, Hope will never be silent. Jason Fagone is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jason.fagone@sfchronicle.com; Twitter: @jfagone The pandemic disrupted many Bay Area lives. For those with dementia, it was catastrophic The pandemic disrupted many Bay Area lives. For those with dementia, it was catastrophic Before the pandemic, Pat Michelin loved walking her dog, Rosie, through the halls of Gordon Manor, the assisted-living facility in Redwood City where shes lived for four years. The other residents often fawned over the Chihuahua mix. The 93-year-old, who was diagnosed with dementia nearly eight years ago, has been losing her memory, but Rosie provided comfort, consistency and friendship. Then the pandemic took nearly everything away from Michelin, including Rosie. Michelins family had to remove Rosie from her care last year as Gordon Manor administrators confronted the coronavirus, which ultimately killed 12 of 68 residents, nearly all of whom had dementia. Michelins health and memory deteriorated quickly during the pandemic: She almost never recognizes her daughter and she suffered a disabling fall that left her bedridden. The pandemic has disrupted many lives over the past year. But for those with dementia, its been catastrophic. The pandemic forced assisted care facilities and nursing homes to close to the outside world and to confine residents to their rooms. The isolation was devastating. Data shows that 690,000 people aged 65 and older in California have Alzheimers, the most common cause of dementia, according to the Alzheimers Association. Nationwide, Alzheimers and dementia deaths increased 16% during the pandemic. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the most frequent comorbidities associated with COVID deaths are influenza and pneumonia, which accounted for nearly 46% of all deaths, hypertension at 19.7%, diabetes at 16% and Alzheimers disease and other dementias at 13.4%. Studies show that people with dementia have a harder time sticking to safety measures, have a higher risk of getting COVID and are more likely to require hospitalization and die from the virus. People are often placed in memory care facilities like Gordon Manor because their dementia has reached a point where its hard to function without help, said Louise Aronson, a professor of medicine at UCSF. That means its going to be hard for you to remember theres been a pandemic, its going to be hard for you to remember to wear a mask, its going to be hard for you to remember not to touch things or go into somebodys room, Aronson said. Some dementia patients may have suffered a decline in mental and physical health as they endured more than a year in lockdown. That isolation could lead to agitation, Aronson said. Anything can set her off, Michelins daughter Sue Ann said of her mother. The slightest thing can just set her off. Twenty residents at Gordon Manor tested positive, including the 12 who died. Ten staff members tested positive. We are forever changed, said Alisa Mallari Tu, the facility administrator. Tu remembers that nearly two-thirds of her staff, frightened with the possibility of contracting the virus, stopped showing up to work and many never returned. She scrambled from room to room to keep residents from wandering without masks. A residents daughter, whos a physician in Redwood City, came to help Tu with the unfolding crisis. Eventually, San Mateo County sent in a team to help. I finally told everyone, Im drowning, she said. We are going to die if you do not do something about this. John Solano, the facilitys infection control officer, said early in the pandemic, mortuary workers were too afraid to come into the facility to take the bodies of those who died. Instead, they would hand him a shroud, or a plastic body bag, and spray disinfectant on him and the body as he carried the person out. Its something that will stay with me forever, he said. Solano, an Army veteran, said during his six years of service, he was never deployed, but that the fight against COVID at Gordon Manor felt like a war. COVID came onto my turf, he said. It took people that I cared about. While Solano and Tu worried about how to keep the virus at bay, residents families worried about whether to pull them out of the facility. Mildred Hamadas family started questioning in March 2020 whether they should bring her home. Hamada, now 96, and her husband had moved into Gordon Manor in 2015 because he was in a wheelchair, making it impossible to stay in their Victorian home in San Francisco, and his frailty required more support. Hamada began losing her short-term memory before their move to Gordon Manor, and it worsened over the years. She remembers events from more than 70 years ago, such as meeting her future husband, who died in 2017, at a dance in Honolulu. But more recent memories of her late husband are jumbled she said he only died a few months ago. Hamada feels most at home at Gordon Manor because she senses her husbands presence there. Thats one reason her granddaughter, Valerie Young, worried about pulling her from the facility. But in April 2020, Hamada moved into her daughters house in San Francisco. It was a tough decision, Young said. My mom and uncle were just so uncomfortable with the idea of knowing that there were people there actually infected with COVID. They couldnt stand it anymore. Young also said her family was concerned that the prolonged isolation could affect Hamadas mental health. As Hamada settled into her new home, Tu continued working long hours at Gordon Manor, worried that her staff would never return. After the county put in place aggressive infection control measures, some staff came back and Tu hired new caregivers to replace those who hadnt. Still, the turnover was stressful. Seeing stressed-out staff can cause anxiety in dementia patients, which can inflame symptoms, said Michael Wasserman, past president of the California Association of Long-Term Care Medicine and a geriatrician. There is no question in my mind that the emotional state of those residents was significantly impacted with the emotional state of the people caring for them, he said. In addition, facilities were forced to stop many activities. They used to have music, they played movies for them, played games, Wasserman said. During the lockdown none of it was happening. So they have no stimulation of the brain for at least a year. This is why they got worse in their manifestations. The pandemic may have caused dementia to progress more quickly in some patients. In some cases, patients become more withdrawn and stressed, lose their appetite and shed weight. In Hamadas case, being away from Gordon Manor was disorienting. She became more emotional, didnt sleep well and constantly asked after Gordon Manor residents. Youngs mother tried to keep Hamada busy. They played games, walked the dog and watched episodes of Little House on the Prairie. But in September, the family decided it was safe enough for Mildred to return to Gordon Manor, though they were nervous. Now that all the residents and staff have been vaccinated, some activities have returned. People are allowed to leave their rooms and roam about. They can eat dinner in the dining room rather than in their rooms. Solano said some residents with dementia are doing better now that the facility has relaxed rules and brought back classes. But for some, the damage might be permanent. Sue Ann Michelin said COVID made her mothers dementia and frailty worse. During a recent visit to Gordon Manor, she took a seat across from Pat Michelin, who was resting in her wheelchair. You have gotten smaller, she said to her mother. Who? Pat Michelin asked. You, Sue Ann Michelin said, staring into her mothers eyes. Her mother looked away and muttered, I dont know who that is. The rapid cognitive decline among those with dementia during the pandemic can be a big shock to family members, said Mehrdad Ayati, a doctor at Stanford who is also a medical adviser for skilled nursing and assisted care facilities in the region. Their loved one is more frail. Their loved one is more depressed. They are not the ones they left prior to the isolation period, he said. The pandemic caused families to lose precious time with their loved ones. That time lost is a big deal for the families and for the residents, Tu said. Sue Ann Michelin said after not being able to see her mother for nearly six months, she noticed a dramatic change when they reunited in September. On that fall day, she sat with her mother, trying to find a sign that she was still present in some way. At the end of her visit, Sue Ann Michelin started to cry. I have to go, Mama, but I love you and Ill be back soon, she said. I love you, too, her mother responded, as she grabbed her daughters hand, held it against her chest and smiled. Sue Ann Michelin recently recalled the memory tearfully. Just for a minute, it felt like my mom was here, she said. Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani Democrats dominate every part of California political life. But theres a small group of wealthy Democratic donors many rooted in the Bay Area who say thats not enough. They want more progressives in office. So the California Donor Table is planning to spend $10 million on 2022 races nearly twice what it did in 2020 to help elect progressive candidates to the Legislature and House. Theyre focused on electing people of color and arent afraid to take on moderate Democrats. Theyve done it before. Its a sign of the growing frustration that progressives from California to Washington, D.C., are feeling with middle-of-the-road Democrats on issues ranging from the environment to police reform. Too many Democrats are all too willing to do the bidding of their corporate donors, said the groups executive director, Ludovic Blain, instead of helping working-class people and communities of color. Winning that internal fight in California is key to what happens nationally. The country relies on California to ensure that Democrats have a majority in the Senate and in the House, Blain said on my Its All Political podcast. But also they rely on us to send progressives amongst the Democrats to lead the fight. And each time were let down by a California Democrat, is a sad day, not just for us, but for the country and the world. The groups founders include San Francisco author and activist Steve Phillips and his wife, Susan Sandler, a philanthropist who is heir to the Golden West Financial Corp. fortune, and Oaklands Quinn Delaney, founder of the social justice Akonadi Foundation, and her husband, Wayne Jordan, a real estate investor. Both couples are known for being early backers and advocates for Barack Obama and former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams before they were widely known. They funded grassroots organizations in Orange County for years before Democrats flipped four House seats there in 2018. Over the past 15 years, theyve spent $35 million on state and local contests. They intend to focus on the Inland Empire, Orange County and regions of California far from its more left-leaning coastal areas. Theres one set of donors who will invest in Barack Obama or Stacey Abrams after theyre on Oprah, Blain said. And then there is the Donor Table, whose four-dozen members typically invest in local community and advocacy groups because they know their turf best. Their main targets are Republicans. But sometimes, theyve challenged fellow Democrats. In 2016, the group targeted incumbent Assembly member Cheryl Brown, a San Bernardino Democrat, after she voted with other moderate Democrats to curb climate change legislation. Her critics dubbed Brown Chevron Cheryl, in part because she received $1 million from the energy company in that campaign. But Brown was also one of few Black women serving in the Legislature. Challenging her posed a dilemma for some donors. Ultimately, they focused on her voting record. She was backed by pretty bad folks who did not have most of the interests of the Inland Empire in mind, Blain said. And so community folks there wanted somebody better to represent them. And they found Eloise Gomez Reyes, and we were happy to back the community groups that were backing her. Reyes, who is Latina, not only defeated Brown but is now the Assembly majority leader. The San Bernardino Democrat called the decision to invest $10 million in state and House races a game changer for new candidates who dont have access to that kind of funding. Democratic strategist Katie Merrill, who worked with left-leaning Fight Back California super PAC, applauded the group spending big on California contests. But she hopes that Democrat-on-Democrat challenges dont turn into a circular firing squad that could damage the party. I wish they would use it just in districts where theyre just facing Republicans, she said, so it would have the most impact. Abortion case affects California: The Supreme Courts decision to hear a Mississippi abortion case next year could affect battleground House races in California, which could determine whether Democrats hold their narrow majority. The case, which will decide whether states can enforce a ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, is likely to be decided in the middle of the 2022 midterm elections just like the Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Brett Kavanaugh unfolded in the stretch run of the 2018 midterms. If the court were to roll back abortion rights next year, the impact will be similar to the implications of the Kavanaugh hearings in Orange County, where suburban women migrated to Democrats, predicted strategist Merrill. At least four in 10 voters in four Orange County House districts said they would be less likely to vote for Republicans if Kavanaugh were confirmed to the court, according to a poll commissioned by Fight Back California shortly before Election Day in 2018. Kavanaugh was confirmed; those four GOP candidates lost. Republicans clawed back two of those seats in 2020. One top California GOP strategist told me that he didnt expect the courts decision to hurt the Republican incumbents, all of whom oppose abortion rights. The positions of those candidates on abortion is already well-known, said the operative, who asked not to be identified so he could speak freely about strategy. If the Democrats want to make that the crux of their campaign, thats great for us. Pundit to candidate? Political junkies may recognize Lanhee Chen from his frequent appearances on NBCs Meet the Press. Now Chen, 42, a Mountain View resident who worked in the George W. Bush White House, is strongly considering a run for California state controller. The incumbent, Democrat Controller Betty Yee, will be termed out. Board of Equalization member and former San Francisco supervisor Malia Cohen has already announced she will seek the office. Chen, whose parents were Taiwanese immigrants, was born in North Carolina and raised in the San Gabriel Valley town of Rowland Heights (Los Angeles County). He has never been elected to office, but has worked on several political campaigns, including as policy director for Mitt Romneys 2012 campaign. He is currently a fellow at Stanford Universitys Hoover Institution. The controllers office appeals to him because of its watchdog role. The controller can audit government agencies and show where they are misusing taxpayer dollars, a function that has bipartisan support. Chen would need that to appeal beyond the GOP base, as no Republican has won statewide office since 2006. One California GOP strategist who is not working with Chen told me hes a role model candidate we would all love, because of his command of the issues. One challenge he would face is that, unlike Cohen, he wouldnt have a built-in geographic constituency. Nor would he have established fundraising networks. If I decide to do this, Chen told me, it will be a campaign that is sufficiently well-capitalized to be competitive in Californa. Look for a decision in early July. Editors note: An earlier version of this story misspelled the name of Lanhee Chen. Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli Its a strange experience to be moved from anger to tears to laughter and then want to dance to Bay Area hip-hop in the span of an hour. That was the emotional space I found myself in during last Junes Hyphy Protest at Oaklands Lake Merritt. Hundreds attended the event, which was both a somber remembrance of George Floyd, killed a few weeks earlier, and a call to celebrate Black life and culture in the Bay Area. Bass-heavy music thumped through outdoor speakers. Breezes off the lake carried the smell of Oakland mud and the din of laughter from the crowd. The summer of 2020 was a special time for activism at Lake Merritt. Despite the pandemic and social-distancing restrictions, thousands still turned out to protest racial injustice and celebrate diversity. With the first anniversary of Floyds death on May 25 and California set to reopen for the official start of summer on June 15, the lake should be poised for another cultural and political moment. But it isnt guaranteed. Residential complaints about Lake Merritts protest parties have prompted Oakland city officials to enact new rules limiting crowd sizes and increasing the police presence. For Black and brown residents who grew up celebrating by the lake, the restrictions underscore a long-running battle over who has access to public spaces. Are these (regulations) based on things that are reasonable or are they based on fear? challenged Nicole Lee, a lifelong Oaklander and community activist who attended events at the lake in her youth and now helps organize them. In particular, fear of young Black folks. Black Oaklands activist connection to the lake dates back to at least 1968, when the Black Panthers held a rally there following the funeral for their founding recruit Bobby Hutton, who was killed by police that April. More than a decade later, Lake Merritt became home to Festival at the Lake, an outdoor fair for what was a more Black city, but that ultimately ended in 1997 because of dwindling attendance and outsize debt. From 1982, when the festival started, to 2015, Oaklands Black population dropped from almost 50% to around 25%, according U.S. census data. In 2016, young Oakland activists who wanted to push back against further displacement hosted 510 Day at the lake. The party with a purpose had a goal of combating the erasure of historically Black spaces in the city, like Lake Merritt, by doing something simple: occupying them and having a good time. Lake Merritts cultural significance grew even stronger following the infamous BBQ Becky incident in April 2018. That was when a white woman called police on a group of Black people at the lake for using a charcoal grill in a non-charcoal grill area. The next month, the first BBQn While Black was held at Lake Merritt. Four thousand people showed up for it, said Jhamel Robinson, who played a pivotal role in coordinating the 2018 and 2019 barbecues, which served as both pointed and joyous rebukes to the BBQ Becky incident. Woven through all of this was a movement called #WeStillHere, led by Black and brown organizers involved in both 510 Day and BBQn While Black. The hashtag referenced the goal of creating a more inclusive and equitable Oakland. Organizers behind the movement called on the city to stop criminalizing people of color, especially when theyre just trying to have fun at the lake. Black people can get together and love on each other when we need to, Robinson told me recently. The pandemic kept both 510 Day and BBQn While Black from happening as in-person events in 2020. Other activist parties took their place. The Hyphy Protest last June was one of them. The lake is a place of opportunity, reflected Toriano Gordon, a Bay Area rapper and community organizer who opened Vegan Mob, a vegan soul food joint, on nearby Lake Park Avenue in 2019. Its our spot and its one that we try to fill with positivity. Those good vibes could soon end. As the news outlet Oaklandside has reported, many nearby residents have been complaining of noise, traffic and litter associated with events at the lake. Oakland City Hall responded last month with new restrictions and more police. We can police ourselves, said Robinson, who plans to bring BBQn While Black back to the lake in 2022. We can be in those spaces, have a good time and do something that helps the whole community in Oakland. One years worth of George Floyd-related protest parties re-established Lake Merritt as a place to celebrate and demonstrate. If Oakland City Halls takeaway from last year is to do a better job of policing Black joy and resilience in 2021, then they dont understand what the lake stands for. But the people do. As Robinson put it, Our goal is to spread love, not hate. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Justin Phillips appears Sundays. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JustMrPhillips GRANADA, Colo. (AP) Fifteen miles from the Kansas border, Prowers County Road 23 comes to a dusty end, surrounded by sagebrush and prickly pear cacti and dead junipers. A place this newspaper called, eight decades ago, as bleak a spot as one can find on the western plains. In one of the more shameful moments in American history, the federal government removed 120,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese nationals from their homes on the West Coast between 1942 and 1945 and imprisoned 10,000 over that timespan in far southeast Colorado, at a concentration camp it euphemistically named the Granada Relocation Center. The inmates called it Amache. No charges were leveled against us. No trial, no hearings, recalled Bob Fuchigami, who was 11 years old when he was imprisoned there. We were loyal, patriotic, law-abiding citizens. The story of Amache is one of despair, desolation and, for 121 inmates, death. But its also a story about what came next, about a generation who rebuilt their lives and even thrived, all the while keeping quiet about the trauma they carried. Its a story of bigotry and hate worth revisiting as the U.S. witnesses a new spike in anti-Asian violence and Colorado congressmen move to make Amache part of the National Park Service, preserving the site for generations to come. You try to make sense of what is being done to you and part of your thought process is to return to the idea that you deserved it somehow, even though you know you didnt, said Calvin Hada, an Amache descendant and president of the Nikkeijin Kai, or Japanese American Club, of Colorado. They were not saboteurs or fifth columnists or spies. They were just people trying to make a living. Eyeballs and grit In 2004, while cleaning out his late grandmothers possessions, Mitch Homma came across a trove of documents he had never seen or heard of: arrest warrants, letters, photographs of Amache. They revealed that three generations of his prominent Japanese American family were locked up for being Japanese, nine people in all. His grandfather and the camps dentist, Kyushiro Homma, died there of a heart attack after losing 30 pounds. My father and his siblings, they didnt talk about Amache, Homma said. My grandmother certainly didnt talk about it. Hommas father, Hisao, returned to Amache for the first time in 2008, telling stories of his childhood that Homma had never heard. When Hisao entered a nursing home in his later years, more stories came out. I probably learned more about Amache in those last three years than I did my whole life growing up, Homma said. In Japan, Hommas family had been members of the samurai class, nobles who lived by a code that said to never surrender. With imprisonment at Amache came embarrassment and shame. In Japanese culture, were very sensitive to shame, Hada said. A friend once told me that the Japanese are as sensitive to shame as an eyeball is to grit. Hada was raised in a middle-class Lakewood home with no inkling of Amache or his grandmothers time there. One day, his father dropped a book on his desk and said, You should read this. It was Nisei: The Quiet Americans, a history of Japanese Americans in the West by Bill Hosokawa. Hada read nearly all of it in one sitting, his first lesson on internment. Kirsten Leongs introduction to Amache was similar to Hommas, cleaning out her late grandmothers belongings in 2011. She found a photo, flipped it over and saw on the back, In Amache concentration camp. She had been repeatedly told that none of her family had been imprisoned during World War II. But four great-grandparents and two great-uncles were at Amache. Our familys experience of not talking about it was really similar to a lot of people in our community, Leong said. If you look back at our family pictures from the 1950s, they look like Leave It to Beaver, they look like Father Knows Best, she said. It was always about trying to be as American as possible and playing up how American you are, because they got locked up for looking different and not being American enough. Even the most famous inmate didnt tell his daughter until she was a junior in high school. Fred Korematsu refused to be imprisoned and challenged the constitutionality of President Franklin D. Roosevelts Executive Order 9066, which created the concentration camps 10 overall in remote parts of the country. In Korematsu v. United States, the Supreme Court upheld the executive order, a ruling it has since condemned. (Korematsu was imprisoned in Utah.) Culturally, the Japanese keep everything inside, his daughter Karen Korematsu, who first learned of her fathers defiance during a high school class presentation, said in an interview. Theyre not ones to be boisterous and loud and to complain. Its a part of their culture. Robin Lawrentz, president of the Japan-America Society of Southern Colorado, said he knows several people who only recently learned their family was placed in Amache or the other camps. One of them was born at an internment camp in Arkansas and didnt know that until much later, he said. Those older generations were less likely to make it known. But its a story that must be known now, said Korematsu, whose Korematsu Institute works with K-12 teachers to educate children about Americas concentration camps. She believes ignorance of Asian Americans experiences is partly to blame for a worrisome uptick in anti-Asian violence. Thirty-two percent of Asian American adults told Pew Research Center pollsters last month that they have feared physical threats and attacks, a higher percentage than any other racial group, and 81% said violence against the Asian American community is increasing. On Thursday, President Joe Biden signed a bill that aims to expedite the reporting and review of anti-Asian hate crimes. The Amache story is not over, Fuchigami told a congressional subcommittee last month from his home in Evergreen. Asians in America, including some of the most vulnerable, are still discriminated against, treated as invisible and suffer from hate crimes to this day. The stories they told Amache was constructed on land that once belonged to the Southern Cheyenne tribe, which was stripped of its land and relocated by the federal government. The smallest of the 10 concentration camps and lesser known than Californias high-security Tule Lake or Arizonas Gila River camp, Amaches construction required 1,000 workers, several months and $4.5 million (about $74 million in todays dollars). It provided a brief boon for the nearby towns of Granada and Lamar, but the governments purchase of private land angered locals. After a journey of several days, Japanese Americans usually arrived at night and stumbled into one of 348 barracks. The barracks were divided into six apartments no bigger than 24 feet wide and 20 feet long, empty except for a coal-burning stove, military cots and a single lightbulb dangling from the ceiling. Bathrooms were communal and had no doors, so many women waited until nighttime to use them. Days were spent working in the fields or a silkscreen shop. As a kid, Mike Honda would ask his mother about dreams in which he was at a camp. His mother would explain over the dinner table that they had been imprisoned at a place called Amache. His father and grandfather, free-thinking and defiant, discussed internment, too. It upset (my father) because he felt like he was an American and his rights were being curtailed. His father was even more upset because all the things he had been able to accrue (were lost): a gas station, a pickup truck, his guns and his radio, things like that, recalled Honda, who went on to become an eight-term California congressman. His grandfather went so far as to push his truck into the Sacramento River to ensure the government didnt take it. As a twentysomething, Honda spoke to a junior high class about the camps. Afterward, the parents of one Japanese American student invited Honda to their home. I thought I was in trouble but I went and they asked me to sit down with them, to tell their story more fully with their children. They brought out a box of photos and they shared the story with their kids, with me there adding to it and validating what had happened, Honda recalled. I think that was the first time I realized there were parents who did not talk about it. Hondas father left Amache to work for the Military Intelligence Service, one of the few pathways inmates had to get out. About 950 Amache inmates volunteered for the U.S. Army to escape and 31 died fighting in Europe with the 442nd Regiment, a highly decorated combat unit. Marcia Yonemotos uncle died fighting in France as his family was locked up in Amache. I asked my mother, How did you feel about that? I mean, here you are, your family is jailed in the United States for being Japanese and your brother gets killed defending the U.S. in Europe. Did you think that was unfair? said Yonemoto, a University of Colorado-Boulder history professor. And she said, Oh, yeah. She was maybe 13 at the time but she remembered feeling it was not right. Fuchigami, who was a preteen in Amache, later served in the Korean War. Hisao Homma joined the Marines, in part because his family had lost everything and couldnt afford to send him to college. One of Leongs uncles also worked for the Military Intelligence Service. The father of Derek Okubo, executive director of Denvers Agency for Human Rights, left Amache, enlisted in the Army and was sent to occupied Japan. A wrong atop a wrong This year, Coloradans in Congress have introduced two bills meant to turn Amache into a national historic site, a designation three other former camps have. That would bring National Park Service funding and resources to a place that has, for 25 years, been maintained by Granada High School teacher John Hopper and his students. A guard tower, water tower, mess hall and barrack have been restored at the site. Concrete foundations, along with the original roads, remain intact. Preserving and protecting the Amache site presents a valuable opportunity to better our country, our state, our history and most importantly our future in the spirit of justice, equity and inclusion, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis wrote Tuesday in supporting the quest for a designation. Midori Takeuchi, Japans consul general in Denver, also supports the designation. She said Tuesday that the legislation in Congress would provide an educational chance for future generations to learn the history of Japanese Americans, and hand their stories and lessons down to posterity. Amaches namesake was the daughter of a Cheyenne sub-chief murdered in 1864 at the Sand Creek Massacre, 35 miles northwest of Camp Amache as the crow flies. It wasnt until the 2000s that Sand Creek became a national historic site, thanks to a push from Ben Nighthorse Campbell, a former U.S. senator from Colorado and member of the Northern Cheyenne tribe. Growing up in California in the 1930s and 40s, Campbell knew some of the Japanese Americans who were forced to sell their belongings for cheap before being loaded onto trains and buses and sent away. I wish like hell that I would have included language for (preserving) Amache when I introduced my Sand Creek bill, he said. Okubo, whose father and grandparents were at Amache, said its a history that cannot be forgotten. Its one of the biggest stains and darkest periods in our nations history, he said. When youre talking about this country thats supposed to represent freedom and equality and equity what they did was counter to every one of those values. Its important to remember the history for the full purpose of not allowing it to happen again to any people. CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) Nevada lawmakers passed hundreds of bills this week to reform the criminal justice system, boost funding for K-12 schools and ban ghost guns." They're expected to work long days until May 31, when the four-month legislative session is scheduled to adjourn. The Democratic-controlled statehouse has already passed dozens of priority bills, but the fate of several major proposals about energy infrastructure, mail-in voting and laid-off workers who want the jobs they had before the pandemic remains up in the air. Here are some notable measures to have passed through the state Senate and Assembly this week: TRAFFIC TICKETS Two bills sponsored by Assemblywoman Rochelle Nguyen that target traffic violations passed through the state Senate this week. The Las Vegas Democrat is proposing banning law enforcement agencies from requiring their officers to meet ticket quotas and issue a certain number of traffic citations over a given period of time. The bills received opposition from some police departments, but won support from libertarians, police reform advocates and police unions. It now heads to Gov. Steve Sisolak for consideration. She also has a proposal to decriminalize traffic violations and make them civil offenses. Under current law, minor traffic violations are criminal misdemeanors and people who don't show up to their court dates or don't pay the fines can face jail time and the issues that come with having a criminal record. Supporters cited a University of Nevada, Las Vegas study that found Black and Latino drivers, as well as drivers from low income zip codes in Clark County, were more likely to be issued warrants for traffic violations. The proposal passed through the Assembly on Thursday amid opposition from municipalities that rely partially on the fines to underwrite part of their budgets. It now heads to the Senate. Democratic lawmakers have characterized the traffic measures as part of their criminal justice reform agenda, hoping to limit unnecessary encounters with law enforcement and avoid putting people in prison for things like minor traffic violations. RACIST MASCOTS and SUNDOWN SIRENS A bill that would direct local school boards to adopt policies that ban racially discriminatory mascots, logos and names unless groups such as local Native American tribes consent to their use passed on Thursday through the state Senate. Assemblyman Howard Watts, the proposals sponsor, added amendments to prohibit former sundown towns from sounding sirens during the evening to herald curfew for non-white residents. Towns like Minden and Gardnerville in northern Nevada for decades had ordinances to stop Native Americans and other non-white people from being in public after sundown. The ordinances were long ago repealed, but the sirens still blare. The amended measure now heads to back to the Assembly for approval and, if passed, will go to governor for consideration. K-12 SCHOOL FUNDING After years of working to alter the state's education funding formula and allocate more funding to K-12 education, lawmakers funneled an additional $502 million to schools. A measure introduced on May 10 passed through the state Senate last week and cleared the Assembly on Friday. It now heads to the governor. The measure comes two years after lawmakers approved changes to the states education funding formula, which centralizes funding into one account and distributes it using weights that tie funding to student needs. Early in the pandemic, lawmakers feared they would lack the funding to put the changes into effect, but better-than-projected tax revenue gave lawmakers the funds to increase average per-pupil spending 22%, from $7,400 to more than $9,000 in the 2021-2022 school year. GHOST GUNS State senators on Friday passed an amended version of a proposal to ban build-your-own firearms without serial numbers after its sponsor added carve-outs for antique gun-owners who collect firearms produced before 1969. The ghost gun ban now heads to the governor's desk for consideration. An initial version of the bill included provisions that would strengthen penalties against people who bring firearms to casinos that prohibit them. It was amended out amid opposition from criminal justice reform advocates but has been reintroduced as an emergency measure and is scheduled to be heard Saturday. DECORATIVE GRASS State senators on Friday voted unanimously for a proposal to ban non-functional turf in southern Nevada. The bill would prohibit the use of Colorado River water to irrigate grass in office parks, street medians and entrances to housing developments. It would require removal by 2026 and create an advisory committee to consider exceptions. Southern Nevada gets about 90% of its water from the over-tapped Colorado River. If signed by the governor, the legislation would make Nevada the first state to ban certain categories of grass. SWAMP CEDARS State senators on Monday passed a bill to protect groves of Rocky Mountain juniper trees in northeastern Nevada that the Ely and Duckwater Shoshone tribes consider sacred. The trees, known as swamp cedars, have for years been caught in the crossfire of fights over a proposed pipeline that would transport groundwater to southern Nevada and the growing areas surrounding Las Vegas. The Southern Nevada Water Authority still owns land and water rights in the rural region, but decided to indefinitely defer its pursuit of permits last year. If the governor signs the bill, it could present challenges should the agency choose to revive its plans. ___ This version corrects that a bill in the Nevada Legislature that would ban racist mascots and sundown sirens will return to the Assembly to be voted on, not head directly to the governor's desk. ___ Sam Metz is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. True national heroes and those unsung By Gamini Weerakoon View(s): View(s): Tuesday, May 18, was a day for celebration to most Sinhalese but not Tamils who appeared to consider it a day of reckoning, at best, having suffered most in the thirty-year-long war. The usual outcome of all prolonged military conflicts, it is said, inevitably leaves behind An army of cripples, an army of mourners and an army of criminals. The winners and losers of this war too have not being exempted from the pathetic fallout of these post-war armies. However, the official stand of Sri Lankan governments has been that it was a national triumph a triumph for the whole nation, against a brutal separatist terrorist movement not a racist conflict. True. But as an independent observer of the political scene, even 12 years after the terror group leader was killed in the swamps of Nandikadal and his terrorist organisation wiped out, we see no celebrations on the part of the Tamils on this day. As a fulltime journalist during the military operations against the terrorist group, we were supportive of the operations and openly held out that the only solution against the intransigent megalomaniacal leader was a military solution. Our regret today is that even after 12 years of victory over terrorism, we see no evidence of national reconciliation. National Heroes Day has come and gone this year without the usual patriotic and nationalistic outbursts while paying tribute to the true national heroes. To single out a national hero in the context of the times is quite a difficult task because heroes are often created by powerful and influential individuals or groups who have subjective interests in their creations. But on Tuesday, the nation paid tribute to an undisputed 28,619 National Heroes who made the supreme sacrifice in defending their motherland from terrorists. The true heroes comprised 23,962 from the Army, 1160 from the Navy, 443 from the Air Force, 2,598 Policemen and 456 personnel from the Civil Security Department. President Gotabaya on this day, 12 years after victory, promoted 452 officers of the Sri Lanka Armys Regular and Volunteer Force and 4,289 other ranks to their respective next rank. Our congratulations go out to these officers. It will also be natural for state employees as well to hope for such promotions and attached perks, unless these army promotions were routine ones made on Heroes Day. In these days, in the civilian sector, pay cuts and retrenchment are the natural order of things. Countless number of civilians, too, suffered during the terrorist conflict and during the JVP insurrection some also making the supreme sacrifice in as much those heroes of the armed services. They served the nation and kept the economy going despite the life-threatening dangers hovering over them. They served the government as well as the private sector but received no allowances, compensation or even attention. They are the heroes unknown, unheard of and unsung who lived through the five turbulent decades in this paradise island. The National Heroes Day reminds us that traditional civilian government service is now bristling with highly decorated service officers in key administrative posts. Two such posts are the defence and foreign secretary posts. The expectation was that military men in key posts would get the processes ticking away but is it so? ask doubting Thomases? Foreign policy is in contagion at Geneva and has now spread to Ottawa. National Security was supposed to be the prime reason for moving top proven ex-army veterans into key posts after the Easter Sunday bomb attacks but the issue after two years seems to be getting fruitier and nuttier with cardinal demands being made to fix the original sinner; monks, former pillars of the Rajapaksa party, alleging deep conspiracies and the Attorney General saying police investigations havent produced sufficient evidence to prosecute the real criminals. Meanwhile, natural disasters have resulted in stalling implementation of Gotabaya Rajapaksas election manifesto Visions of Splendour and Prosperity. National security now encompasses a much greater area than prevention of terrorism. It involves protection of the populace from pandemics and providing them sufficient nutrition to live on. Rajapaksa wants to stick by his pledge in his manifesto of making Lanka going green and has banned importation of inorganic fertilisers and insecticides. On election platforms, he promised free fertiliser to farmers but did not say it was organic fertiliser he was talking about and not the imported inorganic fertiliser that has been used for decades here and the world over. Imported inorganic fertiliser would cost billions of rupees. Rajapaksa is sticking to his guns and manifesto and is turning away ship loads of containers carrying the inorganic fertiliser that farmers want. The issue obviously transcends all others for this involves the basic issue of the survival of the nation: Food security. Rice is Lankas only strategic produce for the survival, like in most Asian countries. Japan on losing World War II succumbed to all pressures of the victorious Americans except to relax controls on importation of American rice. Japan still steadfastly refuses importation of rice because it is of strategic importance. Despite all calamities that Japan faced during and after the war, the nation survived on the rice it produced. In Sri Lanka, the Kandyan warriors successfully warded off Portugese, Dutch and British invasions, using the natural endowments the mountainous terrain, access through which impeded invading forces greatly. Having invaded the hill capital, they found it deserted without food while the natural allies of the inhabitants, the Malaria mosquito, delivered the coup de grace sending invaders back to Colombo groggy and raging with fever with the defenders hot on their heels. Historians of repute such as Paul E Pieris have described how the British finally overcame Kandyan resistance. They got to the their bissas, of villagers where stocks of rice were kept and destroyed them. With the destructions of their stocks of rice and other food such as fruit trees, the Kandyans were starved to death and defeat. The aim of D.S. Senanayake, Lankas pioneer fighter for Independence, even before Independence, was to make the country self-sufficient in rice. The clearing of jungles in the so called Dry Zone, restoration of tanks of the ancients and the construction of new life giving tanks such as the Gal Oya were the beginning. For 72 years, this tradition has continued through successive governments, the last being President Sirisena whose contribution was the Moragaskanda reservoir and complex. The Gotabaya Rajapaksa decision of withholding in organic fertiliser to farmers would markedly reduce the output of rice in Lanka unless he can produce an efficient substitute, scientists have pointed out. The impact of this move on the National Security affecting the countrys only strategic produce needs rethinking. (The writer is a former editor of The Sunday Island, The Island and former consultant editor of the Sunday Leader) Maybe the U.S. Supreme Court should recuse itself from cases involving the Golden State. Because the current court, with a 6-3 conservative majority reinforced by new associate justice Amy Coney Barrett, isnt even bothering to disguise its anti-California biases anymore. That was the unmistakable message from recent Supreme Court oral arguments on a challenge by conservative foundations to a California rule requiring non-profits to disclose their major donors. For the record, its perfectly understandable in these polarized times for Republican-appointed judges to be skeptical of a state as Democratic as ours. And its reasonable to have doubts about many of the laws and rules produced by Californias confounding governing system, including the rule in dispute in this case. But the ways the justices treated California coming on the heels of recent anti-California decisions in cases involving churches and COVID-19 restrictions (like Harvest Rock Church v. Newsom) raise real questions about whether this court can give our state a fair shake. It wasnt just the way the justices seemed to assume bad faith on Californias part. It was the decision by Barrett in an insult to notions of fair play to participate in the case at all. She should have recused herself, because the foundation suing California the Koch family-sponsored Americans For Prosperity donated at least $1 million just last year to the effort to install her on the court in the final days of the Trump administration. Kavanaugh and Justice Neil Gorsuch, whose own confirmations earlier in the Trump administration also were backed by Americans for Prosperity, should have recused themselves, as well. Instead, all three participated in oral arguments and made it plain that they would vote against California and for her own donor. Barrett ignored public calls by senators and legal ethicists to explain her refusal to recuse herself. Americans have long celebrated a constitutional system that discriminates against California and other large states by giving us too little representation in the Senate, and making our votes worth less in presidential elections. Weve also learned to live with the frightening power of federal judges, who have life tenure and essentially cant be removed from office, because judges police themselves. But that does not mean that Californians must accept open bias by the highest court in the land. Its long past time for this state to directly and personally challenge powerful American jurists who wont treat us fairly. In recent years, California has suffered intemperate criticism from Supreme Court justices that raise questions about whether our state is treated fairly. The most notable circumstance came in 2015, when Justice Antonin Scalia wrote that California does not count as a real American or Western place in a dissent against a historic decision guaranteeing marriage equality. Another odious example came last year. With COVID-19 deaths rising here, Samuel Alito had the gall to give a partisan political speech in which he criticized Californias pandemic restrictions. The justice, who had signed onto the 2018 decision defending the Muslim ban, also ludicrously claimed that our state long a national leader in conceiving and protecting new forms of religions and sacred practice was somehow biased against religious liberty. Alito made these statements even as the court considered cases on the pandemic rules and religious liberty, but did not disqualify himself from hearing them. Instead, once Barrett joined the court last fall, the court began overturning Californias pandemic restrictions on indoor gatherings as an infringement on religious freedom because they apply to churches. On one Friday night in February, the Supreme Court justices none of whom is a public health expert issued an emergency order that froze Californias pandemic restrictions on indoor religious services. On another Friday night three weeks later, the court did the same thing when it struck down a similar restriction in Santa Clara County. The orders were unsigned, and came without so much as an opinion explaining the decision. These are chilling deviations from due process, which requires the court to hear arguments and issue decisions. The only thing worse than the courts anti-California rulings without opinions are its rulings with opinions. In a case involving pandemic restrictions on a church in my hometown of Pasadena (which still wont hold the Rose Parade on a Sunday), Gorsuch, a proud appointee of President Trump, appealed to hackneyed stereotypes of Californians as godless, disingenuously writing: If Hollywood may host a studio audience or film a singing competition while not a single soul may enter Californias churches, synagogues and mosques, something has gone seriously awry. In his performative piety, Gorsuch failed to note that Hollywood productions had complied with COVID-19 safety measures, while the church in question was defying them at the risk of public health. Barrett, in the same case, doubled down on Gorsuchs appeal to anti-California prejudice, writing: If a chorister can sing in a Hollywood studio but not in her church, Californias regulations cannot be viewed as neutral. But Barretts misrepresentation of California was even more galling, since her very own rushed appointment to the court was celebrated with a super-spreader event at Trumps White House. While its typically not wise to pick fights with the Supreme Court, California ought to make an exception for this dishonorable Supreme Court. Our politicians should hold Congressional hearings into conflicts of interest on the Supreme Court, and investigate the blatantly biased refusals of Barrett, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh to recuse in the case involving their donor, including calling the justices to testify. California also should back broader reforms of the court, including the addition of more justices. And we should insist that some of those additional justices be Californians. For starters, our Congressional representatives must demand that if Stephen Breyer, the courts only Californian (hes a San Francisco kid who went to Lowell High School and Stanford University), retires this spring as is rumored, his replacement must be a Californian. The principle here is clear. If nine judges are going to govern our country, at least one of them should be from the state that one out of every eight Americans call home. As for the current justices, heres a warning: Respect for the law is foundational, but respect for judges is conditional. If you persist in open bias against our state, dont be surprised if citizens defy your rulings, seek to remove you from the bench, or change forever the court on which you sit. Joe Mathews writes for Zocalo Public Square, a Los Angeles-based media nonprofit affiliated with Arizona State University. S an Francisco has a problem. Its streets are nearly full and its buses are almost empty. Were at 30% capacity on transit, but were almost back to 100% of traffic in the streets, says Supervisor Matt Haney. And we havent even fully opened our city. The climate needs people to get out of their cars (and out of Uber and Lyft). And so does the city. Choking on exhaust and making tourists play human Frogger on the way to the Painted Ladies is not a recipe for economic recovery. Almost everyone in power in San Francisco agrees that we need more butts in bus seats. The question is how do we achieve that? Haney and fellow Supervisor Dean Preston have an answer: make Muni free. At least for a three-month window over the summer. And use a handy heap of federal cash to do it. San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency head Jeffrey Tumlin, meanwhile, counters that restoring service should be the absolute first priority. As much as we want and need people on public transit right away, Muni isnt actually ready for a ridership surge. Buses are already passing waiting riders by because under COVID distancing rules they have diminished capacity. Muni needs more drivers to scale up service under these conditions. And that takes time and money. These two ideas have come to loggerheads in recent weeks, as have their chief advocates. Heres the thing: Theyre both are right. Transportation behavior changed during the pandemic. COVID turned public transit into a perceived safety threat, while cars offered the promise of safe passage through virus-laden streets. Free bus rides could be the inspiration the city needs to break that mental association. Or the idea could fail miserably. Who knows? But its not every day that millions in federal funds are available for experimental transit projects with no strings attached. San Francisco should take advantage. Tumlin is also absolutely right to suggest that restoring service should be the priority. People arent going to leave their cars behind if they feel unsafe. Or if theyre an hour late to work because socially distanced buses kept passing them by. Equity demands we give people who cant afford a car priority to get where they need to go. I realize the c-word isnt so popular around these parts, but it feels like theres room for compromise. As vaccinations continue and COVID safety precautions for mass ridership can safely be relaxed, it will be easier to restore service and then give free Muni a shot. If July isnt enough time to get ready for a pilot launch, then pick a date that is workable. The wait shouldnt be long. California is going to broadly drop social distancing and capacity requirements on June 15. Haney says hes open to discussion on timing. If thats true, SFMTA should take him up on the offer. To be clear, free Muni is never going to become a permanent thing. The system is too dependent on rider fares to survive without them. But theres still plenty to be learned from a brief experiment even if it never fulfills its promise of luring people back from their cars. Muni already offers reduced fares for low-income workers. But its hardly a generous program. And Haney says he often receives complaints from people in his district that the discount is difficult to sign up for. Will more low-income folks ride the bus if fares are unencumbered by ministerial means-testing? Could that result in workers taking a chance on a better-paying job far away from their neighborhood? Could it mean more Bayview residents making the trip to Golden Gate Park? What about middle-class workers? Would a free commute keep enough dollars in their pockets to convince them to stop driving? How generously can we subsidize fares to lure the maximum amount of riders, without gutting Munis revenues? A pilot program will give us data to help answer these questions. Alternatively, the three-month experiment could show that cost, or lack thereof, isnt a significant public transit draw. Cars are expensive. People use them anyway because theyre convenient. And if its convenience that people are craving, maybe we should light a fire under the Seamless Bay Area plan to streamline payment on BART, Muni and other regional transit agencies. In truth, public transit incentives like free MUNI will never be enough on their own. The carrot doesnt work without the stick. That means making it more expensive to drive. Congestion pricing is one answer. But were years away from making that a reality. Haney has other ideas, including eliminating some free parking. Why is parking free on Sundays but not buses? Ultimately, the answer to getting people out of their cars and on to transit after a deadly pandemic is a mystery. Theres no way to know what works until we try. Matthew Fleischer is The San Francisco Chronicles editorial page editor. Email: matt.fleischer@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @MatteFleischer Currently Reading Alert: Eurovision Song Contest organizers: Italian winner will take a voluntary drug test to refute speculation of cocaine use Once on the vanguard of the tip-free movement, Comal is bringing back tipping. The move wasn't prompted by a failure of model, owner John Paluska told Eater SF. Instead, as Comal's restaurant empire has grown to include three eateries in Berkeley and Oakland, the concept no longer made sense. When Comal got rid of tipping in 2014, it was only operating one restaurant in Berkeley. The idea was to create more pay equity between front of house positions, like bartenders and servers, and workers who don't directly interface with the public. Instead of asking diners for tips, Comal instituted a flat 20% service fee that was split between employees. But now, Comal has fast-casual restaurants in Berkeley and Oakland, and Paluska told Eater SF it no longer makes sense to add a service fee to those establishments. "We dont feel any better about tips," Paluska told Eater. "We felt like our move to a service charge was successful. We arent moving away from that model because its broken. But the landscape is different now, and we have to work within that." Recently, SFGATE reported San Francisco staple Zuni Cafe is testing out the tip-free model, making it one of the best-known Bay Area restaurants to do away with tipping. "It's really important that people are paid fair wages and that their work is valued properly," Zuni chef Nate Norris said. Like Comal once did, Zuni will add a mandatory 20% service charge for guests. That 20% charge will be allocated for payroll costs, primarily wages and increases in taxes, Norris said. A lot of my career, I would have viewed [the pay equality gap] through the lens of, kind of bitterness and unfairness, and it had some animosity towards the staff members who were better compensated than I was, because of structural inequities, Norris told SFGATE. So as I've grown and matured, the way I would articulate it right now is, I'm not mad that the servers have been making a good wage. I am upset that we don't have a system that makes it easier for the back of the house employees to also have that good wage. Not everyone is happy about the change, though. Read more about Zuni's transition to no tips here. SFGATE food editor Dianne DeGuzman contributed to this report. JAMESTOWN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) Two people died after a semi tanker truck overturned on a western Michigan highway early Sunday and was struck by another vehicle, authorities said. The Ottawa County Sheriff's Office said the tanker truck and the vehicle that hit it were fully engulfed in flames when deputies arrived on the scene along Michigan-6 in Jamestown Township, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) southwest of Grand Rapids. Deputies were unable to to reach the victims until the fire was extinguished, the sheriff's office said. Once the fire was out they found one occupant in each vehicle, who were pronounced dead at the scene. Their identities were being withheld pending notification of family. Currently Reading Alert: New Jersey state police say 2 dead, 12 injured in shooting at house party These things, we knew, were true by the end of 1987. Buddy Roemer was a rising star on the state and national scene. Presidential material, perhaps. Hed leapt past a flock of better-known candidates for governor that year with intellect and forthright, dead-earnest promises to scrub the budget and reform state government. He was already a political veteran, elected to Congress from northwest Louisiana for four terms. But, really, he was just getting started. Edwin Edwards political career was over, buried by Roemer after being mortally wounded by a foundering Louisiana economy and by federal prosecutors they had not been able to convict him during trials in 1985 and 1986 but they damaged him. When he finished behind Roemer in the 1987 governors race, the Cajun King stunned a crowd at his election night party by conceding the runoff. David Duke, when anyone gave him a thought, was largely known for cross burnings and Nazi sympathies. He was not a serious political force. It wasn't long, though, before what we knew proved illusory. Roemer, who died last Monday at age 77, took over a state with huge money problems and horrible bond ratings. He inherited a deficit that in todays dollars would have been in the billions, the government watchdog Council for a Better Louisiana noted in a tribute to Roemer last week. That wasnt like the shortfalls we deal with today. This was a real deficit where the state had already spent money it didnt have. His administration dealt with the financial problems in creative ways, like creating a statewide taxing district that raised some eyebrows, but also worked. He also managed to make improvements to budget procedures, environmental enforcement and teacher pay while passing campaign finance reform. But a major tax overhaul he pushed as needed reform was rejected by voters. And there were emotionally draining debates over abortion. The revolutionary fire dimmed. His reputed prickly personality became more evident, as did his distaste for high-profile politicking. The late political writer John Maginnis, in his book Cross to Bear, said Roemers strength was sapped by the pressures of office and his long struggle with diabetes. Roemer lacked the stamina to be a revolutionary and the temperament to be a king, Maginnis wrote. And there was this cockeyed idea circulating in Baton Rouge a wild scenario where Duke, who had squeaked into a state House seat in a 1988 special election, and Edwards, who still carried a loyal base, might wind up in a 1991 runoff, pushing Roemer out. It happened. Edwards buoyed by voter sentiment evident in the famous bumper sticker that read Vote for the Crook. Its Important trounced the ex-Klansman in that runoff, winning an unprecedented fourth term. He would retire from politics four years later. And he would face more trials. He was convicted in 2000 and served nearly 10 years in prison for crimes involving riverboat casino licensing. Dukes influence plummeted. And he, too, would do prison time, sentenced to more than a year on federal fraud and tax charges. Roemer is being remembered for successes in the business world, for successes during his time as governor that were often overshadowed by his troubles and for his devotion to reform. He would try and fail to regain the governorship again in 1995. He would launch an entertaining if seemingly quixotic run for president ahead of the 2012 election, lamenting the influence of money in politics. A one-time Democrat who turned Republican in 1991, he first sought the GOP nomination, then a third party slot. He never gained the poll numbers needed to make it to a debate stage but won praise from some pundits. And he showed signs of the old reform fervor. What if he had made it onto the debate stage with fellow Republicans, or maybe as a credible third party candidate facing off against Mitt Romney and Barack Obama? With caustic wit, candor, the old revolutionary fire, he would have made it all more interesting. That much, for sure, is true. ___ EDITORS NOTE: Kevin McGill is an Associated Press reporter based in New Orleans. PHOENIX (AP) Health officials in Arizona on Sunday reported 321 new COVID-19 cases and eight additional deaths. They said the latest numbers pushed the states totals since the pandemic began more than a year ago to 876,732 cases and 17,555 known deaths. Arizona reported 634 cases and 16 deaths on Saturday. According to the Arizona Department of Health Services COVID-19 dashboard, over 5.7 million vaccine doses have been administered in the state. More than 3.2 million residents 44.7% of the states population have received at least one shot and over 2.7 million people have been fully vaccinated. Since plummeting from January peaks and as vaccines have become widely available, hospitalizations related to COVID-19 have plateaued over the last two months, with relatively minor daily fluctuations. Health officials say the number of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 inpatients in the states hospitals decreased by 38 overnight to 538 on Friday. Meanwhile, the number of ICU beds used by COVID-19 patients decreased by 23 to 137. PERU, Ind. (AP) Authorities in central Indiana were investigating after three people were found fatally shot in a home. The Miami County Sheriffs Office said deputies went to the Peru home on Friday evening and found three people dead from what appeared to be gunshot wounds. DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) A Bangladeshi journalist who is known for her strong reporting on official corruption was released from jail Sunday, hours after a court in the nation's capital awarded conditional bail amid protests at home and abroad calling for her release. Rozina Islam, a senior reporter for the leading Prothom Alo newspaper, had been held in detention since her arrest Monday. I will most certainly continue working as a journalist, Islam told a small crowd of supporters and journalists after leaving the jail outside Dhaka. Her family said she would go to a hospital for a health checkup. Islam was arrested after she allegedly used her cellphone without permission to photograph documents related to government negotiations to buy coronavirus vaccines, while she waited in the room of an official involved in the process, according to case documents seen by The Associated Press. She faces charges of violating the colonial-era Official Secrets Act, which carries a possible death penalty. Media and human rights groups criticized the arrest and demanded her unconditional release. Her lawyer, Ehsanul Haque Shomaji, said Islam had to surrender her passport before bail was granted. Prosecution lawyer Abdullah Abu did not object to the bail request, and both sides told reporters that Magistrate Baki Billah mentioned in his order that mass media plays a supporting role in democracy. Bangladesh's Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen on Thursday said he regretted the arrest and said Islam would receive fair justice. Several of Islam's hard-hitting reports on corruption involving the Health Ministry and others have drawn attention to the millions of dollars spent on procuring health equipment to deal with the pandemic. Her family said Islam was held for more than five hours on Monday in the room of a personal assistant of the secretary of the Health Ministry a top bureaucrat. Her sister said Islam was physically and mentally harassed before she was handed over to police. Bangladesh authorities should produce evidence of wrongdoing or immediately release Rozina Islam and stop arresting journalists for doing their job, which is also to highlight governance flaws, said Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch. Instead of locking up critics, encouraging a free press should be central to the governments strategy to strengthen health services in combatting the pandemic, he said. The New York-based rights watchdog said at least 247 journalists were reportedly subjected to attacks, harassment and intimidation by state officials and others affiliated with the government in 2020. More than 900 cases were filed under the Digital Security Act, with nearly 1,000 people charged and 353 detained, many of them journalists, it said. US: A recklessly blind supporter of Israeli action By Thalif Deen View(s): View(s): UNITED NATIONS When I walked out of a polling booth after voting in one of the US Senatorial elections in New York city several years ago, I was accosted by a reporter and a cameraman for the Middle Eastern TV network Al Jazeera. The woman reporter, who was also a UN correspondent at that time, thrust the mike before me for my comments on the elections. My response was wildly sarcastic: Frankly, I think American politicians are not running for office in the US House of Representatives or the Senate, I said. I think they are really running for seats in the Israeli Knesset. Al Jazeera ran with that comment. And when I visited my neighbouring, Palestinian-run grocery store the next day, they cheered me with shouts of We saw you on Al Jazeera. We saw you on Al Jazeera. As American pop icon Andy Warhol once said: Everybody will be world famous for 15 minutes. I had my fleeting 15 seconds on Al Jazeera. Incidentally, a good-humoured slogan in wide circulation during the early years of the TV network, was ambitiously on target: Everybody watches CNN. But what does CNN watch? Al Jazeera. Meanwhile, the destruction last week of a 12-storeyed building in Gaza City, home to several news organisations, including the Associated Press (AP) and Al Jazeera, has been described as a deliberate Israeli air strike to silence a hostile media. At the UNs daily press briefing on May 17, one of the questions that came up was about a demand from Reporters Without Borders for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate Israels bombing of buildings housing media organisations as a possible war crime. The media watchdog said, in a letter to the courts chief prosecutor, that the offices of 23 international and local media organisations had been destroyed over the past week. At the time of going to press, the Israelis and the Palestinians have apparently agreed to a ceasefire mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations. The US claimed it was involved in backdoor diplomacy, with Biden openly calling for a ceasefire during six phone calls with warring parties. But historically, the United States has been a recklessly blind supporter of Israel. And traditionally American politicians have been trying to outshine each other in providing political, economic and military support to Israel and some of their speeches are straight out of the floor of the Israeli parliament. When Pat Buchanan, a senior advisor to three US Presidents and twice candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, described the United States Congress as Israeli-occupied territory, he left out one powerful institution: The White House. Under Donald Trump, and under most previous US presidents, the White House, for all intents and purposes, was also an occupied territory. Joe Biden, the current US president has come under heavy fire for not stopping a proposed sale of some $735 million in US weapons to Israel, despite continued air strikes in Gaza city during the last two weeks which has killed at least 230 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and including 60 children, while injuring thousands, triggering charges of war crimes. The number of dead on the Israeli side was 12. But the US will never permit an ICC trial for Israel. The New York Times quotes Biden as saying on Israeli television back in 2007: I am a Zionist. You dont have to be a Jew to be a Zionist. In a bygone era, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, one of the strongest political and military allies of the US in the Arab world, was contemptuously described as Americas 51st state. But Israel is not far behind. The Security Council met four times in the last 10 days, including an open debate over the weekend, to deliberate the situation particularly, the suffering of civilians caught in the conflict by no fault of their own. On May 18, Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason of Ireland said for the fourth time in eight days, the Council convened to address the current crisis in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Conflict is raging, resulting in utterly devastating humanitarian impact, she said. The Security Council has yet to utter a single word publicly. Council members have a collective responsibility for international peace and Security. It is high time the Council steps up, breaks its silence and speaks out. But the US was holding back its support for a Security Council resolution, critical of both Israel and Hamas, and calling for a ceasefire. Both the Republican and Democratic Parties, the two major political parties in the US, have religiously supported Israel over several generations. But currently a liberal, progressive wing in the ruling Democratic Party is openly rebellious against US support for Israel. A proposed new resolution which Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Democratic-New York) introduced alongside Representatives Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) and Mark Pocan (D-Wisconsin) calls for congressional action on the $735 weapons deal that would send Joint Direct Attack Munitions and Small Diameter Bombs to Israel. For decades, the U.S. has sold billions of dollars in weaponry to Israel without ever requiring them to respect basic Palestinian rights, Ocasio-Cortez said in a statement. In so doing, we have directly contributed to the death, displacement, and disenfranchisement of millions. Tlaib, incidentally, is the only US Congresswoman of Palestinian origin, and whose family is trapped in Israeli-devastated Gaza City. Meanwhile, a January 2021 Fact Sheet on US- Israel Relations put out by the State Department details the longstanding relationship between the two allies. The United States was the first country to recognise Israel as a state in 1948, and the first to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in 2017. Israel is a great partner to the United States, and Israel has no greater friend than the United States. Americans and Israelis are united by our shared commitment to democracy, economic prosperity, and regional security. The unbreakable bond between our two countries has never been stronger, particularly in military relations, says the State Department. Israels security is a long-standing cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy. The United States commitment to Israels security is supported by robust defence cooperation and the 10-year, $38 billion Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the United States and Israel in 2016. Consistent with the MoU, the US annually provides $3.3 billion in Foreign Military Financing and $500 million for cooperative programmes for missile defence. (This article has been adapted from a recently-released book on the United Nations titled No Comment and Dont Quote Me on That. Authored by Thalif Deen, a Senior Editor at Inter Press Service (IPS) news agency, the book is available on Amazon and at Vijitha Yapa bookshops in Sri Lanka. The link to Amazon via the authors website follows: https://www.rodericgrigson.com/no-comment-by-thalif-deen/) ROVINJ, Croatia (AP) Sun loungers are out, beach bars are open and rave music is pumping. Hotels and restaurants are greeting visitors hoping to get a head start on summer after more than a year of coronavirus lockdowns and travel restrictions. Croatia has widely reopened its stunning Adriatic coastline for foreign tourists, becoming one of the first European countries to drop most of its pandemic measures. Now, the ability of people to go there depends on each country's travel rules. The mood is relaxed in the Istria region, the northernmost part of the Croatian coast famous for its pebble beaches, thick pine forests, wine and delicacies such as truffles, olive oil, goat cheese and prosciutto. Hardy anyone wears masks on the streets or in restaurants in the picturesque town of Rovinj. Still-standing limits on indoor dining and rules requiring a set amount of distance between tables are rarely observed. People are fed up with lockdowns, said Nikola Sandic, a waiter at a seafood restaurant located in a small boat harbor. They have a glass of wine, watch the sea, and that's all they need. Virus cases are dropping in Croatia, and after a slow start to the country's vaccine rollout, inoculations are picking up. Officials predict that some 50% of the population of 4 million will be fully vaccinated by mid-summer. Croatia, a European Union member and a popular vacation destination on the continent, is letting in tourists from the United States, most of Europe and beyond who hold a vaccination certificate, or proof of a negative test or having recovered from COVID-19. Health officials set those measures weeks before the EU moved Wednesday to soon allow fully vaccinated foreign travelers from countries deemed safe into the 27-nation bloc. Croatian tourism officials expect a swell of American visitors, who will be spared the hassle of airport transfers when direct New York-Dubrovnik flights start up, expected in July. Tourism Minister Nikolina Brnjac said her country is applying strict health measures to avoid a repeat of what happened last year, when visitors ignored social distancing on the beaches and in bars, and the tourist season abruptly ended with Croatia facing a surge in coronavirus cases. The country's some 80,000 tourism workers have priority for getting COVID-19 vaccines, and several PCR testing stations will be installed to make it easier for travelers to obtain results they might need to provide when they return home. "It is our duty to provide all the prerequisites for a safe and comfortable trip, as well as predictable vacation planning, she said during a recent webinar on travel safety, In that sense, Croatia is among the first, if not the first, European destination that already applies broader criteria for tourist visits, the same ones that should soon be applied at the EU. Croatia heavily depends on tourism; some 20% of its revenue comes from foreign visitors during the summer. Adriatic resorts like the medieval walled city of Dubrovnik and Rovinj, with its narrow cobble streets and small squares, almost completely depend on tourists. Goran Pavlovic, manager at the tourist board in the seaside resort of Opatija, said that Croatia is ready but the success of its summer season will largely depend on the regulations in other countries, especially if travelers must quarantine once they go home. It will definitively be a challenging year in front of us because of the pandemic situation, Pavlovic said. Croatias tourism workers are optimistic. We finally want to see the smile of the guests without their masks, said Maja Segon, a receptionist at the Hotel Savoy in Opatija. ___ Darko Bandic contributed from Pula, Croatia. In the ongoing battle for racial justice, members of the San Francisco school board have cast themselves as chief warriors, acting with stunning speed to diversify the city's top high school and wading deep into a pool of racially sensitive matters. Changing the admissions process for the elite Lowell High School - eliminating grades and test scores and admitting students by a ranked-choice lottery - is among the most contentious moves the school board has taken, but far from the only one. To some, it was a refreshing and overdue move to address long-standing inequities. In the eyes of critics, it was a hasty decision that drew attention away from a more urgent problem: how to reopen city schools that were - and for most San Francisco students, still are - closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Either way, it was a sign of how the San Francisco school board has been operating of late: a heavy focus on controversial, difficult racial issues, and slow progress on school reopening. As a result, a recall campaign is working to oust three members of the seven-person board. The board faces a lawsuit over the procedures used to change Lowell admissions. The city sued its own school district to try to force open buildings. And the superintendent quit and was persuaded to come back only after board members agreed, in writing, to focus on reopening schools. "This is not just about the school reopening," said Siva Raj, who is leading the recall effort with his partner, Autumn Looijen. "This is about the broader dysfunction on the school board." He said the amount of time spent on extraneous issues including Lowell is "totally out of sync with what parents wanted." Yet for Shavonne Foster-Hines, a graduating senior who is president of the Black Student Union at Lowell, it was a relief that the board was trying to level the playing field for Black and Latino applicants. "The system is flawed," she said. "Those who are qualified often can get left out." This academic year has been difficult for school districts nationwide that have been forced to balance the health risks of in-person schooling against the academic and psychological costs of staying home. Multiple districts have fought disputes about reopening in court. Many have battled publicly with teachers unions. At the same time, school leaders have struggled to manage inequities in their systems that have been amplified by the pandemic. But no city has experienced the level of discord as that in San Francisco, both around reopening and around questions of race. In January, the school board voted to rename 44 schools, after a committee found that the people the schools were named for had connections to slavery, oppression and racism - even if the alleged ties were thin or, in some cases, historically questionable or inaccurate. Last month, the school board reversed that decision, backtracking in the face of a lawsuit and criticism that its priorities were misguided. In March, anti-Asian tweets posted in 2016 by school board Vice President Alison Collins surfaced. Written before she was on the school board, the tweets accused Asian Americans of benefiting from the "'model minority' BS" and using "white supremacist thinking to assimilate and 'get ahead.' " She also suggested that they were not standing up to President Donald Trump, using a racial slur to describe them. Prominent city leaders called for her resignation, and the school board voted to strip her of her vice president title. In response, Collins sued the board for $87 million. Through all this, the city's school buildings remained closed, even as private schools in the area and public schools elsewhere in the region operated in person. In-person classes did not begin until mid-April, and only for the youngest children. Even now, only 19,000 of the district's 56,000 students have an in-person option. "Look, I believe in equity," San Francisco Mayor London Breed, D, said in a statement last fall. She added: "But the fact that our kids aren't in school is what's driving inequity in our City. Not the name of a school." In March, Superintendent Vincent Matthews said he was retiring at the end of this school year. Then, after a plea from the board president, he said in April that he would stay for another year, but only if the board agreed to focus on school reopening and desist from debating other subjects until schools are open. In his new contract, board members also agreed to "govern in a dignified and professional manner, treating everyone with civility and respect." Board President Gabriela Lopez declined by email to answer questions about any topic, saying she was focused on trying to reopen schools. It was in the middle of all this that the school board decided to change the way students are admitted to Lowell High School. Like selective magnet schools in Boston, New York and elsewhere, Lowell's student body is disproportionately made up of Asian American and White students, with Black and Hispanic students underrepresented. The hope is that diversity will increase with a lottery in which students rank their choices but do not win an advantage based on academics. But the change means that students with the best grades and scores may not be admitted. "I support changing the policy," said the Rev. Amos C. Brown, a longtime civil rights leader in San Francisco. "You know why? Nobody owns the school." Lowell High School was founded in 1856 and touts itself as the oldest public high school west of the Mississippi. Its reputation grew over time as an elite and challenging academic school, with Nobel laureates and a Supreme Court justice among the accomplished graduates. But the racial makeup of Lowell's student body has been an issue for decades. In 1983, a lawsuit filed by the NAACP led to racial quotas at the school that prohibited any one racial or ethnic group from exceeding 40% of the student body. A decade later, that policy was challenged by three Chinese American families that argued that it was unfair that their children had to score much higher on admissions exams than others to be admitted. The quotas were modified in 1999 and eliminated a few years later. By the time Shavonne Foster-Hines was applying to Lowell, the student body was majority Asian American, and the school had developed a reputation for anti-Black racism. In 2016, the Black Student Union staged a walkout after an offensive sign was posted in the library during Black History Month. Foster-Hines said she decided to apply nonetheless. After she was accepted, she encountered racism almost immediately, she says. An Asian American student sang a song with the n-word in it in front of her, she said, and when she asked him why he was doing that, he replied, "No one cares" and called her the n-word. Black students, she said, are sometimes asked, "Why are you at Lowell?" and the implication is that they don't belong there. "Black students and Brown students are not seen as smart," she said. "The demographics of our school reinforce that idea." Foster-Hines would recommend that younger Black students apply to Lowell and was frustrated to see students she believed to be qualified rejected. Nonetheless, changes to Lowell admissions were not part of her campaign when she was elected in a citywide vote last year to become a student delegate to the school board. No one was talking about that then, she said. The pandemic made it impossible for the district to fairly administer an exam that had been central to admissions decisions. At the last minute, in October, the school board voted to admit students for the coming year via ranked-choice lottery, the same process used for other high schools. The new policy affected only the coming school year, but members made clear that they were interested in longer-term changes. Then, on Jan. 20, students at Lowell were participating in an anti-racism session online. They were asked to share their thoughts on a platform called Padlet, and the reactions automatically popped onto the screen for everyone to see. Somebody - the perpetrator has yet to be identified - posted violently racist and antisemitic comments and pornographic photos. Three weeks later, the school board voted to permanently change Lowell admissions to the lottery system and to conduct an "equity audit." Matthews, the schools superintendent, said issues at Lowell go back to when he was entering high school. His mother wanted him to attend Lowell, but he said he feared that he would be one of the only African American students and decided against it. "The board for some time has known that some type of change has been needed to take place at Lowell," he said in an interview. It appears as though the lottery system is creating a more diverse ninth-grade class for the coming year. Black students make up 4.8% of those admitted for the fall, up from 1.9% last year. Hispanic students are about 23%, nearly double the 12.5% last year. The portion of Chinese students is 25.3%, and the share of White students, 18.5%, are both lower than their numbers last year. The decision has come under heavy criticism from many parents and graduates, who argue that the removal of academic standards will water down the school and destroy what makes it special. Dennis Wu, who is Chinese American, said his son, Dennis Casey Wu, a junior at Lowell, felt bullied in middle school but has thrived at Lowell. He is a member of the Dragon Boat team, a traditionally Chinese watercraft competition. "Lowell has always been a school where you had to do well academically," the elder Wu said. Darya Mean, who is White and has one son who graduated from Lowell and another there now, said: "My concern is that the lottery may increase the diverse numbers somewhat, but what's going to happen to the school?" She said she put her children into private school for their elementary and middle years because the public schools available through the lottery were unacceptable. Lowell needs to remain academically elite for students who will thrive in that environment, she said. Christine dsha, a 1989 Lowell graduate, filed a lawsuit in April on behalf of the Lowell Alumni Association, the Lowell Foundation and the Asian American Legal Foundation, alleging that the school board did not follow proper procedures in making the decision. She thinks that Lowell is special in part because of its competitive admissions but hopes the board can try again, using a more inclusive process. "My hope is to call a timeout, get people to the table," she said. Even some graduates who oppose the change say the issue is complicated. Terry Abad, executive director of the Lowell Alumni Association, said students who do not want to work hard probably will not rank Lowell as their top choice, because of its reputation for rigor. He added that the Lowell community knew its demographics were out of whack and that alumni should have tried to work on the problem before it came to a head, such as making contact in Black and Latino neighborhoods to introduce the school and help with applications. "We should have been doing a lot more over the years," he said. "We haven't, so we're caught flat-footed and it's our fault." In early March, a Boston-based vote-counting firm called Clear Ballot Group sent a bid to Arizona's state Senate to audit the 2020 presidential election results in Maricopa County. The firm has conducted more than 200 such audits over 13 years in business. Our level of comparison data is unmatched, Keir Holeman, a Clear Ballot Group vice president, wrote to the Republican-controlled Senate. He never heard back, he says. Instead, the state Senate hired a small Florida-based cybersecurity firm known as Cyber Ninjas that had not placed a formal bid for the contract and had no experience with election audits. Senate President Karen Fann says she can't recall how she found the firm, but her critics believe one credential stood out: Cyber Ninjas' chief executive officer had tweeted support for conspiracy theories claiming Republican Donald Trump, and not Democrat Joe Biden, had won Maricopa County and Arizona. Now the untested, little-known cybersecurity firm is running a partly taxpayer-funded process that election experts describe as so deeply flawed it veers into the surreal. Its chief aim, critics say, appears to be testing far-fetched theories, rather than simply recounting votes an approach that directly undermines the country's democratic traditions. If I give you 20 M&Ms, and you want 30, you can keep counting it, but you did not get 30 M&Ms, said David Becker of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, a former Department of Justice voting rights attorney and elections expert. This is not an effort to find the truth." Experienced vote counters have watched the process in shock. Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, said this week Maricopa County will need to replace all of its election machines because their security has been permanently compromised by the auditors. Experts note the review isnt following standard recounting procedures and, unlike with other election audits in Arizona, members of each major political party are not at each table observing the counting. The auditors are checking for bamboo fibers to test a theory that tens of thousands of fake ballots were shipped from Asia. A onetime treasure hunter who claims to have invented a new method to automatically spot ballot fraud says his technology is being used in the review. It's become too much for some Republicans. The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, all but one of whom are Republicans, this week accused Republicans in the Senate of having rented out the once-good name of the Arizona Senate to grifters. Your auditors are in way over their heads, the board wrote in a letter. Cyber Ninjas' defenders say they're creating a template for a re-examination of the election in every battleground state Biden won. Trump allies have already called for similar operations in Georgia. And criticisms about the firm's lack of election experience are hollow, its advocates argue, because the Arizona audit is unprecedented. This is an audit like none that has ever been performed, said Patrick Byrne, the former chief executive officer of Overstock.com who has been raising money for the audit. This audit is an audit check for all forms of mischief. The man running the operation, Cyber Ninjas chief executive officer Doug Logan, declined through his spokesman to be interviewed. He has only answered questions from reporters in public once, during a contentious press conference last month. There's a lot of Americans here, myself included, that are really bothered at the way our country's being ripped apart right now, Logan said. If we go through here and we don't find any fraud, I will be ecstatic. Maricopa County has already conducted two audits, which found no problems with the count in the state's most populous county. At the urging of Trump supporters, the Senate insisted on a third and subpoenaed more than 2 million ballots from the county. When the Senate leader went looking for an elections firm to do the work, she did not put together a formal request for proposal, as is typical for government contracts. Fann said she and her staff reached out to several firms and got two bids back the one from Clear Ballot Group for $450,000 and the other from a cybersecurity group called Intersec Worldwide. Fann said she preferred the Intersec proposal, but balked at an $8 million price tag. In an interview, she said she could not recall who had referred her to Cyber Ninjas. To be honest with you I cant even tell you exactly what path led me there, Fann said. But Fann had tapped into a loose network of computer security experts who had become active in pro-Trump election conspiracy theories. In a self-published book written this year, Byrne dubbed the group cyber ninjas a term used by so-called white hat hackers who defend against online intrusions. Byrne told AP that, in December, he and Logan crossed paths in a few places. But Byrne said he wasn't involved in the audit bid and does not know Logan well. Logan, 42, in December had tweeted and retweeted references to the conspiracy theory that voting machines were hacked to switch votes from Trump. The parallels between the statistical analysis of Venezuela and this years election are astonishing, Logan tweeted, with a #StoptheSteal hashtag that referenced the pro-Trump movement seeking to overturn the election. Logan also served as an expert witness in a pro-Trump lawsuit raising conspiracy theories about the election in Antrim County, Michigan. Another cybersecurity professional who filed an expert witness affidavit in that case, Ben Cotton, was a partner on the Intersec proposal. Cotton's own firm, CyFIR, which did not respond to a request for comment, is now a subcontractor on the Arizona audit. The Senate agreed to pay Cyber Ninjas $150,000 in state money, but it is not clear how much more the audit will cost and who is paying for it. The pro-Trump One America News Network raised $150,000 in a single day in April and has continued to ask for donations. Byrne has also started a fundraising drive with a group that says it has raised $1.7 million with a goal of $2.8 million. Neither will have to disclose donors or account for how the money is spent, and Logan has declined to detail financial information. Byrne's organization is also involved in recruiting volunteers. The audit's liaison with the Senate sent an email to local Republicans last week asking for more volunteers and referring them to the website of Byrne's organization's to apply. Byrne said his group simply refers volunteers to Cyber Ninjas for vetting. The email was first reported by The Arizona Republic. Logan started Cyber Ninjas in 2013 in Indiana after working for two years for a cybersecurity firm called Cigital, according to his LinkedIn profile and Cyber Ninja press releases. He moved his firm from Indiana to Sarasota in 2014, according to the Cyber Ninjas website, which quotes Logan describing the firm as a Christian company. Last year, when Cyber Ninjas received $98,000 in federal COVID relief money, it claimed five employees. At a public presentation last week, Logan cited as part of his qualifications that his firm worked with some of the largest names in the financial services space. Two of the companies he lists as former clients in his expert witness statement, Citibank and JP Morgan Chase, said through spokespeople that they have no record of hiring Cyber Ninjas. Logan's scant public record before the audit was a history of volunteering for the U.S. Cyber Challenge, a training event for internet security amateurs and professionals. In 2015, Logan received an award from the security firm SANS for his volunteerism with the event, John Pescatore, the SANS employee who oversees the award program, said Logan was cited mainly for designing an online capture the flag game where players try to hack into an opponent's base. It takes a lot of work, said Pescatore of Logan's volunteering. He added he doesn't know Logan but Cyber Ninjas has a good reputation for testing companies' systems for vulnerabilities, its market niche. A spokesman for the U.S. Cyber Challenge did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Logan is not the only person associated with the effort to overturn the 2020 election who is working on the audit. Jovan Pulitzer, an inventor who unsuccessfully pushed for a post-election audit in Georgia, has said his technology is being used to detect altered ballots. Pulitzer is also a former treasure hunter and author of a series of books on lost treasures, including one titled How to Cut Off Your Arm and Eat Your Dog. In 2000, he developed a barcode scanner called Cuecat that purported to link print magazine ads to the internet. It was later named one of the 50 worst inventions of all time by Time magazine. ___ Bob Christie in Phoenix contributed to this report. WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) Minnie Ervin sat quietly inside a car Wednesday morning watching as Winston-Salem firefighters made sure that the fire that had just destroyed a lifetime of work had been extinguished. Her grown children, Rosa Ervin Adams and Jakay Ervin Jr., stood nearby waiting on an insurance adjuster and greeting well-wishers. Everybody got out OK, Ervin Adams said to a friend who had called her. The family business, Ervins Beauty Services on Patterson Avenue, had been in place since 1976 when Minnie and Jakay Sr. converted by hand an old gas station into a community icon a thriving beauty-supply business/hair salon where generations of women, including the late Dr. Maya Angelou and longtime Councilwoman Vivian Burke, came to have their hair done. The business had been gutted by fire; it was an economic setback and a devastating loss. But within minutes of listening to Minnie Ervin speak, it became apparent that the story of Ervins Beauty Services is much deeper than structure fire. Its really a love story about the life Minnie and Jakay Ervin shared for 65 years. He drew up the plans himself and built a lot of it with his own two hands, Minnie Ervin said. Hes worth talking about. I love talking about him. A TRUE FAMILY BUSINESS To understand fully the story of Ervins Beauty Services, its necessary to know something about Minnie and Jakay Ervin Sr. They met when Jakay was a student at Winston-Salem Teachers College. Minnie Ervin was riding on a homecoming float; she was Miss Lemay Beauty College. He told a friend, I have to meet her, Minnie Ervin said. And he did. Jakay Ervin Sr. was a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, serving during the Korean War era. Hed dropped out of high school, got drafted and badly hurt his knee when a Jeep flipped over during training. The injury prevented him from being sent to Korea. That military experience, as it can, sharpened a young mans focus. So he went back to high school as soon as he mustered out. After that, it was on to Winston-Salem State while working a fulltime job at R.J. Reynolds Tobacco for his bachelors in 1958 and N.C. A&T State University for graduate school. He and Minnie married in 1955; Jakay Ervin Sr. settled into a job with the U.S. Postal Service and Minnie Ervin worked as a hairdresser. A family followed. Opportunity knocked in the mid-70s when that old gas station on Patterson Avenue went up for sale, and the Ervins answered it together all four of them. I laid that brick up there, said Jakay Ervin Jr., pointing to the foundation just visible behind a pile of burned, wet pink insulation. Ervin Adams wasnt exempt, either. She was expected to do her share. It was more than growing up there, said Ervin Adams. Daddy believed in hard work. I helped tear up the old flooring. I was old enough to know that maybe I should have run off to grandmas house. Ervin Adams was joking, of course. But she and her brother learned the value of an honest days work and trusting their faith. They got that by watching the partnership burgeon between their parents. I love (the business), Minnie Ervin said while watching firefighters put away their gear. I love people. Ive loved coming to work for more than 50 years. LONG, DIFFICULT YEAR Minnie Ervin was on her way to the shop about 8:30 a.m. when she learned that the building was burning. An employee had been working with an early-bird customer when they heard a loud pop and smelled smoke a telltale sign of an electrical short. The fire likely started in or near the salon; the Ervins had closed the beauty-supply end of the business a few years back. It burned fast, and required several trucks and more than a dozen firefighters to knock down. We were getting ready to remodel and lease part of the building, Minnie Ervin said. Its been a long, difficult year for the Ervin family. COVID-19 restrictions took a bite out of the business. That hurt, but it was a mere annoyance compared to the loss of Jakay Ervin Sr. who died on New Years Day. He was 89 and had enjoyed a full, rich and love-filled life. He was a proud Marine, featured in a 2019 story about local veterans, and a talented carpenter. He built part of our house, Minnie Ervin said. We have a cathedral ceiling and he hung that first beam by himself. Wednesdays fire destroyed photographs and irreplaceable keepsakes. The loss was as profound as it was unexpected. Its not easy to speak clearly in the immediate aftermath of such a physical tragedy. Onlookers and a small stream of friends and acquaintances drifted by as the news spread. But the Ervins handled it all with grace. They havent decided yet whether to rebuild; its far too early to make that decision. They were thankful that no one was hurt, and Minnie Ervin grateful for a temporary distraction of talking about her husband. It has been a hard year, she said. He was such an awesome man. So talented and so smart. A building burned Wednesday morning. But the fire, bad as it was, could not destroy the story of the people whod built it. THOMASVILLE, Ga. (AP) A south Georgia man faces criminal charges after police say he sent a road flare to a drive-through bank teller through a pneumatic tube. Michael Aaron Bass was arrested Wednesday in Thomasville after the flare set off a panic when a bank teller concluded it was a stick of dynamite, police said. SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) California Gov. Gavin Newsom has set some of the nation's most ambitious goals for weaning his state off oil, including a ban on the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035 and the end of oil production a decade later. But in the near term it's a rulemaking process in one of his agencies that environmentalists are most anxiously awaiting. They say it will show the freshman Democrat's true commitment to meaningful action during his governorship. At issue is whether California should impose a buffer zone between oil drilling sites and homes, schools and hospitals. Despite its reputation as a climate leader, California has no statewide limit, unlike other oil producing states including Pennsylvania and Colorado. Even Texas bans wells within 467 feet (142 meters) of a property line. California environmentalists want a 2,500-foot (762-meter) space, which would be the largest of any state. They point to studies that show living near an active drilling sites can elevate risk for birth defects, cancer, respiratory problems and other health issues. That's in addition to loud sounds and foul smells. Its not clear how far the agency will go and whether any rules would apply to new drilling, existing wells or both. The agency's direction holds political implications for Newsom as he faces an expected recall election in the fall. Unions typically friendly with Newsom that represent workers are aligned with the powerful oil industry, which says a statewide rule on so-called setbacks would cost jobs and raise fuel prices. That leaves Newsom stuck between two important Democratic voting blocs labor and environmentalists whose support he needs this year and, if he survives, in his 2022 reelection bid. How he moves is going to motivate and encourage voters or discourage them," said Gladys Limon, executive director of the California Environmental Justice Alliance. It will set the direction in which communities will move in for the next election." In 2019, Newsom's first year as governor, he changed the name and focus of California's oil and gas agency. The Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources is now the Geologic Energy Management Division, or CalGEM, and Newsom made health and safety a part of its mission. He specifically told the agency to consider prohibiting oil and gas activities near homes, schools, hospitals and parks. Eighteen months later, regulators are still deliberating, and last year they approved nearly 300 new oil and gas permits within 2,500 feet of homes, schools and health care facilities, according to Earthjustice, an environmental law group. Regulators delayed a planned release of the draft rules in December and now say they'll come this spring, though no date has been set. Even then, the rules won't be final, though they will signal the direction Newsom's administration wants to move. Oil has long posed a political conundrum for ruling Democrats in California, the seventh-largest oil producing state. Former Gov. Jerry Brown, hailed internationally as a climate champion, faced pushback at home for not taking on the industry more aggressively. In the Legislature, efforts to establish setbacks have repeatedly failed. The Western States Petroleum Association opposes a statewide mandate, saying such rules should be decided at the local level and based on health and environmental concerns specific to the area. It has an ally in the State Building and Construction Trades Council, a major union. A one-size-fits-all approach like that we think would be bad public policy and almost by definition it doesnt take into account the science, data and what is really happening on the ground in a particular location," said Kevin Slagle, WSPA's vice president of strategic communications. He pointed to the group's support for a Kern County process that requires every drilling project be evaluated for setback needs. An estimated 2 million Californians live within 2,500 feet of an active oil well, according to Voices in Solidarity Against Oil in Neighborhoods. Most active wells are in Los Angeles and Kern counties. They cant wait decades to get the oil wells out of their backyard, said Ann Alexander, a litigator for the Natural Resources Defense Council. If Newsom doesn't go far enough, some environmentalists could rethink their political support. Earlier this spring, some discussed supporting an alterative recall candidate said RL Miller, the former head of the California Democratic Partys environmental caucus. That was before Newsom announced a 2024 ban on fracking the process of extracting oil and gas embedded in rock deep underground and called on state regulators to explore an end to oil production by 2045. She supports Newsom, and many climate groups have endorsed him, if only because they see no viable alternative. Meanwhile, the unions representing workers who rely on jobs related to the oil industry say a mandated buffer zone would risk good-paying jobs and raise the price of fuel. The State Building and Construction Trades Council, a powerful force in Sacramento, represents about 100,000 people with industry-related jobs including laying pipes and electrical and iron work, said President Robbie Hunter. WSPA spent more than $1.3 million lobbying at the state Capitol in the first three months of the year. The state Building and Construction Trades Council spent $87,000. Meanwhile, the Natural Resources Defense Council spent $59,000, and the California Environmental Justice Alliance spent $13,500, according to state campaign finance filings. The building trades union opposes the recall, Hunter said. But that won't stop his members from pushing Newsom and his administration to see their point of view. He charged environmentalists with holding extreme opinions." For now, no prominent Democrats are challenging Newsom, but that could change if he appears more at risk as the election nears. He is not directly involved in writing the regulations. The oil regulator is working with 15 public health experts and has taken more than 40,000 comments to inform its decision. But Newsom is ultimately in control of the agency's direction, noted Danny Cullenward, an energy economist and lawyer who studies carbon emissions. The ball really is in the governors court right now, he said. ___ Associated Press reporter Adam Beam contributed to this story. Marketing in the 21st century loves to blend words. Holistay, staycation and bleisure are just a few of the terms that now feature frequently on the websites or blogs of tourism companies. The latter, defined as adding some leisure activities or sightseeing onto a business excursion, appeals to our desire to kill two birds with one stone and is growing steadily in popularity. In fact, a 2017 report from the Global Business Travel Association in partnership with Hilton found that bleisure travel accounts for seven per cent of all business trips, with women more likely to undertake it than men. The portmanteau - or blend of words - most in vogue currently though is workcation (also spelt 'workation'), which originally denoted heading off to a beautiful, isolated location in the countryside and working from there for around a week, often on an organised trip for which you would have to take time off work. Aficionados of such workcations describe them as productive escapes from the office, a change of scene that enables one to approach problems from a different angle, but critics see them as intrinsic contradictions - neither quite work nor vacation, but another example of how the line that separates our personal lives from our professional ones is becoming ever finer, to the point of vanishing entirely. The pandemic Like so many things during the pandemic though, the term workcation has morphed in meaning. A Skyscanner article from December 2020 defines it as home office relocation: workcators pick a destination and work there remotely for a set amount of time, "whether that be one month or six months", unlike digital nomads, who hop from one place to another and "generally don't have an end date to their travel plans". Antonio Hersonki, a Berlin Customer Relations Manager in Malaga. / SUR An entire industry has spawned around this trend. In the absence of tourists, hotels across southern Europe have converted their facilities into remote working spaces, attracting young businesspeople in particular, and Homelike, an accommodation rental platform aimed at digital nomads, is expanding throughout Spain. It recently landed in Malaga, which is experiencing an influx of remote workers. "I wanted to go somewhere where it's warm and sunny and the restrictions are less severe than in Germany," Antonio Hersonski, a 27-year-old Customer Relations Manager from Berlin, told SUR in English. "I found flights to Malaga for 13 euros, so I said: 'Let's do it'." Hersonski, who could not have worked remotely before the pandemic, originally planned to spend only the first week of April in Malaga, but he soon decided to stay over the summer. "I have a healthier work-life balance now," he explained. "In Berlin I would sometimes work until 9pm because there was nothing else to do." When asked if he feels his stay has been more work or more vacation, he says it has been both. "Despite working fewer hours, I'm more productive because I'm looking forward to going out in the evening." It's a similar situation for Antoine Garoux, a 22-year-old Market Development Manager also based in Berlin. Like Hersonski, Garoux arrived in Malaga in early April and has also extended his stay. Although he values remote working and is considering spending some of the summer in Portugal as well, he does see the downsides. "The problem is you lose the company culture," he said. "I got recruited during Covid and have spent almost no time with my colleagues." For Hersonski, this is not such an issue. Like many of his coworkers, but not all, he is enjoying remote working and says he would no longer accept a job where he is forced to work in the office regularly. "I think I could go to the office like three or four times a year on special occasions and to meet my colleagues [...] but I can't imagine going back to the office permanently," he said. Escape Both Hersonski and Garoux expect remote working to remain a trend after the pandemic, though not necessarily workcations, which Garoux believes most bosses would view unfavourably. "If you say you're going to the south of Spain to work, it can sound like holiday," he said. "I hope the mentality changes, so it becomes more result-driven than form-driven." Even though they fit the Skyscanner definition of workcators, both Hersonski and Garoux would define themselves first and foremost as lockdown escapers. Hersonski feels guilty about this escapism whenever he talks to his friends "stuck in rainy, cold Berlin", but he does not have to worry about spreading the virus as he has already been vaccinated. Garoux, who has not been immunised, also has a clear conscience as he believes that the German government has "failed" its people, especially the young, and hence feels no loyalty to remain in Germany during lockdown. In fact, he may even head to Argentina in late 2021, but only if restrictions there improve. After all, would a workcation that entailed a reduction in freedom not defeat its main purpose? A federal judge ordered a mental health evaluation for Jacob Anthony Chansley, often referred to as the "QAnon Shaman," after his lawyer Friday questioned whether one of the most visible participants in the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol is competent to stand trial. Chansley, 33, of Phoenix, was widely photographed shirtless, wearing horns, a fur-lined headdress and face paint while carrying a flag-draped spear in the Capitol, where he sat in the vice president's chair after the Senate chamber was evacuated. U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth ordered a psychological examination after attorney Albert Watkins said months in detention have taken their toll on Chansley, who is charged with trespassing and violent and disorderly conduct at the Capitol. "My goal and objective is to put him in a position where he does not decline, and [for him] to receive to the extent possible the health care that's needed," Watkins said. He called the continuing isolation and confinement of inmates for 22 hours per day under pandemic safety requirements "something even obviously the healthiest of individuals would find challenging." Prosecutors did not oppose the evaluation, but said they could challenge any incompetency finding. Watkins this week told Talking Points Memo his client and many others were vulnerable to believing the false claims about election fraud from former president Donald Trump. "These are people with brain damage . . . These aren't bad people," Watkins said. The order puts the case on hold while Chansley is transferred to a federal facility and evaluated. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., earlier this year said he took every precaution before ignoring state rules and attending a maskless wedding ceremony and reception for his son during a December surge in COVID-19 cases in California. What McCarthy did not disclose in defending the San Luis Obispo County gathering was that he learned later that he had tested positive for antibodies to the coronavirus. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the immune system can produce antibodies one to three weeks after a person is infected with the coronavirus. That means McCarthy could have been infectious, but asymptomatic, as he mingled with family members and others at the ceremony, experts say. It could also mean he contracted the coronavirus at the wedding or was infected long before the event and thus was no longer at risk of spreading it to others, according to the experts. McCarthy told the Los Angeles Times that the 13 family members who attended the Dec. 5 wedding were tested for the virus beforehand and were healthy then and have remained healthy. And like the choices families have made all across the country, the choices we made [were] ours. At the time of the event, state mandates required masks at weddings and banned receptions altogether. The fact that McCarthy had no idea he had been previously infected with the coronavirus underscores the importance of following health orders and guidelines aimed at curbing the spread of the virus, experts said. It highlights the fact that COVID is highly transmissible that if you are in settings where people are not masking and not practicing physical distancing, and if theres high community transmission rates going on, it is very possible to be mixing with someone who is asymptomatic themselves but capable of transmitting disease, said Dr. Robert Kim-Farley, medical epidemiologist and infectious diseases expert at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Its always helpful and supportive of public health guidance when those in elected positions try to emulate and follow the guidance that the constituents are being asked to abide by, Kim-Farley added. UC San Francisco infectious diseases specialist Dr. Monica Gandhi warned that before vaccination, you could feel well, and you could still spread the coronavirus if youre infected. Having a wedding during ... a COVID peak was likely not the best thing to do, she said. McCarthy revealed in March that he learned he had tested positive for the antibodies a few days before undergoing elbow surgery on Dec. 22. He told reporters that a preoperative blood test found the antibodies. He said he was shocked by the result, adding, I didnt know it. ... Nobody on my staff got it either. The House leader said he had been tested many times for the virus, and his doctor thought he had likely been infected within two months of his blood test. McCarthy said he believed he had been infected sometime around the Nov. 3 election but did not respond to questions from the LA Times about why he thought that. If he did acquire the virus in early November, he likely would no longer have been infectious by the time of the wedding, the experts said. McCarthy has expressed support for wearing masks in group settings and taking other steps experts recommend to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Two days before his elbow surgery, he announced that he had received his first shot of COVID-19 vaccine. In the weeks before his sons wedding, the pandemic was worsening in large swaths of California, including San Luis Obispo County, and it was clear by early December that the state was headed toward a second stay-at-home order. On the morning of the wedding, McCarthy mockingly alluded on Facebook to Gov. Gavin Newsoms attendance at a party the month before at the exclusive French Laundry restaurant, a maskless get-together that drew accusations of hypocrisy and elitism. Newsom later apologized, but his presence at the party helped fuel the recall campaign against him. Three videos of the McCarthy nuptials at the Cass House in Cayucos show that the dozen or so attendees, including the congressman, were not wearing masks at the outdoor ceremony. The attendees are also seen inside a building without masks among them the bride, who is filmed getting her hair styled (the stylist in the shot is wearing a mask). In one of the videos, the tuxedoed father of the groom is shown using a microphone to address guests. An invitation to the wedding, shown in one of the videos, says a celebration would follow. In response to questions from the LA Times in February, McCarthy said in an emailed statement that the original plan for a 300-guest wedding was scrapped and that the bride and groom decided to go forward with just parents, grandparents and sisters. We took every precaution to ensure a safe celebration starting with just 13 family members, the statement said. We spent the majority of the time outside with the dinner following the ceremony in an almost completely open area. We wore masks indoors that day, except in those instances where some had to let makeup dry or when we were eating. LAS VEGAS (AP) A Las Vegas police officer has been arrested for allegedly taking part in an organized theft ring, according to authorities. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police said Samuelito Quijano has been with the department since 2017. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) For the people marching in the streets for more than a year after the killing of Breonna Taylor, a wide-ranging new federal investigation of policing in Louisville is seen as one more chance for justice. The demonstrations big and small have led to lawsuits and complaints that police are abusing the people out protesting abuse. Most are still upset that no officers have been directly charged in the killing of Taylor on March 13, 2020. Its been insult to injury the whole time for many of us protesting, said Shameka Parrish-Wright, a Louisville mayoral candidate who has been arrested during protests. Theyve started this civil unrest. Were out here because of them and weve been treated like trash. The broadened patterns and practices probe announced last month by U.S. Attorney Merrick Garland could soon be led by a veteran Black civil rights lawyer who has criticized the handling of the Taylor case. Kristen Clarke is the Biden administrations choice to lead the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division. Her nomination narrowly advanced through a Senate committee this week. Federal investigators are likely to review instances in which Louisville demonstrators were beaten and shot with pepper balls, as well as the killing of a popular barbecue stand owner as police and the National Guard, brought in to enforce a curfew, descended on his property. Barbecue cook David McAtee thought he was under attack, his family said. Surveillance video showed authorities arriving at his restaurant and unleashing pepper balls without warning, striking around his grill and inside his kitchen. McAtee didn't realize they were non-lethal weapons fired by law enforcers, his family's lawyer said. He fired two rounds from a handgun through the door of his eatery, and was shot dead by a National Guard member. The chief of police was later fired because Louisville officers on the scene failed to turn on their body cameras. There was nothing going on at his place, no protesting going on, the family's attorney, Steve Romines, said in an interview. People were standing around eating barbecue. Romines said he trusts the civil rights division to conduct a good faith review of the multiple bad actors in LMPD. The Justice Department had already begun an investigation last year into the officers involved in the Taylor shooting and their chain of command for civil rights violations. The pattern or practice investigation reflects a shift in priorities under the new Democratic administration, which opened a similar probe of the Minneapolis Police after the death of George Floyd. In both cases, the announced scope includes any violations of First Amendment rights and questions about illegal searches and seizures and equal protection under the law. Louisville's city leaders and new police chief the fourth since Taylor's death welcomed the Justice Department's promise to examine the root causes of potential civil rights violations going back about five years. I think our officers at LMPD really want to have the very best police department in the country, said David James, a city council member and former police officer. But I think there has to be some cultural change to take place in order for that to happen. Police Chief Erika Shields, hired from Atlanta as a reformer, said Louisville's officers want to get it right. They want the community to be proud of them, Shields said after the probe was announced in April. The city has banned controversial no-knock warrants, paid Taylors family $12 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit and fired two of the officers who shot at her. One of the fired officers has been charged for shooting recklessly into Taylor's neighbor's apartment. But after state officials declined to pursue criminal charges for Taylor's death, demands for justice have persisted, as have clashes with police. Parrish-Wright was arrested in September on felony riot charges that were later dropped after Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced that his grand jury process led to no officers being charged in Taylor's killing. After enduring pepper balls, tear gas and rough arrests, she said she and other protesters are glad to see the federal response. "I think the DOJ is giving people hope that well see something positive happen, said Parrish-Wright, who leads the local chapter of the Bail Project, which has helped protesters get released from jail. Clarke, who has been president of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and previously managed the Civil Rights Bureau of the New York State Attorney Generals Office, criticized Cameron's handling of the case last year as a full-scale denial of justice. The conflict continues: Just days before the new federal investigation was announced, a protester was recorded being beaten by a Louisville officer during an arrest downtown. Denorver Garret was demonstrating when officers ordered him to move out of the street. Then they put him on the ground and an officer punched him in the head and face. I dont fear them, and Im not going to stop protesting, said Garrett, who is suing the officer. I have the right to protest and Im going to keep doing it. I couldve been a George Floyd yesterday. Many Black Louisville residents say the police department has a long history of heavy-handed tactics in its dealings with their community. In Taylor's case, detectives secured a narcotics warrant and knocked her door down, but a search for drugs and cash alleged by the warrant turned up nothing. Taylors mother, Tamika Palmer, tweeted that with federal investigators now involved, she cant wait for the world to see Louisville Police Department for what it really is. An audit conducted by a consulting firm hired by the city in the wake of the Taylor shooting said police have had "generations of problematic relations with the city's Black community. It found issues with the department's warrant process and morale so low that many officers have considered quitting. Louisville's police union, River City FOP, expressed confidence that federal investigators won't find "systemic violations of constitutional or federal statutory rights by the officers of the LMPD." Instead, the union blames police and city leaders for officer shortages that have led to a spike in violent crime. We look forward to meeting with DOJ investigators and assisting in this process in any way possible, the FOP statement said. KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) Prosecutors say one of the leaders of a long-running drug ring in the Kansas City area has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for his role. The U.S. Attorney's office for the Western District of Missouri said Friday that Jose Luis Armendariz-Rascon, 40, was sentenced to prison recently. He was also ordered to pay $56 million to the federal government, according to the Kansas City Star. EASTABOGA, Ala. (AP) A tall, bushy privet has grown up between the seat and steering wheel of the rusted, old Oliver tractor, which is parked right where Elvin Hill left it nearly 50 years ago. Something broke on it and he was fixing it and he stopped for lunch and he had a massive heart attack and passed away, Hills great-grandson, Justin Hill, explains to a visitor to his farm. And they just never moved it. Decades later, the tree has gotten so big that the tractor is solidly anchored to the dirt that four generations of the Hill family have farmed here in Eastaboga, an unincorporated community that straddles the border of Talladega and Calhoun Counties in east-central Alabama. Thats why the younger Hill chose that image of the tractor and the tree as the logo for his Eastaboga Bee Company, the wildflower honey business he started 10 years ago. It is a reminder of what this farmland means to him and his family. Everybodys got a honeybee for a logo, Hill says. I was trying to think of something that would represent the family farm, and I looked up and saw this. And much like that tree, Hills once-fledging honey business has grown from a little sideline hobby into a large-scale operation, with about 500 hives of honeybees and a list of customers that includes some of the top chefs and restaurateurs in Alabama, who swear by his product. Justins honey is always really consistent, Adam Evans, the executive chef and co-owner of Birminghams James Beard Award-nominated Automatic Seafood and Oysters, says. Its really clean. Its not different from batch to batch. You can tell he takes really good care of his bees and takes pride in what he does. FROM COWS TO BEES As an only child growing up on a 250-acre farm, Hill started helping his father, Danny Hill, tend to his cattle at an early age. Oh yeah, it was child labor, free labor, he says, laughing. Its funny, I tell people if you grew up on a farm, at 4 oclock (in the afternoon), you start looking for a feed bucket somewhere. After graduating from Ohatchee High School, Hill commuted to Gadsden State Community College and then Jacksonville State University, where he graduated with a major in mathematics. Hill never left the farm, though. He started raising quarter horses as a teenager, and later, he got into honeybees, initially as just a hobby. I met a couple of different beekeepers, he says. They helped. I read a lot of books, and then I made a ton of mistakes. The more he learned, the more he wanted to know. What about honeybees fascinated him? Oh, gosh, so many things, he says. The way the honeybees communicate, how they go about their daily business, what makes them go to this flower as opposed to that flower? Just learning about that is a lot of fun. After he experimented for a few years, a lightbulb went off in his head -- It was a dim one, I can assure you, he deadpans -- and he decided he could do this for a living. It just seemed like there was an opportunity there, he says. Ive always been very curious about making that a livelihood. Hill launched his business in 2011, and he named it Eastaboga Bee Company in honor of the little community that is his home. And because he liked the way the name rolled off his tongue: EAST-uh-BO-guh. It helps me when salespeople call me and they cant pronounce Eastaboga, he says. I just tell them Im not interested. If you cant pronounce the name of my company correctly, I dont want to do business with you. A ONE-MAN OPERATION Although Hill does hire a few part-time employees, finding people who want to work around bees has proven difficult, he says. We typically work them hard enough that they dont stay too long, he says. Theyll go find something else to do. Its not like we dont pay them well, either. Most, he says, never get used to the idea of getting stung -- an occupational hazard that Hill has learned to live with over the years. He says hes been stung thousands of times. You dont really plan on it, but its the nature of the business, he says. Sometimes, you can go all week and not get stung at all. And then sometimes, it seems like every time you turn around, youre getting stung. So, even though its a relatively large operation, Eastaboga Bee Company is essentially a one-man enterprise. Hill manages all the hives, extracts and bottles the honey, makes the deliveries, and then, on Saturday mornings, drives to Birmingham to work his tent at the Market at Pepper Place. (His mother, Tonya Hill, works the Downtown Market in Anniston.) In addition to his wildflower honey, Hill also uses the beeswax the wax secreted by the worker bees to build their honeycombs -- to make leather creams, wood polishes and lip balms, which he also sells at the markets. At the market, he enjoys interacting with everyday folks and talking to them about the wonders of honey. It (is) a whole different group of people than I (am) used to being around, he says. Its nice to meet people and tell them about farming. MEETING FRANK STITT A little more than six years ago, Hill met and befriended James Beard Award-winning Birmingham chef Frank Stitt at a vendors meeting for the Pepper Place farmers market. Ignorance really is bliss, Hill remembers. I didnt know who the heck he was, but hes on the (Market at Pepper Place) board, so he stood up and told us who he was and said that he owned three restaurants. I said, Well, if he owns three restaurants, he probably needs some honey. So, I asked him, and thats how it started. Stitt also remembers that meeting well. So, Justin said, Im a honey man in Eastaboga, he says. I said, Wow, thats interesting; how many hives (have) you got? And he said ever how many hundreds he has, and I said, Gosh, I would love to buy some from you. He brought it, and I loved his honey, Stitt adds. Hes a wonderful character, and we have developed a friendship besides just a professional relationship. Stitt uses Eastaboga Bee Company honey at all his restaurants -- Highlands Bar and Grill, Chez Fonfon, Bottega and Bottega Cafe -- and uses it in everything from pizza dough and vinaigrettes to lemonade and ice cream. Hills honey is the also star of Bottegas latest signature dessert, the 10-layer Eastaboga Burnt Honey Cake, which became an immediate hit after it debuted on the menu in late March. Pastry chef Mark Christie developed the cake using a recipe that Stitt discovered in Michelle Polzines Baking at the 20th Century Cafe cookbook. ALWAYS LEARNING Other chefs and brewers around the state have come up with all sorts of creative ways to incorporate Hills honey in their recipes. Back Forty Beer Company in Birmingham features Hills Eastaboga honey in their Truck Stop Honey Brown Ale; Alabama Peanut Co. makes their Sweet Heat Honey Mustard boiled peanuts with it; Johnnys Restaurant in Homewood uses it in a honey-chipotle sauce; and Pizzeria GM in West Homewood includes it in a honey-balsamic drizzle they serve on their summer Chilton County peach pizza. Their creativity motivates Hill. Its the thing that gets you through the day sometimes, when you dont want to work anymore, he says. But then you start thinking about all the cool things people do with your honey, and you just push on through. Some of the other restaurants around the state that use his honey include SpringHouse in Alexander City; Odette in Florence; Dyrons Lowcountry in Mountain Brook; SoHo Social in Homewood; Alabama Biscuit Company in Cahaba Heights; Acre and the Amsterdam Cafe in Auburn; Bettola, Big Spoon Creamery, Cafe Dupont, Cayo Coco and Hero Doughnuts in Birmingham; and Big Bad Breakfast locations around the state. Evans, the Automatic Seafood and Oysters chef, features Hills honey in the restaurants yeast rolls with Eastaboga honey butter. Wherever honey is required on the menu, he says, we are using it. As impressed as he is with the quality and the consistency of the honey Hill produces, Evans is just as inspired by his thirst for knowledge. Hes actually a genius if you start talking to him and start thinking about all the stuff he knows and what all he can do, Evans says. Its pretty incredible. Hes always trying to learn something more about what hes doing and apply that to beekeeping, Evans adds. So, Ive got a ton of respect for him, and Ive got a ton of respect for what he does and for his product. And hes not done learning. At 35, Hill has gone back to school and is working on a masters degree in business administration from Harvard University. Hes taking most of his courses online but will return to campus in Cambridge in the fall, he says. I honestly dont think you ever stop learning, he says. I think youre a fool if you do. SALISBURY, Md. (AP) Dozens of people gathered in an Eastern Shore city on Saturday for the unveiling of a memorial honoring three young Black men who were lynched by white mobs in a Maryland county decades ago. The Silent No More event in Salisbury paid tribute to Garfield King, Matthew Williams and an unknown man who also was lynched in Wicomico County. The Salisbury Daily Times reports that people marched through the streets of downtown Salisbury for the unveiling of the memorial plaque and speeches by local leaders and relatives of the lynching victims. The memorial is in front of a courthouse where King and Williams were killed. The event's sponsors included the Salisbury Lynching Memorial Task Force. A task force member, James Yamakawa, said the memorial wont change what happened but issues a challenge to tell the truth, no matter how uncomfortable it is." Not just the truth about who we were, but the truth about who we still are, he added. And if we can tell the truth, then maybe together we can figure out where were going. The Salisbury Lynching Memorial Task Force's website says King, an 18-year-old Black man, was lynched in 1898 after he allegedly shot and killed a 22-year-old white man during an argument outside a store. Mr. King told police he shot Kenney in self-defense, but was not afforded his right to trial before jury. Instead, a mob broke into the jail and dragged King from his cell, beating and clubbing him, the task force says. A mob dragged Williams, 23, from a hospital bed and lynched him in 1931 after he was accused of shooting and killing his white employer, according to the task force. Historians believe that part of the same mob that attacked Williams also may have killed an unidentified man whose body was found on railroad tracks on the outskirts of Salisbury, the task force's website says. CARLBAD, N.M. (AP) U.S. officials are pushing state regulators to clear the way for a new ventilation shaft to be built at the federal governments nuclear waste repository in southern New Mexico, but watchdog groups say modifying the Waste Isolation Pilot Plants permit to allow for the construction could open the door to expansion. The state Environment Departments Hazardous Waste Bureau held a virtual hearing over the past week to gather comments on the proposed permit change. A final decision is anticipated in mid-October. Ventilation has been an issue since 2014, when a radiation release contaminated parts of the underground facility and forced an expensive, nearly three-year closure, delayed the federal governments cleanup program and prompted policy changes at national laboratories and defense-related sites across the U.S. Officials with the U.S. Energy Department have said the new shaft is needed to repair a crippled ventilation system, the Carlsbad Current-Argus newspaper reported. With more airflow, officials argue that more workers can be in the underground space working on mining and waste operations simultaneously. Air to an underground mine is like blood to body, said Michael Woodward, counsel for the Energy Department and Nuclear Waste Partnership, the contractor that runs the facility. Without sufficient airflow, and underground mine simply cannot operate. There must be sufficient air to allow multitasking in the underground. Woodward said at the hearing that the utility shaft was not intended to expand the repository. He said the amount of waste to be entombed there was established by Congress and only Congress could expand the plant's mission. Robert Kehrman, a retired geoscientist and consultant at the repository, testified about the need for the shaft to allow multiple operations to be done in tandem. The proposal is supported by leaders from the nearby city of Carlsbad, where many of the plant's employees live. Chad Ingram, executive director of the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce, said the repository for decades provided jobs and support to the community and that he believed the proposed shaft project was developed with worker safety in mind. Cynthia Weehler, a Santa Fe resident and representative of activist group Stop Forever WIPP, argued the utility shaft was indicative of the Energy Department gradually expanding the repository using individual projects rather than proposing the overall goal of altering the facilitys mission to extend its lifetime. She said that if New Mexico approves the permit, it would seem to be colluding" with the Energy Department to relabel a new mission and a future expansion. It will lead us to an operation we didnt consent to, Weehler said. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) One priest was killed and another injured after the car they were in was struck by a speeding vehicle that may have been racing, authorities in Albuquerque said Sunday. Bernalillo County Sheriffs officials said 35-year-old Rev. Graham Golden died in the crash and 24-year-old Brother Lorenzo Romero was hurt but expected to recover. Unlimited website access 24/7 Unlimited e-Edition access 24/7 The best local, regional and national news in sports, politics, business and more! With a Digital Only subscription, you'll receive unlimited access to our website and e-edition. Our digital products are available 24/7 and are accessible anywhere, anytime. LONDON (AP) Photos on social media appear to show a missing Dubai princess who months earlier described herself in a video as being held against her will out at two major malls in the city-state. Images published by a woman identified in British media as former Royal Navy member Sioned Taylor show Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum at the Mall of the Emirates at a movie theater there, as well as at a restaurant at Dubai Mall near the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building. The photos corresponded to those locations, with the Mall of the Emirates image likely taken in May due to the film being advertised in it. Taylor did not respond to a request for comment. The government's Dubai Media Office did not acknowledge the release of the images. The photos' pedestrian captions belie the fact that United Nations experts and human rights activists had called on Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to provide information on his daughter. Sheikha Latifa, 35, had tried to flee the country in 2018 only to be detained by commandos in a boat off India. Videos released in February by the BBC had Sheikha Latifa describing herself as being in a villa that has been converted into a jail. I dont know when Ill be released and what the conditions will be like when Im released, she says in one of the videos. Every day I am worried about my safety and my life. The dramatic would-be sea escape and its aftermath intruded into the carefully controlled image maintained by the family of Sheikh Mohammed, who is believed to have several dozen children from multiple wives. Some of his sons and daughters figure prominently in local media and online, but others are rarely seen. Sheikha Latifa was widely known for her love of skydiving prior to 2018. Sheikh Mohammeds family life again became a public matter in 2020. Then, a British judge ruled the sheikh had conducted a campaign of fear and intimidation against his estranged wife and ordered the abduction of two of his daughters, one of them Sheikha Latifa. The ruling came in a custody battle between Sheikh Mohammed and his estranged wife Princess Haya, the daughter of the late King Hussein of Jordan. Sheikh Mohammed also serves as the vice president and prime minister of the hereditarily ruled United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula. NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) More than a dozen people were shot during a concert in North Charleston, South Carolina, including a 14-year-old girl who was killed, police said Sunday. Early indications are that a fight broke out during what police called an unannounced and unauthorized concert in a neighborhood late Saturday, North Charleston police said in a statement. PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) A TriMet bus driver was shot Saturday night while driving passengers, the Portland Police Bureau told local media A bullet hole was found in the windshield, and the driver was being treated at a nearby hospital for what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the shoulder, police told the Oregonian/Oregonlive.com. The incident happened shortly after 7 p.m. near Northeast 102nd Avenue and Northeast Halsey Street. police told the KPTV station. There were no reports of injuries to passengers on the bus. Police are investigating. We are shocked and saddened to have one of our coworkers hurt while serving our community, TriMet said in a statement obtained by KGW TV. Our thoughts are with our operator, and we pray he will make a full recovery. RED BUD, Ill. (AP) A shootout early Sunday left one person dead and a police officer injured in southwestern Illinois, according to Illinois State Police. Red Bud police responded to a call of gunfire around 1:40 a.m. Sunday. Police allege a male suspect shot at a police officer. A second officer then fired at the male, killing him, according to Illinois State Police. The agency was investigating. The injured police officer was shot in the calf and was released from the hospital. Police did not release further details. Randolph County States Attorney Jeremy Walker said the deceased male is not an Illinois resident and further details would come at a Monday news conference. Red Bud is roughly 35 miles from St. Louis. WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) Wake Forest University students are urging the North Carolina school to drop a new name that it chose for a campus building once named after a 19th century university president who owned slaves. Wake Forest announced plans to rename the building formerly known as Wingate Hall as May 7, 1860 Hall, which refers to the date when the college sold 16 enslaved men, women and children at auction. The college created its first endowment with the $10,718 in proceeds from the slave auction. KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) Kansas City police arrested a suspect after a woman was shot and killed early Sunday morning. The shooting was reported around 3:45 a.m. Sunday near the intersection of East Winner Road and Wallace Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri, said Kansas City Police spokeswoman Capt. Leslie Foreman. Officers who responded to the shooting found the woman with gunshot wounds. First responders tried to save the woman's life but she died at the scene of the shooting. Her name and age were not immediately released. Foreman said a suspect was arrested at the crime scene. The shooting was the 60th homicide of the year in Kansas City, according to the Kansas City Star. At the same time last year, there had been 70 homicides. LAS VEGAS (AP) A suspect has been arrested in connection with a fatal stabbing at a Las Vegas apartment, according to authorities. Las Vegas Metro Police said 26-year-old Skylar Gerardo was booked into the Clark County jail on suspicion of an open count of murder. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Cody Towse didnt want to miss the war. Already a volunteer firefighter and EMT in Elk Ridge, Utah County, he joined the Army shortly after graduating from Salem Hills High School because it assured him a position as a medic. Assigned to Fort Bliss upon completing basic training, he sought out a unit that would be deploying in a few days. He was sent to the Kandahar region of Afghanistan in December 2012, the Deseret News reported. Towse called home on Mothers Day five months later to say he wasnt going to extend his military service because the war was almost over. Thats why he wanted to hurry and get over there because it would be ending, said his father, Jim Towse. But obviously, that didnt happen. Pvt. 1st Class Cody J. Towse died May 14, 2013, when he kneeled on an improvised explosive device in Sanjaray, Afghanistan. He had just applied tourniquets and administered morphine to a soldier on foot patrol who had lost both legs in an earlier explosion. The two of them and a third soldier died in the larger, second blast. Towse had told his dad earlier that if he didnt come home, he wanted it to be because he was trying to save someones life. Eight years later, the war that Towse didnt want to miss is still going on. Last month, President Joe Biden announced the U.S. withdrawal from the forever war in Afghanistan, saying that the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks cannot justify American forces still dying in the nations longest war. He plans to pull the remaining 2,500 U.S. troops by the 20th anniversary of the attacks, which were coordinated from Afghanistan. More than half of Utahns agree that its time to end Americas involvement in a war that has cost more than $2 trillion and killed 2,218 U.S. men and women in uniform. To date, 53 Utahns have lost their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq. A new Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll found 56% of residents in the state support the presidents decision, while 29% do not. Another 15% arent sure. For family members of those who died in Afghanistan and veterans themselves, the question of staying or going is a complicated one. The answer is not clear cut. Jim Towse is among those who arent sure. Im happy that theyre pulling out because nobody else will have to suffer what we suffered, he said. I feel bad for the people of Afghanistan. I dont understand why we couldnt go in there and just wipe out the Taliban. The rules of engagement should have been changed long ago to just take them all out, get the job done, Towse said. I feel like its never going to change there. Theres just evil people. Twelve-year-old Nigel Olsen made up his mind to join the military the day al-Qaida terrorists flew airplanes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Eight-and-a-half years later, Lance Cpl. Nigel K. Olsen died while escorting a Taliban prisoner to a light armored vehicle that rolled over an IED in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, on March 4, 2010. Like Jim Towse, Olsens mother, Kim Olsen, is conflicted about removing U.S. troops from the unstable country. That is such a hard question for me. Im mixed. No, I dont want to pull our troops because I want to protect those people, and yes because weve had enough deaths, she said. My biggest fear is that the Taliban, the insurgents will take back over. The women, the girls will lose all their rights again and they will live under fear. Theyll be manipulated. Theyll be lied to. Their personal lives will never be the same if the Taliban moves back in, and it breaks my heart. Both Kim Olsen and Jim Towse say their sons were where they wanted to be when they died. He definitely loved what he was doing. He loved being a medic. He loved his guys. Everybody loved him. You couldnt get him down. He was just always smiling and happy, Jim Towse said of Cody. Kim Olsen said Nigel joined the Marines to work in reconnaissance on the front lines. Jeremy Ruppe was sitting in the vehicle that triggered the explosion that killed Nigel Olsen. The two of them deployed together and were on the same team. Ruppe wasnt injured in the blast. Like Kim Olsen and Jim Towse, he has mixed feelings about the decision to pull out. Im not going to say President Bidens wrong. The American people dont like wars that never end because it reminds them of Vietnam and the tens of thousands of troops that died there. Plus, weve lost a lot of people in Afghanistan, killed and wounded, he said. Ruppe, now an Orem police officer who studied politics and international relations in college, said he goes back and forth but overall feels like there are more benefits to staying than there are to going. I dont think its worth letting go of the gains we have made. I think we lose more than we will gain, he said. The people are kind of relying on us. Though U.S. efforts to stabilize the government in Afghanistan have been limited, withdrawing now would allow the Taliban to gain a stronger hold like ISIS did in Iraq after the pullout there, Ruppe said, who remains a lieutenant in the Marine Reserves. Weve already been there for 20 years, a 5,000-troop presence is not a significant investment in a million-man Army, especially if you start thinking about incorporating the reserves, he said. Ruppe points out that the U.S. military has had a presence in Germany, Japan and South Korea for more than 60 years, even after those countries rebuilt following devastating wars. Maybe Afghanistan could emerge as well, though he sees that taking much longer. Also, pulling out might cede U.S. influence in the region to China, he said. Jason Schow spent 10 months in Afghanistan as a member of the Utah National Guard attached to the 101st Airborne Division supporting intelligence in 2008. He said when he was there it seemed too big of a logistical operation to accomplish what we all felt like we were there for, which was to completely revamp the state of mind of the populous and the leadership to convince them that the Taliban being in control wasnt in anyones best interest. Schow, now an attorney in Ogden, said he doesnt think the U.S. ever got it right in Afghanistan, so in some ways it makes sense to cut its losses. Not that we lost the war necessarily, but we lost a lot of service members and a lot of good was probably done over those 20 years. But was it worth it? I cant say that I know that it was because of how it was handled, he said. In the poll, Utahns were asked whether Americas global war on terror was worth the cost. According to the results, 32% said yes, 39% said no and 29% werent sure. I dont have to say its worth it because my son said that. He went. He volunteered. He wanted to serve his country. He wanted to keep us safe. He also wanted to serve the people of Afghanistan that for years had been under the Taliban rule and for the first time could walk down the street not being afraid, said Kim Olsen, who works with Utah Gold Star families. Jim Towse said he doesnt know but he thinks it was worth it. Id hate to think my son died in vain, for nothing. I think its a safer country because of what our guys do when they go over on foreign soil. I wish we would spend more time and money here, he said. But I think Afghanistan is just a sinking ship. The Russians couldnt do it. We couldnt do it. I guess they just have to live with themselves, figure it out on their own. Olsen, too, doesnt see an end to the war. Do I think that this is a war that will go on for a million years if we dont do something different? I think so. Its nothing that we can stop. Its more of a civil war. I would like to see our troops able to protect our borders and not let those folks come over here again, she said. The poll found 46% of Republicans and 78% of Democrats favor withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan. The political parties are also divided about the war on terror, with 45% of Republicans saying it was worth the cost, compared to 20% of Democrats. Nearly a third in both parties are unsure. Members of Utahs all-Republican congressional delegation favor Bidens withdrawal plan, except for Sen. Mitt Romney. Romney said the small number of U.S. and allied troops have an outsized ability to prevent the Taliban from providing terrorist groups like al-Qaida and ISIS the ability to train and flourish. Our military presence also helps to buttress the democratic government and its military, foster human rights for women and girls, and hold the Taliban accountable to their promises, he said last month. Rep. Chris Stewart said its well past time to bring U.S. service members home. Stewart, a member of the House Intelligence Committee and a former Air Force pilot, said though there was initial success in establishing a democratic government in Afghanistan, it crumbles whenever there is a troop drawdown, leaving it extraordinarily fragile. But at some point, you have to say to the Afghan people weve done all we can for you. Its really up to you now. Its really up to the Afghan leadership. The presence we have there isnt even stable. Its deteriorating. Every year, the Taliban has more and more control. Every year the government is less effective, Stewart said. In a Facebook post, Cody Towse wrote about four men in his battalion who were killed in action a week before he died. Four great guys died today, he wrote. Its too bad because nobody will ever know and nobody will ever care. Said his father: That killed me to think thats what he felt when he died. LAS VEGAS (AP) The death this month of a 2-year-old Las Vegas boy whose disappearance drew intense local interest, and the arrest of his mother's boyfriend on suspicion of murder, is raising questions about the role of caregivers' partners in child killings. Amari Nicholson's death drew comparisons with the killing in October 2016 of a 7-year-old boy who was tied up for several hours and beaten to death. His mothers boyfriend was convicted two years later of second-degree murder. A state report made public last year found that caregivers' partners, typically the boyfriends of the mothers, were the suspects in more than half of Las Vegas-area child abuse and neglect cases during the 2016 fiscal year, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. Over a 12-month period, according to the report, 47 child deaths were ruled homicides in Nevada. In nearly 80% of those cases, the slain children were younger than 5. Whether the statistic has improved or worsened in Clark County in recent years is unclear, the newspaper said. The 90-page report, by the Nevada Division of Child and Family Services, touched on the divisions major findings in child abuse and neglect cases from July 1, 2016, through June 30, 2017, the most recent period for which complete data was available. The thing about child fatality data is that its often very far behind, because there are a lot of involved parties when something gets this serious including law enforcement, medical examiners, the coroner, Kathryn Roose, deputy Child and Family Services administrator, told the Review-Journal. We cant actually put a data point in a category until all of those things are resolved. The data gap can make it difficult for experts to study what could lead someone to abuse a partners child, said Liz Ortenburger, CEO of SafeNest, Nevadas largest nonprofit providing crisis services to victims of domestic violence. She blamed the slow pace of investigations and the criminal justice system. The data we have now is nearly five years old, Ortenburger said. Whats frustrating for those of us who work in this field is that we arent able to come to the table much earlier to discuss child fatalities Because of the complexity of fatal child abuse or neglect cases, coroners' investigations and rulings often remain pending for many months even years in some instances. In the justice system, that can translate to delays in arrests because investigators and prosecutors may wait for autopsy results to pursue charges. The problem is, because the data is old, we dont have more concrete answers about the dynamics of this subset of child fatalities, Ortenburger said of child deaths where the perpetrator was a parents intimate partner. Still, experts say there are warning signs parents should look for when choosing a partner or a caregiver. We know that single moms can be targets for pedophiles and other abusers, because oftentimes, single moms need help with child care through no fault of their own, Ortenburger said. Some abusers may even view children as a hindrance to the relationship, she said. Las Vegas police on May 11 announced the arrest of Terrell Tavoris Rhodes in Amari's death days after police posted fliers and investigators visited the boys father in Reno and relatives in California. The toddler had been left in the care of Rhodes while the boys mother, Tayler Nicholson, traveled to Colorado to help her mother, according to police. The couple shared an apartment. After falsely reporting that Amari had been taken by a woman claiming to be a relative, police said Rhodes, 27, admitted killing the child by hitting him several times with a closed fist after the toddler wet himself. After Rhodes' arrest, police reported the boys' body was found not far from where he had been reported missing. Nicholson was not reached for comment by the Review-Journal. But she posted on social media that she trusted Rhodes and that he betrayed her. She attended a May 14 court hearing at which Rhodes appeared on murder, resisting arrest and weapons charges. He has not been asked to enter a plea and is jailed without bail pending a June 1 court date. According to the Nevada Institute for Childrens Research and Policy at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Public Health, children living in a home with a mother and her boyfriend are 11 times more likely to suffer physical, sexual or emotional abuse than children living with married parents. Children younger than 5 who live with their mothers boyfriend or other non-relatives are 50 times more likely to die from abuse, according to institute research. Red flags for caregivers, according to the institute, include unpredictable moods in the partner, cruelty to animals, jealousy or controlling behavior. Other signs that a parent or child could be at risk include alcohol or drug abuse, or if the partner is quick to anger when a child is crying or misbehaving, the research said. Forsyth Plaza, Chinatown. Here are some of the stories that caught our eye this week: The Gotham Organization has secured another $50 million for its project on the former site of the fire-ravaged Beth Hamedrash Hagadol synagogue. Having already locked in construction financing for its 75% market rate/25% affordable residential tower, the developer now has funding for a smaller affordable senior apartment building on the site. [The Real Deal] Bianca Romero paints a large mural at Eldridge and Delancey streets that she hopes will make a strong statement against AAPI hate: During this rise in hate crimes, people dont have representation and feel like theyre not seen and heard and theres silence. Im hoping that a mural this size can help combat that. [Channel 2] Mapping a year of hate crimes against Asian Americans, using data from the NYC Human Rights Commission. As you might expect, many of the incidents occurred in Chinatown and on the Lower East Side. [Curbed] The Landmarks Preservation Commission calendars the Kimlau War Memorial in Chinatown, meaning it will be considered for landmark designation. [Cityland] A legacy long overlooked: The Tenement Museum launches a new neighborhood walking tour focused on the Lower East Sides Black history. [Curbed] Friends and family finally got the opportunity for an in-person memorial for the legendary Lower East Side housing activist Francis Goldin. [The Village Sun] The Gen Z fashionistas continue to be enthralled with lower Orchard Street. As Clark Chung of the newly opened shop, November 19 explains, This corner of the Lower East Side also feels special to us because of the mix of people who live and work in the area. Its a unique crossroads of different generations, cultures, long-time residents, and new transplants who make the neighborhood feel unlike anywhere else in New York. [Vogue] Birria LES, a Halal Mexican spot opened by two Muslim Bangladeshis, has become an early sensation thanks to TikTok. [Grub Street] RESTON, Va. (AP) A Virginia man has been arrested on a murder charge in the fatal stabbing of his father at a condominium complex, police said. The Washington Post reports that Kenneth Jahelka, 66, was dead when police in Fairfax County responded to a call for a welfare check at a Reston home on Saturday morning. NEW YORK (AP) A worker fell to his death from a scaffold at a building under construction in Queens, officials said. Diego Lliguicota, 32, fell from a scaffold at 9:30 a.m. Saturday as he was trying to remove a ladder on the sixth floor of a building on Court Square in Maspeth, authorities said. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Masks still required in Santa Clara County, despite relaxed rules from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention By Madelyn Reese and Lorraine Gabbert San Jose Spotlight Differences between federal and local mask rules are creating confusion, frustration and in some cases hostile situations. Santa Clara County residents breathed a sigh of relief this week with the move to the least-restrictive yellow tier in California's reopening plan, an indication that life might return to "normal" after more than a year of fear and anxiety. The change in tiers came on the heels of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's announcement that fully vaccinated individuals no longer need to mask or social distance "in any setting" except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, including local business and workplace guidance. But in Santa Clara County, masks are still required until California fully reopens on June 15. Ten other states have fully reopened and 38 other states plan to do so soon. "While we work to make sure that everyone who is eligible in our community has the opportunity to get vaccinated, residents will need to keep their masks on indoors a bit longer," said a spokesperson for the Santa Clara County Public Health Department. "We will continue to keep the public updated on the latest information around masking, and in the meantime, the best thing that residents can do to help us get back to some level of normalcy is to get vaccinated if they haven't already, and to encourage their friends and family to do so as well." Tensions over contradicting orders from the CDC to take off masks and the county to keep them on is boiling over in San Jose. Earlier this week, a woman spat on an employee at Umai Savory Hot Dogs after refusing to wear a mask inside the restaurant. Scott Knies, executive director of the San Jose Downtown Association, said businesses are unfortunately used to dealing with conflicting information and rules. "We are not out of the woods yet, although moving to yellow tier this week is a very positive milestone," Knies told San Jose Spotlight. "Most of our businesses are used to looking at the different timing and protocols coming from the state and county and taking the most conservative approach. " Knies said there's still been significant progress, and he and local business owners are "cautiously optimistic" about the coming summer and having restrictions largely lifted. Some business owners, however, are stressed about playing "mask police." Downtown San Jose restaurant owner George Lahlouh said his employees have to do some policing to make sure guests wear a mask, especially on weekends. "We face the same challenges of most bars and restaurants right now," said Lahlouh, who owns Original Gravity, MINIBOSS and Paper Plane. "The one or two people who you're constantly telling, 'Hey, can you please put your mask on?'" Lahlouh said most guests are understanding, and while some might roll their eyes, they don't fight the rule. However, he's concerned that may change after June 15. The changing guidelines leave Lahlouh and other business owners confused and asking if they're going to have to check patron's vaccination cards in the future. "We haven't had to deal with those kinds of situations, yet," he said, "but especially now with all the CDC announcements making things looser and Santa Clara County moving into the yellow tier...it's actually making more problems. Everyone's under this impression that if you're vaccinated, masks aren't part of your lives anymore. For us, it's trying to politely educate people." Although his policy is to have employees wear masks, Lahlouh said they have a few employees who'd prefer not to work when patrons no longer have to wear masks. Mezcal owner Adolfo Gomez said he's diligent about asking guests to wear masks, and if they don't have their own, the restaurant will provide one. "The more changes we see, the fussier people will be about wearing masks," Gomez said. "How do you know who is fully vaccinated and who's not?" Students in Santa Clara County schools will need to remain masked until further notice from the CDC. The agency recommends K-12 students continue to wear face coverings and social distance. Only students older than 12 can receive the Pfizer vaccine as of May 12, leaving younger students without as much protection as their older peers. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions surrounding the CDC's guidance for fully vaccinated individuals. What does it mean to be "fully vaccinated?" A person is fully vaccinated two weeks or more after their second dose of the Pfizer/Moderna vaccine, or two weeks after a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. What happens in California on June 15? California is set to fully reopen its economy on June 15. This means counties will no longer be categorized in "tiers." Businesses can return to normal operations, "with common-sense risk reduction measures," according to the California Department of Public Health. Schools, including colleges and universities, will be able to conduct full-time, in-person instruction. Can my boss ask about my vaccination status? Yes. Under a local health order, businesses are required to ascertain the vaccination status of every employee (this applies to volunteers, too). If an individual declines to answer, the assumption is that they are unvaccinated. What behaviors should I practice until June 15? According to state public health department, everyone regardless of vaccination status needs to wear a mask indoors in public places unless they are eating or drinking. Wearing a mask is still required on public transportation, as well as indoor and outdoor crowded places such as concerts, parades, sporting events and fairs. What are the rules for masks at work now? How will they change after June 15? You still have to wear your mask at work until June 15. On Thursday, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal/OSHA) was scheduled to consider allowing workers to go maskless if everyone else in the room is vaccinated. But the agency decided to push that decision off until a later date. Cal/OSHA will still be able to make any necessary COVID-19 safety rules for the workplace, including requiring masks, in the future if circumstances change. What can I do until June 15 if I'm not fully vaccinated? What about after June 15? If you aren't fully vaccinated, wear a mask if you are around people from two or more households. After June 15, wearing masks will be up to the discretion of individuals and businesses. The CDC and local health officials encourage individuals who are not vaccinated to still wear a mask, even if it's not required. Local health leaders are confident inoculated individuals will be safe without masks. There are plenty of vaccines available in Santa Clara County, officials say, and plenty of opportunities to get a shot. Some clinics now have drop-in hours, with no appointment required. A list of vaccine clinics can be found at sccfreevax.org. Copyright 2021 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area. 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. You are now listening to the sounds of the New Generation. A podcast created for those who desire a new way of gaining information rather than reading a traditional newspaper. In our show we will discuss everything from sports, pop culture, politics, and local news. To stay up to date on our latest episodes every week be sure to follow us on your favorite podcast service. And dont worry, we keep it short. (BPT) - Owning a home is the cornerstone of the American dream. There's nothing like having a permanent plot of land you can call your own. What is the law on stalking in Montana? New Delhi: India's daily coronavirus cases continue to decline further with 2,40,842 fresh infections, and 3,741 deaths being recorded in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry informed on Sunday. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), the country recorded 3,55,102 fresh recoveries in the 24-hour period, outnumbering new cases. The cumulative caseload in India now stands at 2,65,30,132 including 28,05,399 active cases. The death toll mounted to 2,99,266, while the recovery tally reached 2,34,25,467. This is the seventh consecutive day when India has recorded less than 3 lakh new cases. Karnataka, which has recently overtaken Maharashtra in the number of active infections, has now 4,83,204 active infections, making the state worst-hit by the pandemic. Maharashtra follows with 3,52,247 active cases. As per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a total of 32,86,07,937 samples have been tested for COVID-19 up to May 22. Of them, 21,23,782 samples were tested on Saturday. According to the Union Health Ministry, as many as 19,50,04,184 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered so far since the commencement of the vaccination drive on January 16. On Saturday, the MOHFW informed that the daily coronavirus positivity rate has declined to 12.45 per cent while the national recovery rate has improved further to touch 87.76 per cent. Eight states including Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh account for 69.94 per cent of India's total active infections, it said. On May 7, with 4,14,188 new COVID-19 cases being registered in the last 24 hours, India reported its highest single-day spike since the pandemic began last year. On May 17, India's daily spike of coronavirus cases remained below the 3 lakh mark for the first time after 26 days. Since then, the daily new cases in the country have been hovering below the 3-lakh mark. The state's Health and Family Welfare Department Secretary R. Lalramnghaka said that the Mizoram government has recently formed a team comprising medical experts and scientists to conduct a scientific study on all aspects of the spread of Covid-19 in the state. With a 1.1 million population (2011 census), India's second least populous state Mizoram is the only state where out of the 11 districts, only four districts -- Aizawl (27), Serchhip (1), Kolasib (1) and Saitual (1) -- have reported 30 deaths due to Covid-19. The team comprises experts from the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), Indian Medical Association, Principal of the Zoram Medical College and Hospital (ZMCH) and professors from Mizoram University. "After studying all the aspects of the Covid-19 and its related effect, the team would submit a detailed report with their findings and recommendations to the government for taking further course of steps," Lalramnghaka told IANS over phone. Mizoram's Health and Family Welfare Minister R. Lalthangliana has in a meeting with members of the study team asked for an in-depth study and research on the spread of the coronavirus specially the second wave of Covid-19 as it is different from the first wave. Of the 1.1 million population in Mizoram, tribals constitute around 95 per cent, the highest proportion of tribals among the Indian states. Though Mizoram and a few other northeastern states had once suffered from malaria leading to many deaths, most tribals due to their healthy and traditional food habits (mostly boiled food) and lifestyle remained unaffected from many diseases compared to the mainland states. However, in recent years, due to the use of tobacco products and drugs, prevalence of cancer and HIV/AIDS is rising in a few northeastern states including Mizoram, Manipur and Meghalaya. Health officials in different northeastern states said that unlike in the first wave children below 15 years are also being tested for Covid-19 in reasonable numbers during the second wave in Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura, Meghalaya, forcing the governments of several states to constitute panels of paediatric doctors. As the nature and intensity of the second wave of Covid-19 are diverse, physician Pradip Bhowmik has suggested forming study groups for an in-depth study of the disease. "It is witnessed in the second wave that during the post-Covid period many patients are being affected by pneumonia and mucormycosis (black fungus). "Unlike in the first wave, a large number of young people and children are being infected by the coronavirus. In the second wave the recovery rate is very slow and the death rate is higher," Bhowmik told IANS. He said that it is being observed that Indian strains of the virus are more dangerous then the UK and Brazilian variants. Bhowmik, who is an expert in Hepatitis disease and has worked on the disease in the northeastern states and Bangladesh, said that genetically tribals' immunity is always better but they are also falling prey to Covid-19, necessitating a serious study. Around 10,024 positive cases have been detected in Mizoram so far, while the state's active caseload stood at 2,473 on Saturday evening. A 50-year-old man, who had returned to Aizawl from Amsterdam in the Netherlands via Delhi and Guwahati on March 16 last year, tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Mizoram on March 24 last year. A 62-year-old man died of Covid-19 on October 28 last year at the ZMCH in Mizoram registering the first Covid related mortality in the Christian dominated state, bordering Myanmar and Bangladesh. The victim had comorbidities. (Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujit.c@ians.in) --IANS sc/bg/ksk/ JOHOR BHARU, May 23 (Sin Chew Daily) - A couple working in Singapore shares their one-day trip to attend a funeral in Malaysia on social media. The couple left Singapore for Tangkak, Johor, for a few hours and went back to Singapore the same day to undergo quarantine for 21 days. Stulang state assemblyman Andrew Chen Kah Eng shared the couple's detailed social media post to help others understand the entire process, including permit application. Chen said Mr Ho and his wife were granted permit for Death and Critically Ill Emergency Visits (DCEV). They applied for the permit two days in advance by downloading forms from My Travel Pass website and e-mailed the forms to the Ministry of Health. Their applications were approved the following day. On May 20, they took the first transit bus from Woodlands and arrived at Johor Bahru checkpoint at 7am. They presented the documents, signed up for MySejahtera registration at the checkpoint and took the Antigen Rapid Test. They then boarded a bus to the hotel designated for quarantine to wait for transport to Tangkak for the funeral. After some negotiation, they decided to pay RM700 to travel to Tangkak in an ambulance in full personal protective outfit. The funeral was at 2pm and the couple was later sent back to Johor Bahru checkpoint after the cremation. They took another transit bus and arrived at the hotel in Singapore to undergo 21 days of quarantine. Chen said Ho and his wife kept in touch with him throughout their journey. They highlighted the key points in permit application to attend the funeral in Malaysia. 1. Download and fill up the that can be downloaded from https://mtp.imi.gov.my/myTravelPass/main?termConditionDCEV, and e-mail the form to the Ministry of Health for approval. 2. Print the form and the approval from the Ministry of Health for checkpoint clearance. 3. Under DCEV, a person testing negative will be allowed to attend a funeral or visit their loved ones and then return to Singapore directly. He or she is allowed to stay up to three days at a quarantine center in Malaysia without having to undergo 14 days of quarantine. 4. The applicant may need to engage the service of private ambulance. 5. DCEV permit holders are required to undergo 21 days of quarantine in Singapore upon returning from Malaysia. 6. For DCEV permit holderss, the screening fee is RM130 for Malaysians and RM260 for foreigners. Non-Malaysians are also required to pay RM2,600. Emirates NBD, a leading banking group in the Menat (Middle East, North Africa and Turkey) region, was voted by consumers to win the award for the Most Recommended Retail Bank in the UAE in the Middle East at The Asian Banker's 2020 BankQuality Awards. As part of its 2020 BankQuality Consumer Survey on Retail Banks, The Asian Banker gathered feedback from 3,000 consumers in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt on satisfaction with their retail banks. The survey assessed consumer perception, attitude and loyalty to financial institutions based on experience with service, channels, products and Covid-19 support initiatives. The findings were derived as a BankQuality Score for The Asian Banker's evaluation of the Best Retail Finance Institutions in the region. Emirates NBD scored high in different areas such as mobile banking, personal loan, and remittances. The bank was commended for its leadership in innovation, digitisation, and customer experience, particularly through the challenging year of the pandemic when banks faced pressure to accelerate delivery of digital services. Commenting on the win, Marwan Hadi, Executive Vice President and Head of Retail Banking, UAE at Emirates NBD, said: We are honoured to be recognised by The Asian Banker as the national and regional champion in retail banking. An award based on positive consumer feedback is the most rewarding endorsement and we are grateful to all our customers for their support in helping us achieve these distinctions. We are delighted to see how much consumers value meaningful banking experiences and this is a true testament to our customer-first philosophy and continued commitment to advancing digital banking innovation. Emirates NBD was an early mover in banking digitisation and innovation, investing AED1 billion to digitise customer interactions and processes. The banks robust digital infrastructure has enabled it to offer seamless banking services to customers despite Covid-19 related restrictions. The Asian Banker Awards is considered one of the most prestigious and transparent award programmes for consumer financial services. BankQuality is a premier consumer rating and survey site designed and powered by The Asian Banker. It enables customers and users to rate and comment on their banking experiences. The platform aims to help bridge gaps between consumers and their main banks, benchmark banks customer service quality and performance across regions and markets, and motivate banks to provide better services to meet customer needs. -- TradeArabia News Service The end of a $200 billion emergency Reserve Bank funding scheme put in place to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus crisis is expected to lift fixed mortgage rates from ultra low levels and dampen soaring demand for housing. The countrys banks have about six weeks to draw down on $90 billion in cheap credit being provided under a central bank program that was designed to soften the blow from the coronavirus pandemic. The end of the program comes amid a broader economy recovery and surging real estate prices that have sparked concerns the property market is overheating. Fixed-rate mortgage lending has surged, in part due to an RBA bank funding scheme. Credit:Paul Rovere The conclusion of the scheme, launched last year and known as the term funding facility (TFF), will leave banks more reliant on wholesale markets for their funding. Experts said this would increase banks funding costs, which would be passed on to customers via higher fixed rates, potentially taking some of the extreme heat out of the property market. Under the Reserve Bank scheme, banks are able to borrow from the central bank at an interest rate of 0.1 per cent, which has helped drive fixed interest rates on mortgages under 2 per cent. Welcome to Quick q Monday Medias weekly Q&A series dedicated to finding out more about the personalities that matter most in the Australian media landscape. Every week, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age ask key figures across corporate media, business, sport, federal politics, radio, television and culture to answer a series of questions about their life, careers, hobbies and news habits. This weeks questionnaire is with Shahni Wellington, co-host of The Point and Big Mob Brekky on NITV. Ryan Liddle and Shahni Wellington on the set of Big Mob Brekky. Credit:NITV How did you get your big break? Actor Lorrae Desmond, a two-time Logie winning matriarch of Australian showbiz, has died at the age of 91. Desmond is best known for her role of nurse Shirley Gilroy, appearing on Sevens A Country Practice from its 1981 inception until 1992. Lorrae Desmond as Shirley in A Country Practice. But she was already a household name before that role, becoming the first woman to win the equivalent of a gold Logie as the host of her eponymous music variety show in 1961. Her performance in A Country Practice landed her a second Logie for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, in 1984. Public health experts have called on the federal government to bolster efforts to drive uptake of the COVID-19 vaccines by reporting uptake by age group. Researchers specialising in vaccination uptake say more detailed data would allow targeted messaging to different groups showing vaccine hesitancy and create social pressure for vaccination. Genevieve Schuster, 50, believes there needs to be clearer messaging from the government about the vaccine strategy. Credit:James Alcock Xavier Symons, an adjunct lecturer in bio-ethics at the University of Notre Dame, said the strong uptake for Pfizer among 40-49 year olds in NSW showed the power of being able to make comparisons with a peer group. We know with these things theres a little bit of a group effect - it gets a bit of energy and people book in because they see other people doing it, Dr Symons said. Up to $20 million a year in extra funding will be needed for Sydneys best-known parklands to meet growing demand and enable them to become sustainable over the long term, according to a super agency set up last year to manage them. The forecast comes as a white paper lays out the governments ambition to pass laws this year to create an umbrella Greater Sydney Parklands Trust, while retaining three existing trusts which have long overseen the citys main parks. Moore Park in inner Sydney. Credit:Brook Mitchell Greater Sydney Parklands was set up as an overarching agency last July through administrative arrangements to oversee Centennial Park and Moore Park, Callan Park, Parramatta Park, Western Sydney Parkland and Fernhill Estate. The move drew criticism from the Opposition and community groups concerned about a loss of local voices in decision-making on the parks. Water police are searching for an extremely rare boat, worth $400,000, plucked out of Rose Bay wharf a fortnight ago. The Ribco Seafarer 36 was untied at the marina, in Sydneys eastern suburbs, about 9pm on May 9 by two men who then towed it to a nearby boat ramp and loaded it onto a trailer attached to a dual cab ute, police said in a statement on Monday. Police believe the boat was stolen on May 9. Credit:NSW Police The 36-feet long vessel is a rigid-hull inflatable boat with a black hull, white interiors and registration AIS241N. It is owned by a charter company. Marine Area Command described the boat as extremely rare and said it would be easily recognised. Australians aged over 50 are not guaranteed priority access to coronavirus vaccines if they opt against the AstraZeneca dose in favour of receiving the Pfizer or Moderna later in the year. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt urged anyone currently eligible to receive their vaccination not to wait for specific brands, after stating there could be an mRNA vaccine available for every Australian by Christmas. People aged 50 and older have been urged to not wait for a different brand of COVID-19 vaccine. Credit:Justin McManus The federal government is promising a supply of two million Pfizer doses each week from the start of October, a development that means every Australian who wants to be vaccinated could be by the end of the year. However, health authorities have advised the Pfizer vaccine be given to Australians aged under 50, amid concerns of rare blood clots linked to the AstraZeneca vaccination. At 95, my wife and I recently had our first vaccination at our local GPs. It was a memorable experience: well organised, compassionate, efficient attention, painless jab, no after-effects whatsoever and peace of mind. Highly recommended, if only for selfish reasons. - Jim Ayling, Kirrawee Duttons war on wokeism weaponises intolerance Defence Minister Peter Dutton uses woke as a pejorative term: it is not (Going for woke: Dutton aims at tea and sympathies, May 22). If members of the Australian Defence Force, and the public servants that support them, were fully cognisant of the various issues that concern social justice and racism in our world, they would be less likely to trample on them when undertaking their duties here and abroad. Shame on Dutton. - Mick Grimson, Leumeah A morning tea to celebrate diversity in the ADF wouldnt mean anything to Dutton but it would mean the world to any serving gay personnel seeing their sexuality being recognised and celebrated. What sort of signal does this send to any gay person thinking of a career in the military? - Bruce Ingrey, Elizabeth Bay It is an apt coincidence that Duttons ruling against the woke agenda within our ADF chimes with the centenary of British code-breaker Alan Turings birth. Turing is widely credited with making the single most important contribution to the winning of World War II. Post-war, he was found guilty of (what were at the time) homosexual offences and was chemically castrated by government authority. Turing subsequently took his own life. In this day and age, you would have to think that Duttons ministerial priorities need serious adjustment. - Peter Thomas, Rose Bay Woke is a term used by those who do not have empathy, a concern for their fellow human beings or an interest in the common good to describe those who do. - Keith Binns, Goulburn For so long, conservative politicians have condemned the so-called cancel culture in society, which they say is an aggressive manifestation of political correctness. Now Dutton has cancelled the morning teas at his department. Being such an interventionist in civilian activities shows that Dutton doesnt have enough serious work to do. - Kim Woo, Mascot The role of the ADF is to fight martial wars overseas, not culture wars within Australia. Dutton seems to think that woke is some form of stinging insult. Being woke, defined as alert to injustice and social issues in society especially racism is a fine thing. - Rob Clifton-Steele, Chatswood The Liberal Party portrays itself as the party that defends freedom and freedom of speech. But Dutton wants to tell people what they can and cant wear and words they can and cant use. He has gone so far to issue it as an order. The party of freedom reveals itself as the party that just loves control. Its almost Orwellian. - Brendan Jones, Annandale Woke culture cancelled at Defence, and plus Dutton has cut public servants in his office to an absolute minimum. He has my vote. - Helen Flanagan, Mudgee Banks offer mining industry no coal comfort Let me get this straight: mining companies cant get finance for projects due to banks and regulators approach to climate change (Banks acting like zealots against fossil fuel industry, May 22). So, instead of seeing the writing on the wall and acting sensibly for their shareholders, the arrogant and entitled mining executives their heads in the sand along with George Christensen (who else?) at the helm of a ridiculous inquiry resort to name-calling and bullying to get their way, citing anti-fossil fuel sentiment as groupthink supposition. Sounds about right. - Kerrie Wehbe, Blacktown Im not a big fan of our banking system, but Im beginning to come around. - Margaret Grove, Abbotsford Climate change The NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell should realise that schools dont have a monopoly on learning. (An inconvenient truant: climate strikes are back, May 22-23). The young Australians who chose to miss a day of school to strike for climate action have demonstrated an ability to critically investigate misinformation on climate change (much of which comes from politicians and parties with vested interests), to stand up and take action based on integrity and principles for the good of our world. As a climate activist in his 70s, it gives me hope to see young people taking positive action against climate change. - Keith Woodward, Avalon Beach It is hardly surprising that these courageous young people are taking their future into their own hands, when the adults responsible for them have done such a poor job of looking after their world. - Anne OHara, Wanniassa, ACT Nats unbelievable How can this be (The Nats are back, smh.com.au, May 23)? After all the pork barrelling, sports rorts, dodgy land deals, sex scandals and the worst environmental record in Australia, they still win the seat of Upper Hunter. Clearly nobody cares about any of the above. Self-interest wins again. Its enough to make you weep. - Judy Hungerford, North Curl Curl Mark of characters Unless you are like James Ruse High and get to pick and choose the absolute cream of the states young minds, school HSC results are highly dependent on the particular cohort of that year (School board schism over fraud, debt, falling results, May 22-23). Often parents who send their children to over-the-top expensive private schools fail to realise that its not a guarantee of a high HSC result. Its more to do with the networking which may benefit their child later in life. - Peter Miniutti, Ashbury Building false hope Lorraine Phillips (Letters, May 22-23) doesnt get it quite right when she talks about unrealised revitalisation plans for Parramatta Road and Oxford Street every five years. She forgot William Street, the fabled neo-Parisian boulevard. - Tony Mitchell, Hillsdale Your correspondent left out the plan to build the new fish markets. Each time I visit, I look for the first exciting sign of shovels. - Laurie Le Claire, Epping Elizabeth Farrelly has nailed it (A demolished bridge too far: the unholy rush to replace charm with concrete, May 23-24). Philistines comes to mind when thinking of those responsible for the proposal to demolish Cuttagee and other valued wooden bridges. - Karen Joynes, Bermagui We live in strange times from Elizabeth Farrellys article about bridges where the Bega Valley Council want to capture heritage by building a new bridge to the bizarre concept of turning Oxford Street into a cultural and creative precinct by increasing building height (Taller buildings, cultural spaces to bring new life to Oxford Street, May 22-23). Just go to Milsons Point to see how that works. Across the railway track, Kirribilli shows that low rise is much more successful. I despair at all the stupidity and greed. - Anita Brown, Granville Gillard is golden Bevan Shields suggests Julia Gillard had a choice when she lost office in 2013 to either dwell in the past or to contribute to the future (Gillard garners Brit popularity for $6.5b education fund, May 22-23). Thankfully, she chose the latter course, unlike some of her contemporaries. Through her actions, she has made an international contribution creating better educational opportunities for girls around the world. Suffragettes mobilised under the motto deeds not words. I cant think of a better exemplar of these values than Australias first female prime minister. - Gordon Lambert, Kiama Downs Eight years ago, Julia Gillard had a choice. It was not to snipe and provide commentary on political events in Australia but to use her considerable talent and work to influence matters on the international stage where she is highly respected. How good would it have been to have had Julia Gillard and Jacinta Ardern working in concert in our corner of the Pacific to shore up the big health, education and environmental issues facing both countries? Opportunity lost Australia. - Lyn Savage, Coogee Traffic takes its tolls Ask anyone who knows about transport and they will tell you that the NSW governments plans wont, in the long term, ease traffic in many parts of the city like Military Road for instance as they do nothing for public transport (Saturday noon high time for traffic jams, May 22-23). Transport Minister Andrew Constance, however, appears to realise that by making cuts to and privatising the bus network you can make driving more attractive, increase traffic volumes and hoodwink the public into supporting $20 billion to $30 billion in new ineffective toll tunnels that will then need to be paid off by many generations of NSW residents through their taxes or eToll accounts. - Ken Wilson, Willoughby One of the greats I am 60 years of age and my childhood just ended (Manly legend and NRL Immortal Bob Fulton dies aged 73, smh.com.au, May 23). As a child if I heard that my hero was out of the game I didnt want to go. The greatest player I have ever seen. - Simon Squires, Hornsby Work-off art Saturdays Spectrum tells me the Archibald Prize is Sydneys answer to the Melbourne Cup (The crowd-pleaser, May 22-23). If thats true, can I look forward to a public holiday this year? One hundred years is a long time to wait for it. - Meg Smith, Umina Beach Jibber Jabber Had my first AstraZeneca jab last week. No side effects other than an increased level of smugness. - David Farrell, Erskineville No Clare Perry (Letters, May 22-23), I would reckon jabs are here to stay or at least until election time. Id surmise Scotty from Marketing is building a formidable array of jab enticements for the entire nation jab creation, jab training, rural jab opportunities, and of course jab equality for women. The latter understandably to be offset against the current perception of unfair jabs for the boys. - Peter Bower, Naremburn Playing golf the day after getting the jab there was a discussion about the after-effects, namely feeling tired with slightly achy bones. As I feel like that all the time I soldiered on with the game with a slight improvement in my score. A win-win situation either way. - Vicky Marquis, Glebe The digital view Online comment from the story that attracted the most reader feedback yesterday on smh.com.au Upper Hunter byelection result disastrous for Labor From Is Est Quis Is Est: Gladys and a limited number of her team have truly shined throughout the pandemic. The electorate took notice and voted accordingly. As for Labor, there is an overwhelming need to reinvent themselves (and quickly). Some may disagree, however the result speaks for itself. A father and son who disappeared during a bushwalk on Mount Glorious on Saturday surprised emergency services personnel who were searching for them by appearing out of nowhere at the command post. The 45-year-old man and 10-year-old boy were reported missing by a relative about 3.30pm on Saturday in the national park, north-west of Brisbane. Mount Glorious National Park in the Moreton Bay region. Credit:Google Maps - Andrew Noske The police helicopter, police officers, SES personnel and local bushwalkers launched a search on Saturday afternoon then resumed on Sunday morning. However, just before 9am, the missing duo were delivered to the search command centre by a passing motorist. After Erica Giulione felt publicly humiliated and bullied by a male lawyer, she received an apology and a warning. She had better get used to it if she wanted to work in the legal profession. He apologised, but then he said that Id better get used to it if I wanted to become a lawyer. He legitimised his behaviour as something that was normal in the profession, she said. University of Sydney students Erica Giulione (left) and Urvashi Bandhu are part of a team that has developed an online platform that users can use to anonymously report sexual harassment in the legal profession. Credit:Wolter Peeters That personal experience motivated her to join four other students at the University of Sydney in designing an app to help law graduates record and report incidents of sexual harassment and bullying. The students, from law, media, policy and computing backgrounds have developed Confidant a free digital platform to help anyone in the legal profession to anonymously record and report incidents. The students who developed the app also include Amer Nasr, 26, Amy Su, 20, Marcus Lee, 23, and Urvashi Bandhu, 27. The Oman Green Energy Hub is expected to mirror in scope and capacity an equally ambitious scheme planned in Western Australia with an estimated investment of $36 billion. Leading the development of the proposed Asian Renewable Energy Hub in Australia is Hong Kong-based InterContinental Energy, the same developer named last week in the international consortium behind the Oman Green Energy Hub, an Oman Observer report said. Privately-owned InterContinental Energy is billed as the worlds largest green hydrogen with a portfolio of around $100 billion in investments globally. Partnering with InterContinental Energy in the implementation of the Oman mega scheme are OQ, the sultanates global integrated energy group, and EnerTech, a Kuwaiti state-backed clean energy investor and developer. The electricity generation capacity of the Oman hub is estimated at 25 gigawatts (GW) comprising a mix of solar and wind-based farms. The output of green hydrogen and green ammonia is projected in the millions of tonnes per annum. Giving further details, InterContinental Energy has disclosed that the Oman Green Energy Hub, a giant integrated green fuels project for development across the vast desert settings of the sultanates Al Wusta Governorate will produce 1.8 million tonnes per annum of green hydrogen and up to 10 million tonnes per annum of green ammonia volumes that promise to position the sultanates evolution into a global green fuels powerhouse. In many ways the Oman Green Energy Hub parallels, in scope and magnitude, InterContinental Energys Asian Renewable Energy Hub in Western Australia. Set on an area of around 6,500 sq kilometres roughly six times the size of Hong Kong the Australian venture will feature vast solar and wind farms with a combined generation capacity of 26 GWs. As with its Omani counterpart, the Australian scheme aims to churn out 1.75 million tonnes of green hydrogen annually. The hydrogen will be converted into ammonia for transportation to domestic and international markets. Implementation of both projects will almost run in parallel. A final investment decision (FID) for the Australian venture is targeted around mid-2025. For its peer in Oman, the FID is around 2026, international media have quoted InterContinental Energy officials as revealing. S&P Global Platts, the international provider of news and analysis for energy and commodity markets, reported that the Oman Green Energy Hub is expected to commence initial production in 2028, although the project will reach full capacity only by around 2038. As with the Australian project, which is expected to target markets in and around the Pacific, the Oman scheme with its strategic location abutting international shipping lanes will primarily have European markets in its sights. Significantly, the Oman Green Energy Hub is the largest of a slate of world-scale green energy projects planned for implementation at key locations across the sultanate. In March, Indias Acme Solar Holdings announced plans for the establishment of a 2,200 tonnes/day capacity green ammonia project at Duqm in partnership with state-owned Tatweer. Total investment is estimated at $2.5 billion. Last year, wholly government-owned OQ said it was joining hands with DEME Concessions, the Belgian-based global solutions provider for the maritime infrastructure and offshore energy industries, in the implementation of a world-scale green hydrogen project at the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Duqm. The Hyport Duqm Green Hydrogen Project, envisaging an electrolyser capacity of 250-500 MW in the first phase, will be part of an array of solar, wind and other alternative energy projects planned for development in a sprawling zone earmarked within the SEZ at Duqm.-- TradeArabia News Service It wasnt easy to stand out amid the riotous colour, movement and music of the 2021 Midsumma Pride March in St Kilda on Sunday. Dancers wearing feathered headpieces and bikinis basked in the brilliant sunshine, as they sashayed down Fitzroy Street. Drag queens strutted in vibrant satin gowns. Protesters walked in front of police at the 2021 Pride March in St Kilda. The man with the walkie-talkie is a march marshal. Credit:Luis Ascui There were roller skaters, bagpipe players, and people dressed as dinosaurs. But protesters, opposed to police taking part, caused a sensation by marching down Fitzroy Street, right in front of a small, uniformed Victoria Police contingent that included Chief Commissioner Shane Patton. Five hundred of the states repeat violent offenders have been offered an experimental option aimed at encouraging them to give up their lives of crime. The operation, started in January and based on similar strategies in London and Sacramento, California, is an attempt to take advantage of a slump in some crimes as a result of Melbournes COVID-19 lockdowns. Superintendent David Cowan, based in Dandenong, has begun a trial aimed at stopping violent criminals from reoffending. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui Dandenong-based superintendent David Cowan said a 19 per cent drop in assaults not related to family violence and a 24 per cent decrease in burglaries was an opportunity for police to think a little differently. We dont want to sit back and wait for crime to resume, Superintendent Cowan, a member of the Australia and New Zealand Society of Evidence-Based Policing, said. We have an obligation to do what we can to stop it returning. The cold fury in the eyes of the bereaved parents of Aishwarya Aswath is driving Andrew Miller to push the government to fix the systemic problems across the states hospital system. The Australian Medical Association WA, of which he is president, and the Australian Nurses Federation are expecting a horde of medical staff from across the state to attend a Perth rally on Tuesday to show their support for the nurses and doctors they feel are under fire from the Perth Childrens Hospital executive. AMA WA president Andrew Miller and ANF state secretary Mark Olson. Credit:Marta Pascual Juanola Together they will call for the government to accept the problems at the hospital were not exclusive to that hospital. ANF State Secretary Mark Olson said it was too early to confirm how many hospital staff would attend, but about 97 per cent of union members supported the rally, with the ANF having received about 2000 responses to a survey on the issue, and staff from as far as Albany were hopeful to join. Australian intelligence has identified about 500 recent incidents of covert foreign agents interfering in domestic politics and society, but the nations chief spy insists that at least 99.9 per cent of the diaspora communities here are uninvolved. The previous head of domestic spy agency ASIO, Duncan Lewis, had said in 2017 that the agency was being overwhelmed by foreign interference and espionage and in 2018 that it was happening at unprecedented levels. The head of ASIO, Mike Burgess, said covert agents of foreign powers made up just a tiny minority of diaspora communities. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen But the number of instances has not been known publicly until now. ASIOs last public update said that it had dealt with more than 30 cases in 2020. Only a handful were publicly visible. In an interview for the new book Red Zone, by this correspondent, a senior intelligence officer said there were about 500 known or suspected cases of foreign interference and espionage in Australia in late 2020. The traditional owners of Juukan Gorge have placed the WA government in their crosshairs over its role in sanctioning the destruction, claiming the state held information that should have made it think twice. The narrative that has emerged over the past year has effectively excused the government from heat over its role in approving Rio Tintos application under Section 18 of Indigenous heritage laws, which grant ministers absolute power over heritage sites. PKKP director Burchell Hayes in the Pilbara. Credit:PKKP It has been thought the government was not aware of Juukans significance as one of Australias most important archaeological sites at the time it granted approval in 2013. But marking the one-year anniversary of the May 24 blast, Burchell Hayes, the director of the Aboriginal corporation representing the traditional owners, said he was confident information detailing the importance of the site was provided early enough for the government to protect it. Australias 3x3 womens basketball team missed their flight to Europe for their Olympic qualifying tournament after Basketball Australia failed to secure them travel exemptions to leave the country. The five-player squad was due to fly to Austria for its FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament from Melbourne Airport on Saturday at 11pm, but the players arrived to find they didnt have the exemptions needed to leave the country. Despite last-minute attempts, the players could not get them in time to fly out. A Basketball Australia spokesperson told The Age and the Herald that the team would now depart on Sunday night. An administration error with the exemption paperwork has meant the travelling party will now depart 24 hours later, the spokesperson said. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Farahnaz Salehi calls them the lost years. There have been seven of them for the 21-year-old Hazara refugee since she fled Afghanistan with her parents and her seven brothers and sisters in 2014, ending up in Indonesia. We are stuck here and we cannot do anything, she said from Cisarua, a mountainous district an hours drive outside Jakarta. Afghan refugees gather outside the UNHCR office in Jakarta on Tuesday after a deadly bomb blast in Kabul. Credit:Jefri Tarigan Stranded there amid dwindling global refugee resettlement numbers that have shrunk even further due to the COVID-19 pandemic, her family is among 14,000 living in limbo in Indonesia in a situation that has become increasingly desperate amid a rising rate of suicides. Six refugees have taken their own lives since July last year and 13 in all since 2014, according to fellow Afghan refugee Mahdi Alizada who himself has been trapped in transit in Indonesia for seven years and is director of the Refugee Community in Indonesia (RCI) representative group. All but three who committed suicide were ethnic Hazara from Afghanistan. While the United States and Australia withdraw from Afghanistan, there remains 7612 refugees from the war-torn country among those marooned in Indonesia. Their helpless predicament is not only a glimpse into the ongoing impact of the two-decade long war for those forced out of their homeland but into the plight of the more than 20 million refugees around the world, only 22,770 of whom were resettled last year. The psychological toll of the uncertainty and the years wasting away is such that Farahnaz, whose family is from the south-eastern city of Ghazni in Afghanistan, admits she has sometimes been wishing my death to come to me. Advertisement It is very sad and heartbreaking to people who really want to do something with their life but they cannot do it, she said. Most of the time Ive been feeling desperate and lost in my own mind or mentally lost. Im very grateful for my friends that they were keeping me positive. Farahnaz Salehi has been in Indonesia for seven years. Indonesia receives asylum seekers rescued from boats and has long taken in thousands of refugees. Among the current number, according to the UNHCR, are 1366 from Somalia, 729 from Iraq and 354 Muslim Rohingya from Myanmar given shelter in Aceh province. But with Indonesia being a non-signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol on refugees, their rights are limited and crucially they dont include the ability to work. The 14,000 refugees in Indonesia do not have access to their most basic human rights. Letter from refugee groups to embassies in Jakarta including Australias Their hopes of starting a new life in a third country are also fading with resettlement numbers dropping even before the virus took hold. According to the United Nations refugee agency there were only 403 refugees in Indonesia resettled last year but the figure had already dropped from a high of 1273 in 2016. The UNHCR concedes that of the 13,745 in Indonesia, only a small number will be able to benefit from resettlement because of limited places available. The falling intake by Australia, which once was responsible for the majority of refugees resettled from Indonesia, is a contributing factor. After taking in 433 in 2017, it found spots for only 84 in 2018, 66 in 2019 and 41 in 2020. Advertisement The Australian governments refusal to accept anyone who registered with the UNHCR in Indonesia after July 1, 2014 has added to the logjam. That position was reached in the wake of Operation Sovereign Borders but after the spate of suicides starting midway through last year, refugees have launched a fresh plea for Australia to soften its stance. Mahdi Alizada spent five years in a detention facility on Borneo and is now a refugee representative. Credit:Jefri Tarigan Refugees residing in Indonesia are grateful for Australias humanitarian action on the closure of the sea border to prevent human casualties but the truth is that suicide and the uncertain situation of refugees in Indonesia is no different than drawing into the water, Mahdis RCI wrote in a letter to the Australian government in February seen by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. In an additional written appeal to the Australian, US, Canadian, British and New Zealand embassies in Jakarta, refugee groups in Indonesia have urged resettlement numbers to be raised and for the selection process to be more transparent. The letter attributed the long waiting times for resettlement to the suffering by refugees from various neurological, mental and physical ailments, saying the slow and prolonged resettlement process has taken away most of our beings here in Indonesia. The 14,000 refugees in Indonesia do not have access to their most basic human rights, it said. They do not have the right to work, to study, to travel interstate, to trade or to have a driving licence. The list of limitations and prohibitions is endless. Advertisement In a statement a spokesperson for Australias Department of Home Affairs said the July 1, 2014 deadline was designed to reduce the movement of asylum seekers to Indonesia and Australia through dangerous journeys. Loading The government is funding the support of refugees by the International Organisation for Migration through a long-standing regional co-operation agreement with Indonesia to which it this week committed $38.1 million. But as it stands, few of them will make it to Australia. Within our resettlement intake of up to 13,750 for 2020-21, we continue to accept a modest intake from Indonesia for those who registered before 1 July 2014, the spokesperson said. That category includes Mahdi, who registered in April 2014, but the 36-year-old is still in Jakarta after spending five years inside the Balikpapan detention centre for refugees on the island of Borneo. He initially submitted himself to the facility because of financial problems but was later involved in a 300-day protest about conditions for refugees there. He said he was treated like an animal and until April 2019 was refused release from a complex with a six-metre wall, barbed wire and electricity wires surrounding it. Refugees in Indonesia have limited rights. Credit:Jefri Tarigan Indonesias 13 detention centres have since been closed Mahdi was among the last let out two years ago, he said and the countrys refugees now in large part either live independently in community housing or with the assistance of monthly allowances of about $120 each from the IOM, which has also distributed COVID-19 relief assistance. Advertisement The consequences of being indefinitely stateless and effectively idle, however, are a disturbing pattern. Muzafar Ali, a co-founder of the volunteer-led Cisarua Refugee Learning Centre that was established in 2014 and has been supported by Australian donors, saw it for himself when conducting video interviews with teachers and school management this year. The school and other ones set up by the refugee community have been shut for many months due to the virus, with lessons instead online, and Muzafars Adelaide-based Cisarua Learning organisation has partnered with the UN Human Rights Council in a project providing psycho-social support. The common words we found [from interviewees] were about being alone, being useless, being worthless, said Muzafar, who was resettled in Australia after fleeing Afghanistan to Indonesia. One of them said that the term buying a rope is commonly used among refugees these days. This was very shocking for me. Cisarua has been home to thousands of refugees in Indonesia. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen He reported one of the staff members he had spoken to told him he was thinking about suicide because he couldnt see any light in the tunnel. Advertisement New Delhi: Travel agents in India and Thailand - both battling a surge in infections - have warned the public against operators advertising overseas vaccination tours, saying there can be hidden costs. Advertisements for vaccine tours, mainly to the US, have popped up on social media in India, despite restrictions that make international travel almost impossible. In Thailand, too, there are an increasing number of tour packages offering the chance to join a vaccination queue abroad. Its not illegal to go to the US, travelling is absolutely your option, said Jyoti Mayal, president of Travel Agents Association of India. As an association, our advice is check out the credibility of the agent, check out all the documents and then move forward. Mumbai-based Gem Tours & Travels took the names of 5,000 people interested in a three-day stay in New York for a first vaccination and another trip several weeks later for a second shot, with each journey costing about 150,000 rupees ($2,600). Agwani Travels India advertised a 21-day trip to New York to get the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for around $7,890, but never went ahead because India started to roll out shots, the companys owner Pradeep Sharma said. London: Trains instead of flights, fossil fuel ad bans and charging landlords for their tenants heating emissions these are not pie-in-the-sky but newly endorsed policies being implemented across Europe as governments prepare to make good on their net zero targets. Last month France passed a law banning domestic flights of less than two-and-a-half hours where train routes also exist. The ban, which wont apply to connecting international flights, is actually a watered-down version of what President Emmanuel Macrons Citizens Climate Convention originally recommended. It will apply to eight routes inside France. Some European nations are considering a floor price on budget flights. Credit:iStock The convention, comprising 150 randomly selected members of the public, recommended the ban be imposed on flights of up four hours where other transport was available. The President formed the convention and asked it to come up with ways to meet the governments climate targets of net-zero by 2050, in 2019. The ban on short-haul flights was contained in a bill that also adopted the conventions other demands including less meat in state-run cafeterias, banning gas heaters that warm outdoor terraces and the introduction of a new ecocide offence where big polluters could be jailed for up to ten years if they destroy the environment. UK-based Helios Towers, a leading infrastructure management firm has pledged to build at least 300 telecom towers in Oman as part of a long-term master services agreement reached with telecom services provider Omantel. The deal to sell Omantels passive tower infrastructure to Helios Towers will drive cost efficiency and infrastructure development, Talal Said al Mamari, Chief Executive Officer of Omantel was quoted as saying by Oman Observer. He was speaking at a virtual session with investors hosted by Muscat Securities Exchange (MSX). He said the $575 million sale of 2,890 towers is in line with Omantels strategy to develop world class asset light, strategic and advanced communications networks in Oman and to generate the greatest value and efficiency for the benefit of shareholders, customers and partners. The Omantel CEO emphasised that the sale is critical for achieving the Companys investment and cost efficiency targets, especially with respect to improving its balance sheet position through prepayment of existing borrowings which will further lead to reduced financial charges going forward. Under a long-term master services agreement, Omantel will continue to utilise the tower assets for a period of 15 years with renewal options, he added. On its part, Helios Towers has committed to build a minimum of an additional 300 new towers over the next seven years. Al Mamari emphasised that Omantel will retain full ownership and control of its active network and spectrum as well as its software, technology and intellectual property with respect to managing its networks. Against a service fee to Helios Towers, Omantel will eliminate certain direct network operating costs and through the build-to-suit arrangement avoid passive infrastructure capital expenditure for new sites. This strategic partnership has invited foreign direct investment (FDI) in Oman, supporting Oman as a leading FDI destination in the GCC, while creating jobs and opportunities in the country, he said. Through this agreement, Omantel has reduced leverage and raised capital to fund network upgrade, accelerated network deployment, improved cost structure, focusing on core business, and following international best practice, Al Mamari said. Elaborating on this, the CEO stated that the capital released through this sale will be redirected towards strengthening the Companys balance sheet and investment in new technologies and new products and services, which will be seen in the form of higher network capacity, and faster rollout to rural areas to bridge the digital divide. This strategic partnership with Helios Towers has invited substantial Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Oman creating jobs and opportunities while cementing the Sultanates reputation as a business-friendly nation. Underscoring the agreements positive impact on KPIs, Al Mamari said that Omantel will receive cash proceeds of the sale against payment of service and lease charges, while Helios Towers will bear the direct operating cost of the passive infrastructure, including electricity, fuel, operations and maintenance, depreciation, ground rent and other costs. Al Mamari told the audience that the transaction is expected to conclude in the second half of 2021. Support local journalism Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free. Please support us by making a contribution. Contribute Client: A woman worried her husband is in trouble. The story this week focused on one of the big issues were facing today.The clients husband, Elias, has been drawn into a radical group preparing to set off a bomb in New York City.Usually, when stories focus on radical groups the focus is on white supremacists or bizarre conspiracy theorists. This episode considered how a regular guy could wind up being drawn into these groups and brainwashed.The most telling moment, for me, was the observation that the recruitment methods are identical to the way Al-Qaeda recruits.They didnt stop there. They also touched on the reality that some of the enablers are not supporters, theyre in it for the money.The discovery that some of the bomb building supplies came from the police department, it was time to bring Dante in on the case.It feels more necessary here than in last weeks episode.Someone finally told Dante, point-blank, that he should walk away from investigating Robyn.Dante reached out to a friend who works at the Department of Defense. He presented Dante with two pieces of information.One...Facial recognition software could not find Robyn in any of the databases the DOD has access to.Were all thinking... duh! Dante continues to ignore what that implies.Two, he presents Dante with an old photo that shows Robyn wearing the insignia of a classified unit with the highest clearance. Will Dante take the hint?Dante focuses on the bad cop. Luckily hes got the right guy because his fellow officers question his decision.Robyn focuses on Elias. When Elias boasts that his mission was a diversion we get to watch Robyn exercise her skills in advance interrogation.Her approach is exactly what we would expect from Robyn. Empathetic and successful.Of course the good guys win the day.Dante finally has Robyn in his cross-hairs. With two cops for back up. His upper hand didnt even last a minute. She took those cops down fast.When Robyn took Elias to say good-bye to his family I wondered if Dante, with his focus on the letter of the law, would notice that Robyn didnt help Elias escape justice. She found him a lawyer and escorted him to the police station.Maybe he did. After the failed attempt to arrest Robyn, he presents the DA with an affidavit, regarding the arrest, then has himself removed from the vigilante case. Family Life: Delilah wants Robyn to do a TikTok video. Delilah wants to make a TikTok video with her. Robyn wants to do the fun thing with her daughter, but going viral is dangerous.I loved Robyn being able to share her concerns with Vi.In the end the solution was wonderful. Robyn got to dance and protect her family too.Who knew the discussion about kittens dressed as celebrities was a hint about the filters?)This was another solid episode. I enjoy the episodes when we get to see Robyn exercising the skills that made her the legend were told she is.I am also enjoying the lighter approach to Robyns growing bond with her daughter. I realize were still in for heavier family stories, but I really enjoy the lighter ones.What did you think of the episode? STAMFORD What is a church? In most cases, it is a building. It is a spiritual home. It is a meeting ground. And Sunday, for one congregation, it was both a beginning and an end. "Today, we gather for the last time in this place as the people of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church," Rev. Dr. Harvey Weitzel said to a surprisingly full sanctuary. People watched him with misty eyes. Not everyone was ready to say goodbye to the historic church that had belonged to them for so long. On most Sundays, Weitzel welcomed about 15 worshipers to his Glenbrook Road chapel. Church membership nationwide has declined precipitously in the last two decades down 23 percent since 2000 and Zion Lutheran Church was no exception. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the country's largest Lutheran denomination, had five million members when it formed in the late 1980s. According to 2019 estimates from the church, there are about three million baptized members now. Some faith leaders in the denomination maintain that "the church will basically cease to exist within the next generation." "Unfortunately, since I've started as bishop, I've been attending a lot of these," Bishop Jim Hazelwood told the Advocate. Hazelwood started his tenure as the head of all ECLA churches in New England nine years ago, and he's watched congregations close left and right since. He expects eight to 10 more churches to close annually in the coming years. But for the final service, members, current and former, bustled into the vestibule to participate in the final farewell. Instead of a bakers' dozen of devout members, entire families packed into the pews. Barring the updated aesthetics, the congregation looked more like it had decades ago. The proof lay in pictures members in 1979 had tucked into a time capsule and wedged into the church's new organ for future generations to open. Just over 40 years ago, members sealed away pictures of ladies with long hair and pearls, flyers from organ dedication ceremony and copies of the newspaper, now yellowed with time. The times had changed, but the building itself all rafters, stained glass, and hanging lanterns looked the same. Yvette Bailey, one longtime member, even came up to Stamford from South Carolina to attend the final service at her longtime congregation. "It's a lot of emotions," Bailey said to another former member who returned for the service. She'd watched infants receive baptism and couples unite in marriage in this building. After so many years, she wanted to be part of the 124-year-old congregation's final moments. Members had been bracing themselves for the end of an era for years now, according to Pastor Weitzel, who arrived at the congregation seven years back. Weitzel knew that he would be closing a chapter for the church, even then. "It was intentionally a slow burn," he said. The pastor for years held intimate conversations and Bible studies that talked about moving forward. He focused on the church's volunteer work in the community to help strengthen the congregation's sense of worship through action. Then, in 2018, Zion sold its building to a Pentecostal church that took over its longstanding nursery school. By the end of 2019, the church used the sale's proceeds to set up an endowment meant to fund community nonprofits. The Stamford Boys' and Girls' Club, Person to Person, and the New Covenant Center will receive grants from the endowment long after the final service. While the organ played its final chords for Zion's congregants, members young and old looked around and tried to bask in the final moments. A cluster of women brushed away tears with their fingertips. Others pulled out their phones and attempted to record the music pushing out of the organ, the light streaming in through the stained glass, the muted sniffles of their neighbors. Though the doors closed for one congregation in one place, Hazelwood reminded the church's final crowd that the red brick building was only part of what made Zion Lutheran special. The rest of its legacy would come from its members enduring participation in the community, from their love for fellow man. "The building we do is now in our relationships with one another," said Hazelwood, "and in our relationships with God." veronica.delvalle@hearstmediact.com STAMFORD A special day for Emily Booth was made even better when her brother, U.S. Marine Corp Private First Class Ryan Booth, kept away from home because of COVID-19, surprised her at her college graduation. Stamford Police Department Sgt. Jeffrey Booth, the father of both Emily and Ryan, said the secret was a little hard to keep since both Emily and Ryan are so close. He arrived before the graduation, said Booth. It was a little difficult to keep the secret, but he ignored her for a couple of days. Jeffrey Booth said that Ryan had already let Emily know he was going to be coming home for a couple of weeks, but he said he was coming after her graduation. As a family, they wanted Ryan to be at the graduation to surprise his sister, so they got in contact with the school, Endicott College, Jeffrey Booth said. We talked to the school to see if he (Ryan) could be on school property because they only were allowing a certain amount of people per student, he said. We planned to have him surprise Emily after the graduation while we were taking pictures. Jeffrey Booth said when he was talking to the school, they went above and beyond. In the video, when Emilys name is called, the announcer said Ryan Booth was there to assist Endicott College President Steven DiSalvo, Ph.D., in handing Emily her diploma. When she saw her brother, she gave him a big hug. It was actually the schools idea to bring him up on stage, said Jeffrey Booth. He did want to surprise his sister, and the school went above and beyond to make it happen, Booth continued. Emily didnt say a whole lot when she saw him. She was shocked by the whole thing. But she was thrilled to see him. Jeffrey Booth said Ryan is home for a short time, so theyre spending as much time as possible with him before he has to report to base in South Carolina. WINDSOR Amazon vowed to make changes at a local site that is under construction after a seventh noose was found hanging at the facility this week. Local, state and federal authorities continue to search for the alleged suspect or suspects in these incidents at the 1201 Kennedy Road facility, dating back nearly a month. Brad Griggs, an Amazon representative, said during a press conference on Thursday that the company ordered the work there halted to make sure that the necessary safety measures can be put in place. Griggs did not expand on what those measures might be. Amazon did not immediately return Hearst Connecticut Medias request for comment Saturday. It is unclear if the site will reopen on Monday. Just before 1 p.m. on Wednesday, officers working a private duty assignment at the construction site were told that a rope that could be interpreted as a noose was found hanging from one of the beams, police said. Detectives were immediately called in and collected the rope, which will be sent to the state lab for testing. Police said detectives and officers interviewed several employees who were in the area where the rope was found. Windsor police continue to investigate this latest report with detectives from state police and agents from the FBI in this investigation. These incidents do not represent the character of our community, police said on Thursday. We stand united in condemning these acts that are hateful and intolerant. Nooses are hateful and are intended to inflict emotional pain to persons of color. We stand with all of our residents to strengthen Windsors inclusiveness where every person is welcomed and valued. The apparent nooses started showing up at the site last month. On the afternoon of April 27, Windsor police first responded to the Amazon site for a complaint of suspicious activity. Arriving officers met with the construction company supervisor, who told officers a hangmans noose was found on a steel beam on the second floor. The site safety team documented the incident and removed the noose. An email was sent out to employees about what happened, officials said. The area is not monitored by surveillance cameras and is accessible to hundreds of employees from various companies, police said. The next day, officers responded for another report involving a rope thrown around a beam, but police said that incident was not a noose. On the morning of April 28, a full-site safety meeting was held to discuss the initial incident. An anti-discrimination training session was also held for all employees on-site, according t officials. On the morning of April 29, detectives again responded to the facility and were told five more ropes that could be interpreted as nooses were located at various locations on different floors throughout the building, police said. The ropes were collected as evidence and are being tested to identify potential suspects. There were no other messages, markings or other forms of communication in or around the facility that would provide information as to any intent or target of these nooses, police said. Evidence recovered at the scene is currently at the state lab for processing, police said in an update on May 7. The Windsor Police Department continues to work with state and federal authorities regarding this investigation. To date, no specific group has been identified as a target of this hate incident. The FBIs Civil Rights Division has been actively involved in the investigation since the first incident. FBI Special Agent in Charge David Sundberg said the New Haven branch of the agency is lending resources and support to local police during the ongoing investigation. The implications of a hanging nooses anywhere are unacceptable and will always generate the appropriate investigative response, Sundberg said in a statement Thursday. We stand united with all our law enforcement partners across the state in rooting out and applying the rule of law to any individual of group perpetuating hateful ideology and intimidation in our communities. Amazon and the site development team responsible for construction have been cooperating with law enforcement, according to police, and are offering a $50,000 reward for information that leads investigators to the person or persons responsible for these incidents. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 860-688-5273. NEW DELHI (AP) Personal data of an unspecified number of travelers has been compromised after a company that serves Indias national carrier was hacked, Air India said. The hackers were able to access 10 years worth of data including names, passport and credit card details from the Atlanta-based SITA Passenger Service System, Air India said in a statement Friday. It disclosed the scale of the breach nearly three months after it was first informed by the IT provider. The breach that happened in late February had compromised the data of some major global airlines, too. SITA at that time had said that Singapore Airlines, New Zealand Air and Lufthansa were among those affected. Air India said almost 4.5 million passengers globally were affected in the highly sophisticated attack but did not specify how many of them were its travelers. It said no password data was breached during the attack and that the company was investigating. The company said it recommended in an email to its customers that they should change their account passwords as a precaution. Air India started as a mail carrier in 1932 before gaining commercial popularity. It has been incurring losses since its 2007 merger with a state-owned domestic carrier, Indian Airlines. The debt-laden carrier is currently in the process of finding new buyers. The creative and cultural industry account for three percent of the global economy, generate $2.25 trillion annually and support 30 million jobs worldwide more than the car industries of Europe, Japan, and the US combined, the President of the General Assembly said. These sectors have played an essential role the world over throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and deserve more support moving forward, Volkan Bozkir was quoted as saying in a Wam report. "As we deliberate on the role of the creative sectors in supporting and being supported by a recovery from Covid-19, let us ensure that we address the bottlenecks limiting their potential such as inadequate policy protections and rights for the creative sector workers and business," Bozkir told a High-level event commemorating World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. Among other things, Mr. Bozkir said that culture offers an opportunity to address concerns over the impacts of Covid-19. "Far too often society is blind to the socio-economic contributions of those in the creative and cultural spheres," he said "This is a mistake. The breadth of this sector alone covering everything from advertising to architecture, from fashion to film and television is immense and diverse." The creative sectors not only enrich our lives but are also the largest employment sectors for young people, he said. "Simply put, culture represents the human journey through the stream of life, and records human experience and expression from all ages and regions of the world." Despite the size, value and influence of the creative sectors, he said, "we still do not reflect this in our policy and fiscal decisions" and they remain "at the back of the queue", vastly underestimating their overall contributions. Going forward, the Assembly President upheld that these sectors said they should be given the tools to thrive, and in doing so, ensure "comprehensive and up-to-date data" on their contributions toward the SDGs economic, social and environmental pillars. "Only in this way can policymakers be fully informed of the benefits and act accordingly," he stressed. Held every year on May 21, the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development celebrates not only the richness of the worlds cultures, but also the essential role of intercultural dialogue for achieving peace and sustainable development. The UN designated 2021 as the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development to expand the global creative economys contributions, break silos and grow partnerships for culture. The Assembly President said that during the darkest days of the pandemic many found solace and comfort in music, the arts, and reading. By limiting these sectors, they limit our societies capacities to build back better. Let us unleash these sectors creative energies to the betterment of all", he said, inviting everyone to support the "transformational year". Nearly one-third of federal correctional officer jobs in the United States are vacant, forcing prisons to use cooks, teachers, nurses and other workers to guard inmates. At a federal penitentiary in Texas, prisoners are locked in their cells on weekends because there are not enough guards to watch them. Elsewhere in the system, fights are breaking out, several inmates have escaped in recent months and, in Illinois, at one of the most understaffed prisons in the country, five inmates have died in homicides or suicides since March 2020. The Justice Department budgeted for 20,446 full-time correctional officer positions in 2020, but the agency that runs federal prisons said it currently employs 13,762 officers. The Bureau of Prisons insists that many of its facilities still have a full complement of officers who focus solely on maintaining order. Decisions to use other staff as guards are based on a facilitys needs and are made to ensure critical positions are covered, the agency said. Staff members also may be pressed into duty as correctional officers during irregular periods such as a pandemic, the agency told The Associated Press. For years, the Bureau of Prisons has been plagued by systematic failures, from chronic violence to high-profile deaths. But the staffing crisis is reaching a breaking point, and the pandemic hasnt helped. Nearly 7,000 employees were sickened with COVID-19. Officers were sent to hospitals to guard inmates being treated for the virus. Four staff members and 235 inmates died. Overworked employees are burning out quickly and violent encounters are being reported on a near-daily basis. At a prison in Illinois, there are so few staff that officers are sometimes forced to work 60 hours of overtime in a week. At a facility in California, a fight broke out among inmates soon after a teacher was sent to fill in as an officer. The expanded use of that practice, known as augmentation, is raising questions about whether the agency can carry out its required duties to ensure the safety of prisoners and staff members while also putting in place programs and classes such as those under the First Step Act, a criminal justice overhaul that received wide bipartisan support in Congress. You cant do programming, you cant have safety, you cant have a lot of things that make prisons operate without proper staffing, said Kevin Ring, the president of the advocacy group Families Against Mandatory Minimums. The bureau insists everyone working at its facilities is a trained, sworn correctional worker, regardless of position or job title. All 35,000 employees are told when they are hired that they should expect to perform law enforcement functions, the agency said, even if they are signing on as counselors or teachers. But pulling employees away from other duties up to twice a week means they have less time to do their regular jobs such as teaching classes, reviewing release paperwork and providing vital inmate services. When they augment you, youre not doing your job that youre hired for, said Jonathan Zumkehr, the union president at the federal penitentiary in Thomson. If youre a counselor, youre not able to counsel the inmates. If youre a case manager, youre not able to do the First Step Act. Those are two days that youre not going to get back. The issue came up when wealth financier Jeffrey Epstein took his own life while in one of the most secure jails in the country, the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York. One of the two prison workers assigned to guard Epstein the night he killed himself was a warehouse worker who was augmented to work as a correctional officer. Both were working overtime because of staffing shortages. Union officials have raised the alarm about staffing problems, even holding a rally this week outside a medium-security prison in Mendota, California. But federal efforts to attract more workers with 25% recruitment bonuses have, so far, barely made a dent. Starting salary is just under $43,500, with some promises of making up to $62,615. But thats much less than what even some other federal agencies are offering, not to mention competition from police departments, state prisons, oil refineries, factories and warehouses. Were tired of the agency putting a price tag on our lives, said Aaron McGlothin, the union president at FCI Mendota in California. Weve had staff members killed in the line of duty. Weve had staff members injured in the line of duty. At what point do they realize theyve got a problem to fix, and quit putting a Band-Aid over it? The bureau says it hired nearly 4,000 new staff members in 2020 more than in prior years and that more than 500 additional hires are on the way. The agency said it is offering retention incentives for hard-to-fill positions and to keep around employees who are eligible to retire, and holding recruiting events regularly. The situation could become even more dire as federal prisons brace for an influx of inmates. Right now there are 152,376 prisoners in 122 facilities. The Bureau of Prisons is ending contracts with private lockups the Mendota prison was set to receive 400 inmates from a for-profit facility in Texas and is likely to seek the return of nearly 5,000 people who were released on home confinement during the pandemic. At the high-security penitentiary in Thomson, Illinois, where several inmates have been killed or killed themselves in recent months, about 20 nonofficer workers are augmented each day and officers are forced to work overtime in 16-hour days that sometimes add up to 60 hours or more of overtime per week. Last week, the agency suddenly recalled correctional officers who had been temporarily reassigned to help out at some of the systems most understaffed facilities. Bureau officials said those employees were sent to locations experiencing staff shortages, for training purposes, and to provide additional security as needed and the jobs were never meant to be permanent. People familiar with the matter said the decision to recall the staffers was driven by cost-cutting and came after a blistering internal financial review. The people were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The Bureau of Prisons would not say how much money was spent on augmentation in the past few years. Records reviewed by the AP show skyrocketing costs from both augmentation and overtime. At the federal prison in Beaumont Texas, officials spent $8.1 million on overtime last year. The overall agency annual budget is close to $7.8 billion. The bureau said it must rely on overtime and reassigning other staff members when an insufficient number of correctional officers are available to cover an institutions critical custody posts. This is not a new practice, the agency said in a statement. It is important to note that staff assigned to our institutions are professional law enforcement officers first, regardless of their occupation. All staff are trained accordingly and are expected to perform law enforcement functions during routine and nonroutine situations. But correctional officers say theres a difference between patrolling the same cell blocks each day keeping skills and senses up and moonlighting there periodically. The staffing situation in Beaumont is so severe that prison officials have turned to just locking inmates in their cells on weekends because officials do not have enough officers to guard the prisoners. Visiting at the prison has been suspended until further notice. __ Sisak reported from New York and Balsamo from Washington. ___ On Twitter, follow Michael Sisak at twitter.com/mikesisak and Michael Balsamo at twitter.com/mikebalsamo1 and send confidential tips by visiting https://www.ap.org/tips/ This page requires Javascript. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Emirati Coffee, the first Emirati home-grown specialty coffee roastery, announces its expansion into Saudi Arabia with its first branch opening in the city of Al Khobar in July, under the brand Knowhere. The move aims to increase the brand's presence in Saudi Arabia and be recognised as the highest valued coffee in the country, the fastest-growing coffee market in the Middle East. The hectic work lifestyle and growing globalisation, along with the increasing youth population, have been seen to have contributed to the growth. "Emirati Coffee is committed to making specialty coffee available to all, and this is the reason we are expanding to Saudi Arabia. The expansion is also in line with increasing the company value by implementing robust financial processes and controls and developing a diversified mix of customers. We believe that we can capitalise on the brand's popularity with the Saudi consumers, especially those that came to love that brand when visiting Dubai," said Mohamed Ali Al-Madfai, CEO of Emirati Coffee. He adds: "Our strategy for this year is to identify and mitigate volatility pain points in our industry and invest in marketing and sales and improve our cash flow and sustain our expansion in Saudi and soon to China. We hope that our presence in Al Khobar will raise our capital to further expand to other cities in Saudi Arabia, and we look forward to our Series A capital raise round next year." The coffee roastery supplies specialty coffee to more than 160 outlets worldwide and is also planning to open an outlet in Riyadh in 2022 called Emirati Coffee Roastery. But as early as now, consumers are already following the brand through local specialty coffee shops in Riyadh. "We want to set a precedent that investments and funds can go towards companies other than technology. With the right investment and value partners, the F&B industry or any other non-tech industry has a lot of potential in the region and should be focused on," adds Al-Madfai. Aside from KSA, Emirati Coffee is also eyeing the Chinese market and is in talks with Chinese investors to explore opportunities and plan the introduction of the brand there next year. -- TradeArabia News Service Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription, or activate your access, to continue reading. 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The vaccines will be delivered by air and will arrive at the airports in Otopeni, Cluj-Napoca and Timisoara, informs the National Committee for Coordination of Vaccination Activities against COVID-19 (CNCAV). Transport to storage centres is provided by the manufacturing company, including by land, Agerpres informs. The vaccines are transported in optimal conditions, in special containers, with carbonic ice and sealed foil, says CNCAV. To date, our country has received 7,214,669 doses of vaccine produced by Pfizer, and 5,847,392 have already been used to immunise the population. The vaccination centres will use both doses received by Romania in the current tranche and in the previous tranches, based on the requests sent to the National Centre and the regional storage centres, through the county and Bucharest public health directorates. In Romania, the allocation of serum doses is made according to the delivery schedule provided by the manufacturing company, meaning that, weekly, our country receives the vaccine tranches necessary for immunising the population, the same source also shows. Brox Equity, a private company registered in Alberta, Canada, is combining traditional energy and the emerging crypto experience as a way to contribute to Canadas economic recovery for the energy industry. The company is raising up to $20 million through an innovative exempt digital security offering which will provide investors with diversified exposure to bitcoin, natural gas and electricity. The offering is part of the Brox strategy of purchasing natural gas assets to generate low-cost, environmentally efficient electricity for its proprietary bitcoin mining farms. Brox uses 50% of the power capacity that is generated at its sites to mine bitcoin on its own account and offers the remaining 50% to independent or third-party Bitcoin mining companies. This development opens new frontiers for the energy sector in the region whose economies depend primarily on the revenues from oil and gas and its associate industries. Increasing the revenues while decreasing the CO2 and flaring, as well as stranded oil wells (GCC accounts for 5% of flared gas globally according to World Bank report), is a priority for GCC governments in the upcoming years. Brox has a strategic relationship with PermianChain Technologies, the developer of a proprietary blockchain platform that brings together energy companies with crypto-asset miners to transform the way that energy is funded, produced, bought and sold. The Brox digital security, known as the Brox Token, is expected to be hosted on the PermianChain platform subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, providing Brox and its shareholders with digital tools for tracking, monitoring, managing and streamlining the distribution of bitcoin as dividend income. The oil and gas sector is entering a new era, says Mohamed El-Masri, founder and CEO of PermianChain Technologies and Director and CEO of Brox. Generally, crypto-assets and the mining of crypto-assets, mainly bitcoin, have become a viable alternative investment market that welcomes investors of all sizes. Bitcoin miners are growing in number and creating a global economy that is transforming the investment landscape, making the global digital economy a reality. We are providing the digital-asset mining infrastructure that will make this transformation sustainable and efficient. In the past, oil and gas companies have been forced to work around or even waste stranded natural gas deposits because they would be too expensive to transport to traditional consumers, says Philip Collins, Chief Operating Officer at Brox. Today though, bitcoin mining companies are desperate for affordable, responsibly-produced energy. Bringing together the supply of stranded natural gas and the demand for responsibly produced low-cost power simply makes sense for us. Doing it in a transparent, compliant way will make the Brox Token an attractive proposition for investors of all kinds. The Brox offering and our potential listing in the Canadian market offers our shareholders an innovative and unique form of investment, says Dean Callaway, Chief Financial Officer at Brox. Our shareholders will benefit from an investment vehicle that provides exposure to responsibly produced energy that is being used to generate bitcoin. Bitcoin earnings could ultimately be distributed as dividend income, giving Brox shareholders a convenient way to add bitcoin to their portfolios. Brox Tokens will represent the companys Class B common shares and are being deployed as ERC-20 smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain with coded restrictions to comply with Canadian exempt securities laws. The company expects to list its certificated Class A common shares on a regulated Canadian exchange. The Class A and Class B shares are interchangeable on a one for one basis, allowing shareholders liquidity through a public market and an opportunity to move between traditional and digital-asset markets. The offering is expected to start soon and is being distributed as an exempt offering by Windermere Capital in certain Canadian jurisdictions and by Ento Capital in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). -- TradeArabia News Service SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) The foreign ministers of Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovenia voiced unanimous support Saturday for North Macedonia and Albania to start membership talks with European Union, arguing that bilateral issues should not block the EU's enlargement into the Western Balkans. Austrias Alexander Schallenberg, the Czech Republic's Jakub Kulhanek and Slovenias Anze Logar arrived in North Macedonia's capital, Skopje, to offer their backing for EU accession talks scheduled for June. The three plan to visit Albania, which also wants to join the EU, on Sunday. Bulgaria refused last year to approve the EUs membership negotiation framework for North Macedonia, effectively blocking the official start of membership talks with its smaller Balkan neighbor. Bulgaria wants North Macedonia to formally recognize that its language has Bulgarian roots and to stamp out allegedly anti-Bulgarian rhetoric. The government in Skopje says the Macedonian identity and language are not open to discussion. Bulgaria on Friday ruled out again a possible reversal of its veto following a meeting with EU officials. The Czech Republics Kulhanek said it is not fair for one EU member nation to condition the enlargement process on a bilateral dispute. His argument, like that of a few other Republican governors who are trying to make a political point at the expense of their constituents, is that the April jobs report was less positive than expected, so they believe with little data to back them up that people are choosing to stay unemployed because of the federal benefits. Shortly after Parson decided to cut the benefit, he retweeted a study from payroll company Paychex that showed Missouri allegedly has the highest small-business wage growth in the country. The study probably has as much validity as one monthly jobs report that may well be adjusted up or down in the future. But for the sake of argument, lets assume its accurate. Parson also noted that the unemployment rate in Missouri dropped in April. So, those data points would seem to indicate the unemployment benefits arent keeping people from getting back to work, at least in Missouri. And those who are working like corrections officers and other unionized state employees have been given the cold shoulder by Parson. He refuses to negotiate union contracts among various state employee groups who are some of the lowest-paid state workers in the nation. A judge last week ordered Parson back to the bargaining table. TROY, ILL. An apparently suicidal Oklahoma man firing a gun into the air at a gas station in Troy, Ill., is dead after a shootout Saturday night with police. Kody Waters, 31, of Dewey, Okla., was killed. Police said they are unsure whether the officers gunshots or shots from Waters own gun caused his death. Troy police officers responded to a call at 7 p.m. about an "active shooter" in the parking lot of TA Travel Center gas station, 819 Edwardsville Road, according to a press release from the Illinois State Police. The man was reportedly suicidal and was actively discharging a firearm into the air. When the first Troy officer arrived, Waters was still firing a gun into the air. In fear for his life and the life of other patrons, the officer fired seven shots in the direction of Waters, the press release stated. At this time in the investigation, it is unknown if the officers gunfire struck Waters or if Waters shot himself with the firearm he was in possession of during this incident. Officers rendered aid to Waters, police said. The coroners office pronounced him dead at the scene at 9:10 p.m. His vote marked an apparent backtracking on a deal with Democrats and some Republicans to pass the provider tax without abortion-related language. The move effectively killed the bill. Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo, an Independence Democrat, was furious at what he described as a betrayal. He moved with no opposition on the last day of session to adjourn four hours early. Wieland said he, too, was betrayed. The Republican caucus, he said last week, had agreed to pass yet another version of the tax renewal with his contraceptive ban included. It sounds to me like they ignored the will of the Republican caucus and went and tried to make a deal with the Democrats and that blew up in their face, he said. Schatz has said he thought the move to send the bill to conference would succeed regardless of his vote, and found it difficult to be in a position of voting against pro-life measures. As the fight over contraception was developing, lawmakers were also taking steps to block Medicaid expansion. RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) As the United States scales back its military presence across the Middle East to focus on great power competition with China and Russia, it risks giving those two countries a chance to fill the gap and expand their influence around the Gulf, the top U.S. commander for the region said Sunday. While traveling through the Middle East over the past week, Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, who heads U.S. Central Command, fielded a persistent question from the military and political leaders he met: Is the U.S. still committed to their country and the region, and what more support can they get. From the dusty battlefields in Syria to the rocket-pummeled neighborhoods in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, they worry that America's pivot to Asia means they will be left without the troops, ships, aircraft and other military aid they need to battle Iranian-backed militant groups attacking their people. And if the U.S. is slow to respond, they may look elsewhere for help. Almost five decades ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that abortion is a constitutionally protected right, within reason. The issue has continued to roil America, but strong majorities have consistently said abortion should be legal, with restrictions. This is exactly what Roe v. Wade established in 1973, setting a fetal-viability standard at roughly 24 weeks. Now, Roe is in existential danger. A Supreme Court that is tilted far to the right of the nation agreed last week to review a Mississippi law that bans most abortions at 15 weeks, far in advance of fetal viability a law intended as a direct challenge to Roe, passed in the belief that the current court might use it as the platform to overturn this crucial right for women. Chillingly, it might. Contrary to the strawman stereotype promoted by abortion-rights opponents, most Americans who support abortion rights dont cavalierly shrug off the seriousness of choosing to end a pregnancy. Instead, they recognize that real life seldom offers simple options that sometimes, none of the choices are ideal. But the ability to make ones own choices, especially regarding ones own body and ones own future, should be sacrosanct. Bison are native to North America, but they never swam 22 miles off the coast of Los Angeles to Catalina Island. Yet, since early in the 1900s there has indeed been a herd living there. In 1924, the silent Western movie The Vanishing American was being filmed on Catalina, and one scene required bison. The film production company transported 14 bison from the Great Plains to the movie set with the intention of eventually returning them home. At the end of the filming there was no money remaining, and the bison stayed, ate the grass and propagated. The herd reached its peak in 1987 when there were more than 527 roaming the 46,000-acre island, and the massive grazing level of the nonindigenous species was imperiling ecologically sensitive areas. Since then the herd has been reduced to 150 bison, and the shaggy beasts remain a popular tourist attraction, even though they never made it into the final edit of the film. Myovant Sciences (NYSE: MYOV) today announced the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency has adopted a positive opinion recommending the approval of RYEQO (relugolix 40 mg, estradiol 1.0 mg, and norethindrone acetate 0.5 mg) for the treatment of moderate to severe symptoms of uterine fibroids in adult women of reproductive age. The European Commission will review the CHMP recommendation, and a final decision on the Marketing Authorization Application is expected to be available in approximately two months. The decision will be applicable to all 27 European Union member states plus Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein. Over 25% of women of reproductive age develop uterine fibroids. This chronic disease can cause debilitating symptoms that have a significant impact on quality of life and require long-term treatment, yet there are currently limited treatment options in Europe and many women are faced with the decision to undergo surgery to alleviate symptoms, said Roberta Venturella, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor, Magna Grcia University of Catanzaro and investigator in the LIBERTY program. The CHMPs positive opinion further validates RYEQOs potential to effectively address heavy menstrual bleeding and pain associated with uterine fibroids and serve as an important new treatment option for patients and physicians. This positive CHMP opinion represents an important step in advancing our mission to redefine care for women living with uterine fibroids, said David Marek, Chief Executive Officer of Myovant Sciences, Inc. We look forward to Gedeon Richters launch of RYEQO, if approved, as a new treatment option for uterine fibroids. The positive opinion recommending approval is based on safety and efficacy data from the Phase 3 LIBERTY program, which consisted of two replicate, 24-week, multinational clinical studies (LIBERTY 1 and LIBERTY 2), a one-year extension study, and a randomized withdrawal study assessing the safety and efficacy for up to two years of relugolix combination therapy (relugolix 40 mg plus estradiol 1.0 mg and norethindrone acetate 0.5 mg). Results from the LIBERTY 1 and LIBERTY 2 studies were published in the New England Journal of Medicine in February 2021. In March 2020, Myovant and Gedeon Richter entered into an exclusive license agreement for Gedeon Richter to commercialize relugolix combination tablet for uterine fibroids and endometriosis in Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States including Russia, Latin America, Australia, and New Zealand. Under the terms of the agreement, Myovant continues to lead the global development of relugolix combination tablet while Gedeon Richter is responsible for local clinical development, manufacturing, and all commercialization for its territories. Relugolix combination tablet for the treatment of uterine fibroids is also under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, with a target action date of June 1, 2021. PRESS RELEASE AB SCIENCE WILL HOST A LIVE WEBCAST ON TUESDAY MAY 25, 2021 ON MASITINIBS RESULTS IN PROSTATE CANCER Paris, May 21, 2021, 6pm CET AB Science SA (Euronext FR0010557264 AB) will host a live webcast on May 25, 2021 with key opinion leaders to discuss recently reported results from the Phase 2B/3 masitinib trial in prostate cancer. The webcast call will be held on Tuesday May 25, 2021 from 6.30pm to 7.30pm CET (12.30pm to 1.30pm ET). The webcast will feature presentations by three Key Opinion Leaders: Stephane Oudard, MD, PhD, Chief of the Oncology Clinical and Translational Research Unit at the Georges Pompidou Hospital in Paris, France Theo M. de Reijke, MD, PhD, FEBU, Associate Professor at the Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Olivier Hermine, MD, PhD, Chief of adults Hematology staff at Hospital Necker in Paris, France, president of AB Science scientific committee and member of the French Academie des Sciences AB Science, along with these key opinion leaders, will provide: An explanation of the rationale to position masitinib in the treatment of prostate cancer A presentation of the results from the recently reported Phase 2B/3 masitinib clinical trial in prostate cancer A discussion on the positioning of masitinib versus current treatment options in prostate cancer The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session with the key opinion leaders and management of AB Science. Masitinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor designed to selectively target mast cells and macrophages, through inhibition of c-Kit, Lyn, Fyn, and MCSFR-1 kinases, which are critical components of the tumor microenvironment, promoting angiogenesis and tumor growth, and also contributing to tumorigenesis by suppression of the immune response. On April 29th, AB Science announced that its masitinib Phase 2B/3 study (AB12003) in metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) eligible to chemotherapy met its predefined primary endpoint. Dial-In & Webcast Information Webcast date: Tuesday, May 25, 2021. US: 12.30pm-1.30pm ET; Europe: 6.30pm-7.30pm CET Number for the US: +1 646 722 4916 Number for France: +33 1 70 71 01 59 International numbers (outside US and France): Numbers for other countries are listed on the webcast page Conference ID: 26441128# Webcast connection page here KOL Biographies The following key opinion leaders will participate in the webcast: Stephane Oudard, MD, PhD Stephane Oudard is a Professor of Oncology and Chief of the Oncology Clinical and Translational Research Unit at the Georges Pompidou Hospital in Paris (2011), France. He is professor in Oncology at the Rene Descartes University, Paris, France. Professor Oudard received his medical degree from Hotel-Dieu Hospital, University of Paris, France (1993). On completion of his residency in medical oncology in Paris, Professor Oudard obtained his Masters of Science at Lariboisiere-Saint Louis University Hospital, Paris, France (1994) and his Doctorate at Institut Curie, Paris, France (1996). He completed a 2-year fellowship in cancer research at Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA, before returning to Paris. He is currently a member of the French Cancer Society, European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO, scientific committee), and American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). He integrated the research INSERM Unit UMR-970 Paris Cardiovascular Research Center (directed by Pr Eric TARTOUR) a research team focusing on immunomonitoring and immunotherapy of solid tumours. He is the deputy director of CARPEM, a site of integrated cancer research site. As a clinical researcher, Professor Oudard has served as a Coordinator, Investigator, or Co-Investigator on several phase IIII French, European, and international clinical trials. He has been largely involved in the development of docetaxel, cabazitaxel, sorafenib, sunitinib, axitinib and everolimus in uro-oncology tumors. He is a member of the French GETUG group. His research interests include prostate and kidney cancers, translational research, angiogenesis, immunology, inhibition of glycolysis, and drug resistance. He is the principal investigator of the phase III trials on CABASTY in prostate cancer, on NEMIO in bladder cancer and co-leader of the BIONIKK trial on personalized medicine in mRCC. Professor Oudard has authored 3 educational books, more than 348 scientific articles and 25 literature reviews published in various international journals. Theo M. de Reijke, MD, PhD, FEBU Dr. Theo M. de Reijke is Associate Professor at the Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Theo M. de Reijke performed his medical training at the Free University in Amsterdam and has been working from 1987 until 2018 as urologist at the Amsterdam UMC, location Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam. Since his retirement, he is still appointed at the Amsterdam UMC for two days supervising PhD students and coordinating of a oncology bachelor program at the medical faculty of the University of Amsterdam. In 2004 he successfully defended his thesis on immunotherapy for bladder cancer. Uro-oncology is his main field of interest, especially non-muscle invasive bladder cancer and upper tract tumours (new imaging modalities) and prostate cancer (focal therapy, new markers and imaging). He has been an active member of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Genito Urinary group (EORTC-GU) for many years. After serving as chairman of the prostate cancer subgroup, he was elected as secretary and later as chairman of the EORTC-GU group until June 2009. In the Netherlands, he has been the chairman of the prostate cancer guideline committee until 2019 and he is member of the bladder cancer guideline committee. He is member of different international Urological societies (e.g. NvU, EAU, AUA, Endourology Society), reviewer for several international journals and member of scientific boards for different journals. In 2011, he was elected as reviewer of the month for European Urology. He was chairman of the Dutch urological training program for residents and chairman of the European Board of Urology examination committee. He represents the European Urological Association at the EMA. He was elected as visiting professor for the medical school of Warsaw and he is honorary member of the Polish and Rumanian Urological Associations and was nominated as honorary member of the Dutch Urological Association. He is (co) author of over 250 publications in peer reviewed journals and he made contributions to many book chapters. He organised several scientific national and international meetings and is/was coordinator of (inter)national uro-oncology trials. Olivier Hermine, MD, PhD Olivier Hermine, MD, PhD is Professor of Hematology at Paris V-Rene Descartes University, Chief of adults Hematology staff at Hospital Necker (Paris), member of the French Academie des Sciences and author of over 700 international publications. Olivier Hermine is also co-founder of AB Science and Head of its scientific committee. About masitinib Masitinib is a new orally administered tyrosine kinase inhibitor that targets mast cells and macrophages, important cells for immunity, through inhibiting a limited number of kinases. Based on its unique mechanism of action, masitinib can be developed in a large number of conditions in oncology, in inflammatory diseases, and in certain diseases of the central nervous system. In oncology due to its immunotherapy effect, masitinib can have an effect on survival, alone or in combination with chemotherapy. Through its activity on mast cells and microglia and consequently the inhibition of the activation of the inflammatory process, masitinib can have an effect on the symptoms associated with some inflammatory and central nervous system diseases and the degeneration of these diseases. About AB Science Founded in 2001, AB Science is a pharmaceutical company specializing in the research, development and commercialization of protein kinase inhibitors (PKIs), a class of targeted proteins whose action are key in signaling pathways within cells. Our programs target only diseases with high unmet medical needs, often lethal with short term survival or rare or refractory to previous line of treatment. AB Science has developed a proprietary portfolio of molecules and the Companys lead compound, masitinib, has already been registered for veterinary medicine and is developed in human medicine in oncology, neurological diseases, inflammatory diseases and viral diseases. The company is headquartered in Paris, France, and listed on Euronext Paris (ticker: AB). Further information is available on AB Sciences website: www.ab-science.com. Forward-looking Statements - AB Science This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are not historical facts. These statements include projections and estimates as well as the assumptions on which they are based, statements based on projects, objectives, intentions and expectations regarding financial results, events, operations, future services, product development and their potential or future performance. These forward-looking statements can often be identified by the words "expect", "anticipate", "believe", "intend", "estimate" or "plan" as well as other similar terms. While AB Science believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, investors are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of AB Science and which may imply that results and actual events significantly differ from those expressed, induced or anticipated in the forward-looking information and statements. These risks and uncertainties include the uncertainties related to product development of the Company which may not be successful or to the marketing authorizations granted by competent authorities or, more generally, any factors that may affect marketing capacity of the products developed by AB Science, as well as those developed or identified in the public documents filed by AB Science with the Autorite des Marches Financiers (AMF), including those listed in the Chapter 4 "Risk Factors" of AB Science reference document filed with the AMF on November 22, 2016, under the number R. 16-078. AB Science disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update the forward-looking information and statements, subject to the applicable regulations, in particular articles 223-1 et seq. of the AMF General Regulations. For additional information, please contact: AB Science Financial Communication & Media Relations investors@ab-science.com Media Relations USA RooneyPartners Kate Barrette kbarrette@rooneyco.com +1 646 432 0191 Media Relations France NewCap Arthur Rouille arouille@newcap.fr +33 (0)1 44 71 00 15 Attachment MONTREAL, May 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sunshine Biopharma Inc. (OTC PINK: SBFM), a pharmaceutical company focused on the research, development and commercialization of oncology and antiviral drugs, today announced that it has paid off $250,000 in variable rate convertible debt and is planning to soon eliminate the two similar items remaining on the books of the Company. The Companys application for uplisting to the OTCQB had been declined due to outstanding variable rate loans which were on the Companys financial statements at the time of the application. The Company can re-apply in October 2021. Sunshine Biopharmas CFO, Camille Sebaaly stated, We are in the process of getting rid of these loans to minimize dilution. Protecting the shareholders against harmful dilution is of utmost importance to the management of Sunshine Biopharma. Sunshine Biopharma continues to be a fully reporting issuer as it has been since inception. The Companys financial statements are audited by a PCAOB qualified firm and its quarterly and annual reports are filed with the SEC under the same requirements as companies listed on the OTCQB or any U.S. Stock Exchange. As a result of investments from RB Capital Partners, the Company will be able to eliminate all harmful debt. This will leave the Companys balance sheet with only fixed price conversions. About Sunshine Biopharma Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has claimed the lives of over 3.4 million people worldwide since it first appeared in December 2019. There are currently no drugs that can effectively arrest replication of the virus in people who have contracted the illness. Sunshine Biopharma has completed the synthesis of four potential inhibitors of PLpro and subsequently identified a lead compound, SBFM-PL4. On February 1, 2021, Sunshine Biopharma entered into an exclusive license agreement with the University of Georgia for two Anti-Coronavirus compounds which the University of Georgia had previously developed and patented. The Company is currently advancing the development of these two compounds in parallel with its own SBFM-PL4 by conducting a transgenic mice study in collaboration with the University of Georgia, College of Pharmacy. The mice being used in the study have been genetically engineered to express the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) transmembrane protein in their lungs making them susceptible to lethal infection by SARS-CoV-2. The SARS-CoV-2 virus uses the hACE2 receptor to gain entry into human cells to replicate. The goal of the study is to determine if these protease inhibitors will protect the hACE2-transgenic mice from disease progression and death following infection with SARS-CoV-2. Should these mice studies prove successful, Sunshine Biopharma plans to submit the results to the FDA for authorization to conduct testing on actual COVID-19 patient volunteers in a Phase I clinical trial setting. In addition, to working on the development of a treatment for COVID-19, Sunshine Biopharma is engaged in the development Adva-27a, a unique anticancer compound. Tests conducted to date have demonstrated the effectiveness of Adva-27a at destroying Multidrug Resistant Cancer Cells, including Pancreatic Cancer cells, Small-Cell Lung Cancer cells, Breast Cancer cells, and Uterine Sarcoma cells. Clinical trials for Pancreatic Cancer indication are planned to be conducted at McGill Universitys Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, Canada. Sunshine Biopharma is owner of all patents and intellectual property pertaining to Adva-27a. Safe Harbor Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain forward looking statements which are based on current expectations, forecasts, and assumptions that involve risks as well as uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from those anticipated or expected, including statements related to the amount and timing of expected revenues statements related to our financial performance, expected income, distributions, and future growth for upcoming quarterly and annual periods. These risks and uncertainties are further defined in filings and reports by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Actual results and the timing of certain events could differ materially from those projected in or contemplated by the forward-looking statements due to a number of factors detailed from time to time in our filings with the SEC. Among other matters, the Company may not be able to sustain growth or achieve profitability based upon many factors including but not limited to general stock market conditions. Reference is hereby made to cautionary statements set forth in the Company's most recent SEC filings. We have incurred and will continue to incur significant expenses in our expansion of our existing as well as new service lines noting there is no assurance that we will generate enough revenues to offset those costs in both the near and long term. Additional service offerings may expose us to additional legal and regulatory costs and unknown exposure(s) based upon the various geopolitical locations we will be providing services in, the impact of which cannot be predicted at this time. For Additional Information Contact:Camille Sebaaly, CFOSunshine Biopharma Inc.Direct Line: 514-814-0464camille.sebaaly@sunshinebiopharma.comwww.sunshinebiopharma.com Source: Sunshine Biopharma Inc. The Maldives has emerged as one of the safe havens for travellers in the Covid-19 era following several proactive measures taken by the Government of Maldives to contain the spread of the virus. Being a tourism driven country, the Maldives was undoubtedly the hardest hit South Asian nation by the Covid-19 pandemic, said Shiuna Khalid, Managing Director, International Maldives Travel Market (IMTM). As the world, and Maldives, experienced unprecedented and monumental changes as a result of the on-going global pandemic, trade events like IMTM aimed to help Reconnect, Revive and Grow the tourism industry in the island nation, by hosting its very first, virtual travel and trade fair. Speaking to TTN, Shiuna Khalid discusses learnings from the pandemic and what steps have been taken to make Maldives a top of the mind destination to target markets and promote the destination as a safe haven to travellers. Excerpts from the interview: Covid-19 brought on a new set of challenges for the events sector. What have been the learnings from the 2020 event and what are the plans for the next one? The Maldives is undoubtedly the hardest hit South Asian nation by the Covid-19 pandemic and this is not surprising as 21.5 per cent of the countrys GDP flows from tourism. The sudden halt of international tourism brought an unprecedented economic shock, severely weakening the fiscal and external position, threatening the economic and developmental gains in the Maldives, increasing food insecurity due to disruptions in the supply chain. Social and livelihood costs to people are immense: childrens education is being severely affected, and people have lost incomes and require urgent protection. As we are part of one of the worst affected industries in the pandemic, we started the year with unconceivable challenges, especially Covid-19 regulations restricting all aspects of our physical event. In order to survive, we had to act fast and adjust to the new normal in order to sustain our business. Thus, we relied on technology to offer the opportunity to conduct business virtually, equipping stakeholders with a tool to Reconnect, Revive, and Grow the business. The virtual exhibition was a part of IMTMs broader plan to gradually reopen the travel, tourism, and hospitality sector to new markets. The company tackled its challenges through adaptation and innovation. With the launch of IMTMAir, an in-house virtual meeting platform, IMTM 2020 was conducted successfully, contributing to the governments effort to recover the tourism sector and the economy of the Maldives. We have listened to all, and based on the feedback, we are working to improve the online experience of the platform for our community. We are proud to bring forth a platform locally developed by our own in-house team. This took a lot of coordination and immense effort by the team, to bring a first-of-its-kind travel and trade platform designed and created by local minds. With the event industry transitioning into the new norm of virtual fairs, attending several events online became a battle filed. Therefore, we ensured that out IMTMair platform was easy to navigate throughout the event, providing a user-friendly experience to the participants. IMTM Pvt. Ltd. has officially announced the Fourth Edition of International Maldives Travel Market (IMTM), to be held on September 21, 22, and 23 virtually on their online B2B platform IMTMAir. The platform will come with new features according to the user feedback and will aim to provide an enhanced user experience for the participates. If there is the possibility to have the event physically and if the authorities allow such events to take place, we do plan to hold a physical event of IMTM with precautionary measures in place. Some countries have resumed physical fair but the Health Protection Agency of the Maldives has not lifted the restriction to have large gatherings. How has Maldives coped with the spread of Covid-19 and what measures have been taken to make the island a safe destination for travellers? The government of Maldives alongside MMPRC and industry stakeholders took the decision to reopen its borders on July 15, 2020, to recover from the worst seen effects on the island nations economy. It was a risk that the country had to take financially to survive the pandemic. However, the Maldives implemented proper coronavirus protocols keeping the safety and health of its residents and tourists at top priority. The Maldives took the advantage of the closed borders of other popular Asia pacific island gateways and welcomed tourists from around the world with few restrictions entering the country. The unique geographical features of the Maldives, with many hotels and resorts providing health benefit of isolation by the one island, one resort concept was the biggest advantage, making it the perfect holiday destination while much needed social distancing. The Maldives continues to promote the destination as a safe haven to the tourists and has achieved many milestones along the way in the recovery of its tourism. The country is experiencing a huge increase in tourist arrival from around the world and the March of 2021 has been a record-breaking month for the country, as it has welcomed 100,000 tourists in a single month for the first time. Last year, Allied Insurance company in association with the Ministry of Tourism has launched a Covid-19 insurance policy focusing on tourists who visit the Maldives. The covid-19 Insurance policy namely Allied Inbound consists of two options that cover medical charges, isolation facility charges, emergency medical transportation charges and interment charges which may follow a positive diagnosis for Covid-19 of a tourist during their stay in the Maldives. The Maldives Immigration, in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) and Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) initiated Maldives Border Miles, the worlds first nationwide loyalty program announced last year during the pandemic, opening tourist facilities and other tourism-related businesses the opportunity to become its partners. Maldives Border Miles is a three-tiered loyalty program designed to attract tourists in order to promote and increase the popularity of the Maldives. Tourists who enroll in this program will earn points based on the number of visits, duration of stay, and visits on special occasions. Points will also be rewarded for the predefined services obtained from the partners of Maldives Border Miles and for the visits during the off-season (June 1 to August 31). The Maldives plans to offer Covid-19 vaccines to tourists as an incentive to reopen travel. The tourism minister has stated on CNBC this April that a new Maldivian tourism campaign, dubbed 3V, for Visit, Vaccinate, Vacation, aims to make shots available for vacationers who travel to the Maldives, once all-local residents have been offered a vaccine. Effective April 20, travellers who have got their final dose of vaccination (vaccine approved by WHO) 14 days prior to the arrival do not need to submit a pre-arrival negative PCR test to enter the Maldives. But the travellers must submit authentic vaccine certification to the immigration via the online portal, IMUGA prior to travel. What are the buyers from the Middle East looking for in the Maldives? The Middle Eastern markets are recovering with impressive results. According to the statistics by the Ministry of Tourism, UAE is showing an 86.8 per cent growth from last year in terms of tourist arrivals. We believe that there is an increase in short getaways as many resorts offer 3 nights packages specific for the Middle East market. Furthermore, as the market is very specific on their requirement for privacy, resorts offer villas covered with vegetation or wall. Most of the resorts also offer an in-villa pool to provide the ultimate privacy for the guests. What are the latest hotel openings? As of April 15, the Maldives has 159 tourist resorts, 159 liveaboards, 711 hotels, and local guesthouses are operating to service tourists arriving in the island nation. All major international and local luxury brands and budget hotels are in service, facilitating holidays to different kinds of travelers to the Maldives. Furthermore, 29 internatioal airlines are now currently connecting Maldives to the world. What do you hope to achieve at IMTM 2021? We hope this year even many travel agents and tour operators from the Middle East participate in International Maldives Travel Market (IMTM) 2021, our B2B international travel and trade fair held in the Maldives, which brings forth a platform for leading international tour operators and travel agencies to explore opportunities in the Maldives; as well as connect with all of the accommodation providers of the Maldives Tourism Industry, including resorts, hotels, liveaboard, and guesthouses (local island tourism). We are very proud of the accomplishment we have achieved this so far despite the pandemic. Some of the highlights include the privilege of being supported by United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and endorsement by the Ministry of Tourism and Maldives Marketing and Public Relation Corporation. Furthermore, we were able to host a very successful webinar on Rural Tourism Development, in which experts from Maldives, Malaysia, China, and Bhutan, presented about their rural tourism approaches and practices. - TradeArabia News Service MELBOURNE, Australia, May 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Welding is one of Australia's most in-demand trades and can offer lifelong employment. As one of the most prominent labour agencies Melbourne businesses turn to for their recruitment needs, AIO Contracting says they are struggling to hire enough welders to meet the demand from their clients. Currently, they are hiring for multiple welder positions within the Melbourne, Geelong, and Ballarat regions. To help them satisfy the huge demand, the labour hire company in Melbourne has introduced a free one-day 'Introduction to Welding' short course. The course is designed to upskill students' welding skills and capabilities, helping them to kick-start a career in the industry. At the conclusion of the one-day course, successful students will be given the opportunity to be employed by the labour hire company to fill the roles they have available, which require basic welding and fabrication skills. Full-time employment opportunities are on offer with highly desirable day shifts within the engineering and manufacturing industries. To be eligible for the free course, applicants need only minimal MIG Welding experience. In addition, basic MIG Welding capabilities are desired, but not essential. Instead, AIO is looking for applicants with aspirations for a long-term welding career, a desire to work in a fabrication shop and confidence with hand tools. The free course runs over one day from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., with places limited to five students per day due to workshop capacity restrictions. The small class size will also ensure students receive invaluable one-on-one training with their instructor and the opportunity to learn more about the industry and opportunities available. At the end of the course, students are required to successfully pass a weld test, after which they will be eligible for placement with the labour hire Melbourne company. Whether those interested are looking for a career change or wanting to gain new skills, AIO strongly encourages prospective students to register their interest in the free course by visiting their website. Classes begin running from Tuesday, 1 June, and will continue to run for a limited time, dependent on demand. AIO advises businesses or agencies who want to access the course for a small group of five or more individuals, should get in touch with them directly to discuss specific requirements. Related Images labour-hire-agency.png Labour Hire Agency Labour Hire Agency View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/labour-hire-agency-melbourne-aio-contracting-offering-free-introduction-to-welding-short-course-to-help-meet-industry-demand-301297326.html SOURCE AIO Contracting Good morning and welcome to Sunday. Ko te ra tenei i hanga e te Ariki. Ka koa tatou, ka koa hoki ki reira. The MetService is forecasting a cloudy day with some occasional light rain possible this afternoon and strong southeasterlies. There is an expected high of 17 degrees, and an overnight low of 14 degrees. Low tide is at 9.54am and high tide at 4.14pm. Sunset is at 5.10pm. Whats on today? The Mount Sunday Farmers Market. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford. The Mount Sunday Farmers Market is happening at Mount Mainstreet this morning. Come along and find fresh produce and pastries. The Papamoa Lions Club are also running their market at the Gordon Spratt Reserve. Also being held in Papamoa at the Gordon Spratt Reserve is the monthly music afternoon, run by the Papamoa Country Music Club. The monthly music afternoon commences at 1pm and goes until 4pm. For more events visit My Tauranga. The Elms | Te Papa Tauranga Mission House. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford. The Elms | Te Papa Tauranga in Mission St is open from 10am - 4pm. Come and view the Mission House and gardens. For more information click here Gabby O'Connor at 'The Unseen'. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford. Gabby OConnors exhibition The Unseen is on at Tauranga Art Gallery until August 8. Lisa Chandlers exhibition The Dividing Line is on at Tauranga Art Gallery until June 6. Lisas tactile paintings reference both street art and protest paraphernalia gleaned from various protests and rallies. Take a walk through Tauranga Art Gallery and view the many exhibitions on display there this week. The gallery, in Willow St, is open from 10am - 4pm. Lynette Fisher has a collection of new works on show at The Incubator Creative Hub at Tauranga Historic Village until June 5. Love public art? CITY ART WALK TAURANGA app is a free to download walking tour of 20 public artworks in Tauranga's city centre. For more information click here Enjoy workshops at ReMaker, with the community of makers, located at Our Place in Willow St. Click here for more information. Diana Bomford, Tony Fraser and Hugh Bomford at the Lion and Tusk Museum at Mount Maunganui Have you been to the Lion and Tusk Museum yet? It's open today from 10am - 3pm at Unit 4, 14 Portside Dr, Mount Maunganui. Come and see a massive display of Rhodesian military history records and exhibits of uniforms, medals and equipment. Opening hours are 10am 3pm Thursday to Sunday. For more information click here The Incubator At The Incubator Creative Hub at Tauranga Historic Village, there are many exhibitions, workshops and events happening daily. For more information click here. Exhibition hours are 10am 2.30pm. What else is on today? Tennis Gate Pa Wednesday Club Night 6-7:30pm. Newbies welcome - $10 to play plus get dinner. Relaxed, fun & good night out. Brain Watkins House Museum 233 Cameron Rd, open 2-4pm. Adults $5, children free. Groups or classes by arrangement. Ph 578 1835 Bretts Goalkeeping Clinic Free GK coaching 9-11am. Suits beginners to youth, 3 coaches available, At Waipuna Park. Please bring your own gloves. Croquet Tauranga Domain, Cameron Rd, Sun, Tues, Fri, 12:45 for 1pm start. Beginners welcome. Ph Peter 571 0633 Enjoy Travel? Friendship Force meets third Sunday monthly. Home hosting in NZ & overseas. Noumea, Melbourne in 2022. Ph Jonathan 572 2091, Diane 027 249 9859 Golf Croquet At Club Mount Maunganui, Kawaka St. Tues, Thurs, Sun; 9:15am for 9:30am start. Visitors, new players welcome. Ph. Nev 07 575 5121 Healing Optimal EFT Learn how to heal your mind & body using the Unseen Therapist within you. Free e-booklet describes this proven process. https://www.emofree.com/unseen-therapist Text 0210 274 2502 Invitation To Meditate Follow your own meditation practice with friends in 1 hour of silence. 10am-12 in hall behind Brain Watkins House, 233 Cameron Rd. Refreshments. All welcome. Txt 0210 274 2502 Mah Jong Te Puke All players welcome 12:45-4pm. New player lessons on Thursdays. Lyceum Rooms, 8 Palmer Pl, Te Puke. Ph Gig 027 430 6383 Maketu Market 3rd & 5th Sunday of month. Set up from 7am at Maketu Village Green. Ph Maureen 021 267 1685 Medieval Swordfighting Learn to fight with swords axes, spears, etc. in a controlled safe & fun environment. Memorial park 1:30pm Messy Church Join us for fun activities, faith exploration, celebration time, meal provided. 4pm to 6pm at St Johns Anglican Church, 94 Bureta Road. Papamoa Country Music Club Live music on today at Gordon Spratt Reserve commencing at 1.00pm.All welcome with afternoon tea included.Come along and enjoy the music. Papamoa Farmers Market Connecting our community with local produce. Rain, hail or shine, it will be on! At Redefined, 58 Ashley Pl, Papamoa Porcelain & China Painting Check out this enjoyable & easily learned art form. Materials required are available to get you started. Ph 027 553 3042 Quakers In Tauranga All welcome to join mostly silent meeting exploring the spiritual experience of each person. 10am, 233 Cameron Rd. Ph 07 543 3101 Radio Controlled Model Yachts Sundays & Thursdays 1-3:30pm. Pond behind 22 Montego Dr, Papamoa, sailing Electron radio controlled yachts for fun. Adult beginners welcome. Graham 572 5419 Soul Food For You Relax, unwind, reflect, refresh, enjoy. Share in a selection of sacred & inspirational writings & music. Held last Sunday of month. All welcome. Ph 543 0434 Otago On behalf of our client we are seeking Warehouse staff to assist in their busy Warehouse team. If you want to become involved... View or Apply on GoodWork.co.nz Click the image above to watch the video 6.30pm update: Moturiki - also known as Leisure Island - and the Mauao base track both remain closed tonight due to the heavy sea swells posing a danger to the public. "We will reassess it tomorrow morning at 7am,' says Tauranga City Council Natural Environment Adviser for Mauao Josh Clark. The next high tide is due at 4.35am Monday morning. Moturiki and the Mauao base track were cordoned off to the public this afternoon about 2.30pm, as full tide was at 4.14pm and the sea swells were increasingly putting the public in the near vacinity at risk. Josh said the closures would be reassessed about two hours folowing the afternoon high tide. Two hours following high tide, Moturiki was still unsafe for people to access. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford. Waves were seen breaking 15 metres higher than people standing watching on the rocks at Moturiki this afternoon. Photo: Jamie Troughton. Police were called to Moturiki to help enforce the closure as many of the public continued to cross over the sand bar to the rock outcrops and Moturiki itself. There were also reports of Council staff being verbally abused by the public at the entrance to the Mauao base track. Police checking to see that no one was out at Moturiki this evening. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford. The first swell arrived at the Mount beach around noon today. The MetService says the swells are due to a low-pressure system northeast of New Zealand which is forecast to bring very strong southeasterly winds and heavy swells for the east coast of the North Island. These swells are expected to continue for a few days. On Sunday morning, the MetService said it was rapidly deepening - and even meeting the 'weather bomb' criteria which can cause storm surges, heavy rain, strong winds and large swells. NIWA Weather says while the strongest winds will remain offshore, eastern coastal areas from Gisborne through to Northland will have gusts of near or more than 70 km per hour, mainly today. These winds could generate immense waves, with a forecast showing over eight metres above New Zealand and around seven metres just off the east coast. A parent with baby dashing to beat the waves a few hours before high tide, before Moturiki was cordoned off. Photo: Jamie Troughton. 2.30pm update: Following a call from a SunLive journalist to Tauranga City Council, council staff have made the decision to close both Moturiki Island and the Mauao base track this afternoon due to dangerous sea swells. We are going to close Moturiki until about two hours after high tide, around 6pm, says Tauranga City Council Natural Environment Adviser for Mauao Josh Clark. Staff were sent to assess sea conditions at both Moturiki and the Mauao base track. High tide is expected around 4.14pm, and the closure will stay in place for a further two hours after that. We will come and reassess it at that point, says Josh. This morning at low tide, with sea sweeping up onto the beach around the access way to Moturiki, parents pushing prams and carrying babies were seen crossing over to the island to go and watch the waves that were crashing spectacularly on to the rocks. Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service lifeguard Jamie Troughton had climbed to a vantage point on Mauao to assess the swell, and was concerned to see the number of people watching the waves from Moturiki. I saw spray from a wave go 15 metres above the heads of people standing on the end of Moturiki and a guy showed me a video of him being saturated while standing on the end, so it's a fairly decent swell event, says Jamie. There are pretty long periods between the big sets but when they break, they're sweeping right around the base of Moturiki. You definitely wouldn't want to be caught by one of those surges." Waves at Mount Main Beach. Photo: Jamie Troughton. Jamie says this is the biggest swell of the year so far. It's right up there with the big swells we've had here over the past decade or so - there is some serious power in the waves and they're breaking a long way out to sea. Josh is encouraging anyone who wants to watch the waves to climb up onto the slopes of Mauao instead. In 2016, Hamish Rieger, 17, was washed into the sea at Moturiki by a large wave. In October 2014 Jack Dixon, 5, was snatched from the seashore by a wave on the eastern side of Mount Maunganui during a family day out at Shelley Beach. Both lost their lives, and Jacks body was never recovered. "I couldn't bear having another child swept away," says the SunLive journalist who had contacted Council after seeing the waves earlier. SunLive will update this story as more information comes to hand or as conditions may change. Dangerous sea swells have resulted in both Moturiki and the Mount base track being closed to public access until at least 6pm. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford. Earlier, 1.30pm: Lifeguards at Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service are warning the public to stay away from Moturiki Island this afternoon due to the highly unsafe sea conditions. Our lifeguards have been working with the Mauao ranger to help out as we are advising strenuously that people dont go out on Moturiki Island today, says Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Services Jamie Troughton. Jamie has climbed to a vantage point on Mauao to gain a better perspective of the seriousness of the swell thats been building, and is concerned to see people across at Moturiki watching the waves from a closer position. I saw spray from a wave go 15 metres above the heads of people standing on the end of Moturiki and a guy showed me a video of him being saturated while standing on the end, so it's a fairly decent swell event, says Jamie. There are pretty long periods between the big sets but when they break, they're sweeping right around the base of Moturiki. You definitely wouldn't want to be caught by one of those surges." Jamie says this is the biggest swell of the year so far. It's right up there with the big swells we've had here over the past decade or so - there is some serious power in the waves and they're breaking a long way out to sea. Even the surfers are staying out of the water today, which gives a pretty good indication of the conditions. If even the most experienced people are exercising caution, so should everyone else. High tide is not due until 4.14pm, but already at low tide this morning, the sea was sweeping up onto the beach with waves blocking off access to Moturiki for those, some with toddlers, who were waiting to cross over the sand to the island. We cant stop people from going, says Jamie, but youre putting your lives and other peoples lives at risk if you go out there. Its not to be taken lightly. The first swell arrived at the Mount beach around noon. The MetService says the swells are due to a low-pressure system northeast of New Zealand which is forecast to bring very strong southeasterly winds and heavy swells for the east coast of the North Island. The MetService says it's rapidly deepening - and even meeting the 'weather bomb' criteria which can cause storm surges, heavy rain, strong winds and large swells. NIWA Weather says while the strongest winds will remain offshore, eastern coastal areas from Gisborne through to Northland will have gusts of near or more than 70 km per hour, mainly today. These winds could generate immense waves, with a forecast showing over eight metres above New Zealand and around seven metres just off the east coast. Jamie is also advising extreme caution around the Mount base track especially as the tide comes in. Rogue waves can sweep up expectedly. Its only going to get worse around the base track, says Jamie. Id say that for two hours the other side of high tide, and for the rest of the day, everyone should stay clear of Moturiki and the Mount base track. SunLive contacted Tauranga City Council to enquire whether any safety measures were being implemented for the afternoon. Our contractor is heading to Mauao at the moment to make an assessment, says Tauranga City Council Natural Environment Adviser for Mauao Josh Clark. If its deemed unsafe we will close the Mount base track. If Moturiki is looking unsafe we will close that as well. Click the image above to watch the video 8pm update: Due to flooding on Buffalo Beach Rd, this section of the road on State Highway 25 is still closed. Waka Kotahi NZTA say that the road is expected to open when the high tide recedes. "Delay your travel or consider alternative route," says an NZTA spokesperson. The road was closed at 2.10pm today. A detour route is in place on SH25A and SH25 via Coromandel. High tide is expected at 4.30am on Monday morning. Buffalo Rd flooded. Photo: Rob Reilly. 5pm update: Due to surface flooding on Buffalo Beach Road, this section of the road on State Highway 25 is now closed. NZTA advise that motorists need to delay their travel or consider an alternative route. An alternative route option is by SH25A and SH25 via Coromandel. Buffalo Rd flooded. Photo: Rob Reilly. Earlier 4.30pm: Parts of the eastern side of the Coromandel Peninsula have been subject to large sea swells and incidences of flooding this afternoon with Thames-Coromandel District Council issuing a warning about personal safety. Jason McLoughlin filmed a video of the flooding at the corner of Centennial Drive by the Brophy's beach boat ramp. "Just over the hill at Wharekaho Beach there are ten to 12 foot rollers coming in too," says Jason. Jason can't recall when it has flooded like this before. "Not this bad to my knowledge. Cyclone Bola in 89ish had flooding over the Esplanade by the Whitianga wharf." "Water came over the road at Buffalo Beach,' says another resident. 'It's rough as guts. Down at the point water has come over the road and cops and everyone have been down there." The Thames-Coromandel District Council has issued a warning to everyone in coastal communities along the eastern seaboard of the Coromandel. This is a significant storm event that will last for most of the week that people need to take heed of and while spectacular to watch, is also dangerous, says councils Civil Defence Controller Garry Towler. We are in for a hammering over the next few days so personal safety is most important. Garry urges people to stay well away from the beaches, especially this afternoon and evening immediately following the high tide around 4pm. The ex-tropical low sitting off the east coast will deliver very high winds to the upper Coromandel and very rough sea conditions, however, at this stage its not bringing the anticipated rain. Huge seas, strong winds, high and king tides over the next few days will likely cause inundation, storm surge, erosion of beaches and damage to the foreshore, says Garry. Our Council's Emergency Management and Waikato Regional Council Flood Room have activated and will monitor the situation over the next few days. The Department of Conservation has advised that the Pinnacles Track is now being monitored so those intending to walk up over the next few days need to check ahead before heading in. State Highway 25. Photo; Jason McLoughlin. Lawton, OK (73501) Today Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Low 73F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.. Tonight Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Low 73F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Current Print Subscribers will be prompted to either login to their current site user account or to create a new one. A confirmation email will be sent when a new user account is created, which must be confirmed within three days in order to provide uninterrupted online access through your Print Subscription. Once the email address is confirmed please provide your Account Number to activate your Print Subscription Service. Avani Ibn Battuta Dubai Hotel has appointed Yann Decaix as its new General Manager. Decaix brings over 20 years of experience from around the globe, including working with brands such as Novotel and Guoman & Thistle Hotels, to take the hotel into its next phase. Paris-born Decaix got a taste for the hotelier life when he started his career in F&B, working part-time in Singapore during high school at the iconic Raffles Hotel, following in the footsteps of his father. Soon after, he travelled to Switzerland to start his hotel education at the Hotel Institute de Montreux which took him to positions around the world, including the US, UK and UAE and in 2020, he gained certification from Cornell University in Hotel Real Estate Investments and Asset Management. With a background in revenue management, Decaix has progressed through the ranks across the fields of operations, sales and e-commerce, before taking his first General Manager position at the Ibis Styles Dubai, in 2017. Now, with broader experiences from different aspects of the business and a variety of cultures, I look forward to working with the team to take Avani Ibn Battuta into its next phase as a thriving lifestyle hotel within an amazing location in Dubai, he said. Avani Ibn Battuta Dubai was the brands first new-build hotel in the Middle East region, located adjacent to Ibn Battuta Mall and Ibn Battuta Metro Link, close to Dubai Marina and the site for upcoming Dubai Expo 2020. Decaix has big hopes for the 360-key hotel to take it into its next phase. Avani Ibn Battuta Dubai is a great destination for both business and leisure guests and we have a lot to offer, but I want to make sure we are doing all we can to position ourselves well in what is a very competitive market. Dubai has come out of the pandemic as one of the worlds leading destinations, so it means we all need to work hard to keep that momentum going. The Avani brand has been expanding globally in recent years, with its portfolio reaching far and wide, including Thailand, Australia, South Korea and the Middle East region. Part of a growing portfolio in the UAE, Avani now has three properties in Dubai, with a new hotel also under development in Oman. Seeing the brand grow and being part of a young, dynamic concept is really exciting, added Decaix. It is an exciting time to be joining the Avani team and showcasing what we have to the world, as well as whats to come. Designed with new travel trends in mind, the Avani experience emphasises contemporary and functional features, carefully considered social spaces and genuine hospitality. The focus is on the details that matter, ensuring guests feel welcome and taken care of in go-to global destinations, from city hotels to beach resorts. Avani Hotels & Resorts currently operates 30 properties in Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. The brand has a strong pipeline of new properties under development, including in such new destinations as Thailand, Malaysia, and the Maldives. - TradeArabia News Service Tahlequah, OK (74464) Today Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms during the evening. A few storms may be severe. Low 69F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms during the evening. A few storms may be severe. Low 69F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. 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. Before submitting an Obituary to the Temple Telegram, please review our Obituary Policy. View Obituary Policy vivekgk BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Trivandrum Posts: 792 Thanked: 827 Times View My Garage Re: Fun & Interesting Trivia on the Indian Car Scene Quote: anjan_c2007 Originally Posted by Well said ! The Armada plastic fairings appeared to be all like after-thoughts on the bodyshell and on that old CJ 4A chassis. While new, these remained intact, but pity those old ones where the fairings either fell off in part or were shattered or had fissures and cracks or else even if intact had faded in colour from black to shades of grey or greyish white. And in its later years, by the late 1990's many Armadas were bought by our defence forces. Those in the Army were painted in the olive green shade. Armada was surprisingly common among missionaries, churches, convents etc, especially for ones based in "high-range" areas etc, due to their ability to reach places only Jeeps could reach, in much better comfort than the old Willys Wagons or crude Jeep CJ4 Wagons that used to do the job. I used to admire the custom, plush "Koyas" seats some of these vehicles had. Here's a CJ4 Wagon in case you haven't seen one. ISRO and several other government departments used own a ton of these full metal bodied brutes. Anyone remember Koyas seats? They deserve a post on their own. You used to see ads in papers that said that the Amby/Fiat on sale had Koyas seats. Koyas was a reputed upholstery firm in Coimbatore, well known for their custom, supremely comfy Bucket seats for Ambys' Fiats, and Jeeps. The Armada grille was fitted right above the old 540 7 slat grille. The headlamps came off the Omni, but the entire rear end was new. The tail lamps weren't off-the shelf, and the rear end finally got a proper bumper. The styling was also much more proportional compared to the Wagonette, and still looks good on the Bolero. In fact, the shortened bumpers on the new sub 4m Bolero don't look as good. If you get your hands on an old Armada, a Commander 750DP hard top, or a Marshal, it is possible to transplant a lot of the aggregates from a new Bolero and make it look brand spanking new. Here are pics of an MM540 Wagonette an Armada and a Commander 750DP HT, just for comparison. Quote: The 2112 cc, 65 bhp, Peugeot XD90 engine, with the 4-speed Kia BA-10 gearbox used in the earlier Mahindras since the early 1980's (incl the 540 DP) was a very tough workhorse and a very welcome change for regular Mahindra users, from the rattling MD 2350, 38 bhp, International tractor engine, with its antique Willys, three speed gearbox (first gear was non-synchromesh), that propelled the first generation, diesel Mahindras. As a kid attending my uncles's wedding, the most exciting thing for me was the large number of Jeep taxis hired, and I remember that by the time we reached the wedding venue, all of us cousins were nearly deaf from the racket from the Intl' diesel. Hard to believe that this tractor mill still lives on in the Mahindra ROXOR, and used to be in the Scorpio M2DICR and Thar M2DICR as late as 2020 till BSVI killed it. Ironically, it outlived both the 'modern' Peugeot mills that had replaced it, and even went back home to the US, where modders extracted upto 100 bhp out of it. Guess you can teach an old dog some new tricks. Quote: The engine noise was though quite high, in fact NVH levels were on the higher side, but the gem of an engine could cruise all day long at 70-80 kmph for days together, during long journeys. Quote: The dash plastics and interior door upholstery looked very cheap though. Quote: Instrumentation on the meter console was spartan. Due to the BS II norms getting into plce, M&M had to abandon the engine. But I believe they developed the 2.6 L Scorpio (1st generation) engine with the help of AVL Austria from the XD3P engine, readying for the Scorpio's 2003 launch. Due credit to I remember that my old school used to have an Armada, and so did my college. Both these vehicles had the front bumper replaced from the MM540, and one was later stripped of the grille altogether and made into a Marshal lookalike for re-registration purposes. The plastics rattled like hell and the less remained the better, the driver 'Josettan' used to say.Armada was surprisingly common among missionaries, churches, convents etc, especially for ones based in "high-range" areas etc, due to their ability to reach places only Jeeps could reach, in much better comfort than the old Willys Wagons or crude Jeep CJ4 Wagons that used to do the job. I used to admire the custom, plush "Koyas" seats some of these vehicles had. Here's a CJ4 Wagon in case you haven't seen one. ISRO and several other government departments used own a ton of these full metal bodied brutes.Anyone remember Koyas seats? They deserve a post on their own. You used to see ads in papers that said that the Amby/Fiat on sale had Koyas seats. Koyas was a reputed upholstery firm in Coimbatore, well known for their custom, supremely comfy Bucket seats for Ambys' Fiats, and Jeeps. The firm is still operating, and still making seats.. The Armada grille was fitted right above the old 540 7 slat grille. The headlamps came off the Omni, but the entire rear end was new. The tail lamps weren't off-the shelf, and the rear end finally got a proper bumper. The styling was also much more proportional compared to the Wagonette, and still looks good on the Bolero. In fact, the shortened bumpers on the new sub 4m Bolero don't look as good. If you get your hands on an old Armada, a Commander 750DP hard top, or a Marshal, it is possible to transplant a lot of the aggregates from a new Bolero and make it look brand spanking new.Here are pics of an MM540 Wagonette an Armada and a Commander 750DP HT, just for comparison.Whenever I used to visit my Dad's homestead in Thodupuzha, Idukki in the 80s thru the early 90s, the thing I looked forward to the most was the Jeep Taxi ride from the Bus Stop to home. The line of gleaming old Jeeps, most of them Ex-Military (some of the drivers as well) was a sight for sore eyes. You can still see Jeep Taxis in Wayanad and Malappuram, but they're usually monochromatic greys, while the Idukki Jeeps came in all bright hues, and polished, gleaming black, with bright aluminium painted wheels. Drivers loved them more than their own children, and every part was painted, silver painted or chromed.As a kid attending my uncles's wedding, the most exciting thing for me was the large number of Jeep taxis hired, and I remember that by the time we reached the wedding venue, all of us cousins were nearly deaf from the racket from the Intl' diesel.Hard to believe that this tractor mill still lives on in the Mahindra ROXOR, and used to be in the Scorpio M2DICR and Thar M2DICR as late as 2020 till BSVI killed it. Ironically, it outlived both the 'modern' Peugeot mills that had replaced it, and even went back home to the US, where modders extracted upto 100 bhp out of it. Guess you can teach an old dog some new tricks.I remember that the Grand got rave reviews in Car & Bike International, and IAJ for its highway manners compared to the Armada. The Grand's XD3P+BA10 added a whole new dimension to the Armada by giving it borderline cruising ability.Koyas to the rescue!!!I read somewhere here that the 2.6 Turbo in the Scorpio was a derivative of the XD3P, converted to DI and turbocharged for better low end and mileage. I remember that it ran rings around Tata's 483DL in performance, but coudn't match its refinement.Due credit to Team Roxor forum for these gorgeous schematics. Last edited by vivekgk : 17th May 2021 at 20:25 . Reason: Adding more trivia Spain will allow all vaccinated travellers - regardless of country of origin - to visit the country from June 7, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced at the FITUR international tourism fair in Madrid. Visitors must be fully vaccinated at least 14 days before their trip. Unvaccinated minors in the same family unit may enter with a negative PCR test (children under 6 years of age do not need to be tested). The vaccination certificate or PCR of minors must be provided on arrival. Spain will also permit tourists from 10 non-EU countries deemed low-risk to enter without a negative PCR test for coronavirus from May 24. Also from June 7, EU citizens with a 2-dose series completed at least 14 days prior to travel or with proof of having overcome the disease will be able to enter Spain without a PCR test even if their countries are listed as orange, red or dark red according to the ECDC's map. Speaking a day after the EU reached a long-awaited deal for digital vaccine certificates, Sanchez said the return of tourism would be the key driver of Spain's economic recovery. The main benefits of the Green Digital Certificate are its simplicity and interoperability for the entire European Union, as well as the fact it is free and universal. By means of a QR code, it will provide information on whether the person traveling is vaccinated, has contracted the disease, or has a negative PCR test result. Daniel Rosado, Director of the Spanish Tourism for the Gulf countries, said: After long months of restrictions, we will finally be able to see tourists back from this region to Spain, where we are waiting to welcome them with our usual warmth and with the highest health and security measures. The tourism fair of Madrid (Fitur), one of the first mass events to be held live and with all the safety measures to prevent the spread of the virus, will set the path to the recovery of the worlds tourisim sector. Spain hopes to receive in 2021 more than 50 per cent of the tourists that visited us in 2019. June 7 will be the start of the summer where travel to Spain is now posible. - TradeArabia News Service anjan_c2007 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: India Posts: 6,436 Thanked: 9,443 Times View My Garage re: Government proposes new norms for Tyres | Rolling resistance, wet grip and rolling sound emission But wherever these Babus are applying their own minds, the resulting notifications are a total disaster. These MORTH created recent notifications are creating unrest and are upsetting the otherwise smooth going of thousands of affected motor vehicle owners involved. One could check out the recent MORTH scrapping policy (there are some threads on teambhp and the criticisms by all affected are on genuine points), the astronomically hiked re-registration fees for all older vehicles (condemned by one and all in threads here), de-registration of all government vehicles after 15 years (another thread here where almost everyone has blasted the move) and so on. That's bound to happen and natural. One cannot expect generalists from the IAS cadre to be experts in every field. Someone gets transferred to the MORTH from the Ministry of Culture or Textiles or Coal and so on and becomes a key person in drafting such disastrous policies here. Hence, we should be satisfied with the copy and paste jobs from the West, as these Babus will enumerate disastrous norms even for old tyres like compulsory replacement for all tyres with a 7.5 mm or lesser tread or RTO fitness tests for all five year or older tyres or compulsory replacement for those tyres/tubes that have suffered more than three punctures or else imposition of heavy fines and challans and so on, leaving aside the notification for new tyres. Actually, technical persons with expertise in the field need to be involved in such drafting of crucial policies for automobiles, for it to suit the Indian conditions and usage, but sadly the Babus believe that they are superior to everybody and they can perform all the Herculean tasks much like "know it all" guys. The thread with this URL needs to be merged as it was created later, but with a similar title. https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...rms-tyres.html (Government Proposes New Mandatory Norms For Tyres) The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) is hyperactive these days. Yes, as many rightly say, the copy and paste jobs of such policies from developed countries are ruling the roost.But wherever these Babus are applying their own minds, the resulting notifications are a total disaster. These MORTH created recent notifications are creating unrest and are upsetting the otherwise smooth going of thousands of affected motor vehicle owners involved. One could check out the recent MORTH scrapping policy (there are some threads on teambhp and the criticisms by all affected are on genuine points), the astronomically hiked re-registration fees for all older vehicles (condemned by one and all in threads here), de-registration of all government vehicles after 15 years (another thread here where almost everyone has blasted the move) and so on. That's bound to happen and natural. One cannot expect generalists from the IAS cadre to be experts in every field. Someone gets transferred to the MORTH from the Ministry of Culture or Textiles or Coal and so on and becomes a key person in drafting such disastrous policies here.Hence, we should be satisfied with the copy and paste jobs from the West, as these Babus will enumerate disastrous norms even for old tyres like compulsory replacement for all tyres with a 7.5 mm or lesser tread or RTO fitness tests for all five year or older tyres or compulsory replacement for those tyres/tubes that have suffered more than three punctures or else imposition of heavy fines and challans and so on, leaving aside the notification for new tyres.Actually, technical persons with expertise in the field need to be involved in such drafting of crucial policies for automobiles, for it to suit the Indian conditions and usage, but sadly the Babus believe that they are superior to everybody and they can perform all the Herculean tasks much like "know it all" guys.The thread with this URL needs to be merged as it was created later, but with a similar title. Last edited by Sheel : 22nd May 2021 at 07:55 . Reason: As requested. A "Smart Toilet" will take photos of your poop and send it to the doctor. Scientists believe that it could be the long-lost answer to detecting several diseases. It could be the missing piece to call your house a "smart home." But unlike most pieces in a futuristic abode, this toilet will be more than just convenience and fancy aesthetic -- it could literally save your life. Also, the "Smart Toilet" is not a toilet itself; it is a technology that could fit inside the pipes of an existing water closet. And, after installation, it would take snaps of the feces before flushing. The algorithm will use the photo to determine if there are any problems. Then, it will be tagging the poop as normal, constipated, loose, or even if it contains blood. If it falls under the unusual category, it will be sent straight to doctors for further feces analysis. "We are optimistic about patient willingness to use this technology because it's something that can be installed in their toilet's pipes and doesn't require the patient to do anything other than flush," Dr. Sonia Grego, one of the researchers said via the New York Post. 'Smart Toilet' and Bowel Complications The said tech is a result of the minds of scientists from Duke University. They believe that their innovation, when fully developed, will be a lifesaver for millions of people from the undetected threat of colon cancer and other harmful conditions, New York Post reported. Moreover, the device helps in the early detection of complications mainly found in the bowel system. It could also detect irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease before it gets worse. Study Finds also reported that around 48 million Americans struggle in the toilet. As such, the "Smart Toilet" could at least prevent more people from adding to these upsetting statistics. Read Also: Chinese Airport Toilet Allegedly Contains Hundred-Million-Year-Old Fossils: Is This Legal? Here's How Expensive It Is Impressive Scanning Tool for Feces Analysis The Duke University researchers used pictures of people's feces found online or voluntarily provided by the participants to create the algorithm. The said photos were then sent to gastroenterologists, or doctors specializing in the digestive system, or the gastrointestinal tract to determine how to detect common complications from feces, Study Finds said in the same report. According to the study, the deep-learning algorithm accurately categorized the stools. Also, blood was detected 76.3% of the time. Hence, the "Smart Toilet" could only help people suffering from related diseases as it reported it to their doctors. The said tech is not smart enough to replace medical professionals completely. So, it needs to send the unsavory photos to doctors for proper diagnosis. The prototype of the "Smart Toilet" was shown in Digestive Disease Week 2021. Separately, researchers of Stanford University have produced a different "Smart Toilet" to detect COVID-19 through a person's feces alone. Related Article: COVID-19: Flushing May Send Out a Coronavirus-Filled 'Toilet Plume,' Research Shows This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Teejay Boris 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Google Play Store is currently suffering from a massive breach. Security experts and other researchers claimed that this new issue possibly affects around 100 million Android users. They said that people's sensitive user data might have been exposed by various popular applications from the giant app provider. Because of this, security researchers suggested that Android users should uninstall the infected apps. Check Point's security researchers confirmed that around 23 applications on Google Play Store could be infected by the new massive hack. They added that this happened since the affected apps were using unprotected real-time databases, which possibly led to the issue. On the other hand, Check Point added that the new Google Play Store issue could leak sensitive info of the Android users. These include emails, passwords, chat messages, location info, photos, and more. Google Play Store's Massive Breach According to Express UK's latest report, the current Google Play Store's alleged massive breach is a serious one since they are included in the most popular applications of the search engine giant. Also Read: Google Now Limits the Apps that Can Access What is Installed in Your Android Device Due to Privacy Concerns Their download records range from 10,000 to 10 million installations. If the massive breach is true, it is really bad news for Android users. Based on the report of Check Point, the highlighted apps include Astro Guru, Screen Recorder, and Logo Maker. The security added that these offending apps have over 10 million downloads on Google Play Store. "Real-time databases allow application developers to store data on the cloud, making sure it is synchronized in real-time to every connected client," said Check Point. "This service solves one of the most encountered problems in application development while making sure that the database is supported for all client platforms," added the security firm added. Protecting Your Data Since malware and other malicious files are being installed in various smartphone apps, Android users, even iOS fans, should practice some security techniques that would further protect their data from possible leaks. Forbes previously provided some of the best smartphone habits you need to adapt so that your sensitive data will be safe. Here are the things you need to do: Steer Clear of Smishing Clean Up Your Apps Be Careful Giving Out Your Digits Wipe Clean a Lost or Stolen Phone Lock It Up Beware of Public Wi-Fi Update Your Operating System For more news updates about Google Play Store's massive breach and other serious security issues, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes. Related Article: What Makes Google Flutter 2.2 Different Flutter 2.0? Here are Its Android Updates This article is owned by TechTimes Written by: Griffin Davis 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Wisdom Keepers: Carol Casey-Newell - 'Appreciate the moment because its not going to come around again' The Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan hosted the presentation of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedovs new book in Russian titled White City of Ashgabat. The event took place at the initiative of the Russian Embassy in Turkmenistan. The presentation brought together heads and representatives of diplomatic missions accredited in Ashgabat, academic staff and students from a number of higher education establishments of Turkmenistan, as well as mass media. Speaking at the presentation, the Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov noted that the capital of neutral Turkmenistan embodies the great successes achieved by the country over the years of independence, as well as the creative energy of the Turkmen people. Russian Ambassador Alexander Blokhin, Head of the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia Natalia Gherman, US Ambassador Matthew Stephen Klimow, UNICEF Representative Christine Weigand and others also spoke at the presentation. The participants of the presentation noted that the publication of the book White City of Ashgabat in Russian provides an opportunity for a wide range of readers to get acquainted with interesting moments of history of Ashgabat and get a greater insight into the development prospects of the Turkmen capital. TURKMENISTAN.RU, 2021 Bears may be cute, but they're still wild animals that can be dangerous, and residents and visitors need to be mindful of "bear aware" practices to keep both bears and humans safe, according to Officer Jeanette Loven of the Telluride Marshal's Department. (Planet file photo) Advocate readers may submit stories of about 500 words to The Human Condition at features@theadvocate.com. There is no payment, and stories will be edited. Authors should include their city of residence, and, if writing about yourself, a photo. 'What in the World is the Coronavirus?' by Martina Marie Domino With every storm drain that overflowed from heavy rain last week flooding roads and homes in southeastern Baton Rouge the list of the city-parishs violations of federal environmental laws grew longer. In fact, East Baton Rouge's stormwater system is so far out of compliance that it could face fines or even legal action by regulators. For years, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality has flagged problems with the city-parishs Stormwater Management Program, or SWMP. It's not just about flood prevention; the parish has also been faulted for how water runs off of construction sites, where tainted water from commercial and industrial sites flows and how the parish tries to catch and stop people from illegally dumping contaminants into the drainage system. When will those multi-million-dollar flood projects for Baton Rouge be finished? Not for years It will still be years before East Baton Rouge residents see any work completed on the multi-million dollar flood-prevention projects that wer Thats pretty much everything, said Robert Verchick, the chair in environmental law at Loyola University and former deputy associate administrator for policy at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, when asked about Baton Rouges issues with its SWMP. Part of the federal Clean Water Act, the program is a requirement for all cities and towns to get permits to discharge stormwater into local watersheds. The goal is to stop the rainwater from carrying pollutants into streams, rivers and other bodies of water. Stormwater plans are tracked by regulators and can lead to fines if too many violations are found in a given year. The problems with Baton Rouges stormwater plan, which was last updated in 2016, have been outlined in letters between the two parties since at least 2008 and as recently as this April. Baton Rouge has been cited a handful of times for deficiencies in its program over the past decade, most recently in a letter dated April 12. The city-parish has failed audits of its SWMP four times during that time period, according to public correspondence between the city-parish and state regulators. The April citation from LDEQ said data about how the parish monitors and reports stormwater was missing from the city-parishs 2019 annual report on its program. But it also pointed to several places where the parish is out of compliance, some of which have been previously flagged but not fixed. LDEQ gave the city-parish 90 days from the receipt of the letter to correct the deficiencies in its notes. The issues must also be addressed in the city-parishs 2020 annual report, which was due May 1, or face civil penalties for each day of noncompliance. Mark Armstrong, a spokesman for Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome, said the city-parish would apply LDEQs recommendations to its 2020 annual report and declined to comment further. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up +5 Search on for lost souls after Hurricane Laura washed away dozens of caskets CAMERON Lerlene Rodrigue mourned the death of her father 30 years ago. Now she might have to bury him again if she can find him. The city-parish also faces action from the U.S. Justice Department, with the two parties in the midst of negotiating a settlement. Its unclear what the consequences of the city-parishs violations will be, but consent decrees are tool the EPA uses to force cities and companies into compliance. If the Justice Department is involved, what that means is that were beyond the EPA or the state agency," Verchick said. Its basically the lawyers of the federal government that are coming in and bringing a civil action against it. Fines can run tens of thousands of dollars a day for municipalities out of compliance, Verchick said. The final decision on federal action is often influenced by political appointees of the presidential administration in office, Verchick said, meaning Democratic administrations are often tougher on municipalities that violate the Clean Water Act. Since the beginning of 2020, the federal government has announced 11 settlements with municipalities and companies that resulted in a consent decree, according to the EPAs website. State regulators, who administer the program, and the city-parish declined to comment on the ongoing negotiations, and the Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment. While the city-parish won't say why these violations keep happening, Verchick has some theories. +2 Even before floods, Baton Rouge was having the wettest spring in a decade Even before torrential rain this week drenched Baton Rouge, swamped cars and flooded houses, the capital region was seeing one of the wettest Climate change, which is increasing the amount of rain, may be overwhelming Baton Rouges stormwater management infrastructure, leading to an increase in violations of the Clean Water Act, he said. Addressing those problems could mean increasing the size of pipes for stormwater runoff, which is not a cheap fix. That puts governments across the country in a position where theyre unable to address the root causes of their violations, Verchick added. This is not an unusual thing its a bad thing but its not that unusual, unfortunately, Verchick said. As youd imagine, fixing those things can be tremendously expensive, so you get into this situation where its like what do you want me to do? I dont have the money to do it. One day before the primary election in the 1995 governors race, I handed Buddy Roemer a cell phone on a whim and asked if he would speak to my sister Alison. He was standing on a roadway in north Louisiana, making a last-minute bid for votes. Within seconds, I could hear Buddy laughing as he wished Alison happy birthday. When he returned the phone to me, she was laughing, too. Buddys death on Monday got me thinking about our many encounters over the past 32 years. During that time, I covered him when he was governor, when he ran for re-election in 1991 and lost, and when he lost again in 1995. In the following years, I saw him often. +5 Buddy Roemer's death prompts memories, reactions : 'He leaves a great legacy' Charles Elson "Buddy" Roemer III died on Monday in Baton Rouge. A businessman from northwest Louisiana, Roemer served four terms in Congress b In 2014, after he had called it quits in politics, his family asked me to edit what became Scopena: A Memoir of Home. Published in 2016, it tells his story of growing up on a massive cotton and corn farm in Bossier Parish called the Scopena Plantation. More than anything, the book is an homage to his parents, who put an unusual emphasis on educating their five children at a young age and schooling them to be good citizens. Buddy took the lesson to heart. He was elected to Congress in 1980 and as governor in 1987 and set his sights on being elected president. One memory today strikes me: Politicians told me time and again how they found Buddy to be difficult. But I always found him likable, even when he was irate at me because of my work. I first met him in 1989 after I had joined The Times-Picayune as a reporter. He was governor, and I went to cover him at a press conference. I smiled as he teased the other reporters before the formal event began. +2 Watch live: Former Gov. Buddy Roemer's visitation and service at Istrouma Baptist Church Visitation and services for former Gov. Buddy Roemer, who died last week, will be held at Istrouma Baptist Church in Baton Rouge on May 25. Buddy liked to rib reporters, I would learn. You da man! he would shout after someone said something funny. But when he got mad, at least with me, he did it in a clever way. At one press conference, when I was questioning him aggressively, he stopped me short by saying, Bridges, why dont you get a shave and a haircut? He was right. I needed both. One night during the 1995 race, he gave a speech near my home in New Orleans. After he was done, I mentioned that friends were coming over for dinner. Did he want to join us? He kept us laughing for a couple of hours as he told stories about dealing with President Ronald Reagan during his years in Congress. Unlike the typical self-absorbed politician, he took time that night to ask questions of everyone at the table. The scoop on state politics in your inbox Get the Louisiana politics insider details once a week from us. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Whenever Buddy talked about the latest idea that had impressed him, he would stop and say, Woooooow! And he would look at you closely to make sure that you understood the significance of what he was describing. But he was never pedantic. I never tired of talking with him. +17 Buddy Roemer, reform governor who switched parties and lost re-election bid, dies at 77 Buddy Roemer, who rode a message of reform in the 1987 governors race to vault over three challengers and slay the dragon scandal-torn th Buddy had a genuine thirst for knowledge that came from his parents. As he told me while we worked on Scopena, he was assigned books at Harvard that he had read as a child at home. Not surprisingly, he was a voracious reader as an adult. As I reported in one article for The Times-Picayune in 1991, he even took a book to a Saints playoff game. That story got him in trouble. It was an example of his quirky side, one that made him seem more human than many politicians Ive covered. They always seem to be on message. John Pope, a colleague of mine at The Times-Picayune, still remembers how Buddy returned a call to me one day and Pope took a message. Its R-O-E-M-E-R, he said earnestly, as if Pope didnt know how to spell the governors last name. Raymond Strother, his outside media consultant, marveled that when Buddy went to a favorite Baton Rouge restaurant, Superior Grill, he would sit where he couldnt be seen, with his back to the room. All other politicians Strother had known would have sat facing the crowd to glad-hand them. In retrospect, I think the constant scrutiny Buddy received as governor wore him out. He didnt have his heart in winning re-election in 1991 when Edwin Edwards avenged his defeat to Buddy from four years earlier. The fire had returned in 1995. One day Buddy and I were flying in a small plane back from a campaign event, and he sketched out to me what he wanted to do if he won. He was ready to lead, I thought. Voters disagreed, however. On Friday, I told Alison that he had died. What a shame, she said. We talked about the 1995 phone call. Our Views: Buddy Roemer, the revolutionary and the visions he accomplished Our governors are not usually thought to be visionaries. Because of their large powers of appointment and control of the legislative process, He was totally cracking me up, Alison said. I didnt expect him to josh around with someone he didnt know and do it so spontaneously. Edwards was funnier. But Edwards was like a stand-up comedian. His humor came from quips and rejoinders. Buddy was funny because he seemed to enjoy other people as long as they werent politicians. Gov. Edwin Edwards was so detested when he ran for re-election in 1987, because of scandal and a tanking economy, that the favored candidate to defeat him was nicknamed Abe. As in: Anybody but Edwards. For months, the four political heavyweights challenging Edwards competed to become the candidate for the one million plus voters longing for change. For a time, U.S. Rep. Bob Livingston, a Republican from Metairie, seemed likeliest to become the alternative to Edwards, win a spot in the runoff against him and then be elected governor. At other times, it looked to be U.S. Rep. Billy Tauzin, a wily Cajun Democrat who had the support of the courthouse gang that traditionally elected governors. For a spell, Secretary of State Jim Brown, a Democrat with a long list of policy ideas, appeared likeliest to emerge as the Abe candidate. +4 'You da man!' A reporter remembers former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer One day before the primary election in the 1995 governors race, I handed Buddy Roemer a cell phone on a whim and asked if he would speak to m Instead, Abe ended up being the most improbable candidate, the one who was last in the polls for most of the campaign and had the least money. His name: Buddy Roemer, a fourth-term Democratic congressman from northwest Louisiana. This is the story of how Roemer, who died on Monday, emerged victorious in one of the most dramatic elections in Louisiana history. Its the story of a candidate who came from the world of traditional Louisiana politics but rejected that approach and called for a dramatic break with the past. His message finally caught fire when he aired a riveting campaign commercial that challenged politics-as-usual. Edwards had served two terms as governor during the 1970s. With his let-the-good-times-roll ethos and a solid list of accomplishments, he was still revered by voters when he left office in 1980 because of term limits. In 1983, Edwards swept back into office by trouncing David Treen, who had been elected four years earlier as the first Republican since Reconstruction. Treen was viewed as honest and fair, but indecisive. He was no match for Edwards lightning quick political reflexes. The former governor was so confident during the 1983 campaign that he uttered his most famous line: The only way I can lose this election is if Im caught in bed with either a dead girl or a live boy. He won, but over the next four years, oil and gas prices plummeted. Tens of thousands of workers lost their jobs, tax revenues dropped, and the state economy slumped. +2 Watch live: Former Gov. Buddy Roemer's visitation and service at Istrouma Baptist Church Visitation and services for former Gov. Buddy Roemer, who died last week, will be held at Istrouma Baptist Church in Baton Rouge on May 25. Meanwhile, Edwards had faced accusations of taking political payoffs and went on trial twice in New Orleans. The trials laid bare his high-stakes gambling junkets to Las Vegas, where he had lost $400,000 one day and used the alias T. Wong when he signed for his debt. Edwards said it was inspired by the admirable Chinese gentleman who had gambled alongside him. On another occasion, Edwards signed his name as E. Nuff, which stood for enough, as in he didnt want to lose any more that day. The casino thought he had written Ed Neff. Edwards was acquitted, but the sour economy left voters less willing to accept a gambler and womanizer in the Governors Mansion for another four years. Longshot candidate Buddy Roemers father Budgie had served as Edwards campaign manager when he was elected as governor in 1972 and then became the governors top aide running the day-to-day affairs of government. Buddy Roemer worked for the Edwards campaign as well when he was first elected and for other traditional Louisiana candidates in the following years. In 1980, Roemer was elected to represent the 4th Congressional District. In Washington, he was a fiscal conservative who voted with Republican President Ronald Reagans tax cuts and defense build-up, but he was progressive on civil rights. In 1981, Budgie Roemer was convicted of corruption and sent to prison. His son blamed Edwards. (A federal court overturned the guilty verdict in 1989.) Buddy Roemer challenged Edwards in 1987, along with Livingston, Tauzin and Brown, but conventional wisdom gave Roemer little chance of becoming the Abe candidate. As Edwards said on the night of the primary, None of us paid any attention to him. He was the fifth running candidate for a long time. We never assumed he was a candidate to look at. +5 Buddy Roemer's death prompts memories, reactions : 'He leaves a great legacy' Charles Elson "Buddy" Roemer III died on Monday in Baton Rouge. A businessman from northwest Louisiana, Roemer served four terms in Congress b As he campaigned, Roemer spoke with a mesmerizing, evangelical style, telling voters that Louisiana needed a political revolution that he would lead. He would slay the dragon, Edwards, and cleanse the political system that had unfairly ensnared his father. Roemer impressed crowds everywhere but remained little known throughout the state and wasnt raising enough money to match the others in TV ad buys. By September, some of Roemers big-money supporters were secretly planning to jump ship and back Tauzin, Tauzin said in a recent interview. During this time, Raymond Strother, who was Roemers media adviser, had been working with Roemer to come up with just the right message to connect with voters. Strother, 47, was a Texas native who had graduated from LSU and gotten his start in Louisiana politics by working with Gus Weill, the states preeminent political consultant. By 1987, Strother had worked for the presidential campaign of Sen. Gary Hart three years earlier, several other Democratic senators and a governor from Arkansas named Bill Clinton. Roemer could go places, Strother believed, if they could just harness his talent. Whereas Clinton was not creative, memorable phrases rolled out of Buddys mouth, Strother wrote in his 2003 memoir, Falling Up. Clinton had an ability to connect with people and make them nod in agreement. Roemer could make them clap and stamp their feet. The scoop on state politics in your inbox Get the Louisiana politics insider details once a week from us. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Strother was sitting in his home office in Washington, D.C. late one night during the 1987 campaign when he put a sheet of paper in a typewriter and began typing, as he kept in mind Roemers speech patterns, expressions, intellect and resolve. Bingo! Strother found the right words. He called Roemer and read him the script. Excited, Roemer told Strother to fly to Louisiana the next day to film it. Our Views: Buddy Roemer, the revolutionary and the visions he accomplished Our governors are not usually thought to be visionaries. Because of their large powers of appointment and control of the legislative process, After a change to the scripts ending, the Harvard-educated Roemer memorized the 60-second ad in an hour to deliver his lines without a teleprompter. Some insiders say Im not a good politician because I say things that make people angry. Theyre right. I do, Roemer began, speaking straight into the camera in his north Louisiana twang. He said he had angered people in Washington when he refused to take a congressional pay raise. I thought the country needed to tighten its belt, he said. Roemer said he angered bureaucrats in Baton Rouge when he said he would reduce the number of state cars and scrub the budget. Next, he took on the polluters and said they should pay to clean it up. He said he would cut spending on Education Department bureaucrats and education consultants and use the savings to pay teachers more. The camera zoomed in on Roemer as he finished with the close he had written. I dont like Louisiana politics, he said. I love Louisiana. I love Louisiana enough to make some people angry. LPB remembers Buddy Roemer; Here are two shows to watch this weekend Louisiana Public Broadcasting will spotlight the life and legacy of former Gov. Buddy Roemer on Friday's "Louisiana: The State Were In" and a Roemer decided to spend virtually all of the campaigns remaining cash on buying TV time for the ad. It was a huge gamble, Strother said. Political insiders dismissed the ad initially, Strother said, because it insulted the political establishment. My theory and Buddys theory was that didnt matter anymore, Strother said. TV mattered. It was just Roemer At about the same time the ad began airing, The Times-Picayune, the states biggest newspaper at the time, endorsed Roemer with a front-page editorial. Other newspapers also backed him. This show of support gave him credibility with donors looking for a winning candidate. Contributions poured in. But it was the ad that voters throughout the state saw. Within two weeks, Roemer had vaulted over Livingston, Tauzin and Brown. Strategically, there were two things about the timing of the ad, said Mark McKinnon, the campaigns press secretary. We had just enough time and money to get it up. But it was late enough that the rest of the field didnt really realize what was happening, or they would have put a bullet in Buddy. Ive seen thousands of political ads, made hundreds, added McKinnon, who later was part of the campaign team that elected President George W. Bush. It was the most effective political ad Ive ever seen. Part of the reason it was so amazing is that it didnt have a lot of bells and whistles. It was just Roemer. On Oct. 24, 1987, Roemer ran first with 33% of the vote to Edwards 28%. At 1:15 a.m., Edwards appeared on stage at the Monteleone Hotel in New Orleans. Letters: Buddy Roemer left an inspiring legacy for education Former Gov. Buddy Roemers passing is a sad time for Louisiana. The Louisiana Federation of Teachers, of which I was executive director for 30 He surprised his supporters by announcing he would concede without contesting the primary. Over cries of No! No!, Edwards said he could not defeat Roemer. Strother said other candidates across the country hired him afterward to produce ads similar to the one he had helped craft for Roemer. But nobody could pull it off but him, Strother said. He believed in the message. When he said something, he meant it. In 1988, Black lawmakers at the State Capitol demanded the two largest river pilot groups in Louisiana diversify their all-White ranks as part of negotiations over a reform bill to beef up oversight of the groups. Thirty-three years later, not much has changed. Black legislators are again raising questions about the diversity and nepotism of the pilot associations as the Legislature debates a hotly-contested bill pushed by oil and chemical industry groups to overhaul regulatory oversight of the pilots. The bill, which is being negotiated, aims to bring some outside members to the self-governed oversight boards and bring transparency to who the pilot groups let in, among other things. River pilots have made some progress hiring Black and women pilots into their profession, which is among the most lucrative blue-collar lines of work available in Louisiana. But records provided by the organizations show nearly half of pilots from all three groups on the Mississippi River are related to another pilot. Several more are related to retired pilots or political figures. The vast majority are White men. Thats not very much progress in my mind, state Rep. Edmond Jordan, D-Baton Rouge, said in an interview. While its a private industry, its created under state law. They should be held to some sense of diversity and inclusion. We asked for there to be stronger language around the discrimination of pilots who come into the program, wanting more African-Americans to be represented and wanting more women to be represented," Rep. Candace Newell, D-New Orleans, said during debate on the House floor May 12th. "Because the numbers I got I didn't like." House Bill 650 by state Rep. Thomas Pressly, R-Shreveport, cleared the House with the backing of the influential Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association and Louisiana Chemical Association. It awaits a hearing of the Senate Commerce Committee. Several river pilot officials conceded that diversifying the ranks of their associations has proved difficult, and pointed to a lack of Black and women candidates who qualify. They also defend the practice of hiring relatives, arguing its no different than sons and daughters following in their parents footsteps in other industries. River pilots operate as a monopoly on the Mississippi River. The state requires companies shipping cargo up and down the waterway to pay for their services on foreign-flagged vessels. The ships they help steer are often massive, and crashes can be catastrophic, making the job a vital one. Pilots are quick to point out the treacherous nature of the work. The Crescent River Pilots last fall released a dramatic, slickly-produced four-and-a-half minute video that described the dangerous Mississippi River as powerful enough to rip a 150,000-ton ship away from its dock. The job is not for the faint at heart, the narrator said. The pay of the river pilots generally $500,000 or more has drawn the ire of the industries that pay for their services, while pilots argue their jobs are vital to safety on the river and they deserve to be well-compensated. The Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association and the Louisiana Chemical Association, which are pushing Presslys bill, are also fighting a pay increase request by one of the pilot groups. To become a Mississippi River pilot, a person generally has to get a degree from a maritime institute and do extensive training piloting ships, though the exact qualifications vary by the group. Perhaps more importantly, the candidate has to be elected by the current membership of whatever group theyre applying to be a part of, at which point they become an apprentice, a step below a pilot who draws a salary. Apprentices typically are paid far less than the river pilots themselves; some Black lawmakers argued the meager pay makes it hard for those who aren't from rich families to make it as a pilot early on. River pilots vs. big industry: War over 6-figure pay is about to get plenty more attention The petrochemical industry has long battled with the river pilots who help steer ships up and down the Mississippi River, mostly over the larg For decades, that setup has given family members an inside track at winning one of the few hundred river pilot jobs in the state. The board that oversees the New Orleans Baton Rouge Steamship Pilots, known as NOBRA, was the only of the three Mississippi River pilot group boards to refuse to release demographic information about their ranks in response to a records request. An attorney for the board said the documentation is exempt from public records law and declined to share the information. The president of the NOBRA association, Stephen Hathorn, didnt respond to multiple inquiries. The scoop on state politics in your inbox Get the Louisiana politics insider details once a week from us. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Hathorn told lawmakers during a recent committee hearing that NOBRA is working on diversifying the ranks, and claimed the group has the most Black pilots of any group in the nation. Jordan replied, thats an indictment on the industry as a whole." Several Black members have worked to add language in the bill to help more Black people get hired by the groups. NOBRA employs six relatives of Francis Heitmeier, a powerful former state senator and longtime lobbyist for the organization, according to a list of members provided by the group. Theyre among 64 pilots who share the same last name as another pilot, which shakes out to about half of the 130 pilots listed. Kevin Alario, the son of political legend John Alario, the former Senate president, is also a NOBRA pilot and was recently named to the board that oversees NOBRA by Gov. John Bel Edwards. That move, in which Francis Heitmeier's brother Robert was ousted from the board, sparked internal turmoil at the organization that ended with a court siding with Alario and Edwards in a lawsuit filed by the previous board members. Edwards also appointed Casey Clayton to the board, saying she broke the gender barrier by becoming the first woman pilot on the river in 2003. In the ranks of the Associated Branch Pilots known as bar pilots because they help ships get past sandbar formations at the mouth of the river 22 of 45 pilots share a last name with another pilot. The president of the organization, Christian Blache, said in an email that he and his brother Greg are two of the three non-White pilots in the group. The brothers became pilots in the early 2000s and are nephews of C.J. Blache, the longtime lobbyist for the Bar pilots. Of the two new pilots commissioned to be Bar pilots last year and the three expected to become pilots June 1st, Blache said all are White men. The Crescent River Port Pilots, which handle ships between Pilottown and New Orleans, also have a host of family ties. Fifty-seven of the 119 pilots listed by the group share a last name. Jack Anderson, president of the Crescent pilots oversight board, said the organization has four African-American, five Asian, five Hispanic and four women pilots. He said the vast majority of the pilots listed with the same last name are related, saying a son will frequently follow in his fathers footsteps to become a pilot. I understand their point, Anderson said of the call for more diversity in the pilot ranks. This has been an ongoing thing. Ive been a pilot for 40 years. For 30 of those years I know its been a problem. Weve tried to address it in many ways. Anderson said there arent many Black people or women in the industry nationwide, making it difficult to recruit more non-White pilots and women pilots. Louisiana also doesnt have a maritime school -- the closest is Texas A&M -- from which pilots are required to obtain a degree. He also said the association has admitted every Black applicant who qualified. For a time, Crescent handed out scholarships to recruit Black pilots from Texas A&M, but the program only netted Crescent one pilot, Anderson said. Lawmakers back industry proposal targeting Mississippi River pilots, who claim it's 'dangerous' A legislative panel on Monday advanced a hotly contested proposal backed by the oil and petrochemical industries to rework the oversight of ri Jordan said he remembers the same debates about race playing out when he worked for the Public Service Commission in the late 1990s, when the PSC regulated the pilots. He suggested the state could create a scholarship program at Southern University or another historically Black college to diversify the pilot groups. Crescent also pointed to the last three years of commissioned pilots, in which the vast majority were first-generation pilots. In 2021, Crescent commissioned six pilots. One was related to three other pilots and another was a nephew of state Sen. Patrick Connick, R-Marrero. Connick said his nephew got into the group completely on his own merit, and that he didnt talk to anyone at the pilot organization to help him. Connick, who is on the commerce committee that will hear the bill, said he thinks the pilot groups regulatory structure has issues that needs to be looked at. He also hasnt been a close friend of the pilots historically. In 2013, he filed a bill on behalf of the oil and gas industry to let industry members on the pilots rate-setting board include their legal and consulting expenses in the pilot fees. I come from a family of eight and I have 57 nieces and nephews, Connick said. In this group you can find a few doctors, lawyers, nurses, teachers, scientists, contractors and one licensed pilot. Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that Rep. Edmond Jordan worked for the Public Service Commission in the late 1990s, not the late 1980s. If you have an event you'd like to list on the site, submit it now! Submit Purchases made via links on our site may earn us an affiliate commission Attorney Jamila Johnson, of the Promise of Justice Initiative, stands in front of a structure that was formed in honor as names were listed of over 1,500 people who are currently imprisoned due to non-unanimous jury verdicts in New Orleans, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. (Photo by Sophia Germer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate) It may have been a prolonged wait for the Victorian government to finally kick off a royal commission into Melbournes Crown casino, but the inquirys public hearings, which began last week, took little time to expose serious concerns about how the business operated. On day one, the commission, led by Ray Finkelstein, QC, was told that a compliance officer at Victorias gambling regulator believed the casino group lied to him while he tried to investigate how and why 19 of its staff were arrested in China in 2016. Ray Finkelstein, QC, who is heading Victorias royal commission into Crown. Credit:AAP Compliance officer Timothy Bryant said the regulator ordered Crown to produce documents relevant to the arrests and interviewed senior Crown executives, who denied there had been warning signs its staff were at risk. Mr Bryant said it became clear those denials were fabricated as he obtained more documents from Crown, often only after they had been produced for a shareholder class action, and as evidence in last years damning NSW Bergin inquiry into Crown. It did not get much better on day two. The latest slump in the prices of bitcoin and many of its peers has put a serious dent in their credibility as a reliable means of payment, let alone as a store of value or a sound investment. But this is certainly not the end for digital currencies. If anything, the crash in the prices of the purely private coins has strengthened the appeal of other digital models, whether led by central banks or developed through public-private partnerships. Indeed, there is a huge opportunity here for the UK to lead the Western world - and to rival China in this field. Bitcoins latest slump has again raised question marks. Credit:Bloomberg Lets deal first with the bitcoin crash. Bitcoin is the largest of the cryptocurrencies, with crypto referring to the way in which secure technology is used to record ownership and payments anonymously. It is decentralised and was originally intended to be used for peer-to-peer transfers between private individuals or businesses. Youre a kid, so you dont realise what is going on. Since I Left You is just inspiration and flow, Chater says. We thought that we didnt try when we made it, so that if we actually tried we could make something 10 times better! The Avalanches was formed in 1997 by Chater, Di Blasi and the integral Darren Seltmann out of the ruins of their various noise-punk experiments, all of which had terrible names. With keyboardist Gordon McQuilten, they were university students living in share houses and playing chaotic pub gigs. Their first drummer was deported even as the Beastie Boys fuelled their music-making ambitions. The Avalanches I saw play live in 1998 at the long defunct Globe in Newtown, plugging their El Producto EP, were urchins whose performance after 12 hours in a van on the Hume Highway was completely helter-skelter. Tony Di Blasi (top left), Darren Seltmann (top right), Gordon McQuilten (bottom left) and Robbie Chater (bottom right) around the time of The Avalanches debut album. Credit: The link between that incarnation of The Avalanches and the one that constructed Since I Left You within a handful of years is blurry. Sonically, theyre two different groups. Somehow these bedroom boffins reached a point where their influences fell away, as did the traditional notions of authoring a composition. It was a radical act of transformation, spurred on by youthful freedom and the shock of a near-death experience. It was a huge shift that happened quickly, but we were so naive, Chater says. It was just joy from the discovery of music, yet Id also nearly died from drinking at just 21. Loading We didnt understand what alcohol could do, but then all of a sudden Robbie was in hospital and it was eye-opening. There was a heavy detox, monitored for seizures, then a month at a rehab facility, Di Blasi says. I would go and visit him and he asked me to bring the sampler in and the next weekend I came down and he played me Radio, which was completely different. From there, he went on this amazing creative burst, having had this experience at a young age and seeing everything differently. The clarity and freedom that flowed through the group which roped in turntablist Dexter Fabay and another keyboardist in James Dela Cruz is now considered historic. At the time, however, they were making songs and playing them to any musician friends who dropped in. While they were assiduously layering single-note samples to create something new, The Avalanches never imagined theyd have to get permission for their works. At the time, Seltmann thought the internet was a fad and the band believed that if all went well, Since I Left You might quietly sell 5000 copies in Australia. We knew this was us, and from that moment on we were free. Our early music wore its influences on its sleeve, but we suddenly had this corner where we werent in competition with everyone, Chater says. Youre in this space where theres no good or bad, right or wrong, because its your own thing. Recording Since I Left You was a breeze compared to getting permission to release it. The band had no idea that certain samples should have been avoided as they were invariably going to be difficult to clear. If the bassline from Madonnas Holiday worked for the segue from the title track into Stay Another Season, then they used it. For reasons still unknown, Madonna signed off on the sample. The publishing rights for the albums songs are reportedly so complex that the percentage totals are as fantastical as the music. After some tumultuous touring Seltmann somehow broke his leg twice on a single British tour in 2001 The Avalanches went underground, shedding members so that by 2006 they were just Chater and Di Blasi. It didnt matter: silence just added to the legend of Since I Left You. Teenagers now approach the duo and report that their Gen X parents played it non-stop when they were babies; Frontier Psychiatrist as the ultimate nursery rhyme. None of this was by design, says a smiling Chater. That could be our motto, suggests Di Blasi. The Avalanches Robbie Chater and Tony Di Blasi, pictured last month. Credit: But invariably The Avalanches actions find their purpose. The different CD, vinyl and digital 20th anniversary editions of Since I Left You carry a plethora of radical remixes and unexpected choices. Signature samples are missing, while tracks such as A Different Feeling get contrasting remixes from Ernest Saint Laurent and Carl Craig cued up back to back. These added voices and iconoclastic remixes keep Since I Left You from being claimed by nostalgia. Now theres a tangle of new paths blazed, and once again The Avalanches step back so that the past may yet be the future. We removed ourselves from Since I Left You. Theres no singing and no playing, just all this old music that was out there that we were a part of putting together, Chater says. Nothing we did gets in the way. It was just love and music and a collective voice from the samples that made this one brilliant thing. The Avalanches Credit: Having toured widely in 2017 and 2018 with an augmented line-up that filled festival stages, The Avalanches that perform a trio of shows in Sydney later this month will be just Chater and Di Blasi. Operating as an intuitive sound system behind their workstation, the two take the samples and recorded parts that underpin their songs and reimagine them alongside a whole new suite of DJ sounds. On stage in South Australia, where theyre artists-in-residence at Julys Illuminate Adelaide, a major new cultural festival, theyll be performing Since I Left You backed by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Its a one-off gig that closes a musical loop, having gone from creating an orchestras worth of samples to having an orchestra now replicate those same samples. Not surprisingly, there are some translation issues. It gave the world the Corvette and the Camaro, the Trans Am and Pontiac GTO; cars that idled with a rumble and then roared, that were built to appeal because of their sound and fury rather than despite it. Today General Motors is gambling that it can convince markets in Australia and America to embrace a new motoring thrill: silence. General Motors electric Hummer pick-up truck, the GMC Hummer EV. Credit: Culturally, between the United States and Australia, there is a romanticisation of the gas vehicle, and that will be an adaptation that societies will make over time, GMs vice-president of global public policy Tom Cooney told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age during a briefing to international journalists this week. General Motors and other automakers will still be making ICE [internal combustion engine] vehicles for several years to come, but this change is coming, and well be well-positioned for it. The company charged Australian taxpayers between $55 and $75 an hour for the same workers in a move permitted under the terms of its contract but which former workers say was exploitative. In February last year, then auditor at Applus Wokman, Samuel Kelly, raised the gulf in wages claimed compared with wages paid with Home Affairs on behalf of about 30 local staff. [Applus] pays us at a very low rate and when it comes to billing DHA (Home Affairs) at month end, where it bills using the actual rates in the contract. This is more like stealing from the Australian government as well as us the nationals, Mr Kelly wrote in an email on behalf of the affected workers. When we found out about this, we felt that we were being cheated on, exploited and used for the companys benefits. Looking at this, the company has made millions at the expense of us the dedicated nationals. Mr Kelly told The Age and Sydney Morning Herald that the company sacked him and 10 other workers after the payment issue was raised with the Australian government in February 2020. Asylum seekers on Nauru. Credit:Angela Wylie AJW Appluss contract with Home Affairs to provide services on Manus has been repeatedly extended, with the company recently earning $3.7 million a month. The contract is due to expire in June. There are 131 asylum seekers and refugees remaining in PNG. The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald can also reveal that the government of Nauru was furious after learning that Brisbane firm Canstruct was to be awarded an offshore services contract without undergoing an open and competitive tender process. That effectively denied the Pacific island nation the chance to compete to provide the same services. A confidential letter from high-ranking Nauruan official Barina Waqa to Home Affairs Deputy Commissioner Mandy Newton dated July 2017 describes how Nauru was deeply offended over the disregard with which you and your senior officials have met our request for a leading role in managing the RPC [regional processing centre] service provision. Ms Waqa, who is Naurus secretary for multicultural affairs and previously served as deputy secretary of Justice and Border Control, wrote that Nauru believed the decision to hand the contract to Canstruct had damaged the sense of partnership and collaboration between the two countries. I would like to formally record the Republic of Naurus objection to the information ... [that the Australian government] will be pursuing a sole tender arrangement with Canstruct. Canstruct has been paid $1.4 billion over five years to run Naurus offshore processing scheme and last financial year pocketed a net profit up to $100 million, according to corporate filings. While media reporting has linked Canstruct to two political donations, federal and Queensland records reviewed by The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald reveal 11 political contributions to the Liberal National Party in Queensland made by company executives or closely linked corporate entities. Loading The donations total at least $47,500 and were made between October 2017 and July 2020. Queenslands most senior federal government member is Peter Dutton, who was until recently home affairs minister. There is no suggestion the donations were made by Canstruct to influence contractual dealings with the federal government. Canstruct, which did not respond to questions, has previously dismissed any link between donations and its contracts. In a statement, the Department of Home Affairs said it considers value for money has been achieved under the Applus PNG and Canstruct contracts, noting price is not the only factor when assessing value for money. In many ways I am just like many of you. I am the son of a migrant one of the so called 10-pound Poms who migrated from England, built a home, a family, and a life. A life that enabled me to graduate from high school and go to university. In these ways I am just like many of you. Yet I am also the son of a Yorta Yorta and Dja Dja Wurrung woman. And in this way I am unlike many of you. I benefited from the privilege of being born and raised on Country surrounded by Aboriginal community and culture. In 2013, the Dja Dja Wurrung people celebrated their landmark native title settlement. Credit:JODIE DONNELLAN I benefited from being told the true history of this country. And I benefited from understanding early that the systems we navigate have been built by and for those with privilege, white and otherwise. Now as an Aboriginal cardiologist and researcher I support organisations around the country with a shared commitment to advancing equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Leading this work would not be possible without Indigenous support and solidarity across country, generations, and nations. Has Jacqui Lambies relationship with Qantas hit some turbulence? The usually outspoken Tasmanian senator was uncharacteristically tight-lipped last week when CBD contacted her over suggestions that the airline had suspended her access to its prestigious Chairmans Club lounges. Senator Jacqui Lambie. Credit:John Shakespeare Airport sources told CBD Qantas has put the brakes on Lambies privileges after several occasions inside the lounges where staff and the former Army corporal failed to see eye to eye. Alas, Lambies representatives werent prepared to comment or to issue a denial. Its worth noting that Qantas usually opens up its lounges to all sitting MPs and senators, in what remains one of the most attractive perks of life in Parliament. But the airline itself never comments on its membership lists. Qantas is hardly alone in its pursuit of the political crowd. Virgin also invites all sitting pollies to join its Club lounge, while this month, newly minted domestic carrier Rex has also extended membership of its airport lounges to all sitting MPs. Lucky for Lambie, that relationship appears to be on solid ground. Rex representatives were spotted visiting Lambies office during a budget week whistle-stop tour of Parliament House. No doubt that lounge door is open. First Female 101st Command Sgt. Installed Thursday By West Kentucky Star Staff FORT CAMPBELL - The 101st Airborne Division will conduct a change of responsibility ceremony on Thursday.During the ceremony, Command Sgt. Maj. Bryan Barker will relinquish his responsibility as the senior enlisted advisor of the 101st Airborne Division to Command Sgt. Maj. Veronica Knapp.Knapp is the first woman to serve as the command sergeant major for an Army division.Command Sgt. Maj. Knapp is the first leader in this historic division to have led both men and women at every level, from team leader to squad leader, all the way through brigade command sergeant major, said Lt. Col. Kari McEwen, division public affairs officer.Selecting a leader like her opens the door for our soldiers to experience the outstanding leadership of those outside of the combat arms branches, and thats something weve been missing, McEwen continued.The ceremony will be live-streamed at the link below.On the Net: International student enrolments at Victorian schools have fallen more than 30 per cent this year, amid warnings that schools will disband their international programs if Australias border remains closed for muich longer. Close to 4900 international students were enrolled in Victorian schools at the start of this year, compared with about 6950 a year prior. Only 448 international students commenced at Victorian schools at the start of this year, compared with close to 1400 students in early 2020, official figures show. Tracey OHalloran, managing director of AEAS, says it took four years for enrolments to recover after the GFC. Credit:Eddie Jim Victoria had Australias biggest international school program before COVID-19, with many schools relying on these students for income and academic plaudits. Sixty-four per cent of international students, who are primarily from China, Vietnam and Cambodia, attend government schools. The pandemic situation in south Asian countries, such as Bangladesh, Pakistan and particularly India, has deteriorated in an alarming way. None of us are new to the images of COVID-19 suffering and destruction. Even so, the images of pyres burning and smouldering ash filling the Indian cremation grounds are horrifying. This has been a stressful time for the Australian south Asian community. The impact is even bigger for the large number of south Asian international students who do not have close family and friends in this country. These students have not visited their family and friends since early 2020 because of Australias border closure. An Amnesty International vigil for human rights in India. Credit:AP Australias international students have been ignored by the federal government during the pandemic, despite being an important source of revenue. University of Melbourne data reaffirms that these international students have felt a heightened sense of isolation, a sense of losing their support network, and profound anxiety. The worsening situation in their home countries has not made things easier for them. Most universities have been trying to support international students with financial grants, food hampers, housing funds and mental healthcare. The Victorian government has offered free meals and groceries, as well as money. But as our memory of COVID-19 lockdown fades, we need to increase our support for international students. While the rollout has been haphazard, clearly the Morrison-led government has another agenda. Mr Morrison seems intent on allowing people to make their own choice about if or when they will access this essential vaccination. Why? Is this another case of the Prime Minister avoiding responsibility for a program that might fail to provide full protection for this insidious and deadly disease? Andrew Dowling, Torquay Let those who can, do In Australia we annually vaccinate millions of people to protect against influenza, childhood illnesses and other serious infections. So whats gone wrong with the coronavirus campaign? I think the politicians thought that this was a great opportunity to generate some easy, positive, personal publicity. Instead, all theyve done is demonstrate that they have the scientific know-how of a gnat and lack the ability to run even a chook raffle. They should withdraw, offer support as requested and let those who can, do. Cor Lenghaus, Armstrong Voter sentiment suits the governments timeline Peter Hartcher says for Australia to live safely with a COVID-infested world, the solutions are a system of rapid vaccinations and a rigorous quarantine system both being pursued by the Morrison government with a dreamlike languor (Ringmaster keeps focus off crisis, Comment, 22/5). He might have added that the governments vaccine rollout and its quarantine system have both been a fiasco. With one of the latest polls showing that 73 per cent believe international borders should remain closed until at least mid-2022, legitimising uncertainty among Australians might suit the governments election timeline, but any new lockdowns or deaths over winter will be down to the Morrison government. Neil Hudson, East Melbourne THE FORUM Surely they can do both A new note issued to Defence staff under orders from Defence Minister Peter Dutton states, Defence represents the people of Australia and must at all times be focused on our primary mission to protect Australias national security interests. We must not be putting effort into matters that distract from this (Dutton crackdown over woke agenda, The Age, 22/5). I truly hope that Defence has the capacity to both protect Australias national security interests and host a morning tea while wearing clothing to mark an occasion. Many organisations manage to achieve their goals while also holding staff events to celebrate diversity in the workforce. A morning tea is not rocket science. Defence does represent the people of Australia. The Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey demonstrated that the majority (61.6 per cent) of Australians support marriage between two people of the same sex. It is likely many more are supportive of the LGBTQIA+ community, despite their views about marriage. Minister Dutton, please stop imposing your personal and minority view on one of Australias most significant workplaces. Portfolio responsibilities extend beyond your electoral base to the entire nation. The views of the nation are clear on this matter. Ben Bishop, Coburg Consider this, Mr Taylor Federal Emissions Reductions Minister Angus Taylor has ruled out incentives [for electric vehicle uptake] and said the federal governments policy was focused on enabling consumer choice and supporting natural uptake (Australia to be graveyard of petrol cars, The Age, 22/5). Sounds all right? Well, try applying this logic to something else urgently important to our general wellbeing but already accepted say, measures to improve road safety. Would we agree to rule out incentives let alone penalties to encourage natural uptake of speed limits? Or make seatbelts a matter of consumer choice? Colin Smith, Glen Waverley They must be supported As an Australian playwright, I am astounded by the proposal to discontinue triennial funding for key arts organisations in the City of Port Phillip (Arts groups dismay at funding cut, The Age, 22/5). These companies are the lifeblood of our city, sources of joy, hope and imagination for our community and evidence of passion and determination of our arts practitioners. Among them is Red Stitch, a theatre company whose name is synonymous with intelligent, inspired and intimate theatre. Visiting artists from New York and London have recognised the extraordinary work of Red Stitch. Humble, authentic and punching far above its weight, its a living, breathing miracle of stoicism and passion. What elevates Melbourne as a city are its artists. Art gives us the ability to rise above the problems of the moment and find powerful cause for inspiration and gratitude. We are living in a time when our own home must provide the nurture and generosity that we once found across the world. The City of Port Phillip should see companies such as these as jewels in our crown and do everything in its power to support the artists who, through blood, sweat, tears and very modest funding, give us so much joy. Joanna Murray-Smith, Fitzroy North Forget the politicians It was great to see all those students rallying for climate change, but as we know, the Coalition has a tin ear on the subject. I think young students will have more effect if they pressure their parents to vote for Labor or the Greens (if they dont already) until they themselves reach voting age. Jack Wajntraub, South Melbourne Its not that taxing I seem to remember an ancient-with-wisdom saying: Tax where the money is. State Treasurer Tim Pallas has done that at last, but federal counterpart Josh Frydenberg, being a slow learner, is unlikely to follow for some time. Ultimately, as an old non-economist, I suspect, that to repair the budget he will have to. If he lasts that long. Michael Hipkins, Richmond A pressing need The Andrews governments commitment to significantly increase mental health funding is praiseworthy, but it is important to remind ourselves that in reality we are playing catch-up for decades of severe neglect. It is also evident that despite expanding federal schemes such as Better Access and Headspace, the rates of mental illness have continued sadly to climb. Nonetheless, given the hopes raised over the past two years in Victorians it is vital the increased funding is used effectively and justly. The royal commission report into Victorias mental health system noted systemic racism is a mental health burden requiring serious attention. Racism elevates rates of mental illness and reduces help-seeking. Australia lags well behind its counterparts in data collection and research to inform resourcing and service delivery. Psychiatrists for Racial Equity in the Mental Health of Australians is a recently formed group of psychiatrists from diverse backgrounds with a broad range of professional expertise and experience and we wish those entrusted with implementing reform of Victorias mental health system every success. In doing so we highlight the pressing need to actively address systemic racism as a mental health concern. To not do so would itself be now considered a form of racism. Gunvant Patel, Carlton I think hell go early Once again George Megalogenis makes heaps of sense (Morrison in a race to get re-elected before he has to face climate change challenge, Insight, The Age, 22/5). How much longer can an Australian Prime Minister continue to publicly brush aside strong advice from our two closest allies, the US and the UK? I, too, suspect Scott Morrison is sorely tempted to go early, hoping to avoid having to start taking climate challenges seriously. Kevin Burke, Sandringham A jaw-dropping complaint Our government complaining about the Chinese court secrecy in the Yang Hengjun case is jaw-dropping (Australian writer faces spy trial, The Age, 22/5). The secrecy in our courts regarding the Witness K case and another whistleblower is an affront to our democracy and justice system with its long tradition of open justice. The hypocrisy knows no bounds. Terry Martin, Benalla My agenda is love I am the father of a trans girl. I have struggled at times to understand, made many mistakes with pronouns (getting much better, thank you), driven her mad with dumb questions, and, yes, live in fear shell be mentally or physically bashed when they head out the door. The only agenda is that my daughter knows she has her parents love and respect, always and unreservedly. Andrew Watkins, Highett They found money for that I have trouble understanding how a government that found hundreds of millions of dollars for detention centres for a few refugees fleeing persecution and murder, who posed very little danger to the Australian populace, cannot find the money to build secure quarantine facilities to protect us from a deadly pandemic that could kill huge numbers, but relies on hotels that time and time again have shown to be not fit for purpose. Philip Andrews, Hawthorn, SA Ripe for the greening Melbourne City Council is to be congratulated on its $60 million spend on open space (Council gives green light to $60m for open spaces, The Age, 22/5). Its response to climate change with its goal of a city in a forest is commendable. But just three kilometres from the city centre we have 43ha of public land with very poor tree coverage. The Melbourne General Cemetery (which is within the boundary of Melbourne, but on Crown Land) is a heat island where regular use of herbicide has removed both ground cover and topsoil in many sections, particularly towards the north of the cemetery. There is only a very sluggish tree planting plan with many of the recent planting being pencil pines, which have no canopy. It would be good to see the City of Melbourne making better use of this existing public land. A sound tree-planting plan would contribute to heat reduction as well as making this an attractive area in which residents could walk. This can all be done without the expense of purchasing new open space. Jane Miller, Carlton North Its hardly comparable Your correspondent (Letters, 22/5) describes Penny Wongs recent speech as more like accommodation than diplomacy and suggests it is reminiscent of Neville Chamberlain 85 years ago. It may be fair to suggest that had European leaders acted with more resolution and taken earlier military action, Hitler could have been nipped in the bud. He is surely not suggesting that Xi Jinping and his regime can be turned around with decisive military action. Maurie Trewhella, Hoppers Crossing Consistency would help I am more than happy to have the AstraZeneca vaccine and have had my first dose at the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton. It would be great to book the second dose but no the booking system for this vaccination centre does not book that far ahead and you need to wait a week or two before it is due. Meanwhile my friend at a different centre has had his second dose efficiently booked by staff as he waited the 15 minutes after his first jab. I think there needs to be a consistent system across vaccination sites especially with people showing hesitancy about vaccines. Dont put up barriers. Ange Mackie, Coburg AND ANOTHER THING Climate change Give us a referendum on new gas-fired power stations. That would put an end to this irresponsible, climate-damaging proposal. Ralph Frank, Malvern East Credit: Will Scott Morrison take his lump of coal to the G7 meeting, show it to everyone and tell them to not be afraid of it? John Walsh, Watsonia The pandemic As COVID-19 is a national health problem, perhaps a 1 per cent extra Medicare levy for those who dont get vaccinated should be considered. Michael Nicholls, Travancore Maybe we should call Australias vaccination program what it really is: a stroll out. Denis Evans, Coburg Get the meerkats to front the advertising campaign: Get vaccinated as eventually you will be exposed to COVID-19. Simples. Dee McLarty, Eagle Point Politics Is there any chance Canberra could extend its much-vaunted foreign relations bipartisanship by substituting Marise Payne with Penny Wong? Leon Burgher, Stony Creek Scott Morrison announces funding for a new gas power plant, parliamentary sceptics happy, byelection won, job done. Dave Robson, Port Melbourne Our Prime Ministers re-election strategy appears to be Operation Sovereign Borders redux. Joe Wilder, Caulfield North Here is a question for Michael OBrien: How would you fix the mental health issue? Dan Drummond, Leongatha Mixed messages Peter Dutton says he rejects discrimination in the armed forces (The Age, 22/5), but bans woke agenda activities that may raise awareness and morale: how does that work? Mary Cole, Richmond Goma, Congo: Congos Mount Nyiragongo has erupted for the first time in nearly two decades, turning the night sky a fiery red and sending lava onto a major highway as panicked residents tried to flee Goma, a city of nearly 2 million. There was no immediate word on any casualties, but witnesses said that lava already had engulfed one highway that connects Goma with the city of Beni in North Kivu province. Reports have been mixed on whether lava from the volcano is flowing towards the city centre. Residents take selfies in front of lava from the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo on the outskirts of Goma, Congo. Credit:AP Mount Nyiragongos last eruption, in 2002, left hundreds dead and coated airport runways in lava. More than 100,000 people were left homeless in the aftermath, adding to the fear in Goma on Saturday night. We are already in a total psychosis, resident Zacharie Paluku said. Everyone is afraid; people are running away. We really dont know what to do. Up for debate: Live legislation tracker Check out the latest developments on bills pending before state lawmakers in four key topics. Instant unlimited access to all of our E-Editions and content on thechronicleonline.com. The Chronicle E-Edition Newsletter emailed to you each week, the night before the paper hits the street! This subscription is for NEW or RENEWING online subscribers. (The charge will appear as "Country Media Inc." on your credit card statement) Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-21 17:47:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A woman receives a dose of COVID-19 vaccine in Kampala, Uganda, May 21, 2021. Uganda on Friday started the second phase of COVID-19 vaccination in the country. (Photo by Nicholas Kajoba/Xinhua) KAMPALA, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Uganda on Friday started the second phase of COVID-19 vaccination in the country. Health minister Ruth Aceng, foreign minister Sam Kutesa and World Health Organization representative in Uganda Yonas Tegegn Woldemariam were among those who received their second shot of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at the ministry of health headquarters in the capital, Kampala. "The ministry of health advises all those who received their first dose and completed eight weeks to visit the nearest vaccination facility for their second. The vaccine is safe and effective," Aceng said after getting her second jab. On March 10, Uganda launched the first phase of COVID-19 vaccination, targeting high-risk groups such as health workers, teachers, social workers, security personnel, the elderly, and those with underlying medical conditions. As of Thursday, Uganda had inoculated 472,617 people against COVID-19, a majority of them in Kampala. Enditem This is the temporary subscription pass for users returning from the Vision Data subscription process. Your subscription will be updated within 24 hours, after your information is verified. Please click the button below to get your pass. Click the image to the left and log in to get your exclusive reader perks. 14-Year-Old Girl Leaves Newborn Baby at NJ Restaurant; Bystanders Rush to Help A 14-year-old girl gave her newborn daughter to customers at a New Jersey restaurant before leaving the eatery, according to the restaurant owner and witnesses. The girl appeared to have just given birth to the baby, with its umbilical cord still intact, when she handed the child to customers at a restaurant in Jersey City on May 19, a restaurant employee told the Jersey Journal. The owner of the restaurant, El Patron Mexican Restaurant, said the teen was desperate and asking, Somebody, like, pleading, Can you help me? She was asking for the firefighters. It was a very dangerous situation, WPIX reported. Once she handed the baby to someone else, one of our customers, she just left, employee Frankie Aguilar told the Journal, adding that the child had its umbilical cord still attached. The child was then taken to Jersey City Medical Center. Alease Scott, a mother of two preschool children who was there eating, said the teen handed the baby to her, WPIX reported. The 14-year-old then quickly left. At first, I said to myself, Well, let me get your name if youre just going to drop the baby off, because she said she was in a rush, that she had to pick up another child, Scott said. According to police radio transmissions cited by the paper, the girl was located soon after the incident. She was also taken to Jersey City Medical Center. Authorities told WPIX that the girl wont face criminal charges. She wasnt identified in reports. Investigators work the scene of a shooting in Fairfield Township, N.J., on May 23, 2021. (Matt Rourke/AP Photo) 2 Dead, 12 Hurt After Shooting at Large New Jersey House Party: Officials The New Jersey State Police said its investigating a shooting at a massive house party in Cumberland County late on May 22 that left two people dead and another 12 injured, including one in critical condition. The state police, which provided scant details of the incident in a statement early on May 23, said that troopers responded to a residence on E. Commerce St. in Fairfield Township after a report of a shooting with multiple victims. Fairfield Township is located in the southern part of New Jersey, approximately 50 miles south of Philadelphia. A 30-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman were killed, officials told ABC6 in Philadelphia. Their identities werent released to the public. State police said that no arrests have been made in the case; no motive was provided by officials. Investigators work the scene of a shooting in Fairfield Township, N.J., on May 23, 2021. (Matt Rourke/AP Photo) Investigators work the scene of a shooting in Fairfield Township, N.J., on May 23, 2021. (Matt Rourke/AP Photo) Police gather at the scene of a shooting in Fairfield Township, N.J., on May 23, 2021. (Matt Rourke/AP Photo) The shooting occurred as more than 100 people were attending a party, officials said. It was hundreds of people, our neighbors, who were just getting together because it was the first really warm, nice night. There were a lot of parties and get-togethers throughout the community, and this was probably the biggest, Melissa Helmbrecht, who works for youth advocacy group Hopeloft, told WCAU-TV. I just started hearing at first what I thought was fireworks, it was really gunshots, and I heard nine in rapid succession, said Rev. Michael Keene of the Trinity AME Church, which is across the street from where the shooting occurred, ABC6 reported. Anyone with information should call the New Jersey State Polices Bridgeton Station at (856) 451-0101, or can submit a tip via the Cumberland County Prosecutors Office tip website at www.njccpo.org/tips. Baby Born With Feet the Size of a Penny Defies Survival Odds: Walking, Talking Miracle A miracle baby born at 24 weeks gestation with feet the size of a penny has defied doctors who said shed never walk or talk. The 5-year-old is now in primary school. Francesca Bradley-Curran was born 48 hours after the abortion limit, where doctors would have legally deemed her not viable to save. Weighing just 1 pound 6 ounces (approx. 0.62 kg), doctors warned her mother, Victoria Bradley, 41, and dad Paul Curran, 51, that even if she did survive, she would never walk or talk properly. However, the little schoolgirl from Liverpool, Merseyside, England, has continued to defy all odds. Francesca started her first year of primary school last September, wearing clothes two years above her age group. Victoria said: From the minute she opens her eyes, shes a constant ball of energy. Its crazy to think that the doctors told us even if she did survive she would never walk or talk, but now we cant get her to sit still or be quiet. When I talk to other premature baby mums their children are all still really small but Francesca wears aged 68 clothes and she has perfect vision, Victoria said. She battled meningitis, pneumonia, three bouts of sepsis, two collapsed lungs, acute kidney injury, and had 16 blood transfusions and laser eye surgery before she left hospital. Every day I look at her and think she is my walking, talking miracle. Francesca hit headlines in 2017 after her parents took a photograph of a penny next to her feet, which were the same size as the 17-millimeter (0.67-inch) coin. Victoria now shows Francesca the images and videos of her when she was a baby to explain why she is so special. I showed her a video that came up on my Facebook memories of her when she was born and she realizes that she was very ill and very small, Victoria said. She saw another video where someone called her the baby with the penny-sized feet and she asked me why do they think I have penny feet. I explained that we had put a penny next to her feet when she was born and she decided to lay down next to one and I think it made her realize just how small she really was. The proud mom added: Even I struggle to remember just how tiny she was. I look back and pictures and videos and its the picture with the penny that really helps me realize the scale of it. Its still emotional to look back, I think how did I cope and get through that, it was such a scary time. Epoch Times Staff contributed to this report. Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Epoch Inspired newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter Belarus Opposition Figure Detained When Flight Diverted KYIV, UkraineA prominent opponent of Belarus authoritarian president was arrested Sunday after the airliner in which he was traveling was diverted to the country after a bomb threat, in what the opposition is calling a hijacking operation by the government. The presidential press service said President Alexander Lukashenko personally ordered that a MiG-29 fighter jet accompany the Ryanair planecarrying opposition figure Raman Pratasevich and traveling from Athens, Greece, to Vilnius, Lithuaniato the airport in the capital Minsk. Deputy air force commander Andrei Gurtsevich said the planes crew made the decision to land in Minsk, but Ryanair said in a statement that Belarusian air traffic control instructed the plane to divert to the capital. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda also claimed the plane was forced to land in Minsk and said Lukashenkos regime is behind this. The Belarusian Interior Ministry said Pratasevich was arrested at the airport. Pratasevich is a co-founder of the Telegram messaging apps Nexta channel, which Belarus last year declared as extremist after it was used to help organize major protests against Lukashenko. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko attends the Roundtable Summit Phase One Sessions of Belt and Road Forum at the International Conference Center in Yanqi Lake, Beijing, China, on May 15, 2017. (Lintao Zhang/Pool/Reuters) Pratasevich, who had fled the country for Poland, faces charges that could carry a prison sentence of up to 15 years. The presidential press service said the bomb threat was received while the plane was over Belarusian territory. Officials later said no explosives were found on board. Flight-tracker sites indicate the plane was about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the Lithuanian border when it changed course. Exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya called on the International Civil Aviation Organization, or ICAO, to begin an investigation. It is absolutely obvious that this is an operation by the special services to hijack an aircraft in order to detain activist and blogger Raman Pratasevich, she said in a statement. Not a single person who flies over Belarus can be sure of his safety. Belarusian authorities said there were 123 passengers on the plane, which was expected to resume its trip to Vilnius later Sunday. Western countries also expressed alarm. Belarus showed again its contempt for international community and its citizens, U.S. Ambassador Julie Fisher said, calling the event dangerous and abhorrent. European Council President Charles Michel echoed Tsikhanouskayas call for the ICAO to investigate. Months of protests arose after last Augusts presidential election that official results say gave Lukashenko a sixth term in office. Police cracked down on the protests harshly, detaining around 30,000 people and beating many of them. Although protests died down during the winter, Belarus has continued to take actions against the opposition and independent news media. Last week, 11 staff members of the TUT.by news website were detained by police. A 15-year-old receives a COVID-19 vaccine at a mobile vaccination clinic at the Weingart East Los Angeles YMCA in Los Angeles on May 14, 2021. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images) CDC Investigating Heart Inflammation in COVID-19 Vaccinated Teens, Young Adults The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says its investigating reports of heart inflammation in teenagers and young adults who have received a vaccine against the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. Noting that there have been relatively few reports of mild cases of myocarditis, the agency said that its COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Technical Work Group should investigate and communicate the findings to vaccine recipients. The agency said that vaccines using the mRNA technologyfrom pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Modernaappear to be causing the issue. Vaccines using mRNA, which are relatively uncommon, use messenger ribonucleic acid (RNA) to create a protein that prompts an immune response within an individual, while Johnson & Johnsons vaccine instead uses an adenovirus that was rendered unable to replicate. The reports of myocarditis have been mostly in adolescents and young adultsand are more likely to occur in males. The symptoms also show up after the second dose, about four days after vaccination, the CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices said in a statement dated May 17. Most cases appear to be mild, and follow-up of cases is ongoing, the agency said in the statement, adding that the advisorys members felt that information about reports of myocarditis should be communicated to providers. It didnt say how many individuals were affected and recommended further investigation. Further information should be collected through medical record review about potential myocarditis cases that were reported into VAERS, according to the CDC, referring to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. Information about this potential adverse event should be provided to clinicians to enhance early recognition and appropriate management of persons who develop myocarditis symptoms following vaccination. Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told Reuters that some vaccines can cause myocarditis and said its important to monitor if its related to the COVID-19 shots. Vaccines are going to unequivocally be much more beneficial outweighing this very low, if conclusively established, risk, he said. It may simply be a coincidence that some people are developing myocarditis after vaccination, Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious disease specialist told The New York Times. Its more likely for something like that to happen by chance, because so many people are getting vaccinated right now. The Israeli Ministry of Health said in April that its monitoring a small number of cases of people developing heart inflammation after getting Pfizers vaccine. But in April, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said that officials found no link between COVID-19 vaccines and myocarditis among members of the military. We have not seen a signal, and weve actually looked intentionally for the signal in the over 200 million doses weve given, she said on April 27. Pfizer and Moderna officials didnt immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment. Congo Volcano Leaves Death and Smoking Wreckage, but Major City Spared GOMAA smoking trail of lava from a volcanic eruption covered hundreds of houses in eastern Congo on Sunday, leaving residents to pick gingerly through the wreckage for belongings and loved ones, though the flow halted just short of the city of Goma. Goma was thrown into panic on Saturday evening as Mount Nyiragongo, one of the worlds most active and dangerous volcanoes, erupted, turning the night sky an eerie red and sending a wall of orange lava downhill towards the lakeside city of about 2 million people. Two people are seen silhouetted against a night sky turned red by the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo, in Goma, Congo, on May 22, 2021. (Justin Kabumba/AP Photo) Army spokesman Guillaume Njike said 13 were killed fleeing the disaster, including nine in a traffic accident and four who tried to escape Munzenze prison in Goma. That figure will likely rise considerably. A Reuters reporter saw two people killed by the initial eruption in a village north of Goma, and witnesses spoke of dead and missing relatives. Haunted by memories of an eruption in 2002 that killed 250 people and left 120,000 homeless, residents fled on foot with their belongings, some towards the nearby border with Rwanda. The International Federation of Red Cross said that between 3,000 and 5,000 fled into Rwanda on Saturday, many of them peasants and farmers with livestock. Some began returning on Sunday. The eruption was caused when fractures opened in the volcanos side, causing lava flows in various directions. As the sun rose on Sunday a smoldering black gash about half a mile wide could be seen on the outskirts of Goma, where the lava had cooled to rubble. At some points it was three stories high, engulfing even large buildings and sending smoke into the grey morning sky. An aerial view shows lava flowing from the volcanic eruption of Mount Nyiragongo near Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, on May 22, 2021. (The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo/Handout via Reuters) Residents in the Buhene district sorted through the mangled white remains of tin roofs or lifted rocks tiny individual efforts in what will likely be a months-long campaign to restore the zone. Elsewhere, groups of people posed for photos on the steaming lava. Some said they had lost family members. Ernestine Kabuo, 68, said she had tried to carry her sick husband from their house as the lava approached, but he was too unwell to leave. I said to myself, I cant go alone, weve been married for the best and for the worst, said Kabuo, walking in a daze and crying, surrounded by buildings swallowed by lava. I went back to at least try to get him out but couldnt. I ran away and he got burned inside. I dont know what to do. I curse this day. The flow towards Goma stopped a few hundred meters from the city limits. The nearby airport was untouched. A separate lava flow that headed east over unpopulated terrain towards Rwanda also appeared to have stopped. Local authorities who have been monitoring the eruption overnight report that the lava flow has lost intensity, government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said on Twitter on Sunday. Still, authorities warned that the danger was not over and that seismic activity in the area could cause further lava flows. Lava crossed a main road out of Goma overnight, cutting it off from cities to the north. Traffic was in gridlock in most places as people tried to leave or return to assess the damage to their homes. People flee with their belongings after the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo, in Goma, Congo, on May 22, 2021. (Justin Kabumba/AP Photo) Experts were worried that the volcanic activity observed in the past five years at Nyiragongo mirrors that in the years preceding eruptions in 1977 and 2002. Volcanologists at the OVG, which monitors Nyiragongo, have struggled to make basic checks on a regular basis since the World Bank cut funding amid embezzlement allegations. From October 2020 to April, the observatory could not carry out comprehensive seismic checks on the volcano because analysts lacked an internet connection, OVGs scientific director Celestin Kasereka Mahinda told local Radio Okapi on Sunday. Internet was restored in April thanks to funding from a U.S. partner, he said, but by that stage too much time had been lost. As soon as the internet was restored, we had started recording the warning signals, but since we did not have previous data, we thought it was the start of volcanic activity. Hence this surprise. By Djafar Al Katanty Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-22 02:54:33|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, May 21 (Xinhua) -- President of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) Volkan Bozkir on Friday called on countries to integrate nature restoration into their efforts to build back better. "If we are to meet the sustainable development goals by 2030, we need to integrate nature restoration to our efforts to build back better, prioritizing a green recovery from COVID-19, and preventing any further losses of our natural capital," the UNGA president, or the PGA, told the COP15: Road to Kunming, Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth, a virtual webinar on biodiversity organized by the permanent mission of China, the secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the Food and Agriculture Organization. COP15 refers to the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Bozkir also called for steps to protect against land degradation, recognizing that healthy soil is essential for a healthy planet. The PGA commended Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, and the like-minded group for maintaining political momentum on the "road to Kunming." "Building on last year's Biodiversity Summit and the launch of the Leader's Pledge for Nature, and with efforts underway on a post-2020 global biodiversity framework, we have a very real opportunity to 'bend the curve' on nature," said the PGA. Speaking about the prospect of the biodiversity, the PGA noted that "we have before us an unprecedented opportunity to make meaningful progress on biodiversity. Through recovery from COVID-19 and the incredible resources that are being untapped, as well as upcoming COP-level summits on climate, biodiversity, and land degradation, we have both the resource and policy spaces to push this agenda forward." Referring to COVID-19, the PGA said, for all its tragedies, the pandemic "has also unlocked the largest socio-economic recovery in our history." "This coupled with incredible public support for transformational change and resilience allow us a rare opportunity to invest in nature-based solutions and ensure that our recovery is nature friendly," he said. May 22 is the International Day for Biological Diversity. In 2021, the theme is: "We are part of the solution." "This principle must also be applied to our recovery from COVID-19. If we funnel capacities and resources to projects that boost economic growth, and jobs and livelihoods, while simultaneously protecting biodiversity and nature as a whole, then we will not only be recovering, but investing in our future," said the PGA. "Doing this, however, requires that we make deliberate efforts to unlock innovative financing and governance mechanisms; that we prioritize local-national-international partnerships to allow for capacity and resource sharing; and, above all else, that we account for the value of nature in our decision making processes," he continued. Bozkir, a veteran diplomat from Turkey, called on countries to "move beyond a scenario where the value of a tree is only counted once it has been felled and turned into lumber." Talking about the multiple multilateral processes currently underway, the PGA said that with discussions ongoing on three of the Rio Conventions, there is an opportunity to demonstrate the interlinkages across the environmental sphere, as well as its role within the larger development agenda, and to ensure that all these efforts are mutually reinforcing. "We all know that we need trees to maintain the quality of our water, land and air; that we need land and water for food; that we need biodiversity for both water and land preservation; and that all of this ties back directly to jobs, livelihoods and our own well-being," the PGA said. "Surely, knowing all of this, we can ensure that progress across each of the Rio Conventions, as well as on the Sustainable Development Goals, support one another. Because if we are able to do this, and if we can capitalize on the resources allocated for recovery, we have a recipe for true, transformational change," he continued. The PGA asked countries to be ambitious during post-2020 global biodiversity framework discussions, raise the bar on renewed Nationally Determined Contributions and climate targets, and take steps to protect against land degradation, recognizing that healthy soil is essential for a healthy planet. Enditem The exterior of the U.S. Capitol building is seen at sunrise on February 8, 2021 in Washington. (Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images) Congressman Forgot to Cast Proxy Vote That May Have Killed Democrat-Backed Spending Package: Spokesperson Mishap comes just days after Pelosi extended the vote-by-proxy mandate A member of the House didnt cast a proxy vote for a fellow congressman on the Democrat-backed $1.9 billion Capitol security spending bill because it slipped his mind, according to a spokesperson. A spokesperson for Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) told Just the News that Calvert had been voting by proxy for Rep. John Carter (R-Texas) throughout the week before the vote was held. It came just days after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) extended the COVID-19 vote-by-proxy mandate for several more weeks, a move criticized by Republicans. But for the vote on the $1.9 billion package on May 20, Rep. Calvert made a mistake and simply forgot to cast Rep. Carters vote, the spokesperson said. Carter had submitted a letter to the House clerk to give Calvert the authority to vote by proxy. The bill passed 213-212, as several Democratic members of the leftist Squad voted against the bill or abstained, many of whom cited the bills additional funding for police departments as their reason for opposing the bill. Carters spokesperson, meanwhile, said that he was opposed to the measure. The congressman included a statement in the record that he wouldve voted no, said Carters spokesperson. Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.) also didnt vote on the measure, with a spokesperson telling the website that hes opposed to proxy voting and wasnt able to vote in-person on the package. Rep. Webster missed votes because he was unavoidably detained in the district and wasnt able to make it to D.C. in time to make the votes, a spokesperson for Webster said. He likely would have opposed the billhe didnt proxy vote on principle as he is on the record opposing proxy-voting and was part of the original lawsuit challenging its constitutionality. A tied vote in the Houseunlike the Senate, where the vice president can cast a tie-breaking votemeans that a bill doesnt pass. The three Republican members of Congress didnt respond to for comment by press time. All Republican members of the House other than those three voted against the bill. Despite the bill passing in the House, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) suggested last week that he doesnt favor the measure in its current form, meaning that it appears unlikely that the package would get enough votes to cross the 60-vote filibuster threshold. Were not sure what to spend the money on yet. So I think we are pushing the pause button here, McConnell said. Reps. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) voted no. Reps. Jamaal Bowman ( D-N.Y.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) voted present. All other Democrats voted to support it. The bill would reimburse the National Guard for costs incurred when troops were deployed to the Capitol earlier this year, provide Capitol Police with overtime pay, and other resources. It would also create a response force that would aid Capitol Police during a crisis, as well as fortify the doors and windows of the Capitol building itself. Ravenna citizen Giuliana Turati holds a copy of the Divina Commedia "Divine Comedy" by poet Dante Alighieri as she listens to a reading by volunteer Carlotta Zangolli in front of Alighieri's tomb, in Ravenna, Italy, on May 8, 2021. (Antonio Calanni/AP Photo) Daily Readings at Tomb Honor Dante 700 Years After His Death RAVENNA, ItalyAs she has each evening for the last eight months, Giuliana Turati opened her well-worn copy of Dantes Divine Comedy as the last of 13 peals of a church bell reverberated around the tomb of the great Italian poet. Italy is honoring Dante Alighieriwho died in exile from Florence on Sept. 13, 1321in myriad ways on the 700th anniversary of his death. Those include new musical scores and gala concerts, exhibits, and dramatic readings against stunning backgrounds in every corner of the country. A woman looks at a portrait of poet Dante Alighieri, by an 18th-century Florentine anonymous painter, at the Dante. La visione dellarte (Dante. The Vision of Art) exhibition, in Forli, Italy, on May 8, 2021. (Antonio Calanni/AP Photo) But nowhere is the tribute more intimate than before his tomb, which was restored for the anniversary, as dusk falls each day in the city of Ravenna, a former Byzantine capital. Turati, a life-long Ravenna resident, comes to listen as volunteer Dante-lovers read a single canto, following along in the copy of the Divine Comedy inscribed with the year she studied the poets masterwork in school: 1967. There is always something new, Turati said. Even if you have read and reread it, Dante always has something new to tell us. A view of poet Dante Alighieris tomb in Ravenna, Italy, on May 8, 2021. (Antonio Calanni/AP Photo) The daily reading, part of a yearlong celebration of Dante that started in September, is intended to connect ordinary peopleresidents and tourists, scholars and the uninitiatedwith the Divine Comedy as an appreciation by the city he adopted while in exile. Copies of the Divine Comedy in 60 languages are housed nearby, and organizers envision they also will be read by foreign tourists as soon as post-pandemic travel resumes. Reading Dante is perhaps the truest and most profound homage that we can offer, said Francesca Masi, secretary-general for Ravennas Dante 700 organizing committee. It requires everyone to make an effort to go toward Dante, while too often we ask Dante to come toward us, perhaps stretching a little without understanding him, ideologizing him. Instead, this solemn way of reading, without comment, is respectful. A woman looks at paintings at the Dante. La visione dellarte (Dante. The Vision of Art) exhibition in Forli, Italy, on May 8, 2021. (Antonio Calanni/AP Photo) Dante spent years composing Divine Comedy during his banishment from his native Florence, the home of the vernacular he elevated to a literary language through his poetry. While Dante was embraced as a symbol of Italys unification in 1861, Florence and Ravenna continue to battle for Dantes legacy. Disputes over who has the right to claim his remains still erupt in newspapers seven centuries after his death. Florence, so it seems, would have given up its claim by sentencing Dante to exile, his return punishable by death. The sentence is written in a 14th-century court ledger on display through Aug. 8 as part of an exhibition on Dantes relationship with Florence at the Bargello National Museum. The museum is housed in a medieval palace that Dante would have known and visited as the seat of the highest judicial magistrate, and where he was sentenced in absentia in the same vaulted room that now displays a famous bronze of David by Renaissance sculptor Donatello. The museum also holds a fresco of Dante, painted by his contemporary Giotto after the poets death, and also of Lucifer, depicted with Dantes own imagerythree heads and the wings of a bat. The entrance of poet Dante Alighieris tomb in Ravenna, Italy, on May 8, 2021. (Antonio Calanni/AP Photo) It is very important because it means that the iconography introduced by Dante was immediately received in Florence in the figurative arts, Bargello National Museum Director Paola DAgostino. Another exhibit in the San Domenico Museum, near Ravenna in Forli, brings together 300 works from all over the world to tell the story of Dante through the ages, from pieces that influenced him to ones he influenced, museum director Gianfranco Brunelli said. The exhibit, put on in conjunction with Florences Uffizi and running through July 4, includes art contemporary to Dante, elaborate manuscripts of his work, portraits of the poet, and pieces inspired by his epic, monumental poem by artists such as Picasso, Giotto, Tintoretto, and Michelangelo. Brunelli said its no surprise that Dante has continued to fascinate people through the centuries. Dantes themes are those of heaven and earth. He speaks of salvation and pardon, of things very fundamental to human life, Brunelli said. For this reason, art couldnt do other than return an infinite number of times to Dante and his themes. After being sentenced to exile in 1302, Dante spent much of the rest of his life in Verona and then Ravenna, where he arrived in 1318 or 1319. He died of malaria after a diplomatic mission to the Republic of Venice, 100 kilometers (60 miles) to the north. In Ravenna, Dante would have visited the citys ancient Byzantine basilicas and famed mosaics, and it is believed that he took inspiration for some passages of his masterpiece. Masi, on a recent tour, indicated the Procession of the Virgins inside the Basilica of SantAppolinare Nuovo, which is reflected in a verse from Purgatory, his masterpieces second section: And they wore white-whiteness, that, in this world has never been. For the anniversary, another notable adopted citizen of Ravenna, Riccardo Muti, plans to conduct a new orchestral musical score inspired by Purgatory and written by Armenian composer Tigran Mansurian on Sept. 12, as part of the Ravennal Festival dedicated to Dante. It will be followed by performances in Florence and Verona. The closing festivities in September are to include an annual pilgrimage by officials from Florence, who arrive in Ravenna with an offering of oil to keep the flame above Dantes mausoleum tomb lit for another year. Dante found his peace in this city, Muti told The Associated Press, adding that he found it a comfort to live just 200 meters (yards) from the final resting place of this extraordinary soul. I personally feel this closeness to his bones as a privilege, as if from that tomb emerges a sense of honesty, of righteousness, of a good omen for the Italian people from Ravenna to the world, Muti said. By Colleen Barry Disneyland Reopening Begins Working Magic on Local Economy As crowds began rushing into Disneyland during its April 30 reopening, the crush of visitors could be felt far beyond the parks green gates. The businesses surrounding the Anaheim, California, amusement park say theyre beginning to feel a reprieve following a 15-month, pandemic-induced tourism drought. With the reopening of Disneyland, the city itself says its optimistic it will see a full recovery by 2022. In the past year, Anaheim has been through one of the most challenging years in its history, Anaheim spokesperson Mike Lyster told The Epoch Times. Disneylands 13-month closure led to an economic deficit of $108 million dollars, he said. The last time the theme park closed was the day after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. During the reopening of the theme park on April 30, Disneyland opened its gates at 25 percent capacity. When Orange County entered the less-restrictive yellow tier on May 19, Disneyland released more reservations to the public, signaling that it was increasing its capacity to 35 percent to align with state guidelines. The park is still experiencing a lower number of daily visitors than pre-pandemic levels. According to Statista, in 2019, Disneylands attendance reached 18.67 million visitors. Dont get me wrong, everyone will tell you that we will take this, and we welcome it, but its a gradual comeback, Lyster said. We knew wed get revenue, but its even running a little bit higher above projections, so were very encouraged, Lyster said. But its a recovery process, its not like we just go back to normal. A general view of the entrance of Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, Calif., on March 13, 2020. (Mario Anzuoni/File/Reuters) In 2018, Disneyland Resorts economic impact was $8.5 billion in Southern California, a 50 percent increase since 2013, according to the Woods Center for Economic Analysis and Forecasting at California State UniversityFullerton. Findings show what an economic powerhouse Disneyland Resort is, economics professor Adrian Fleissig said in the report. The analysis also found that during the 2018 fiscal year, the resort generated $509.6 million in state and local taxes. Assistant economic professor Aaron Popp added, More than $160 million in tax revenue come from the resort. Hospitality Comeback Many restaurants and hotels that closed in Anaheim are now gradually reopening as more visitors arrive in the city. Visit Anaheim Chief Executive Jay Burress expressed his enthusiasm over the reopening, saying theres already been a boost in the hospitality industry. Were starting to see some life again, he told The Epoch Times. Starting to see some full patios, and its good to see more people walking the streets on Harbor and Katella headed over to Disneyland and maybe stopping at a restaurant along the way. Many restaurants in the area are small family-owned eateries, and Burress said theyre relieved to have made it through the shutdowns. Restaurants are doing amazing, Burress said. Theyve survived the takeout world, and some of them have now doubled their capacity. The hotel industry is also blooming as reservations begin filling up. Orange Countys largest hotel, Anaheim Hilton, launched its grand reopening May 20. Itll be a big celebration for us, Shaun Robinson, general manager of the Anaheim Hilton, told The Epoch Times. Its a big deal for us, weve been really encouraged by the number of reservations that have come into our systems on a fairly short-term basis. In 2019, the Hilton averaged 90 percent occupancy. To go from receiving a high profit to zero was detrimental to us all, he said. Robinson said hes now preparing for an economically prosperous summer as he begins to bring back his team members. Since the hotel announced its reopening, reservations have been flooding in, he said. Demand for Workers As Anaheims economy shifts to reopen, there is an increased demand to fill open positions. At the peak of the pandemic, the city had around 30,000 unemployed residents, but with the slow reopening, the number has dropped to about 10,000. According to Lyster, the hospitality industry is facing challenges in bringing back workers as many dont want to return to work due to bolstered unemployment payments. Its hard to hire people, and youre seeing it across the country, Lyster said. Its tough to get workers back or to get new ones. As a result, the city is working with the Chamber of Commerce to hold a virtual job fair to recruit new employees. Looking Ahead Anaheim officials said theyre looking forward to welcoming more guests from out of state as California prepares for its June 15 reopening. Weve got a big hole to climb out of, and we think it may be several years before were back in pre-COVID conditions, Burress said. Were hoping by the end of the year to be maybe 30 to 60 percent of where we were before and then get stronger from there. Protesters stand on the veranda of the U.S. Capitol at a rally in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (Courtesy of Brandon Drey) DOJ Seizes $90,000, Charges Black Lives Matter Supporter Who Allegedly Stormed Capitol, Sold Footage to News Outlets The Department of Justice (DOJ) seized $90,000 from a Utah man who sold footage of Ashli Babbitt being shot during the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, according to court filings filed by federal prosecutors. John Earle Sullivan, a political activist who reportedly attended Black Lives Matter protests last year and who allegedly agitated rioters inside the Capitol, was also charged with new weapons charges, according to the documents unsealed last week. John Earle Sullivan in a file mugshot photograph. (Utah County Jail) So far, more than 400 people have been charged in connection to the breach, which occurred as members of Congress were voting to certify the 2020 presidential election. According to the court documents, Sullivan portrayed himself as an independent journalist who was reporting on the chaos, but he actually encouraged other participants to burn the building and engage in violence. Sullivan is accused of having a conversation with others who breached the building and allegedly told them: We gotta get this [expletive] burned, according to court documents in his case. There are so many people. Lets go. This [expletive] is ours! [Expletive] yeah, he allegedly cheered after he and protesters entered the Capitol, the DOJ documents said. We accomplished this [expletive]. We did this together. [Expletive] yeah! We are all a part of this history, and lets burn this [expletive] down. The documents accused him of calling on others to burn the Capitol down multiple times. At one point, hes also heard saying, I am ready bro. Ive been to too many riots. Ive been in so many riots, the documents said. It would be fire if someone had revolutionary music and [expletive], prosecutors said Sullivan told others on Jan. 6. Prosecutors furthermore alleged that Sullivan apparently broke a window inside and said, I broke it. My bad, my apologies. Well, they already broke a window, so, you know, I didnt know I hit it that hard. No one got that on camera. After leaving the Capitol later on Jan. 6, Sullivan was seen, according to prosecutors, telling another individual that he brought my megaphone to instigate [expletives] and wanted to make these Trump supporters [expletive] all this [expletive] up. Sullivan recorded a video of the confrontation between rioters and police near the House chamber that included the shooting of Air Force veteran Babbitt and, according to court filings, bragged to a witness that my footage is worth like a million of dollars, millions of dollars. Sullivan sold that footage to several news outlets for a total of $90,000, according to a seizure warrant. The news outlets were redacted from the warrant. After the breach in January, Sullivan appeared on several corporate media outlets including CNN and MSNBC. During his CNN appearance in January, Sullivan said that he was not on the Trump side or the MAGA side and alleged he was just there to document the incident. Sullivan in July 2020 was arrested in Utah for alleged rioting, making a threat of violence, and criminal mischief because he engaged in a riot that resulted in the shooting of a motorist amid nationwide Black Lives Matter demonstrations last year. He was named as an organizer in a police affidavit. As a protest organizer, John Sullivan is heard talking about seeing the shooting, looking at the gun, and seeing smoke coming from it. John did not condemn the attempted murder nor attempt to stop it nor aide in its investigation by police, the police affidavit said, according to the Utah-based Deseret News. Later, on Dec. 28, Sullivan also wrote on Twitter that he supported an armed revolution, saying that it is the only way to bring about change effectively. His account was later suspended. Using the nickname Jayden X online, Sullivan tweeted just days before the Capitol breach that the system should be burned to the ground while adding anti-capitalist, anti-Trump, and Black Lives Matter hashtags. Black Lives Matter leaders in Utah earlier this year disavowed Sullivan, calling him a loose cannon. And on Jan. 2, just days before the breach, Sullivans account wrote: [Expletive] The System Time To Burn It All Down. #blm #antifa #burn #[expletive]thesystem #abolishcapitalism #abolishthepolice #acab #[expletive]trump. Sullivans lawyer had no comment on the case when he was contacted on Sunday. The mans lawyer, Steven Kiersh, wrote in court documents that the government should not sieze his money, arguing, The proceeds of the seized bank account are not the product of criminal activity alleged in the indictment and that his client was being deprived of the money in violation of the Due Process Clause of the United States Constitution. Reuters contributed to this report. An oil pumpjack operates at dusk at Willow Springs Park in Long Beach, Calif., on April 21, 2020. (Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images) Environmental Threats Based on Invisible, Remote Subjects to Create Fear: Greenpeace Co-founder The co-founder of Greenpeace says in his new book that alleged environmental catastrophes and threats are based on subjects that are either invisible or extremely remote in order to create fear, forcing people to rely on experts to tell them the truth. It dawned on me that the great majority of scare stories about the present and future state of the planet, and humanity as a whole, are based on subjects that are either invisible, like CO2 and radiation, or extremely remote, like polar bears and coral reefs, wrote Patrick Moore, co-founder of Greenpeace, in his book titled Fake Invisible Catastrophes and Threats of Doom. Thus, most people have no way of determining the truth of these claims of alleged catastrophes and doomsday threats. Instead, they must rely on the activists, the media, the politicians, and the scientistsall of whom have a very large financial and/or political stake in the subjectto tell them the truth. Moore, also a senior fellow with the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, said he left Greenpeace after 15 years when he realized the movement had taken a sharp turn to the political left. During a webinar on May 20, he said the main purpose of writing the book was to show that those narratives are just a big hoax. Language is manipulated to invoke negativity, fear, and compliance in order for proponents of environmental catastrophes to push their narratives, Moore said. A classic example of propaganda is dirty oil, he noted. Thats how we grow our foodin dirt. So whats wrong with dirty? But theyre not using it to mean dirt as in soil. Theyre using it to mean dirty rotten scoundrel. In other words, its purely an epitheta negative epithet. Moore said that kind of wording has nothing to do with scientific description or the actual quality of oil. Rather, its an example of a propaganda technique where a normal concept is merged with an undesirable idea in order to make something seem bad. Much of propaganda is about associating negative words with normal words, and therefore turning them into a negative, he said. This welcomes the opportunity to invent narratives such as the claim that CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels are causing climate emergency, he writes in his book. But Moore said the amount of CO2 has been declining in the global atmosphere for at least half a billion years based on historical records. In his testimony before the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committees Subcommittee on Oversight in 2014, Moore argued that although there is some correlation, there is little evidence to support a direct causal relationship between CO2 and global temperature through the millennia. The fact that we had both higher temperatures and an ice age at a time when CO2 emissions were 10 times higher than they are today fundamentally contradicts the certainty that human-caused CO2 emissions are the main cause of global warming, he testified at the time. The book also addresses the issue of coral reefs reported to be dying allegedly due to climate change warming the oceans. Moore explains in the book that the most diverse coral reefs are found in the worlds warmest oceans, in a roughly triangular-shaped region in the western Pacific Ocean known as the Coral Triangle. The region extends from the Philippine Archipelago in the north to the Indonesia Archipelago in the south and extends east to the seas around the Solomon Islands. The Coral Triangle has the worlds highest biodiversity of coral, with more than 600 species, which is 76 percent of all coral species, the book states. It adds that the region also has the highest biodiversity of reef fish, with 2,000 species, which is 37 percent of all reef-fish species, and is home to six of the worlds seven species of marine turtles. In other words, they found no evidence that there is anywhere in the worlds oceans that indicates a decline in species richness due to warmer ocean water, Moore writes, referring to a research paper on global marine species diversity and the factors that influence higher or lower diversity. They found the opposite, that the warmest waters in the world have the highest species diversity for every taxonomic class of marine life. The book also seeks to dispel what Moore calls the unified theory of scare stories. They include the so-called Great Pacific Garbage Patch in the North Pacific, which has a high concentration of microplastic debris and is said to be twice the size of Texas; polar bears being threatened with extinction due to climate change; and ocean acidification. Fake Invisible Catastrophes and Threats of Doom is published by Ecosense Environmental Inc. and is available on Amazon. Aiden Leos (center) died after being shot while being driven by his mother in Orange, California (GoFundMe) Family Members Identify 6-Year-Old Killed in California Road Rage Shooting, Manhunt Underway A 6-year-old boy was shot and killed during an apparent road-rage incident in California, triggering a police manhunt for a suspect who hasnt yet been located. Authorities said that on May 21 at 8 a.m., Aiden Leos was sitting in a car seat in the familys vehicle while they were going to school at Calvary Chapel Yorba Linda when shots were fired, fatally striking the child, according to ABC News. The boys family later identified the child in news reports. They took my sons life away, Aidens mother, Joanna Cloonan, told ABC on Sunday. He was beautiful and he was kind and he was precious, and you killed him for no reason. And I want to find them and I want there to be justice to be served for my son. Cloonan said that she was driving Aiden on the 55 Freeway in Orange, California, when a white sedan cut her off while she was in the carpool lane. Someone in the vehicle then opened fire, striking the boy. As I started to merge away from them, I heard a really loud noise, Cloonan said. And my son said, Ow, and I had to pull over. And he got shot. California Highway Patrol Officer Florentino Olivera described the shooting as some type of road rage incident. Family members, according to Olivera, said that a man and a woman were inside the vehicle that opened fire, although its unclear who pulled the trigger. Recalling the tragedy, He said, Mommy, my tummy hurts, sister Alexis Cloonan, 15, said at a news conference. So she went and she picked him up and he was bleeding on her; she had blood on her clothes. Officials have asked that anyone driving on the freeway in the area near Chapman Avenue in Orange at about 8 a.m. to call the highway patrols Santa Ana office at 714-567-6000. A GoFundMe page was set up for the boys family. Federal Judge Allows Racial Discrimination Suit Against Virginia School Board to Go Ahead A parents group may proceed with its lawsuit claiming new admissions policies at an elite public high school in Fairfax County, Virginia, discriminate against Asian Americans, a federal judge ruled. The civil rights lawsuit, Coalition for TJ v. Fairfax County School Board, was filed in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, on March 10 by the Sacramento, California-based Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF), a national public interest law firm. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology was rated the best public high school in the United States in April by U.S. News and World Report. The school houses 9th through 12th grades, with a total enrollment of 1,781, and has a student-to-teacher ratio of 181. The student body is 59 percent male and 41 percent female. Asians make up 70 percent of the student body, compared to whites at 21 percent, two or more races at 5 percent, blacks at 2 percent, and Hispanics at 2 percent. The board recently overhauled TJs admission process by eliminating the long-standing race-neutral standardized admissions test, the legal complaint said. The local news website Patch.com said the district will adopt a holistic review of students whose applications demonstrate enhanced merit. The top 1.5 percent of students from eligible middle schools may apply for admission. The school districts alleged race-based admissions policy drew opposition from the Coalition for TJ, a group of over 5,000 parents, students, alumni, staff, and community members who are advocating for school diversity and excellence through race-blind, merit-based admissions, according to a PLF summary. The coalition of parents claims the boards new admissions initiative was recently enacted to reduce the number of Asian American childrenand only Asian American childrenwho can attend Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, and that the new policy violates the 14th Amendment. School district officials have made no secret that their clear and unequivocal objective is to reduce the number of Asian American students at TJ, PLF said. The coalitions lawyers also asked the court at the May 21 hearing to preliminarily enjoin the board from enforcing the admission policy, but that request was denied. The boards motion to dismiss the case was also denied. Board lawyer Stuart Raphael told U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton that the revised admissions policy is race-neutral and that those who process the admissions requests are not aware of applicants race, according to a report by The Associated Press. Federal court rulings allow a school to act based on a desire to increase the black and Hispanic student population, provided that they lack an intention to discriminate against Asian Americans, he said. PLF attorney Erin Wilcox, who represents the Coalition for TJ, rejected Raphaels arguments. There are a finite number of seats at TJ, Wilcox said. You cannot intend to increase the seats for one race without knowing it will decrease the seats for another race. U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton said the claim that the admissions policy was race-neutral was not believable. Everybody knows the policy is not race-neutral, and that its designed to affect the racial composition of the school, he said. You can say all sorts of beautiful things while youre doing others. The judge said he wouldnt grant the injunction to pause the admissions policy because doing so would have been too disruptive to the school board. The review of applications for the coming academic year is almost finished, and students will learn next month if they have been admitted under the new policy, Raphael said. In response to The Epoch Times, Lucy H. Caldwell, director of news and information, Fairfax County Public Schools, issued a statement: We are pleased that the judge has allowed the holistic admissions process for TJ to move forward, ensuring that students with an aptitude and passion for STEM can access the school. We will continue to vigorously defend our efforts as the rest of the case proceeds. Steam and smoke rises from the Belchatow Power Station pictured from a viewing point over the open-pit coal mine in Rogowiec, Poland, on Feb. 23, 2021. (Omar Marques/Getty Images) Fire at Polands Largest Lignite Mine Out, Unit to Be Shut Down Temporarily WARSAW, PolandA fire engulfed a conveyer belt at Polands largest brown coal mine Saturday before it was extinguished, and a linked power plant will have one of its units shut because the fire disrupted coal deliveries. The midday fire at the Belchatow mine in central Poland covered the area that includes Polands largest lignite power plant with huge clouds of black smoke. The fire was the second incident this week forcing the suspension of some of the power plants generators. A spokesman for Lodz region firefighters, Jedrzej Pawlak, said the conveyer belt was 30 meters (98 feet) high, making access to the flames difficult. No casualties were reported, Pawlak said. State energy group PGE, which runs the mine and the neighboring power plant, said later that the fire was out but had disrupted lignite deliveries to one of the plants 11 units, which will have to be shut down temporarily. PGE said the shutdown would not cause any power shortages. PGE said on Twitter the fire was caused by the ignition of brown coal that was being conveyed to the Belchatow plants Unit 14 reactor but did not reach it. Unit 14 was the only one that remained active at the power plant when 10 other units suffered an automated outage Monday that was caused by malfunction at a nearby power switch. Atop European Union court ordered Poland on Friday to immediately halt operations at a lignite mine in Turow, on the Czech and German border, that also belongs to PGE. Officials in the Czech Republic had complained that the mine used up their groundwater and affected local residents. Polands minister for state assets, Jacek Sasin, declared that Poland did not accept the courts ruling and would not take any steps that could undermine Polands energy security as it phases out black coal. A tweet by PGE suggested that Poland was not being treated fairly because the EU was not ordering Berlin or Prague to close 14 lignite mines they operate close to Polands border. Coal makes up 65 percent of Polands energy sources, including 17 percent from lignite, while about 25 percent of the countrys energy comes from renewable sources. Florid Gov. Ron DeSantis listens to a report from a member of his administration during a meeting at the governor's office in Tallahassee, Florida, on April 1, 2021. (Screenshot/Epoch Times) Floridas Ron DeSantis Hints at Future in Politics: I Have Only Begun to Fight Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has hinted that he has much more planned before his political career is finished. There has been considerable speculation that, should former President Donald Trump not run for president again, DeSantis would be a leading contender in 2024. The governor hasnt made any announcements about his future political plans. I can tell you this: In the state of Florida, with me as governor, I have only begun to fight, DeSantis, a Republican, told a crowd in Pittsburgh. Earlier in the event, a pastor noted that the governor would make a good president of the United States, which was met by cheers, reported CNN. The governor has received praise among conservatives in recent months for resisting lockdowns, opening his state back up, rescinding mask requirements, and banning so-called vaccine passports. All I can say to any state that has not followed suit: Open your state, open your schools, end these mask mandates, let people live and thrive, DeSantis said. When it came right down to it, we chose freedom over Fauci-ism. DeSantis was referring to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), who has faced increasing criticism for his dire predictions about COVID-19. In 2018, DeSantiswho received Trumps endorsementdefeated Democrat Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum by a slim margin, but has since gained traction among Republicans. Hes also become an opponent of the current administration and its messaging around mask-wearing and vaccines. The fact of the matter is that is an anti-science posture, to say that we need all these restrictions even with mass vaccination. Because the numbers of the vaccines are better than the clinical trials were, in terms of the effectiveness, DeSantis said at an event earlier this month. If you look at CDC, I think they have over 95 million people have now been vaccinated. The people that have been reinfected or infected after vaccine, has been way less than one-tenth of one percent. These numbers are about as good as you could possibly hope for. So my message is the vaccines protect you, get vaccinated, and then live your life as if youre protected. You dont have to chafe under restrictions infinitum. DeSantis also recently vowed to block the quasi-Marxist critical race theory from being taught in Florida classrooms, saying that taxpayers shouldnt be forced to fund what he described as an ideology that teaches children to hate their country. Trump has not publicly announced whether he will run again in 2024. In interviews, the former president said he would wait until the 2022 midterms are over, citing campaign finance regulations. The former commander-in-chief has floated the possibility of running with DeSantis as his vice president. Frances Foreign Minister Confirms Kidnapping of Journalist in Mali French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian confirmed on Sunday that a French journalist who disappeared in Mali last month was likely kidnapped by Islamist terrorists. Reporter Olivier Dubois was believed to have been kidnapped after his disappearance on April 8. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) announced Duboiss kidnap on May 6 after a video was released that showed him saying he was kidnapped by JNIM (Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin), an al-Qaeda-affiliated group in Mali, and asking his family, friends, and authorities to work for his release. But French authorities at the time said they were in the process of checking the video, and only confirmed that the reporter had disappeared. On Sunday, Le Drian told RTL radio that everything leads us to believe hes the hostage of a jihadist group. French Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian speaks during a joint press conference with Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney, at Farmleigh House and Estate in Dublin on May 20, 2021. (Paul Faith/AFP via Getty Images) RSF Secretary-General Christophe Deloire has previously said that Dubois was reporting in Gao in northern Mali and did not return to his hotel after lunch on April 8. Arnaud Froger, head of Africa desk at the RSF, told The Associated Press on May 6 that the NGO was calling on the authorities to do everything they can, to put every means at their disposal to try to secure his release and to make sure he can be freed without any further delay. Mali has been in turmoil since a 2012 uprising prompted mutinous soldiers to overthrow the president. The power vacuum that resulted ultimately led to an Islamic insurgency and a French-led campaign that ousted the jihadists from the cities they controlled in northern Mali in 2013. But insurgents remain active and terrorist groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the ISIS terrorist group have moved from the arid north to more populated central Mali since 2015, attacking targets and stoking animosity and violence between ethnic groups in the region. Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-22 06:14:15|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close People carry coffins of deceased military officers to the site of funeral at the National Military Cemetery in Abuja, Nigeria, May 22, 2021. A Nigerian air force aircraft crashed on Friday evening near an international airport in Kaduna state, northwest of Nigeria, killing several people on board, including Chief of Army Staff Ibrahim Attahiru. (Photo by Robert Oba/Xinhua) ABUJA, May 21 (Xinhua) -- A Nigerian air force aircraft crashed on Friday evening near an international airport in Kaduna state, northwest of Nigeria, killing several people on board, including Chief of Army Staff Ibrahim Attahiru. Edward Gabkwet, air force spokesperson, said in a statement on Friday an air crash involving a Nigerian air force aircraft occurred on Friday evening near the Kaduna International Airport. "The immediate cause of the crash is still being ascertained, more details to follow soon," said Gabkwet. A press release from the state house later on Friday confirmed Chief of Army Staff Ibrahim Attahiru and other military officers were killed in the crash. "President Muhammadu Buhari is deeply saddened over the air crash that claimed the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, and other military officers," said the statement. Buhari described the crash as "one mortal blow to our underbelly, at a time our armed forces are poised to end the security challenges facing the country," according to the statement. At least eight people including Attahiru were aboard the aircraft when the crash happened, military sources quoted by local media said. The incident on Friday was the third air crash involving Nigerian military jets this year. On Feb. 21, seven Nigerian air force officers died when a military jet reported engine failure and crashed near the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport in Abuja. Another military jet involved in the anti-terror war against Boko Haram in the country's northeastern state of Borno had reportedly lost contact with the radar on March 31. Enditem New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks to the media at a news conference in Manhattan in New York City, N.Y., on May 5, 2021. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Gov. Andrew Cuomo Condemns Brutal Attacks on Jewish New Yorkers New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo condemned recent attacks on Jews in the state, saying such violence will not be tolerated. I unequivocally condemn these brutal attacks on visibly Jewish New Yorkers and we will not tolerate anti-Semitic violent gang harassment and intimidation, the governor wrote in a statement on Friday. New York is the vibrant and dynamic home for people from around the world. This tapestry makes New York the extraordinary place that it is, Cuomo, a Democrat, said. Those of all faiths, backgrounds and ethnicities must be able to walk the streets safely and free from harassment and violence. The governors comments come after a 29-year-old Jewish man was attacked by a group of five or six men in New York Citys Times Square on Thursday amid demonstrations over the deadly conflict between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group ruling the Gaza Strip. The victim was approached by a group of five or six males who knocked him to the ground, assaulted him while making anti-Semitic statements, Sergeant Jessica McRorie, a police spokeswoman, told Reuters by phone. They punched, kicked, pepper-sprayed and hit him with some crutches during the assault. The attack, which was captured on video and widely shared on social media, drew the attention of several politicians. Police said the incident is being investigated as a hate crime and Cuomo also ordered a special task force to assist in the investigation. Justice needs to be done and I am directing the New York State Police Hate Crimes Task Force to offer their assistance in the investigation of these attacks, he said in the statement. The victim was taken to a hospital where he was in stable condition, McRorie told news outlets. The victims name was not released. One suspect was taken into custody and has since been identified as Waseem Awawdeh, who police said used a crutch in the early evening assault. Hes been charged with second-degree hate crime assault, a second-degree gang assault, menacing, and criminal possession of a weapon, police said. Late on Friday, New York authorities also released pictures of other people believed to be connected to the assault. The Thursday pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrations in midtown Manhattan over the fighting in Gaza resulted in 26 arrests. That same night, a cease-fire was also called between Israel and Hamas. Reuters contributed to this report. From NTD News Historic Restaurant Menu Dating Back to 1913 Discovered During Cafe Renovation While working on the renovation of a cafe, a worker discovered a 1913 restaurant menu as he stripped the wallpaper. Now, the owner of the cafe is planning on recreating the historic dishes. Max Kearns was helping renovate the mezzanine space in Leaf cafe, on Bold Street, Liverpool, England, when he found a special menu dated Jan. 15, 1913. The dishes featured on the menu include lobster salad, ox tail, grilled kidneys, and boiled fowl from the former Yamen Cafe and Tea Rooms. The menu from The Yamen Cafe and Tea Room, dated 1913. (Caters News) A hat from the Yamen Cafe and Tea Room. (Caters News) Natalie Haywood, the founder and owner of Leaf said: Other dishes on the delicate menu include Tournedos Bearnaise, Consomme de Volaille, and Meringues Chantilly with pears. The restaurant also offered Irish stew, Russian, Indian, and Chinese tea, sweetbreads, banana fritters, lemonade, and more. The bistro-style menu also showcases the prices, with a bowl of tomato soup costing just 4 old pennies, the equivalent of 1.20 pounds (approx. US$1.70) today. On the discovery of the menu, Haywood said: [its] really blown our minds that this has been in our building all alongfor over a century! When I saw it I was staggered, its like a time capsule hidden in the walls. We are so thankful to Max who found it whilst working as part of our expansion. We knew our site used to be a restaurant a long time ago but we had no idea what they were cooking and how advanced it all was. Haywood explains that she always knew their building was a historic site, but having the menu in their hands made it real, as it was something dating back to the first world war. Additionally, Haywood commented that it has been inspiring to see how forward-thinking and creative they were as a restaurant back then. Everyone is so excited; we cant believe it and its already inspiring us with new ideas, Haywood added. The downstairs area of Leaf cafe. (Caters News) The Leaf cafe is now planning on recreating select dishes from the historic menu, creating an opportunity for Liverpool to experience what the food and drink scene was like over 100 years ago. Haywood hopes to add two items permanently from the menu: Irish stew and Welsh rarebit, CNN reports. Once the renovation is complete and the lockdown restrictions are lifted, Haywood also has plans to host an evening serving a more extensive range of items from the menu. Its blown my mind really, that there [was] a time capsule in the rafters, she added Caters News Agency contributed to this story. Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Epoch Inspired newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter Police and rescue service members are seen near the crashed cable car after it collapsed in Stresa, near Lake Maggiore, Italy, on May 23, 2021. (Italian Police/Handout via Reuters) Italian Cable Car Crash Kills 14 People, Child Seriously Hurt ROMEAt least 14 people died and a child was seriously injured on Sunday when a cable car linking Italys Lake Maggiore with a nearby mountain plunged 20 meters (66 feet) to the ground, local officials and rescuers said. The Stresa-Mottarone cable car takes tourists and locals from the town on Lake Maggiore, almost 1,400 meters (4,593 feet) above sea level to the top of the Mottarone mountain in 20 minutes. We are devastated, in pain, Marcella Severino, Stresas mayor told broadcaster RAI, while Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi voiced his condolences to the families of the victims. The cable car was traveling up the mountain when the cabin fell some 20 meters (66 feet) to the ground and rolled several times down the steep slopes before it was stopped by trees, Severino said. People hiking nearby heard a loud hiss just before the crash, she said, adding that the accident was believed to have been caused by one of the cables breaking. A crashed cable car is seen after it collapsed in Stresa, near Lake Maggiore, Italy, on May 23, 2021. (Alpine Rescue Service/Handout via Reuters) Italys alpine rescue service said a call had first come just after midday, adding that the cable car was lying crumpled in the woods and two children were taken by helicopter to a pediatric hospital in the nearby city of Turin. Severino said that some of the victims had been found trapped inside the car, with others thrown out into the woods. Coroners had started identifying the victims, who included foreign nationals, she said, without giving further details. The eldest of the two children taken to hospital, who was believed to be between 9 and 10, died after suffering two cardiac arrests, the hospital said. Director General Giovanni La Valle said the hospital did not have personal data for the two children and that nobody had been in contact with the hospital for them, indicating that other family members could have been involved in the accident. The youngest child, estimated to be 5 years old, was conscious upon his arrival at the hospital and spoke Italian. He was undergoing surgery to stabilize multiple fractures. La Valle said another person, who was previously thought to have been injured, had not in fact been taken to hospital. A crashed cable car is seen after it collapsed in Stresa, near Lake Maggiore, Italy, on May 23, 2021. (Vigili Del Fuoco/Handout via Reuters) Hard to Believe The Stresa-Mottarone lift had only recently reopened following the gradual lifting of coronavirus restrictions. Its a terrible moment for me and for our community and I think also for the whole of Italy. Especially now that we were just beginning to restart (after the pandemic), Severino said. The Mottarone peak is popular among tourists because of its panoramic views on Lake Maggiore and its picturesque islands as well as the vista of the surrounding Alps. The cable car service first opened in August 1970 after almost three years of works to replace a cog railway, its website said. The dual cable system is split into two sections, with just over two kilometers (1.2 miles) between Stresa and Alpino and another three kilometers (1.9 miles) between Alpino and Mottarone. It consist of two carsin alternate directions with each one carrying up to 40 passengers. Severino said that important maintenance works, including changing the cables, had been carried out in recent years. All of this is hard to believe, the mayor said. By Giulia Segreti, Flavio Lo Scalzo and Alex Fraser Labor is shell-shocked at the terrible result of a NSW by-election that saw its primary vote slide backwards and the center-right Liberal-National government retain the marginal seat, NSW opposition leader Jodi McKay says. McKay told reporters on Sunday she was devastated by the Upper Hunter result. The Upper Hunter is a coal mining region. We did not think that the result would be the way it is, she said. We didnt expect that our vote would go to independents, we didnt expect our vote to be torn away as it was. Labor conceded defeat on Sunday, with both McKay and ALP candidate Jeff Drayton congratulating their Nationals counterparts. McKay admitted her party needed to do some really genuine soul-searching to figure out why it was not resonating with voters. Nobody in her party room has asked her to step down or issued a challenge to her role. She said that blaming her party leadership would be a cop-out and would not address the fundamental structural issues facing the Labor party. McKay urged her party to focus on issues that matter to working people in western Sydney and other places rather than minority issues. She says shes implemented changes since the 2019 poll. But the by-election results show that the party hasnt made the progress she thought. The policies are good, I just dont know why were not connecting, she said. Nationals candidate Daivd Layzell had claimed around 30 per cent of the first preferences from over 41,000 votes counted at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Drayton was next on 21 per cent, with the One Nation and Shooters, Fishers, and Farmers Party candidates following on 12 per cent. It represents a significant swing against the opposition, which got 28.6 per cent of first preferences in the 2019 state election. Our result yesterday, particularly in Singleton, is a warning to Labor that we cant take any community for granted, Drayton, a coal miner and union official, said in a statement. Working class communities are hurting and theyre turning away from this government. However, right now, they dont see Labor as the answer. Labor needs to do some real soul searching as to how we will win these communities back. NSW Nationals leader John Barilaro said earlier on Sunday that the result was an indictment of the Labor party. He accused them of pretending to be for mining and agriculture but not voting accordingly. He said the problem was not McKays leadership. Shes just a jockey, the horse is broken, he told Sky News. Theyve got to start fixing their policies They just cant find their way back because they have forgotten about the people that actually matter. He had warned Labor on the campaign trail that coal mining is the heart of the Hunter: At the end of the day, when it comes to employment numbers and employees, directly and indirectly, small businesses survive heavily on mining. Premier Gladys Berejiklian had said that the election could go either way as governments traditionally dont do well in by-elections. The Nationals have held the seat for the last 90 years, although it has become marginal. The by-election was sparked when Nationals MP Michael Johnsen stepped down over allegations he had solicited sex in the parliament and revelations he is under police investigation for sexual assault. The final vote count will not be known for some days, with postal votes returning as late as Wednesday. By Hannah Ryan People take part in a human chain protest in support of the Hong Kong Way, a recreation of a pro-democracy "Baltic Way" protest against Soviet rule three decades ago, in Vilnius, Lithuania on Aug. 23, 2019. (Petras Malukas/AFP via Getty Images) Lithuania Withdraws From Chinas 17+1 Cooperation Platform The Lithuanian government has pulled out of Beijings 17+1 platform, a Chinese initiative that the Baltic nation joined in 2012. The Chinese regime officially launched the platformwhich was initially named the 16+1 platformin April 2012 to intensify cooperation with 11 European Union member states and five Balkan countries. The platform was renamed 17+1 after Greece joined the initiative in April 2019. The initiative calls for participating countries to cooperate with China in many fields, including finance, health, trade, and technology. Modeled after the platform, Beijing founded a similar project in 2013, which is called the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI, also known as One Belt, One Road), in an effort to build up trade routes linking China to other parts of the world. On May 22, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said in a statement that the Baltic nation doesnt see itself as a 17+1 member anymore and wont participate in the groups activities, according to the Baltic News Service. He said the Chinese platform was divisive from the EUs point of view, and called on EU members to pursue a much more effective 27+1 approach and communication with China. Europes strength and impact is in its unity, Landsbergis said. There are 27 member countries currently in the EU; the UK left the political and trading bloc in January 2020. Lithuanias decision to exit the Chinese mechanism wasnt unexpected. In March, Landsbergis told German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that the 17+1 platform had fallen short of the countrys expectations, in particular about investments that served mutual interests. Taking part had also come with negative consequences. This format was accompanied by divisive tendencies in the EU and greater political pressure from China, Landsbergis told the German paper. Lithuanias Homeland Union and Lithuanian Christian Democrats party leader Ingrida Simonyte delivers a speech at the parliament in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Nov. 24, 2020. (Petras Malukas/AFP via Getty Images) Xinjiang and Taiwan Lithuanias move is the latest indication of its souring ties with China. On May 20, the Lithuanian Parliament passed a non-binding resolution condemning Beijings treatment of the Uyghur minority in Chinas Xinjiang region as genocide. The resolution was passed by a vote of 861, with seven abstentions. In Xinjiang, which is home to about 11 million Uyghurs, at least 1 million Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and Kyrgyz have been detained in internment camps for political indoctrination. Parliaments in Canada, the Netherlands, and the UK have passed similar resolutions. In January, then-U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has committed genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang. The Lithuanian resolution also called on the CCP to immediately end the illegal practice of organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience, release all prisoners of conscience in China, including members of the Falun Gong. In response to the resolution, the Chinese Embassy in Lithuania slammed the Lithuanian Parliament for a shoddy political show based on lies and disinformation, in a statement released on May 20. Beijing also reacted angrily when Lithuania voiced support for Taiwan, a de facto independent country that Beijing claims is a part of its territory. In November 2020, the Lithuanian government stated that it was committed to supporting those fighting for freedom around the world, including Taiwan. The public support for Taiwan drew the ire of Hu Xijin, the editor-in-chief of Chinas hawkish mouthpiece Global Times. In an opinion article published days later, Hu criticized the Lithuanian government for its behavior regarding Taiwan issues. If the government in Vilnius [Lithuanias capital] continues to behave crazily, it is bound to suffer consequences, Hu wrote. While Taiwan and Lithuania arent formal diplomatic allies, officials from the Baltic nation have voiced support for the self-ruled island to take part in the World Health Organization (WHO). Taiwan isnt a member of the WHO due to the Beijing regimes opposition. In March, Lithuania said it wanted to advance ties with Taiwan by setting up a representative office on the island. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen speaks during National Day celebrations in front of the Presidential Office Building in Taipei on Oct. 10, 2020. (Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images) Espionage Lithuania has also previously warned about Chinas increasing intelligence activities inside the Baltic nation. From Lithuanian citizens, Chinese intelligence may seek to obtain sensitive or classified national or NATO and EU information, Lithuanias 2019 National Threat Assessment report states, according to the Estonian newspaper The Baltic Times. Chinese intelligence-funded trips to China are used to recruit Lithuanian citizens. The report was compiled by Lithuanias State Security Department and the Second Investigation Department under the countrys Defense Ministry. It named two Chinese agenciesthe Ministry of State Security, Chinas chief intelligence agency, and the Military Intelligence Directorate of Chinas Peoples Liberation Armyfor their increasing operations in Lithuania. Chinese intelligence looks for suitable targetsdecision-makers, other individuals sympathizing with China and able to exert political leverage. They seek to influence such individuals by giving gifts, paying for trips to China, covering expenses of training and courses organized there, the report stated. Some of the particular interests to Chinese intelligence officials included Lithuanias domestic and foreign policies, as well as the countrys economy and defense sector. Maricopa County ballots cast in the 2020 general election are examined and recounted by contractors working for Florida-based company, Cyber Ninjas, at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, Ariz., on May 6, 2021. (Matt York/AP Photo/Pool) Maricopa County Lawyer Demands 2020 Auditors Preserve All Documents, May File Lawsuit An attorney representing Maricopa County, Arizona, has sent Republican state Senate President Karen Fann a letter demanding the preservation of all documents relating to the countys 2020 election audit. Maricopa County attorney Allister Adel sent the notice (pdf) to Fann, saying that some of the auditors involved in the process made potentially false or defamatory allegations. It is clear the Arizona Senate and its contractors do not intend to retract false allegations defaming the County and its employees, Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jack Sellers said in a statement on May 21, in connection with the demand letter sent by Adel. The letters language suggested that the county may be readying a lawsuit against Fann and other Republican leaders, as lawyers typically issue litigation holds before filing suits. For that reason, Maricopa County is formally requesting Senate President Fann, Senator Petersen, Senate liaison Ken Bennett, and contractors involved in the audit preserve documents and evidence as they may be subject to future legal claims, he stated. The letter focused on Fanns May 13 letter that said a subcontractor for the audit recently discovered that the entire database directory from the D drive of a machine was deleted. An official Twitter account run by the Senate liaison for the Maricopa forensic audit issued a tweet about the drive being deleted, which hasnt been taken down, and was also referenced in the demand letter from Adel. Breaking Update: Maricopa County deleted a directory full of election databases from the 2020 election cycle days before the election equipment was delivered to the audit. This is spoliation of evidence! pic.twitter.com/mY0fmmFXAm Maricopa Arizona Audit (@ArizonaAudit) May 13, 2021 Amid reports from CNN and other legacy media outlets that an auditor named Ben Cotton had backtracked and said that the drive wasnt actually deleted, Cotton told The Epoch Times that his comments during a Senate hearing were taken out of context. He said that the EMS Primary Server WAS deleted but he was able to recover it. My testimony on May 19th before the AZ Senate is being taken out of context by some media outlets. To confirm: the Databases directory on the EMS Primary Server WAS deleted containing the voting databases. I was able to recover the deleted databases through forensic data recovery processes, Cotton, founder of CyFIR, said. The Maricopa audits Twitter account also posted Cottons statement on May 19. 2/2) I was able to recover the deleted databases through forensic data recovery processes. We are performing data continuity checks to ensure that the recovered databases are usable. Maricopa Arizona Audit (@ArizonaAudit) May 19, 2021 But Adels letter also claimed that the audit is not being done in accordance with Arizona law and demanded that Fann and other officials must preserve all documents including any and all communications between you and any other member of the Senate or their staffs, and also any communications between you and your agents, including, but not limited to, Ken Bennett, Cyber Ninjas, CyFir, Wake TSI, and those firms various owners, officers, employees, agents, subcontractors, or volunteers. Fanns office didnt immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment. She had told The Epoch Times on May 20 that neither she nor the auditors went back on claims that the drive had been deleted. The file was deleted, but Cyfir was able to recover it from other areas. But yes, the file had been deleted on that portion of the drive, she said via email. Then-candidate Joe Biden received around 10,000 more votes than incumbent President Donald Trump in Arizona during the Nov. 3, 2020, election. New York Man Arrested for Setting Fire to Jewish School, Synagogue: DOJ A New York man was been arrested and faces federal arson charges for attempting to set fire to a Jewish school and synagogue in Brooklyn, the Justice Department said. The man, Ali Alaheri, 29, from Brooklyn is accused of piling garbage bags against the side of a yeshiva, or a Jewish school, and synagogue on 36th Street in Brooklyn, and setting the trash on fire in the early hours of May 19, according to a criminal complaint (pdf). Alaheri was captured on surveillance footage allegedly committing the act, as well as punching a man wearing traditional Hasidic garb several hours later without provocation. Federal prosecutors said Alaheri and the victim had no prior interactions before the alleged assault. The task force officer responsible for Alaheris investigation said he identified the 29-year-old from photographs available in the New York Police Department database. Alaheri was arrested allegedly wearing the same clothing as was seen on the suspect in the video footage of the assault. The criminal complaint also alleges that Alaheri was in possession of a stolen bicycle during the course of the incident. As alleged in the complaint and detention letter, Alaheri deliberately set fire to the sacred home of a yeshiva and synagogue, and viciously attacked a man wearing traditional Hasidic garb, demonstrating a violent hatred that cannot be tolerated, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark J. Lesko said in a statement. This Office strongly condemns these sorts of intentional acts of violence and we will go to every length possible to prosecute this type of conduct to the fullest extent possible. The defendants alleged actions endangered the lives of numerous individuals, from the congregants and students at the synagogue and yeshiva, to the first responders who arrived to extinguish the flames, to the neighboring members of the community, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Special Agent-in-Charge John DeVito said in the statement. If convicted, Alaheri could face up to 20 years in prison. The arrest comes after a series of anti-Semitic attacks on Jewish individuals this week. One of the incidents occurred in New York Citys Times Square, where a group of five or six men attacked a 29-year-old Jewish man during demonstrations over the conflict between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas, NYPD confirmed. The victim was approached by a group of five or six males who knocked him to the ground, assaulted him while making anti-Semitic statements, police spokeswoman Sgt. Jessica McRorie told Reuters by phone. They punched, kicked, pepper-sprayed, and hit him with some crutches during the assault. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has since condemned the attack, saying in a statement that New York will not tolerate anti-Semitic violent gang harassment and intimidation. New York is the vibrant and dynamic home for people from around the world. This tapestry makes New York the extraordinary place that it is, said Cuomo, a Democrat. Those of all faiths, backgrounds, and ethnicities must be able to walk the streets safely and free from harassment and violence. He has also directed the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force to help with the investigation. Similarly, on the other side of the country, officials in Los Angeles confirmed that the Los Angeles Police Department is investigating an alleged violent attack on Jewish people eating at a restaurant. Witnesses told ABC7 that a pro-Palestinian group yelled anti-Semitic remarks at the diners, and video footage showed men punching another man on the sidewalk. Hamas and Israel agreed to a cease-fire to halt 11 days of deadly conflict. Amid the clash, Hamas fired more than 4,000 rockets into Israeli civilian areas that are home to Israelis and Arabs, beginning on May 10. Israel responded with hundreds of targeted airstrikes and several ground strikes into Gaza to take down the offending and supporting Hamas infrastructure, which Israeli Defence Forces said were purposely placed next to civilian schools and other heavily populated areas. Netanyahu previously said in a statement to media that Israels operations were aimed at eliminating terrorist groups that threatened the safety of Israelis and to restore quiet and security to you, the citizens of Israel. Hamas said its rocket assault was in retaliation to weeks of tensions over a court case to evict several Palestinian families in East Jerusalem, and Israeli police responding to Palestinian rioters who Netanyahus office said planned the unrest near the citys Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islams third holiest site, on May 10 during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Jack Phillips contributed to this report. Pro-Palestinian protesters face off with a group of Israel supporters and police in a violent clash in Times Square on May 20, 2021 (Spencer Platt/Getty Images) NYC Principal Criticized Over Email Urging Staff to Promote Sanctions Against Israel A Brooklyn middle school principal has come under fire for using her position to promote pro-Palestinian activism. In an email sent Wednesday, Charles O. Dewey MS 136 principal Amanda Bueno encouraged teachers and administrators to take a stand on the side of Palestinians in the latest escalation between Israel and Palestinian jihadist groups in the Gaza Strip. If you have been watching the news in absolute horror, you are not alone. You can take action today by protesting, attending a vigil, making a public commitment to Palestinian Liberation, signing a petition, or calling your government officials to place sanctions on Isreal [sic], Bueno wrote, reported the New York Post. As US governments push to restrict anti-racist education in several states, we must keep pushing forward, she added, using the language of critical race theory. A teacher at MS 136, who is Jewish, told the Post, I opened the email and I was in shock. I felt very targeted and very attacked by her words. The teacher also pointed to a series of highly politicized pro-Palestinian websites included in the email, saying they are all propaganda and that there was nothing in the email about Hamas rockets targeting innocent Israeli civilians. Inna Vernikov, a Republican running for New York City Council, responded to the email by submitting a complaint to New York City Schools Chancellor Meisha Ross Porter demanding disciplinary measures against Bueno. No city employee should be allowed to espouse and push their political views or agenda onto other employees or subordinates with impunity. Teachers should not be made to feel intimidated by their higher-ups, she argued in the letter. Any employee of a New York city public school who calls on its colleagues or subordinates to engage in political activity should be immediately reprimanded. Porter on Saturday stepped in over the matter, calling on the middle school principal to apologize for her actions. This was a clear exercise of poor judgment & we will take appropriate follow-up action, Porter, who was appointed as head of the New York City public school system in March, wrote on Twitter. We must teach complex current events without bringing our political activities or beliefs into the classroom. The controversy comes as New York City sees a spike in harassment and assaults against Jewish New Yorkers. One of the latest incidents took place on May 20 afternoon at the Diamond District, where pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian groups held dueling demonstrations. According to the New York City Police Departments Hate Crime Task Force, the 29-year-old victim was jumped by a group of six men, who yelled an anti-Semetic slur while attacking the Jewish man. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo condemned those attacks, saying he is directing the Hate Crime Task Force to investigate them. I unequivocally condemn these brutal attacks on visibly Jewish New Yorkers and we will not tolerate anti-Semitic violent gang harassment and intimidation, Cuomo said. Those of all faiths, backgrounds and ethnicities must be able to walk the streets safely and free from harassment and violence. Pennsylvania Votes to Limit Governors Emergency Powers Pennsylvania voted to amend its Constitution on May 18 in response to their governors use of emergency declarations to decide laws during the pandemic. As more than two million Pennsylvanians voted in a primary election, they passed two constitutional amendments in ballot questions to restrict the governors emergency declaration powers to give some power back to the legislature. Pennsylvania Speaker of the House Brian Cutler told The Epoch Times that he is glad people voted and had their voice heard. Ultimately, our Constitution is clear. The people are the ones who are sovereign and give government the power. And I think we saw that result yesterday on the elections, he said. The first proposed constitutional amendment, called the Legislative Resolution to Extend or Terminate Emergency Declaration Amendment, sought to allow the Pennsylvania General Assembly to pass a resolution to extend or terminate the governors emergency declaration by a simple majority that cannot be vetoed by the governor. Currently, the Pennsylvania Constitution allows the governor to veto the legislatives resolution to terminate an emergency declaration. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf last year signed four consecutive 90-day pandemic emergency measures; the first emergency declaration was signed in March 2020 after the first two presumptive positive cases of the CCP virus in Pennsylvania. His veto then withstood a legislative challenge that failed to secure the two-thirds majority vote needed to end governors disaster declarations. The May 18 amendment passed with 52.97 percent support from Pennsylvanians. The second amendment, the Emergency Declaration Amendment, proposed limiting the governors emergency declarations to a 21 day period unless the legislature votes on a concurrent resolution to extend the order and passes laws related to how disaster emergencies must be managed. This amendment also passed on May 18 with 52.93 percent support from Pennsylvanians. Before the vote, emergency declarations could be issued for up to 90 days and extended without limit. On May 19, Pennsylvania Speaker of the House Bryan Cutler (R) and House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R) issued a joint statement on Pennsylvania voters decision to approve the amendments to the Pennsylvania Constitution limiting the governors powers. The people of Pennsylvania have exercised their vote and resoundingly reaffirmed their desire for a government with strong checks and balances that works in their interests and not for its own power. In doing so, they have rejected the mutation of emergency authority into unilateral, one-person control that seeks expediency over the rule of law, the statement read. To those contemplating litigation to stop the enforcement of the emergency disaster-related amendments: Think twice before again ignoring the voice of the people. They expressed that voters have said through their ballot that they do not want to see emergency orders being controlled by the governor alone. Cutler pointed out that the emergency declarations issued by the governor over the past year have caused many problems. There was a list of what they call essential businesses. It was very arbitrary. Some businesses were allowed to be open while their other competitors were not. And there was a lot of confusion with the government waiver program that was put up. I think everybody would agree that it did not work. They made simple mistakes, like they said, coal plants could be open to generate electricity, I think we all agree electricity is required. But the problem was they didnt let the coal mines continue to operate. So at some point, we were going to run out of coal. Same thing in the paper industry, he said. They said that paper was essential when everybody ran out to buy toilet paper and there was the shortage. The timber companies couldnt continue to operate to process trees. So not having that input from the legislators in front of the citizens, I think, severely impacted the early management of the pandemic. As a legislator, Cutler said he understood that voters were very frustrated with the emergency declarations: We tried several things, we tried the taskforce bill, which was vetoed. We tried some specific bills that would open businesses. Those were also vetoed. We also went to court multiple times, citizens went to court. And we lost in the judicial branches. Wolf had expressed his opposition to two constitutional amendments, and signed a renewal of COVID-19 Disaster Declaration to Aid in Recovery on May 20. Cutler said that Republican leaders had called the governor on May 19 to discuss future collaboration under the new constitutional amendments, while waiting for the votes to be certified. Anything beyond 21 days would require the input of the legislature. The legislature can approve, disapprove, modify it, he said of the amendments, adding that the legislature does not want to abruptly stop all emergency declaration in the next three weeks. They will now take time to figure out what to keep. Cutler added that the constitutional amendments were not a party issue: In Ohio, the Republican legislature is looking to curb the powers of a republican governor and in New York, the democratic legislature is looking to do the same to the Democratic governor. He said that about 45 state lawmakers in the United States are considering different ways to restrict the power of governors. Rand Paul Says He Wont Get COVID-19 Vaccine: Show Me Evidence Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) says that he wont get vaccinated against COVID-19, explaining that he already contracted the virus last year and has natural immunity. Paul, who is an ophthalmologist, said that he hasnt seen evidence proving the vaccine is more effective than having survived the CCP virus, so he wont get the shot. Until they show me evidence that people who have already had the infection are dying in large numbers, or being hospitalized or getting very sick, I just made my own personal decision that Im not getting vaccinated because Ive already had the disease, and I have natural immunity, Paul, who appears to be the first senator to announce he wont get vaccinated, told WABC 770 AM on May 23, according to news reports. Paul has made similar remarks in the past when interviewed about vaccines. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who also recovered from COVID-19, suggested he wouldnt get the vaccine earlier this year. Paul tested positive for COVID-19 in March 2020, becoming the first senator to contract the virus. At the time, Paul said he didnt develop any notable symptoms and wasnt hospitalized. The senator also noted that the pressure from various institutions to get vaccinated flies in the face of individual liberty. In a free country, you would think people would honor the idea that each individual would get to make the medical decision, that it wouldnt be a big brother coming to tell me what I have to do, Paul said in the interview, suggesting that the pressure campaign around vaccines could be an attempt to manufacture consent for other power grabs. Are they also going to tell me I cant have a cheeseburger for lunch? Are they going to tell me that I have to eat carrots only and cut my calories? he added. All that would probably be good for me, but I dont think big brother ought to tell me to do it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended that people who have recovered from the CCP virus should get vaccinated, arguing that health officials dont know how long natural immunity lasts. Even if you have already recovered from COVID-19, it is possiblealthough rarethat you could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 again, the CDC says on its website. Pauls comments come as some states and municipalities have attempted to place pressure on businesses trying to reopen by ascertaining whether their employees have been vaccinated. Last week, Oregon became the first state to require that individuals in workplaces, businesses, and houses of worship show proof of vaccination before entering facilities without wearing masks. And in Santa Clara County, California, health officials issued an order that stipulated businesses are now required to determine the vaccination status of employees. Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-22 14:06:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close People stroll in Chinatown in San Francisco, California, the United States, May 22, 2021. California, the most populous state in the United States, on Friday announced plans to fully reopen its economy on June 15 amid dropping cases and vaccine eligibility expansion. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling) LOS ANGELES, May 21 (Xinhua) -- California, the most populous state in the United States, on Friday announced plans to fully reopen its economy on June 15 amid dropping cases and vaccine eligibility expansion. Beginning on June 15, almost all industry and business sectors may return to usual operations with no capacity limits or physical distancing requirements, according to the updated guidelines unveiled by the California Department of Public Health. There are still limited exceptions for "mega events," characterized by large crowds greater than 5,000 attendees at indoor venues or 10,000 attendees at outdoor events. Public health officials will still recommend sponsors of those events to encourage everyone to get vaccinated when eligible. Verification of fully vaccinated status or pre-entry negative test result is strongly recommended for all attendees. "Californians should be proud of the work we've done together to get through the worst of this pandemic," said State Public Health Officer and Director of the California Department of Public Health Tomas Aragon in a statement. "Relaxing many of our public health measures is possible because we've chosen to get vaccinated against COVID-19, worn masks and kept our distance. We urge Californians who are eligible to get vaccinated and continue taking common sense prevention steps so we can keep our forward progress in defeating this virus," Aragon noted. California was the first state in the United States to issue a statewide stay-at-home order over a rapid spread of COVID-19 in March last year. It was once the epicenter of the disease in the country with the highest number of cases and deaths. The state of around 40 million residents has more than 3.67 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and 61,672 related deaths to date, according to the department. Official statistics say more than 35 million vaccine doses have been administered statewide and over 16 million California residents have been fully vaccinated as of Friday. Enditem A woman holds a sign expressing Latino support for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at his campaign rally at the Orange County Fair and Event Center, in Costa Mesa, Calif., on April 28, 2016. (David McNew/AFP via Getty Images) Rebuilding the Orange Curtain: Republicans Retrench in Southern California Orange County conservatives are returning to their roots under the banner of a group that former President Ronald Reagan often called the conscience of the Republican Party. New California Republican Assembly (CRA) chapters are forming in Orange, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, and San Clemente/Dana Point. The CRAs mission is to engage a broader base of conservatives, recruit strong candidates, and win back seats in the historically red county, according to Costa Mesa Republican Assembly (CMRA) President Jennye Bigelow. People are hungry for authentic, genuine, principled, constitutional conservatives who are servant leaders to the people who elect them. Republican elected officials must embody these qualities to coalesce support, Bigelow told The Epoch Times. Seizing momentum from the grassroots effort to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom, Bigelow and others have been working to rebuild, reorganize, and strengthen the GOP base. With 77 members, the CMRA is now the largest CRA chapter. CMRA is heading this up in collaboration with CRA and its affiliate chapters. We are pushing this statewide, said Bigelow. The membership growth mirrors efforts throughout the county to reestablish the Orange Curtain, a longtime stronghold of GOP voters. By combining their efforts and unifying under the conservative banner, local groups hope to galvanize voters in the county to return to tradition. The Orange Curtain Bigelow said the CRA plans to mentor candidates about policy, and endorse those who will stand firm for peoples rights and carry the message to restore conservative family values, fiscal responsibility, and smaller government with integrity. CRA spokesman Craig DeLuz says Costa Mesa chapter members have shown theyre proud conservatives who reflect and effectively communicate traditional principles and values. What theyre doing is making it cool to be conservative again, he said. Theyre bringing people back to the party. Before the 2018 midterm elections, when the Democrats flipped four congressional seats in the county, the GOP stronghold was known as the Orange Curtain, according to Republican political consultants. The term refers to the line separating Orange and Los Angeles counties. That area used to be, for the longest time, the hotbed of Republican politics, DeLuz said. But the GOP lost traction in many parts of Californiain particular, Orange Countyas the party started to steer away from conservative principles and ideals. The Return of the CRA At a CMRA event last month, CRA President Johnnie Morgan urged Republicans who may be contemplating the idea of leaving California to stay and fight against government policies that are driving people out. The CRA has a goal of turning California red again, Morgan said. It all begins on the local level. We have to work from the ground up. The CRA, founded in 1935, is an affiliate of the National Federation of Republican Assemblies (NFRA). It is the conservative wing and the oldest, largest volunteer organization chartered by the California Republican Party. Morgan said there are currently more than 35 CRA chapters in the state, with new groups forming. The CRA is one of the fastest-growing Republican groups in the state, DeLuz said. More than five years ago, CRA membership had dropped to nearly 100; it has since rebounded to include about 1,500 members. Were actively and aggressively recruiting people to start chapters in various different parts of the state, and weve seen a significant growth in our membership in the last year alone, Morgan said. DeLuz said the resurgence has a lot to do with the fact that we are taking an active role in once again being the Republicans in the Republican Party. The CRA has recently developed a new grassroots policy program to help people write letters to politicians who are voting on specific legislation of interest to conservatives, he added. Randall Avila, a spokesman for the Republican Party of Orange County (OCGOP), told The Epoch Times that elections have become more contentious in recent years, with Democrats spending more money on campaigns and aggressively targeting county seats. We never really thought that Orange County was going to be this competitive in what was [a] traditionally red county, Avila said. But obviously, the conditions on the ground have changed, and that calls for the party to kind of recalibrate where we are and what were doing after each [election] cycle. Higher stakes and harder-fought campaign battles make volunteer efforts to regroup and replan even more crucial in terms of strategy, Avila said. Were 100 percent supportive of the organization and the chapters here. Jennye Bigelow speaks at a Costa Mesa Republican Assembly event in Costa Mesa, Calif., on April 25, 2021. (Courtesy of Costa Mesa Brief) Election Integrity The Costa Mesa CRA chapter has rallied to support Fix California Now, a campaign led by Richard Grenell. The former Trump administration official, who has served as the U.S. ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence, spoke at a CMRA event in Costa Mesa last month. Part of Fix California Nows mission is to secure free and fair elections. Election integrity is a huge piece of rebuilding the party, Bigelow said, adding that her deceased grandfather is still listed as a registered voter. I looked him up. He is still on the voter rolls, and he passed away 60 years ago. Thats how bad our voter rolls are, she said. Though many conservatives desire a return to traditional in-person voting and an end to both ballot harvesting and unsolicited vote-by-mail ballots, Bigelow said Republicans must learn to adapt more quickly to changes in state election laws to win seats. I feel like we were asleep at the wheel when it came to ballot harvesting, she said. The Democrats got way ahead of us on that, and then pretty much blindsided us. Its here, its legal, and theres nothing we can do about it, so we need to take advantage of that opportunity, because Democrats do. Because Democrats hold the governorship and supermajorities in the state Assembly and Senate, Republicans dont have the power to prevent them from changing election laws, Bigelow said. As an example, she cited Assembly Bill 37 (AB 37), which would require every registered voter in the state to receive a vote-by-mail ballot for all future elections, thus making COVID-style elections permanent. Assemblyman Kelly Seyarto (R-Murrieta), the lone Republican on the chambers Elections Committee, was outvoted 61 by his Democratic counterparts to move AB 37 forward in the legislative process. Election Integrity Project California (EIPCa), a nonpartisan watchdog group, estimates that hundreds of thousands of mail-in ballots were sent to questionable registrants for the 2020 general election because of inaccurate state voter rolls. Challenges Ahead If Republicans expect to gain ground in the county and statewide, theyll have to work harder to connect with voters, set differences aside to prevent vote-splitting, and strive for greater unity, Bigelow said. She cited the disjointed effort of Republicans during the March special election for a seat on the Orange County Board of Supervisors. Republicans received the majority of votes but they were split among multiple candidates, allowing Democrat Katrina Foley to win the seat. Everyone is kind of doing their own thing, said Bigelow. Everybody has their own ideas, instead of bringing those ideas to the table and trying to create a collaborative plan to all move together. We all need to get on the same page and work as a team. Reunifying successfully will take a lot of hard work and dedication, with a fresh, modern approach, she said. The old ways are not working. She noted that dirty politics, pay-to-pay politicians, heavy influence from labor unions, dark money from special interest groups, and a lack of transparency in local government are just a few of the obstacles the county faces. Too many politicians are putting emotions before facts and exploiting the pandemic for political gain, according to Bigelow. The media and activists are spreading false narratives painting Republicans and America as systemically racist, resulting in divisive identity politics and manipulation of voter laws. Bigelow said former President Donald Trumps America First platform and promise to drain the Swamp resonated with conservatives, breathed life back into the party, and got many No Party Preference (NPP) voters in California off the fence. Everybody has a new set of eyes in the way they view government. I personally think that it unifies us. It has really motivated people, she said. I feel that in 2022, were going to have a big come-to-Jesus moment here in Orange County, because I think we are unifying. It has opened our eyes. A photograph shows rockets launched towards Israel from the northern Gaza Strip in Gaza City, Gaza, on May 14, 2021. (Fatima Shbair/Getty Images) Reporting on War on Israel Shaped by Old Narrative About the West The Chatham House Version diagnoses Wests tendency to blame itself Commentary It is said that the first casualty of war is truth. In fact, I believe, it is memorythat indispensable advocate for historical truththat is the first to go. In wars cataract, momentary crises gobble up our attention absolutely. Last weeks bombing, yesterdays atrocity, this mornings defection make it difficult to keep events in perspective. Add a media that is committed to promoting The Narrativeas distinct from reporting the factsand who can remember how we got where we are now? With the Abraham Accords, it seemed for a moment that Donald Trump had accomplished the impossible: peace in the Middle East. The Biden administration had not been in power for more than a few months before the reversals set in. Iran is the worlds largest exporter of terror. Hamas is one of its leading clients. The incontinent rocket attacks with which Hamas besieged Israel threaten to tip over into a wider conflagration. Meanwhile the Western press continues to behave as if Israel is responsible for the attacks against its homeland. David Bernstein, writing at Instapundit, offered this poignant summary of Western medias response to a typical Hamas spokesman: The illegitimate Zionist entity must be forced to end its occupation of all of Palestine, from Tel Aviv to Jericho. Western Reporter: So what youre saying is that you support a peaceful two-state solution. We will kill the sons of pigs and apes like the great Hitler. Western reporter: So what youre saying is that you object to right-wing Israeli politicians like Netanyahu. We want an Islamic state governed by sharia. Western reporter: Democracy, one-person, one-vote, religious freedom for all. Got it. We thank our great friends in Iran for their money, missiles, and bombs. Western Reporter: Hamas insists on being a grassroots Palestinian movement not dependent on foreign support. Satire or documentary? It would take a sharp man to say for certain. The Chatham House Version When it comes to the Middle East one of the greatest aids to memory is Elie Kedouries great book The Chatham House Version and Other Middle Eastern Studies. First published in 1970, this collection of twelve essays was instantly acknowledged as a masterpiece of historical analysis and polemic. Kedourie, who died in 1992 in his middle sixties, hailed from an old and distinguished Jewish family in Baghdad. Dispossessed and exiled after the Second World War, he found refuge in England and was for many years an ornament to the faculty of the London School of Economics. His learning was formidable, his prose style crisp, dry, and disabused. Whatever he turned his attention to he illuminated with the patient light of historical fact. About two decades ago I was amazedwell, to be truthful, I was disappointed but not surprisedto discover that The Chatham House Version was no longer in print. Another symptom, I thought, of our cultures addiction to amnesia. Kedouries plangent essay The Kingdom of Iraq: A Retrospect is worth about a thousand hours of CNN commentary plus an entire library of New York Times reporting. How could this essential volume be out of print? It may be true, as I have speculated on more than one occasion, that things are always worse than you think. But the validity of that general principle does not mean that there are no bright spots or important recuperative sallies. The fact that the Chicago publisher Ivan R. Dee decided to republish The Chatham House Version back in 2004 is one such bright spot and victory for memory. False Liberation This edition, which is still in print, is all the more welcome because it carries an introduction by the British writer David Pryce-Jones. Pryce-Jones is a writer on Middle Eastern affairs (among much else) whose incisive commentary has made him a worthy heir to Elie Kedourie. If, per impossibile, one had to reduce Kedouries achievement in The Chatham House Version to a single theme, a plausible candidate would be the perils, the false promises, of spurious liberation. Mr. Pryce-Jones underscores this theme in his introduction: The British Empire had hitherto been a fixed point of reference in the world, and those who administered it had willingly accepted responsibility for the rule of law and the maintenance of order. The abrupt dismantling of this empire dislocated millions of people, leaving them at the mercy of self-appointed leaders. In one country after another, the achievements of many decades, and sometimes as long as a century or two, were undone in a flash of violence; law and order gave way to dictatorship and tyranny, and graveyards and prisons filled accordingly. And this, according to fashionable opinion-makers in Britain, was liberation, the exciting birth of the Third World. Given his background in Iraq, Elie Kedourie understood only too well that liberation of this kind was no liberation at all. I believe that no one can really comprehend the realities of the contemporary Middle East without absorbing the admonitory history Elie Kedourie sets forth in The Chatham House Version. But the importance of the book lies as much in Kedouries polemic as in his historical analysis. The opening of his essay Minorities articulates a sober political truth that even now, several decades into the folly of irresponsible decolonialization, has not been acknowledged by bien pensants academics and commentators. It is the common fashion today, Kedourie observed, to denounce the imperialism of western powers in Asia and Africa. Charges of economic exploitation are made and the tyranny and arrogance of the European are arraigned. Yet it is a simple and obvious fact that these areas which are said to suffer from imperialism today have known nothing but alien rule throughout most of their history and that, until the coming of the western powers, their experience of government was the insolence and greed of unchecked arbitrary power. Alas, the insolence and greed of unchecked arbitrary power were again the fates of colonies who rejected the West. Self-determination was the slogan; self-enslavement or self-extermination was often the reality. The Wests Misplaced Guilt Perhaps the greatest part of The Chatham House Version is its title essaythe most devastating polemic, Pryce-Jones observes, since the Second World War. The Chatham House Version is the name Kedourie gives to a sensibility, a moral orientation, a whole intellectual style. Kedourie took the phrase from Chatham House, the home of the Royal Institute of International Affairs off St. Jamess park in London. It was there that, for some thirty years, the historian Arnold Toynbee presided as Director of Studies. And it was from Chatham House that Toynbee promulgated his sentimental effort to enlist history in an effort to save mankind. It was, Kedourie shows in unsparing detail, an increasingly anti-Western effort. It was also, as the years went by, increasingly anti-Semitic. The West, Toynbee concludes in the last volume of A Study of History, is a perpetual aggressorblundering, brutal, arrogant. I trace the wests arrogance, Toynbee wrote, back to the Jewish notion of a Chosen people. It is a doctrine that, though dressed up in the impressive language of academic history, was essentially simple and familiar. And, Kedourie might have added, perennially popular. Behind it one hears the shrill and clamant voice of English radicalism, thrilling with self-accusatory and joyful lamentation. Nostra culpa, Nostra maxima culpa: we have invaded, we have conquered, we have dominated, we have exploited. Many pages of The Chatham House Version could have been written yesterday. The books relevance to the current situation is twofold. First, it reminds us of an unpleasant history we have chosen to forget, and without which contemporary events in the Middle East are unintelligible. It also serves as a salutary warning. The French philosopher Jean-Francois Revel astringently summed up this aspect of Kedouries message when he observed that Democratic civilization is the first in history to blame itself because another power is trying to destroy it. The Chatham House version encourages that orgy of self-recrimination. Elie Kedourie shows us how culpable is that indulgence in misplaced guilt. Roger Kimball is the editor and publisher of The New Criterion and publisher of Encounter Books. His most recent book is Who Rules? Sovereignty, Nationalism, and the Fate of Freedom in the 21st Century. Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Taiwan A Strong Model for the Rest of the World During Pandemic: State Department Official Taiwans success in the area of open government policy development and implementation, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, was praised on May 20 as an example for other nations to follow during an event hosted by the Open Government Partnership (OGP). The OGP was launched in 2011 by eight founding nations, including the United States, and now has a membership of more than 70 national governments and dozens of local jurisdictions aiming to increase the availability of information about governmental activities and support civic participation in decision making and policy formulation. Scott Busby, acting principal deputy assistant secretary of state in the U.S. State Departments Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, stated that Taiwans transparency during the COVID-19 pandemic is a strong model for the rest of the world, highlighting Taiwans successful defense against the pandemic without widespread lockdowns or closures of schools and businesses. Ambassador Abraham Wen-Shang Chu gives a thumbs up to one package of the 20,000 surgical masks donated by Taiwan to help Orange County combat the COVID-19 pandemic in Santa Ana, Calif., on June 16, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) Many governments have imposed unduly severe pandemic-related measures that have curtailed open governments, Busby said. These have included restrictions on civic space, government oversight, and access to information. Taiwan, however, has sought a different path. Taiwan took early, bold steps to engage citizens while taking effective proactive steps to stem the spread of the virus. Although the global fight against the coronavirus is far from over, Taiwan already has many positive lessons to share with global community. Busby pointed to an initiative led by Taiwanese Digital Minister Audrey Tang that led to the development and implementation of an online mask map that shows citizens real-time stock updates of masks at different vendors. This platform was launched shortly after the onset of the pandemic in early 2020, when medical masksthen in short supplywere being rationed in Taiwan. These maps have allowed citizens to more effectively target when and where to purchase face coverings, and in so doing they have minimized in-person social interaction at a time when doing so has been critical for public health, Busby said, noting that, to date, more than 10 million people in a nation of 24 million have used the platform. This effort did not come from just a government agency in Taiwan, but rather blossomed from Taiwans close relationship with civil society and the technology community. During the event, Tang, who Busby called a leader of the open government movement, stated that the mask map platform updates every 30 seconds, showing the availability of masks at nearby vendors to reduce the time that mask purchasers wait in line and to help Taiwan better ration masks. A production line worker wears a protective mask at a factory in Taoyuan city, Taiwan, on April 6, 2020. (Reuters/Ann Wang) Crowd-sourced efforts like this, in which citizens share information about mask availability, are only possible because people understand theres a strong personal data protection when publishing the radically transparent dataset, Tang said, noting that open government projects like the mask map have contributed to Taiwans widely lauded success in managing the COVID-19 pandemic, with no lockdowns and with less than 20 deaths in Taiwan to date due to COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communisty Party) virus. Tang detailed Taiwans recent launch of an Open Government National Action Plan, which was co-created with civil society in a multi-stakeholder fashion. Tang said that the co-creation process went on for nearly one-and-a-half years before the National Action Plan launched in January, and described how Taiwans past open government initiatives have allowed Taiwanese citizens to directly and publicly petition the government electronically. This has created more inclusiveness and has allowed Taiwans young people to become more civically engaged, according to Tang. As an example, Tang noted a successful petition created by a high school student to gradually ban plastic straws, commonly associated in Taiwan with the drinking of bubble tea, which Tang called Taiwans national identity drink. Tang said that the petition became wildly popular, and described a conversation with the student petitioner. We asked, Why are you proposing this? Tang said. And shes like, Well, its our civics class assignment. Our civics teacher just assigned starting a popular petition that involves thousands of people as the civics class assignment. Tang added that the petitioner is now part of our task force, and stated, Lowering the threshold of participation led to this kind of collective intelligence and action that shows our engagement to the young people who a [were] previously excluded from the representative democracy process. Despite its success in open government initiatives, Taiwan is not a member of the Open Government Partnership, which was launched in 2011 at a U.N. General Assembly meeting by U.S. President Barack Obama and seven other heads of state. Free and democratic Taiwan continues to be blocked by the Chinese regime from becoming a member of the U.N. Busby stated, Although Taiwan is not a member of the OGP, it continues to lead by example within the international community through the implementation of forward-leaning, citizen-centered transparency reform. Shreya Basu, deputy director and Asia-Pacific regional lead of the Open Government Partnership, expressed congratulations to Taiwanese civil society and government for its achievements in the area of open government. What personally strikes me as very interesting is the many different dimensions of inclusion that [Taiwans Open Government National Action Plan] focuses on, from youth, to gender, to indigenous peoples, ethnolinguistic groups, immigrants, Basu said. Clearly Taiwan is enjoying a moment where you have reformers across government working alongside reformers outside government, producing some really fantastic innovations that can be shared with the global community, both in response to the pandemic and even beyond. Before the event concluded, Tang reflected on the technology and data-driven infrastructure that has supported Taiwans open government initiatives. In Taiwan, our digitalization plan, our national plan, is called DIGI, for digitalization, innovation, governance, and inclusion, with inclusion as kind of the final pillar and digitalization as just the beginning when we think about digitalization, its not about smart cities, not about smart mayors, its about smart citizens. Its not about the internet of things, its about the internet of beings. Its not mission learning but collaborative learning. Its not about user experience but human experience, not about virtual reality but about shared reality. And these words, they are important, Tang said. I think whats really important is thinking about the system as empowering people closest to the pain, bringing technology to the people, not asking people to conform to technology. School children walk outside Condit Elementary School in Bellaire, outside Houston, Texas, on Dec. 16, 2020. (Francois Picard/AFP via Getty Images) Texas Senate Passes Bill That Bans Critical Race Theory From Classrooms The Texas state Senate passed a bill on May 22 that prohibits schools from mandating the teaching of critical race theory (CRT). House Bill 3979 doesnt mention CRT by name, but apparently aims to ban the quasi-Marxist ideology in public and open-enrollment charter schools. According to the bill text, teachers, administrators, and employees from state agencies, school districts, and open-enrollment charter schools are prohibited from teaching students that one race is inherently superior to another race or sex or that an individual is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive by virtue of his or her race or sex. A teacher may not [be] compelled to discuss current events or widely debated and currently controversial issues of public policy or social affairs in social studies curriculum in Texas history, U.S. history, world history, government, civics, social studies, or similar subjects, according to the bill. If teachers choose to discuss the above topics, they must explore those topics from diverse and contending perspectives and cant give deference to any one perspective. The bill also requires the State Board of Education to adopt civic education to help students understanding of the moral, political, and intellectual foundations of U.S. history and tradition, and the founding documents of the United States. The Lone Star States lower chamber passed the bill on May 11 but will have to approve it again in alignment with revisions made by the state Senate. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania make their way to board Marine One before departing from the South Lawn of the White House on Jan. 20, 2021. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) CRTwhich espouses the idea that race is not natural, but socially constructed to oppress and exploit minoritiesis an offshoot of the quasi-Marxist critical theory social philosophy that was promoted by the Frankfurt school of thought. Then-President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning CRT training in federal agencies in September 2020, with the White House describing it as anti-American propaganda. However, the socialist ideology has been embraced by President Joe Biden and his administration. Biden reversed Trumps September 2020 executive order after entering the White House and pushed CRT training on all fronts. The Biden administrations efforts triggered widespread pushback from federal and state Republican lawmakers, conservatives, and related organizations, as well as parents. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick speaks after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced the reopening of more Texas businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic at a press conference at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas, on May 18, 2020. (Lynda M. Gonzalez-Pool/Getty Images) The Texas Public Policy Foundation applauded the state Legislatures move, saying it will protect students. This is a huge win for Texas students. We will not allow state-funded racism in our schools or permit our students to be used as political props Texas should also redouble its focus on teaching proper civics and ensure students get the full and true history of our state and our country, Tom Lindsay, the institutions distinguished senior fellow of higher education and constitutional studies, said in a statement. Texas Gov. Greg Abbotts office didnt reply to an email from The Epoch Times asking if the governor will sign the bill into law. However, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said in a statement on April 28 after the passage of a similar bill, Senate Bill 2202, that CRT has no place in Texas schools. Texans reject critical race theory and other so-called woke philosophies that maintain that one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex or that any individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist or oppressive, he said. These divisive concepts have been inserted into curriculums around the state, but they have no place in Texas schools. Time for a New Federal Intelligence Agency and a New Federal Law Enforcement Agency Commentary The glory days of the CIA and the FBI are long past. Some of the elite in the Swamp would argue the perceived glory days of the past never existed, that the past days were days of white male dominated abuse against people of color, racism, imperialism, misogyny, and so on, and so on. Only now that the halls of the old and new Headquarters building of the CIA are adorned (they might say liberated) with ideological virtue signaling (i.e., indoctrination) on alternative lifestyles and social justice themes is the CIA really what it was and is supposed to be. A similar thing could be said for the FBI by those in the wokeness business. Well, Im sure Jesus James Angleton and J. Edgar Hoover would beg to differ. They may have been imperfect, like all of us, but they knew who we were, and they knew who the mortal enemies were to our incredible, constitutional republic. The same ones who mocked Angleton and Hoover were the same ones who mocked everyone for believing that Soviet and Communist Chinese spies were everywhere or existed at all. The belief and illogical thesis of these mockers, now the ones in charge of our institutions, including the CIA and FBI, was that if you fight communism, you create communism (Sound familiar? Sounds like the same intellectual naysayer talking point from the War on Terror era; if you fight Terrorism, you create Terrorism). Currently these same naysayers shout about the Russian boogeyman as if theyre everywhere; behind every streetlamp, under every bed. Yes, the Russians are a problem and a danger, but their economy is less than 10 percent the size of ours. They have few resources to field a large-scale intelligence threat, much less military capability. The real game is China, yet if you hear Bill Burns (the current Director of the CIA) talk, he appears to exhibit as much contempt about plastic straws in the ocean as he does about the Uyghur genocide or the spiraling CCP preparations for full scale war including a nuclear exchange to eliminate U.S. cities. Now I dont want to see a straw in the nostril of any Sea Turtle, but Im far more concerned about deterring and preventing a mushroom cloud over an American City. Or any city of any country for that matter. Yes, the glory days are gone alright for the CIA and FBI. Now that we know that significant elements of the leadership (and perhaps some rank and file) of the CIA and FBI were all in on Spygate and that Brennan and Comey lied and fabricated a fake Intelligence Community Assessment after President Trump won in November 2016, its clear. Further evidence was wrought by FBI Director Wrays baffling, detached from reality comments on the 2020 election and domestic terrorism. Like Chris Krebs, Director Wrays far more truthful response should have been, his Bureau is not trained, equipped, resourced, or even knowledgeable about the American election process to have an opinion one way or another. Sadly, the key, existing Federal agencies, designated to forewarn and take action against threats to the United States are broken. Perhaps irretrievably. If you have any experience in construction, home repair, car restoration, etc., you know to re-build, there must be a sound foundation to start with. We may be at that point with these two, formerly hallowed organizations. It was a good ride while it lasted, but we must face the reality of the present, not spend time gazing in the rear-view mirror or fooling ourselves about the present. Starve the Old, Feed the New Im not sure if it was Ronald Reagan or Rush Limbaugh (maybe both) who said it was nearly impossible to do away with any vestige of government, no matter now unnecessary, but at best, the rate of growth is the only thing that can restrained. Once bureaucracy is created, it just keeps growing. Ive spent over 35 years in the national security apparatus in one form or another and rarely was I in a meeting where the answer was, we need less government. In all fairness, one of my last political appointees was notoriously frugal, but it was almost to the extreme of sparing no expense to save money, which in the end, still grew government. Normally, the going in position to any government meeting was more. No matter what the question was, the answer was more. More government, more resources, more personnel, more authority. More, More, More. The bureaucrat learns quickly that shrinking anything endangers job security. I saw it over and over again. And anyone who questions this is suspect and clearly untrustworthy. Its hard to find an example of where a U.S. Government agency went away. The Post Office did transition from an appropriated fund (supported by annual tax dollars) to a seemingly self-supporting entity, but after many years of losses it still somehow exists. More often than not the model is for the government entity to wither away, such as the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board or Amtrak, but even those are exceptions. The creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) are in some ways examples of the Reagan/Limbaugh axiom. DHS and DNI were created by taking funding and authority from existing organizations. Unfortunately, 20 or so years later, their effectiveness is up for debate, and the organizations they were intended to lead, restrain, or supplant have continued to grow and, in the case of the CIA, still often act as if they do not have a higher headquarters, DNI or any other. So alas, how do we address this? My suggestion is the creation of new organizations to sunset the CIA and the FBI and focus the new re-incarnations on lawful, core missions. Well call the new organizations, the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). There are key functions in the current CIA and FBI that need to exist. We need and deserve world class human intelligence, law enforcement, and counter-intelligenceno one is questioning that. But I would move the core, action-focused organizations such as the Directorate of Operations of the CIA to the NIA, as well as the National Security Branch and the Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch of the FBI to the FIA. The headquarters staff, the Intelligence Analysis Organizations, the climate change offices, and so onall the corrupt overhead and support offices where the budding, future Eric Ciaramellas plot their next Spygate conspiracy, stay behind. And over 10 years time, the NIA and FIA can grow and mature, while the legacy vestiges of the CIA and FBI sunset and are forgotten except on Wikipedia. Impossible? No. We built the Panama Canal in eight years; I think we can do this evolution with perseverance and resolve in 10 years. Trustworthy, Focused US Government Organizations Will this proposal be met with applause by those whos God is Big Government? Of course not. But for the good and continuance of our incredible constitutional republic, a transformation like this is necessary. Change is hard, especially when there is so much vested interest by those who live off the largesse of plodding, ineffective Big Government that never delivers, only demands more resources, more time, and more of everything except accountability on behalf of the owners of the American Government, the American Citizen. Most American Citizens want effectiveness, efficiency, and results. Its time we gave this to the American people with two transformed entities to alert and safeguard America. Retired Col. John Mills is a national security professional with service in five eras: Cold War, Peace Dividend, War on Terror, World in Chaos, and now, Great Power Competition. He is the former director of cybersecurity policy, strategy, and international affairs at the Department of Defense. On Gab: @ColonelRETJohn. On Telegram: Daily Missive Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. When we follow a yellow school bus and the lights start to flash, we groan. We have to stop, wait for kids to cross the street, hop on the bus, sit down, and then, finally, the driver gets the bus moving again. Five minutes of our time gone. But, in actuality, we are watching heroes in action. Norwalk school bus drivers have been on the job since September, through rain, snow, sleet and quarantines, delivering the kids to school. I just pray every day, said Kimberly Brown, a school bus driver for 32 years. I keep my distance and keep my mask on and do what I can to stay safe. I know God is going to take care of me, said Magene Baptiste, a driver for 25 years. I dont live in fear. Others were not so fortunate. Two local drivers died from COVID during the pandemic, and a number of drivers did not return in September because of their own health issues. Most drivers, however, did return to drive the 6,000 students on more than 200 routes, according to Johanna Zanvettor, transportation coordinator for the Norwalk Public Schools. It has not been easy to make this work during a time of change and COVID. She listed their challenges: A new bus company after 20 years, new propane-powered buses with air brakes instead of hydraulic brakes, new school starting times, all new bus routes, and of course, COVID. Drivers have to take attendance, make sure the kids are wearing their masks properly and sitting far apart, keep windows open for air flow, wipe the bus after each run, and spray the bus when they return to the depot. When school opened in September, she said, they were short 19 drivers, and during the height of the pandemic on average, five drivers were quarantined each day and had to stay home. But the buses kept running, mostly because of the drivers commitment. Benita Hargett, the general manager for Durham School Services, is returning to Norwalk in October after working for another company. Working with the same team of drivers was a plus for me, she said. Without them, this terminal wouldnt be where it is. We are constantly giving them praise for being here. As part of the new contract, Durham promised to bring in drivers to fill in where needed. We had about nine or 10 drivers come from Massachusetts daily, some driving two hours each way, Zanvettor said. We also had four from California. This was Durhams promise to make it work. Since Hargett arrived in October, seven drivers who knew her from other terminals have been hired. And when drivers are out, some routes get doubled up. The key to making the transportation system work is strong relationships. I want the drivers to feel respected at all times. I go out and see how they are doing, talking and waving, and checking in on them every step of the way, Hargett said. We made T-shirts for them, got gift cards at Christmas. We want to show them our appreciation. Some parents do the same. Parents have been thanking the drivers daily, Hargett said. One driver told of a parent who prepared coffee and oatmeal every day to show her appreciation. And the best bus drivers work at building relationships with the kids on their bus. Brown said she gets good behavior by respect and consistency. I treat them like human beings, she said. I always give them a chance, but Im direct about it. I have no tolerance for bullying or arguing. My favorite part is dealing with the kids, said Baptiste. As long as you show them love, they show you love back. When kids get into trouble on his bus, he tells them to stay after everyone gets off and then talks to them about their lives. He tells them to come to him with a problem and not use their hands. Just tell me the truth and let me fight for you, he said. Wear your truth clothes. When you lie, you always have to fix your clothes, but when you wear your truth clothes, you never have to fix them. Hargett is also a big believer in truth-telling when problems erupt with parents. By being transparent with parents, Ive been able to diffuse a lot of things that could have been worse, she said. When parents say the bus is too late or too early, Hargett checks the Zonar GPS system which shows the location of the driver, the path of the bus, and where and when it stopped. I ask drivers to open their doors at every stop even if the kid is not there because it alerts Zonar that they made the stop, she said. She gives the parent the information and that usually fixes the problem. But everyone is tired. The kids are about as sick of COVID as we are, said Brown. Now that its getting warmer out, having that mask on your face is getting to be too much. I have to keep saying, Make sure you keep your masks on and sit far apart so we can all be safe. And Baptiste will wear his mask, keep his distance, and trust in his faith: God already tells me that he puts me under his wing. Roz McCarthy is a former Norwalk school board member and employee of the Norwalk Public Schools. She can be reached at rozmcc2@gmail.com. Mankato, MN (56001) Today Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 61F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 61F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 A filmed, streaming version of the William Finn and James Lapine musical comedy, A New Brain will be available on-demand June 5 to 20, a collaboration of Theatre NOVA and the Ringwald Theatre. From Finn and Lapine, the Tony Award-winning creators of Falsettos, A New Brain was inspired by Finns frightening experience with an arteriovenous malformation in his brain, and the resultant healing power of his musical creation. The show premiered off-Broadway in 1998, and has since been revived in the U.S., England and throughout the world. - Advertisement - The musicals protagonist, Gordon Schwinn, fears that he will die with his greatest songs still inside him. Similarly, Finn wrote many of the shows songs after he was released from the hospital. In the musical, Gordon, who is under deadline, is frustrated about his assignment to write a spring-themed song for a childrens show featuring Mr. Bungee, who is a costumed frog. When he takes a break to meet a friend for lunch, he passes out, and is taken to the hospital, where he learns he has a serious condition, from which he could die, but for which the surgery is equally risky. The show includes a quirky cast of characters, from a homeless woman to the protagonists mother. The show is a heartwarming, amusing and relatable look at how wonderful the world can be when one takes the time to slow down and look at it. The cast includes Richard Peyton as Gordon Schwinn, a composer; Jamie Richards as Mr. Bungee, the childrens television show star, director and producer; Diane Hill as Mimi Schwinn, Gordons mother; Liz Schultz as Rhoda, Gordons agent and best friend; Vince Kelley as Roger, Gordons boyfriend; Jason Briggs as Richard, a nurse; Arielle Crosby as Lisa, a homeless woman; Alaina Kerr as the waitress and as Nancy, a mean nurse; and Steve DeBruyne as Dr. Berensteiner. Vince Kelley directed the show, with musical direction by R. MacKenzie Lewis. Jake Turner served as cinematographer, sound engineer and editor. The cast spent March learning the music while rehearsing over Zoom. In April, they transitioned to socially-distanced and masked in-person musical rehearsals. Once all the cast were fully or partially vaccinated, and tested negative for COVID-19, they met for twelve days of filming, with an April 24 completion date. The show was shot scene by scene, limiting the number of people in the theater to an absolute minimum. It was a new and challenging experience for the stage actors, who were accustomed to rehearsing live for four to six weeks, and the shows technical talent, who had to adapt a stage play to a film medium, with post-production editing in mind. Sign up for our daily morning newsletter Click here and then look to the right side for the sign up to the morning newsletter for The News Herald, and you can get the top headlines de The show was supported in part by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, and by the National Endowment for the Arts. A New Brain will be available on demand June 5, 6, 12, 13, 19 and 20, with $25 tickets. The show may be watched through Broadway on Demand on computers, tablets and smartphones, and on television through the Broadway on Demand App using Apple TV, Roku and compatible Amazon video devices. For more information, contact a2theatrenova@gmail.com. To purchase tickets, go to TheatreNOVA.org. +2 Soroptimist International of Trenton Area holds Hope in a Handbag project Soroptimist International of Trenton Area recently held its annual Hope in a Handbag project and collected basic hygiene and comfort items for +4 Eagle Scout project provides benches along Champaign Parks exercise path in Allen Park Residents using the exercise path in Allen Parks Champaign Park can rest easy with the four new benches installed by Scout Gavin Bottorff as +2 DIA program to bring outdoor artwork to Wyandotte this year; community offers input While art lovers are expressing their disappointment over the announcement that the Wyandotte Street Art Fair has been canceled for the second Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-22 22:51:41|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Large crowds gathered to bid farewell to Yuan Longping, China's "father of hybrid rice" who died at 91 in Changsha on Saturday. #GLOBALink Produced by Xinhua Global Service Listen to article The Arole Oduduwa & Ooni of Ife, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II, on Friday declared the Royal Young Leadership Forum (RAYLF), 2021; a youth development and capacity building initiative open. Opening the 14-day event which is in its second year before journalists during a press conference at the Ile Oodua Palace of Ife, Ooni Ogunwusi explained that the latest edition is premised on the progress achieved in 2020. Among other things, the edition is more committed to upholding its fundamental objective of breaking protocols and barriers impeding youth development especially the growth of young starters in the public and private sectors of the country. "Most of our plans last year were truncated by the covid-19 pandemic which shut down the entire world after our trip to Ghana where I took some youth leaders for a meet-and-greet with critical stakeholders early last year. "The meet-and-greet strategy was created to achieve the targeted goals of RAYLF, especially in the creation and sustainance of dependable connection for our youth leaders. It helps us to bring them closer to power and it has been yielding results. "Like the Asian Tiggers that led the Socio-Economic and political revolution in the Asian world, our focus is to create young leaders and call ours the African Leopards because leopard is the bravest of all animals in the jungle." The Ooni said. Ooni Ogunwusi who is the Co-chairman of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria (NCTRN), stressed that his initiative is currently working on engaging concerned institutions in the country for the removal of discriminations like age, faith and tribe among others and equally stop demanding tax from pioneer starters who are mostly young persons. "Recently, I visited the newly constructed Dangote refinery with some young leaders where there eyes were opened to how things are done on a larger scale. That is a tip of the iceberg, we have identified countries like Uganda and others achieving economic breakthrough on how our youths can learn how to bring prosperity to our dear nation. On the type of youths being picked for the programme, Ooni Ogunwusi revealed that proper screening is the basis for selection which helps to prevent inclusion of unscrupulous elements like internet fraudsters and others. Directorate of Media and Public Affairs Ooni's Palace, Ile-Ife Listen to article He could visit London for one weeks "rest". He could travel to Paris for 4 days conference jamboree. But he could not travel downtown across Abuja as Commander-in-Chief to pay his last respects to his own departed Chief of Army Staff. He could not even send the Vice-President to represent him, so that the latter would not upstage him and end up becoming more popular with the masses. What a dereliction of duty and manifestation of irresponsibility! Is this the best Nigeria has to offer? What a shame to Nigerians. What a slap to the faces of the electorate who put him in power. And what a scandalous disgrace to the members of the National Assembly and his own party who sustain him in power. At what point will they come to their senses and say this disgrace is too much, we cannot tolerate it any further? Here is a free advice to non-Fulani adorers of Nigerias President. Very carefully examine your consciences and seek to satisfy the demands of equity and justice, not the violent, and repressive whims and caprices of the President. You mean absolutely nothing to him. Do not allow yourselves to be deceived into thinking otherwise. All that matters to him is himself and Fulani expansionism. Nothing else. A Commander-in-Chief who cannot stand beside the remains of his own Chief of Army Staff in death, will not stand beside you, when you become useless to his personal or tribal expansionist interests. Stand up for justice and righteousness, do not stand up for Mr. President. It is simply not worth the effort. For those with their heads buried in the sand, who think that Fulani territorial expansionism does not exist, thankfully, it has been crushed to all intents and purposes by the Southern Governors' Asaba Declaration, as implemented. But for those who think that it does not exist. Ask yourself how and why a non-empathetic man like President Muhammadu Buhari, that skipped attending the burial of his own Chief of Army Staff, rose to power? The simple answer is that he rose to power on two wings, one deceptive, the other concretive. He rose to power by flying on the deceptive wing of integrity as well as the substantial wing of expansionism. The illusory wing of deception was a claim of integrity and honesty, targeted at Southern elites and masses. And they fell for it like children fall for candy. It was a baseless claim, since found out to be shallow and without substance, especially regarding the integrity part. Regarding the honesty bit, I reserve judgment for lack of proof of dishonesty, not out of conviction of the opposite. The substantial wing was an avowed intention to implement the pipedream of Fulani expansionism. And he came awfully close to success, flying on that wing. But for Jah Jesus Christus who used men and means, including chiefly social media, to rescue Nigerians, from the painful pangs of Fulani expansionism, it would have been a different story. Fulani elites hitherto adopted piecemeal, incremental, retail expansionism, involving the targeted serial creation of new Fulani settlements, one after the other. Buhari's impatient brand of wholesale expansionism, changed all that. Where more experienced Fulani retail expansionists went about their business, acquiring territorial spheres of influence, inch by inch, Buhari went wholesale and lump sum trying to do it all in one fell swoop. Where other Fulani went small, he went bold and big. He sought to redraw the cultural as well as political map of Nigeria in bold strokes using the purported grazing needs of violent foreign Fulani herdsmen - terrorists as alibi. A deceptive reputation for integrity aimed at non-Fulani, and an avowed commitment to wholesale, lump-sum expansionism, targeting the Fulani themselves, is how a non-empathetic, self-centered man became the President of Nigeria. It is utterly unimaginable that an American Chief of Army Staff will die on active duty and the President of the United States or at the very least his Vice-President will not be physically present at the funeral. Were that to happen in America, all hell will be let loose, and the roof will cave in on such a Presidency. But this is Nigeria not America. Although many of Buhari's non-Fulani constituency have since realized they were pitiable targets of a grand swindle, they are irrelevant at this time. Mr. President has his renewed mandate in his back pocket. He no longer needs non-Fulani Nigerians votes, and he believes he can do whatever he likes. He is certain he has his core Fulani constituency welded to himself, because only he can achieve the evergreen Fulani dream of expansionism. His Fulani constituency will keep on hoping against hope, that he can score a last-minute penalty goal that will turn the tides of expansionism back in their favor and win their ethnicity a permanent, decisive victory over non-Fulani Nigerians. So, there will be no political consequence to Buhari's latest act of dereliction of duty. However, his claim to integrity will rank as the biggest political swindle in Nigeria's history. Eventually, Fulani inability to conquer and takeover all of Nigeria, by abusing Buhari's position as President and Commander -in- Chief, will rank as the greatest political disappointment. His reputational recompense, I remain convinced, will ultimately come from the hands of his own grossly disappointed Fulani kinsmen and women. Until then, brace yourself for more wanton dereliction of presidential duty. Anthony Chuka Konwea, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE, MNSE, FNIStructE, MNICE. Listen to article Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently direct Mrs Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning to disclose spending details of the $700 million looted funds reportedly recovered by the Federal Government in the past four years, including the list and location of projects completed with the money, as well as details of the contractors that executed the projects. SERAP also urged him to direct Mrs Ahmed to disclose how the government plans to spend the returned 4.2m Ibori loot, including details of planned capital expenditure, and whether there is any plan to ensure that the money and any future returned Ibori loot would be spent to achieve justice and effective remedies for victims of corruption in Delta State. The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN, had last week stated that the Federal Government recovered over $700m looted funds, disclosed the return of 4.2m linked to James Ibori, and the plan to repatriate more than 80m of Ibori loot. In the Freedom of Information request dated 22 May, 2021 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization said: Disclosing spending details of the recovered $700m loot, and spending plans for the 4.2m Iboriloot would promote transparency, accountability, and be entirely consistent with your constitutional oath of office to ensure the well-being of Nigerians. SERAP said: Rather than borrowing another N2.3trillion ($6.18bn) external loan, SERAP urges you to ensure a transparent and accountable use of recovered loot to fund the 2021 budget, improve the countrys economy, and address widespread poverty. This would promote a just and honest government, and ensure that recovered loot is not re-stolen at the expense of the poor. The letter, read in part: SERAP therefore urges you to withdraw your latest request seeking the approval of the National Assembly to borrow another $6.1billion in the public interests, and to ensure accountable fiscal stewardship of Nigerias money for both current and future generations. Providing the information and widely publishing the details would also enhance your governments authority and credibility to demand the return of more looted public funds from abroad, as well as facilitate the repatriation of potentially billions of dollars still stashed in rich countries. Your government has a legal obligation under the UN Convention against Corruption to ensure that recovered stolen public money is not embezzled again, and that any returned loot is spent for the benefit of the real victims of corruptionthe ordinary Nigerians whose commonwealth has been stolen, and who continue to suffer the consequences of grand corruption. SERAP notes that the consequences of corruption are felt by poor citizens on a daily basis. Corruption exposes them to additional costs to pay for health, water, education and administrative services. Another consequence of corruption is the growing inequality in the country, where the privileged few have access to all public resources, while the vast majority of citizens are deprived of access to public services. Our requests are brought in the public interest, and in keeping with the requirements of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended]; the Freedom of Information Act, and the countrys international obligations including under the UN Convention against Corruption and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights to which Nigeria is a state party. Our requests are also entirely in line with the judgment by Justice Mohammed Idris ordering your government to widely publish up-to-date information on recovered stolen funds since the return of civilian rule in 1999. Your government has refused to obey the judgment, despite publicly promising to do so. We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within 14 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions to compel your government to comply with our request in the public interest. As a signatory to the UN Convention against Corruption and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, Nigeria has committed to ensure transparent and accountable management of public resources, and unhindered access to public information. These commitments ought to be fully upheld and respected. According to our information, Mr Malami recently reportedly disclosed that your government has recovered over $700 million looted funds from the United States, the United Kingdom, Bailiwick of Jersey, Switzerland, and Ireland in the past four years. Mr Malami also disclosed the return of 4.2 million linked to James Ibori, former Delta state governor, and his associates. Your government is also reportedly working towards securing the repatriation of more than 80 million linked to Ibori. The letter was copied to Mr Malami and Mrs Ahmed. Kolawole Oluwadare SERAP Deputy Director 23/5/2021 Lagos, Nigeria Emails: [email protected] ; [email protected] Twitter: @SERAPNigeria Website: www.serap-nigeria.org For more information or to request an interview, please contact us on: +2348160537202 Listen to article Chicken cannot at this late date bemoan its lack of teeth, and when it sees the snuff seller, it enfolds its wings. (Everything at its proper time and when one sees potential danger approaching, one should take precautions). Do you know about the Amistad revolt? If no, let me tell you a little about it In January 1839, 53 African natives were kidnapped from eastern Africa and sold into the Spanish slave trade. They were then placed aboard a Spanish slave ship bound for Havana, Cuba. Once in Havana, the Africans were classified as native Cuban slaves and purchased at auction by two Spaniards, Don Jose Ruiz and Don Pedro Montez. The two planned to move the slaves to another part of Cuba. The slaves were shackled and loaded aboard the cargo schooler Amistad (Spanish for "friendship") for the brief coastal voyage. However, three days into the journey, a 25-year-old slave named Sengbe Pieh (or "Cinque" to his Spanish captors) broke out of his shackles and released the other Africans. The slaves then revolted, killing most of the crew of the Amistad, including her cook and captain. The Africans then forced Montez and Ruiz to return the ship to Africa. During the day, the ship sailed due east, using the sun to navigate. However, at night Montez and Ruiz would change course, attempting to return to Cuba. The zig-zag journey continued for 63 days. The ship finally grounded near Montauk Point, Long Island, in New York State. The United States federal government seized the ship and its African occupants -- who under U.S. law were "property" and therefore cargo of the ship. On August 29, 1839, the Amistad was towed into New London, Connecticut. The government charged the slaves with piracy and murder, and classified them as salvage property. The 53 Africans were sent to prison, pending hearing of their case before the U.S. Circuit Court in Hartford, Connecticut. The stage was set for an important, controversial, and highly politicized case. Local abolitionist groups rallied around the Africans' cause, organizing a legal defense, hiring a translator for the Africans, and providing material support. Meanwhile, the Spanish government pressured the U.S. President, Martin Van Buren, to return the slaves to Spain without trial. While reflecting on the Amistad story, there is mystic blowing through Nigeria's air, and we know why, we know the many problems, and we know them well, but we refuse to address them, addressing subsidies, the ghost ships and vessels that bring Bills of Lading that are paid to persons that we know. We know that this is the nation of oil theft, this is the country where the labour union is not paying the minimum wage and yet protests against the government that in turn is underpaying a labor force that is doing nothing. A nation that does not have a functional emergency number although information booklets list 199 as the ER number. We have no standard emergency response time? In most US cities it is 3 minutes. We have the Police, Fire Service, and NEMA as very scary examples of what emergency services should be. Staying briefly on this, it is a shame that we have no National Fire Safety Code, which would strengthen the enforcement capacity of the Fire Services. People build, people fly, construct and do anything they so desire without taking into cognizance fire service approvals, indeed there is a lot to talk about in 'repairing' this nation Do you remember that story of how our palm trees were taken to some country out there and these days I hear that the high and mighty get their palm wine imported from that country, is it new or news that we export what we do not produce and import what we produce, from oil products, tomatoes to cocoa. We are a religious country that has her muslim and christian citizens battling each other on topics such as hijab, who governs them and still are addicted to high doses of corruption. While I am averse to the term restructuring, I am an advocate of the need to negotiate the nation, so whether the term is restructuring, devolution of power, sovereign conference, constitutional review, the fact is Nigeria is going through mystical times and if we listen carefully we will hear, we cannot be blind to it, more power to the states, a return to parliamentary or regional system, something has to be done, we cannot be proverbially be mortal, when we are old we reduce our age, and when we are young we want to be old, because as it is, if we dont collective hear the wind it will blow us, and we will not have a Biafra, Odua or Arewa. Nigerians are hurting, Nigerians are not happy, the marriage or union is not working, there is need for a Counsellor, while the union has produced kids, and has a family that has been knitted together, the modus operandi for the familia needs to be negotiated. So for example, sharia started in Zamfara yet political sharia has not translated into education for the state, political leadership has been largely domiciled in the larger north so also has poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition, out of school children found home in the same geography. In what Professor Mercy Anagbogu of the Department of Guidance and Counseling, Nnamdi Azikwe University, Awka, Nigeria, captured in the metaphor of zero empowerment, I rephrase that the Nigerian is in a black box, a state of mental, psychological tabula-rasa and moral, religious, educational economic degeneration and alienation. The historical phenomenon of black box, state of doldrums and darkness is haunting and hunting us in this regime and dispensation. The Nigerian at zero empowerment has no place in the political, economic and educational calculation and space in Nigeria, we are all marginalised by an elite class and incapable of seeking redress. This scenario has brought a kind of flux where nothing holds and somewhat a state of nature where wickedness, jealousies, confusion, disrespect and loss of all that our Nigerianness stands for whether Igbo, Yoruba or Hausa is evident. The consequences or indicative factors again are negative disposition, yahoo-yahoo, kidnapping, banditry, robbery, cultism, ritual money making, individualism and lack of corporate business, which are not conducive to the corporate, cultural and political existence of any nation. Unfortunately, the inability of our leaders to confront and address the historical, existential, cultural, educational, political, economic and security challenges is why all the hue and cry. The Yorubas say abiyamo ki i rin ko sanwo aha, meaning that a nursing mother does not venture away from home without a cup. We in these climes, are leavinghome even without the baby, and have no intention of carrying a cup There's a natural mystic Blowing through the air If you listen carefully now you will hear This could be the first trumpet Might as well be the last Many more will have to suffer Many more will have to die Don't ask me why Things are not the way they used to be I won't tell no lie One and all got to face reality now Though I try to find the answer To all the questions they ask Though I know it's impossible To go living through the past Don't tell no lie There's a natural mystic Blowing through the air Can't keep them down If you listen carefully now you will hear Such a natural mystic Blowing through the air Such a natural mystic, blowing through the air There's a natural mystic blowing through the air Such a natural mystic, blowing through the air Humming to these lines of Bob Marleys natural mystic, one wonders if the chains of Amistad couldn't hold back the slaves back then, nothing will hold back the secessionists, ethnic warlords and regional agitators, would it take an eternity to break Nigeria if we refuse to talk, is Nigeria truly indivisible, and non-negotiableOnly time will tell Listen to article The purpose of this write up is to send a message to Trade Union of Nigeria because I and almost all the traders of Kaduna state have forgotten that we have a Union formed and saddles with the responsible of our affairs. I believe, in Kaduna state, no marketer think that Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUCN) has the right to intervene and come to the aid of marketers from the wanton destruction of markets until the Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC) showdown took place in Kaduna state may be because of lack of orientation or experience but at this time we (marketers) believed, it is time for our National Union to say enough is enough of the daily ongoing sabotage on traders of Kaduna state, because our state unions are afraid to come to our aid and can't taste the water. Truly, if there is any group of people in Kaduna state that deserved support, solidarity and sympathy on their problems and created jeopardy, the people are the traders of Kaduna state because I am a victim of the more than six (6) million circumstances of lawlessness order and arbitrary of court on demolition of markets and shops in Kaduna state as it is on record that many demolitions took place while the cases were before courts. And, it was for such evidences of contempt of court, the name of Governor Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai was removed to attend the 2020 Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association. The governor of Kaduna state during his 2015 governorship electioneering campaign promised to make business in the state comfortable and progressive, and it was for that reason the Market Traders Association of Nigeria (MATAN), Kaduna State branch supported his candidature as the governor of Kaduna state, for the 2019 election the marketers contributed from their pockets and purchased a Governorship Form for Governor Nasir El-Rufai's re-election for 'we' thought the days will be brighter even though the cloud was thicker. There are total of more than sixteen markets in Kaduna state that were demolished which occupied more than six (6) million traders. The Unguwar Rimi market has 6000 traders, the Kasuwan Barci Market has more than 20, 000 traders, the Palladan Market, Zaria has 1000 shops with over 15 thousand traders, demolished Barnawa market has 600 shops with an estimate of 5000 traders, two markets were demolished in Unguwar Sanusi, Kawo market has more than three hundred shops with more than 10, 000 traders, Kasuwan Magani market was also demolished with more than two hundred shops, the Kantin Kwari Market with more than 6000 traders was demolished after renewal of Ownership Registration in less than two months, Hayin Rigasa market was the first market to be demolished in 2015 and the construction is abandoned. The Royal Market popularly known as the 740 Garage was demolished with almost 30 shops and the plaza which occupied more than 400 shops is on notice, Some parts of the 60 year Old Panteka Market was demolished and the marketers are on notice to vacate, Abubakar Gumi Market; the Central Market of the state is on Privatization after the governor revoked their allocation and the Unguwar Shanu Market is on notice for demolition. There is no market in the state that is not facing demolition threat. In Kaduna state, no market is spared and no marketer is sleeping well because at any time notice of demolition may be distributed and bulldozer will come punching. Many traders have died because of this terrible situation, and no proper documentation of traders before demolition or shortlisting of shops' ownership, indicating no one has right to his/her shop. It is time for TUCN to answer the call of its children and operate within the armpit of its jurisdiction to protect the lives and businesses of Kaduna state traders. The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUCN) which is an affiliate of the Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC) was established in 1942. TUCN is the federated Trade Union and the first Union to receive government approval to operate on a national basis. By law the Union has these mandates: 1. Protect members from unfair or unjust action of proprietors of business (and government). 2. Intervention between the powerless and voiceless members and management. 3. TUCN is mandated to provide its members the opportunity of coming together to consider, pursue and promote common job-related interest, and also help workers to socialize with others. 4. negotiate with management on other work benefits and misunderstandings. 5. Ensure the maximum security of traders and their goods. In all the aforementioned responsibilities of the TUCN that was given by the constitution of Nigeria and the Union miscellaneous acts, no one is enjoyed by the traders of Kaduna state since 2015 because of fear of demolition. The TUCN has positioned itself to the government side and look at the sabotage of law on traders continue to unfold in Kaduna state. The withdrawal of TUCN to partake in the just concluded NLC Warning Strike in Kaduna state has uncovered the skeleton in the cupboard of the TUCN on the lawlessness acts upon traders of Kaduna state. However, the closed meeting that TUCN had with the state government of Kaduna state before the NLC Warning Strike has fished out the smiling rat on the table of the two parties and this is the time for TUCN to identify its true members and operate within its confines. I could remember how Kasuwar Barci traders suffered in court and left alone to fight the battle of the titans while at last their market was demolished when the case is proceedings in the court of law and TUCN must not say it didn't hear about the prolonged saga that affected its members. TUCN should know that the constitution of Nigeria under Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) has given every group of Nigerians right to protest against unsatisfied actions, and it is a fundamental Human Right for every marketer in Nigeria to enjoy the services of TUCN because traders pay levies and charges to the Union, and for these all and sundry must be carried along in their services. But, if TUCN felt that silence is the best answer to the traders of Kaduna state then history and God will never forgive and forget leaders that run away from their responsibilities on which the sworn to be objective and justifiable. If NLC can show its true love to sacked workers of Kaduna state that were not up to 40,000. TUCN should have the concern and love of more than six (6) million marketers that their shops were demolished and privatised in huge whooping amount that they cannot afford. Marketers in Kaduna state see the Privatization as a system of capitalism aimed to seize what is for the poor and give it to the rich. All the demolished shops their allocation prizes range from N5, 000 to N25, 000 but now the prizes ranges between N2 million to N15 million, and this is pathetic and unbearable to the rightful owners of the demolished shops. TUC should know that only 500, 000 people made the workers of Kaduna state while 80% traders made the people of Kaduna state and surely, the traders of Kaduna state need your helpful hand because many of the traders continue to die by hypertension and ulcer. Traders of Kaduna state have the right to get their shops back after construction of the demolished markets in affordable and accommodating and any change in this, is fetish effort to conscificate their own properties. As all marketers of Kaduna State awaits the intervention of TUCN in Kaduna state. TUCN demolition of more markets as for now none of the demolished markets is completely constructed. TUCN should stop privatization of Kaduna state markets as all the shops were already allotted to marketers as the rightful owners because we perceived that Nasir El-Rufai is trying to seize what is meant for the poor to give it to the rich as a system of capitalizing to enrich the rich and make the poor poorer. Also, TUCN should ensure that marketers that owned their shops get their shops back after reconstructions as the traders have their Certificates of Occupancy and Allocation. At last, the good advice I will give to TUCN is to have a group discussion with the genuine marketers to hear from the horse's mouth because the state unions leaders may not offer accurate and clear information regarding the tribulations of marketers because they are afraid to lose their seats and the government will continue to protect its interest. I advise, three parties should be involved and preferably to use media of communication to announce their activities and invitation. At last, I am sorry if my words are rigid and may be it is first approach from any trader of Kaduna state that seeked you to intervene in our solitude pain because our state Unions and Associations cannot invite you for being afraid but I am not doubtful that this write-up represents the cries and tears of all Kaduna state marketers on the tribulations inflicted on us by Kaduna state government. I pray that this will be the reason to wipe away the running tears of Kaduna state traders' eyes, and heal the wounds of their hearts, and I pray and hope we will see brotherhood and love from our National Union and the mother of our affairs. Haulatu Idris writes from Kaduna, Barnawa via [email protected] Listen to article As mixed reactions trail the formation of Ebubeagu Security outfit, Stakeholders in Ebonyi state said they are backing the operations of the security outfit to tackle security challenges bedeviling the State in the recent times . The Stakeholders made the disclosure while interacting with newsmen at Executive Chambers old Government Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital. Speaking, the chairman of Ohaozara local government area, Princess Nkechinyere Iyioku hinted that the formation of the outfit was to enhance security of lives and property, following the rising security issues in the State. She said that formation of Ebubeagu security outfit was a collective decision aimed at protecting lives and property of Ebonyi citizenry. The council chairman who also doubled as the State chairman of All Local of Nigeria stated that they have one hundred percent confidence in the leadership of the present adminstration led by Engr. David Umahi especially his proactive measures in tackling insecurities confronting the State and South East Zone at large. She commended the Governor for his leadership ingenuity adding that his detractors were causing troubles in the state because he surpassed them in delivering first class services to his people. The council boss categorically noted that the formation of Ebubeagu was non political and devoid of winch hunting any body, as perceived by some disgruntled elements and called all and sundry to desist from politicizing security issues to guarantee lives and property in the state. Mrs Iyioku further asserted that security is every one's business saying the launching of Ebubeagu has done a lot in restoring peaceful coexistence in all the nooks and crannies of the State. Also Speaking, the chairman of elders council, Chief Ben Okah maintained that the state remains the most peaceful in the country. He eulogized Governor Umahi for his excellent work in safeguarding the lives of Ebonyians and opposed the meeting conducted by Ebonyi NASS members against Governor Umahi held at Abuja, describing it as ungodly, destructive and heinous crimes against humanity and warned that henceforth anybody who generated Crisis in the State would carry it on his or her head. On his part, the commissioner for Local Government and chieftaincy matters Brr. Samuel Okoronkwo while expressing his unwavering support to the Governor and that of Ebubeagu security outfit, noted that members of the security outfit have proved beyond reasonable doubt as total peace has been achieved through their operations in the state. He urged misguided politicians to desist from distracting Governor Umahi with unfounded and unverified allegations that the outfit was formed to fight political opponents. He further said that Ebubeagu's formation was an agreement among council chairmen, development center coordinators, town union presidents and traditional rulers adding that no amount of castigation would ever sweep off the operation of the outfit in the state. However, three traditional rulers from the three senatorial zones in the state including Ezeogo Sunday Oketa Ebonyi North, Ezeogo Dominic Alo Ebonyi Central and Ezeogo Ewa Elechi Ebonyi South all threw their weight behind the operation of Ebubeagu and maintained that they nominated credible men from their various communities as members to assist conventional security agencies in combating crimes and criminality in the rural and urban areas. The Monarchs urged Ebonyi people to remain supportive to the Governor Umahi led adminstration to enable him deliver creditably his lofty mission and vision for the rapid and overall development of the state while calling all and sundry to work in synergy with him to ensure peace and tranquility in all parts of the state, and avoid politicizing security issues in their own interest. Meanwhile, president of all the town union presidents Chief Ugochukwu Akpa commended Governor Umahi for the formation of Ebubeagu outfit saying that the development has helped to nipped killings, banditry, burning of police stations among others into the mud. Chief Akpa added that vigilante groups have also been established in the various communities to fought insecurities and assured the support of the association to move the state forward Sarah O'Brien said Oakland County Jail inmates dealing with mental illness have been significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic due to the prolonged isolation, but continuing treatment and other resources have been making a positive impact on their well-being both inside the cell and once they're released. O'Brien speaks daily with these inmates, of whom all are referred by medical professionals for having mental health challenges. She provides and connects them with mental health services and resources in her capacity as a criminal justice resource coordinator with the Oakland Community Health Network. For years, the Oakland Community Health Network (OCHN) has partnered with Oakland County Community Corrections, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, and the Wayne State University Center for Behavioral Health and Justice to offer various programs, services, and resources to mentally ill individuals that come into contact with the criminal justice system. Over 40% of Oakland County Jail inmates are on psychotropic medications. - Advertisement - During the COVID-19 pandemic, O'Brien said she has seen an increase in the severity of mental illness in the inmates she works with, which is about 15-20 per week. "I think adjusting to life in jail, is a big challenge for a lot of people especially people that haven't been in jail before," she said. "A lot have been experiencing an increase in anxiety, depression, sleep concerns. These are pretty much the main things." OCHN Criminal Justice System Programs A list of current Oakland Community Health Network Criminal Justice System Programs O'Brien said the majority of inmates that she meets with are encouraged by the mental health services being provided. She added the most inmates are responsive and engaged when she speaks with them about their mental health difficulties. "Just having a person there that is able to listen and to understand their perspective without judgement is important," she said. "We look at the individual and what their situation is as it's presented to us. We are seeing results (with these criminal justice and jail diversion programs)." Right now, she said the main focus is to make sure every inmate referred to her and other resource coordinators for mental health services are met with upon entry into the jail. The sooner these individuals are met with when, the more positive the outcome, according to O'Brien. "We're looking to improve our processes to make sure that we're we're catching everybody and that nobody's falling through the cracks," she said. "We want to meet with them to really create a solid plan before they are released from jail. That's our focus right now. I think we've done a lot of great things with Telehealth and improving outcomes. That way, we've been able to maintain some connections with outside community providers." Newly-formed Sober Support Unit will help county residents with substance use disorders A partnership between the Oakland County Sheriffs Office, the Oakland Community Health Network and Common Ground has resulted in a new progra Dana Lasenby, OCHN CEO, said the network's criminal justice and diversion programs and outreach efforts have impacted the lives of thousands of Oakland County residents over the years, including those already incarcerated and those transported to Common Ground by law enforcement to avoid potential jail stays. Its also important to recognize that anytime our partnerships with Oakland County law enforcement agencies and the Oakland County Jail result in individuals being connected to mental health or substance use services, recovery and life changes are possible," she said. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health services continued in the Oakland County Jail, but were transitioned to a virtual platform. O'Brien said that the first priority is keeping people from entering jail to begin with. In 2017, the OCHN jail diversion programs were initially funded by a $200,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). Community Mental Health Authority receives state grants, expanding criminal justice efforts The Oakland County Community Mental Health Authority has received $200,000 in state grants to expand its criminal justice and jail diversion p The grant allowed the OCHN to enhance its criminal justice and diversion programs by providing more training and support for OCHN and staff, expanding the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training for law enforcement officers countywide, creating the Supported Transition into Rapid Re-housing program, which provides transition support for mentally ill inmates experiencing homelessness, and creating a juvenile justice diversion coordinator position to identify and divert youth with mental health needs away from the criminal justice system. "The main focus for us is to either reconnect an individual back to the mental health treatment or the substance abuse treatment that they had prior to jail," said O'Brien. "We do care coordination with their medical provider in the community whether it's their caseworker, therapist, or psychiatrist. We aren't replicating services, but making sure we're keeping their caseworker involved in the process, including scheduled court dates, anticipated release dates, and post-release appointments." Since the CIT was first launched four years ago, jail diversions have averaged about 600 per year with 742 diversions in fiscal year 2020 and 445 so far in fiscal year 2021. To date, a total of 216 Oakland County law enforcement officers countywide have completed CIT training and more than 240 first responders have taken mental health first aid courses. According to Wayne State University Center for Behavioral Health and Justice, county law enforcement officers used Common Ground, the county's largest provider of mental health crisis services, 38 times more often after receiving CIT training. That increase was sustained 18-months later. Bouchard supports $80 million House Republican plan addressing mental health, training, and recruitment Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard is voicing support for a $80 million Michigan House GOP plan to further support law enforcement in the Oakland County Community Mental Health partners with law enforcement to educate on mentally ill The Oakland County Community Mental Health Authority wants to help those in law enforcement learn and understand more about individuals that a In 2020, the OCHN continued to fund and provide for the psychiatric and clinical mental health needs of Oakland County Jail inmates through a contract with Easterseals of Michigan. In Fiscal Year 2020, a total of 1,306 inmates were serviced through Easterseals of Michigan by a Psychiatrist and/or clinician. In Fiscal Year 2021, a total of 781 inmates have been serviced to date. "While it is not a mandate that OCHN fund these services in the Oakland County Jail, having direct oversight of these services results in better care coordination and service delivery," said Lasenby. "Services in the jail are provided to anyone who needs psychiatric supports, whether or not they meet public mental health criteria." In 2018, the county's jail diversion pilot program was recognized by the Michigan Health Diversion Council for showing signs of progress and success. The council's report, compiled in partnership with Michigan State Universitys Data and Evaluation Team, outlined both data and recommendations for the eight pilot programs around the state. The goal of the pilot programs was to gather data in an attempt to replicate preferred jail diversion practices across the State of Michigan. The county board of commissioners recently introduced a bipartisan resolution committing to join the 2021 Stepping Up Initiative, a national initiative to reduce the number of people with mental illnesses in jails and is the result of a collaboration between the National Association of Counties, The Council of State Governments Justice Center and the American Psychiatric Association Foundation. To assist Michigan counties in achieving the objectives of Stepping Up, MDHHS will be providing the services and expertise of the Wayne State University Center for Behavioral Health and Justice to provide technical assistance to those counties that have endorsed the Stepping Up initiative. Deputy PM Jurin touts Phuket, Phang Nga travel bubble PHUKET: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Jurin Laksanawisit has called for Phuket and Phang Nga to align their provincial entry requirements so that tourists may travel freely between the two provinces. tourismeconomicsCOVID-19Coronavirus By The Phuket News Sunday 23 May 2021, 01:39PM The idea was delivered at a meeting held yesterday (May 22) at the JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa in Mai Khao, attended by 20 representatives of the private sector from Phuket and Phang Nga, said a report by the Phuket office of the Public Relations Department. Among those present for the meeting were Thanusak Phungdet, President of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce, along with Nanthasiri Ronnasiri,Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand Phuket Office and the President of the Phang Nga Tourist Business Association. After the meeting, Mr Jurin made a statement to the media explaining that the purpose of his visit was to meet with officials and private sector representatives from both Phuket and Phang Nga to drive the economy of the Andaman area. And at the moment there are two main factors driving the national economy: agriculture and tourism, with factors, he said. Mr Jurin began his statement focussing on the agricultural sector, saying that prices for agricultural products were still holding strong. At the moment, it is considered that the prices of almost all agricultural products are good, whether it is rubber, which is currently more than B60 per kilogramme. The price of oil palm has been holding at B5-6 per kilogramme, which is considered to be a price higher than previously, he said. In general, farmers are satisfied, including those growing various fruits. The prices are very good, especially recently for mangosteen grown in Chanthaburi province, which has been reported to be almost B200 baht per kilogramme, he said. As for durian, the price is more than B100 per kilogramme, and therefore the agricultural crop price is considered to have satisfied farmers, especially farmers in Phang Nga and Phuket, and has resulted in better export figures. The economic driving mechanism currently playing an important role in boosting GDP for the nation is exports, and in recent months exports have improved. In March by 8.57% and April is expected to increase by at least 13%, Mr Jurin said. After talking about fruit prices, Mr Jurin turned his attention to tourism, through which Phuket and Phang Nga previously had generated hundreds of billions of baht each year for the country. But at the same time, the tourism engine is still stuck due to the COVID-19 epidemic, especially regarding foreign tourists. So there was a meeting today to prepare and implement practical measures to support the plan to open for tourism, especially in Phuket on July 1, this time called Phuket Tourism Sandbox, which will cover the area of Phang Nga as well, he said. The meeting was held because there is a need to work together in ways. Andaman cluster tourists who will come to Phuket will also go to Phang Nga, he explained. Now, the key factors that will enable Phuket to open to foreign tourists on July 1 as the goal depends on vaccines and other administrations as well to present to the CCSA [Centre for COVID Situation Administration in Bangkok] and the [national] government [as if they are different] are as follows, he said. 1. Request that the Phuket vaccination management plan is in accordance with the national plan, namely Phuket must have 933,174 doses of vaccination injections provided to 466,587 people in Phuket, thus covering 70% of the total population [of the island] 2. Ask Phang Nga Province to quickly adjust the plan to accommodate foreign tourists in accordance with Phuket, according to the Phuket Tourism Sandbox on July 1, because the sale of tours or travel plans to foreign tourists should be sold together. Both Phuket and Phang Nga attractions will help attract more tourists to come in the form of the Andaman cluster. 3. Ask Phuket airport to prepare all aspects to support foriegn tourists arriving in July, which will have direct flights from partner countries that will be open to their national travelling as tourists to Thailand, such as England, Germany and Russia, the United States, Israel, France and Scandinavia. Phuket Airport has to prepare for each scheduled flight, which may arrive at 4am or 5am, or during non-normal working hours. [They must prepare] especially for personnel and the disease control checkpoint. 4. Phuket Province and Phang Nga Province will make a tourism plan called Travel Thailand Together, and when the time is right we will be able to attract tourists to both provinces and make it more convenient for Thai tourists [to come] in accordance with government policy. For other provinces in the Andaman group, such as Krabi, we will have a joint meeting in June, Mr Jurin said. TAT pushes for Australian tourists Meanwhile, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Sydney office has launched the second installment of its campaign to encourage Australians to travel to Thailand once restrictions are eased. The campaign, the Amazing Thailand Trivia Challenge Season 2, will run from May 20 to June 16. The campaign offers gift vouchers of AUS$50 as minor prizes and a gift voucher of $500 as the top prize for answering trivia questions about Thailand. Suladda Sarutilavan, Director of TAT Sydney office said, As the travel restrictions are still in place, we cannot travel to Thailand at this time; however, we hope that Australians will choose Thailand for their first overseas holiday when we are able to travel again internationally in the near future. The mass vaccination programme for anybody living in Thailand will allow the country to reopen safely to international tourists, the TAT said in its notice announcing the campaign. Phuket will be the first to lift quarantine for vaccinated foreign tourists, followed by Krabi, Phang Nga, Surat Thani (Ko Samui), Chon Buri (Pattaya) and Chiang Mai, it added. With the vaccination programme going ahead as planned, Thailands reopening roadmap will go ahead as scheduled, with Phuket the first to open to fully-vaccinated visitors, from 1 July, 2021. We cannot wait to welcome everyone to Thailand soon, Ms Suladda said. The pandemic has given Mother Nature a respite, with the Andaman Sea becoming clearer than it has been in years, marine life flourishing, and local reservoirs full of fresh water. We believe that everyone will fall in love with the beauty of Thailand once again, Ms Suladda concluded. Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 01:09:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close People sunbathe along the beaches of Glyfada, a southern suburb of Athens, Greece, May 20, 2021. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos) ATHENS, May 22 (Xinhua) -- A drone makes regular rounds these days over the beaches of Glyfada, a southern suburb of Athens, monitoring the distance between sunbeds and umbrellas, while hand sanitizers are strategically placed next to showers and lifeguards' towers. Drawing lessons from last year's COVID-19 drama, the Greek authorities reopened the country's beaches earlier this month using tested safety protocols, new ideas and a freshly obtained prestigious international certification for clean waters and top-quality operation. A total of 545 beaches, 16 marinas and six tourism boats in the country have won the prestigious Blue Flag award for 2021, putting Greece in second place among 49 contenders, the Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature (HSPN), the national operator of the program, announced this week. The Blue Flag, given by the Copenhagen-based Foundation for Environmental Education, is awarded annually to sites meeting more than 30 stringent environmental, educational, safety and accessibility criteria. "Each Blue Flag that flies on our shores, marinas and tourist boats testifies to the integrated and high-quality services, and also contributes to the desire to return in every way to normality. This year, once again, Greece emerges as a clean, healthy and safe destination in the midst of this pandemic," Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis told an online event organized by the HSPN for the presentation of the awards. "Greece is entering a new period of sustainable tourism, a new period of tourism development that will be guided by the global principles of sustainability," Angela Gerekou, president of the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO), added. Greece reopened to international tourism last week, expecting to double the number of visitors and revenues compared to last year, officials and experts have told Xinhua. The tourism industry has been a strong pillar of the Greek economy for decades, accounting for about a fifth of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). In 2020, around six million tourists visited Greece, generating more than four billion euros (4.9 billion U.S. dollars) in revenues. In 2019, over 33 million arrivals were recorded, generating 18.2 billion euros in revenues, according to the Central Bank of Greece. (1 euro = 1.22 U.S. dollar) Enditem Phuket Must Win must close PHUKET: The Phuket Must Win web portal for people on the island to register to receive a state-provided COVID-19 vaccination will no longer accept registrations from Thais from June 5, and no longer receive registrations of foreigners after Tuesday (May 25). COVID-19Coronavirushealth By The Phuket News Sunday 23 May 2021, 09:00AM The website that most foreigners in Phuket never saw will stop receiving vaccination registrations for foreigners from Tuesday (May 25), and for Thais on June 5. Screenshot: Phuket Must Win UPDATE: Phuket officials on Monday, May 24, called the move to stop accepting regsitrations through Phuket Must Win a "temporary suspension", but did not confirm when the web portal would resume accepting registrations. The Official COVID-19 Information Center Phuket previously called Phuket Anti-COVID19, but now called Phuketinfocenter announced the news after 6pm last night (May 22). Thais registered as living in Phuket who have already been issued a queue number will be able to be vaccinated right away, the notice said. Thais registered as living in Phuket and who have registered through the web portal but have not reserved a date for vaccination, will not be able to reserve a date, the notice added. Thais registered as living outside of Phuket will be able to register again through their employer, their local District Office, subdistrict administration office (OrBorTor) or municipality only. Currently, foreigners who have a work permit and have been registered through their corporate channel, a business registered in Phuket, have until May 25 to choose a vaccination time. [It has been] Set to receive the vaccination on May 30, the notice said. However, The Phuket News has yet to confirm whether that statement, written in Thai only, is intended to mean that all foreigners already registered are to receive a vaccination injection on that date. Foreigners who do not have a Work Permit still cannot register, the notice added. The notice came with no explanation for shutting down the Phuket Must Win web portal [www..com], despite repeated announcements that all people in Phuket, including foreigners, must register through the portal in order to receive a state-provided vaccination However, the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) in Bangkok announced on Friday that expats nationwide will be able to register for vaccination on June 7. Of note, retired expats and tourists who have stayed in Phuket since the COVID lockdown last year were never given a chance to register through the Phuket Must Win portal. At the same time, not a single vaccine that has already been approved by the Thai Food and Drug Administration has been allowed to be made available through private medical facilities. NEW DELHI (AP) Doctors in India are fighting a fatal fungal infection affecting COVID-19 patients or those who have recovered from the disease amid a coronavirus surge that has driven the countrys fatalities to nearly 300,000. The life-threatening condition, known as mucormycosis, is relatively rare but doctors suspect that the sudden increase in the infection could further complicate Indias fight against the pandemic. India has reported more than 26 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus since the pandemic began, with almost half occurring in the past two months. On Sunday, the Health Ministry reported 3,741 new deaths, driving Indias confirmed fatalities to 299,266. It also reported 240,842 new infections, as daily cases remained below 300,000 for a week. The numbers are almost certainly undercounts, with many cases likely being missed due to limited testing. Experts say new infections in India, which had been rising steeply, may finally be slowing. But there are some early indications that mucormycosis, also known as black fungus, is fast becoming a cause of worry. Mucormycosis is caused by exposure to mucor mold, which is commonly found in soil, air and even in the nose and mucus of humans. It spreads through the respiratory tract and erodes facial structures. Sometimes, doctors have to surgically remove the eye to stop the infection from reaching the brain. On Saturday, federal minister Sadananda Gowda said nearly 9,000 cases had been reported in India so far, leading to a shortage of Amphotericin B, the drug used to treat the condition. Gowda didnt share the number of fatalities, but local media have said more than 250 have died because of the disease. Health officials were working to alleviate the drug shortage, which comes at a time when the country is already short on supplies of oxygen and other health care needs, Gowda said. Mucormycosis has a high mortality rate and was already present in India before the pandemic. It is not contagious but its frequency in the last month has left doctors shocked. It is a new challenge and things are looking bleak," said Ambrish Mithal, the chairman and head of the endocrinology and diabetes department at Max Healthcare, a chain of private hospitals in India. Mithal said the fungal infection preys on patients with weakened immune systems and underlying conditions, particularly diabetes, and irrational usage of steroids. Uncontrolled blood sugar can put immunocompromised people at a higher risk of contracting the disease. Earlier I used to come across just a few cases every year but the current infection rate is frightening, said Mithal. The latest surge of coronavirus infections in rural India has already taken a toll. Now heath experts are worried that over-the-counter medication, including steroids, can increase the prevalence of mucormycosis. SK Pandey, a medical officer at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in Uttar Pradesh state's Lucknow city, said that unqualified doctors were giving steroids to patients in many rural areas without giving a thought whether they require it or not. This has led to increase in black fungus cases in smaller cities where the patient has not even been hospitalized, he said. Indias Health Ministry on Thursday asked states to track the spread of the condition and declare it an epidemic, making it mandatory for all medical facilities to report the cases to a federal surveillance network. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday called the disease a new challenge." __ Associated Press writer Biswajeet Banerjee in Lucknow, India contributed to this report. ATLANTA (AP) Georgia's governor on Wednesday appointed a panel to determine whether a sheriff accused of violating the civil rights of several people in his custody should be suspended pending the outcome of federal charges. A federal grand jury last month indicted Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill. The indictment accuses the sheriff of repeatedly ordering detainees to be put in a restraint chair for hours even though they posed no threat and had complied with deputies. The indictment alleges the restraint chairs were improperly used as punishment. Hill has said the prosecution is politically motivated. One of his lawyers, Drew Findling, has called the case against Hill nonsensical but said Wednesday that since the panel is provided for by law, his client doesn't see its appointment negatively. A federal magistrate judge authorized Hill's release on bond. Georgia law allows the governor to convene a review commission made up of two sheriffs and the state attorney general to investigate and recommend whether a sheriff facing criminal or ethics charges should be suspended pending the outcome. In an executive order Wednesday, Gov. Brian Kemp appointed Attorney General Chris Carr, Burke County Sheriff Alfonzo Williams and Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds to determine whether the indictment affects Hill's duties in such a way that it could have an adverse effect on the public. The panel is to report back to Kemp within 14 days. Findling said he's confident that the review commission will recognize the indictment is an overreach by the federal government to interfere with a duly elected sheriff devoted to maintaining security at the Clayton County jail. Restraint chairs are used at jails throughout the country, and all health and safety procedures were complied with in its use at the Clayton County jail, Findling said. "At the end, we are confident that Gov. Kemp, who has demonstrated that he will not be dictated to by the federal government and has committed himself to combatting violent crime, will not suspend Sheriff Victor Hill, who is well documented as one of Georgias most devoted anti-crime law enforcement officers, he said. The Peace Officer Standards and Training Council, which certifies law enforcement officers in Georgia, has opened an investigation, which it does whenever an officer faces criminal charges, executive director Mike Ayers said. Throughout his pluralist career John Schweitzer has explored painting, sculpture, photography and film, but he is best known for his large-scale thematic collages. WOOD RIVER Fifteen COVID-19 vaccination clinics are now planned by the Madison County Health Department through June 9. Clinics are planned May 25 at the Hamel Community Center; May 28 at the Bethalto American Legion; May 28 at the Edwardsville American Legion; and May 29 at the Highland Weinheimer Community Center. Vaccinations also will be offered May 25 and May 27-30 at the Gateway Convention Center in Collinsville. Additionally, six schools are hosting upcoming COVID-19 vaccinations: Granite City High School on May 24, Triad High School in Troy on May 27, Trimpe Middle School in Bethalto on June 2, Alton High School on June 3, Collinsville Middle School on June 7 and June 9 at Highland Primary School. The MCHD will accept walk-ins at the vaccination clinics, but appointments are requested. Vaccinations are available for people 12 and older. The COVID-19 Moderna and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccines are only approved for those 18 and older. Minors 12-17 years old must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. They do not need an ID or birth certificate; however, a parent or guardian will be asked to show their ID. Minors who are 16-17 years old are only eligible to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, must show a photo ID (e.g. drivers license, school ID, etc.), proof of age, and must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to their appointment. To schedule an appointment, people can click the green appointment link at www.madisonchd.org. People needing help scheduling appointments can call 618-692-8954 ext. 2 on Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The MCHD no longer releases daily COVID-19 vaccination numbers. The Telegraph will continue to report Madison County vaccination data as released by the Illinois Department of Public Health. More Information Vaccinations Total: 196,357 Fully: 96,321 (36.42%) Source: IDPH COVID-19 cases by county Madison - 30,225 (499 deaths) Jersey - 2,689 (49 deaths) Calhoun - 524 (5 deaths) Greene - 1,386 (48 deaths) Macoupin - 4,920 (113 deaths) Montgomery - 3,757 (73 deaths) St. Clair - 28,022 (517 deaths) Clinton - 5,770 (90 deaths) Bond - 2,073 (24 deaths) Monroe - 4,362 (94 deaths) Randolph - 4,140 (84 deaths) Washington - 1,647 (25 deaths) Source: IDPH & MCHD See More Collapse On Sunday the IDPH reported 196,357 COVID-19 vaccinations so far in the county. IDPH officials said 96,321 county residents or 36.42% of the countys population are now fully vaccinated for COVID-19. As of midnight Saturday 10,904,411 vaccines have been administered in Illinois. The seven-day rolling average of vaccines administered daily is 75,546 doses. The IDPH reported 65% of Illinois adults have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose and 48% of Illinois adults are fully vaccinated. On Sunday the IDPH reported 35.53% of the residents in Jersey County were fully vaccinated according to the IDPH. Other fully vaccinated rates were 30.05% in Calhoun County, 34.26% in Macoupin County and 26.06% in Greene County. No COVID-19 related deaths were reported Friday or Saturday by the MCHD, leaving the county total at 499. For Saturday and Sunday, the IDPH reported no additional COVID-19 related deaths in Madison County. However, two Macoupin County deaths were reported Saturday, a woman in her 60s and a man in his 70s. There are sometimes discrepancies in the number of cases and deaths reported at the state and local levels, in part because of the volume of cases, and also as each local department forwards the information and it is verified. Local health officials have said the cases eventually reconcile as the reporting catches up. Late Saturday the MCHD reported 24 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases, as well as 568 new tests. On Frieday the MCHD reported 19 new cases and 932 tests. To date, Madison County has recorded 30,225 cases and 325,544 tests. There were 13 COVID-19 patients in Madison County hospitals Saturday, two on ventilators. The IDPH on Sunday reported 943 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 and 24additional COVID-19 related deaths statewide. To date, the IDPH has reported 1,375,508 cases, including 22,623 deaths. Statewide there were 1,417 COVID-19 patients in hospitals on Saturday night, including 343 in intensive care units and 195 on ventilators. The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from May 16-22 was 2.2%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity for the same period was 2.8%. The MCHD on Saturday reported a three-day positivity rate of 2.39%, a seven-day rate of 2.94% and a 10-day rate of 2.9%. For more COVID-19 information, visit https://coronavirus-response-madcoil.hub.arcgis.com/, www.madisonchd.org or Facebook @madisonchd. Also visit www.co.madison.il.us or Facebook @madisoncountyil for more vaccination news and daily updates. For The Telegraphs online vaccine tracker, visit https://www.thetelegraph.com/coronavirus-vaccine-tracker-alton-illinois/. For additional vaccine locations visit https://coronavirus.illinois.gov/s/vaccination-location. Local and statewide information also is available at www.dph.illinois.gov. Click the coronavirus banner. For health-related questions about COVID-19, people also can call the IDPH hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov. TROY An Oklahoma man is dead following an officer-involved shooting Saturday night in Troy. According to the Illinois State Police, at about 7 p.m. Saturday, May 22, Troy Police responded to the TA Gas Station at 819 Edwardsville Road, Troy, for 911 calls of an active shooter in the parking lot. State police said the shooter later identified as Kody C. Waters, 31, of Dewey, Oklahoma was reportedly suicidal and discharging a firearm into the air. The first Troy Police officer to arrive, in fear for his life and the lives of others, fired seven shots in the direction of Waters, according to the state police. Authorities on Sunday said it is not if the officers gunfire struck Waters or if Waters shot himself. The Troy Police officer has not been identified by authorities. State police reported that Troy Police rendered aid to Waters who, at about 9:10 p.m., was pronounced deceased by the Madison County Coroners Office on scene. An autopsy was scheduled for Sunday morning. No officers or patrons were injured during the incident. Troy Police Chief Brent Showers contactged the ISP Division of Criminal Investigations Zone 6 Investigations to investigate a fatal officer-involved shooting. State police said the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact ISP Zone 6 Investigations at 618-571-4124 or Crime Stoppers at 866-371-8477, where callers can remain anonymous. Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 07:41:36|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Staff workers place flowers presented by local people to the memorial hall for Yuan Longping at the Mingyangshan funeral parlor in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, May 22, 2021. The hearse carrying Yuan Longping's body left the Xiangya Hospital of Central South University for funeral parlor in Changsha on Saturday. Halfway through, the hearse made a detour at the Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Center where Yuan lived and worked for a long time. Chinese scientist Yuan Longping, renowned for developing the first hybrid rice strain that relieved countless people of hunger, died of organ failure at 91 on Saturday. (Xinhua/Xue Yuge) RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) As the United States scales back its military presence across the Middle East to focus on great power competition with China and Russia, it risks giving those two countries a chance to fill the gap and expand their influence around the Gulf, the top U.S. commander for the region said Sunday. While traveling through the Middle East over the past week, Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, who heads U.S. Central Command, fielded a persistent question from the military and political leaders he met: Is the U.S. still committed to their country and the region, and what more support can they get. From the dusty battlefields in Syria to the rocket-pummeled neighborhoods in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, they worry that America's pivot to Asia means they will be left without the troops, ships, aircraft and other military aid they need to battle Iranian-backed militant groups attacking their people. And if the U.S. is slow to respond, they may look elsewhere for help. The Middle East writ broadly is an area of intense competition between the great powers. And I think that as we adjust our posture in the region, Russia and China will be looking very closely to see if a vacuum opens that they can exploit, McKenzie told reporters traveling with him. "I think they see the United States shifting posture to look at other parts of the world and they sense there may be an opportunity there. Speaking in his hotel room after meeting with Saudi officials, McKenzie said weapons sales would be one need that Moscow and Beijing could exploit. Russia, he said, tries to sell air defense systems and other weapons to whomever it can, and China has a long-term goal to expand its economic power and ultimately establish military bases in the region. In the few short months since President Joe Biden took office, he has ordered the full withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and begun to review America's force presence in Iraq, Syria and around the globe. His administration is cutting U.S. military support for the Saudi-led offensive against Iranian-back Houthi rebels in Yemen, and the Pentagon has moved ships, forces and weapons systems out of other Middle East countries. At the same time, however, Biden this month dispatched senior administration officials to the Gulf region to reassure nervous allies as the U.S. looks to reopen talks with Iran on the 2015 nuclear deal, which former President Donald Trump scrapped three years ago. The effort to restart talks with Iran triggers worries in a number of Middle East nations who rely on the U.S. to maintain pressure on Tehran and its campaigns to fund and supply weapons to militant groups in the region. But there is ongoing discussion within the Pentagon about sending more assets to the Pacific to fight a rising China. And U.S. military commanders around the globe, including McKenzie, may lose troops and resources as a result. Those could include warships such as the aircraft carrier now sitting in the Gulf, providing security for the Afghanistan withdrawal. The Biden administration views Chinas rapidly expanding economic influence and military might as Americas primary long-term security challenge. Officials believe the U.S. must be more ready to counter threats to Taiwan and China's development of military outposts on manmade islands in the South China Sea. Military commanders caution that Chinas growing assertiveness isn't limited to Asia, noting that Beijing is aggressively seeking footholds in Africa, South America and the Middle East. I agree completely that China needs to be the pacing threat we orient on," McKenzie said in the interview with reporters from The Associated Press and ABC News. At the same time, we are a global power and we need to have a global outlook. And that means that you have the ability to consider the globe as a whole. In meetings Sunday, Saudi leaders were very concerned about the ongoing U.S. military posture review, McKenzie said. The kingdom is under almost daily bombardment from Houthi rebels with a variety of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and small drones. And Saudi leaders rely on the U.S. to help them defend themselves. McKenzie said his message to them was that the number of troops and weapons is not as important as the overall capability of the integrated U.S. and Saudi air and missile defense system arrayed around the country. And more broadly, he said, that strategy of doing more in the region with less military presence may prevent China and Russia from cashing in on any U.S. void. Im not sure its actually going to turn out to be an opportunity for them when its all said and done, he said. The troop numbers may not be the same as the hundreds of thousands that were in the region five to seven years ago, he said, but the U.S. will have a presence in the region. I think were going to play a very smart game ... to leverage what we have, he said. The United States is the partner of choice. Its only when that option is not open are countries going to hedge and seek other opportunities. NEW YORK (AP) CNN is cutting ties with former Republican senator and current TV analyst Rick Santorum over disparaging comments he made about Native American culture. On CNN, Santorum was a senior political commentator who was often tasked with giving the Republican point of view during campaign coverage. His parting ways with the network was confirmed Saturday by Alison Rudnick, vice president of HLN Communications and CNN Diversity and Inclusion. He sparked controversy in an April 23 speech before the Young Americas Foundation, a conservative youth organization. Santorum said immigrants created a nation based on the Judeo-Christian ethic from a blank slate. We birthed a nation from nothing, he said. Yes, there were Native Americans, but there isnt much Native American culture in American culture. The comment prompted Fawn Sharp, president of the National Congress of American Indians, to call him an unhinged and embarrassing racist who disgraces CNN and any other media company that provides him a platform. To correct the record, what European colonizers found in the Americas were thousands of complex, sophisticated, and sovereign tribal nations, each with millennia of distinct cultural, spiritual and technological development, she wrote in a statement. Sharp called on CNN to fire Santorum or potentially face a boycott from more than 500 tribal nations and its allies worldwide. Santorum later said on Chris Cuomos CNN show that he misspoke in the sense that it wasnt clear that he was speaking in the context of the founding of the United States government. People say Im trying to dismiss what happened to the Native Americans, he said. Far from it. The way we treated Native Americans was horrific. It goes against every bone and everything Ive ever fought for as a leader in the Congress. Santorum's comments have garnered blowback before, especially his views on gay marriage and homosexuality. In 2003, he infuriated gay rights advocates by appearing to compare homosexuality to pedophilia and bestiality Discover Lake Compounce and all it has to offer this summer. While it tends to fly under the radar, the Bristol, Connecticut, amusement park is one of New Englands best-kept secrets. The oldest continuously operating amusement park in North America, it holds as much history as it does fun. One of its most popular rides is Boulder Dash, a wooden roller coaster that uses the parks natural terrain, trees and boulders to add to the feel. As it climbs and drops along the mountainside, the ride sits low to the ground, but its also long and fast with 4,725 feet of track. The experience lasts two and a half minutes and reaches speeds of 60 mph. Then, face your fears on the Phobia Phear Coaster, a triple-launch steel roller coaster and the first ride of its kind in New England. The coaster reaches speeds up to 65 mph and takes guests on a blood-pumping ride, including a cobra roll inversion 150 feet in the air. With action happening 15 stories into the sky, Phobia dares you to take on the challenge. Rev-O-Lution, meanwhile, will have guests of all ages rocking and rolling as it spins a full 360 degrees around five stories in the air. Riders will feel like theyre floating on air as the giant platform spins and glides in two directions on a huge half pipe-shaped track. Climb aboard Thunder Rapids raft and ride, glide and splash through the parks beautiful, natural terrain. On this free-floating vessel, theres a good chance of getting soaked. For a more laid-back experience, float along the Croc-o-Nile, while the smallest riders might want to try the bumper cars, Drum Circus (over-sized cups that twirl and spin), American Flyers (a classic airplane ride), Jolly Jester (a swinging pirate ship) and more. Other thrill rides include Wildcat, Thunder and Lightning, and Down Time, plus many more attractions for all ages. Cool off in Crocodile Cove, Lake Compounces onsite waterpark and the largest in Connecticut. Try its dozens of rides and attractions, including Venus Vortex, which opens this year. Resembling the mouth of a hungry venus flytrap, it makes riders navigate twists, turns and sudden drops on a raft. They journey through a dark tunnel and then suddenly plummet down a near-vertical drop into the jaws of the hungry creature as the raft slides back and forth in between rows of teeth. Guests also can stop by the Bayou Bay wave pool and Tunnel Twisters water slides or grab a mat and plunge down Riptide Racer, a multi-lane racing slide. Mammoth Falls, a family raft ride, is perfect for large groups. Younger guests can head over to Clipper Cove, an interactive water structure with small slides, water jets and a giant bucket of water that unleashes a cascade every few minutes. Anchor Bay is a wave pool specifically designed for small children. In addition to rides, the park also hosts themed seasonal events such as the Haunted Graveyard. Bear Creek Campground, located next to Lake Compounce, makes for the perfect family-friendly nature adventure. Fuel up at one of the parks food stops serving pizza, hot dogs, burgers, Mexican food, the parks signature Potato Patch fries and more. Check out franchises such as Johnny Rockets and Dunkin Donuts or grab a bite at the Croc Pot Cafeteria, which serves chicken meals and other specialties. Sip on craft beer or wine at the Lake Compounce Watering Hole. Guests must buy tickets online in advance for specific dates. They must wear masks unless eating, drinking or on water-based attractions. They also must undergo contact-free temperature checks upon arrival. Social distancing will be self-enforced. In addition to reopening again after 2020, this year is a milestone for Lake Compounce as it celebrates its 175th season. Were ready to celebrate our nearly two centuries of history this summer at Lake Compounce, general manager Larry Gorneault Jr. said in a statement. The transformation weve undergone this offseason embraces our past while creating a more inviting and exciting amusement park for our guests to enjoy. Chamber accepting program applications The Chamber of the Northern Poconos announced Leadership Northern Poconos is accepting applications for the class of 2022. The program began in 2002 and was formerly known as Leadership Wayne. The purpose of Leadership Northern Poconos is to educate a group of potential leaders residing or employed in Wayne or Pike counties regarding all aspects of the community. As a result of the program, an informed group of individuals will have a better understanding of the communitys strengths and weaknesses. The Leadership Northern Poconos program begins its first class on Sept. 15, 2021, and will continue for 10 months, finishing up in June 2022. Classes will meet the third Wednesday of each month at various locations throughout Wayne and Pike counties. Participants will be expected to attend a minimum of eight sessions to be considered graduates. Leadership Northern Poconos is open to anyone who works or lives in Wayne or Pike County. The cost of enrollment is $600, which includes program materials, lunches and graduation. Scholarships are available to those who qualify. Revitalization plan accepting donationsGreater Honesdale Partnership kicked off the endowment phase of its Revitalization Plan and is accepting donations from individuals, businesses and partners. With these donations, Honesdale residents, business owners and nonprofits benefit from the updates. These are not the only improvements being made to increase revenue in the borough. A parking garage will help alleviate apartment zoning restrictions, allowing building owners to renovate their upper apartments. The renovations will require funding guaranteed from one of the many strong local financial institutions housed in Honesdale. Housing will become available for new residents, which in turn creates a new workforce available to the downtown businesses. All these aspects work together to increase revenue in Honesdale. All donations are accepted through WayneFoundation.org. Restaurant chain seeking employees As McDonalds restaurants prepare to safely reopen dining rooms and staff up for the busy summer season, McDonalds restaurants around Pennsylvania are looking to hire 9,060 employees. McDonalds prepares employees with on-the-job training for future careers within McDonalds and beyond. To apply, job seekers can text apply to 36453 to start an application via text, or visit McDonalds.com/careers to learn more and apply to a restaurant near them. To ensure a safe working environment, McDonalds restaurants have implemented more than 50 COVID-19 safety procedures to protect crew and customers. These include wellness and temperature checks, social distancing floor stickers, protective barriers at order points and masks and gloves for employees with the addition of new procedures and training. SUBMIT BUSINESS BUZZ items to business@timesshamrock.com or The Times-Tribune, 149 Penn Ave., Scranton, PA 18503. Hoping to avoid problems that have plagued other communities, Covington Twp. officials have proposed a short-term rental ordinance that would impose strict regulations on property owners who want to rent out homes to vacationers. The ordinance, the subject of a public hearing Tuesday, mandates property owners carry $1 million in liability insurance, limits occupancy, bars rentals to anyone under age 25, and requires owners provide off-street parking and have a local contact person who lives within 50 miles of the property. Owners would be required to obtain an initial permit that must be renewed annually to rent out their properties. It applies to all properties in the township except mobile homes and recreational vehicle parks. The action comes as the popularity of short-term rentals, particularly in the Poconos, continues to grow. That has caused issues in neighboring communities, including Thornhurst and Roaring Brook townships, which have received complaints of rowdy vacationers disrupting lives of adjacent property owners. Roaring Brook Twp. sued a Connecticut couple in June, alleging their rental of an upscale cabin in the Windsor Hills neighborhood violates zoning regulations. Thornhurst Twp. also filed suit in 2019, to halt rentals at a Coombe Court home it alleges was illegally transformed from a single-family residence into a commercial rental property. Both cases are pending in Lackawanna County Court. In Covington Twp., Supervisor Melissa Kearney said shes not aware of any complaints about a specific property. She and township solicitor Joel Wolff said supervisors opted to create an ordinance to ward off future issues. They are aware of other municipalities that had to deal with issues without the benefit of an ordinance and wanted to address it sooner rather than later, Wolff said. The ordinance sets specific standards rental properties must meet, including each bedroom be at least 80 square feet. It limits occupancy to two people per bedroom plus four additional people per residence. Day guests are allowed, but the number cannot exceed 75% of the permitted occupancy limit. Owners must provide one off-street parking space per bedroom. Owners must take reasonable efforts to control tenants behavior. If an issue arises, the owner or designated local contact person must respond within two hours and attempt to resolve any issues. Violations of the ordinance can result in a fine up to $1,000 a day. An in-person public hearing will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the townships Municipal Building, 20 Moffat Drive. The public hearing will also be broadcast via Zoom, https://zoom.us/j/92336378365. Treating acid mine drainage and restoring some problematic creeks in Lackawanna, Luzerne and Susquehanna counties are among a wish list of projects to reduce pollutants in waterways that flow into the Chesapeake Bay. The three Northeast Pennsylvania counties recently committed to creating a Countywide Action Plan (CAP). They are among more than two dozen counties statewide that joined a voluntary initiative to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus levels in area streams and rivers, opening the door for funding for the projects. The plan is separate from the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) program, a pollution-reduction mandate from the federal Environmental Protection Agency for bodies of water that drain into the bay, including the Lackawanna and Susquehanna rivers. The key difference, officials say, is that any projects identified under the CAP program are voluntary. The counties benefit because the projects will be given priority for grant money that is available from the state Department of Environmental Protection. The DEP recently awarded the three counties a $100,000 grant to hire Larson Design Group, of Williamsport, as a consultant to identify projects and create an implementation plan. Its going to give us basically a how-to manual, said Bernie McGurl, executive director of the Lackawanna River Conservation Association, one of the groups working with Lackawanna County to develop the plan. It will identify the problems, potential solutions and the actors who can work together. The plans, which are in their infancy, fall under the direction of conservation districts in each county. Officials are now working to identify potential projects and are seeking input from a wide variety of groups and individuals interested in the environment. McGurl said hes pleased the counties sought input from the community. Its a really good opportunity to work with municipalities and make connections with people that can help solve problems and provide funding, he said, Jerry Stiles, district manager for the Lackawanna County Conservation District, said projects under consideration include restoring a section of Roaring Brook Creek just east of Dunmore and treating acid mine drainage that spews from the Old Forge borehole. Luzerne County also is considering acid mine drainage projects, including the Plainsville borehole in Plains Twp., said Josh Longmore, district manager for the Luzerne County Conservation District. Other projects could include providing farmers tools to effectively manage manure used as fertilizer, which is another source of pollution, and planting of cover crops to reduce soil erosion. Stiles said creek restoration is an important component to improving the health of waterways because it reduces the amount of sediment that washes away. Sediment is detrimental to aquatic life, Stiles said. It falls down and coats the bottom. Aquatic insects that are food for the fish cant live in a sediment-laden stream. If you kill the insects, fish dont have anything to eat. The sediment is also an irritant to their gills, making it hard to breathe. Potential fixes include installing riprap human-placed rocks that protect shorelines and planting trees and other vegetation that help stabilize the streambank and reduce erosion, Stiles said. Acid mine drainage that flows from abandoned coal mines is a more serious and complex problem across the region, officials say. One solution involves running the water through a limestone facility or wetlands, which removes the heavy metals, Stiles said. We have made progress over the decades, but the problem remains on a huge scale, Longmore said. Lets start taking a concentrated effort to make headway in this area that seemed too big to tackle for so long. Improving the Chesapeake Bays health took on more urgency in 2009, after then-President Barack Obama signed an executive order mandating Pennsylvania and other northern states reduce polluted runoff draining into the bay. The mandate has been highly controversial in Luzerne County, where 32 municipalities signed an agreement with the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority to oversee implementation on the MS4 plan. The program is funded by an annual fee charged to property owners based on the estimated amount of stormwater runoff from their property also called rain tax. Luzerne County agreed to take part in the CAP program only after the DEP assured officials the projects are voluntary and will not result in any further mandates or penalties, Longmore said. The counties began work on the CAP program in March and continue to seek community input. Final plans must be submitted to the DEP by Sept. 30. To join in the discussion, contact your local conservation district: Lackawanna County, 570-382-3086; Luzerne County, 570-674-7991; Susquehanna County, 570-782-2105.Contact the writer: tbesecker@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9137; @tmbeseckerTT on Twitter. May 23, 1921 Ex-police chief may be train robber Former Carbondale Police Chief Frank OBoyle was taken into custody on May 21 on suspicion that he could have been an escaped prisoner from Leavenworth Federal Prison. On April 21, 1910, five prisoners serving sentences for the May 1909 Omaha train robbery escaped from Leavenworth. OBoyle was believed to be one of the five escapees by prison officials. Then-current Carbondale Police Chief Harry Kegler received a telegram from Warden Anderson of Leavenworth advising him that OBoyle could have been one of the escaped prisoners. The warden requested OBoyle be immediately taken into custody and fingerprinted so they could be compared to the ones on file at the prison. Kegler was said to be shocked at the news of the telegram, seeing that OBoyle was one of Carbondales best-known citizens. OBoyle cooperated with the police, but asserted he was innocent and had an alibi. Four years prior, Carbondale police received a bulletin about an escaped prisoner from Leavenworth. The bulletin had a photo of OBoyle. Fingerprints and measurements were sent back to the prison. The prison responded they made a mistake. OBoyle was born in Carbondale in 1887 and left the city as a young man. After serving in the Army, he returned to Carbondale in 1910 and found work with the Ontario and Western Railroad. Later, he was named police chief when the Carbondale Police Department reorganized. His fingerprints and detailed description were sent immediately to Leavenworth. On May 25, Judge George Maxey released OBoyle on a writ of habeas corpus with bail set at $2,500. On May 27, The Scranton Times sent a telegram to Warden Anderson asking if OBoyles fingerprints matched those of the escapee Frank Grigware. The warden responded with, fingerprints submitted are not those of Grigware. Upon hearing this news, assistant U.S. Attorney John McCourt told the Times that he was the one who investigated the prisons claim about OBoyle several years prior and found then the prisons claim was untrue and informed the warden of that. Kegler, upon hearing the news, said that he never thought for a minute that OBoyle was the man but he had to arrest him because of the orders from Anderson. OBoyles attorney said they would be in court on June 4 calling for a complete hearing so that the cloud that has been hanging over him for more than four years will be cleared away forever. Part 2 of 2 Whether she was condemning slavery and liquor or fighting for womens suffrage, Anna Dickinson made an impression. The Quaker spent much of her childhood in Philadelphia and lived with her sister, journalist Susan Dickinson, in Northeast Pennsylvania for a time. The two sisters were especially close for much of their lives, with Susan traveling with Anna on a speaking tour in the mid-1800s, but a falling-out left them estranged in later years. Last week, Local History traced Susan Dickinsons ties to the area. The famed Civil War correspondent moved to West Pittston in the 1870s and wrote about labor issues at the coal mines around the region. She contributed articles to the Scranton Truth, Republican, Times and Tribune, among others, through the end of the 19th century. Like Susan, Anna Dickinson started her career as a teacher at just 17. And like Susan, Anna Dickinson didnt hesitate to follow her interests. But while Susan started writing for newspapers, Anna explored her talent for public speaking. She was just 18 when she spoke about Womens Rights and Wrongs at a Progressive Friends meeting in Philadelphia in 1860, according to her obituary in The New York Times. She opposed slavery from an early age and made numerous speeches supporting the Unions cause during the Civil War. In 1863, she embarked on a paid speaking tour for the Republican Party that drew large crowds. Her impassioned speeches inspired the nicknames the juvenile Joan of Arc and the Little White Elephant of the G.O.P. When she addressed Congress in January 1864, President Abraham Lincoln and his wife were reportedly in attendance to hear the 21-year-old speak against slavery. Despite her views, Lincoln later earned her wrath over his handling of the post-Civil War reconstruction, according to The New York Times. On the whole, it seemed as though she came back around to him; she served as the principal speaker in Philadelphia to raise funds for the Lincoln memorial after his assassination. The Library of Congress has a collection of items related to Anna Dickinson, including a letter she received from Frederick Douglass in 1866 and another from Susan B. Anthony in 1864, with whom she had a close relationship. Through the years, Anna Dickinson also turned her attention to the stage. She wrote several plays, including one called A Crown of Thorns and another called A Test of Honor, and tried to launch a career as an actress, according to obituaries in The Philadelphia Inquirer and information at the Library of Congress. She did not find the success she hoped for and eventually joined her sister and mother in West Pittston. Anna Dickinsons mental and physical health began to decline and, in 1891, Susan Dickinson and several others had her committed to Danville State Hospital for the Insane. The committal caused a bit of a frenzy in newspapers near and far and, partly because of the headlines, Anna Dickinsons friends intervened and had her moved temporarily to a hospital in Goshen, New York. Within a few months, though, she was taken back to Danville before she was eventually released. She later sued the people who had her committed and newspapers who printed misinformation about her illness and treatment. The trial attracted crowds of fashionably dressed women who ate lunch in the courtroom so as not to lose their seat, according to an Oct. 25, 1932, Scranton Times story about her life. At one point during the trial, Anna Dickinson read a letter she wrote to her brother while hospitalized, detailing her mental agony. After her recitation, there were few dry eyes in the courtroom, The Scranton Times story reported. Despite pulling at the jurors heart strings, she was only awarded 6 cents in damages. She was never paid, according to the Scranton Times, but considered the verdict a victory. Anna Dickinson was living in Goshen, New York, when she died Oct. 24, 1932, just a few days shy of her 90th birthday. Erin L. Nissley is an assistant metro editor at The Times-Tribune and the editor of The Valley Advantage. Shes lived in the area for more than 15 years. The passage of time and the pandemic force a reckoning about what matters most. Most people are familiar with the question: Is so-and-so still alive? Ive always appreciated those end-of-year remembrances of notables who died, not only to be reminded or to confirm a suspicion but also to remind me to remember. Or, at least, to take a moment. The pandemic has made the exercise more compelling. Not only have countless people died while we were trying not to, but we werent permitted to close the chapter in our usual ways. For all human time, weve celebrated and mourned the dead with a degree of ceremony. The recent discovery of the remains of a 3-year-old child in Kenya from 78,000 years ago reminds us that even our earliest ancestors felt a need to commemorate their losses in some way. COVID-19 has meant few to no funerals for many, depriving us of what, for lack of a better expression, we call closure. Much as I dislike the word, theres some value to it. A funeral allows us some little time to meditate upon the life of the departed, to consider his or her meaning to us and, of course, to ponder our own mortality. The tragic costs imposed by plagues carry consequences that may only reveal themselves in time. Some of us have become socially skittish after so many months in isolation. Some of us want people to think that is so. In my own little speck of the universe, Ive noticed a new obsession unfolding: list-making. Listing is a way of managing anxiety. So it isnt surprising that some of us have become more committed than usual to organizing our lives with pad and pen, even if actual productivity doesnt follow. Just getting things down on paper in an orderly fashion can sometimes feel like an accomplishment. My lists of late, however, have taken on a new character. Were not talking broccoli and errands here. Though it startles me a little to admit, Ive been compiling columns of the living and the dead. That is, people who are, in fact, alive or dead. It isnt so much that I dont remember who has died; its that I dont want to forget them. The same goes for the living. I dont want to forget to remember and act upon how much they mean to me. This isnt busy work. Every now and then a person comes to mind and I catch my breath because theyre gone. If I dont remember them, who will? Doesnt friendship require that we spend at least a few moments now and then recalling someone who once meant so much? I am tortured by such questions. The converse is obvious: Who will remember us? And for how long? Im guessing there are others out there who have done the same. The passage of time combined with the pandemics psychological as well as physical ravages have forced a reckoning of what matters to us most. This applies to our nation as well as to ourselves as individuals. Between my own incessant, decades-long deadlines and the energy-sapping demands of everyday life, its easy to lose sight of who and what should be priorities. How many times have we said were gonna haftas to friends and family, knowing full well that well never get around to it? Were gonna hafta have lunch, grab a drink, get together, plan a reunion. Speaking for myself, its well past half-time and I dont want to spin myself into a web of regret. My list of the deceased is way too long, but it gives me some measure of relief to see a name and to think of that person for a while. The living list is, not surprisingly, shorter. The people we count as true friends the kind you cant live without are few. If this all seems a turn sad, do not be concerned. Its just my way of remembering to remember all the people whove made my life better or more meaningful. Its also possible that I hope to be on someone elses list. We know from experience that our all-too-brief time on earth is noted only for a short while by a diminishing few. Eternity belongs to those who make the list. KATHLEEN PARKER writes for The Washington Post. kathleenparker@washpost.com Public parks arent controversial until it comes to paying for them because some politicians and taxpayers view them as luxuries rather than essential public services. Parks have proved otherwise during the long COVID-19 public health emergency. Amid quarantines and restrictions on large public gatherings, parks across the country have been crucial. They have provided space for physical health, where people could exercise to fight off the COVID 15, and for mental health, as outdoor refuges from indoor isolation. In August and September, the Pennsylvania Recreation and Parks Society, in conjunction with Penn State Universitys Department of Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Management, conducted a statewide survey about the value of parks amid the pandemic. A majority of respondents, 54%, found parks to be essential services, citing their positive affects on physical and mental health. With everyone out of work and school, one respondent said, there was a need for recreation and an outlet for safely gathering. The parks in the area have taken the place of the shore, the movies, bars and restaurants and everything else. Of course, the government cant fund parks only for emergencies. They are permanent, long-term investments in public health and other aspects of local quality of life. Thats why local governments make a big mistake in shortchanging public parks. Because parks dont generate revenue, they wouldnt do well in a cost-benefit analysis. But a good quality of life cant be measured that way. As the great landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted once put it, parks are the lungs of the city. Politicians who would scrimp on parks are those who know the cost of everything and the value of nothing. The premise will be tested in Scranton over the next year as the city decides whether to redevelop the pool complex at Nay Aug Park. Parks earn their keep. In return, local governments should promote them and ensure that they are well-maintained. Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 09:10:51|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KINSHASA, May 23 (Xinhua) -- A lava flow reached the airport of the Democratic Republic of Congo's eastern city of Goma on Sunday after the eruption of the nearby Mount Nyiragongo volcano and authorities have announced evacuation plans, local media reported. The evacuation plan for Goma has been activated, said government spokesman Patrick Muyaya. "The government is discussing urgent measures to be taken now," Muyaya tweeted. Thousands of Goma residents have fled the city on foot to reach the border with Rwanda as the city with a population of nearly 2 million was illuminated with orange flames. The Nyiragongo volcano, located not far from the DR Congo's border with Rwanda, started to erupt on Satuday. According to the Goma-based volcanological monitoring office, the lava is heading towards the border with Rwanda. The last time a major Nyiragongo eruption occurred was in 2002, when about 250 people were killed and 120,000 others were left homeless. Enditem MARISSA BERGEL, Wheeler softball, senior: Bergel hit a two-out, two-run single in the seventh inning to lift Wheeler past Holy Cross, 9-7, in the Class S state tournament. The hit was part of a five-run rally in the inning. JOEY GUARNIERI, Westerly track & field, senior: Guarnieri placed first in two sprints at the Southern Division championships. He won the 100 (11.19) and the 200 (22.73). JOSH MOONEY, Stonington track & field, sophomore: Mooney placed first in the 110 hurdles at the Class M state meet in 14.65. He also finished second in the 300 hurdles (39.87) and second in the javelin (160-0). MARGARET WEEDEN, Chariho track & field, junior: Weeden finished first in the high jump at the Southern Division championships. Weeden cleared 5-1 and also placed sixth in the triple jump at 31-5. Vote View Results With long lunches back on the menu for deal- makers last week, the City rumour mill spun into action. Amid a flurry of take-overs, one historic firm in the bankers' sights is De La Rue, founded in 1813. The money-printer, which makes notes for the Bank of England, has looked vulnerable to a hostile bid since its stock disintegrated after losing out on the blue passport contract in 2018. City sources claim foreign trade buyers have shown an interest. Its boss Clive Vacher a former police sergeant and turnaround specialist has focused on cutting costs including closing operations in Gateshead and expanding further into polymer notes. Sources say it has also developed digital and physical Covid certificates and is in talks with several governments about deploying them, although this is not key to the firm's revival. Results this week should show profits hitting a healthy 37 million. Any signs of improvement on that could put buyers on high alert. Shares in Prudential fell this month as its demerger with US business Jackson Life was delayed. Chief executive Mike Wells offloaded nearly 2 million of shares in a planned sale last week. Numbers man Mark FitzPatrick and chief risk officer James Turner, also offloaded 900,000 and 170,000 of shares respectively. Tidy sums for the men from the Pru, but the money was in fact to pay the tax and fees due on their long term incentive plans. This article has been updated to make clear the share sale was to cover taxes and fees. We are happy to clarify this. Schroder Global Recovery Fund manager Simon Adler calls the pandemic the 'most fertile hunting ground for a decade' in the markets. His fund specialises in buying stocks that managers believe are basically sound over five years, but are suffering a blip. The fund took a hit early in the pandemic, but form has been decent of late, and it has increased the number of stocks it holds to reflect the Covid carnage. Adler's major stakes include NatWest, Royal Mail and British Gas owner Centrica. There are plenty of international plays too. Adler plumped for stock in Genting Singapore, the tourist attraction on a man-made island which has low debts and should snap back... in theory. Brave betting. This week's results from SSE should help investors focus on the future of the energy market as this year's COP26 climate conference hoves into view. SSE shed its retail customer base to Ovo for 500 million last year and its share price has been surprisingly sprightly since then. The power firm is spending 7.5 billion to treble its output from renewable energy by 2030. The company is behind what it hopes will be the world's largest offshore wind farm, at Dogger Bank off the Yorkshire coast. It also hopes to build wind farms on the Continent, and in the US and Japan. A gust of news on any of these projects will be welcome. FirstGroup is facing a shareholder revolt against plans to flog its yellow school bus division to private equity buyers. Last night top investor Coast Capital threatened to take legal action against the UK transport giant if the 3.3billion sale to Sweden's EQT went ahead. Coast branded the deal a 'destructive proposal' and called for delays so that an independent valuation of the bus business could be carried out. 'Destructive proposal': FirstGroup's First Student division is the biggest operator of school buses in North America, running a 43,000-strong fleet The firm is backed by other shareholders including Schroders, the second-biggest. However Columbia Threadneedle, the third-biggest investor, supports the sale. FirstGroup's First Student division is the biggest operator of school buses in North America, running a 43,000-strong fleet. Activist investors including Coast have long pressed Firstgroup to sell the division and use the proceeds to return more cash to shareholders. But Coast founding partner James Rasteh said the deal reached was 'terrible'. White collar staff could be given vouchers to order takeaway deliveries at home as companies seek a replacement for the office canteen. Firms adopting so-called 'hybrid' working arrangements are looking to ensure that employees at home and in the office are treated equally. And to replace staff canteens, with often subsidised food, some are looking at schemes where workers could order lunch from delivery services such as Just Eat and Deliveroo. Food on the go: Firms adopting so-called 'hybrid' working arrangements are looking to ensure that employees at home and in the office are treated equally Just Eat's UK boss Andrew Kenny told the Mail his firm is trialling the idea with staff internally with a view to rolling it out to corporate customers later. The company already offers a similar service in Europe but now wants to launch it in the UK. As part of the trial, called 'Takeaway Pay', staff are given a daily voucher worth 6.50, enough to pay for one meal such as breakfast or lunch. Kenny added: 'This is a mechanism for corporates to subsidise meals for their employees whether they are in the office or at home.' He said there had been 'significant interest' from potential customers, including some big banks. Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 10:00:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A man practices skateboarding at Beach Skateboard Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on May 22, 2021. Under Ontario's reopening plan, the province reopened multiple outdoor amenities on Saturday as COVID-19 cases continue to trend down. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua) Experts on ethics and manners say its permissible to ask questions (most of the time) about whether someone in your circle has been vaccinated. Christina Hungers dog, Stella, can combine up to five words to create unique phrases, ask and answer questions, express her thoughts and feelings, and make observations. Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 11:48:15|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, May 23 (Xinhua) -- This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Over the 100 years since its founding, the CPC has navigated China, the world's most populous country, towards a path of rapid development, having achieved admirable success that has earned global respect. Party leaders and senior officials of different countries recently expressed appreciation for China's achievements, noting that China's success, a result of the CPC's strong leadership and a right development path, offers significant inspiration for other countries in pursuit of their own development. STRONG LEADERSHIP INDISPENSABLE "The whole world might not imagine that a huge country like China would develop into the world's second largest economy in just over 40 years. This is a very remarkable achievement," said Somsavat Lengsavad, former Lao deputy prime minister and former politburo member of the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party. The wise and strong leadership of the CPC is the decisive factor for the achievements, he said. "In my opinion, the Chinese miracle is mainly due to the leadership of the CPC because they found a model of development in this dynamic world," which is socialism with Chinese characteristics, said Alexandar Paunov, first secretary of the Bulgarian Communist Party, when commenting on "the Chinese miracle." "The path of socialism with Chinese characteristics that the Communist Party of China follows is original and responds to the demands of today's world, as well as to the conditions of China," said Alberto Moreno, president of the Communist Party of Peru (Red Fatherland). Raed Fahmi, secretary of the Central Committee of the Iraqi Communist Party, said that socialism with Chinese characteristics is a huge historical experience, which his party is keen to study and follow up. In each stage of the CPC's history, "there have been capable leaders, taking the lead from the party to drive each stage and accomplish goals," said Hector Aleman, secretary of international relations of Panama's ruling Democratic Revolutionary Party. DEVELOPMENT BENEFITS PEOPLE Najm al-Deen al-Kharit, secretary-general of the Unified Syrian Communist Party, said that he had visited China twice, and was impressed by China's development, especially the construction of buildings and the improvement in people's livelihood. Al-Kharit is not the only one who has been impressed by how China has brought tangible benefits to its people with rapid development. "The secret behind China's ability to control the pandemic lies in putting people's health first," said Adham Sayed, member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Lebanon, highlighting the CPC's dedication to the well-being of the Chinese people during the pandemic's darkest hours and beyond. "If a party wants to survive, it must put the interests of the people first, which is what the CPC has done throughout its march," Sayed said. Impressed by China's technological achievements, former Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy, said, "The quality of life in China has also changed a lot, and this is perhaps even more important than technical progress." "The success of the party is based on two things, one is that it has represented a stable set of values that can be maintained in the long run, and the other is its very good ability to renew itself," Medgyessy said. Mahdi Dakhlallah, a leading member of Syria's ruling al-Baath party, said that the notion of "putting the people first" has pushed China forward. INSPIRATION FOR WORLD Adan Chavez, vice president of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, visited China four times between 2017 and 2019. He said that the CPC is a pillar of the scientific and technological development made by China, and achievements attained by its people are not only a "role model for the rest of the world, but a symbol of hope." "We have witnessed how the Chinese people have rendered huge support for their government and the CPC while working together in keeping with principles of socialism with Chinese characteristics," he said. Referring to the third volume of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China," the senior Venezuelan party official said the book portrays steps to be taken to succeed in the construction of socialism and a new vision of the Chinese leadership. He said that China is an inspiration for nations fighting for freedom and sovereignty, adding that the huge progress made by the Chinese people is a clear proof that socialism is an effective solution "to the problems affecting humanity." As a century-old party, the CPC has always kept pace with the times and innovated continuously, said Sofia Carvajal, secretary of international affairs of Mexico's Institutional Revolutionary Party, adding that in this regard, her party can learn from the CPC to continuously innovate, develop, and adjust itself to people's changing needs, so as to gain public support. Medgyessy also noted that China's fast development has created opportunities for markets and investments on a global scale, and China's impact on the world has been "very significant." China's reform and opening-up is important experience for other countries, including Belarus. "There are a lot of interesting things in the socio-economic development of China, which today I see as very relevant for our country," former Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Anatoly Tozik said. "The growth of China's power and its economic strength is not a threat to humanity, but an additional chance for everyone to overcome today's terribly difficult time and terribly difficult period in the life of human civilization," he said. Enditem ROME (AP) The Italian glam rock band that won the Eurovision Song Contest returned home Sunday to the adulation of fans, congratulations from the government and so much speculation that the lead singer had snorted cocaine during the show that he vowed to take a drug test. We want to shut down the rumors," Maneskin lead singer Damiano David told reporters at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport as the band arrived home after their victory in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Rumors spread on social media after David was seen bending over a table during the Saturday night live television broadcast. Asked at a post-victory news conference whether hed snorted cocaine, David said he doesnt use drugs and that hed bent over because another band member had broken a glass at their feet. Eurovision confirmed that broken glass was found under the table in question, but announced David had offered to take the test, which is scheduled for Monday. In Italy, the drug claim didn't mar the praise that poured in Sunday from the Italian establishment for the victory of the rather anti-establishment Maneskin, a glam rock band that got its start busking on Rome's main shopping drag. Their win gave Italy a sorely needed boost after a dreadful year as one of the countries worst hit by the coronavirus and will bring next year's competition back to the place where European song contests began. The band was the bookmakers favorite going into the Eurovision finale and sealed the win early Sunday with the highest popular vote in the enormously entertaining, and incredibly kitsch, annual song festival. We are out of our minds! Florences Uffizi Galleries tweeted, echoing Maneskin's winning song lyrics, along with an image of a Caravaggio Medusa and the hashtag #Uffizirock. Maneskin, Danish for moonlight" and a tribute to bass player Victoria De Angelis' Danish ancestry, won with a total of 529 points. France was second while Switzerland, which led after national juries had voted, finished third. It is amazing. It is amazing, band members said as they got off the plane and were met by a gaggle of reporters outside baggage claim. De Angelis said the band was shocked at the claims of drug use, which were echoing particularly loudly in runner-up France, where mainstream media prominently reported the suspicions and the countrys foreign minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, was even asked about them on a news show Sunday. Le Drian stayed clear on the controversy, saying: If there is a need to do tests, theyll do tests. De Angelis said the band wants to put the controversy behind them because drug use goes against their ethos and message. We are totally against cocaine and the use of drugs and we would have never done it of course, so we are shocked that many people believe this," she said. The band got its start performing on Via del Corso, the main commercial thoroughfare in downtown Rome. Their scrappy performances in front of a Geox shoe store were a far cry from the over-the-top, flame-throwing extravaganza Saturday night that literally split David's pants. David told a news conference this week that starting out on the street was embarrassing, since the group had to contend with other musicians vying for the same prized piece of sidewalk while neighbors complained about the noise. They were always calling the police," De Angelis said, laughing. Maneskins win was only Italys third victory in the contest and the first since Toto Cutugno took the honor in 1990. The victory means Italy will host next years competition, with cities bidding for the honor. Launched in 1956 to foster unity after World War II, Eurovision evolved over the years from a bland ballad-fest to a campy, feel-good extravaganza. It has grown from seven countries to include more than 40, including non-European nations such as Israel and far-away Australia. Legend has it that Eurovision got its inspiration from Italys Sanremo Music Festival, which began in 1951 as a post-war effort to boost Italian culture and the economy of the Ligurian coastal city that has housed it ever since. Perhaps best known for having launched the likes of Andrea Boccelli and one of Italys most famous songs Nel blu, dipinto di blu popularly known as Volare the Sanremo festival usually picks Italys official selection for the Eurovision contest. Maneskin won Sanremo this year with the same song, Zitti e Buoni (Quiet and good) that it performed Saturday night in Rotterdam. De Angelis said she hoped that their victory would send a message to future Italian contestants that ballads aren't the only genre that can win contests. We think maybe from now on more bands will have the chance to play what they want and not be influenced by the radios or what the main genre is in Italy," she said. They can feel themselves and play rock music too." ___ AP reporter John Leicester contributed to this report from Le Pecq, France. TROY In a benevolent interpretation, Troy Foundry Theatre sets out to further challenge its audiences with each new production. More cynically, the company tries to make them feel ever more obtuse if their reaction is I dont get it, even if that response is as warranted as it is with the world premiere of TFTs A Deed Without a Name, running through May 30 in a parking lot in downtown Troy. For 60 minutes, the three cast members stand in their own adjacent boxes. It looks like one row from the set of the Hollywood Squares game show, except the boxes are gray and the cast wears loose, earth-toned clothes. The performers are able to hear but not see one another as they consider imponderables such as: A distinction without a difference. A difference without a distinction. Are lovers sent to us by external forces to judge our sexual performance? Can anything be broken that can be filled? Can anything be filled that can be broken? If you could touch your body in only three places, where would they be? Six months of things unsaid, and theyre all said at once. Wander and wonder are almost the same word. So are bite and site or, for that matter, luck and a rhyming word that starts with f, but why put them on a stage? Since its launch in fall 2017 with an intense, deeply rewarding production of an evening of short plays by Harold Pinter, Troy Foundry Theatre has offered some of the areas best acting, the result of an immersive, collaborative rehearsal process that actors new to the company describe as revelatory. The performers in A Deed Without a Name Morgan Heyward, Angelique Powell and Eliana Anneliscia Rowe are flawless, which would seem difficult in a play that makes almost no sense and has minimal story as the word is conventionally understood. Theyre wholly committed to seeming real, and their line delivery offers islands of understanding and pleasure amid a sea of impenetrability and increasing exasperation. Troy Foundry of late has eschewed the word director, instead saying its productions are devised and curated by a team, which here includes the actors, the author and TFT company co-founders Ethan Botwick, Emily Curro and David Girard. I assume that in working on the material, by Brooklyn playwright Katie Pedro, whose "Models of Perfection" received its world premiere by Troy Foundry last fall, cast members were able to build sufficient understanding of the world of the play to create believable characters. To the audience, though, that world is unclear. Are they patients in a mental ward hallucinating the lighting and sound changes inflicted on them? Inmates in a black-site prison, whose captors use those audio and visual stimuli as methods of torture? (The set is by Colin McIlvain, lighting by Botwick, Girard and Willie David Short V, sound by Travis Wright.) Trying to impose order or logic on this unruliness is the mental equivalent of lassoing a cloud of gnats. It cant be done. And so you sit back, pleased in principle that a company is so determinedly defying convention but glad, in practical terms, that it happens just a few times a year and lasts only an hour. Lori Van Buren/Albany Times Union ALBANY A structure fire heavily damaged two homes on Sheridan Avenue, causing the roof to cave in on one of the residences. WTEN reported. No one was injured. In one of the homes, multiple children were present but made it out safely, while no one was home in the other residence, the television station reported. Democratic Rep. Leslie Herod had no luck persuading her colleagues in the Colorado Legislature to ban police from using chokeholds after the death of a 23-year-old Black man in suburban Aurora in 2019. She couldnt gather enough support to even introduce a police reform bill that included a ban. That changed when George Floyd died after being pinned under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer and the video set off a summer of protests over police killings and racial injustice. Within a month of Floyds death, Colorado lawmakers took the step they had avoided after the death of Elijah McClain and approved a ban on chokeholds as part of broader police reform legislation. The law overrode more limited chokehold restrictions that were put in place four years earlier. Making it clear that is completely banned in all circumstances has the potential to save lives, said Herod, who is Black. Colorado is among several states to prohibit or severely limit the use of chokeholds and neck restraints by police officers in the year since the world watched Floyd plead for air as he was pinned under the knee of former officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted of murder and manslaughter last month. At least 17 states, including Minnesota, have enacted legislation to ban or restrict the practice, according to data provided to The Associated Press by the National Conference of State Legislatures. Before Floyd was killed, only two states, Tennessee and Illinois, had bans on police hold techniques that restrict the airway or blood flow to the brain when pressure is applied to the neck. A majority of the bans enacted over the past year are in states controlled politically by Democrats, as Colorado is. They include California, Illinois, Nevada, Oregon and Virginia, among others. This past week, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a broad legislative package that will implement numerous police accountability and reform measures, including an outright ban on chokeholds and neck restraints. The efforts also have generated support among some Republicans. Bans or restrictions have been signed into law by GOP governors in Massachusetts and Vermont, which have Democratic legislatures, and have passed in fully Republican-controlled states such as Indiana, Iowa and Utah. Just a month after Floyds death, Utah lawmakers voted to ban knee-to-neck chokeholds, though the legislation stopped short of a ban on all types of neck restraints. The bill was sponsored by Democratic Rep. Sandra Hollins, the only Black member of the Utah Legislature. Our community is feeling unsafe, Hollins said at the time. Thats why youre seeing the protests. They are in fear of their lives. This bill sends a very powerful message as legislators saying, We hear you, and were going to do something about it. Many of the new laws include criminal penalties for officers if a chokehold or neck restraint leads to death or injury, unless they can show it was necessary to protect their life or someone elses. In Vermont, officers can face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000. Those consequences are important to gain compliance, said Lorenzo Boyd, director of the Center for Advanced Policing at the University of New Haven in Connecticut. If we say chokeholds are prohibited, police will still use chokeholds, he said. If we say, Chokeholds are now felonies and if you use a chokehold we can now prosecute you, I think that would change the narrative. Floyds death was not the first police case involving a neck restraint to capture wide public attention. In 2014, a New York City police officer put Eric Garner in what appeared to be a chokehold while arresting him on suspicion of illegally selling cigarettes on Staten Island. On amateur video, Garner can be heard saying I cant breathe. While the city had previously banned chokeholds, no statewide legislation followed Garners death. It wasnt until the Floyd killing that the New York Legislature passed a bill to effectively ban police use of chokeholds and make it a felony. The lawmaker who pushed the ban said a similar bill introduced in 2014, shortly after Garner died, failed to gain traction. When I came to the Senate, I came looking for this bill, state Sen. Brian Benjamin said of the legislation he introduced in 2019. But it wasnt until George Floyds murder occurred that the nationwide, global energy around Weve got to do something, really changed the dynamics in New York. When asked to speculate why the Legislature didnt act after the Garner death, Benjamin said there was room for detractors to give the officer the benefit of the doubt. He said what happened in Minneapolis was different. With the Floyd video, theres absolutely no wiggle room of any kind around the evilness of what was happening there, he said. The legislation related to chokeholds and neck restraints is part of a broader effort in many states to address police procedures, training and discipline since Floyd's death. Since May 2020, at least 67 police reforms have been signed into law in 25 states related to specific topics the National Conference of State Legislatures analyzed at the APs request. In addition to neck restraints and chokeholds, the laws address police-worn body cameras; disciplinary and personnel records; independent investigations of officer conduct; use of force restrictions; qualified immunity; and no-knock warrants. At least 13 states enacted restrictions on officer use-of-force and at least eight have implemented laws beefing up officer reviews and investigations, according to the NCSL data. While the Floyd killing prompted reforms in many states, legislatures elsewhere took no action or went the other direction and gave police even more authority. City police and county sheriffs departments also have wide leeway to set many of their own rules, including around use-of-force. A number of large cities and police departments banned or restricted the use of chokeholds even before Floyd was killed. But officers still employed the technique and used it disproportionately against Black men, said Paul Weber, a former federal prosecutor and author of the book, Chokehold: Policing Black Men. Even in jurisdictions where restraints and chokeholds are banned, as a practical matter theres no consequence when officers engage in those bad practices, Weber said. A statewide ban would apply to more departments -- but again, the policies arent going to be more effective than the enforcement. ___ Associated Press writers Geoff Mulvihill in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and Sophia Eppolito in Salt Lake City contributed to this report. Amiri, Eppolito and Fassett are corps members for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. ___ Find APs full coverage of the death of George Floyd at: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd The Times Union is marking the 10th anniversary of its annual Top Workplaces report, produced in partnership with Philadelphia-based Energage. This is also a milestone year for five companies among the 2021 honorees that have made the list for 10 consecutive years. A strong mission, employees feeling independent and empowered to do their work, well-established and productive career growth programs, and generous employers who understand the need for some flexibility with working hours are common themes employees and executives from the five companies say make their workplace remain desirable over the years. The five 10-year winners include AutoMate by DealerSocket, a private automotive software company; nonprofits CAP COM Federal Credit Union and Healthcare Association of New York State, Greenman-Pedersen Inc., a private construction engineering company; and Teal, Becker and Chiaramonte, a private accounting firm. When I heard of the accomplishment I wasnt surprised, said Pasquale Scisci, the managing shareholder at Teal, Becker and Chiaramonte. We treat our staff extremely well and they treat us even better I think it is relatively simple. Provided Mission driven When asked why employees loved their place of work they consistently started with the fact that they believed in the companys mission and felt like the work they did made an impact. We are doing great work. We are in the business of improving healthcare for our members, said Bea Grause, the president of Healthcare Association of New York State. Our mission is really about improving the hospital's ability to deliver healthcare to everyone who walks through their doors, and that mission-driven focus to improve care for everyone I think really resonates with a lot of people. At CAP COM, Joanne DAmbrosio, a project and operations training administrator who has spent 26 years working at the credit union, was always drawn to the mission of serving members. The message of serving members really drew me in, DAmbrosio said. Surrounding yourself with like-minded people all working towards the same goal makes it an enjoyable place to work. At Auto/Mate, the interview process involves looking for people who can not only do the job, but whose values align with the companys core values, said David Druzynski, the vice president of people and culture at the company. When you get people together and you all share the same sense of values and everybody has a strong focus on the mission that is when you all have each others backs and our customers' backs, Druzynski said. Employees feel empowered and respected When Steve Zadoorian, an almost 24-year Auto/Mate veteran and current senior vice president of operations and customer care, first started he would sometimes work late. At the end of the day, he would see one of the owners taking the trash out to the dumpster. What you learn from that is that there is no job beneath you in an organization Zadoorian said. You learn that everyone is in this together to keep the office clean. It is a silly little thing but it goes a long way in the culture. As you bring more people on board and show them they are very valuable to the organization, they contribute and give back, Zadoorian said. To build a great company, you let people have a say, you let people take ownership, you let them grow and learn. Kenya James, senior director of marketing at HANYS who has been with the nonprofit for nine years, has always been moved to work hard because she feels her ideas are valued and she's given the freedom to execute on them. The team was so excited about opening new doors and looking for someone to grow with, James said. I like the with aspect about it. You are talking with the CEO and other senior leadership and it is just team conversations, versus talking to you as an employee in terms of what you are going to do. Instead, it is what we are going to do together. Provided Professional growth opportunities A company that provides a job that can become a career for employees, or help them shape a career from their experience at the company, is essential to being a Top Workplace, say employees from the five winning companies. Continuing professional education classes, leadership programs, and one-on-one mentoring are crucial to making employees feel like they can grow in their role, and in turn, be happy in their job. The organization enabled people, myself included, to move into different roles within the organization that allowed me to grow and expand, said Zadoorian. There werent any limits on what I could do, undertake, or learn about the automotive industry, about business, about finance. I was allowed autonomy to do that. Last month at TBC, a shareholder with 30 years of experience was on a call with Ryan McEvoy, a TBC partner with 12 years at the firm, when one of McEvoys clients was going through a challenge the more experienced shareholder had been through dozens of times. The biggest advantage our firm has is we have very, very, very talented people at the top of the firm that have a ton of experience, McEvoy said. And all of them that Ive dealt with want to help you, they want you to gain the knowledge they have and the life experience. Lori Van Buren/Albany Times Union All the owners of the company really want to help all of their staff grow and succeed and go as high as they want to go here, McEvoy said. That one-on-one time where they are willing to train and share their expertise with you, I think they realize that is good for the firm but they really genuinely want people to succeed in their professional career. They really care. At GPI, the company is open to having staff pursue career paths that otherwise wouldnt be an option in many other firms, said Fred Mastroianni, the vice president of business development. For example, my second tour I was hired to manage the Highway Department staff and after a few years in that position, I transitioned to Marketing/Business Development and at the same time I was still able to manage civil/highway projects, Mastroianni said. Having worked with other firms, I truly appreciate how GPIs flexibility allows me to use my skills where it is most beneficial to me and the company. Provided Flexible employers After a year marked by hardships and tough leadership decisions due to the pandemic, employees praised their employers' ability to be flexible and understand their lives outside of work. The company has been very flexible with employees in dealing with personal/family issues that came along with the virus, said Mastroianni. We are not an 8 a.m.-to-5 p.m. company but instead GPI gives the employees the flexibility to work around personal/family issues. At TBC, a lot of people had child care challenges during the past year, McEvoy said. The leadership really went out of their way to make sure everyone can take care of their personal life, McEvoy said. Leadership has been a big proponent on the flexible work schedule, which may become the new work schedule, who knows, said Matthew Clement, a financial consultant for CAP COM. They also encouraged us to take mental breaks, to step away, to take breaks because [this year] was a lot. They understood that work-life balance, that it is not just about their bottom line. Correction: Kenya James has been with the nonprofit HANYS for nine years. An earlier version of this story had an incorrect number. Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 12:03:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Screenshot of the on-the-spot video provided by Xinhua local correspondent, showing the erupting Mount Nyiragongo volcano, in Goma, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The evacuation plan for Goma has been activated. According to the Goma-based volcanological monitoring office, the lava is heading towards the border with Rwanda. KINSHASA, May 23 (Xinhua) -- A lava flow reached the airport of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)'s eastern city of Goma on Sunday after the eruption of the nearby Mount Nyiragongo volcano and authorities have announced evacuation plans, local media reported. The evacuation plan for Goma has been activated, said government spokesman Patrick Muyaya. "The government is discussing urgent measures to be taken now," Muyaya tweeted. Thousands of Goma residents have fled the city on foot to reach the border with Rwanda as the city with a population of nearly 2 million was illuminated with orange flames. DRC President Felix Tshisekedi is returning from Europe to oversee the relief efforts and is closely monitoring the security and humanitarian situation in the country's eastern North Kivu province, the presidency said. Screenshot of the on-the-spot video provided by Xinhua local correspondent, showing hot lava near a house in Goma, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). North Kivu Governor, Lt. Gen. Ndima Kongba Constant, said in a televised address on Saturday that local civil defense forces started evacuating Goma residents following the eruption of the volcano. The Nyiragongo volcano, located not far from the DR Congo's border with Rwanda, started to erupt on Saturday. According to the Goma-based volcanological monitoring office, the lava is heading towards the border with Rwanda. The city of Goma is home to two active volcanoes -- Nyamulagira and Nyiragongo. The last time a major Nyiragongo eruption occurred was in 2002, when about 250 people were killed and 120,000 others were left homeless. The eruption of Nyiragongo is similar to its eruption in 2002, said the authorities, adding that other districts of the city were not in danger as the lava was unlikely to reach those areas. Earlier, General Constant Ndima, military governor of North Kivu province, of which Goma is capital, appealed for calm and urged people to follow the guidance of civil protection units. SARATOGA SPRINGS The deal to allow SiFi Networks to build a city-wide network of lightning-fast internet is faltering. Public Works Commissioner Anthony Skip Scirocco told City Council and SiFis President Scott Bradshaw, that he has major concerns with the plan that would require micro-trenching city streets. One concern, he said, is that SiFi has not given his city engineers the entire network design including locations of micro-trenching a technique that digs small pathways to house fiber optic cables. And two, Scirocco said, SiFis micro-trenches have not received positive reviews in cold weather climates. A significant concern in the city streets is long-term impact of micro-trenching in a freeze-thaw cycle, Scirocco told the City Council. SiFi has not built a network yet in a cold weather climate. Scirocco said the city cannot move forward with the project until SiFi provides a city-wide network design, allows for a test location to see how its micro-trenching holds up in the winter and its starts to pay the city for DPWs staff time on the project because we have spent a lot of hours working with SiFi. We take a lot of pride in our streets, Scirocco said. We dont know if you are trenching one side or two sides or if there are issues of undercutting in the streets. Im not opposed to the project. I have never been opposed to the project, but seeing is believing in this situation here. Im concerned about the long-term impact on city streets and what micro-trenching will do. Im not ready to do anything until we can resolve these issues. Commissioner of Finance Michele Madigan, who brokered the 30-year agreement with SiFi, which is based in Morristown, N.J., said she would like the Council to move forward with the agreement, making Saratoga Springs the first city in the state to have this high-speed internet. SiFi has been working hard for over five years to bring this project to fruition, she said. Weve signed two agreements, unanimously approved by council, and now DPW has 13th hour issues. She said the plan would cost the city nothing and that residents could enjoy superfast internet for about $60 a month while businesses would pay about $100. In 2019, after the city initially agreed to work with SiFi, she said the fiber optic network would send data 50 times faster than the average household now experiences and will also ensure that the city's most underserved neighborhoods will be connected. Bradshaw, at the April meeting, said that the fiber optic cables would be inserted on both sides of the street and that it has clearly outlined this with the city. He also said that contractors do the actual work, not SiFi, and it does have cold weather experience and pointed to three cities that Saratoga Springs should look to. But Scirocco said that those three cold weather cities Boston, Mass., Anchorage, Alaska and Eagan, Minn. -- did not give SiFi's microtrenching plan a positive review. Scirocco said Bostons building inspector said micro-trenching should be limited and not city-wide. Anchorage officials, he said, tested it and its micro-trenches failed in a single winter. Eagan officials, Scirocco said, told him that micro-trenching conduits were not laid properly and had to be ripped up. They are basically telling us, hey dont do it, Scirocco said. Scirocco also pointed to Fullerton, Calif., which SiFi touts as a model for its network, where it has had mixed results. SiFi, the Fullerton Observer noted, has damaged the pavement with its micro-trenching. Also, the newspaper reported SiFi did not have a great deal of experience with the typical requirements for working in the public right-of-way in terms of traffic control and public notification. SiFi is proposing we accept a construction detail that has failed or determined to be unacceptable from two of their own three references, Scirocco said. Without adequate references, its impossible to determine if micro-trenching will be successful in Saratoga Springs. Bradshaw pushed back on a test strip, saying it wouldn't give the city "viable data." If you cant approve standards, there is no point on moving forward, Bradshaw said. Madigan accused Scirocco of putting up roadblocks. But he shot back that SiFi is a DPW project, not one for Finance. I need to address the issues that engineering is concerned about, Scirocco said to Bradshaw. If you can deal with it we can form a decent partnershipThere are a lot of negatives. I cant support it if its a determent to the city streets. ---- For so many reasons, America needs a full and frank study of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. For one reason above all others congressional Republicans blind loyalty to the leader of that insurrection that may not happen. Its little surprise, of course, that a party so in the thrall of former president Donald Trump that it twice gave him a pass on impeachable betrayals of his oath of office would do all it could to stymie any effort to shed light on the insurrection he incited in a last-ditch attempt to hold on to power. Yet our lack of surprise cant turn to complacency. If were to avoid becoming a nation under constant threat of domestic terror and always one election away from despotism, we cannot simply shrug off this betrayal by House and Senate Republicans of their own oaths and say, Oh well, thats politics time to move on. We must put the truth on the record, starting with Mr. Trumps role in inciting the attack. Even a top Republican like Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky admitted the former presidents culpability in one of his more candid moments, right after he and enough of his GOP colleagues voted to acquit Mr. Trump in his second impeachment trial in February: There is no question that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day, McConnell said. So whats left for the proposed National Commission to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol Complex to do? Plenty. It needs to put Mr. Trumps complicity into an official record. As weve seen over and over, Mr. Trump, his allies and followers are all too willing to disregard facts and set aside almost any principle if it means not crossing the man who holds sway over so much of the Republican Partys voter base. We just witnessed the House Republican conference remove Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming from a leadership position for refusing to go along with Mr. Trumps big lie of voter fraud. Weve heard lawmakers echo conspiracy theories that it wasnt supporters of Mr. Trump who stormed the Capitol at all, but Black Lives Matter or antifa operatives despite mountains of evidence to the contrary. Weve even heard one, Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., claim that an attack that left one police officer and four civilians dead, and 140 officers injured, seemed to him like just a normal tourist visit. It is not in any way normal when people show up at the Capitol with a scaffold and a noose and then storm the building in search of the vice president and the House speaker so they can be dragged out and hanged. We need a commission to figure out what has radicalized so many Americans that thousands of them would journey to Washington at the behest of a politician who openly sought to stop Congress from validating the results of the election. We need to understand what is going on in a society where millions of people including two-thirds of Republicans, according to a recent poll from the R Street Institute, a free markets group believe the 2020 election was invalid despite all evidence to the contrary. This is not some tiny fringe. Here we have the vast majority of one of the nations two major parties stuck in an alternative reality in which the word of a proven serial liar with more than 30,000 documented false and misleading statements during his presidency is considered more trustworthy than such foundational institutions of our society as the courts, law enforcement and the electoral mechanisms of democracy. We need a commission to look at how to protect the Capitol and by extension our government of, by and for the people from a repeat of what Jan. 6 ultimately was: an act of terrorism. Those who stormed the building sought to use violence and fear to stop a legislative body from doing its work one of the very definitions of a terrorist act. Republicans are resisting spending money to harden the Capitols defenses, saying it isnt clear how much is needed. Thats one of the things the commission is proposed to study. We need a bipartisan report as in fact it would be, with the commission evenly divided between appointees of Democrats and Republicans. We need a thoughtful one, too, as apolitical as possible, as it might well be with members expected to have expertise in law enforcement, civil rights and intelligence. Thirty-five Republicans in the House joined with Democrats on the bill to create the commission a group conspicuously missing House Republican leaders including Rep. Elise Stefanik of Schuylerville, who rose to Ms. Cheneys GOP leadership post by staying fiercely loyal to Mr. Trumps false narrative of a stolen election. Mr. McConnell is already signaling a filibuster in the Senate, calling this bipartisan bill slanted and unbalanced. Opponents are trying to muddy the issue with whataboutism, saying the commission should also look into incidents of violence elsewhere in the country connected to the Black Lives Matter protests last year. Thats an absurd and irrelevant deflection. The issue here isnt some random violence at scattered demonstrations. Its about an attack on the heart of our democracy, perpetrated by a sitting president. After two impeachment acquittals for Mr. Trump, it feels like thin hope to imagine that enough Republican senators will put country ahead of the party he has hijacked. Fruitless as it may be, we urge them to do that, and their constituents across the country to press them to vote for this commission, if for no other reason that this, above all others: Our democracy depends on it. Journalists normally watch from the photographed witness rooms as executions take place within the Huntsville "Walls" Unit. However, on Wednesday journalists were not afforded the opportunity to witness the execution of Quintin Jones. Alabamas port city of Mobile has put on a Mardi Gras-style parade, what seemed at least a little like the Carnival celebrations canceled earlier this year because of the pandemic Authorities say an 18-year-old woman was shot and killed while riding on an all-terrain vehicle with two other people in a Maryland residential area late Saturday [May 23, 2021] Equifax Announces Lisa M. Nelson as President of Equifax International ATLANTA, May 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Equifax Inc. (NYSE: EFX) has announced the promotion of Lisa M. Nelson to President of Equifax International, reporting directly to CEO Mark W. Begor, and serving on the company's senior leadership team. An established business leader within Equifax, Nelson has held roles of increasing responsibility since 2011, with a significant track record of successfully positioning regions for growth. In her current role as Group Managing Director of Equifax Australia/New Zealand, a critical market for Equifax, Nelson has focused on driving comprehensive transformation, deepening customer relationships, and designing innovative new products to meet customer's needs. In her prior role as president of Equifax Canada, she also accelerated growth and innovation, nearly tripling its growth rate while expanding margin results. Nelson joined the company in 2011 as Vice President of Enterprise Alliances for the US business. In that role, she developed and expanded robust new partner distribution channels and drove strong core growth. "Lisa is an impressive global leader who is laser focused on customers, driving growth, and developing her team," said Mark Begor, Equifax CEO. "She is a strong, authentic leader with a proven track record of inspiring teams to achieve results and deliver for our customers. Lisa has clearly demonstrated her ability to develop and deliver on strategic priorities and drive core growth in two significant regions within Equifax. I am energized to have her leading our International team." In her role as President of Internatonal, Nelson will be responsible for leading the company's footprint outside the U.S. in five regions and 23 countries, including Canada, Latin America, Europe, Australia/New Zealand, India and other emerging markets. A diverse global business by region, her primary focus will be on advancing and leveraging the Equifax cloud technology transformation for growth, and building new product and innovation pipelines to accelerate revenues. Equifax also announced that Melanie Cochrane will replace Nelson as Group Managing Director of Equifax Australia/New Zealand based in Sydney. Cochrane joins Equifax after a very successful career with American Express where she most recently served as General Manager of Merchant Services for Asia Pacific. Previously, she led Corporate Payments in the region and the American Express Global Digital Services Transformation Program. "Melanie brings a wealth of financial services experience developed during her career spanning Australia, the US, and Asia," said Lisa M. Nelson, President of International, Equifax. "She is a growth-focused leader who has led both B2B and B2C businesses. Her experience in transformation, innovation and customer experience will prove invaluable as we complete our cloud transformation in Australia/New Zealand, accelerate innovation and grow with our customers." Cochrane excels in collaborative leadership with an ability to work closely with strategic business partners and customer leadership while successfully leading and developing large teams. She has been a driver of inclusion and diversity, having founded the American Express PRIDE network and acted as a Gender Diversity leader for the company. She completed her Business Studies degree at Brighton University in the UK and is a Graduate of the Australia Institute of Company Directors. Melanie currently resides in Sydney and will lead the Australia/New Zealand team from the Equifax headquarters there. ABOUT EQUIFAX INC. At Equifax (NYSE: EFX), we believe knowledge drives progress. As a global data, analytics, and technology company, we play an essential role in the global economy by helping financial institutions, companies, employers, and government agencies make critical decisions with greater confidence. Our unique blend of differentiated data, analytics, and cloud technology drives insights to power decisions to move people forward. Headquartered in Atlanta and supported by more than 11,000 employees worldwide, Equifax operates or has investments in 24 countries in North America, Central and South America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region. For more information, visit Equifax.com FOR MORE INFORMATION mediarelations@equifax.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/equifax-announces-lisa-m-nelson-as-president-of-equifax-international-301297415.html SOURCE Equifax Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [May 23, 2021] DocuSign, the global leader in document management, partnered with Trans Sped one of the most dynamic digital transformation companies in Romania "Trans Sped is both a leading Trust Service Provider in Europe and also a key stakeholder in building the digital trust in Healthcare and Life Science industries" - Thibault de Valroger, Sr Director Business Development, DocuSign. BUCHAREST, Romania, May 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Trans Sped, one of the few digital transformation services providers with a global presence, has partnered with DocuSign to provide integrated electronic signature with qualified digital certificate on DocuSign market -leading platform. The move confirms the high standards of security and reliability of Trans Sped services and offers a new valuable tool for DocuSign users. "We are delighted that Trans Sped decided to join our Trust Service Providers partner network. We value a lot this starting cooperation with Trans Sped who is both a leading Trust Service Provider in Europe and also a key stakeholder in building the digital trust in Healthcare and Life science industries. With the contribution of Trans Sped, DocuSign continues to build the widest trust eco-system in the eSignature space to serve the expansion of our customers' digital transformation," said Thibault de Valroger,Sr Director Business Development, DocuSign. "This integration widens the opportunities for DocuSign users. They can sign contracts and important documents using Trans Sped qualified digital signature, on any device, without leaving the platform. Our qualified digital signature is compliant with United States and European laws and it can be used in any country that recognizes North American or European legislation. The electronic signature with qualified digital certificate issued by Trans Sped is legally binding, holds the same authority as a hand written signature and it is already used by major companies worldwide. All these benefits are now available on DocuSign platform," said Camelia Ivan, CEO Trans Sped. The integration is already helping many companies to optimize their processes. Some of the largest companies in Healthcare and Life science industry are using Trans Sped digital qualified signature for Clinical Trails and for procedures under FDA 21 CFR part 11. Having Trans Sped signatures integrated with DocuSign platform, helped them improve their internal flows. Trans Sped is a SAFE Identity member since 2008 and contributed to the development of the trust service ecosystem for pharma and biotechnology industry. "We support the advancement of digital identity and cryptography in healthcare, in order to ensure high levels of security and assurance for healthcare sensitive date. Trans Sped is a very dynamic member of our industry consortium and this new integration with DocuSign will be very useful for pharma and biotechnology companies," said Kyle Neuman, CEO SAFE Identity. Trans Sped offers digital transformation services, fintech solutions, digital and process automation, digital certificates for electronic signature (qualified certificates, advanced or simple), qualified time stamps, qualified electronic seals and long term preservation services. Trans Sped is a Trust Service Provider operating in the international market. Trans Sped digital certificates are included in the EU Trusted List and are cross-certified with the Federal Bridge of the US. Thus, they are recognized as legal binding by US and EU institutions, companies and government bodies. Trans Sped is a SAFE Identity, ETSI and Cloud Signature Consortium member. Trans Sped solutions help global companies in pharma and biotechnology, banking, insurance, retail, automotive and other industries to digitize their business processes and to become more efficient. SOURCE Trans Sped [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 12:45:21|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A girl rests at a shelter in Xiuling Village of Yangbi Yi Autonomous County, southwest China's Yunnan Province, May 22, 2021. (Xinhua/Hu Chao) BEIJING, May 23 (Xinhua) -- China has allocated 10 million yuan (about 1.56 million U.S. dollars) from its central budget for disaster relief to the provinces of Yunnan and Qinghai after they were rattled by a series of earthquakes on Friday and Saturday. The emergency funds, allocated by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management, will be used to aid disaster relief and ensure people's livelihoods in the affected areas. Authorities have also sent 5,000 tents, 10,000 folding cots and 20,000 blankets to facilitate the relief work. Four earthquakes with a magnitude over 5.0 struck Yangbi Yi Autonomous County in the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. (Beijing Time) on Friday, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC). The tremors were felt in all 12 counties and cities of the prefecture, with Yangbi being the worst hit. Hours later, at 2:04 a.m. on Saturday, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake jolted Maduo County in the Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai Province, according to the CENC. J. Percy Priest Reservoir J. Percy Priest Reservoir is a 14,200-acre impoundment located near east Nashville with the downstream section predominately in Davidson County and the upstream section in Rutherford County. The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) owns and operates J. Percy Priest Reservoir. Dam completion occurred in 1969. Full pool elevation is 490 feet-mean sea level, and winter pool elevation is 483 feet-mean sea level. Daily water levels can be tracked on the TVA Lake Information website or the TVA app. Fifteen public boat access sites are available for use with no fees. Five marinas are operated and provide services such as gas, boat rentals, food, as well as boat access. Locations and descriptions of these access sites are listed on the TWRA website, tnwildlife.org, in the Where to Fish section. Two enhanced bank fishing sites are maintained for public use. The Stewart Creek bank fishing site in Smyrna includes a full-size pier and five large fishing platforms connected by a paved greenway path that encompasses an embayment. The greenway path is tied to the Smryna Parks and Recreation greenway system. The Vivrette Creek bank fishing site is located south of the Old Hickory and Mt. Juliet, I-40 exits in Nashville. This site has a full-size pier, a fishing jetty, and four smaller platforms connected by a paved path. Both sites include a diversity of fish attractors and excellent bank fishing opportunities. The USACE manages three campgrounds (Pooles Knob, Anderson Recreation, and Seven Points), as well as primitive camp sites on the islands in the lower reservoir section. Opportunities and reservation procedures are described on their website. Fish attractor data for J. Percy Priest Reservoir is available for you to upload into your fish finder or other GPS device, or view in free or online mapping applications. Approximately 132 fish attractor sites are maintained on J. Percy Priest Reservoir by TWRA. The best fishing opportunities are for: Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Hybrid Striped Bass (Cherokee Bass) White Bass Yellow Bass Channel Catfish Species Overviews with Techniques and Fishing Locations Black Bass Largemouth Bass, Spotted Bass, and Smallmouth Bass contribute to the J. Percy Priest Reservoir black bass fishery. The black bass fishery is the most popular accounting for 35 percent of the annual targeted angler effort. Largemouth Bass are the most abundant of these three species. Largemouth Bass abundance, size structure, and condition are all indicative of a healthy population providing very good fishing opportunities. The creel limit for Largemouth Bass, Spotted Bass and Smallmouth Bass is 5 per day in combination. Size restrictions include a 15-inch minimum length limit for Largemouth Bass and an 18-inch minimum length limit for Smallmouth Bass. No size restriction applies to Spotted Bass. Early spring, particularly April, is a great time to bass fish on J. Percy Priest. Largemouth Bass have moved shallow to spawn and can be caught lake wide on gently sloping banks with lipless and square-billed crankbaits. During the summer months, Ned rigs, shaky heads, and wacky-rigged senkos on steep bluff walls can be productive. Popular and productive fishing areas for Largemouth Bass include the Spring and Fall Creek embayments in the upper reservoir, Stewart Creek embayment near mid-lake and Suggs Creek embayment in the lower reservoir. Largemouth Bass use TWRA fish attractors year-round but especially from late November through April in 6-15 ft of water. The attractors were designed for anglers to easily run a spinnerbait or crankbait through them with a low chance of getting hung up. Crappie Crappie fishing is the second most popular fishery on J. Percy Priest Reservoir accounting for 20 percent of the targeted effort. Both White and Black Crappie are abundant. A very strong 2018 year-class of Black Crappie should provide excellent catches of harvestable crappie in 2021. The creel limit for White and Black Crappies is 30 per day in combination, and there is a 10-inch minimum length limit. Like black bass, early April is a great time to crappie fish as crappie move shallow to spawn. They are readily caught on jigs tipped with soft plastics or minnows. Popular and productive fishing areas for crappie include gently sloping banks preferably with submerged structure such as stumps, treetops and even rocks. Again, as noted for black bass, the Spring Creek, Fall Creek, Stewart Creek and Suggs Creek embayments are very productive areas. During the summer months, trolling is a popular method to catch crappie on J. Percy Priest. Deep diving lures are trolled at depths from 10 to 15 feet over flats with submerged structure. Crappie tend to school during this time so once a fish is caught, you can usually troll back through and catch more. Crappie orient to some type of underwater structure during each seasonal period. TWRA fish attractors which include 20 buoyed sites, and over 100 stake beds are very productive fishing spots for crappie (link). Fish attractors are most productive for crappie from October through May in 6-12 feet of water using jigs and minnows. Jigs can be efficiently fished through the buoyed and unbuoyed sites with a low chance of getting hung up, while minnows on slip bobbers or floats work better for fishing stake beds. Hybrid Striped Bass Dont miss a summertime fishing trip for hybrid striped bass on J. Percy Priest Reservoir! This fast action fishing is guaranteed to hook you as well as that strong fighting fish. Bring your boat or take advantage of the local fishing guides that can put you onto a limit of fish most any summer day. Sometimes referred to as hybrids, Cherokee Bass, or hybrid striped bass, these fish are produced in TWRA fish hatcheries by spawning large Striped Bass females with White Bass males. The result is an aggressive, fast growing, strong fighting fish that can tolerate warmer water temperatures than Striped Bass. These qualities make for a unique fishery in several Tennessee tributary reservoirs like J. Percy Priest. TWRAs fish culturists spawn the hybrids each spring usually during early May and grow them out in hatchery ponds to a 3-inch fingerling. These fingerlings are stocked into the reservoirs during mid to late June. Growth rates are extremely fast reaching the 15-inch harvestable size as an Age-1 fish. This rapid growth continues with frequent catches of 6 to 8-pound hybrids and the occasional big one that exceeds 10 pounds. Hybrids prefer cooler water temperatures and therefore concentrate during the summer months in the lower section of the reservoir from Hobson Pike Bridge downstream to the dam. These fish spend most of their time at depths in the coolest water providing adequate dissolved oxygen which is usually around 18 19 feet during July and August. They concentrate in schools over submerged humps, points or ledges close to the main river channel. Once you locate a school, you can hook up on multiple hybrids providing a great thrill that will not soon be forgotten. Hybrids feed primarily on threadfin and gizzard shad. These shad species are therefore one of the most consistently productive baits. Live 4 to 5-inch shad are irresistible to hybrids. These baits can be caught during the summer in the backs of embayments by throwing a cast net over mud flats. It is important to keep them alive in a circulating live well up to the point they go on to the hook. A Carolina rig using a to ounce weight, a number 10 barrel swivel, a 12 inch leader and a 3/0 hook fished as a down-line at 16 18 feet depth is a very productive method. Other productive artificial baits include jigging spoons, swim baits and deep diving crank baits. A sturdy landing net is a necessity as they never stop fighting. Strategic summertime boat access sites include Seven Points, Cook Recreation, Hurricane Creek Recreation and Elm Hill and Four Corners Marinas. The statewide daily creel limit is 2 hybrids per angler, and the minimum length limit is 15 inches. This fishing experience is a must for every angler. White and Yellow Bass For some fast action springtime fishing head to the upstream reaches of J. Percy Priest Reservoir for White Bass and Yellow Bass in March and April. White Bass and Yellow Bass concentrate in the riverine headwaters of the reservoir to spawn in early spring. Productive fishing spots include the East and West Forks of the Stones River, as well as Stewart Creek. The Mona Boat Access site on the East Fork Stones River is a great place to launch and motor or paddle upstream to riffle areas or spots with fast current and eddies. A walk-in, bank fishing access site is available from West Jefferson Pike (Highway 266) on Percy Priest WMA on the north side of the Stones River. The gravel road leading to the parking area is located 3.2 miles east of the I-840 Smyrna exit ramp. The West Fork Boat Access site on the West Fork of the Stones River provides close access to similar upstream runs with current and eddies. The Smyrna Parks and Recreation, Stewart Creek access Site adjacent to the National Guard Armory provides prime springtime fishing access to Stewart Creek for White Bass and Yellow Bass. Light jigs tipped with either soft plastics or minnows and retrieved very slowly work well. Catfish Beginning in mid-May, get geared up for some fantastic catfishing on J. Percy Priest. From mid-May to mid- June, Channel Catfish concentrate on big rock banks to spawn. Big rock habitat is predominant in the middle and lower sections of J. Percy Priest Reservoir. The Long Hunter State Park, Bryants Grove and Pooles Knob access sites are excellent places to launch in pursuit of these late spring spawners. Live or cut bait drifted under a float and just over these big rocks is a great technique. Summertime catfishing using jugs or noodles can be fast action and fun. Like hybrids, they occupy the summer thermocline at depths down to 18 feet in the lower reservoir section and down to 10 feet in the upper reservoir section. The Suggs Creek embayment in the lower reservoir and Stewart Creek in the middle section are two productive areas for summertime catfish. Distributing jugs or noodles with live or cut bait is a popular method. Each jug or noodle must be tagged with the owners name and address, or TWRA identification number. Sport anglers are limited to 50 jugs or noodles and each with only one hook (TN Fishing Guide link, page 20). Threadfin Shad and Gizzard shad are excellent baits for catfish and can be caught with a cast net in the backs of embayments over mud bottoms. Small bluegill can be caught by rod and reel and also work well as bait. Bait regulations are described in the Live Bait section of the Fishing Guide (link). No creel or length limits apply to catfish 34 inches or less but only one catfish greater than 34 inches can be harvested per day. Today we see more politico presser news that also offers a benefit for the lowly working-class who have been sent back into the COVID fray by elected officials . . . EIGHT MILLION BUCKS WORTH OF STIMMY FOR KANSAS CITY HOMELESS OFFERS A GREAT EXCUSE TO STOP GIVING LOCAL PANHANDLERS CASH!!! Admittedly, TKC is guilty of this practice because it provides a boost in self-esteem and reminder that things can always get worse. However . . . Very much like spare change that locals throw at beggars, this money won't really improve the situation of so many people out on local streets given that it'll likely be directed toward opportunists who prey on the population and use them as political capital. Nevertheless, here's the note regarding good intentions . . . The location of this killing borders Southeast Kansas City and contributes to suburban police complaints about violence spillover from this cowtown. Blue Ridge Blvd has become one of the toughest streets in KCMO in recent years. Nevertheless . . . The uptick in violence persists throughout the metro, here's the latest local murder report and hope that community will cooperate with police in order capture the killer. Check-it . . . Man killed in Independence, police seek public's help Independence Police are asking for the public's help to solve a homicide after a 20-year-old man was killed Saturday morning. Officers responded to a shooting call in the 3800 block of S. Blue Ridge Blvd. around 5:30 a.m. Saturday. They found a man inside who had been shot. Independence police investigating Saturday morning homicide KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Independence Police Department is investigating after one man was shot and killed on Saturday morning. Officers responded to a shooting call on the 3800 block of South Blue Ridge Boulevard around 5:30 a.m. They located 20-year-old Kentral Gray dead inside of a home. 20-year-old man murdered Saturday morning in Independence INDEPENDENCE, MO (KCTV) --- A 20-year-old man was killed in a shooting Saturday morning in Independence. Police say at 5:30 a.m. Saturday, they reported to the 3800 block of S. Blue Ridge Blvd on a shooting call. There, they discovered a man inside a home who had been shot. Developing . . . We're making a parody of that photo seen on the Kansas City Country Club Plaza because it's actually rather important. The slogan is a tacit call for the extermination of the Jewish people and that's part of the reason why most local media are ignoring weekend pro-Palestine rallies. Check the explainer . . . From the River to the Sea However, the newspaper was quick to hype tonight's mach that has garnered support among some progressive activists . . . A double murder today in the 2nd worst city to our east offers a glimpse of rising crime throughout the metro. And once again we confront a dilemma regarding Kansas City "spillover" violence vs. endemic American violence, despair and conflict. Again, this double murder tragedy along with a murder yesterday bring the total to 3 killed by way of Indepdence, MO homicide in less than 48 hours. Check the news roundup for links you might not have seen already . . . 2 dead in Sunday morning homicide in Independence KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Independence Police Department is investigating a Sunday morning double homicide. Police initially responded to a crash in the 500 block of S. Ash Avenue at 6:30 a.m. on Sunday. When they arrived, the found a vehicle with a man and a woman, who had crashed into a parked and unoccupied vehicle. Man, woman fatally shot in Independence early Sunday morning INDEPENDENCE, MO (KCTV) -- The Independence Police Department is investigating after a man and woman were fatally shot early this morning. Officers first went to the 500 block of S. Ash Ave at 6:30 a.m. after receiving word that a vehicle had crashed. Independence police investigate double homicide Sunday Independence PD SOURCE: Independence PD Police are investigating after a man and a woman were shot in Independence early Sunday morning.Officers responded to a motor vehicle crash in the 500 block of S. Ash Ave. at 6:30 a.m. They found a man and woman inside a car, which was crashed into another parked, unoccupied car. Independence Police investigating after man and woman shot and killed Sunday morning by: Brian Dulle Posted: / Updated: INDEPENDENCE, Mo. - The Independence Police Department is investigating after two people were shot and killed Sunday morning. Officers responded to a motor vehicle crash around 6:30 a.m. in the 500 block of S. Ash Avenue. Police said a vehicle with a man and woman crashed into a parked and unoccupied vehicle. Developing . . . During this Kansas City "defund the police" debate Mayor Q and his supporters have continually attempted to dispel criticism by noting a budget increase whilst casually dismissing concerns about the process, Northland council opposition and outcry from police advocates. TKC reality check . . . MAYOR Q'S 'DEFUND THE POLICE' TACTICS FAIL AMID OVERWHELMING LAW ENFORCEMENT OPPOSITION!!! From the Chief to the police union to the former Sheriff Missouri Guv . . . Po-po reject this power play. As always, in fairness, here's the perspective from the Mayor . . . Mayor responds to criticism and defends police budget ordinances KANSAS CITY, Mo. - After a surge of criticism over the reallocation of funds from the KCPD budget, Mayor Quinton Lucas defended the ordinances Saturday. Mayor Lucas said this initiative is personal. "Maybe because it's just personal to me and probably a lot of the folks here. And for late night denizens we merely offer a few songs and our TKC SATUDAY NIGHT PLAYLIST on the topic of po-po . . . As always, thanks for reading this week and have a safe and fun Saturday night. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas picked a losing fight that will garner headlines for the next few weeks and ultimately distract from this cowtown's worsening problems. Another quick preview . . . - The ongoing KCMO murder spike will continue to worsen but this time around we can blame Republicans in Nowheresville for the carnage. TKC readers remind us that this argument is actually a cynical repeat of a gun control debate started by former Mayor Sly James in which he also lost against the Missouri GOP super majority. - Already partisan slap fighters blame their opposition for engaging in "culture war" that offers a convenient path to earn face time on national TV networks. - Meanwhile, strident progressives who actually want police reform, hope for real "local control" and structural change for law enforcement will ultimately be disappointed when they find out this gambit is mostly geared toward creating a political slush fund to reward activists who dutifully follow 12th & Oak marching orders. Don't get it twisted, TKC isn't a GOP fanboi, it's also worth noting that this issue will also help Republicans distract from their betrayal of voters on Medicaid expansion and draw attention away from the ongoing Show-Me State opioid crisis amid working-class desperation in rural areas that can't really be blamed on the completely unlikeable Veep Kamala Harris. And so . . . This politically charged debate will dominate the "slutty Summer of 2021" and provide a convincing substitute for any real effort to improve life for taxpayers, residents and denizens of the urban core. As always, here are more news items to inform any subsequent discussion . . . Show-Me Prep For Special Kansas City Comeuppance Kansas City police budget reallocation leads Republicans to call for special session: A look at the changes Missouri Republicans are hoping for a special session or the ability to allocate emergency funding after Kansas City leaders reallocated a portion of its police department 's budget Thursday. Billing it as a reallocation of funds to increase accountability, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas unveiled his plan Thursday to amend the Kansas City Police Department budget to the minimum 20 percent of the city's general revenue as required under state statute. Mayor Q Remains Defiant On radio to tout new KC police budget change, mayor says to the opposition, "Bring it on," shares his struggles as a black mayor KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- Two days after Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas announced a bold and controversial proposal to make some of the police department's funds first flow through the city, it remains a topic being debated regardless of background, ethnicity or even geography. Local Control Examined In-Depth: A look at the history of state, local control of KCPD funding KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Some leaders are trying to figure out how to move onward with the overhaul of the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department budget, while others are looking at how to undo it. Two ordinances passed Thursday after heated debate in the KCMO City Council, clearing a path to change part of the funding for KCPD. Social Justice Context Exposed A Year After George Floyd's Murder, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas Champions 'Bold' Police Reform After a couple of days of criticism, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas today defended his recent plan for police reform which reallocates part of the Kansas City Police Department's annual budget to social services. "Well, I still feel very proud about our decision," Lucas said when asked about the plan. Cash Perspective Revealed A decade of dollars: Taking a look at KCPD's budget KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department has seen a steady increase in the amount of funding it receives throughout the past decade. A former official said they're thoughtful about how they allocate that money in the first place. Newspaper Works Diligently To Dispute Effective Criticism Of Mayor Q No, Kansas City did not defund the police. But mayor and council are on the hook now The police reform plan offered by Mayor Quinton Lucas immediately set off the wails of anguish that we predicted. "Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer-style coastal liberalism has now invaded the Midwest with @KCMO city council's vote to defund @kcpolice," tweeted Missouri state Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer. JOURNALIST HARRIS FAULKNER COMPLETELY STUMPS KANSAS CITY HONCHO!!! Kansas City mayor calls police funding proposal 'responsible' on FOX News KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Mayor Quinton Lucas appeared on FOX News today, May 21, defending a recent proposal passed by City Council that changes funding for the Kansas City Police Department. Harris Faulkner grilled Lucas, suggesting the mayor is slashing funding to the police department. You decide . . . A social media war of words has a Kansas City connection given that Jason Kander now serves a top ranking veteran's rights advocate and champions a local outreach efforts for the troops who are down on their luck. Still, Mr. Kander is also a leading Democratic Party activist and this partisan push back on the topic of physical fitness is just a bit more salty than usual . . . Check-it . . . Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Sisak reported from New York and Balsamo from Washington. On Twitter, follow Michael Sisak at twitter.com/mikesisak and Michael Balsamo at twitter.com/mikebalsamo1 and send confidential tips by visiting https://www.ap.org/tips/ Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 12:48:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Matthew Rusling WASHINGTON, May 22 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden met Friday at the White House with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, discussing a range of issues, including the situation on the Korean Peninsula. Moon is the second leader invited to the White House after Biden took office, after Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. During a joint press conference at the White House following their meeting, Biden said he and Moon discussed the shared approach to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). "Our two nations also share a willingness to engage diplomatically with the DPRK, to take pragmatic steps that will reduce tensions as we move toward our ultimate goal of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," he said. "We're under no illusions how difficult this is, none whatsoever," Biden told reporters. "And the past four administrations have not achieved the objective. It's an incredibly difficult objective." Biden announced that career diplomat Sung Kim will serve as the U.S. Special Envoy for the DPRK to drive diplomatic efforts. Moon, in his remarks, called achieving complete denuclearization and permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula the "most urgent common task" that the two allies must undertake. He noted that Biden expressed support for the inter-Korean dialogue and cooperation. "Under close cooperation with the U.S., we will work to facilitate progress in inter-Korean relations, so as to achieve a virtuous cycle with U.S.-DPRK dialogue." Biden did not rule out a meeting with DPRK leader Kim Jong Un, but stressed a precondition of the meeting would be Pyongyang's commitment to discussing its nuclear weapons. The two leaders also discussed cooperation on issues of regional security, emerging technology, climate change and COVID-19 vaccines. The two countries agree to establish a comprehensive vaccine partnership, and the United States will provide vaccinations for 550,000 South Korean troops working in close contact with American forces. "This meeting is all about setting the stage for the Biden administration's relationship with South Korea," Jenna Gibson, an expert on the Korean Peninsula at the University of Chicago, told Xinhua. Gibson said that while the DPRK issue is on the priorities list of the Biden administration's agenda, it's not near the top. "Even setting aside domestic issues like COVID recovery, Biden still has an extremely full plate at the moment," Gibson said. "I don't anticipate him delegating too much energy into actively working on the DPRK nuclear issue at this moment in time." Troy Stangarone, senior director at the Washington-based non-profit Korea Economic Institute, agreed with Gibson. The DPRK "is one of the administration's foreign policy priorities, but it will likely fall behind efforts to restore the nuclear deal with Iran and climate change. The unanswered question is whether negotiations are a priority for Pyongyang," Stangarone said. He also raised the issue that Biden might be out of step with Moon on dealing with the DPRK. "Timing is perhaps the main difference in the approaches of Biden and Moon. Biden is open to making incremental progress, something South Korea is likely to support," said the expert. "But with only a year left in office, Moon faces more pressure to restart talks" with the DPRK sooner, said the expert, adding "Biden is likely to be more deliberative and wants to see progress on a working level before moving forward." The Biden administration at the end of April completed its policy review towards the DPRK. The White House said it had reached out to Pyongyang through several channels but had not yet received any response. Kim Jong Un and former U.S. President Donald Trump held their first summit in Singapore in June 2018, agreeing on a complete denuclearization of and a lasting peace settlement on the Korean Peninsula. Denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington have been stalled since the second Kim-Trump summit ended without agreement in February 2019 in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi. Enditem If you need a reason to stay away from crowded Venice here it is in its small abundance. If you need a good reason to visit and explore and become knowledgeable about this part of rural Molise here it is again waiting for a visit. We are much enamored with so much of Molise especially this segment of the region. We know much about Carovilli and Castiglione and the Isernia province. We recommend it for your vacation. Two previous responses have good suggestions and much of quality to say in the form of advice in efforts to help you formulate a workable itinerary. Trains to Carovilli were operating last time we ventured forth in that direction. Realignment intellectual and other wise with Italy can begin there. Castiglione might be in the same size and cultural dimension of importance as Pietracupa in the vicinity of Carovilli. By all means skip Venice if it means that PIetracupa is waiting for a visit and looming on the horizon. Family connections enrich your visit to these small places. Stay for more than a day out of fidelity to your Italian heritage. Molise will instantly enchant and delight you. No better place to be for now. Travel by local train to a near by larger town served with rail service would be our suggestions. Private driver or private guide pretending to be a driver is not necessary and too expensive to say the least. Have you corresponded with these family members? Begin such an undertaking soon and relay your travel plans. Arrangements for family members to meet you at a near by town served with rail service can be made. Are there family members living in the town and available for bringing you to their village? Investigate soon the proximity with current connections with your family in mind. Stay for as long as you want to reinforce and substantiate your family connections . Remaining there for just less than one day would not be a good strategy. You can not afford to suddenly appear and then leave so soon after arrival. We stayed in family related places for two or three days but much depends on the size of the village and the family. Inquire about the cultural vicinity and show a desire to explore it. These rural small villages or towns have more to keep you in place than what shows up on the map. You are most fortunate to have this opportunity. Do not pass up a chance to visit the town and show up equipped with both questions and information about it. Give yourself time to plan such an experience and then study about the region and province. Are you proficient in Italian? If you live near a large university that offers courses and degrees in things Italian go there and ask questions. Give yourself a geography lesson about Molise. Step by step inquiries about Molise are needed. Make them add up to valuable learning lessons. Hello! I'm travelling to iceland, and was planning on visiting the Westman Islands Monday 8/2 - but found out this is a holiday and the day after their festival - so getting a ferry is difficult, and a lot of things are closed. Would you still recommend going to the Westman Islands the monday after their festival? (in reading I wish our plans allowed us to go to the festival itself, but unfortunately monday is our only day) Thanks! Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 13:28:55|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KABUL, May 23 (Xinhua) -- At least six Taliban militants were killed and four others wounded after the Afghan Air Force (AAF) launched airstrikes in the eastern Logar province, the military confirmed on Sunday. "The AAF strikes were conducted in Mohammad Agha and Baraki Barak districts of Logar province, about 60 km south of Kabul on Saturday. Among the killed was a local Taliban leader," the army's 203 Thunder Military Corps said in a statement. The precise strikes were launched based on confirmed intelligence tips, the statement said, adding that no civilian was affected during the raids. Violence lingers in the Asian country as the Taliban militants have been attempting to seize small towns or districts by launching hit-and-run ambushes against Afghan national security forces. About 15 out of 407 Afghan districts remain under Taliban's control while 40 districts have been facing high threats from militants and 30 percent of the districts were contested, according to official figures. While the United States and NATO troops have been leaving the country, violence in the country is on the rise. Enditem Hello all, thank you for the replies. This afternoon I went to UBS Humaita and got the vaccine. The whole process only took about 20-30 minutes. It would have only been about 5 minutes but I did not have a local card they wanted (I did bring my passport and it is necessary). And it took them a while to make one for me. I think it was called cardao do sus - green colored with part of the Brazilian flag on it. One lady (vaccine giver) kept yelling about it and was visibly angry when I had no idea what she was saying or talking about when I entered the room after being called in. I tried to explain to her that yelling and slamming things on the desk will not make me me magically understand what she is saying. But of course she could not understand me when I said that either. I will say that the rest of the people I interacted with there were extremely polite and helpful. I wanted to give two of the workers some money but I did not have cash with me. I will go back this week and try to do that (unless someone here says its not appropriate or a bad idea) because this saved me a lot of money (the paid clinic replied and said the cost is 270 reais) and I would like to give some of that saved money to those that helped me a lot. Foreigners that do not speak Portuguese (me included) should bring someone that knows Portuguese or at least some type of translation app. I had a translation app which was helpful for the most part. Hi everyone My husband and I are set to be in Botswana in late July for Safari then spending a little bit of time in Cape Town. We are thinking of caping our long delayed trip off with a little beach time in the Seychelles I was looking at the tourism board website and it said visitors from all countries are welcome (we are us citizens) except South Africa then under it, it said, people who have visited India, Pakistan and Bangladesh in the last 14 days cannot enter. I read this as SA citizens not people who have traveled to SA but was wondering if anyone had any first hand knowledge or experience in this We are fully vaccinated (Pfizer) and understand needing a PCR test in SA before traveling Instant unlimited access to all of our content on triplicate.com. The Triplicate's E-Edition Newsletter emailed to you each week, the night before the paper hits the street! This subscription is for NEW or RENEWING online subscribers. (The charge will appear as "Country Media Inc." on your credit card statement) G7 considering allocating USD 100 billion to fight against COVID-19 : White House 11 Jun 2021 | 5:56 PM Washington, Jun 11 (UNI) The US and other Group of Seven (G7) countries could extend up to USD 100 billion of IMF funds to countries that need urgent support in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, the White House announced on Friday. see more.. At least 18 killed as bus overturns in Pakistan 11 Jun 2021 | 4:27 PM Islamabad, Jun 11 (UNI) At least 18 people died and approximately 48 others were injured after a bus carrying pilgrims overturned on a highway in Pakistan's Balochistan province, media reports said quoting police officials. see more.. China releases Mars images taken by Zhurong rover: CNSA 11 Jun 2021 | 2:50 PM Beijing, Jun 11 (UNI) China on Friday released the first batch of images of Mars taken by the Tianwen-1 spacecraft's Zhurong rover, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said. see more.. Japanese parliament passes law on referendum to revise constitution: Reports 11 Jun 2021 | 2:14 PM Tokyo, Jun 11 (UNI) Japan's upper house of parliament has passed a bill on a nationwide referendum to amend the constitution, the Kyodo news agency reported on Friday. see more.. Visakhapatnam, May 23 (UNI) As part of on-going COVID Relief Operation 'Samudra Setu II launched by the Indian Navy, INS Jalawsha embarked with 18 Cryogenic Oxygen Tanks and other critical COVID Medical Stores including 3650 Oxygen Cylinders and 39 Ventilators from Brunei and Singapore, arrived here on Sunday. 15 of the 18 Cryogenic Tanks are filled with Liquid Medical Oxygen, HQ Eastern Naval Command (ENC) said in release said here. The COVID relief materials including Oxygen Containers and Ventilators were facilitated by the Indian Missions and the consignment are being handed over to Government agencies in various States and NGOs. Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 13:39:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Farmer Qin Yongling displays eggs at a chicken farm in Renyuan Village of Jinji Township in Wuxuan County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, June 18, 2020. (Xinhua/Cao Yiming) "When a party is close to the people, the people will respond positively to the party," said a senior official of Tanzania's ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi. DAR ES SALAAM, May 23 (Xinhua) -- By maintaining close ties with the Chinese people, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has achieved great success in economic and social development, a senior official of Tanzania's ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) has said. Congratulating the CPC on the 100th anniversary of its founding, Abdullah Juma Sadala, CCM's deputy secretary general for Zanzibar, said in a recent interview with Xinhua that the leadership of the CPC is key to China's tremendous development. Decades ago, the CPC led the Chinese people to overthrow imperialist oppression and achieve national liberation; and now, under the leadership of the party, China has scored a complete victory in its fight against absolute poverty, which has greatly improved the people's living standard, said Sadala. Chen Fangying teaches English at Alimalik Village of Akto County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, May 12, 2021. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu) These achievements fully prove that the CPC always maintains close connections with the people, the official said, deeming the CPC a party of the people, and more importantly, a party for the people. "When a party is close to the people, the people will respond positively to the party," Sadala added. Recalling his visit to China in 2019, Sadala said he was impressed that the CPC's officials and policy-makers regularly visit communities and explain the party's policies to the grassroots-level party members so that they can better serve the masses. The Chinese people are warm and tolerant, and greatly respect other countries, which is an important reason for China's growing international influence, said Sadala. In international affairs, China advocates seeking common ground while shelving differences with other nations, and contributes to maintaining world peace and global environmental governance through global cooperation, Sadala said. Assistant engineer Zhang Guikai measures tracks at a site of Tanzania's Central Railway Line rehabilitation project undertaken by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation in Tanzania on Aug. 5, 2020. (CCECC/Handout via Xinhua) On Tanzania-China relations, Sadala said that the long-standing friendly ties between the two countries were jointly forged by leaders of the older generation and that the two countries are good friends and brothers. Manifestations of this special friendship range from the China-aided Tanzania-Zambia Railway to the Chinese medical team in the country, he said, adding that China and Tanzania also maintain close economic and trade cooperation as well as party-to-party exchanges. China is now the second largest economy in the world, and its achievements in development are obvious to all, said Sadala, voicing hope that the two sides will continue to strengthen dialogue in state governance and better align their development strategies, so as to bring more benefits to the two peoples. Register for a FREE account to keep reading! Register now for a FREE account to keep reading. No cost and no credit card required! Access up to 5 articles per month when you register, or get unlimited access to all of our content online starting at $1.99 now! Already registered? Click the log in link below Whats Working, a series exploring solutions for New Hampshires workforce needs, is sponsored by the New Hampshire Solutions Journalism Lab at the Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications and is funded by Eversource, the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, the New Hampshire College & University Council, Northeast Delta Dental and the New Hampshire Coalition for Business and Education. Contact reporter Michael Cousineau at mcousineau@unionleader.com. To read stories in the series, visit unionleader.com/whatsworking. Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 14:07:21|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KINSHASA, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Around 3,000 people fled the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)'s eastern city of Goma for neighbouring Rwanda on Sunday as lava from a volcanic eruption reached the airport of the city. The evacuation plan for Goma has been activated, said government spokesman Patrick Muyaya after an emergency government meeting to discuss the situation. About 3,000 people from Goma, DRC have crossed to Rwanda, Rwandan state media said, adding that they would be accommodated in schools and places of worship. As many residents fled Goma to take refuge in neighboring Rwanda, others headed for villages surrounding the city, including Sake. The Nyiragongo volcano, which overlooks the city of Goma and is not far from the DR Congo's border with Rwanda, started to erupt on Satuday. According to the Goma-based volcanological monitoring office, the lava is heading towards the border with Rwanda. The sky of Goma, with a population of nearly 2 million, was illuminated with orange flames. The electricity supply across much of city was cut off. Lt. Gen. Ndima Kongba Constant, governor of North Kivu province, of which Goma is capital, said in a televised address on Saturday that local civil defense forces started evacuating Goma residents following the volcanic eruption. Goma is a regional base for many NGOs and international organisations, including the UN peacekeeping mission known as MONUSCO. All UN aircraft have been evacuated to the city of Bukavu to the south and Entebbe in neighbouring Uganda, reports said. Several planes, belonging to Monusco and private organizations, also took off in the evening, sources said. DRC President Felix Tshisekedi is returning from Europe to oversee the relief efforts and is closely monitoring the security and humanitarian situation in the country's eastern North Kivu province, the presidency said. Goma is home to two active volcanoes -- Nyamulagira and Nyiragongo. The last time a major Nyiragongo eruption occurred was in 2002, when about 250 people were killed and 120,000 others were left homeless. The eruption of Nyiragongo is similar to its eruption in 2002, said the authorities, adding that other districts of the city were not in danger as the lava was unlikely to reach those areas. Earlier, the North Kivu province governor appealed for calm and urged people to follow the guidance of civil protection units. Enditem For full access, please log in, register your subscription or subscribe. Try for 99 a month for two months, cancel or pause anytime. We may never know if a Manchester police officers act of kindness to a teen would-be shoplifter will make a difference in the teens life. But it certainly brightened the day of a lot of Manchester residents and others who read our story or saw the TV newscast about Officer George Morales. Apia, Samoa, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd May, 2021 ) :Samoa faced fresh political turmoil Sunday with the parliamentary session expected to confirm the Pacific nation's first change of government in almost 40 years suddenly cancelled without immediate explanation. The order from head of state Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi came a day after he had cleared the way for parliament to sit on Monday where opposition FAST Party leader Fiame Naomi Mata'afa had the numbers to be installed as Samoa's first female prime minister. With religious Samoa largely closed on Sundays, Sualauvi announced just before midnight Saturday that he was suspending parliament "for reasons that I will make known in due course". Samoa's political future has been unclear since the April 9 general election which ended with FAST and the incumbent Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) locked at 25 seats each with one independent in the 51-seat parliament. When the independent sided with FAST, Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, who has held the top job for 22 years, boosted his numbers by adding an extra MP to his party under provisions setting out the minimum quota of women in parliament. He then persuaded Sualauvi to call a second election for May 21. The courts overturned both measures and when a panel of appeal judges on Friday declined HRPP's bid for a stay on the rulings, Sualauvi called for parliament to sit on Monday, only to then cancel the order the following day. Malielegaoi has insisted the HRPP still has the numbers to lead the nation of 220,000 while Mata'afa has said she will challenge the latest decision in court and "will stand by the rule of law". HEFEI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd May, 2021 ) :Three people were killed after a construction site collapsed in east China's Anhui Province, local authorities said on Sunday. The accident occurred at 4:03 p.m. on Saturday in Chengguan Town, Lu'an City, trapping three people, according to the provincial emergency management department. All three were later found but showed no vital signs. The cause of the accident is under investigation. Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 14:35:16|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Photo taken in Arlington, Virginia, the United States on May 21, 2021 shows a screen livestreaming a joint press conference attended by U.S. President Joe Biden (R) and South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the White House in Washington, D.C.. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) Biden did not rule out a meeting with DPRK leader Kim Jong Un, but stressed a precondition of the meeting would be Pyongyang's commitment to discussing its nuclear weapons. by Matthew Rusling WASHINGTON, May 23 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Joe Biden met Friday at the White House with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, discussing a range of issues, including the situation on the Korean Peninsula. Moon is the second leader invited to the White House after Biden took office, after Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. During a joint press conference at the White House following their meeting, Biden said he and Moon discussed the shared approach to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). "Our two nations also share a willingness to engage diplomatically with the DPRK, to take pragmatic steps that will reduce tensions as we move toward our ultimate goal of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," he said. "We're under no illusions how difficult this is, none whatsoever," Biden told reporters. "And the past four administrations have not achieved the objective. It's an incredibly difficult objective." Biden announced that career diplomat Sung Kim will serve as the U.S. Special Envoy for the DPRK to drive diplomatic efforts. Photo taken on March 5, 2019 shows the exterior of the venue where the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement was signed in the truce village of Panmunjom. (Xinhua/Cheng Dayu) Moon, in his remarks, called achieving complete denuclearization and permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula the "most urgent common task" that the two allies must undertake. He noted that Biden expressed support for the inter-Korean dialogue and cooperation. "Under close cooperation with the U.S., we will work to facilitate progress in inter-Korean relations, so as to achieve a virtuous cycle with U.S.-DPRK dialogue." Biden did not rule out a meeting with DPRK leader Kim Jong Un, but stressed a precondition of the meeting would be Pyongyang's commitment to discussing its nuclear weapons. The two leaders also discussed cooperation on issues of regional security, emerging technology, climate change and COVID-19 vaccines. The two countries agree to establish a comprehensive vaccine partnership, and the United States will provide vaccinations for 550,000 South Korean troops working in close contact with American forces. "This meeting is all about setting the stage for the Biden administration's relationship with South Korea," Jenna Gibson, an expert on the Korean Peninsula at the University of Chicago, told Xinhua. Gibson said that while the DPRK issue is on the priorities list of the Biden administration's agenda, it's not near the top. "Even setting aside domestic issues like COVID recovery, Biden still has an extremely full plate at the moment," Gibson said. "I don't anticipate him delegating too much energy into actively working on the DPRK nuclear issue at this moment in time." Troy Stangarone, senior director at the Washington-based non-profit Korea Economic Institute, agreed with Gibson. The DPRK "is one of the administration's foreign policy priorities, but it will likely fall behind efforts to restore the nuclear deal with Iran and climate change. The unanswered question is whether negotiations are a priority for Pyongyang," Stangarone said. He also raised the issue that Biden might be out of step with Moon on dealing with the DPRK. "Timing is perhaps the main difference in the approaches of Biden and Moon. Biden is open to making incremental progress, something South Korea is likely to support," said the expert. South Korean President Moon Jae-in (R) meets with top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un in the border village of Panmunjom on April, 27, 2018. (Xinhua/Inter-Korean Summit Press Corps) "But with only a year left in office, Moon faces more pressure to restart talks" with the DPRK sooner, said the expert, adding "Biden is likely to be more deliberative and wants to see progress on a working level before moving forward." The Biden administration at the end of April completed its policy review towards the DPRK. The White House said it had reached out to Pyongyang through several channels but had not yet received any response. Kim Jong Un and former U.S. President Donald Trump held their first summit in Singapore in June 2018, agreeing on a complete denuclearization of and a lasting peace settlement on the Korean Peninsula. Denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington have been stalled since the second Kim-Trump summit ended without agreement in February 2019 in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd May, 2021) The upcoming launch of the Russian Progress MS-17 resupply spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) is set for June 30, a spokesperson of Russian space agency Roscosmos told Sputnik. "[The launch is planned] for 02:27 Moscow time [23:27 GMT on June 29]," the spokesperson said. The Progress MS-17 cargo spacecraft that will deliver food and supplies to the ISS will be launched from the Baikonur space center using the Russian Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket. It is expected to dock to the ISS on July 2. Last year, Russia sent two Progress MS resupply spacecraft to the ISS, in April and in July. After this year's June 30 launch, Russia is expected to send Progress MS-18 to the ISS in October. (@ChaudhryMAli88) MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd May, 2021) The Austrian Foreign Ministry on Sunday called for an independent international investigation of a Ryanair flight emergency landing in Minsk and demanded immediate release of Belarusian activist Roman Protasevich. The Belarusian Interior Ministry confirmed Protasevich's detention earlier in the day. According to Belarusian human rights activists, Protasevich the founder of a telegram channel that is labeled extremist in Belarus was on board a Ryanair flight en route from Athens to Vilnius. The plane had to make an emergency stop in Minsk after a bomb threat that later turned out to be fake. "Alarming reports about a @Ryanair plane that was diverted to #Minsk. All passengers must be allowed to continue their travels & we need an independent international investigation into this incident. We urgently demand the release of activist Roman #Protasevich," the Austrian ministry tweeted. Minsk airport told Sputnik that the plane was getting ready for takeoff. MINSK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd May, 2021) The Belarusian Interior Ministry confirmed that the founder of Telegram channel Nexta, which Belarus designated as extremist, was detained in Minsk airport on Sunday. "The founder on Nexta telegram channel [Roman] Protasevich was detained in Minsk airport," the ministry said on Telegram. Meanwhile, the ministry's press service told Sputnik it was not commenting on the reports of Protasevich's detention. ROME (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd May, 2021) A cable car crash in Italy's Pidmont region killed nine, Rainews 24 broadcaster reported Sunday. The mountain rescue services said earlier in the day there were five dead in the incident on a cableway connecting Stresa village to the mountain of Mottarone. Two children in grave condition were taken to a Turin hospital by helicopter. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd May, 2021) President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Felix Tshisekedi is returning from Europe to oversee the relief efforts amid the eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano. "President Tshisekedi has decided to interrupt his stay in Europe to return home this Sunday in order to supervise the coordination of aid to populations in areas threatened by this volcanic eruption," a statement, released on the president's official Twitter page, says. Tshisekedi expressed support for the local populations and is now closely monitoring the security and humanitarian situation in DR Congo's eastern North Kivu province, the presidency said. North Kivu Governor, Lt. Gen. Ndima Kongba Constant, said in a televised address on Saturday that local civil defense forces started evacuating residents of the city of Goma after the nearby Nyiragongo volcano began to erupt. Radio Rwanda reported that around 3,000 residents of Goma have already arrived in the neighboring Rwanda, escaping the volcano eruption. Rubavu District authorities are taking emergency measures to provide shelter to the displaced people. The Mount Nyiragongo active volcano is located about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of the town of Goma and Lake Kivu. It started erupting at 7 p.m. local time on Saturday (17:00 GMT). The last time a major Nyiragongo eruption occurred was in 2002, when around 250 people were killed and 120,000 were left without homes, as lava flows destroyed about 20 percent of Goma. MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th May, 2021) The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) expressed concerns on Sunday over the alleged forced landing of a Ryanair plane in Minsk, which could have violated the Chicago Convention. "ICAO is strongly concerned by the apparent forced landing of a Ryanair flight and its passengers, which could be in contravention of the Chicago Convention. We look forward to more information being officially confirmed by the countries and operators concerned," the organization tweeted. The Convention on International Civil Aviation, also known as the Chicago Convention, entered into force in 1947. It establishes the basic principles that enable international air transport. Earlier on Sunday, the press service of the Minsk National Airport told Sputnik that a Ryanair plane en route from Athens to Vilnius had to make an emergency landing in Minsk over a bomb threat, which later turned out to be fake. A fighter jet was deployed to escort the plane. It was reported later that Roman Protasevich, founder of the Telegram channel Nexta, tagged as extremist by Minsk, was detained during the stopover at the airport. The plane was cleared for take off from Minsk on Sunday evening and arrived in Vilnius at 18:27 GMT. The Minsk airport insisted that the decision to land in Belarus was made by the Ryanair captain and according to the international law. (@ChaudhryMAli88) YEREVAN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd May, 2021) The Iranian Embassy in Yerevan firmly denied on Sunday claims circulated earlier by the Armenian media that 160 Armenian soldiers are allegedly being held by Tehran after crossing the Iranian border during the escalation of the Karabakh conflict in the fall of 2020. "The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Republic of Armenia refutes and considers false and groundless information circulating in some Armenian media that 160 Armenian servicemen are in Iran and that the Iranian side has set conditions for their release," the statement issued by the embassy on Facebook said. Armenian Hraparak newspaper reported earlier, citing sources, that about 160 Armenian servicemen were detained in Iran after Karabakh conflict escalation. It claimed that their current status and location in Iran are unknown. According to the newspaper, Iran allegedly set some preconditions for their return to Armenia. The Armenian defense ministry also stated that it has "no information about the presence of even one Armenian soldier in Iran." MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd May, 2021) The United States Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas said that his country would be extending the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian citizens for another 18-months period. "Haiti is currently experiencing serious security concerns, social unrest, an increase in human rights abuses, crippling poverty, and lack of basic resources, which are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. After careful consideration, we determined that we must do what we can to support Haitian nationals in the United States until conditions in Haiti improve so they may safely return home," Mayorkas said in a statement. According to Mayorkas, the US is happy to provide assistance to Haitians until conditions in their home country improve and they can return home safely. The status will be granted to Haitians who are residing in the US on May 21. Those arriving to the country at a later date face the risk of being deported. Citizens eligible for TPS will have to file an application with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. They may also request an Employment Authorization Document and travel authorization. All individuals will undergo background and security checks. The United States is currently granting TPS to citizens of 10 countries including Haiti. Over 300,000 people who have acquired the status. The US initially listed Haitians as eligible for TPS in 2010 after a devastating earthquake. The status was extended several times until the Trump administration tried to end the designation. Several lawsuits allowed the status to remain in place. Valdosta, GA (31601) Today Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Thunderstorms likely this evening. Then a chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%. Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 15:50:20|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close An apprentice practices painting thangka at a training base of ethnic handicrafts making in Kabma Township of Qamdo, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Oct. 3, 2020. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje) "In the process of modernization, it is easy to gradually ignore some traditional cultures. I have noticed that the Chinese government has made great efforts in cultural protection to revitalize traditional culture. It's a great deed. More and more people are recognizing the value of traditional Tibetan culture," said Japanese documentary director Takashi Inoue. TOKYO, May 23 (Xinhua) -- "The inheritance of traditional Tibetan culture as a way to get rid of poverty, and fostering a new industry through the inheritance of Thang-ka painting technology, so as to promote the region's revitalization and development, is such a great deed," said Japanese documentary director Takashi Inoue. He made the remarks in an interview with Xinhua in Tokyo about his work, a China-Japan co-produced documentary called "The land of sky, home of the Thang-ka painters," which was re-broadcast on NHK on Sunday. Born in 1952, Inoue graduated from Waseda University and started working in NHK in 1976, focusing on filming documentaries in the areas of history, culture, art and others. He currently works as an honorary professor at Tokyo University of the Arts and a columnist. When the documentary "The land of sky, home of the Thang-ka painters" was broadcast on various channels of NHK in March, the exquisite art of Thang-ka and the story of young Tibetan people's unremitting effort and self-improvement struggle have moved many Japanese audiences, winning a good reputation for the documentary. Photo taken on Aug. 19, 2020 shows a huge Thangka painting displayed during a traditional "sunning of the Buddha" ceremony at the Drepung Monastery in Lhasa, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Zhan Yan) Japanese viewers have been giving the documentary high marks on social media. "I have a goal to see the real Thang-ka before I die!" "These young people who do not give up to the environment or the climate, who can embrace their dreams in the face of adversity and grow tenaciously are really remarkable. It is really a tour de force," they commented. Speaking about the reasons for the popularity of the documentary among Japanese audiences, Inoue said that they are very interested in Tibetan culture, and the stories of the documentary's hero and heroine are very touching. "Through the hard work and study at the art institute, the heroine became a well-known technician of Thang-ka craft and ushered in a great change in life. The hero, who used to be a 'troubled teenager,' cleansed his spirit and created a brand new self through painting. Their struggle and growth are themes that resonate with not only Chinese and Japanese audiences, but also global audiences," the director said. Visitors view an exhibit at a Thangka art exhibition held in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Oct. 25, 2019. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje) Inoue said the documentary also conveyed his new understanding of China that China is always committed to cultural preservation. In the 1990s, Inoue traveled almost all over China for a documentary series on China's reform and opening up. He said he has witnessed China's changes firsthand. Inoue said that what deserves attention is China's inheritance and protection of traditional culture. "In the process of modernization, it is easy to gradually ignore some traditional cultures. I have noticed that the Chinese government has made great efforts in cultural protection to revitalize traditional culture. It's a great deed. More and more people are recognizing the value of traditional Tibetan culture," he said. Students learn thangka painting at a training base of ethnic handicrafts making in Kabma Township of Qamdo, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Oct. 3, 2020. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje) Inoue said he believes that to pass on painting skills and protect traditional culture is not only the revitalization of culture, but also the revival of tradition and a way to get rid of poverty. The persistence and efforts of Tibetan youths in inheriting traditional culture are touching, he said. "I want to be able to pass on these emotions to Japan and hope that young Japanese people can get inspirations from them." "The world China will face in the future may be more complicated, but there is no doubt that reform and opening up have borne fruitful results in China," said the Japanese director. "On May 20, we started filming the documentary 'Return of the antiques,' which is a cooperation with China," the director said with great anticipation. At the Regina Coeli on Sunday, Pope Francis invites the faithful throughout the world to accompany Chinese Catholics in prayer as they prepare to celebrate the feast of Our Lady Help of Christians, their national patron. By Christopher Wells Tomorrow, the Catholic faithful in China celebrate the feast of Our Lady Help of Christians, the celestial patron of their great country, Pope Francis noted in remarks following the Regina Coeli on Sunday. The Holy Father recalled the great devotion of Chinese Catholics to the Mother of the Lord [and] of the Church at her sanctuary of Sheshan in Shanghai. Under the title of Our Lady of Sheshan, she is assiduously invoked by Christian families in the trials and hopes of daily life. He added, How good and how necessary it is that the members of a family and of a Christian community are ever more united in love and in faith! In this way, parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren, pastors and faithful can follow the example of the first disciples who, on the solemnity of Pentecost, were united in prayer with Mary as they awaited the Holy Spirit. The Pope invited all the faithful to accompany the Christian faithful in China, dearest brothers and sisters, whom I hold in the depth of my heart, with fervent prayer. He prayed that the Holy Spirit, the protagonist of the Church's mission in the world, guide them and help them to be bearers of the happy message, witnesses of goodness and charity, and builders of justice and peace in their country. A Day of Prayer for the Church in China In 2007, Benedict XVI encouraged Catholics of the whole world to mark the Feast of Mary Help of Christians May 24 as a Day of Prayer for the Church in China. In a Letter to the Chinese faithful, he encouraged Chinese Catholics to the celebrate the day by renewing your communion of faith in Jesus our Lord and of faithfulness to the Pope, and by praying that the unity among you may become ever deeper and more visible. On that same day, he said, the Catholics of the whole world in particular those who are of Chinese origin will demonstrate their fraternal solidarity and solicitude for you, asking the Lord of history for the gift of perseverance in witness, in the certainty that your sufferings past and present for the Holy Name of Jesus and your intrepid loyalty to his Vicar on earth will be rewarded, even if at times everything can seem a failure. The Closeness of the Universal Church Last year, marking the Day of Prayer for the Church in China, Pope Francis assured Chinese Catholics that the universal Church, of which you are an integral part, shares your hopes and supports you in your trials. She accompanies you with prayer for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit, so that the light and beauty of the Gospel might shine in you as the power of God for the salvation of those who believe. On that occasion, Pope Francis prayed that the Chinese faithful might be strong in faith and steadfast in fraternal union, joyful witnesses, promoters of charity and hope, and good citizens. Agreement on the appointment of Bishops In October of 2022, the Holy See and Chinas communist government renewed a Provisional Agreement concerning the appointment of Bishops for the Church in China. The agreement is aimed primarily at sustaining and promoting the proclamation of the Gospel in that land, restoring the full and visible unity of the Church, according to LOsservatore Romano, the daily newspaper of Vatican City State. A statement from the Holy See Press Office announcing the extension of the deal said, The Holy See considers the initial application of the Agreement which is of great ecclesial and pastoral value to have been positive, thanks to good communication and cooperation between the Parties on the matters agreed upon, and intends to pursue an open and constructive dialogue for the benefit of the life of the Catholic Church and the good of Chinese people. PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF SHESHAN Composed by Pope Benedict XVI Virgin Most Holy, Mother of the Incarnate Word and our Mother, venerated in the Shrine of Sheshan under the title "Help of Christians", the entire Church in China looks to you with devout affection. We come before you today to implore your protection. Look upon the People of God and, with a mothers care, guide them along the paths of truth and love, so that they may always be a leaven of harmonious coexistence among all citizens. When you obediently said "yes" in the house of Nazareth, you allowed Gods eternal Son to take flesh in your virginal womb and thus to begin in history the work of our redemption. You willingly and generously cooperated in that work, allowing the sword of pain to pierce your soul, until the supreme hour of the Cross, when you kept watch on Calvary, standing beside your Son, who died that we might live. From that moment, you became, in a new way, the Mother of all those who receive your Son Jesus in faith and choose to follow in his footsteps by taking up his Cross. Mother of hope, in the darkness of Holy Saturday you journeyed with unfailing trust towards the dawn of Easter. Grant that your children may discern at all times, even those that are darkest, the signs of Gods loving presence. Our Lady of Sheshan, sustain all those in China, who, amid their daily trials, continue to believe, to hope, to love. May they never be afraid to speak of Jesus to the world, and of the world to Jesus. In the statue overlooking the Shrine you lift your Son on high, offering him to the world with open arms in a gesture of love. Help Catholics always to be credible witnesses to this love, ever clinging to the rock of Peter on which the Church is built. Mother of China and all Asia, pray for us, now and for ever. Amen! Pope Francis asks for prayers for strife-ridden Colombia indicating dialogue as the path to peace and justice. By Vatican News staff writer On Pentecost Sunday and for the second time in a month, Pope Francis expressed his concern for the situation in Colombia asking believers to join him in prayer for the suffering people. Speaking during the Regina Coeli in St Peters Square, the Pope said: I pray that the beloved Colombian people may receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and that through serious dialogue just solutions may be found to the many problems they are inflicted with, especially for those who suffer poverty due to the pandemic. The Holy Father also urged everyone, for humanitarian reasons to avoid potentially dangerous behavior for the good health of all, as they exercise their right to demonstrate peacefully. Nationwide protests and brutal crackdown The Latin American nation, visited by Pope Francis in 2017 at the start of a peace process agreed between the government and FARC rebels, has been engulfed in protests after the government of Ivan Duque proposed increasing taxes amid the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Although the president withdrew the contentious tax reform proposal in the face of public anger, demonstrations have persisted, aggravated by a brutal crackdown. At least 40 protesters have been killed and hundreds injured by security forces and armed men dressed in civilian clothes. Many have been arrested and dozens of women have allegedly been sexually assaulted by police officers. Colombian bishops appeal The Popes appeal for prayers for Colombia comes in the wake of an appeal issued by the Colombian Catholic Bishops Conference who uphold dialogue as the path to a solution. It is fundamental to listen, understand and efficiently find solutions to the demands of those who protest peacefully. This is the only way to build the peace we all want together, the bishops said. Under its National Digital Transformation Programme, Vietnam is experimenting with a range of new technologies and models that will change the way people live and do business, with 20 per cent of the countrys GDP to be contributed by the digital economy. Kyle Pham - CFO of US-held private company The Grand Ho Tram Resort & Casino The scheme is looking at a number of priority areas subject to digital transformation, ranging from education, finance, and banking to energy, natural resources, and industrial production with the target of creating a stable, prosperous digital country over the course of the next decade. The skill sets required from the workforce will change as part of the transition to this new way of doing business, said Kyle Pham, CPA (Aust.). As the CFO of US-held private company The Grand Ho Tram Resort & Casino, he has more than 25 years of wide-ranging experience, from Big Four professional practices to executive roles in major e-commerce businesses. For example, accounting and finance personnel are now required to have the ability to operate different software including the management of interfaces between systems, he added. The ability to identify key data sets and apply the appropriate analyses is of paramount importance. Digital solutions that lead to business innovation Apart from e-commerce and fintech, most market sectors in Vietnam are lagging behind other countries in the application of new technology, although the availability of it is on par, explained Pham. In getting up to speed in a competitive, digitally-driven market, there is a need to automate various functions across business departments as well as previously disparate systems. For example, a centralised data warehouse can store financial and operational data in one location, he said. Using an appropriate application such as Microsoft Power BI, a business can also generate tailored management reports automatically, and users can conveniently access these on a wide variety of devices. The automation of interconnected processes can also reduce errors in manual entry, and save financial and accounting professionals considerable time, he said: Consider a finance department that loads information on bank statements automatically to the ledger. Relieving employees from the manual task of data keying means they can use that time to analyse sales data and make recommendations to improve collection and profitability. Pham, who has held his CPA qualification for 23 years, demonstrated how to substantially grow customer base using digital solutions at Home Credit Vietnam where he developed an award-winning, online ecosystem that had end-to-end digital applications requiring no human intervention. As CFO of MJ Group and CEO of NhomMua, a leading group buy B2C e-commerce business, Pham brought the company back from insolvency by developing the companys own software applications to complement Google Analytics. These gave management as well as accounting and finance professionals access to sales and customer analytics in real time. Relevant analytics were also streamlined to monitors that were placed in our sales department, to drive motivation, and we developed an application that tracked the performance of our delivery drivers with just one touch. Technical skills in high demand While effectively utilising new technology can drive business growth, choosing the right solutions for the task is difficult and requires expertise. Key infrastructure aspects such as enterprise resource planning, cloud computing, optical character recognition, and report automation software are currently accessible to Vietnamese businesses, but experience in managing the conversion of outdated systems is lacking, says Pham. Skilful product owners who understand agile methodology, with automation broken down into smaller functional deliverables, are needed to lead automation that delivers benefits to a business progressively. But these people are a scarce resource, making it a very competitive employment market. Training for finance and accounting professionals in these and other relevant skills is vital, says Pham. Professional associations such as CPA Australia conduct regular workshops to assist members in upskilling. In addition, there are members with expertise in these relevant areas who can act as subject matter experts. CPA Australias Digital Finance micro-credentialled courses equip accountants and finance professionals with the tools they need to apply emerging technologies in a real-world context. The six courses cover topics ranging from fintech innovations, digital transformation, data analytics, and data visualisation to robotic process automation, machine learning, and AI. At the same time, CFOs and CTOs, who are closest to the issue of business automation, need the business and leadership skills to drive initiatives, believes Pham. Investments in new systems and tools are often perceived as less attractive compared to other competing investments, although the benefits of introducing new technology usually outweigh the costs, he says. Senior accounting and financial officers are in the best position to deliver a compelling case. Professional associations such as CPA Australia can also set up special interest groups to facilitate in-depth discussions and dissemination of information. In a fast-changing global business landscape, Pham says a CPA Australia designation is a benchmark of quality and professionalism that inspires confidence in employers. In fact, without CPA Australia or equivalent qualifications these days, it is difficult to secure senior roles in accounting and finance, he explained. Being a member of CPA Australia also means that I can access a vast number of resources to help me stay abreast of market developments. Preparing ballot boxes NA vote This morning, 84-year-old Nguyen Gia Lan woke up early to make preparations for his vote casiting at a ballot section in Xuan Dinh Ward in Hanois Bac Tu Liem district. Lan has been living in the locality since 1937 and where he has cast the vote for the NA for the 13th time. I hope that my vote for those candidates will mean that they will make contribution to the nation, with peoples life to get more affluent, Lan said in his traditional custume, also the most beautiful one he often wears when there is special event in the locality. Lan is the first to cast the vote at this ballot. After Lan is 18-year-old voter Nguyen Thai Duong, who cast the vote for the first time in his life, told VIR that he felt proud of having the first opportunity to cast the vote. He is the second to vote at the ballot. We young people are expecting to see a richer nation, with many talented people. We hope that the NA will have high-quality deputies, Duong said. Duong and Lan are among nearly 69.2 million voters throughout the country who on May 23 select 500 deputies to the 15th NA from 866 candidates, and 3,726 out of 6,199 candidates will be selected for provincial-level peoples councils. The elections for peoples councils at district and commune levels are also held. A breakdown of the 866 candidates shows that 393 are women, 185 are members of ethnic minority groups, 74 are non-Party members, 224 are under 40 and 9 are self-nominated candidates. Among the 866 candidates, 204 are seeking re-election to the NA. For the provincial Peoples Councils, voters will select 3,726 representatives from a total of 6,199 candidates, while 22,952 representatives will be picked from 37,468 candidates at the district level. At the commune level, voters will elect 242,312 representatives from 405,244 candidates. Earlier, NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue called on voters nationwide to actively go to the polls to elect the most deserving deputies to the 15th legislature and all-level peoples councils for 2021-2026. He said that voters should be well aware of their role and right to mastery. The selection of voters is the factor that decides the quality and efficiency of elected bodies, contributing to building the legal framework, improving the investment and business environment and promoting socio-economic development as well as to ensuring national defence-security, social welfare and the right to mastery of the people. NA Chairman Hue also added that full-time deputies in the NA, who will account for at least 40 per cent of the total deputies under the 2020 Law on Organisation of the NA, will play the core role in law building, supreme supervision and decision making regarding the country's important issues, helping reforming and enhancing the professionalism of the legislature in the time ahead. Nguyen Viet Chuc, former Vice Chairman of the NAs Committee for Culture, Education, Youth, and Children, said that for Vietnam to realise its development dreams, the NA must be home to excellent deputies with good ethics and profound knowledge in law and socioeconomic affairs. They must be absolutely faithful to the interests of the people as they, on behalf of the people, decide on national vital issues which help the country out of the situation of lagging behind other nations, and gradually materialise its ambition to become a developed nation in the new development period, Chuc said. In 2020, Vietnam surprised the world with its impressive control of COVID-19 and its inspiring economic growth rate of 2.91 per cent in 2019, and an average annual 6.8 per cent in the 2016-2019 period, making the country one of the worlds top 10 nations with the highest growth, and also one of the 16 most successful emerging economies in the globe in 2020. Last year, the economys GDP is estimated to be about VND6.3 quadrillion ($273.9 billion), up by VND263 trillion ($11.43 billion) against 2019, ranking fourth in Southeast Asia, with total export-import turnover of $543.9 billion, up 5.2 per cent on-year fetching a record trade surplus of $19.1 billion, notably in the context of strong decline in global trade. Following are images for the election in some localities in Hanoi National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue is the first to cast ballots at Polling Station No.1 in An Lao township, Hai Phongs An Lao district on May 23 morning. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue was the first to cast ballots to select deputies to the 15th NA and Peoples Councils at all levels in the 2021 2026 tenure at Polling Station No.1 in An Lao township, the northern city of Hai Phongs An Lao district on May 23 morning. Speaking to reporters after voting, Hue, who is also Chairman of the National Election Council and a candidate of Hai Phong, sent his best greetings to people and officers nationwide on the election day when close to 70 million voters are scheduled to cast their votes in more than 80,000 polling stations all over the country. He said he is happy to see a high turnout rate of 99.96 percent during early voting in certain areas in 16 provinces on May 22 with around half a million voters going to the polls, despite the COVID-19 resurgence in many cities and provinces. The voter turnout rate reached 100 percent in 14 out of 16 provinces, he added. The NA Chairman expected the new legislature will bolster reforms to enhance its performance in lawmaking, supervising and decision-making in major issues, and to truly be the highest representative body of the people and the highest organ of State power of Vietnam. Regarding preparations for the elections, Hue said the work was begun early with the National Election Council established much earlier than usual. The elections have been organized thoroughly with the involvement of the entire political system with a high sense of responsibility to overcome the adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to him. Hue took the occasion to express his gratitude towards those who work on the frontline in the fight against COVID-19 healthcare workers, policemen, soldiers and others who still cast their votes while on duty, particularly those in quarantined sites, locked down areas and hospitals. President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, his wife, and Secretary of the HCM City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen cast ballots on May 23 morning (Photo: VNA) HCM City President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his wife joined others voters in Cu Chi town of Cu Chi district, Ho Chi Minh City, in casting ballots on May 23 morning to select deputies to the 15th National Assembly (NA) and all-level Peoples Councils for 2021-2026. Secretary of the HCM City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen also performed his citizen duty at Polling Station No 41 of Constituency No 9 in Cu Chi town. Talking to the press after voting, President Phuc, who is also a candidate of HCM City in the NA election, emphasised the great national solidarity, highlighting the need to further promote solidarity among the people, among religions, as well as among Vietnamese at home and abroad so as to jointly develop Vietnam. He called on the more than 69 million voters nationwide to bring into play the spirit of solidarity and select moral and talented persons to the NA and all-level Peoples Councils. Measures have been applied at the polling station to prevent COVID-19 transmission. Nearly 69.2 million voters nationwide will select 500 deputies to the 15th NA, nearly 4,000 to provincial-level Peoples Councils, almost 23,000 to district-level Peoples Councils, and over 240,000 to communal-level Peoples Councils. Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 15:59:01|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah (R) and Tunisian Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi attend a press conference in Tripoli, Libya, on May 22, 2021. Abdul Hamid Dbeibah on Saturday met with Hichem Mechichi in Tripoli, where they signed an agreement on mutual trade and movement of travelers. (Photo by Hamza Turkia/Xinhua) TRIPOLI, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah on Saturday met with his Tunisian counterpart, Hichem Mechichi, in Libya's capital Tripoli, where they signed an agreement on mutual trade and movement of travelers. The agreement also includes technical cooperation on land, sea and air transportation, as well as activating the work of joint commissions on land and sea transportation, Dbeibah told a press conference following the meeting. The document aims to promote trade and travelers movement between the two countries, Dbeibah explained, confirming that Libya will "spare no efforts to improve development and living conditions of the peoples of the two countries." Dbeibah pledged to support Tunisia against economic impact of COVID-19, confirming that Libya "will take all necessary steps to help Tunisia." "The agreement between the two countries only reflects the closeness of the peoples of the two countries," Mechichi said, expressing his willingness to implement the deal. Earlier in March, Tunisian President Kais Saied paid a visit to Libya, where he discussed bilateral cooperation with Mohamed Menfi, president of the Presidency Council. Saied and Menfi discussed bilateral economic ties, including boosting trade, central banks cooperation, exchange of travelers as well as two-way investment. Enditem Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh casts his vote in Can Tho city on May 23 morning (Photo: VNA) Can Tho Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended a ceremony to start the elections of deputies to the 15th National Assembly and Peoples Councils at all levels in the 2021-2026 tenure and cast his vote at the voting unit No 18 in the southern city of Can Tho on May 23 morning. Talking to the press after voting, the Government leader said he rejoiced to see voters eagerly taking part in the election to exercise their citizen right and duty. The elections are really a festival of the people, contributing to building the socialist democracy and a law-governed State by the people, for the people and of the people, he said. He affirmed that the elections have been held in a democratic, open, transparent and fair manner in accordance with the law. Before and during casting their votes, delegates and voters seriously followed pandemic prevention measures including making health declaration, sanitizing hands, wearing face masks and keeping distance from others. Voters in Can Tho city are to elect seven deputies to the 15th NA among 10 candidates, who also include PM Chinh. 26 members of Thailands womens volleyball team tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, forcing the team to withdraw from the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) tournament held in Italy from May 25 to June 19. All players and staff members on the team accepted the first dose of the Chinese-made Sinovac inactivated virus COVID-19 injection on April 29. As of May 12, 22 players and 4 staff tested positive and were sent to hospital for observation. The Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) will, however, allow Thailand a special exemption to send in ringers for the VNL, according to Bangkok Post. [FIVB] provided Thailand with a special exemption on the publication of its roster to allow the Thailand Volleyball Association time to establish the best and safest way of ensuring that Thailand can compete in this prestigious global event, an FIVB statement said. Thailand is set to take on Japan in its first match on May 25, according to the match schedule. In April, Reuters reported that Thailand had seen six cases of unusual stroke-like side effects in medical personnel who had been injected with Sinovacs offering. Symptoms included drowsiness and numbness in the limbs. No blood clots were found. All six affected individuals were female medical personnel from Rayong Province, east of Bangkok. Experts believe that the symptoms might have been related to the nervous system. Thailand, a country of approximately 70 million people, has so far received 6 million doses from Sinovac, and is expected to receive an additional three million sometime in June. Chinas vaccine diplomacy not met with open arms In January, clinical trials conducted in Brazil had shown Sinovac only had an efficacy rate of 50.4 percent, which is barely above the 50 percent threshold necessary for World Health Organization approval. After results were released, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro had stated that he had been right to question the credibility of Chinas injections, This 50 percent is good, is it? All the [criticism] I got for my comments, and now they are seeing the truth. Four months of being lambasted because of the vaccine, he told supporters outside his residence. Back in October of 2020, Bolsonaro had said on Facebook and Twitter that his people wont be anyones guinea pig at a time when Sinovac was being tested in the country. In April, Chilean authorities released a study showing that the Sinovac vaccine only had an efficacy rate of 16 percent after the first dose. Almost 10.5 million people had participated in the study. The 26 positive-testing members of the Thai team had all taken only one shot of Sinovac. Chile began vaccinating its people with Sinovac in February. On Feb. 1, its daily new positive PCR tests per million was at 207. This peaked at 663 on April 14 and is presently at the 316 level. A report by The Epoch Times on April 11 revealed 14 people in Hong Kong had died after accepting Sinovac; 13 people developed facial paralysis. Turkey began to administer Sinovac around mid-January. At the time, the countrys daily new positive PCR tests per million was approximately 111. On April 18, this peaked at 710 and is now hovering around the 130 level. In April, the director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Gao Fu, admitted during a presentation in the southwestern city of Chengdu that Chinese vaccines had low effectiveness, reported AP. Gao later tried to claim his comment referenced all vaccines in the world, and not particularly for China. No media source currently available The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. U.S. President Joe Biden cited his administration's "quiet, relentless diplomacy" in helping to broker a cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. VOA's Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine reports. Spain, one of the early epicenters the COVID pandemic, has been rushing to get its population vaccinated. Thirty-three percent now have received at least a first dose. But aid agencies and advocates estimate many of the countrys one million undocumented migrants are not getting vaccinated. No media source currently available The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. President Joe Biden toured an electric vehicle plant in Michigan recently, making the case for his $174 billion electric vehicle plan. White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has this report. LONDON, May 20 (Reuters) - An Oxford University college said it would not remove a statue of the 19th century colonialist Cecil Rhodes that has been a target of British anti-racism protests due to high costs and complex heritage planning rules. Oriel College has been under pressure for several years from the "RhodesMustFall" campaign which argues the statue on its facade glorifies racism. The movement stepped up again during last summer's global wave of anti-racism protests. An independent commission set up to investigate the issue had backed the college's original wish to remove the statue. However the college said on Thursday it had now taken into consideration the challenges of removing the statue. It will accept other proposals to improve equality and diversity amongst its students and academics. It will also work on the "contextualisation" of the relationship with Rhodes. The commission noted that the government, which would have a role in approving any removal, had backed a 'retain and explain' approach to contested historic statues and sites. "The Governing Body has carefully considered the regulatory and financial challenges, including the expected time frame for removal, which could run into years with no certainty of outcome, together with the total cost of removal," Oriel said. Neil Mendoza, the Provost of Oriel College, said he understood that the "nuanced conclusion" would disappoint some. Rhodes, a mining magnate, was a central figure in Britain's colonial project in southern Africa, giving his name to Rhodesia, present-day Zimbabwe, and founding the De Beers diamond empire. He expressed racist beliefs and implemented racial segregation measures that paved the way for apartheid. A head of Rhodes was chopped away from its bust at a monument on the slopes of Table Mountain in Cape Town last year. A student at Oriel in his youth, he endowed the Rhodes Scholarships, which have allowed more than 8,000 students from around the world, including former U.S. President Bill Clinton, to study at Oxford. (Reporting by Kate Holton; Editing by Giles Elgood) Eurovision comes to Italy next year. Italy has won the 2021 Eurovision song contest with the winning entry, Zitti e buoni, performed by Rome alternative rock band Maneskin. In a nail-biting finish last night, the group secured 524 points for their performance thanks to a late surge of votes from the public. Clad in leather lederhosen, Maneskin saw off stiff competition from France and Switzerland to clinch Italy's first Eurovision victory in 31 years. Taking to the stage to claim the top prize, the band's frontman Damiano David exclaimed: We just want to say to the whole of Europe, to the whole world, rock and roll never dies! The 65th edition of the contest, which skipped a year due to the covid-19 crisis, took place in front of 3,500 spectators in Rotterdam's Ahoy Arena and was broadcast across Europe and around the globe. The band - the bookies' favourite to come first in the Eurovison - are the third Italian artists to win the European competition after Gigliola Cinquetti in 1964 and Toto Cutugno in 1990. Known for a unique sound fusing punk-funk and glam rock, Maneskin formed in 2016, honing their musical style while busking on the streets of Rome. The band rose to fame the following year, after coming second in the Italian talent show X Factor, before winning the Sanremo Music Festival 2021, Italy's biggest song contest, earlier this year. Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 16:33:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Living in Shinwar district of eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, 32-year-old Mohammad Basir Abid said he is still haunted by the deadly operations in Afghanistan carried out by U.S. troops over the past 20 years. "It was midnight Jan. 13, 2017, and I was in my bed when the blast of the house's gate threw me away from the bed, and I saw American soldiers including some women entering the house, using laser and gunshots in all rooms," Abid said. "The U.S. soldiers first detonated the gate of our house, and after entering the house, started barbaric shooting, killing six members of the family and injuring three others, including my father," he lamented. Abid told Xinhua that the six victims were all children, and the survivors have yet to recover from mental health problems. "Our children are still afraid and crying when they hear gunshots, gunfights or explosions," he muttered, adding the children "can't go to school even after four years have passed since the terrifying scene." The U.S. troops invaded the country following the 9/11 attacks on the United States in 2001. Since then, they have caused more than 30,000 civilian deaths, injured more than 60,000 and caused about 11 million people to become refugees. While the security situation in Afghanistan remains complicated and terrorism keeps festering, U.S. President Joe Biden announced in mid-April that all U.S. troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan before Sept. 11. The military presence of the troops in Afghanistan is "a failure and useless," Abid said. Abid is not the only Afghan suffering from the so-called "friendly fire" the troops have launched in the last two decades. An 18-year-old boy living in Nangarhar's Ghani Khil district, who only gave his first name as Khayaludin, told Xinhua that it was late night a few years ago when the U.S. troops entered his house and "begun indiscriminate shooting on the walls and doors." Apart from shooting at each corner of the house, the troops also threw hand grenades, the teenager said, adding he was too terrified to "remember more" about what happened to his family members that night. According to media reports, the "friendly fire" struck a wedding party in southern Afghanistan's Uruzgan province in July 2002, claiming 30 lives and injuring around 40 people. They also encroached upon a wedding party in Shinwar's neighboring district Haska Mina in July 2008, killing more than 40 civilians, including the bride, the groom and some women and children at the scene. Moreover, they claimed countless lives from Afghan defense and security forces. For example, in mid-2017, 16 policemen were killed during an aerial operation in Gereshk district of southern Afghanistan's Helmand province. "Afghans are still burning in the flames of war initiated by the U.S., and the U.S. left Afghanistan after 20 years of military presence without any comprehensive formula to end the war in our country," Abid said. Produced by Xinhua Global Service Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 17:40:52|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, May 23 (Xinhua) -- At least nine people were injured in an explosion that took place in Iran's central Isfahan province on Sunday, semi-official Mehr news agency reported. The incident took place in Shahinshahr at Nargostar Sepahan Chemical Industries early morning on Sunday, Abbas Abedi, spokesman for the Isfahan Emergency Center, was quoted as saying. Ambulances of the Red Crescent Society have been dispatched to the area, he said, adding that the injured have been sent to a nearby hospital. Investigation is underway into the cause of the incident, he added. Enditem Brian Gregory Robling of Washington, 23, passed away Monday, June 7, 2021. Brian was born July 11, 1997, in Washington, to Amber (Robling) Whiteman and Michael Bernard. He graduated from Washington High School in 2016. Brian is survived by his parents; his son, Zyler Mehrer of Washington; da The boating boom is fuelling demand for a timeshare-style approach to boat ownership as a cheaper, easier alternative to buying a boat. But just as with timeshare, consumers are warned about potential pitfalls, including unfair contracts, difficulties booking the boat and maintenance problems. Uwe and Christine Roehm are happy owners of Currawong, a Beneteau Oceanis 38.1 yacht, which they share with seven others Credit:Steven Siewert Across Sydney there are now boat clubs and syndication networks for everything from tinnies to super yachts catering to sailors and power boat enthusiasts. Groups of friends can form syndicates or it can be managed through one of several companies around Sydney Harbour and Pittwater, including Boat Equity, Boating Partnerships, Boating Syndication Australia and SMART Boating. Buying into a syndicate can cost anything from $45,000 to $145,000 plus monthly fees depending on the boat and the number of other members. The boat itself could be worth $1 million or $2 million. A prominent public policy organisation has briefed a group of diplomats and foreign mission staff on what it says are misleading figures used by the federal government about the scale of Australian greenhouse gas emission reductions. The progressive Australia Institute held the briefing on its analysis for diplomats and staff representing just under 50 foreign missions, including most of the Group of 20 wealthy nations on Thursday in Canberra. Prime Minister Scott Morrison at the start of the White House climate summit in April. Credit:Jessica Hromas The institute told the diplomats that though Prime Minister Scott Morrison told leaders at United States President Joe Bidens climate summit in April that Australia had reduced emissions by more than most other similar economies, once changes in land use were removed from the calculations, national emissions had actually increased by seven per cent since 2005. When emissions reductions from not clearing land for agriculture are included, Australia in 2019 had reduced its emissions by 19 per cent from 2005 levels, meeting Kyoto commitments and putting it on track to meet Paris commitments. Jennie Bardsley is a British-Australian travel agent originally from Greater Manchester and now based in Perth, where her firm British Travel has kept going during the pandemic. Her name is legendary on Facebook support groups for Australians stranded overseas as she has helped more than 1000 people since last year book secure compassionate travel. Every morning the first thing I do is check the main countries for their travel rules, she says. Saudi passengers enter King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, where vaccinated citizens are allowed to leave the kingdom for the first time in more than a year. Credit:AP She is so up to date with the rules, which change so often that on one occasion she contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trades Smart Traveller service to let them know that their information was out of date. Most travel bans imposed by other governments focus on the restrictions around who can enter, rather than if citizens can leave. Loading In fact, researchers at Oxford Universitys Blavatnik School of Government, who compile a Stringency Index measuring the toughness of pandemic restrictions, did not even include outward travel bans or restrictions on citizens returning. We assumed countries would always let their own citizens return, Toby Phillips, executive director of Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker, told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. We even wrote this into our training for data collectors, telling them to only focus on restrictions for non-citizens. Loading Qatar imposed a ban on its citizens leaving the country at the very start of the pandemic, but lifted it by August 1, 2020. It is one of the few countries to have imposed this restriction. Malaysia, which has introduced a new lockdown, currently bans its citizens from leaving, but it also began easing its outward ban in September last year. In February, the country opened a permit system for a broader range of essential travel but not for leisure before reimposing the ban in late March. So why is Australia virtually alone in imposing a North Korean-style ban on its own citizens? Kate Ogg, an associate professor from ANUs College of Law, says that Australia has been able to continue its border bans for three reasons: its geographical luck as a remote island nation; a long-running tough approach to defending its borders; and the fact that the country does not have a human rights act. The government isnt worried about enacting this outward travel ban because there are very few domestic grounds on which to challenge it we dont have a federal human rights act, Ogg said. Theres a big legal lacuna in Australia and also theres no regional framework like in Africa and Europe, which have regional human rights conventions and supernational courts. Theres nothing like that in the Oceania region. Ogg says Australias history of being very militant around border control and in controlling who comes in and who comes out, especially since 2001s Tampa affair, means a large percentage of the Australian population supports the draconian measure. Theres that famous quote from former prime minister John Howard: we will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come and I think that equally applies to leaving. Loading We see this a lot with asylum seekers and refugees about border control and theres a large section of the Australian populace that seems to support it and accept it. New Zealand, which has eliminated COVID-19, never banned outward travel, although it is strongly discouraged. Like Australia, it imposes mandatory hotel quarantine but that is provided free for any New Zealander returning home for more than 90 days and the quarantine spot is tied to their air ticket. This method guarantees citizens their return date. Currently, spaces are not easily available until late July, but there is some capacity later this month. Australia and New Zealand now allow quarantine-free travel between the two countries. The United States is currently advising Americans against travelling to more than 100 countries. The United Kingdom has introduced a traffic-light system permitting quarantine-free travel upon return to green countries, but says Britons should not travel to countries on its red and amber lists. Singapore asks permanent residents to request permission from their employers to leave, but does not forbid its citizens from leaving. However, it says healthcare is not covered if citizens return home with the virus. China, apart from when it imposed strict lockdowns like in Hubei province, does not strictly forbid its citizens from leaving, but strongly urges people against leaving the country, including through its permit system. Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 19:10:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said on Sunday that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) now cannot have access to the records from the cameras monitoring Iran's nuclear activities, official IRNA news agency reported. "We are determined to implement the law of Strategic Action Plan to Counter Sanctions (SAPCS) ... according to (the parliament's) approvals," Qalibaf said. On Feb. 23, Iran halted the implementation of the Additional Protocol to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) according to the SAPCS that mandates Iran's executive branch to stop implementing the additional protocol, as the U.S. anti-Iran sanctions were not lifted. Accordingly, Rafael Grossi, head of the IAEA, and Iranian officials agreed on a three-month monitoring time, during which the IAEA's cameras records could be kept by Iran in the hope that Iran and the world major powers would start negotiations for the revival of the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and the removal of sanctions against Tehran. "The three-month deadline expired on May 22, therefore the IAEA has no right to have access to images and data of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran," said Qalibaf. Grossi currently talks with Iran on extending the monitoring arrangement as the negotiations between the country and world powers are underway in the Austrian capital of Vienna. Enditem Clearly the memorial to the founder of the David Jones department store was looking down at heel. The inscriptions were barely legible, paint was peeling and masonry crumbling in what was certainly a poor legacy to the proud philanthropist who changed the face of retailing in Sydney. The restored inscription inspected by Andrew Mander-Jones, the great-great-grandson of department store founder David Jones. Credit:James Alcock But on Monday the memorial will be unveiled after extensive restoration, 183 years to the day after Welsh-born immigrant David Jones opened his first premises on the corner of George and Barrack streets in Sydneys CBD on May 24, 1838. Two years ago Andrew Mander-Jones, the great-great- grandson of Mr Jones, launched a fundraising campaign to pay for the $22,000 considered necessary to prevent further irreversible decay at the memorial. He was also expecting the David Jones company, now part of South African owned Woolworths Holdings would chip in. Mr Mander-Jones, from Melbourne where David Jones has its head office, went public with his campaign and in a story in the Herald in June 2019 a company spokesperson said they were pleased to hear of the familys restoration plans. We look forward to discussing this with them, they said. The chain store is clearly proud of its heritage Mr Jones is featured on their website and there is a fine oil painting of him. Almost 25 years after the murder of Melbourne mother Jane Thurgood-Dove, police have thrown open the investigation files in the hope members of the public can solve the case. Its one of five cold cases now open to the public in a new online hub, revealed by The Age on Sunday, that aims to shed light on some of the states most baffling unsolved crimes. Helen and John Magill speak about the unsolved murder of their daughter, Jane Thurgood-Dove, at the launch of Victoria Polices cold case hub on Sunday. Credit:Paul Jeffers Ms Thurgood-Doves parents, John and Helen Magill, still hope someone has information on who killed their daughter in the driveway of her Niddrie home in November 1997. Police believe it was a case of mistaken identity. The ongoing time we have dealt with this, 23, nearly 24 years, that is hard, its tough, Mr Magill said on Sunday. Weve toughed it out. Figures from VARTA show that there were only 335 sperm donors available in Victoria at the start of the financial year, down from 424 at the start of 2018-19. There were also fewer sperm donors recruited this year (81) compared with the previous year (128). Monash IVF, which started the worlds first donor program in 1975, recorded a 45 per cent decline in the number of sperm donors in Victoria compared to 2019. There is definitely a sperm drought in Victoria, said Monash IVF group medical director Professor Luk Rombauts. When the pandemic hit in March, Monash IVF had a 90 per cent drop in sperm donor inquiries. Even now, the sperm donor numbers at Monash IVF havent recovered to pre-pandemic levels. Informal sperm donation is seen by some as an easier option because it allows people to bypass the costs and bureaucracy of regulated clinics, where out-of-pocket expenses can range from $900 to $7000, depending on the treatment used. By comparison, syringes that are filled with private donor sperm and used for home insemination cost less than $10. And as more people seek to have children, some Facebook groups and social media apps now have thousands of members each. While many donors are legitimate, others are believed to be breaking Victorian laws that state that donors cannot contribute to more than 10 families. One prolific Australian donor, for instance, is being investigated by VARTA for reportedly surpassing the 10 family cap by donating sperm to an IVF clinic and informally through a Facebook group. The growth of the informal system has renewed calls to make regulated IVF clinics more affordable and to encourage more people to donate. The Andrews government has moved to establish Victorias first public egg and sperm bank, and announced $70 million in its latest budget to establish public fertility care services. According to the government, this will help up to 4000 Victorians every year, saving them on average $10,000 each. IVF clinics require every donor to be screened for infectious diseases such as HIV and donors complete genetic health questionnaires. Clinics require them to provide identifying information for a central register so their offspring can contact them in the future. Weve learnt from many donor-conceived people over the past 40 years that this information is important for them to understand their identity and heritage, said VARTA chief executive Anna MacLeod, who is urging men to donate through IVF clinics instead of informal channels. The informal system can also pose risks not only for women desperate to have a baby and their children, but for men. If natural insemination takes place, the donor may legally become a parent and find themselves liable for child support payments. Men seeking to help couples for altruistic reasons have also been shocked to discover that there is no formal record of their donation. Alan, who does not want to reveal his last name, discovered the pitfalls of informal sperm donation after signing up to an app. Credit:Simon Schluter Alan, who does not want to use his last name, signed up to the Just a Baby app in 2017 because he wanted to give another couple the gift of a baby. He was nearing 50 and hadnt met the woman of his dreams. Its a bit like Tinder, which is a bit frightening, he said of the app, which matches sperm donors with recipients. If you like each others profile you swipe right and you have access to each other. Alan matched with a couple in 2019 and told them he wanted to be kept in the loop about the childs milestones and involved in their life from the moment they requested to meet. After undergoing a range of health checks, he donated sperm to the couple and their first attempt at artificial insemination was successful. But Alan started feeling attached to the baby a few months into the pregnancy and told the couple he wanted to play an uncle-like role in the babys life from the moment she was born. They were unhappy I changed my mind, he said. The couple sent Alan photos of the baby when she was three weeks old and he sent her jumpsuits and a music box. Hes had no contact since. He tried to be put on VARTAs donor conception register so his biological daughter could contact him in the future, but this is not an option under Victorian law because theres no formal documentation of his donation. Now, he says, I still wake up most mornings thinking of her. Informal sperm donation has existed for years in Australia with online platforms such as Yahoo in the 1990s being used predominantly by lesbians and single women to find donors, partly due to the formal system being inaccessible for many people but the unregulated market has grown significantly in recent years. The difference that were seeing now is the very organised nature of it; that its extending outside of the queer community; and that theres a much bigger market, particularly among single women and increasingly couples as well, who are looking for a low-cost version , said Professor Kelly. The Coalition is working on a Premier State strategy to claim victory at the next federal election, with 10 Labor-held marginal seats in the Liberal Partys sights in Prime Minister Scott Morrisons home state of NSW. Female candidates are also a key part of Mr Morrisons strategy, with the Prime Minister telling parliamentary colleagues and party operatives he is determined to increase the number of Liberal women in Parliament. Prime Minister Scott Morrison takes centre stage at Ampols Lytton refinery on Monday. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer The Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age spoke to 11 senior MPs and party officials in battleground states across the country about how the Liberals are preparing for the next election, which is due between August this year and May 2022. In January, Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese outlined the eight target seats in Queensland and four in NSW that Labor is eyeing as its path to victory. Queensland regularly plays a key role in who wins federal elections because of the states propensity to swing big. London: A former BBC journalist found to have deceived Princess Diana in order to secure an explosive interview with her in 1995 has denied he was responsible for a chain of events that led to her death. Martin Bashir told Londons The Sunday Times he believed his actions did not harm Diana. Princess Diana during the BBC interview in November 1995. Credit:AP His comments came as Tony Hall, who was director of BBC news and current affairs at the time of the 1995 interview with Princess Diana, resigned as board chairman of Britains National Gallery. Hall, who subsequently rose to the top job at the BBC, was heavily criticised in a report this week for a botched inquiry into how Bashir obtained the blockbuster interview. In early March, a Boston-based vote-counting firm called Clear Ballot Group sent a bid to Arizonas state Senate to audit the 2020 presidential election results in Maricopa County. The firm has conducted more than 200 such audits over 13 years in business. Our level of comparison data is unmatched, Keir Holeman, a Clear Ballot Group vice president, wrote to the Republican-controlled Senate. He never heard back, he says. Instead, the state Senate hired a small Florida-based cyber security firm known as Cyber Ninjas that had not placed a formal bid for the contract and had no experience with election audits. Senate President Karen Fann says she cant recall how she found the firm, but her critics believe one credential stood out: Cyber Ninjas chief executive officer had tweeted support for conspiracy theories claiming Republican Donald Trump, and not Democrat Joe Biden, had won Maricopa County and Arizona. Now the untested, little-known cyber security firm is running a partly taxpayer-funded process that election experts describe as so deeply flawed it veers into the surreal. Its chief aim, critics say, appears to be testing far-fetched theories, rather than simply recounting votes an approach that directly undermines the countrys democratic traditions. In a letter to Nature magazine published in March 2020, five virologists wrote: Our analyses clearly show that SARS-CoV-2 is not a laboratory construct or a purposefully manipulated virus. As for the theory the virus could have leaked out of the Wuhan lab, McNeil says he regarded it as crazy town. A security person moves journalists away from the Wuhan Institute of Virology after a World Health Organisation team arrived for a field visit in Wuhan in Chinas Hubei province. Credit:AP I was inclined to dismiss it as just another conspiracy theory up there with the idea that Democrats were running a child smuggling ring out of a pizzeria in Washington, he says. The theory seemed almost entirely based on the fact the virus was first identified in Wuhan, home to a major research centre on coronaviruses. This looked more like coincidence than compelling evidence. As with so much in US politics, the issue quickly became polarised along party lines. Republicans promoted the lab leak theory while Democrats dismissed it as just another Trump fabrication. A year later, McNeil is far less confident about his original view on the origins of the virus. In fact, he now thinks the lab leak theory is plausible and becoming increasingly compelling as time goes on. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video In a Medium post published this week, McNeil wrote that the Occams Razor argument whats the likeliest explanation, animal or lab? keeps shifting in the direction of the latter. (McNeil controversially left The New York Times in February after it was revealed he had offended some schoolchildren during a Peru field trip, including by using the n-word during a discussion about racism in America.) The lab leak theory sounds less crazy than it did before and China is certainly acting like they have something to hide, McNeil says. Loading McNeil is far from alone. The lab leak theory, regarded as fringe just a few months ago, has rapidly become mainstream in the United States. Murdoch-owned Harper Collins is publishing a book by The Australians Sharri Markson based on her stories about Wuhan lab theory, which cite a 2015 Chinese paper widely discredited by the scientific community, which suggests that the US exports SARS to China in 2002, triggering that outbreak. Fox News questioned US Republican Homeland Security Committee member Ron Johnson on whether Marksons work showed China was preparing biological weapons for World War III. Does that shock anybody? It certainly doesnt shock me, said Johnson. But many proponents of lab leak theory reject the more lurid hypothesis that the virus was deliberately released by the Chinese government after it was manufactured for bio-warfare. Republican congressman Mike Gallagher says that when Senate colleague Tom Cotton called for the lab leak theory to be investigated last year the American media basically all went out in force and called him a tin foil hat wearing conspiracy theorist. Now we know theres a decent amount of evidence stacking up for the lab leak hypothesis, Gallagher says. In the last few weeks it seems like the dam is breaking - and not just among Republican politicians like me. Scientists and the media are now taking it seriously. Ironically, momentum for the lab leak theory has only grown following the release in March of the World Health Organisation draft report which found it extremely unlikely the virus emerged as a result of a laboratory-related accident. WHO boss Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for more investigation into the lab leak theory, saying that it did not receive the same depth of attention and work as the other hypotheses. Conspiracy theory The lab leak hypothesis began to receive renewed attention in the US in January through a cover story in New York magazine. It was the most detailed piece yet published in the American mainstream media proposing the theory. Loading While deeply researched, it was still possible for cynics to dismiss the piece as an elaborate conspiracy theory. Its author, Nicholson Baker, is best known as a novelist rather than an investigative reporter or science specialist. And it was written in the first person, rather than the more detached style favoured by traditional media outlets. Several scientists slammed it as irresponsible and misleading, saying it had twisted evidence and overhyped the case for the lab leak theory. In May Nicholas Wade entered the fray with an 11,000-word piece published in The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and on Medium. Wade has credentials as a former New York Times science editor and a journalist for Science and Nature magazines. Wade said neither prominent theory that the virus emerged in nature or escaped from a lab had been definitively proved. But it seems to me that proponents of lab escape can explain all the available facts about SARS2 considerably more easily than can those who favour natural emergence, he wrote. By contrast, he argued the natural emergence theory battles a bristling array of implausibilities. His piece, which generated a stir in the scientific community, was followed by a letter on May 14 in Nature by 18 prominent scientists calling for more investigation into the origins of the pandemic following the WHO report. Theories of accidental release from a lab and zoonotic spillover both remain viable, the experts wrote. We must take hypotheses about both natural and laboratory spillovers seriously until we have sufficient data. Loading In his piece, Wade presents several reasons why he believes it is plausible, indeed probable, the virus accidentally escaped from a lab. He points to the viruss remarkably uniform genome structure, something even sceptics of the lab leak theory acknowledge as fact. The uniform structure of SARS2 genomes gives no hint of any passage through an intermediate animal host, Wade writes, noting that the hallmark of lab cultures is uniformity. He then digs into the viruss furin cleavage site, which sits in the middle of the genomes spike protein. As well as exerting great influence on the infectivity of the virus, he says it lies at the heart of the puzzle of where the virus came from. Wade quotes biologist David Baltimore, who won the 1975 Nobel Prize for his work with viruses, saying the structure of the furin cleavage site make a powerful challenge to the idea of a natural origin for SARS2. Perhaps even more important, according the lab leak proponents, is what the world still doesnt know about the virus. Genomic sequencing has shown the coronavirus is 96 per cent identical to RATG13, a genome that was previously found in intermediate horseshoe bats. This sparked the initial theory that the virus must have been passed from bats through another source of wildlife before infecting humans. But after almost 18 months no intermediate host has been found, despite Chinese scientists testing tens of thousands of animals in an attempt to identify it. The search for intermediate hosts has gone on for more than a year now, McNeil says. The Chinese have a very strong incentive to say, Hey, heres the proof this was an animal virus and not a lab leak. They havent presented any. Nevertheless, the WHO report found it likely-to-very likely the virus spilled into humans via an intermediary host species. Loading This remains the view of many scientific experts and the Australian government. The lab leak hypotheses remain speculative and unsupported unlike the hypothesis of natural emergence, which is supported directly by epidemiological, serological and genomic data, Kristian Andersen, a virologist at the Scripps Research Institute, told Politico this week. Robert Garry, a virologist at Tulane Medical School, said: Lab leak scenarios are obviously inconsistent with several established facts regarding the origin of SARS-CoV-2, including the fact that the majority of early cases were linked to different markets that sold wildlife or wildlife products in Wuhan. During a trip to Washington this month, Foreign Minister Marise Payne told the Herald and The Age: We would still say the most likely hypothesis continues to suggest that the virus emerged from wildlife through an intermediate host. Both sides agree more evidence would be useful and the Wuhan Institute of Virologys logs and samples should be opened to outside scrutiny. The historic track in south Louisville turned into a "Country Saloon" for the first Downs After Dark of 2021. Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 20:42:21|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday that Iran will continue nuclear talks in Vienna until a final agreement is reached, official IRNA news agency reported. Despite all the pressures from U.S.-imposed sanctions and "economic war" and the economic consequences of COVID-19 pandemic, Iran's industry has been able to achieve production growth in the past Iranian calendar year ending March 20, Rouhani said. U.S. maximum pressure campaign against Iran has proved "ineffective," he noted, lauding what he called the "triumph" of the Iranian nation in the face of U.S. sanctions. Earlier, Rouhani said the "main agreement" to revive the nuclear deal, commonly known as the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), has already been reached in the talks, and Iran's counterparts have agreed on the need to lift "all main sanctions." The U.S. government under former President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018 and unilaterally re-imposed sanctions on Iran. In response, Iran gradually stopped implementing parts of its JCPOA commitments from May 2019. Incumbent U.S. President Joe Biden has promised to return to the deal and ease sanctions against Iran. The JCPOA Joint Commission began to meet offline on April 6 in Austria's capital Vienna to continue the discussion about a possible return of the United States to the JCPOA and how to ensure the full and effective implementation of the JCPOA. Enditem Kentucky State Police have arrested Tyler Petty 18, on the charges of murder and tampering with physical evidence. Weatherford, TX (76086) Today Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Low 72F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%.. Tonight Partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Low 72F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%. SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- Going on four days of excessive heat and humidity means most people are staying indoors and out of the sun to stay cool. WINDSOR LOCKS Officers had to use stun guns on a man they say repeatedly stabbed a woman, leaving her bleeding profusely and in danger of losing her life, in what police described as a domestic violence incident at a local hotel late Thursday night. By Friday, police announced they had changed the man with attempted murder. Police said they received a call around 10:30 p.m. Thursday about a stabbing at the Candlewood Suites. A hotel guest reported he saw a man and woman struggling outside a room, police said. Police said the caller reported the man was holding a knife and a hotel worker also reported the assault. Officers responded and saw a long blood trail from Candlewood Suites to the rear of Days Inn, which is next to the suites, police said. Officers saw a man in the vestibule of the Days Inn, covered in blood and stabbing the woman as officers tried to confront him, police said. Officers yelled at him to stop, but he yelled back that officers were going to have to kill him, hes not going back to jail, police said. Officers fired a stun gun and the assailant ripped a contact probe from his chest. Another officer fired his stun gun, which had the desired effect. Police said officers found the victim who was bleeding profusely and in danger of losing her life. Officers provided her with medical care for her many wounds until medics arrived and transported her to an area hospital, where police said she underwent surgery. She remained hospitalized on Friday. The man was taken to the hospital for a hand laceration that needed surgery, police said, adding he was hostile and uncooperative during his hospital stay. Police said the investigation indicated both individuals know each other. Police said the incident is being investigated as a case of domestic violence. Detectives and patrol officers worked throughout the night into Friday morning and secured an arrest warrant for the man, identified by police as Victor Virola, 36, of Cabot Street in Hartford. Virola was charged with attempted murder and first-degree assault. He is being held on a $700,000 bond and is expected to be arraigned Monday in Hartford. The investigation is ongoing, but police said there was no danger to the public related to this case. The Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence said survivors of domestic violence looking for services or someone to talk to can visit CTSafeConnect.org or call 888-774-2900. Individuals can also text that number. Its available 24/7. All services are free, voluntary, safe and confidential. Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 20:42:52|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close The European Union recommended on Thursday to open its external borders to non-essential travel into the bloc if travellers have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.#GLOBALink Produced by Xinhua Global Service The views expressed by public comments are not those of this company or its affiliated companies. Please note by clicking on "Post" you acknowledge that you have read the TERMS OF USE and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms. Your comments may be used on air. Be polite. Inappropriate posts or posts containing offsite links, images, GIFs, inappropriate language, or memes may be removed by the moderator. Job listings and similar posts are likely automated SPAM messages from Facebook and are not placed by WFMZ-TV. Danbury Chief Patrick Ridenhour will be the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association's first African American chief to lead the organization. Arlis Dittmer is a retired health science librarian and current president of the Historical Society of Quincy and Adams County. During her years with Blessing Health System, she became interested in medical and nursing historyboth topics frequently overlooked in history. The Historical Society of Quincy and Adams County is preserving the Governor John Wood Mansion, the History Museum on the Square, the 1835 Log Cabin, the Livery, the Lincoln Gallery displays, and a collection of artifacts and documents that tell the story of who we are. This award-winning column is written by members of the Society. For more information visit hsqac.org or email info@hsqac.org GOMA, Congo (AP) Torrents of lava poured into villages after dark in eastern Congo with little warning, leaving at least 15 people dead amid the chaos and destroying more than 500 homes, officials and survivors said Sunday. Residents check the damages caused by lava from the overnight eruption of Mount Nyiragongo in Buhene, on the outskirts of Goma, Congo in the early hours of Sunday, May 23, 2021. Congo's Mount Nyiragongo erupted for the first time in nearly two decades Saturday, turning the night sky a fiery red and sending lava onto a major highway as panicked residents tried to flee Goma, a city of nearly 2 million. (AP Photo/Justin Kabumba) GOMA, Congo (AP) Torrents of lava poured into villages after dark in eastern Congo with little warning, leaving at least 15 people dead amid the chaos and destroying more than 500 homes, officials and survivors said Sunday. The eruption of Mount Nyiragongo on Saturday night sent about 5,000 people fleeing from the city of Goma across the nearby border into Rwanda, while another 25,000 others sought refuge to the northwest in Sake, the U.N. children's agency said Sunday. More than 170 children were still feared missing Sunday, and UNICEF officials said they were organizing transit centers to help unaccompanied children in the wake of the disaster. Goma ultimately was largely spared the mass destruction caused by the volcano's last eruption in 2002. Hundreds died then and more than 100,000 people were left homeless. But in outlying villages closer to the volcano, Sunday was marked by grief and uncertainty. Aline Bichikwebo and her baby managed to escape when the lava flow reached her village, but said both her mother and father were among those who perished. Community members gave a provisional toll of 10 dead in Bugamba alone, though provincial authorities said it was too soon to know how many lives were lost. People stand and take selfies in front of lava from the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo, in Buhene, on the outskirts of Goma, Congo in the early hours of Sunday, May 23, 2021. Congo's Mount Nyiragongo erupted for the first time in nearly two decades Saturday, turning the night sky a fiery red and sending lava onto a major highway as panicked residents tried to flee Goma, a city of nearly 2 million. (AP Photo/Justin Kabumba) Bichikwebo says she tried to rescue her father but wasn't strong enough to move him to safety before the family's home was ignited by lava. I am asking for help because everything we had is gone, she said, clutching her baby. We dont even have a pot. We are now orphans and we have nothing. The air remained thick with smoke because of how many homes had caught fire when the lava came. People gather on a stream of cold lava rock following the overnight eruption of Mount Nyiragongo in Goma, Congo, Sunday, May 23, 2021. Witnesses say Congos Mount Nyiragongo volcano unleashed lava that destroyed homes on the outskirts of Goma but the city of nearly 2 million was mostly spared after the nighttime eruption. Residents of the Buhene area said many homes had caught fire as lava oozed into their neighborhood. (AP Photo/Justin Kabumba) People are still panicking and are hungry, resident Alumba Sutoye said. They dont even know where they are going to spend the night. Elsewhere, authorities said at least five other people had died in a truck crash while they were trying to evacuate Goma, but the scale of the loss had yet to be determined in some of the hardest-hit communities. Residents said there was little warning before the dark sky turned a fiery red, sending people running for their lives in all directions. One woman went into labor and gave birth while fleeing the eruption to Rwanda, the national broadcaster there said. People gather on a stream of cold lava rock following the overnight eruption of Mount Nyiragongo in Goma, Congo, Sunday, May 23, 2021. The volcano unleashed lava that destroyed homes on the outskirts of Goma but the city of nearly 2 million people was mostly spared after the nighttime eruption. Residents of the Buhene area said many homes had caught fire as lava oozed into their neighborhood. (AP Photo/Clarice Butsapu) Smoke rose from smoldering heaps of lava in the Buhene area near the city Sunday. We have seen the loss of almost an entire neighborhood," Innocent Bahala Shamavu said. All the houses in Buhene neighborhood were burned and thats why we are asking all the provincial authorities and authorities at the national level as well as all the partners, all the people of good faith in the world, to come to the aid of this population. Elsewhere, witnesses said lava had engulfed one highway connecting Goma with the city of Beni. However, the airport appeared to be spared the same fate as 2002 when lava flowed onto the runways. Goma is a regional hub for many humanitarian agencies in the region, as well as the U.N. peacekeeping mission. While Goma is home to many U.N. peacekeepers and aid workers, much of surrounding eastern Congo is under threat from myriad armed groups vying for control of the regions mineral resources. Associated Press writer Jean Yves Kamale in Kinshasa, Congo, contributed to this report. ROME (AP) A cable car taking visitors to a mountaintop view of some of northern Italy's most picturesque lakes plummeted to the ground Sunday and then tumbled down the slope, killing 14 people. The lone survivor, a young child, was hospitalized in serious condition with broken bones, authorities said. The wreckage of a cable car is seen on the ground after it collapsed near the summit of the Stresa-Mottarone line in the Piedmont region, northern Italy, Sunday, May 23, 2022. A mountaintop cable car plunged to the ground in northern Italy on Sunday, killing at least five people and sending at least three more to the hospital, authorities said. (Vigili del Fuoco via AP) ROME (AP) A cable car taking visitors to a mountaintop view of some of northern Italy's most picturesque lakes plummeted to the ground Sunday and then tumbled down the slope, killing 14 people. The lone survivor, a young child, was hospitalized in serious condition with broken bones, authorities said. Six of the dead were Israeli citizens, including a family of four who lived in Italy, the Israeli foreign ministry said. It wasn't clear if the other couple was related. The mayor of Stresa, where the incident occurred, said it appeared that a cable broke, sending the car careening until it hit a pylon and then fell to the ground. At that point, the car overturned two or three times before hitting some trees," said Mayor Marcella Severino. Some of those who died were thrown from the cabin. The Italian government announced a commission to investigate the disaster, which is likely to renew questions about the quality and safety of Italys transport infrastructure. Images from the site showed the crumpled car in a clearing of a thick patch of pine trees near the summit of the Mottarone peak overlooking Lake Maggiore. The car was believed to have fallen around 15 meters (50 feet), according to Italian media. Rescuers work by the wreckage of a cable car after it collapsed near the summit of the Stresa-Mottarone line in the Piedmont region, northern Italy, Sunday, May 23, 2022. A mountaintop cable car plunged to the ground in northern Italy on Sunday, killing at least five people and sending at least three more to the hospital, authorities said. (Soccorso Alpino e Speleologico Piemontese via AP) It was a terrible, terrible scene," Severino told Italy's SkyTG24. The plunge on the the Stresa-Mottarone line happened about 100 meters (yards) before the final pylon, said Walter Milan, spokesman for Italys Alpine rescue service. By Sunday evening, the death toll had risen to 14 dead after one of two children taken to Turin's Regina Margherita children's hospital died. The child died after several attempts to restart his heart failed and there was nothing more we could do," said hospital spokesman Pier Paolo Berra. The other young child, who arrived at the hospital conscious, remained in serious condition, authorities said. Rescuers work by the wreckage of a cable car after it collapsed near the summit of the Stresa-Mottarone line in the Piedmont region, northern Italy, Sunday, May 23, 2022. A mountaintop cable car plunged to the ground in northern Italy on Sunday, killing at least nine people and sending at least three more to the hospital, authorities said. (Soccorso Alpino e Speleologico Piemontese via AP) Milan noted that the cable line had been renovated in 2016 and had only recently reopened after coronavirus lockdowns in Italy curtailed travel and forced the suspension of many leisure activities. Milan suggested many families may have flocked to the mountain on a sunny Sunday after months of restrictions. The line is popular with tourists and locals alike to scale Mottarone, which reaches a height of 1,491 meters (4,900 feet) and overlooks several picturesque lakes and the surrounding Alps of Italys Piedmont region. The mountain hosts a small amusement park, Alpyland, that has a childrens rollercoaster, and the area also has mountain bike paths and hiking trails. Rescuers work by the wreckage of a cable car after it collapsed near the summit of the Stresa-Mottarone line in the Piedmont region, northern Italy, Sunday, May 23, 2021. A cable car taking visitors to a mountaintop view of some of northern Italy's most picturesque lakes plummeted to the ground Sunday and then tumbled down the slope, killing at least 13 people and sending two children to the hospital, authorities said. (Italian Vigili del Fuoco Firefighters via AP) Premier Mario Draghi offered his condolences to the families of the victims with a particular thought about the seriously injured children and their families." Sunday's tragedy appeared to be Italys worst cable car disaster since 1998 when a low-flying U.S. military jet cut through the cable of a ski lift in Cavalese, in the Dolomites, killing 20 people. Italys transport minister, Enrico Giovannini, announced a commission to look into the tragedy and said he had already requested data on the maintenance work and inspections done on the line in the past. He planned to visit the site Monday. Rescuers work by the wreckage of a cable car after it collapsed near the summit of the Stresa-Mottarone line in the Piedmont region, northern Italy, Sunday, May 23, 2021. A cable car taking visitors to a mountaintop view of some of northern Italy's most picturesque lakes plummeted to the ground Sunday and then tumbled down the slope, killing at least 13 people and sending two children to the hospital, authorities said. (Italian Vigili del Fuoco Firefighters via AP) While the cause hasnt been determined, the disaster was likely to raise questions about Italys transport infrastructure. In 2018, the Morandi bridge in Genoa collapsed after years of neglect, killing 43 people. In 2009, a freight train carrying gas derailed at the Viareggio station, near Lucca, and exploded, killing 32 people. Poorly maintained axels of the train were blamed. President Sergio Mattarella, in offering his condolences, called for the rigorous respect of all security norms in transportation. Associated Press writer Joseph Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report. MINNEAPOLIS (AP) From COVID-19 to a budget shortfall, or George Floyd 's death to the recent death of a 6-year-old girl from gun violence, the mayor of Minneapolis says his city has experienced one trauma after another this past year and the Black community has felt the most pain. FILE - In this Feb. 17, 2021 file photo, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey addresses the media in Minneapolis. From COVID-19 to a budget shortfall, and from the death of George Floyd to the more recent death of a 6-year-old girl from gun violence, the mayor of Minneapolis says his city has experienced one trauma after another in the last year and the city's Black community has felt the pain the most. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via AP, Pool File) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) From COVID-19 to a budget shortfall, or George Floyd 's death to the recent death of a 6-year-old girl from gun violence, the mayor of Minneapolis says his city has experienced one trauma after another this past year and the Black community has felt the most pain. As Mayor Jacob Frey pushes ahead with a public safety proposal that he says will help keep neighborhoods safe and hold police accountable, he is reflecting on lessons learned and where the city goes from here. "Right now, our city has come and has seen a moment of racial reckoning, perhaps hundreds of years in the making. There is a true acknowledgment that the way we have done things in the past is not acceptable," Frey told The Associated Press this week. "I think the next step that everybody is looking for is to be able to galvanize and channel all of that collective energy and pain and frustration to getting true progress," he said. City leaders have been under pressure to change policing since the May 25 death of Floyd, a Black man who died after then-Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck and pinned him to the ground for about 9 1/2 minutes. FILE - In this March 12, 2021, file photo, Philonise Floyd, George's brother, placed his hand on the shoulder of Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey as Frey walked to the podium to speak during a press conference to announce a $27 million civil lawsuit settlement between the Floyd family and the City of Minneapolis, in Minneapolis. From COVID-19 to a budget shortfall, and from the death of George Floyd to the more recent death of a 6-year-old girl from gun violence, the mayor of Minneapolis says his city has experienced one trauma after another in the last year and the city's Black community has felt the pain the most. (David Joles/Star Tribune via AP) Chauvin was convicted of murder and manslaughter, and three other officers await trial on aiding and abetting charges. The four also face federal charges of violating Floyds civil rights, and the police department is the focus of federal and state investigations into its practices. "Right now, our entire city is recognizing the magnitude of this moment and we are seeing a deep and collective push for change," said Frey, who is seeking reelection this year. Some of Frey's proposals include immediate changes, such as prioritizing funding for additional cameras in high-crime areas. Frey said his plan would also address disparities in traffic stops by committing to ending stops for low-level offenses, such as a busted taillight. Frey believes not every 911 call requires an officer with a gun to respond, and his plan will target resources toward the city's Office of Violence Prevention, as well as address some root causes of crime, such as inadequate housing and job opportunities. Frey and Police Chief Medaria Arradondo have already overhauled the department's use of force policy and expanded criteria for what constitutes use of force, which has led to an increase in use-of-force reports, he said. That has provided more transparency, as well as an opportunity to work with officers and prevent similar conduct in the future. They've also made internal changes to strengthen the disciplinary process, but Frey said issues with arbitration continue to be a roadblock to getting rid of problem officers. "If were really serious about culture shift, this needs to be addressed," he said. Frey's plan also focuses on recruitment; the police department is currently down about one-third of officers. When asked whether the decrease in staffing has led to the recent increase in crime, Frey said attrition has had an impact, but other factors are also at play, including the pandemic, kids not being in school or recreational activities, and a lack of job opportunities. The city is also working on reopening the intersection where Floyd was arrested, known as George Floyd Square. Some activists and residents who serve as unofficial leaders at the square say they won't agree to reopening it unless the city meets a list of demands. Frey said the square will remain focused on racial justice and healing, and that the city is working on long-term plans to memorialize Floyd's legacy, including investing in Black-owned businesses. But, he said, the area has also been harmed by gun violence, and the city needs to provide services. "This is a beautifully diverse community. ... Its a community that deserves to feel safe," he said. After the anniversary of Floyd's death, he said the city will move toward a phased reopening and "safe and peaceful reconnection." Find APs full coverage of the death of George Floyd: https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd This story was first published on May 20, 2021. It was updated on May 23, 2021, to correct that the upcoming Minneapolis mayors race is this year, not in 2022. Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 20:46:26|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close XIAMEN, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Non-alcoholic beverages manufacturer Swire Coca-Cola has invested over 150 million yuan (about 23.3 million U.S. dollars) in the eastern Chinese coastal city of Xiamen to tap the market potential of the city and beyond. The investment includes two programs, the eighth production line and the warehouse expansion in Xiamen, according to Swire Coca-Cola Beverages Xiamen Ltd. The eighth production line was put into operation Friday. It has a production speed of 54,000 bottles per hour, 3,000 per hour more than the lines being used now, and can produce a maximum of 1.3 million bottles per day, the company said. The warehouse expansion program was launched on the same day. The company will build a 13,000 square meters' warehouse to expand the storage capacity. Billy Zhang, director and general manager of the company, said that the investment indicated that the company was confident about the market in Fujian Province, which administers Xiamen, and the whole country. "The new line has adopted the leading technology in the world and we hope it will promote the beverage industry's development in Fujian," he said. Established in 1996, Swire Coca-Cola Beverages Xiamen Ltd. has a total initial investment of nearly 52.74 million U.S. dollars. The company has over 2,000 employees and an annual turnover of 2 billion yuan. Enditem ROVINJ, Croatia (AP) Sun loungers are out, beach bars are open and rave music is pumping. Hotels and restaurants are greeting visitors hoping to get a head start on summer after more than a year of coronavirus lockdowns and travel restrictions. A view at the Adriatic sea from a lounge in Opatija, Croatia, Saturday, May 15, 2021. Croatia has opened its stunning Adriatic coastline for foreign tourists after a year of depressing coronavirus lockdowns and restrictions. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic) ROVINJ, Croatia (AP) Sun loungers are out, beach bars are open and rave music is pumping. Hotels and restaurants are greeting visitors hoping to get a head start on summer after more than a year of coronavirus lockdowns and travel restrictions. Croatia has widely reopened its stunning Adriatic coastline for foreign tourists, becoming one of the first European countries to drop most of its pandemic measures. Now, the ability of people to go there depends on each country's travel rules. The mood is relaxed in the Istria region, the northernmost part of the Croatian coast famous for its pebble beaches, thick pine forests, wine and delicacies such as truffles, olive oil, goat cheese and prosciutto. Hardy anyone wears masks on the streets or in restaurants in the picturesque town of Rovinj. Still-standing limits on indoor dining and rules requiring a set amount of distance between tables are rarely observed. Beach loungers are set for tourists in Opatija, Croatia, Saturday, May 15, 2021. Croatia has opened its stunning Adriatic coastline for foreign tourists after a year of depressing coronavirus lockdowns and restrictions. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic) People are fed up with lockdowns, said Nikola Sandic, a waiter at a seafood restaurant located in a small boat harbor. They have a glass of wine, watch the sea, and that's all they need. Virus cases are dropping in Croatia, and after a slow start to the country's vaccine rollout, inoculations are picking up. Officials predict that some 50% of the population of 4 million will be fully vaccinated by mid-summer. Croatia, a European Union member and a popular vacation destination on the continent, is letting in tourists from the United States, most of Europe and beyond who hold a vaccination certificate, or proof of a negative test or having recovered from COVID-19. Health officials set those measures weeks before the EU moved Wednesday to soon allow fully vaccinated foreign travelers from countries deemed safe into the 27-nation bloc. Croatian tourism officials expect a swell of American visitors, who will be spared the hassle of airport transfers when direct New York-Dubrovnik flights start up, expected in July. Tourism Minister Nikolina Brnjac said her country is applying strict health measures to avoid a repeat of what happened last year, when visitors ignored social distancing on the beaches and in bars, and the tourist season abruptly ended with Croatia facing a surge in coronavirus cases. The country's some 80,000 tourism workers have priority for getting COVID-19 vaccines, and several PCR testing stations will be installed to make it easier for travelers to obtain results they might need to provide when they return home. "It is our duty to provide all the prerequisites for a safe and comfortable trip, as well as predictable vacation planning, she said during a recent webinar on travel safety, In that sense, Croatia is among the first, if not the first, European destination that already applies broader criteria for tourist visits, the same ones that should soon be applied at the EU. Croatia heavily depends on tourism; some 20% of its revenue comes from foreign visitors during the summer. Adriatic resorts like the medieval walled city of Dubrovnik and Rovinj, with its narrow cobble streets and small squares, almost completely depend on tourists. Goran Pavlovic, manager at the tourist board in the seaside resort of Opatija, said that Croatia is ready but the success of its summer season will largely depend on the regulations in other countries, especially if travelers must quarantine once they go home. It will definitively be a challenging year in front of us because of the pandemic situation, Pavlovic said. Croatias tourism workers are optimistic. We finally want to see the smile of the guests without their masks, said Maja Segon, a receptionist at the Hotel Savoy in Opatija. Darko Bandic contributed from Pula, Croatia. FILE - In this May 6, 2021, file photo Maricopa County ballots cast in the 2020 general election are examined and recounted by contractors working for Florida-based company, Cyber Ninjas, at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix. Maricopa County officials on Friday, May 21, directed the Arizona Senate and the auditors it hired to review the county's 2020 election count to preserve documents for a possible lawsuit. (AP Photo/Matt York, Pool, FIle) In early March, a Boston-based vote-counting firm called Clear Ballot Group sent a bid to Arizona's state Senate to audit the 2020 presidential election results in Maricopa County. The firm has conducted more than 200 such audits over 13 years in business. Our level of comparison data is unmatched, Keir Holeman, a Clear Ballot Group vice president, wrote to the Republican-controlled Senate. He never heard back, he says. Instead, the state Senate hired a small Florida-based cybersecurity firm known as Cyber Ninjas that had not placed a formal bid for the contract and had no experience with election audits. Senate President Karen Fann says she can't recall how she found the firm, but her critics believe one credential stood out: Cyber Ninjas' chief executive officer had tweeted support for conspiracy theories claiming Republican Donald Trump, and not Democrat Joe Biden, had won Maricopa County and Arizona. Now the untested, little-known cybersecurity firm is running a partly taxpayer-funded process that election experts describe as so deeply flawed it veers into the surreal. Its chief aim, critics say, appears to be testing far-fetched theories, rather than simply recounting votes an approach that directly undermines the country's democratic traditions. If I give you 20 M&Ms, and you want 30, you can keep counting it, but you did not get 30 M&Ms, said David Becker of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, a former Department of Justice voting rights attorney and elections expert. This is not an effort to find the truth." Experienced vote counters have watched the process in shock. Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, said this week Maricopa County will need to replace all of its election machines because their security has been permanently compromised by the auditors. Experts note the review isnt following standard recounting procedures and, unlike with other election audits in Arizona, members of each major political party are not at each table observing the counting. The auditors are checking for bamboo fibers to test a theory that tens of thousands of fake ballots were shipped from Asia. A onetime treasure hunter who claims to have invented a new method to automatically spot ballot fraud says his technology is being used in the review. It's become too much for some Republicans. The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, all but one of whom are Republicans, this week accused Republicans in the Senate of having rented out the once-good name of the Arizona Senate to grifters. Your auditors are in way over their heads, the board wrote in a letter. Cyber Ninjas' defenders say they're creating a template for a re-examination of the election in every battleground state Biden won. Trump allies have already called for similar operations in Georgia. And criticisms about the firm's lack of election experience are hollow, its advocates argue, because the Arizona audit is unprecedented. This is an audit like none that has ever been performed, said Patrick Byrne, the former chief executive officer of Overstock.com who has been raising money for the audit. This audit is an audit check for all forms of mischief. The man running the operation, Cyber Ninjas chief executive officer Doug Logan, declined through his spokesman to be interviewed. He has only answered questions from reporters in public once, during a contentious press conference last month. There's a lot of Americans here, myself included, that are really bothered at the way our country's being ripped apart right now, Logan said. If we go through here and we don't find any fraud, I will be ecstatic. Maricopa County has already conducted two audits, which found no problems with the count in the state's most populous county. At the urging of Trump supporters, the Senate insisted on a third and subpoenaed more than 2 million ballots from the county. When the Senate leader went looking for an elections firm to do the work, she did not put together a formal request for proposal, as is typical for government contracts. Fann said she and her staff reached out to several firms and got two bids back the one from Clear Ballot Group for $450,000 and the other from a cybersecurity group called Intersec Worldwide. Fann said she preferred the Intersec proposal, but balked at an $8 million price tag. In an interview, she said she could not recall who had referred her to Cyber Ninjas. To be honest with you I cant even tell you exactly what path led me there, Fann said. But Fann had tapped into a loose network of computer security experts who had become active in pro-Trump election conspiracy theories. In a self-published book written this year, Byrne dubbed the group cyber ninjas a term used by so-called white hat hackers who defend against online intrusions. Byrne told AP that, in December, he and Logan crossed paths in a few places. But Byrne said he wasn't involved in the audit bid and does not know Logan well. Logan, 42, in December had tweeted and retweeted references to the conspiracy theory that voting machines were hacked to switch votes from Trump. The parallels between the statistical analysis of Venezuela and this years election are astonishing, Logan tweeted, with a #StoptheSteal hashtag that referenced the pro-Trump movement seeking to overturn the election. Logan also served as an expert witness in a pro-Trump lawsuit raising conspiracy theories about the election in Antrim County, Michigan. Another cybersecurity professional who filed an expert witness affidavit in that case, Ben Cotton, was a partner on the Intersec proposal. Cotton's own firm, CyFIR, which did not respond to a request for comment, is now a subcontractor on the Arizona audit. The Senate agreed to pay Cyber Ninjas $150,000 in state money, but it is not clear how much more the audit will cost and who is paying for it. The pro-Trump One America News Network raised $150,000 in a single day in April and has continued to ask for donations. Byrne has also started a fundraising drive with a group that says it has raised $1.7 million with a goal of $2.8 million. Neither will have to disclose donors or account for how the money is spent, and Logan has declined to detail financial information. Byrne's organization is also involved in recruiting volunteers. The audit's liaison with the Senate sent an email to local Republicans last week asking for more volunteers and referring them to the website of Byrne's organization's to apply. Byrne said his group simply refers volunteers to Cyber Ninjas for vetting. The email was first reported by The Arizona Republic. Logan started Cyber Ninjas in 2013 in Indiana after working for two years for a cybersecurity firm called Cigital, according to his LinkedIn profile and Cyber Ninja press releases. He moved his firm from Indiana to Sarasota in 2014, according to the Cyber Ninjas website, which quotes Logan describing the firm as a Christian company. Last year, when Cyber Ninjas received $98,000 in federal COVID relief money, it claimed five employees. At a public presentation last week, Logan cited as part of his qualifications that his firm worked with some of the largest names in the financial services space. Two of the companies he lists as former clients in his expert witness statement, Citibank and JP Morgan Chase, said through spokespeople that they have no record of hiring Cyber Ninjas. Logan's scant public record before the audit was a history of volunteering for the U.S. Cyber Challenge, a training event for internet security amateurs and professionals. In 2015, Logan received an award from the security firm SANS for his volunteerism with the event, John Pescatore, the SANS employee who oversees the award program, said Logan was cited mainly for designing an online capture the flag game where players try to hack into an opponent's base. It takes a lot of work, said Pescatore of Logan's volunteering. He added he doesn't know Logan but Cyber Ninjas has a good reputation for testing companies' systems for vulnerabilities, its market niche. A spokesman for the U.S. Cyber Challenge did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Logan is not the only person associated with the effort to overturn the 2020 election who is working on the audit. Jovan Pulitzer, an inventor who unsuccessfully pushed for a post-election audit in Georgia, has said his technology is being used to detect altered ballots. Pulitzer is also a former treasure hunter and author of a series of books on lost treasures, including one titled How to Cut Off Your Arm and Eat Your Dog. In 2000, he developed a barcode scanner called Cuecat that purported to link print magazine ads to the internet. It was later named one of the 50 worst inventions of all time by Time magazine. Bob Christie in Phoenix contributed to this report. PARIS (AP) France may introduce stricter coronavirus restrictions for British visitors when tourism reopens this summer to prevent the spread of a worrying virus variant first detected in India and causing concern in Britain, authorities said Sunday. French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with local residents during a visit to mark the reopening of cultural activities after closures during the Covid-19 pandemic, in Nevers, central France, Friday, May 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, Pool) PARIS (AP) France may introduce stricter coronavirus restrictions for British visitors when tourism reopens this summer to prevent the spread of a worrying virus variant first detected in India and causing concern in Britain, authorities said Sunday. The possibility of tighter restrictions for British tourists was raised Sunday by Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. The minister suggested that Britain could be put in a health category of its own, somewhere in between the strictest measures that France is imposing on visitors from India and 15 other countries, and more relaxed requirements being readied for visitors from the European Union and some other countries. Without giving specifics, Le Drian said health measures that are a bit stronger could be applied for British tourists. The minister indicated that the government in Paris is watching how the situation develops before making up its mind. We hope that the variant can be controlled in a country which experienced real failures during the pandemic," he said. However, the arrival of the Indian variant and the increase of cases of Indian variant in the United Kingdom pose a problem and so we are vigilant about this (and) in contact with the British authorities, he added. It wont be the red treatment if we have to do it. It will be an intermediate treatment, the minister said. "But it is not excluded this springs to mind because of British tourists that we have health measures that are a bit stronger. From Sunday, Germany already started requiring people arriving from the U.K. to go into quarantine for 14 days. The decision announced last Friday responded to the spread in Britain of the Indian variant. Under the tighter rules, airlines and others will also only be able to transport German citizens and residents from Britain. Follow APs pandemic coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak TORONTO - Five things to watch for in the Canadian business world in the coming week: The Ottawa headquarters of Canadian e-commerce company Shopify are pictured on Wednesday, May 29, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang TORONTO - Five things to watch for in the Canadian business world in the coming week: Victoria Day Holiday Its a short work week as the country, including the Toronto Stock Exchange, gets Monday off for the Victoria Day holiday on Monday. Suncor Investor Day Suncor will host an online Investor Day on Wednesday. The energy producer is one of five companies identified in a recent report that are expected to generate about $60 billion in net cash flow over the next two years and spend only half of it on dividends and capital expenditures, leaving the rest for debt repayment and sharing with shareholders. Latest from Shopify Shopify Inc. will hold its annual general meeting on Wednesday. Chief executive Tobi Lutke and president Harley Finkelstein said in April that they believe the shift toward online sales triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic is here to stay. Via Rail AGM Via Rail holds its annual public meeting on Thursday. The railways recent investment in the densely populated Toronto-Montreal corridor was cited by an academic as a contributing factor to the demise of Greyhound Canada, which ceased operations earlier this month. Bank earnings Bank earnings kick off on Wednesday with BMO Financial Group holding a Q2 conference call. CIBC and TD follow on Thursday and National Bank on Friday. The Big 6 banks all reported better-than-expected profits in the three months ending Jan. 31, as provisions for credit losses fell and net income climbed from the same period last year, before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 23, 2021. TEHRAN, Iran (AP) Irans parliament speaker said Sunday that international inspectors may no longer access surveillance images of the Islamic Republics nuclear sites, escalating tensions amid diplomatic efforts in Vienna to save Tehran's atomic accord with world powers. FILE - In this May 28, 2020, file photo, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, center, is surrounded by a group of lawmakers after being elected as speaker of the parliament, in Tehran, Iran. Iran's parliament speaker says international inspectors may no longer access images of the Islamic Republic's nuclear sites. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File) TEHRAN, Iran (AP) Irans parliament speaker said Sunday that international inspectors may no longer access surveillance images of the Islamic Republics nuclear sites, escalating tensions amid diplomatic efforts in Vienna to save Tehran's atomic accord with world powers. The comments by Irans parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, aired by state TV, further underscored the narrowing window for the U.S. and others to reach terms with Iran. The Islamic Republic is already enriching and stockpiling uranium at levels far beyond those allowed by its 2015 nuclear deal. Regarding this, and based on the expiration of the three-month deadline, definitely the International Atomic Energy Agency will not have the right to access images from May 22, Qalibaf said. May 22 was Saturday. Hours later, however, a website called Nournews that's believed to be close to Iran's Supreme National Security Council quoted an anonymous official suggesting Tehran's deal with the IAEA could be extended another month. The International Atomic Energy Agency had said its director-general would brief reporters later Sunday in Vienna. The United Nations agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Under what is called an Additional Protocol with Iran, the IAEA collects and analyzes hundreds of thousands of images captured daily by its sophisticated surveillance cameras, the agency said in 2017. The agency also said then that it had placed 2,000 tamper-proof seals on nuclear material and equipment. Irans hard-line parliament in December approved a bill that would suspend part of U.N. inspections of its nuclear facilities if European signatories did not provide relief from oil and banking sanctions by February. The IAEA struck a three-month deal with Iran to have it hold the surveillance images, with Tehran threatening to delete them afterward if no deal had been reached. It wasn't immediately clear if the images from February had been deleted. Before Qalibafs remarks, lawmaker Ali Reza Salimi urged an open session of parliament to ensure Irans civilian nuclear arm erased the images. The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran did not immediately comment on the decision. Order the head of the Atomic Energy Organization to avoid delay," said Salimi, a cleric from Iran's central city of Delijan. The recorded images in the cameras should be eliminated." It also wasn't clear what this meant for in-person inspections by the IAEA. There are 18 nuclear facilities and nine other locations in Iran under IAEA safeguards. Qalibaf said Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say on all matters of state, supported the decision. In 2018, then-President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. unilaterally out of the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. An escalating series of incidents since Trumps withdrawal has threatened the wider Mideast. Over a year ago, a U.S. drone strike killed a top Iranian general, causing Tehran to later launch ballistic missiles that wounded dozens of American troops in Iraq. A mysterious explosion also struck Irans Natanz nuclear facility, which Iran has described as sabotage. In November, Iranian scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who founded the countrys military nuclear program some two decades earlier, was killed in an attack Tehran blames on Israel. Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Caroline Granger, founder/winemaker of The Grange of Prince Edward Vineyards and Estate Winery poses for a portrait in her field of Victoria block chardonnay at her vineyard in Hillier, Ont., on Friday, May. 21, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Lars Hagberg Caroline Granger couldn't imagine a worse year for her small winery. Granger said that the COVID-19 pandemic has damaged almost every aspect of The Grange of Prince Edward Vineyards and Estate Winery in Hillier, Ont., which she runs with her daughter. "I'm a farmer and a worrier and I love to make up all the bad things that could possibly happen and I could never imagine such a perfect storm," she said. Granger estimates that in a typical year 50 per cent of her revenue comes from retail sales, either at local liquor stores, restaurants, or from wine enthusiasts visiting her farm and purchasing bottles after a tasting. But Ontario's ongoing COVID-19 restrictions have prevented her from hosting oenophiles and the restaurants she partners with are closed for in-person dining. That leaves the LCBO and online sales as income sources. At the same time, the grapes still have to come off the vine. Most of the 180 wineries in Ontario are family-run operations with fewer than 20 employees. The Grange, like many of Ontario's wineries, relies on migrant workers to help bring in her crops but travel restrictions have made that challenging. On top of that, Granger's usual crew of labourers lives on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent, which was rocked by a volcanic eruption last month, endangering the lives of employees she now considers family. "Maybe what I should be doing is prepping for a plague of locusts because it's been a pretty wild ride," said Granger. According to Vintners Quality Alliance Ontario, wineries in the province's wine-producing regions contribute to 18,000 jobs with a total economic benefit of more than $4 billion per year. Every bottle of VQA wine sold generates $98.20 in economic benefit for the province. Ontario's larger wineries haven't escaped the financial crush either. J. Murray Souter, the CEO and president of Lakeview Wine Co. in Niagara-on-the-Lake, said that about 40 per cent of his business traditionally comes from exports and restaurant sales, two revenue streams that have been evaporated by the pandemic. He said he hopes that there is some level of reopening to Ontario's economy this summer, but that he recognizes that some safety protocols will stay in place for the foreseeable future. Souter said he looks forward to people visiting Ontario's three wine regions Lake Erie North Shore, Niagara Peninsula, and Prince Edward County this summer as wine tourism generates $850 million per year for the province. "It's been a desert down there over the past 12 months," said Souter. "We'd traditionally have five or six thousand people visit our winery over the course of a week in the summer and we haven't had that many over the past year." Ed Madronich, president of Flat Rock Cellars in Jordan, Ont., said that the pandemic has made him evolve his business model. "It's forced us to get online, get online quickly, and make sure we're communicating and facilitating people being able to buy our wine," said Madronich. "We saw a real growth in that particularly at the beginning of COVID, but it's not the same a year later, (sales are) definitely down from last year." Although Granger and Souter operate at different scales, they both said they would like to see the provincial government adjust how wine is taxed in Ontario. "The reason the Spanish can land a bottle of wine in this country at $7.95, which means they're shipping it out at $2.50, is because they subsidize the industry," said Souter, who is also the vice-chair of the Winery Growers of Ontario. "Either create a barrier for them dumping their product here or support us at the same level their governments support their industry." This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 23, 2021. NEW YORK (AP) Eight days after Donald Trump turns 75 next month, New York City voters will cast their last ballots in an election that's sure to have consequences for the former president. FILE - In this Monday Feb. 24, 2020 file photo, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., speaks after a verdict in the Harvey Weinstein rape trial in New York. On June 22, 2021, Democrats will be voting in a party primary for Manhattans next district attorney. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, File) NEW YORK (AP) Eight days after Donald Trump turns 75 next month, New York City voters will cast their last ballots in an election that's sure to have consequences for the former president. Its not another White House run, but a vote in the Democratic Party primary for Manhattans next district attorney the person who would likely end up handling prosecution if an ongoing investigation of Trump's business finds criminal wrongdoing. The current district attorney, Cyrus Vance Jr., is leaving office at the end of the year, meaning there's a good chance he'll pass the two-year probe to his successor. The matter of who will take over has taken on new urgency after the announcement this week that the state attorney generals office had joined the DA's Trump criminal investigation a sweeping look at hush-money payments, property valuations, tax strategies, executive compensation and other dealings. In a solidly Democratic borough, the partys June 22 primary is highly likely to decide the winner. The eight candidates have made clear they're not afraid of taking on the former president, but most have been cautious to stay away from overtly anti-Trump rhetoric. "While I cant say what I will specifically do without seeing all the facts and the evidence, if Donald Trump or any of the Trumps committed crimes in Manhattan, I will prosecute them," said candidate Eliza Orlins, a public defender who once appeared as a contestant on "Survivor." "It is more vital now than ever, that the office of the district attorney be understood not to be a political office, that the district attorney not be perceived to be in bed with anyone," said another candidate, Lucy Lang, a former assistant district attorney and former director of John Jay Colleges Institute for Innovation in Prosecution. The robust field includes three former prosecutors in the Manhattan district attorney's office Lang, Liz Crotty and Diana Florence and two former federal prosecutors, Tali Farhadian Weinstein and Alvin Bragg. Three candidates have never been prosecutors, including Orlins, civil rights lawyer Tahanie Aboushi and state Assembly member Dan Quart. No obvious frontrunner has emerged in the crowded field. The Trump investigation, which the former president has decried as a "witch hunt," carries major implications for his political future and the fate of his company. Trump isn't the only topic of discussion in the race, amid reignited concern over street crime and the ongoing debate about criminal justice and the role of prosecutors, renewed in the wake of the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd a year ago. "At the beginning of the race, maybe last year, a lot of folks thought that Trump would be a primary talking point, but he doesnt really seem to be the main issue in this crop of candidates," said Christina Greer, political science professor at Fordham University. "Hes in a long list of issues, but crime and how the DA will prosecute particular cases seem to be the more prescient issues." The city has seen more than 155 homicides since the start of the year, the highest number for that period since 2011. Other major crime categories, including robberies, burglaries and felonious assaults, remain largely where they were before the coronavirus pandemic. The race could decide whether the next district attorney will continue criminal justice reforms, which in recent years have included scaling back drug prosecutions and locking up fewer defendants for long periods while they await trial. Crotty has racked up endorsements from law enforcement unions, who see her as the candidate most focused on public safety. Other candidates have garnered support from reform-minded activists and organizations. Vances office said he will continue to lead the Trump investigation through the end of his term. He has hired former mafia prosecutor Mark Pomerantz to assist in the probe and, in February, obtained eight years of Trumps tax returns, ending a lengthy legal fight. Vances former chief assistant district attorney Daniel R. Alonso, who is not a candidate, said its vital that the Trump case is left "in the hands of somebody who knows what theyre doing, whos competent, whos experienced, who has judgment and who doesnt think politically." "Frankly I dont think the voters are focusing enough on this issue," said Alonso. The candidates have, at the very least, sought to telegraph that they won't go easy on the powerful. Orlins knocked Vance for declining to bring charges against Trump's two eldest children, Ivanka and Donald Jr., in 2012 after investigating allegations they defrauded clients in a Manhattan condominium project. Vance concluded there was insufficient evidence of a crime. "I think that we might not be in this situation that were in we might never have had a President Donald J. Trump if Cy Vance had done this earlier, if he had brought those cases and not declined to prosecute," Orlins told The Associated Press. Vance's decision in the earlier Trump investigation was one of several cases in his 12-year tenure where critics say he caved to powerful interests. Vance was criticized for dropping rape charges against French financier Dominique Strauss-Kahn in 2011, declining a chance to prosecute Harvey Weinstein in 2015, five years before his eventual conviction, and striking a deal in 2016 with a well-connected gynecologist to avoid prison for allegedly sexually abusing patients. Bragg said he would do away with what he deemed the office's "two systems of justice." Aboushi said shell "never put a badge or bank account above the law." Crotty said: "It comes down to what are the facts of your case, and it doesnt matter how powerful the person is, its how powerful your facts are." Farhadian Weinstein has touted her experience taking on complex white collar cases. Florence has talked similarly about her record prosecuting real estate and construction fraud, saying she's in "best position" to continue the Trump investigation. "Im not intimidated by anyone," Farhadian Weinstein said in an interview. "We are all equal under the law and that doesnt change if you go on to occupy a position of power including the power of the presidency." Quart said: "If there is evidence a serious crime has been committed, I would certainly prosecute, and that would be true for the president as much as its true for anyone else." __ Follow Michael Sisak on Twitter at twitter.com/mikesisak and send confidential tips by visiting https://www.ap.org/tips Writer Brenda Suderman and photographer Mike Deal continue to share stories and photos from inside the vaults and hidden corners of the citys community-run museums. Recently they visited Seven Oaks House Museum at 50 Mac St., located midway between Main and Scotia Streets in West Kildonan. Considered the oldest house in Winnipeg, the property was completed in 1853 for John and Mary Inkster and their children. The nine-room Georgian style house, known for its large porches, cedar-shingled roof and symmetrical appearance, housed family members until the death of daughter Mary in 1912, who willed the large property to the City of Winnipeg. The museum operates on donations and a grant from the City of Winnipeg, which also maintains the surrounding green space. Writer Brenda Suderman and photographer Mike Deal continue to share stories and photos from inside the vaults and hidden corners of the citys community-run museums. Recently they visited Seven Oaks House Museum at 50 Mac St., located midway between Main and Scotia Streets in West Kildonan. Considered the oldest house in Winnipeg, the property was completed in 1853 for John and Mary Inkster and their children. The nine-room Georgian style house, known for its large porches, cedar-shingled roof and symmetrical appearance, housed family members until the death of daughter Mary in 1912, who willed the large property to the City of Winnipeg. The museum operates on donations and a grant from the City of Winnipeg, which also maintains the surrounding green space. Hidden in plain sight for decades, a chance discovery inside a book at the citys oldest house provides some tiny and illustrative details about 19th-century life at Seven Oaks House. Last summer, a seasonal employee at the community-run museum was examining a theological book stored on the museums bookcase when she found tiny flowers pressed between the pages, probably by Harriet Inkster McMurray, daughter of the family who built the house 160 years ago. "As we were leafing through the book, we found little pieces of embroidery thread and dried flowers that were squished between the pages of the book," explained Eric Napier Strong, curator and manager of Seven Oaks House Museum. Eric Napier Strong, curator and manager of Seven Oaks House Museum, says the history of Winnipeg and Manitoba is all right here in this place. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press) One of nine children of John and Mary Sinclair Inkster, Harriet attended a private girls school for daughters of the Selkirk settlers, where she was instructed in subjects such as music, drawing, and needlework. (The northern Alberta community of Fort McMurray was named after her husband William, a factor with the Hudsons Bay Company.) Because of their delicate nature, those tiny fragments of what is likely her homework wont ever be on display in the stately two-storey Georgian-style house, said Strong, but they do provide context for some other artifacts. Usually open from the May long weekend to Labour Day, the museum is currently closed due to provincial health orders. Seven Oaks House Museum is located at 50 Mac St. in West Kildonan. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press) During their first pandemic summer, Strong and two seasonal staff prepared window displays on the main floor windows so visitors could see artifacts from the exterior, and also offered walking tours of the three-acre property, now run as a park by the City of Winnipeg. "As soon as it is possible to open, we will have people inside," said Strong about plans for 2021. Home to about 3,000 artifacts, some belonging to the Inkster family and others collected to represent the time period of the house, the museum is more than a collection of items. Each room is furnished to a different period, starting with the familys original 1820s era log cabin at the north end, repurposed to serve as the kitchen for the big house. A book of Harriet Inksters with a date of June 4, 1867, written on the inside cover. Pieces of embroidery thread and flowers were pressed between its pages. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press) "People often forget that the house itself is the biggest artifact and its the most important one and the hardest to take care of," Strong said, referring to the historically accurate paint and plaster finishes required to maintain the integrity of the provincial heritage site. Once inside, visitors can admire the 19th-century parlour, furnished with an imported piano, several chairs or lounges and a unique if uncomfortable looking buffalo horn chair sporting nine pairs of horns in graduated sizes. Walls are decorated with a variety of artwork, some likely made by the Inkster family or close relatives. Two framed wreaths of dried maple leaves and flowers, as well as black silk embroidered pillows lining the couch, date back to the same era as the tiny petals pressed inside Harriets book, said Strong. A bison horn chair believed to have been made around 1895-1905 on Piapot First Nation, Saskatchewan, was donated by a local resident to Seven Oaks House Museum. Embroidery patterns taught to Harriet and other 19th-century girls in the Red River Colony probably later translated into beadwork designs, said Strong of the connection between settler and Indigenous handwork. "They took these new designs and thats what created beadwork (designs)," he said. Those little details on the inside of the stately river-facing nine-room home, constructed from square-hewn logs, and featuring porches on three sides, speak to a more nuanced story of its earliest residents, said Strong. A flower and plant arrangement believed to have been made by Harriet Inkster. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press) "This house used to be presented as a white persons house and Metis and Indigenous history was not talked about," he said, referring to the family history of matriarch Mary Sinclair Inkster. She was born in Oxford House in 1804 to Hudson Bay Company trader William Sinclair and Nahoway (baptized Margaret Sinclair), a woman of Metis and Swampy Cree ancestry. Mary married John Inkster in 1826, two years after moving to the Red River Settlement, and the couple built a log cabin on the west side of the Red River. John Inkster, nicknamed Orkney Johnny, received a large land grant of 291 acres from HBC in 1835. The family moved into Seven Oaks House in 1853, splitting their previous log cabin into a kitchen for their new house and a general store/post office building, now located just south of the house. Cushions with beadwork that belonged to Harriet Inkster. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press) Strong speculates Mary Inkster likely taught her daughters some traditional quillwork and beadwork and also encouraged their artistic pursuits. "At home, the women carry on the family tradition," he said, referring to floral patterns embroidered or beaded on everyday objects, including a watch pocket embroidered in silk on caribou hides. Son Colin Inkster literally carried that tradition as well, in the form of an embroidered caribou hide tobacco pouch trimmed with silk velvet and marked with his initials. Floral quillwork on that might have been used as a letter case. The vibrant colours are sensitive to light. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press) "You get the idea he wasnt ashamed of his heritage," said Strong of the longtime sheriff and founding member of the Manitoba Historical Society. "He carried an embroidered tobacco pouch every day of his life." Patriarch John Inkster left his mark on the house, employing his masonry skills learned in his native Orkney Islands to lay the stone foundation for the big house and building furnishings for it. The museum features four of his pieces: an armchair, day bed, an oak-framed upholstered sofa originally stuffed with horsehair and now in the process of being restored, and a tall breakfront for the dining room. Measuring 162 centimetres tall, Inkster built the piece from locally milled aspen and spruce and stained it to look like rosewood. A fire screen made with bead and wool embroidery from the late 19th century on display. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press) "That is the interesting part of this house," explained Strong. "We have the beadwork, we have the art the women in the family made, and we have the woodwork," Todays visitors may not be surprised to see a couch inside such a large and luxurious house, but that piece of furniture speaks to the familys wealth and status during the early days of European settlement in what is now Manitoba, said Strong. A leather tobacco pouch that belonged to Colin Inkster. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press) "The idea of having leisure time with your family is not common," Strong said of what is considered to be the oldest couch in Manitoba. "So it would only have been wealthy families who had something like that." Despite those pieces, Strong intends Seven Oaks House Museum to stand as more than a monument to a wealthy Scottish-born businessman, who originally signed on as a labourer for Hudsons Bay Company and went on to run a freight business, flour mill and general store. He would like the home to tell the story of Mary Sinclair Inkster and her children and the early days of what would become the City of Winnipeg. A beadworked tobacco pouch. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press) "For me, its really important to celebrate the whole story," he said of telling both the Indigenous and settler aspects to the family history. "Its not one or the other but making up for lost time and celebrating both." A recent archeological dig uncovered more of the Indigenous history, revealing decorated pre-contact Indigenous artifacts and discarded bison bones near a large tree in the front yard. That discovery adds another chapter to the story of Seven Oaks House, named for a nearby creek and a stand of long-gone oak trees, and near the site of an 1816 battle between two rival fur trading companies. Now located within a public green space for Winnipeg residents, the house is more than a museum piece, but a living part of the citys streetscape, said Strong. "In a lot of ways, that is the history of Manitoba, that is the history of the city and its all right here in this place." brenda@suderman.com Two cabinet ministers who have connections to Springs Church have publicly denounced an in-person convocation ceremony held for 2021 graduates of a Winnipeg college run by the congregation. Two cabinet ministers who have connections to Springs Church have publicly denounced an in-person convocation ceremony held for 2021 graduates of a Winnipeg college run by the congregation. Premier Brian Pallister, however, was not as quick to condemn an event that appears to have broken several public health orders when pressed on the subject Saturday. "Ill certainly look forward to finding out whats actually happened before I comment, but, obviously, if there are violations, I would expect that there would be consequences for that and it would be most unfortunate," Pallister said during a news conference held Saturday at 11 a.m. Photos of unmasked graduates from Springs College in close quarters which were originally posted on the @springschurch Instagram account this week and have since been deleted have sparked outrage on social media in recent days. One of the images shows nearly 20 students who are not wearing masks gathered on and near an indoor stage with a graduation backdrop. Meantime, most post-secondary graduates in the province will be celebrating convocation at virtual events this spring. The church did not respond to repeated requests for comment on the matter, but a video of pastor Leon Fontaine defending the ceremony was posted on social media late Saturday night. In the video, Fontaine said there have been "a lot of misrepresentations and outright false statements" about the colleges drive-in graduation, owing to uncontextualized photos. "We take the public health orders very seriously, and have done everything in our power in the 14 months to comply with the health orders," he said, adding countless hours are spent interpreting orders. "Members of the public were not put at risk at any time as a result of the virtual college graduation." Fontaine went on to explain that a class of 18 students, who had been studying together as a cohort since orientation and did not have to wear masks throughout the school year, used a private TV studio to film commencement proceedings that were later broadcast to a drive-in parking lot. Calling herself a former member of the church, Families Minister Rochelle Squires took to Twitter earlier Saturday to share her disappointment in the congregation for hosting an event that appeared to break health orders. "Everyone has a duty to do their part and keep one another safe. Not only is this risky behaviour but also sends a wrong message to our youth," tweeted Squires, MLA for Riel. As a former member of this church i am deeply disappointed that this event took place against public health orders. Everyone has a duty to do their part and keep one another safe. Not only is this risky behaviour but also sends a wrong message to our youth. pic.twitter.com/AynWPdhgUb Rochelle Squires (@MLASquires) May 22, 2021 Audrey Gordon, who oversees the provinces mental health and wellness portfolio, echoed those sentiments in a statement posted to her various social media channels Saturday afternoon. "Like many Manitobans, I was very disappointed to learn of a graduation ceremony at Springs College that was held in clear violation of our public health orders," said Gordon, who goes to the church. Anyone who chooses not to follow public health orders is disrespecting their family, their friends, their community and the front line health care workers who are doing everything in their power to care for those in need, Audrey Gordon, Minister of Mental Health, Wellness and Recovery said in a statement. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press files) The MLA for Southdale continued, "Anyone who chooses not to follow public health orders is disrespecting their family, their friends, their community and the front line health care workers who are doing everything in their power to care for those in need." Springs Church and its pastors were fined upwards of $32,000 for breaching public health orders, following a series of then-banned drive-in services in autumn. The church started accepting donations to pay tickets and challenge the ban, which is no longer in effect, during the second wave of the pandemic. It remains unclear whether students, staff or the church will be fined in connection to the Springs College graduation ceremony. The next provincial enforcement update is scheduled for Wednesday. First time offenders can be ticketed $298 fine for not wearing a mask in indoor public places, while individuals can face a fee of $1,296 for violating other public health orders. In addition to existing orders, outdoor gatherings with anyone outside a household are banned and only one person per household is to be allowed inside a business at a time over the long weekend. The province has warned enforcement officers will be present at any rallies, gatherings and events held this weekend, while conservation officers will monitor provincial parks for violations of public health orders. NDP Leader Wab Kinew and Dougald Lamont, leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party, expressed frustration about the graduation ceremony Saturday. Kinew reiterated Saturday his partys calls on the province to seek an injunction to stop an anti-restrictions rally scheduled in Winnipeg next weekend. maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @macintoshmaggie Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 21:15:04|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, May 23 (Xinhua) -- World leaders, representatives of international organizations and experts have been mourning the death on Saturday of Chinese scientist Yuan Longping, whose lifelong research in high-yield rice varieties help feed people around the world. "Today, we mourn the passing of a true food hero. Chinese scientist Yuan Longping saved millions of people from hunger by developing the first hybrid rice strains," the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs tweeted. "He passed away today at 91 (due to illness) but his legacy and his mission to end hunger lives on," it said. Having spent over five decades in hybrid rice research, Yuan, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, has helped China work a great wonder -- feeding nearly one-fifth of the world's population with less than 9 percent of the world's total land. Qu Dongyu, Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, on Saturday expressed his sadness over Yuan's passing. "Deeply saddened by the death of Prof. Yuan Longping, my dear Master. He devoted his life to the research of hybrid rice, helping billions achieve food security," wrote Qu on his Twitter account. "You were my Inspiration. May you rest in peace," Qu added. Born in Beijing in 1930, Yuan succeeded in cultivating the world's first high-yield hybrid rice strain in 1973, which was later grown on a large scale in China and other countries to substantially raise output. "We have learned with great sadness the passing of the Chinese academician, father of hybrid rice, professor Yuan Longping," said Fanomezantsoa Lucien Ranarivelo, minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of Madagascar, in a condolence message on behalf of the ministry and in his own name published Saturday on Facebook. In Madagascar, the output of rice was raised from 3 tons to 10 tons per hectare, thanks to Yuan's fruitful research and a hybrid rice R&D center in the town of Malagasy co-built with China National Hybrid Rice R&D Center, an institution he founded. Nowadays, sponsored by the center's training program, Madagascan technicians can travel to the Chinese central city of Changsha, where Yuan's team headquartered, and receive tailored advices. Otilia Tomo, director of Mozambique Agricultural Research Institute, said that during a visit to China in 2019, she was impressed by varieties of saline-alkali tolerant or higher-yield rice that Yuan's team presented. Mozambique was also challenged by the task of increasing yields, said Tomo, adding that in 2020, three varieties which her team brought from China and tested in Mozambique have delivered "satisfactory results." The results are single-season and preliminary, noted Tomo, "but I can say they are promising," and her institute will carry on the studies to fight hunger, she said in an interview with Xinhua. Yuan's passing is not only sad news to the Chinese people, but also a great loss to humanity, said Shahzad Ali Malik, CEO of Guard Agriculture Research and Services Co., Ltd in Pakistan. Speaking of his first meeting with Yuan in 1998, Malik said the scientist had told him "businessmen usually wish for a speedier benefit through their investment, yet seed-breeding is not an industry with quick profit, there may even be no profit." The talks showcase Yuan's high hopes of serious interest in rice-breeding from a potential partner, he noted. Later on, the two sides have undergone two decades of cooperation in developing hybrid strains, and Pakistan's rice planting has ushered in an era of great economic and social benefits, helping many in the rural area to shake off poverty, according to Malik. Ivo Mello, a renowned rice expert in Brazil, was also saddened by the news of Yuan's passing. "His legacy will be remembered for generations," said Mello, technical director of the Rice Institute of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil's leading rice-producing state. Ramping up research input to develop higher-yield hybrid rice strains is a matter of great importance to countries with a huge population, such as China and India, and more broadly, to the eradiation of global hunger, said Mello, whose institute has for years been promoting the growing of hybrid rice in Brazil. By early 1970s, most biologists and agronomists around the world believed that a sustainable way of cross-breeding robust and high-yield rice varieties was a mission impossible, yet Yuan, with his research, proved the opposite and has since become a science hero of his motherland, wrote the German public broadcast ARD program "Tagesschau" in an obituary on Saturday. Enditem Citing Manitobas status as the COVID-19 hot spot in North America, Premier Brian Pallister has appealed to the president of the United States to green light and fast-track the delivery of surplus vaccines across the border. Citing Manitobas status as the COVID-19 hot spot in North America, Premier Brian Pallister has appealed to the president of the United States to green light and fast-track the delivery of surplus vaccines across the border. "The United States has millions of vaccines in freezers. They need to be in arms here in Canada. This is a call to arms," Pallister said during his opening remarks at a press conference Saturday morning. "We need to ensure that our border is used to keep COVID out, but that its never used to keep a vaccine out." Manitobas immunization team could vaccinate an additional 100,000 people in the next 10 days if it obtained vaccines from North Dakota, Pallister said, while noting there are trucks with freezers ready to pick up vaccines in the U.S. immediately should they be allowed to do so. The premier spoke about the importance of restoring the two countries economic and social ties as quickly as possible in his latest pitch to U.S. President Joe Biden; he sent Biden a letter with a formal request to allow North Dakota to ship vaccines to Manitoba on Friday. Pallister said he has Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus support in calling on Biden to provide surplus vaccines. He also mentioned Manitoba learned Friday there are shipping difficulties that will see the provinces orders reduced by 20 per cent in June, but directed specifics on the matter to the vaccine task force. Download Pallister's letter to Biden The vaccine task force did not note any projected delays during its weekly Wednesday briefing. A provincial spokesperson could not provide details on the matter Saturday, directing a reporter to the federal government. Ottawa did not immediately provide comment. The premiers remarks came shortly before the province released its daily COVID-19 update, which included 476 new cases, six deaths five of which were linked to variants, and a record five-day test positivity rate of 16.8 per cent in the capital. There are currently 4,984 active cases of the virus, with a total of 74 of the 298 people in hospital being treated in intensive care units. Also Saturday, a spokesperson for Shared Health confirmed seven patients from Manitoba ICUs had been moved to hospitals in Ontario in recent days and four more patients are "tentatively scheduled" for transfer. To date, Manitoba has moved four patients to Thunder Bay and a single patient to respective hospitals in Sault Ste. Marie, North Bay and Ottawa. The leaders of both opposition parties accused the premier of attempting to distract the public and shift blame to the White House during a crisis in the local healthcare system Saturday. "The premier has blamed everybody for the failures in the vaccine rollout and refused to accept responsibility for it himself. To date, hes blamed First Nations people, hes blamed Justin Trudeau, and today, he blames Joe Biden," said Wab Kinew, leader of the Manitoba NDP, during a scrum at the legislature. Kinew noted Canada started to receive vaccines from the U.S. as early as April. He also questioned how attacking Biden addresses the critical situation in intensive care units in Manitoba and why the province continues to ramp down vaccine appointments on Sundays and holidays. The national COVID-19 vaccine tracker indicated Manitoba had administered 81 per cent of its total vaccine supply at the start of the May long weekend. More than 100,000 doses remain in freezers in the province. The premier did not indicate more vaccines would be administered this weekend, instead insisting supply continues to be a key problem in speeding up the rollout. "We need President Biden to stop saying no and we need president Biden to start saying yes. Yes is the right answer," he said. Dougald Lamont, leader of the Manitoba Liberals, said the Saturday press conference was a waste of time. "Manitobans need clear guidelines, real enforcement, and real help staying home. Before the premier blames people for not doing their jobs, he should start doing his," Lamont said in a written statement. Pallister is not the first Canadian premier to call on the U.S. to provide extra vaccine supply. Leaders in Ontario and the Atlantic provinces have made similar requests to border states in recent weeks. As of Saturday, nearly 58 per cent of adults in Manitoba have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The total partially vaccinated population above age 12 is 53 per cent. maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @macintoshmaggie I hadnt heard of the grandparent scam when my father called me a few years ago to report that my son was in jail, out of state. My dad had been asked to wire bail money and not tell me. Dad was all but unshakable in his belief that he had actually talked to my son. Alarmed, I called my son, who was safe at his home. What happened to my father is not uncommon. Fortunately, he did not wire any money. The grandparent scam exploits loving concern and uses a sense of urgency to get a victim to pay, thinking he or she is helping in an emergency. In a twist, now a courier will come and pick up your cash, due to COVID-19 concerns. There are a million variations, says Susan Grant, director of consumer protection and privacy for the nonprofit Consumer Federation of America, but the common thread is that someone you know has an urgent problem and needs your financial help. How it works Youre contacted by someone posing as a panicked family member or friend or perhaps a lawyer or law enforcement officer calling on their behalf. The claim involves an emergency such as a car accident, arrest or car breakdown. But they need money, quickly. They may beg that the incident be kept secret or claim that there is a gag order. People read into what they are told the meaning they want get out of it. I have learned that from years of diligently giving patients the best advice I can, and hearing them respond back with what they heard. The new guidance has been heard by many unvaccinated as license to discard their masks. Au contraire, mon frere. The virus is still circulating in the community, and the unvaccinated are still being exposed to it with all the attendant possible severe illness and death we have sadly come to know the last 15 months. I doubt ANYONE wants to keep wearing a mask. The 3-4% of Americans whose immune systems are compromised, like cancer and organ transplant patients, cannot join the maskless life because they seem to generate very few measurable antibodies from the vaccines. Since May 13 I have collected over 20 Internet medical and news references about the ruling and over 5 from newsprint. The doctors and nurses who tried to care for and keep alive the tidal wave of hospitalized patients, so many of whom died in spite of heroic efforts, are expressing concern that this could be premature. Many are and will suffer PTSD from their valiant struggles against the merciless virus, like those close family members left behind. We all have been imprinted with the fear of death if we dont maintain masked, distanced lives. Dr. Walensky says we are going to have something like mask separation anxiety for a while, finding it difficult to shed the mask totally. She said we should be able to do that in our own due time. Could you call it mask PTSD? Some law enforcement experts say firing at moving vehicles should be avoided. Unless someone in the car is shooting at police officers, you can get that car another day but you cannot get that life back, said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Washington-based Police Executive Research Forum, a nonprofit, independent group that studies policing issues. The whole idea is not to put yourself in a position where you feel you have no choice but to use deadly force, Wexler said. We dont want police officers to stand in front of cars to risk their lives. And we dont want them shooting at vehicles to risk life. The Pasquotank County sheriff's use-of-force policy says deputies should move out of a car's path instead of shooting at it, when feasible. The policy also states that a deputy should only fire when he or she reasonably believes there are no other reasonable means available. Wexler said such a policy gives too much leeway to deputies to put themselves in danger and to open fire. The rules, he said, have to be very restrictive and accompanied by training." However, this is changing. Wages in many skilled trades fields are increasing significantly. Many Minnesota State College Southeast graduates will have the potential to earn into the six figures with a few years of experience on the job or when they go to work for themselves. The book The Millionaire Next Door (Stanley and Danko, 1996) comes to mind. Though it was published 25 years ago, it is relevant today. Based on extensive research, the authors concluded that most millionaires tend to be middle class, blue-collar workers individuals who drive a truck and have their own business in the trades. A value add for skilled workers is that many companies will pay for additional education for the motivated employee. This is often a matter of necessity for the employer to obtain the necessary skill sets for the company to operate and keep up with constantly changing technologies. Growing numbers of skilled trade workers will soon retire. With less than 20% of high school graduates indicating an interest in a skilled trade occupation, the situation is becoming dire. The work that skilled trade workers do cannot be sent overseas. Opportunities for the next generation to find employment in these fields are expanding. Ultimately I got involved in this project because I wanted to create a space where community members could learn how to find resources and help each other with resources. And it is, it is that space, Hermodson said. She shared that every single day she learns something new about resources in the community, even though at the beginning she thought she was very knowledgeable about the local systems available. Hermodson has enjoyed watching friendships and groups form within the page as people work together kindly to get people the help they need. The community has become a protected place away from the hardships that separate people, like politics and other controversies, Gray shared. Together, the members of the group have been able to provide both needed information and objects needed, uniting them together to better their community. Hermodson said this community work is nothing new to her, as she witnessed how a community can come together for the first time when her child passed away. She saw how the community united to support her then, so a spark was lit inside her that made her want to help others in the future locally like through moderating this group. Today, the Biden administration affirmed Americas commitment to its humanitarian values, Murad Awawdeh, executive director for the New York Immigration Coalition, said in a statement. Haitian New Yorkers can now rest easier knowing that their families can stay together and in their communities as a vital part of our economic and social fabric." The NYIC, an umbrella group for policy and advocacy organizations in the state, estimates that 5,200 Haitian recipients of TPS reside in New York. Saturday's renewal of TPS affects more than the 50,000 Haitians living in the U.S. while redesignating TPS for Haitians who arrived in the U.S. after 2010 could benefit up to 100,000 more, according to the NYIC. Among lawmakers applauding the decision was Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J. The last thing our country should be doing is forcing an entire community in the U.S. to decide between packing up their lives and tearing their families apart by self-deporting, or becoming undocumented and forced into the shadows of our society, Menendez said. The main assumption of these billion-dollar broadband plans is that we should use our resources to focus exclusively on broadband fiber connections while avoiding investment in mobile and satellite networks that are vastly cheaper, more efficient, and provide fast speeds. Elon Musks SpaceX recently launched an additional 60 satellites for his Starlink project, which aims to provide low-cost satellite broadband internet across the world. By the end of 2021, there will be 1,000 satellites providing internet to over 10,000 customers worldwide, accessing download speeds of up to 300 megabits per second, above and beyond the FCC minimum of 25 megabits per second. Rather than put all our resources in wired broadband connections, the government should practice technology neutrality not favoring one technology over any other. That is the smartest way to provide coverage to every American. For instance, 15% of Americans rely on smartphones for their internet and do not have broadband at home, according to Pew Research. That is equally split between urban and rural regions of the country. Whether that is because no broadband options exist, or because consumers prefer mobile internet, however, is not clear. Columbus Area Historical Society 1971 For the past six weeks the Columbus-Fall River Jaycettes were conducting a Do Something campaign. They asked Columbus area residents to collect their old papers, magazines and cardboard boxes as a fundraiser for the Beaver Dam Humane Society. Residents could deliver papers to the garages of the Burnards, Shaws, and Sikorskis. The Humane Society would receive $8 per ton of paper collected. A total of 7,100 immunizations were administered during February to May at clinics held throughout Columbia County. Of the total number of shots 365 were given to adults. 1981 The 4th of July Organization received some criticism for the planned raffle, an old car full of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. The organization did revise the prize and offered the beer and car or the car and $150. Nancy Kirchberg and Rosalind Zeidler announced that the Miss Columbus Contest Committee would hold an organizational meeting to make plans for the 1981 Miss Columbus Pageant. 1991 NEW YORK (AP) - New York City voters will be casting their last ballots next month in an election thats sure to have consequences for former President Donald Trump. Democrats will be voting in party primary for Manhattans next district attorney. The winner could end up taking over an ongoing investigation of Trumps business dealings. Current District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. is leaving office at the end of the year. The eight candidates have made clear theyre not afraid of taking on the former president, but most have been cautious to stay away from overtly anti-Trump rhetoric. Trump has called the investigation a political witch hunt. Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 21:51:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Photo taken on Sept. 28, 2019 shows a portrait of Yuan Longping after receiving the Medal of the Republic. (Xinhua/Li He) Having spent over five decades in hybrid rice research, Yuan, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, has helped China work a great wonder -- feeding nearly one-fifth of the world's population with less than 9 percent of the world's total land. BEIJING, May 23 (Xinhua) -- World leaders, representatives of international organizations and experts have been mourning the death on Saturday of Chinese scientist Yuan Longping, whose lifelong research in high-yield rice varieties help feed people around the world. "Today, we mourn the passing of a true food hero. Chinese scientist Yuan Longping saved millions of people from hunger by developing the first hybrid rice strains," the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs tweeted. "He passed away today at 91 (due to illness) but his legacy and his mission to end hunger lives on," it said. Having spent over five decades in hybrid rice research, Yuan, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, has helped China work a great wonder -- feeding nearly one-fifth of the world's population with less than 9 percent of the world's total land. Qu Dongyu, Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, on Saturday expressed his sadness over Yuan's passing. "Deeply saddened by the death of Prof. Yuan Longping, my dear Master. He devoted his life to the research of hybrid rice, helping billions achieve food security," wrote Qu on his Twitter account. "You were my Inspiration. May you rest in peace," Qu added. File photo taken on May 10, 2007 shows Yuan Longping inspecting the trial plantation of hybrid rice. (Xinhua/Zhao Zhongzhi) Born in Beijing in 1930, Yuan succeeded in cultivating the world's first high-yield hybrid rice strain in 1973, which was later grown on a large scale in China and other countries to substantially raise output. "We have learned with great sadness the passing of the Chinese academician, father of hybrid rice, professor Yuan Longping," said Fanomezantsoa Lucien Ranarivelo, minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of Madagascar, in a condolence message on behalf of the ministry and in his own name published Saturday on Facebook. In Madagascar, the output of rice was raised from 3 tons to 10 tons per hectare, thanks to Yuan's fruitful research and a hybrid rice R&D center in the town of Malagasy co-built with China National Hybrid Rice R&D Center, an institution he founded. Nowadays, sponsored by the center's training program, Madagascan technicians can travel to the Chinese central city of Changsha, where Yuan's team headquartered, and receive tailored advices. Otilia Tomo, director of Mozambique Agricultural Research Institute, said that during a visit to China in 2019, she was impressed by varieties of saline-alkali tolerant or higher-yield rice that Yuan's team presented. Mozambique was also challenged by the task of increasing yields, said Tomo, adding that in 2020, three varieties which her team brought from China and tested in Mozambique have delivered "satisfactory results." The results are single-season and preliminary, noted Tomo, "but I can say they are promising," and her institute will carry on the studies to fight hunger, she said in an interview with Xinhua. Students light candles to mourn the passing away of Yuan Longping at University of South China in Hengyang, central China's Hunan Province, May 22, 2021. (Photo by Cao Zhengping/Xinhua) Yuan's passing is not only sad news to the Chinese people, but also a great loss to humanity, said Shahzad Ali Malik, CEO of Guard Agriculture Research and Services Co., Ltd in Pakistan. Speaking of his first meeting with Yuan in 1998, Malik said the scientist had told him "businessmen usually wish for a speedier benefit through their investment, yet seed-breeding is not an industry with quick profit, there may even be no profit." The talks showcase Yuan's high hopes of serious interest in rice-breeding from a potential partner, he noted. Later on, the two sides have undergone two decades of cooperation in developing hybrid strains, and Pakistan's rice planting has ushered in an era of great economic and social benefits, helping many in the rural area to shake off poverty, according to Malik. Ivo Mello, a renowned rice expert in Brazil, was also saddened by the news of Yuan's passing. "His legacy will be remembered for generations," said Mello, technical director of the Rice Institute of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil's leading rice-producing state. Ramping up research input to develop higher-yield hybrid rice strains is a matter of great importance to countries with a huge population, such as China and India, and more broadly, to the eradiation of global hunger, said Mello, whose institute has for years been promoting the growing of hybrid rice in Brazil. By early 1970s, most biologists and agronomists around the world believed that a sustainable way of cross-breeding robust and high-yield rice varieties was a mission impossible, yet Yuan, with his research, proved the opposite and has since become a science hero of his motherland, wrote the German public broadcast ARD program "Tagesschau" in an obituary on Saturday. WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 31: Clouds pass overt the Capitol Dome as the Senate resumes debate on overriding the veto of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on December 31, 2020 in Washington, DC. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is filibustering the NDAA, calling for a Senate vote on giving Americans $2,000 in direct payments for COVID-19 relief. (Photo by Joshua Roberts/Getty Images) CHATTANOOGA, TN (WSMV) - An Endangered Child Alert has been issued for a teen missing from Chattanooga since 2019. Daphne Westbrook, 18, has been missing since Oct. 7, 2019. She may be with John Westbrook, 42. He is wanted by the Hamilton County Sheriffs Office for aggravated kidnapping and custodial interference. Endangered Child Alert An Endangered Child Alert has been issued on behalf of the Hamilton Co District Attorney Generals Office, for now 18-year-old Daphne Westbrook, under the Holly Bobo Act. If you know where Daphne might be, call 423-209-7415, or 1-800-TBI-FIND. pic.twitter.com/Z4zoo8eHFC Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (@TBInvestigation) May 23, 2021 Authorities believe John Westbrook may have traveled to the western United States with Daphne and has known contacts in Colorado, New Mexico, California and Washington. The Endangered Child Alert is being issued on behalf of the Hamilton County District Attorneys General office for the now 18-year-old Daphne under the new Holly Bobo Act. Anyone with information with Daphne Westbrooks whereabouts is asked to call 423-209-7415 or 1-800-TBI-FIND. A manhunt is continuing in Belgium for a military officer and right-wing extremist, Jurgen Conings, who has announced plans to assassinate representatives of the government and coronavirus virologists. Conings, 46, disappeared on Monday, leaving behind two notes, one to his girlfriend and the other to the police. In the letters, he reportedly announced he was entering the resistance and would live out his final days as he intended. His girlfriend has publicly appealed for him to turn himself in. Authorities in Belgium are searching a second day for an armed man who is on a terror watch list because of his extreme right sympathies and who had threatened several people. (Belgian Federal Police via AP) The manhunt has been concentrated on the region of Limbourg, not far from the border with the Netherlands. Conings is presumed to be heavily armed and reputed to be an expert marksman. Until only a few days ago, he used his position as a military instructor with access to the arms cache in the army to prepare an arsenal. The federal prosecutors announced that inside Conings abandoned SUV, they discovered anti-tank rocket launchers and firearm munitions. He is probably still in possession of lighter armaments, they stated. On Friday, Belgian Minister of Justice Vincent Van Quickenborne announced that on the evening of his disappearance Monday, Conings had spent more than two hours in the area around the home of a target but refused to specify who the target was. The Flemish-language television station VRT reported that it was likely the home of Marc Van Ranst, a leading health spokesman for the Belgian government and target of extreme-right groups denouncing coronavirus lockdowns and claiming that the coronavirus is itself a conspiracy. Up until Friday, the manhunt had been concentrated on the dense forest region of the national park of Haute Campine. A portion of the E314 freeway, which borders the national park, was also shut down. To search the region of more than 12,000 hectares of forest and land, more than 400 officers were deployed, including 250 police, 150 military personnel, and representatives from Germany and the Netherlands. On Friday the government announced that the manhunt in the national park would be ended. Charges were brought against Conings of attempted terrorist assassination and possession of arms in a terrorist context. It remains unclear who are Conings potential targets. Mosques surrounding the Haute Campine park are reportedly under heightened surveillance, and a number of mosques in the neighbouring municipalities of Maasmechelen have already closed their doors as a precaution, according to Het Nieuwsblad. The family of virologist Von Ranst has reportedly been taken under police protection since Monday. Conings also reportedly threatened to kill members of the government. Conings letters make clear he is animated by the fascistic campaign denouncing any coronavirus social distancing measures. I cannot continue to live with the lies of people who decide how we live, he writes. The political elite and now virologists decide how you and me will live. They sow hatred and frustration He makes clear that he is not acting on an impulse and has prepared his attack long in advance. I know I will become an enemy of the state. They will search for me and find me at a certain point. I am ready for that. Little by little, everything has been put in place and Ive prepared myself. There are many unanswered questions that are raised by Conings terrorist plot. First of all, it has now been reported that he was being monitored extremely closely by intelligence agencies as both a member of the army with extreme-right sympathies and also as a potential terrorist attacker. Yet there has been no explanation as to how such an individual was kept in a senior position as a military training officer in the Belgian army and was apparently given access to the armory. France Info, citing unnamed Belgian government sources, reported that Conings was one of around 30 members of the Belgian army currently under surveillance for harboring sympathies with the far right. For the same reason, OCAM, the Belgian intelligence agency for analysis of terrorist threats, had placed him on its file for the past three months as a potential threat, according to the Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. The minister of defense, Ludivine Dedonder, admitted to the Belgian parliament that Conings had received an official sanction from the military hierarchy in 2020 after having made racist comments and threats on Facebook. An army major general had laid formal charges against him, which were subsequently dropped, according to Dedonder. The government has attempted to explain the subsequent failure to take measures against Conings as simply a breakdown in security. Accordingly, De Croo called for a tightening of security protocols in the army for individuals with extremist views. Yet this explains very little. Not only was Conings not removed from the army, he was kept in the position of a military instructor for recruits. Moreover, it has still not been explained how he was able to use his position to obtain vast quantities of arms. The official explanation that Conings was acting alone, without detection by other army personnel, is highly tenuous. It would mean that the protocols for monitoring the stockpile of arms were essentially nonexistent. An alternative, and more plausible, explanation is that Conings was acting, at least at some point, as part of a far-right network within the army. This would also conform with what has already been confirmed about the existence of such networks in other Western European countries, particularly Germany, as well as France and Spain. In Germany, there are well-documented neo-Nazi networks inside the Bundeswehr, the special forces, and the state apparatus. There have been numerous reports of the preparations by terrorist cells drawing up kill lists of left-wing political opponents to be assassinated for a supposed Day X and stockpiling weapons and supplies for a protracted civil war. In 2018, for example, a German news magazines investigation explained: Numerous interrogations paint the picture of a conspiratorial troop that is supposed not to shy from the deliberate killing of political opponents. According to the investigators, the elite fighters had also set up secret caches of weapons, ammunition, fuel and foodon the German border with Austria and Switzerland. In France, a far-right network among retired army generals and officers published an open letter in the neofascist magazine Valeurs Actuelles announcing their support for a military putsch to put down the growing threat of Islam in France and a potential civil war in which the deaths will number in the thousands. A subsequent letter published this month and reportedly signed by up to 2,000 active-duty soldiers supported the generals letter. In Spain, retired army generals have denounced the strikes by workers in March 2020 to demand the shutting down of production amid the coronavirus pandemic. They declared that it may be necessary to massacre up to half of the Spanish population. Conings documented ties with the neo-Nazi networks in Belgium have already begun to be revealed. This weekend it was reported that Belgian police had searched numerous houses of known members of far-right groups as part of their search for Conings. This includes Tomas Boutens, the former leader of the Flemish fascist Blood, Bodem, Eer en Trouw (Blood and Soil, Honor is Loyalty) movement. He was condemned to five years in prison in 2014, with a one-year suspended sentence. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnsons government, backed by the Labour opposition and trade unions, is proceeding recklessly with its roadmap for reopening the economy. This began almost fully on May 17 and aims to reopen completely on June 21. This takes place under conditions where infections from the more transmissible B.1.617.2 variant from India is growing exponentially and is expected to soon become the dominant strain. A socially distanced assembly takes place at a school in in Manchester, England, Monday March 8, 2021. (Jon Super/PA via AP) Among the safety restrictions being lifted, the government announced that teachers and pupils in secondary schools were no longer required to wear face coverings in classrooms. In primary schools, pupils were always exempt. Masks are only recommended in communal areas, excluding classrooms with poor ventilation housing up to 30 children or more. The government took this decision despite prior knowledge of the spread of the variant in schools, which it attempted to conceal. According to documents leaked to the Observer, a Public Health England (PHE) report May 13 omitted vital data linking 164 cases to schools. Mask wearing was the main, albeit limited, protection afforded to educators and pupils when schools reopened early March. The virus is now spreading in schools and communities in all parts of the UK. Universities returned to face-to-face teaching May 17, exacerbating transmission after tens of thousands travelled across the country from home to campus. The Wilsthorpe Academy School in Long Eaton, with 950 pupils, closed May 4 after confirming 100 Covid cases. Cases in the surrounding area of Erewash soared following the outbreakthe infection rate rose to 185.5 per 100,000 in seven days to May 6, indicating how quickly the disease can take hold. More than 150 cases were linked to the school. Seventeen cases were found in nearby schools. Boltons Assistant Director of Public Health, Lynn Donkin, said, 'Initially we did see some cases linked to international travel, but we've now got a picture of widespread community transmission...' Several schools in Bolton were forced to send classes home. Positive cases were confirmed at St Josephs RC High school and Lostock Primary School. Tonge Moor Primary Academy sent its Year One class home after finding a positive case. On Friday, each pupil at Bishop Bridgeman CE Primary School went home with a PCR test kit for all the family. Bolton has introduced voluntary surge testing and the use of facemasks will continue in the town and in nearby Bury schools. In response to the Bolton outbreak, someone tweeted angrily, #COVIDEmergency2021. The virus presents exponential growth, especially amongst children. Vaccination and fully supported isolation is a vital part of suppression. So why not vaccinate children? And why not close Bolton Schools? PHE recently informed Court Moor secondary school in Hampshire of several cases of the Indian variant at the school, incurring self-isolation and further testing. Schools are thought to be the source of an outbreak in Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, according to the city council, where coronavirus cases trebled last week. While the Indian variant was not found in Ashfield, in the large city of Nottingham it accounts for more than half new cases. Pupils at Nicholas Hawksmoor primary school in Towcester, Northamptonshire, along with parents, household contacts and childcare bubbles were tested after six cases were confirmed. Mask wearing was resurrected at Wrenn school, in the same county, after an outbreak. Runshawe College in Leyland closed for 10 days to contain an outbreak after more than 30 on campus tested positive. PHE genetic testing confirmed some of the cases were the B.1.617.2 variant. Year groups in three schools in Wakefield closed May 15 due to Covid-19. Southdale CE [Church of England] junior school sent home Year 5 children for 11 days, Year 4 was closed at Middletown Primary Academy, and the nursery at Alverthorpe CE Primary Academy partially shut. At 10 schools across Fife in Scotland, some pupils self-isolated after covid cases were confirmed. Parents of children at Dingwell Primary School in Ross-shire were informed after a pupil tested positive so a class was sent home for 10 days. Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), confined his criticism of the governments lifting of safety measures to the use of face masks. The NEU played a crucial role in suppressing opposition to the unsafe reopening of schools. 'It is disappointing that Boris Johnson has ignored the advice of SAGEs [Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies] modellers to keep the use of face masks in the classroom, as well as communal areas in secondary schools and colleges, he said. Dr Patrick Roach, general secretary of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers gave carte blanche to the governments measures, stating, School and college employers are responsible for the safety of staff and pupils including reviewing their existing risk assessments Union representatives who attempt risk assessments face victimisation, as happened in many schools, and can expect no back-up from the unions. Unvaccinated staff who are vulnerable or pregnant work without adequate PPE in contact with potentially infectious children. Educators and parents are turning to social media to voice opposition to government policy. One tweet on SafeEdForAll reads, It is beyond madness to stop wearing masks in school. #WilfulNegligence. Another, Are they seriously considering continuing while B.1.617.2 begins circulating whilst also removing masks? A further tweet reads, a school is a crowded indoor space where households mixventilation-masks. Both necessary to mitigate risk of transmission since social distancing isnt possible and children arent vaccinated. Supporters of the UK Educators Rank-and-File Safety committee spoke to WSWS reporters about the irresponsible lifting of safety measures. Supply teacher Brian said, As a parent of school aged children, I am horrified watching the callous relaxing of measures against the transmission of the virus within schools. Were being told by the government that everything is going back to normal. Children, unvaccinated are forced into cramped classrooms where social distancing is impossible and encouraged to do away with their masks. Ive read about some students being told they will not be allowed to wear masks even if they are vulnerable to the effects of contracting Covid-19. We know from the last wave that schools were one of the main environments where transmission of the virus took place, but the government failed to acknowledge this in any meaningful way, by vaccinating teaching staff. All of this, and the emergence of the Indian variant has left school employees and pupils extremely vulnerable. Learning support assistant Joe was adamant the government should maintain as many restrictions as possible until its proven that vaccines are effective [in suppressing transmission]. Theyve never stepped away from herd immunity. They have an ideological target, and they are putting that ahead of critical data. Its as if the government wants the virus to spread around in another wave. Yorkshire parent Lucy added, I would like to see masks in primary. My son aged 7 is the only child wearing one and has no issue with it, he understands that he is helping to protect others. According to a US study by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in elementary schools in Georgia November-December 2020, Covid incidence was 37% lower in schools that required teachers and staff members to use masks and 39% lower in schools that improved ventilation. The Socialist Equality Party calls on educators and parents to join the Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee as part of a united struggle for safety in schools with the defence of jobs, pay and conditions in all sectors. Hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated throughout Europe over the weekend to protest Israels savage war on Gaza. The largest demonstration took place in London where organisers estimated that 180,000 protested in Hyde Park after gathering at Victoria Embankment and marching through the capital. Tens of thousands gather at the Embankment for the start of London protest (credit: WSWS media) Demonstrations were held in Germany, France, Spain and Italy, with protests in capitals, including Berlin and Paris as well as many other large cities across the continent. Among the chants in London were, Stop bombing Gaza and "Free, free Palestine! In London, the route took the march down Whitehall and as the crowd reached Downing Street they chanted Boris Johnson, shame on you. Those attending brought a plethora of homemade banners including, Bombing children isn't defence, it's murder, The British government is complicit in ethnic cleansing, Not 'conflict' and 'tensions'occupation and apartheid, As long as the Israeli occupation exists, state terrorism will flourish, 'Can't breathe' since 1948, The ongoing Nakba, 73 years is enough, The world is not free until Palestinians are free, UK is complicitstop arming Israel for ethnic cleansing. The protests took place just hours after a ceasefire was announced between Israel and Hamas, but this was widely recognised among those attending the protests as nothing but a tenuous lull before Israel resumes hostilities against a defenceless population. These sentiments were summed up in banners in London including: A ceasefire is not enoughend the occupation and, in reference to the war crimes committed by the Israel Defense Forces, Don't let the ceasefire fool you, 90k Palestinians are now displaced. Protests were held in cities across the UK and Ireland, including in Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Nottingham, Cardiff, Plymouth, Peterborough, Belfast and Dublin. Thousands protested in Paris, denouncing the French president's backing of the assault on Gaza and defying his attempts to ban demonstrations in support of the Palestinians. One chant from protesters was Israel assassin, Macron accomplice. More than 1,000 marched in Lyon and around the same number in Lille. Other protests were held in Strasbourg, Toulouse and Montpellier. On Sunday, a protest was held in Marseille where one protester brought a placard reading, In Palestine, confinement for more than 50 years. A person holds a banner that reads: "In Palestine, confinement for more than 50 years", as people demonstrate in Marseille, southern France, Sunday, May 23, 2021, during a rally supporting the Palestinians. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole) Numerous demonstrators in German cities again called for solidarity with Palestine, with thousands protesting across protests in Berlin, Frankfurt and Leipzig. In Berlin, where hundreds gathered in the Kreuzberg district, many demonstrators carried placards with the inscription "Free Palestine. Police in Berlin massed to intimidate protesters with around 3,000 of them on the streets. In comments leading up to the weekend, Chancellor Angela Merkel sought to tarnish the demonstrations by falsely associating them with anti-Semitism. She said that Germanys Basic Law constitution, guarantees the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, while declaring, Anyone who brings hatred of Jews onto our streets, who expresses seditious insults, is outside of our Basic Law. Such acts must be punished consistently and have noticeable consequences for the perpetrators. These lies are refuted by the many Jewish groups that have participated in protests worldwide in opposition to the war crimes carried out in Gaza by Israel and have called for the unity of Jews and Arabs. A banner of the Jewish Voice for Just Peace in the Middle East association at the Berlin protest read Against attacks on synagogues and mosques in Berlin or Gaza. Several thousand marched through Dell'unita Square in Bologna Italy. In Malaga, Spain, hundreds protested, including with many homemade banners. One read, Free PalestineEnd Colonialism. A protest was held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the London protest, a number of placards were on display opposing the slander by governments and political parties of the ruling class internationallyincluding the ruling Tories and opposition Labour in Britainequating opposition to Israels crimes with anti-Semitism. Among the placards were, Opposing Zionism is not anti-Semitism and Criticising Israel is not anti-Semitic. Protestors cheered Stella Moris, the partner of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who told the demonstration: Julian is imprisoned right now because the US wants to extradite him for publications that exposes war crimes in Iraq, torture in Guantanamo and evidence of Israeli crimes against the Palestinians... He is paying with his freedom and maybe his life... Julian published the words spoken by Israeli government officials... words the military materialises in the form of airstrikes that kill women and children... To defend our right to know is to defend our right to shape or own destiny Among the other speakers in London were nominal lefts Jeremy Corbyn, who led the Labour party from 2015-20, and his former shadow chancellor John McDonnell. Corbyn told the crowd in Hyde Park, "We will be here as long as is it takes until the Palestinian people are free. We will never give up on the Palestinian people, we will never go away from the Palestinian people and their cause. McDonnell added, "The message is clear, we will not cease our campaign in solidarity until there is justice. Corbyn and McDonnell could not be more cynical given the massive campaign to portray protests against the war as anti-Semitic. From the time he took over as party leader, they did nothing but capitulate to the vitriolic campaign conducted in ruling circles, and spearheaded by the Labour right, to smear them and their hundreds of thousands of supporters as anti-Semites. Rushing to placate the Blairites, the first thing Corbyn did upon becoming Labour leader was to cancel plans to address a Stop the War Coalition meeting before announcing his resignation as its chairman. The smear campaign based on vile slanders, facilitated all down the line by Corbyn and McDonnell, has led to the suspension and expulsion of many of their supporters, and to Corbyn himself having the Labour whip withdrawn last November by party leader Sir Keir Starmer. Charleston, WV (25301) Today Occasional showers with a thunderstorm possible. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. Rainfall possibly over one inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Occasional showers with a thunderstorm possible. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%. Rainfall possibly over one inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Morgantown, WV (26505) Today Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 61F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 22:20:34|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi (R) meets with his visiting Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Maliki in Amman, Jordan, on May 23, 2021. Jordan and Palestine on Sunday called for intensifying international efforts to end the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, according to a statement by the Jordanian Foreign Ministry. (Photo by Mohammad Abu Ghosh/Xinhua) AMMAN, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Jordan and Palestine on Sunday called for intensifying international efforts to end the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, according to a statement by the Jordanian Foreign Ministry. The call was made at a meeting between Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and his visiting Palestinian counterpart Riyad al-Maliki in Amman, where both based a just peace in the region on resolving the Palestinian cause and meeting all the legitimate rights of the Palestinians. During their meeting, the two ministers urged continued coordination and consultation in mobilizing an effective international stance to end the occupation and achieve peace on the basis of the two-state solution in accordance with international law and the Arab Peace Initiative. Safadi highlighted the success of the international and regional efforts in stopping the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and achieving a cease-fire. Al-Maliki praised Jordan's efforts to stop the Israeli attacks and violations against Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Gaza Strip, Jordan's role in supporting Palestinians and their rights, and its humanitarian and medical assistance. Enditem Charleston, WV (25311) Today Overcast with rain showers at times. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Overcast with rain showers at times. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Clarksburg, WV (26301) Today Thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.. Tonight Thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 100%. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 22:42:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Palestinian protesters use slingshots to hurl stones at Israeli security members during a protest against the continued Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, on May 20, 2021. (Photo by Luay Sababa/Xinhua) After 11-day-long war between Israel and Gaza that only ended last Friday, tension between Arabs and Jews in the region that grew dramatically during the war can still be felt, leaving a big question mark over the future of their relations. JERUSALEM, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Despite the cease-fire reached between Gaza's ruler Hamas and Israel for a round of their probably heaviest fighting since 2014, the tension between Arabs and Jews in the region that grew dramatically during the fighting can still be felt, leaving a big question mark over the future of their relations. In Israel, there are many mixed cities of Jewish and Arab residents. The 11-day-long war between Israel and Gaza that only ended last Friday pushed the underlying turmoil in the region to a climax. The trigger for this round of fighting, as most previous cases, was from the Old City of Jerusalem. The Palestinians accused Israel of restricting movement in and around Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City, after the Israeli police took a rare step of blocking buses of Arab worshippers heading to the mosque on the holiest night of the Ramadan month. "Al-Aqsa is a red line. It is a consensus among Arabs. It is explosive and the issue needs to be handled properly," said Afif Abu Much, a political analyst and contributor to the U.S.-based Al-Monitor news website that reports and analyses developments of the Middle East. Israeli border policemen are positioned during a protest against the continued Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, on May 20, 2021. (Photo by Luay Sababa/Xinhua) In addition, Arabs protested what they said was illegal eviction of Palestinian residents from an East Jerusalem neighborhood to make room for Jewish settlers. Clashes with police erupted throughout Jerusalem and quickly spread to other places in the region. In the mixed Israeli city of Lod, an Arab man was shot dead by Jews who claimed they were acting in self-defense, while a Jewish man was killed by rocks thrown at his car. Scenes of lynches being committed by both Jews and Arabs were seen across the country. According to the Israeli police' foreign media spokesman Micky Rosenfeld, 280 policemen were injured in nationwide violence, while more than 1,000 suspected of being involved in the unrest were arrested. A Palestinian protester uses a slingshot to hurl a stone at Israeli security members during a protest against the continued Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, on May 20, 2021. (Photo by Luay Sababa/Xinhua) "There is intense bitterness which blew up this time," said Thabet Abu Rass, co-director of the Abraham Initiatives, a non-governmental organization that promotes Jewish-Arab co-existence. "The combination of the issues together with the ethnic, religious and identity crisis (makes) Arabs feel humiliated." As a whole, Arab residents in Israel have a lower participation rate in the workforce and lower salaries than Jewish Israelis. Many of the mixed cities are undergoing a gentrification trend, in which the real estate prices have risen and made home ownership for Arabs unattainable. The predominantly Jewish cities are even more expensive and often not welcoming to Arabs. In addition, the rate of crime and violence in the Arab society is significantly higher than that in Jewish society. Years of empty promises to tackle the problem have resulted in pent-up frustration and ethnic undertones that have the potential of spiralling into a violent internal conflict. Worse still, the Israeli parliament passed the Jewish-Nation State law in 2018, which essentially downgrades the status of the Arabs that make up 20 percent of the population in the country. Many believe the law was a turning point in the already tense relations between Arabs and Jews. "Israel has still not come to terms with the fact that it has Arab citizens," said the political analyst Abu Much. "We still see Jewish paternalism and supremacy. This makes the Arabs feel like they are outsiders." Israeli security members are positioned during a protest against the continued Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, on May 20, 2021. (Photo by Luay Sababa/Xinhua) "The disparity, the uneven development and radical and racist statements ... the years of neglect of civilian projects and development, policies of discrimination ... led to the explosion. If these things will not be taken care of now ... we will witness another outbreak in the coming years," Abu Rass noted. After what has occurred recently, the possibility of an Arab party joining a government likely to be formed in Israel in the coming weeks may have been ruled out, representing yet another setback for Arab-Jewish relations. "It is unacceptable that Arabs are not part of the political game," said Abu Rass. "We need to think about how to incorporate them in the decision-making process to promote a sense of belonging and a sense of ownership." Tom Coulter is the Wyoming Tribune Eagles state government reporter. He can be reached at tcoulter@wyoming news.com or 307-633-3124. Follow him on Twitter at @tomcoulter_. MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) Nicaraguan journalist Cristiana Chamorro, daughter of a former president and a potential challenger to President Daniel Ortega, met with authorities Friday regarding allegations of money laundering. The previous day, national police raided the offices of the Violeta Barrios de Chamorro Foundation for Reconciliation and Democracy, the nongovernmental organization named after her mother and led by Chamorro until recently, as well as the offices of the independent news outlet run by her brother Carlos Fernando Chamorro. Cristiana Chamorro met with officials at the Interior Ministry Thursday and on Friday entered the public prosecutors offices. Her lawyer was not allowed to accompany her. I come with my head held high to defend Nicaraguans, because this is not an accusation against Cristiana Chamorro; it is an accusation against all Nicaraguans who want democracy and want a change in the system in the next elections, she said, surrounded by journalists. Several political opposition leaders said Friday police kept them from leaving their homes to go support Chamorro. The Nicaraguan government announced Thursday that Chamorro was under investigation for alleged financial irregularities and money laundering related to the foundation. After her nearly three-hour meeting Friday, Chamorro said authorities had explained they were investigating, but gave no indication of how long that could last. Candidates have to register for the elections by Aug. 2. This is another act by the dictatorship against the people of Nicaragua, freedom of expression, human rights and public liberties, she said. Chamorro denied the government's allegations and called for the political opposition to united behind a single candidacy. Ortega is scared to death because united we are going to defeat the dictatorship in these elections, she said sounding more like a potential candidate. Cristiana Chamorro has not ruled out the possibility of running for president in the Nov. 7 elections. In January, she stepped down from her role at the foundation. A month later, it closed its operations in Nicaragua after passage of a foreign agents law that aimed to track foreign funding of organizations operating in the country. Story continues She said the new accusations are Ortegas attempt to keep her out of the race, in which he is seeking his fourth consecutive presidential term. U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said via Twitter Friday: Actions against (Cristiana Chamorro) and the Violeta Barrios Foundation as well as the arrests of journalists are another alarming step away from democracy in Nicaragua. Free and fair elections are undermined when independent media are under siege and opposition leaders cant run. Nicaraguas Supreme Electoral Council and congress have been narrowing the space for maneuver for the countrys opposition. On Tuesday, the council cancelled the legal status of the Democratic Restoration Party, which was expected to potentially be a vehicle for an opposition coalition bid against Ortega. Violeta Barrios de Chamorro beat Ortega to win the presidency in 1990 and served until 1997. Her husband Pedro Joaquin Chamorro ran La Prensa, his family newspaper, and was jailed and forced into exile multiple times before his assassination in 1978. Cristiana Chamorro is the vice president of La Prensa. The killing of Chamorro, a noted critic of dictator Anastasio Somoza, galvanized opposition and propelled the Sandinista revolution led by Ortega that ended the dictatorship. Investigators works the scene of a shooting in Fairfield Township, N.J., Sunday, May 23, 2021 (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Twenty people were killed and at least 74 injured in a spate of shootings across the United States over the weekend. Police in Chicago say that in their city alone 36 people were shot, eight fatally, including a 15-year-old boy, since Friday night. Violence also broke out in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the early hours of Saturday morning when two people were killed and eight injured in an altercation outside a nightclub. This was followed by a string of shootings in New Jersey, South Carolina, Georgia and Ohio. Police say that the Minneapolis killings took place when two men standing in a crowd exchanged words, pulled out guns and fired at each other. When police arrived at the incident they found an exceptionally chaotic scene, with multiple gunshot victims on the ground, according to 5ABC. One of the gunmen, who has not been identified, was killed, along with Charlie Johnson, a recent graduate of the University of St Thomas School of Engineering. The second alleged gunman, Jowan Contrail Carroll, 23, was arrested on probable cause of murder, according to the Bloomington Police Department. Three men and five women were among the injured, with one of the victims reportedly in critical condition. Two people were killed and 12 injured at a shooting at a 90s-themed party in Fairfield Township, New Jersey, on Saturday night. A 30-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman, who have not yet been named, were both killed when gunfire broke out. Police say they have not made any arrest in the case and the investigation is ongoing. A 16-year-old girl was killed and seven others were injured in a shooting on Saturday night at Bicentennial Park in Columbus, Ohio, police said. Five victims were taken to hospital but are expected to survive, and two others sustained non-gunshot injuries fleeing the scene. Authorities said the shooting took place at a private event that had been promoted on social media. A 14-year-old boy was killed and 14 others were injured during a shooting at an unauthorised concert in North Charleston, South Carolina, on Saturday night. Story continues North Charleston Police Deputy Chief Scott Deckard said that the shooting took place after a fight broke out near the concert stage. Police have not released information on any suspects in the case. Three people were killed and five injured in the early hours of Sunday morning in a shooting outside a bar in Youngstown, Ohio. Officials say that one of the shootings happened in the bar but they stemmed from an incident which began there and officers found a chaotic and tragic scene. Police say they have not made any arrests but investigators have spoken to several people, but htye have not released details on how many weapons were used in the shooting. It is not easy for me to get the call in the middle of the night from the chief or one of his team to tell me about incidents like this, and it pains me, said Mayor Jamael Tito Brown. Police in the Atlanta area found three people shot to death in a condominium building after they responded to reports of gunshots early on Sunday morning. Officials in South Fulton say that all three victims died at the scene but police have not released any details on suspects in the case or a motivation for the triple slaying. Lucy Nicholson/Getty One of the moments when I realized that Danny Masterson was very likely going to face trial for allegedly raping three women came on day three of his preliminary hearing this week, when Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo interrupted proceedings to make sure she understood a key Scientology concept: That to members of the organization, non-Scientologists are referred to as wogs. She asked the woman testifying, who went by the name Christina B. in court, if she had seen the Harry Potter series. This seemed to throw Christina B., but I knew exactly where the judge was going. So a wog is like a muggle? Judge Olmedo asked, and the court erupted in a fit of giggles. Oh yeah, I thought, Masterson was toast. Four years ago I first broke the news that Masterson, the That 70s Show actor and a lifelong Scientologist, was being investigated by the LAPD. Three women had come forward to say that from 2001 to 2003, when they themselves had been Scientologists, they were violently raped by him at his Hollywood home. Ive continued to report every step of the case, as prosecutors settled on seeking a potential life sentence, the three victims and two other plaintiffs filed suit against Masterson and the church for stalking them, and when Masterson was criminally charged in June 2020. How the Church of Scientology Went After Danny Mastersons Rape Accusers From the beginning, I was intrigued by how much Scientology was intertwined with this case. Not only because these three women had been Scientologists when they alleged theyd been raped, but as The Daily Beast reported, that they had not come forward sooner specifically because Scientology had overtly told them not to, or because they feared the consequences of doing so. (The Church of Scientology did not respond to requests for comment.) Even fairly casual Scientology watchers understand that the church has a frightening reputation for retaliating against members who bring it unwanted bad publicity. Such members are declared suppressive, and as suppressive persons not only get thrown out of the organization but can lose everythingall contact with their other family members who stay in the church, their friends, their business contacts. Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbards words that someone deemed an enemy of the organization may be tricked, sued or lied to or destroyed ring in the ears of every Scientologist. Story continues Last month, as the preliminary hearing nearedthe first time live testimony from the victims would be heardDeputy District Attorney Reinhold Mueller explained in a court brief that Scientology is inextricably connected to the case after Mastersons attorney, Tom Mesereau, had claimed that it was irrelevant and no mention of it should be made in court. But I was still stunned at how much and how often Scientology bled into the proceedings this week, as the preliminary hearing stretched over four days in Judge Olmedos courtroom in Downtown Los Angeles. During the testimony and cross-examination of each of the womenJane Doe 1, Jane Doe 2, and Christina B.Scientology was named as the reason they had feared coming forward to police or had told police incomplete versions of what happened (in order to spare Scientology embarrassment, said Jane Doe 1), or had feared the power of Mastersons celebrity inside the organization (she knew no one would believe a non-celebrity like her, said Jane Doe 2). All of the women were terrified about Scientology retaliation, and still are. Thats why theyre suing the church in a separate civil lawsuit that alleges theyve been the subject of surveillance and harassment since they came forward to the LAPD at the end of 2016. And when they did come forward, all three of them hoped they would be able to remain anonymous. But after the news broke about the investigation on March 3, 2017, and news organizations looked for a reaction from Masterson, his publicist named the victim who had been in a six-year relationship with the actor. (The other two women had not been his girlfriends, despite his statements suggesting they were.) After that unmasking, and because she believed she had no other choice, she chose to name herself publiclyand thats why were using the name she went by in court, Christina B. The other two women were never identified and thats why, as is the custom of most news organizations regarding victims of sexual assault, we continue to use the names they adopted for the case: Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2. For some reason, news organizations have been referring to the partial actual names of Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 that were used in court this week in a shocking betrayal of their own policies. In one AP story, for example, the partial real name of Jane Doe 2 was used, and then just a few sentences later, was followed by this statement: The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they were victims of sexual abuse. There was no explanation in the piece as to why the AP chose to use the name in this case. Danny Masterson is arraigned on three rape charges in separate incidents in 2001 and 2003, at Los Angeles Superior Court in Los Angeles, California. Lucy Nicholson/Getty The press did accurately report what these women testified to this week. That Jane Doe 1 had felt drugged at Mastersons house and when she came to, she was on his bed and he was raping her. That Christina B. found him on her and had to pull at his hair to get him off. And that Jane Doe 2 said he flipped her over despite her protestations and began pounding her from behind in a violent attack. Each was cross-examined by Mastersons famed defense attorney Tom Mesereau, who called up previous statements they had given between 2003 and 2017, highlighting what he said were inconsistencies in their accounts. Mueller then questioned them on redirect to explain those changes, citing Scientology often. Mesereaus approach, to question their credibility and motivation for accusing Masterson, seemed pretty typical for a rape case. But the involvement of Scientology, which had tried to prevent these women from coming forward at all, made it especially unusual. On Thursday, during the morning break, a rather grungy-looking guy in a trucker hat came and served me some papers. It was a subpoena from Mesereau, asking for me to turn over my documents gathered in my reporting of the Masterson case. Attorneys have assured me that its a ridiculous attempt to intimidate or silence me and wont hold up in courtespecially in California, that has a good shield law for reporters. Weve asked for and received from a court a hearing date in August to have the subpoena quashed. Danny Masterson Rape Accuser Comes Forward to Blast Netflix: We Do Matter It was difficult at times to sit and listen to Scientology being talked about by the attorneys and the judge, who sometimes were unclear about the arcane L. Ron Hubbard concepts that permeated the case. Take wog, for example. Judge Olmedos observation that it was the Scientology equivalent of muggle was a lighthearted moment, but no one took the time to explain to her that Hubbard, an Anglophile, had adopted a word that had an obscure beginning and long-racist history. British military men overseas referred to wogs the way American whites used the N-word. Even today its a word that British publications avoid using. But at other times, it was clear that Judge Olmedo had a very strong grasp of Scientologys concepts of suppressive acts, and she learned things like out-exchange and 2D Sec Checks along the way. Mesereau is a celebrity in his own right, of course, and his shock of white hair is his trademark. Through much of his cross-examination, I could see why he commands top dollar. He was methodical and effective, and calm and unflappable when the women he was questioning pushed back. He was impressive. But every time he waded into Scientology, he appeared to be out of his depth. And yet it was Mesereau who brought the Introduction to Scientology Ethics book into the hearing and used it to try and trip up Christina B. She said that Scientologists would not risk being declared suppressive by reporting a rape to the police, but in the chapter Suppressive Acts, there was nothing about not reporting to police, was there? He asked her to review the chapter, and then asked her to admit that she couldnt find it. I was having a hard time sitting still in my seat. Even though I have never been a Scientologist, I knew that the book and other policies by Hubbard explicitly talked about Scientologists being prevented from providing testimony against other Scientologists. I wondered if Mueller knew that. The next day, when he had a chance for redirect on Christina B., Mueller stood up and came over to Mesereau and asked if he could borrow his copy of Introduction to Scientology Ethics. It was the most television-ready moment all week. Mueller then turned to a different chapter, and asked Christina B. to confirm that it did, in fact, contain admonitions against Scientologists to go to law enforcement, which Hubbard very explicitly referred to as corrupt. After demonstrating that Mesereau was wrong, and that hed (perhaps purposely) pointed to the wrong part of the book, Mueller walked back and, with exquisite politeness, handed him the volume and said, Thank you. Its been very helpful. The Church of Scientology community center in the neighborhood of South Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California. Kevork Djansezian/Getty On Friday, Sharon Appelbaum delivered the defense argument that Masterson had reason to believe that the women had given him their consent, and that they were motivated by jealousy and greed to wrongly accuse him of rape. Mueller calmly reviewed the testimony when it was his turn, explaining that in each case there was solid evidence that Masterson knew he didnt have consent when hed forced himself on each of the women, regardless of why the women were there, what they said afterward, or what they had worn. The judge, in her ruling, found that not only did she think all three women were credible, but that Scientologys policies specifically helped explain why these women had been afraid to come forward earlier. There will be a trial, presided over by Judge Olmedo, and because of her ruling Scientology will play a significant part in it. It was hard to read Mastersons expression behind the face masks he wore. He watched the testimony closely, took notes, and passed them to his lawyers. When Judge Olmedo announced her ruling, his demeanor didnt change. And when she later asked him if June 7 worked for him as the date for his next arraignment, he answered with a hearty, Yes, your honor. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 23:03:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JERUSALEM, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The number of COVID-19 death cases in Israel has reached 6,402 after five new fatalities were added, the state's Ministry of Health said Sunday. The ministry also reported 11 new cases, raising the total number in the country to 839,319. The number of patients in serious conditions increased from 59 to 60, out of 104 hospitalized patients. The total recoveries in Israel rose to 832,406 after 55 newly recovered cases were added, while the number of active cases decreased to 511, the lowest since March 18, 2020. The number of people vaccinated against COVID-19 in Israel has surpassed 5.44 million, or 58.3 percent of its total population. Earlier in the day, the ministry issued a severe travel warning for Russia, Argentina, and Seychelles, citing a high level of coronavirus morbidity. The ministry said in a statement that without a significant reversal of infection rate, these destinations will be categorized as hazardous, meaning that travel of Israeli citizens and permanent residents to them will be prohibited. For the same reason, Israel has already banned travel to seven other countries, which are Ukraine, Ethiopia, Brazil, India, South Africa, Mexico, and Turkey. Enditem The claim: Black Lives Matter expressed support for Hamas during the Israeli-Palestinian conflict After 11 days of military confrontation that left hundreds dead, Israel and Hamas agreed to a cease-fire following a unanimous vote from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet to end the assault in the Gaza Strip. Activist groups and politicians in the United States and abroad have been weighing in on the conflict, with more progressive Democrats urging the Biden administration to be tougher on Israel and Netanyahu. The official Black Lives Matter Twitter account showed support for Palestinians in a May 17 tweet. "Black Lives Matter stands in solidarity with Palestinians," the tweet says. "We are a movement committed to ending settler colonialism in all forms and will continue to advocate for Palestinian liberation." Since the tweet was posted, social media users on Facebook and Instagram have spread the claim that the organization supports Hamas, a militant Palestinian group that controls Gaza. A Faith Wire article also promoted the misleading claim. Fact check:Photo of Palestinian child in tears not from recent Israeli airstrikes USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook users who shared the posts for comment. BLM tweet referenced Palestinians, not Hamas The Black Lives Matter tweet indicates the organization's support for Palestinians, not Hamas. Several websites have corrected their stories to reflect that fact. One Facebook post shows a screenshot of a Daily Wire story with a headline that reads, "Black Lives Matter Declares 'Solidarity' With Hamas In Israel Conflict." The headline has since been updated to say "Palestinians" instead of "Hamas." Another post includes a screenshot from a Fox News story with a headline that reads, "Black Lives Matter says it stands with Hamas terrorists in Israeli conflict." The headline of that story has since been updated, and an editor's note acknowledging the change was added to the bottom of the article. Story continues "This reports headline was updated to more closely reflect the Black Lives Matter tweet," the editor's note says. An article from the RF Angle said Black Lives Matter "essentially" declared support for Hamas in the tweet. It has since been updated. "Black Lives Matter did not declare their solidarity with Hamas, they declared their solidarity with Palestinians. The RFAngle has changed the title to reflect this,'' a note on the article says. But, others still misrepresent the stance taken by Black Lives Matter. The article from Faith Wire makes the oversimplification, saying the tweet "effectively" indicated the organization's support for the militant group. However, Black Lives Matter did not tweet in support of the Hamas militant group, but rather the Palestinian people. Those are two distinct groups. Fact check: Netanyahu did not give a speech thanking Hamas for uniting Israel USA TODAY reached out to Black Lives Matter for comment. Our rating: False The claim that Black Lives Matter tweeted in support of the Hamas militant group is FALSE, based on our research. The organization tweeted in support of Palestinians, not Hamas. Our fact-check sources: Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here. Our fact check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Black Lives Matter supports Palestinians, not Hamas Louie was adopted in October by Jeremy Eisengrein of Spring Lake, N.J., who said, "I would be distraught if I felt the need to return my dog." (Jeremy Eisengrein for The New York Times) Animal welfare advocates were delighted when the pandemic prompted thousands of bored and isolated Americans to adopt dogs last yearAnimal welfare advocates were delighted when the pandemic prompted thousands of bored and isolated Americans to adopt dogs last year. They also worried that when offices reopened and social life began returning to normal, those new pet owners would cast aside their dogs, like children who had outgrown their teddy bears. Despite some alarmist news reports, the story so far is much happier than that. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times Shelter data and interviews with animal welfare experts point to a confirmed shift in pet ownership in the United States, as people bonded with their new animal companions during an incredibly stressful period. Giving up their pets borders on the unthinkable for many. No, no, never not even crossing my mind, said Danni McCarville, 55, an artist who lives in the mountains outside Trinidad, Colorado, with her husband, a lawyer. They brought home Buck, a Colorado mountain dog, in December. Its like getting rid of a kid. He makes us laugh all day long and doesnt even know hes funny, McCarville said. He brings joy, especially at the time it was fun to have some joy in the house. As coronavirus restrictions were lifted in recent weeks, fears of mass pet abandonment have been fanned by local news reports that shelters in Florida, Virginia, and other places were taking in more dogs, compared to the same time last year. It is so hard for them, one animal rescue worker told the British Broadcasting Corp. in a video that suggested U.S. shelters were struggling to accommodate returns from a pandemic puppy boom. But national animal welfare groups say that, in fact, dogs adopted during the pandemic are largely remaining in their new homes, and shelters nationwide have not reported alarming increases in adopted pets being abandoned now that workplaces and schools are reopening. Story continues We dont have any evidence to show that shelters are seeing an increase, said Michael San Filippo, a spokesman for the American Veterinary Medical Association. We will be watching this closely over the next several months, San Filippo said. Certainly weve been aware of this as a possibility since we began hearing about more people bringing pets home during the pandemic. But so far we havent seen any evidence of a corresponding increase in surrenders. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals also said in a statement there was no evidence of an increase in owner surrenders or stray intakes across the United States. It said one reason was that shelters and rescue organizations continue to have conversations with adopters to ensure they are making good matches and that pets match their adopters lifestyles, even when those owners return to a post-pandemic schedule. Monthly reports from PetPoint, a website that aggregates data from more than 1,100 animal welfare organizations in the United States, suggest that while shelters have experienced an increase in pets coming in, their numbers are merely returning to the levels reported before the pandemic. In April, for example, 15,906 dogs were surrendered by their owners an increase of nearly 80% over April 2020, according to PetPoint. But many shelters curtailed operations in April 2020, meaning fewer pets could be returned that month. And the numbers were still well below the 20,289 dogs that were surrendered in April 2019, before the coronavirus upended life and commerce. The numbers also tell a more nuanced story about the rates of pandemic pet adoptions. Despite reports of waiting lists and long lines at shelters, adoptions were actually down in 2020, according to animal welfare groups. About 280,270 dogs were adopted in 2020, a roughly 19% decrease from the previous year, according to PetPoint. Cat adoptions fell by about 11%. There has not been much chatter about people offloading pandemic cats as they return to offices. Most cats, of course, can stay home alone when you go to work. Dont be deceived by the fluffy puppies and cuddly kittens in the news, Steve Zeidman wrote in a blog post on the PetPoint website. He added, in another post written with Todd Whittington, that sensational reports of pets being returned in large numbers are completely untrue. In fact, most people have found their dogs to be essential in a tumultuous time, said Dr. Marty Greer, a veterinarian and author of Your Pandemic Puppy: Finding and Raising a Well-Adjusted Dog During COVID-19. Theyve been through a lot together and, when nobody else was there for them, their dog was, Greer said. She recalled a slogan on a mug: Its not drinking alone, if the dog is home. I think its true, Greer said. Its a warm body that you can nuzzle up to and will go on a walk with you. Most pandemic pet owners would seem to agree. In a survey of 1,000 American cat and dog owners conducted for Rover.com, a pet services website, 93% said their pandemic pet had improved their mental or physical well-being over the last year and more than 80% said it made working from home more enjoyable. Jeremy Eisengrein, 27, a communications professional from Spring Lake, New Jersey, counts himself among them. In October, he adopted Louie, a ridiculously affectionate 1-year-old black Lab-pit bull mix. He said this forced him to make a routine, hike more, and go to the dog park and the beach. His sister, brother-in-law and parents have also bonded with Louie, he said. I would be distraught if I felt the need to return my dog, he said. Hes become part of the family, almost immediately. Youre proud of your animal child. Animal welfare groups remain concerned that dogs may still be rejected later this year. If they were adopted as puppies, they are now approaching adolescence, when behavioral problems can develop. Another potential problem is separation anxiety, as dogs accustomed to having their owners at home struggle to adapt once those owners return to offices. The American Kennel Club recommends preparing dogs for your return to the office or other outside activities by encouraging them to spend time independently, in their own beds, in a fenced-in yard or in their crates. Owners can also practice leaving their dogs alone in a room for progressively longer periods of time, and should give them at least 15 minutes of exercise before they leave for work. One other tip from the Kennel Club: Dont be anxious in front of your dog. Dogs pick up on your mood and take their cue from you about how they should feel about new situations, the club says. The more you stay relaxed and behave like everything is normal, the more likely your dog will be to follow your lead and accept it when its time for you to go. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. 2021 The New York Times Company Photo credit: Michael Kovac - Getty Images A new Hollywood report has come out that has shined a light on just how little people from Asian and Pacific Island communities have been featured either on-screen or behind the camera. The study titled 'The Prevalence and Portrayal of Asian and Pacific Islanders across 1,300 Popular Films' and detailed in Variety looked at the 1,300 top grossing films released between 2007 and 2019, and the results are staggering. Of those movies, only 44 of them had an Asian or Pacific Islander in the leading role, with 14 of those films being led by Dwayne Johnson. Another five of them are led by Keanu Reeves, who has a Chinese-Hawaiian father but is visually white-passing. Only six of these 44 movies are led by a woman of Asian and Pacific Islander heritage. Photo credit: Samir Hussein - Getty Images Related: Chicago Med's Arden Cho opens up about racist attack while walking her dog Across the 1,300 movies, the study stated that 94.2% of them didn't feature any Pacific Islanders, 40.2% of them didn't feature any Asian characters, combining to make 39% of films featuring neither. The study claims that there are 51,159 speaking characters across the list of films featured. Out of that numbers, only 5.9% of them were API, compared to the 7.1% of people in the United States that identify as API. Of that percentage, the study claims that only 13% of those roles were fleshed out characters, as opposed to stereotypical or shallow roles. Behind the cameras, numbers were even lower for API directors (3.5%), casting directors (3.3%), and producers (2.5%). Not a single API woman was credited as the sole director of any of these 1,300 movies. Photo credit: Getty Images "The numbers speak for themselves. They are a sobering look at how far the industry still has to go to counter the invisibility of our community onscreen," states actor Daniel Dae Kim (who previously opened up about worrying if his Lost character was "problematic"). "If anything is to improve, the historic indifference on the part of decision makers toward increased Asian American representation must go beyond the usual performative rhetoric to actual, demonstrable change." Story continues Daniel Dae Kim's Hellboy role (who was Asian in the source material) was originally cast with white actor Ed Skrein before a whitewashing backlash, highlighting why representation is so low. Photo credit: Michael Kovac - Getty Images The last few months have seen a number of protests and stars speaking out against racism and hatred against Asian people, including BTS, Sandra Oh, and Gemma Chan, among many others. A UK-based ESEA Community Fund has been set up on GoFundMe, and has raised over 77,000 of a 100,000 goal at the time of writing. You can donate to it right here. Digital Spy's digital magazine is back and we've got an EXCLUSIVE interview with Dave Bautista. Read every issue now with a 1-month free trial, only on Apple News+ . Interested in Digital Spy's weekly newsletter? Sign up to get it sent straight to your inbox and don't forget to join our Watch This Facebook Group for daily TV recommendations and discussions with other readers. You Might Also Like Seeking Sister Wife star Garrick Merrifield has decided to take a big step in his relationship with fiancee Roberta and no, it's not marriage. In PEOPLE's exclusive sneak peek of the TLC show's Monday episode, Garrick discusses how he's adjusted his future plans with Roberta after she made a full recovery from COVID-19. "COVID has shown us that we definitely have no guarantee of what's going to happen tomorrow," Garrick, 37, says in a confessional. "Our plan was always to get married in Mexico after her visa got approved. But with COVID shutdowns, it's still going to take quite a while before, you know, her visa is approved." Garrick adds, "So me and Roberta decided together that with her being 33 and not getting any younger, we're going to go ahead and plan a trip to Mexico with or without the visa to try to have a baby." Garrick's wife, Dannielle Merrifield, asks him about whether he's trying to conceive. After he confirms his decision, Dannielle opens up in a confessional about how that makes her feel. RELATED: Seeking Sister Wife: Couple to Divorce in Order to Have Brazilian Woman Join Plural Marriage TLC TLC Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. "Knowing that Garrick and Roberta have changed gears, you know, 'We're not doing the wedding,' and they want to move forward with having a baby and starting their life together does make me a little apprehensive," Dannielle, 33, says. "I do want to be supportive and I know the goal is for Garrick and Roberta to ultimately start a family together," she continues. "But with the pandemic going on and also communication with Roberta being very spotty [as she remains in Brazil], yeah I don't know." Courtesy TLC Dannielle and Garrick Merrifield with Roberta Story continues RELATED: New Celebrity Couples of 2021 Dannielle then tells Garrick that deciding to start his family with Roberta "is a lot to think about" because of how it could impact the pair's existing family dynamic. "I think we should keep talking about it, make sure we make the best choice," Dannielle says, to which Garrick responds, "Yeah, I mean, it's part of moving forward in life. We can't put a hold on everything." Garrick and Dannielle have been married for 12 years and share sons Geremiah, 11, and Solomon, 10. Following an online search for another wife, they found Roberta a woman who is from Brazil. Garrick who proposed to Roberta shortly after meeting her in Mexico plans to legally divorce Dannielle in order to marry Roberta, ultimately creating a plural marriage. Seeking Sister Wife airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on TLC. Tribune Publishing Jun. 11Alena LaSoya always knew she wanted to work with dogs, but wasn't sure in what capacity. She found an answer two years ago, shortly after moving to Odessa from Houston, when she decided to open her own mobile dog grooming business. Since then, her business, called "Woofers Mobile Dog Grooming" has since taken off as her list of clients has continued to grow. "Back in 2014, I was a dog ... Crime_and_courts featured Yakima County attorneys, judges say Supreme Court drug ruling is not a simple matter Amanda Ray / Yakima Herald-Republic Area residents took their next step toward sobriety by graduating from the Yakima County Superior Court Drug Court program Tuesday, May 18, 2021, in front of Judge David Elofson at the Yakima County Courthouse in Yakima, Wash. Amanda Ray / Yakima Herald-Republic Yakima County Superior Court Judge David Elofson, center, applauds an area resident for several days of sobriety Tuesday, May 18, 2021, in drug court at the Yakima County Courthouse in Yakima, Wash. Amanda Ray / Yakima Herald-Republic An area resident reads an affirmation of values letter to Judge David Elofson and participants in the Yakima County Superior Drug Court program Tuesday, May 18, 2021, at the Yakima County Courthouse in Yakima, Wash. Amanda Ray / Yakima Herald-Republic A basket of snacks with a sign that reads Kudos on being sanction free this week! stands on a table in front of Yakima County Superior Court Judge David Elofson during drug court Tuesday, May 18, 2021, at the Yakima County Courthouse in Yakima, Wash. In February, the Washington Supreme Court threw out the states drug-possession law, sparking a legislative response designed to steer people into treatment. But in Yakima County, the prosecutor, two judges and the chief public defender said it will also mean the system will likely be swamped dealing with people having their criminal records wiped clean and possibly being reimbursed for fines and court costs incurred as a result sometimes in cases dating back half a century. In my lifetime, this is the one greatest decision that has affected the system to its core, said Yakima County Prosecuting Attorney Joe Brusic. We have not seen anything like this. It takes the cake. Brusic believes the county will be losing one of its tools to fight crime by reducing drug possession to a misdemeanor. However, Paul Kelley, director of the Department of Assigned Counsel, said a newly enacted law may be a signal that there may be other ways to deal with drug abuse than through the courts. Its a recognition that the criminal justice system has not worked, Kelley said. In February, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the states 50-year-old drug possession law was unconstitutional because prosecutors did not have to prove someone knowingly had drugs on their person. In the case before the high court, State v. Blake, a woman was convicted of felony drug possession because police found methamphetamine in the coin pocket of a pair of jeans she got from a thrift store and didnt check the pockets first. In striking down the law, the high court also said the law was unconstitutional from the beginning, which means that anyone who has ever been convicted of simple possession can have that conviction thrown out. In response, the Legislature passed Senate Bill 5476, which makes simple drug possession a misdemeanor offense, but only after someone has been through a diversion program twice before to get treatment. It also requires a system to help people find treatment programs. That misdemeanor penalty would expire at the end of 2023, with the idea that lawmakers would review how effectively it has worked. It moves the system from responding to possession as a felony to focusing on the behavioral health response, which is a much more appropriate and successful way to address the needs that underlie drug abuse, Gov. Jay Inslee said when he signed the bill into law. All three of the state senators representing Yakima Valley voted against it, as did Reps. Bruce Chandler, R-Granger, and Jeremie Dufault, R-Selah. Kelley said the decision will have positive effects for people who were convicted under the unconstitutional statute. Convicted felons in Washington cannot vote or possess firearms. And for those who were convicted of other crimes, removing drug felony convictions can shorten their sentences, which are based on prior criminal convictions as well as their current crime, Kelley said. It can be from anywhere between six months to a couple years. But it can also present logistical problems. Statewide, as many as 6,500 people are affected, with some going back to the 1970s, said Richard Bartheld, Yakima County Superior Courts presiding judge. And vacating someones record is not as simple as pressing a delete button. The judge is one person in the scenario. We have the clerk that has to take the petition, the prosecutor who reviews it, a defense attorney, the judge and staff, and the Washington State Patrol, Bartheld said. Its a lot of people to handle that case. The State Patrol maintains criminal background records. Kelley said his office has already begun prioritizing cases where vacating the drug offense will have an immediate effect on a persons liberties. But he said it also mean additional caseloads for his staff attorneys. So far, there havent been too many resentencing hearings scheduled, as many of those affected people are in prison and communication is slow at this point. Kelley anticipates it will take quite a bit of time to get through the requests as they come in. Bartheld said the court may have to reserve time just for processing such requests. Then theres the question of money the person was required to pay because of the conviction, known as a legal financial obligation. If the conviction has been vacated, Kelley and Brusic said the person must be reimbursed for what they paid. Its massive, not just moving forward, and the retroactivity, Brusic said. The law requires a fund be established by the state to reimburse people for their legal financial obligations. While the Legislature did restore some criminal penalties for drug possession, Brusic doesnt believe it is enough to serve as a deterrent to those whose abuse of drugs leads them to other crimes. He believes that drugs are the No. 1 driving factor in crime in the Valley. As a misdemeanor, the maximum penalty for drug possession would be 90 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fine. But, Brusic said thats only on the third offense. For the first two offenses the person is to go into a diversion program, where the charges are dropped if they complete substance abuse treatment. A misdemeanor conviction, Brusic said, may not be enough of a threat to encourage someone to follow through with a treatment program. What hammer do we have to get them into treatment? Brusic asked. Yakima County has a drug court in which people can have criminal charges dropped if they complete a treatment regimen. Judge David Elofson, who presides over the drug court, said the 18-month program is one that requires concentration and dedication on participants parts. Drug court participants are tested for drugs multiple times a week, required to attend regular meetings and are monitored by the court and treatment facilities. For them, its an act of courage to say they want to get clean, Elofson said. As a result of the Blake case, the court has lost roughly a half dozen of its 65 participants as their charges were dropped. Other drug courts around the state have lost as many as half of their participants, Elofson said, but Yakima County accepts participants who have been convicted of other crimes but drug abuse was a factor in their actions. Bartheld said hes seen many domestic violence cases where the perpetrator also has a drug addiction. Kelley said Brusics stance on the matter makes sense if one believes that the court systems response to drug abuse has worked. The Blake ruling appears to suggest, Kelley said, that the community does not think the court system has worked and that it is time to reassess drug use as a behavioral health issue instead of a criminal act. 7 day print subscribers enjoy unlimited access to yakimaherald.com Enter the LAST NAME and the 7 DIGIT phone number on your print subscription account to connect your print subscription to your yakimaherald.com account. Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-24 00:23:16|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LAGOS, May 23 (Xinhua) -- At least 64 people were injured following a petrol tanker explosion in north Nigeria's Kano state on Saturday, said a local official on Sunday. Fire service received a distress call on Saturday afternoon reporting a petrol tanker catching fire and exploding at a filling station in Sharada community in the Kano municipal area, said Saminu Abdullahi, spokesman for the fire service in Kano, in a statement. "We quickly dispatched our personnel and vehicle to the scene of the incident," Abdullahi said. Out of the 64 people who have sustained various degrees of injuries, eight were fire service personnel, the spokesman said, adding that no life was lost and the injured people were receiving treatment at local hospitals. He said the tanker was offloading petroleum products at the filling station when the incident occurred. He appealed to the public to always call the fire service immediately as they encounter any fire incident. Enditem Growing up, Jacob Robert Ortiz could often be found taking the lead among his friends on the playground of Adams Elementary School in Yakima. News Billings, Montana - An Arizona woman accused of bringing multi-pound quantities of methamphetamine to Montana for distribution admitted to a trafficking crime Tuesday, Acting U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said. Lisa Elizabeth Caudron, 42, of Gilbert, Arizona, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute meth. Caudron faces a mandatory minimum 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release. U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided. Caudron was released pending further proceedings. A sentencing date will be set before U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen. The government alleged in court documents filed in the case that the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force learned in February 2020 that a person had been buying multi-pound quantities of meth from Caudron and from a co-defendant, Gaspar Salas, since February 2019 and that the two always came to Montana together. On April 23, 2020, law enforcement located Salas and Caudron at a hotel in Livingston and executed a search warrant for their room and their vehicle. The hotel room search resulted in the seizure of 4.69 pounds of meth, which is the equivalent of about 16,996 doses, in a backpack. Salas was sentenced in March to 15 years in prison for conviction in the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin M. Rubich prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and the FBIs Big Sky Western Transnational Organized Crime Task Force. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative to reduce violent crime. Through PSN, federal, tribal, state and local law enforcement partners in Montana focus on violent crime driven by methamphetamine trafficking, armed robbers, firearms offenses and violent offenders with outstanding warrants. News Yuma, Arizona - This Sunday, May 23, marks the 20th anniversary of one of the worst illegal immigration tragedies to date, when 14 migrants succumbed to the elements after getting lost in the unforgiving desert southeast of Yuma. That day started out as a typical one for David Phagan, who was a Border Patrol agent at the Wellton station at the time. But that day quickly turned from typical to tragic. And 20 years later, its still engrained in Phagans memory. As Phagan, now a supervisory Border Patrol agent assigned to the Wellton Station, headed out to the field that morning, he couldnt possibly have imagined the death and suffering he was about to encounter. But a few hours into his shift, an agents worst nightmare became a reality as he came upon a group of four desperate men. The four had been part of a larger group of 28 males who crossed the border from Mexico into the United States and entered an unexpectedly hot, barren and disorienting landscape. The group, which included two guides, stepped into the desert on May 19. Two of them decided to return to Mexico, but the other 24 continued, following their guides through a terrain that would end up swallowing them whole. I think a lot of people dont understand how hard and unforgiving this desert is, Phagan said as he stood in the same spot along a dirt road 30 miles south of Dateland, Arizona, where he encountered the four men two decades ago. They had been sitting in the shade of a tree near the road waiting and hoping for someone to come along. When they saw Phagan approach in his Border Patrol truck, they ran toward him. When they got to me, they were begging for water, he said. I tried to cool them off by pouring water on them. They were in bad shape. The men told Phagan that there were several more of them in worse condition and most likely dead. With that news, an intense rescue operation was initiated. And when it was all said and done, two days later, a total of 14 migrants were dead, including one of the suspected guides. This is a life-or-death situation, especially in the summer, Phagan said. If you miss sign, someone could die. Peoples lives are in your hands. Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Jeffrey Townzen had only 11 months in the patrol and six months in the field when he became part of the rescue operation that day. It was an eye opener, he said. The ones that were still alive, you could see it in their eyes that you were saving their lives. The ones you saved are the ones you remember. That was something I wont forget. Chris Coleman, now a Wellton station supervisor, was working the swing shift at the time of the rescue and spent the night backtracking the sign of a brother from the initial group of four that Phagan encountered. We backtracked his sign all night long and found him dead under a tree at about 1 a.m., he said. That first day I remember. I remember pushing the sign. It was hard to push because the guy was all over the place. He put his shoes on the ground and folded up all his clothes with his wallet on top. Those were the longest [couple days] of my career, Coleman said. Coleman and Townzen both said the incident had a big impact on the Wellton station, not only among the agents who were involved in the rescue, but also on station operations. It really affected the Wellton station and how big the station grew, Townzen said. In addition to adding manpower, Townzen said the station also added a forward operating camp, called Camp Grip, south of the area where the migrants died, and several rescue beacons were placed throughout the desert. It changed the way we did everything, Coleman added. Although this incident was 20 years ago, the story is still all too familiar today. Smugglers and guides regularly risk the lives of the migrants who pay them thousands of dollars for help to get into the United States. Smugglers and guides are known to abandon their groups whenever they run into an obstacle, such as a migrant getting injured or sick or detection by a Border Patrol agent. Those who cant keep up are left behind, which seemed to be the case with this group. When the two guides, who carelessly led these migrants into the harshest region of the Sonoran Desert, realized they were lost and the group was in trouble, they collected whatever money the migrants had left and told the group they were going to get water and that they would be back. Agents found the guides several miles north of the initial four. One was dead and the other was near death. It is believed that they had no intention of returning to help. The surviving guide, Jesus Lopez-Ramos, who was 20 years old at the time, was eventually tried, convicted and sentenced to 16 years in prison. The thing that gets me is you still see it every day, said Coleman, a 21-year veteran of the Border Patrol. The smugglers, they dont care. Phagan, whose account of the incident has been included in books and articles, said it seems like a long time ago, yet the picture in his mind seems like yesterday. Its the most important thing Ive done in my career, Phagan said. You wish it didnt happen but youre glad you were here. We were here. Arizona News Phoenix, Arizona - Attorney General Mark Brnovich just released new details obtained after deposing a high-ranking federal official who testified that reducing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) core missions will harm public safety. Nevertheless, the Biden Administrations new immigration policy or Interim Guidance does just that. Excerpts of the testimony were included in the latest filing by the Arizona Attorney General's Office late Wednesday afternoon. This new testimony is part of Arizona and Montanas lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE that seeks to halt the Interim Guidance that the states contend recklessly and illegally alters immigration enforcement policies. The Court permitted the States to take depositions as part their case over the objections of the federal government. During his deposition, Albert Carter, who served as the Acting Phoenix Field Office Director for ICE until recently, testified that criminal warrants, at-large arrests, removals, and immigration detainers were absolutely important to public safety and reducing these missions will likely harm public safety. Carter's testimony further corroborates previous revelations that the DHS Interim Guidance had nothing to do with limited resources. Arizona recently discovered evidence suggesting the policy was adopted following intense outside pressure from special interest advocacy groups. Since implementation in February 2021, ICE deportations and interior arrests have been slashed by nearly 50 percent compared to 2020. Additionally, ICE has steeply reduced the number of immigration detainers being issued for individuals in jails and correctional facilities. ICE detainers are a critical tool for the agency to identify and ultimately remove criminal aliens in federal, state, or local custody. Since the Interim Guidance was adopted, the number of ICE immigration detainers issued nationally fell from 10,000 per month throughout 2020, to 5,000 in February 2021, and less than 2,500 in March and April. As a direct result, federal and state prisons are being forced to release dangerous convicted criminals into local communities, without any warning to the public and at the cost of Arizona taxpayers. (*Above graphic was updated from original version*) Question: Okay. Is the mission of lodging immigration detainers important to public safety in the communities where those aliens are located? Carter: I would say yes, sir, absolutely. Question: Will reducing the lodging of immigration detainers likely harm public safety for communities in which the aliens are ultimately released? Mr. Gardner: Objection, calls for speculation. Carter: I would say absolutely. Throughout the deposition, Carter said he had no reason to doubt official data that showed a drop in ICE deportations, arrests, and detainers since the Interim Guidance. Carter also testified that from his perspective as Acting Phoenix Field Office Director, these changes were not necessitated by resource constraints. Question: Was there a dropoff in resource constraints -- excuse me. Were resource constraints responsible for the dropoff in February 2021? Carter: No, sir. Arizona News Tucson, Arizona - The Federal Bureau of Investigation is seeking to identify the person(s) responsible for illegally flying a drone near a U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter. On February 9, 2021, at 10:30 p.m., employees of CBP informed the Tucson Police Department that a drone was flying dangerously close to their helicopter. Over the next few hours, multiple law enforcement agencies worked to locate the drones operator but were unsuccessful. The drone appeared to launch from an area about 5 miles south of Tucson and flew across Tucson and north over Marana. No one was injured and no other similar incidents have been reported involving this specific drone. In 2018, The Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act included 18 USC 39B, which federally criminalizes Unsafe Operation of Unmanned Aircraft. Specifically, knowing or reckless interference or disruption of a manned aircraft, and the operation of unmanned aircraft in close proximity to airports. While the drone(s) did not come into direct contact with an airplane or cause a pilot to make an evasive maneuver, the actions are illegal and extremely dangerous. Anyone flying a drone as prohibited by law can face federal criminal charges, fines, and imprisonment. It is possible the drone operator(s) are not aware they are violating the law. We encourage anyone with information to assist in this investigation to contact the FBI at 623-466-1999. Tips can also be reported to tips.fbi.gov. When operating a drone, the FBI encourages the public to abide by federal and state laws. You can learn more at faa.gov/uas/. Arizona News Yuma, Arizona - Yuma Sector Border Patrol agents apprehended five U.S. citizens smuggling 12 migrants in four different vehicle stops over the weekend. At approximately 5 a.m. on Friday, agents from the Wellton Station stopped a Chevrolet Suburban traveling eastbound on Interstate 8 near Dateland, Arizona. The driver, a 36-year-old U.S. citizen from Yuma, was smuggling six migrants, who were found hiding on the backseat and in the rear cargo area. Later that morning, agents pulled over an eastbound Mitsubishi Outlander rental car on Interstate 8 just east of Wellton. Agents determined that the driver, a 27-year-old male U.S. citizen from California, was smuggling two migrants. At 11 a.m. Sunday, Wellton agents stopped a Ford Fusion that was also traveling eastbound on Interstate 8 near Dateland. During the stop, agents determined that two 16-year-old U.S. citizens from California were smuggling a migrant further into the interior of the county. The migrant was still wearing booties on his feet when agents stopped the vehicle. Migrants wear carpet booties over their shoes to prevent leaving their shoe prints behind in the sand and hide their tracks from agents. Agents arrested a migrant still wearing carpet booties from crossing illegally into the U.S. On Monday morning, agents assigned to the Blythe station conducted a vehicle stop on a Ford Explorer near Lovekin Boulevard and Rice Street in Blythe. Agents discovered a 19-year-old male U.S. citizen from California smuggling three migrants. Except for the two juveniles, who were turned over to Child Protective Services, agents arrested the drivers in these incidents for smuggling. The migrants were also arrested and will be returned to Mexico under Title 42. Border News Edinburg, Texas - On Monday, Border Patrol agents arrested three migrants affiliated with known street gangs. Sunday morning, McAllen Border Patrol Station agents working near Palmview, Texas, apprehended four subjects after they illegally entered into the United States. Criminal records checks revealed that a 27-year-old Mexican man traveling among them was a confirmed member of the Paisa gang. In the afternoon near Penitas, Texas, McAllen Border Patrol Station agents assisted Penitas Police Department on a vehicle stop. Border Patrol agents determined the driver to be a citizen of El Salvador illegally present in the United States. The subject was taken into custody and transported to the McAllen Border Patrol Station for processing. Records checks revealed the 23-year-old man to being a member of the 18th Street gang. Sunday evening, a group of 32 migrant families entered the United States illegally near Hidalgo, Texas. Within the family groups, was a 21-year-old Salvadoran female who was later identified as a MS-13 gang member. Border Patrol processed the subjects accordingly. Even with the spread of the COVID-19 virus, human smugglers continue to try these brazen attempts with zero regard for the lives they endanger nor to the health of the citizens of our great nation. The U.S. Border Patrol agents of the Rio Grande Valley Sector will continue to safeguard the nation and community against these criminal elements. The public is encouraged to take a stand against crime in their communities and report suspicious activity at 800-863-9382. Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business. Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-24 00:41:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, May 23 (Xinhua) -- From east coast to west coast, at least nine people, including two girls, were killed and dozens injured in multiple shootings in several U.S. states over the weekend. A 16-year-old girl died just after 1 a.m. local time on Sunday, shortly after gunfire broke out at the Bicentennial Park Amphitheater in Columbus, the capital city of Midwest state Ohio, local police said. Five other teens were injured in the shooting. The incident occurred at a private event that was promoted on social media, according to the police statement, NBC Columbus affiliate WCMH reported. What sparked the shooting remains unclear, and police have not identified a suspect, said the report. In Youngstown, the ninth largest city in Ohio, three people were shot dead and five others injured at a bar on early Sunday morning, according to a CNN report, citing local police sources. Police responded to the reports of shooting at the Torch Club Bar & Grille in Youngstown shortly after 2 a.m. local time (0600 GMT), said the report. Detectives said some sort of argument broke out near the bar and there was "an exchange of gunfire," local media outlet WKBN reported. In Bridgeton, the eastern U.S. state of New Jersey, two people were killed with 12 others injured in a house party shooting just before midnight, the authorities said on Sunday. The dead were a 30-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman, state police said. One of the injured, all adults, is in critical condition. Troopers responded to the scene at 11:50 p.m. Saturday, the state police said. More than one hundred people were at that home for a party at the time, according to an ABC News report. In North Charleston, South Carolina, a 14-year-old girl was shot dead and another 14 people were injured after an unauthorized neighborhood concert on Saturday evening, local media outlet WCIV reported on Sunday. Authorities said the shooting occurred after a fight broke out near the concert stage. Police are investigating the incident. In downtown Minneapolis, the U.S. state of Minnesota, two people died and another eight were injured in a shooting incident early Saturday morning. The Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) said officers responded to "an exceptionally chaotic scene" at 1:59 a.m. CT at a bar in downtown Minneapolis. Preliminary investigation revealed two people both pulled out guns and began shooting at each other as they got into a verbal confrontation. "The two deceased are males. One male is in critical condition and the remaining 7 have non-life-threatening injuries," the MPD said in a statement. Despite the frequency of multiple mass shootings across the United States, major gun control legislation is unlikely due to deep partisan and cultural divide in the country, experts say. Enditem Mumbai: Amid the ongoing COVID -19 lockdown, Mumbai Police, through their social media handle, is making efforts to spread the word about social distancing by sharing intriguing posters featuring Bollywood stars. On their Twitter handle on Sunday (May 23), they introduced a couple of posters to spread the word about COVID norms. Mumbai Police took to Twitter and posted a few #BollyGood posters featuring legendary actors including Dev Anand, Madhuri Dixit and Govinda. The first poster dedicated to the Guide actor featured a monochromatic smiling picture of the late actor's face. It read, Dev Asli Anand Toh Ghar Pe Hai. (Dev, real joy is to be at home). The poster aimed at requesting people to stay at their homes to curb the spread of COVID. ''Picture abhi baaki hai mere dost" Thank You Mumbaikars for writing such a Bollygood script of this superhit sequel.#BeBollyGood #TakingOnCorona pic.twitter.com/yUlmSZ0TOL Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) May 23, 2021 The second poster showcased Madhuri, and it read, " Ma-dhuri Rakhne Mein Samajhdaari Hai (Mom, it is wise to keep distance). The poster exuded a message to follow social distancing - a covid norm. The next poster featured Partner actor Govinda as he strikes a pose for the camera by fisting his hand and he donned the expressions of winning something of substance. The poster had the message in line with the picture, "Stay At Home And Govinda Hearts!" (Stay at home and go win the hearts!) The last one referred to the popular Bollywood couple Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor. It read, " Agar Tum Mask Neeche Kareena Toh Bohot Un-Saif Situation Ho Sakti Hai." (If you remove your mask, there will be a very unsafe situation). The message was to urge people to keep their masks on. Mumbai Police thanked Mumbaikars who suggested such creative ideas to spread the message of COVID-19 norms in a fun way. "Picture abhi baaki hai mere dost" Thank You Mumbaikars for writing such a Bollygood script of this superhit sequel. #BeBollyGood #TakingOnCorona," they tweeted. Earlier on Saturday, through their Twitter handle, Mumbai Police shared a poster featuring Abhishek Bachchan that had a new twist to the normal way of greeting each other - shaking hands- amid the pandemic.It read, " Abhi fist bump, Shek (shake) hands when it's safer please!" Spreading the word across people, the Drona actor gave a caption by using the titles of his movies Dhoom and Ludo and urged people to stay indoors and spend time with family. New Delhi: Tata Group firm Indian Hotels Company Ltd (IHCL) on Sunday said it will have delivered over 3 lakh meals to healthcare providers in 32 hospitals and COVID centres across eight cities by the end of the day as part of COVID care initiatives of the company. The company has once again started its #MealsToSmiles initiative from May 2, 2021, IHCL said. The meals are being delivered in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Goa, Hyderabad, Kolkata, New Delhi and Varanasi, it added. "At IHCL, the health and safety of our employees, guests, partners and the larger community are integral to our culture of Tajness. In line with this, we have created a structured and holistic approach that covers all our stakeholders," IHCL MD and CEO Puneet Chhatwal told PTI. The company's priorities in this regard are preventing infection, protecting lives, providing support and perseverance in ensuring sustained safety, he added. "This thrust, while encompassing multiple avenues, includes the restarting of 'Meals to Smiles' initiative from 2nd May. We will have delivered over 3 lakh meals by today evening to 32 hospitals and COVID-19 centres across eight locations," Chhatwal said. About the other initiatives of the company, he said, "We have continued collaborating with local hospitals to offer some of our hotels as quarantine facilities for asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic patients and this extends to our employees as well." This initiative is available across 13 hotels in 10 cities and the scope is expanding depending on the dynamic needs of the situation, he added. "We have also been hosting the medical fraternity at our hotels across the country," Chhatwal said. The company had first begun the #MealsToSmiles initiative during the first wave of the pandemic last year. It started on May 23, 2020 and stretched over five months of lockdown, IHCL said. "We distributed approximately 3 million meals to medical fraternity across the country, and frontline workers and migrant workers in Mumbai," it added. The initiative has been spearheaded through the Taj Public Service Welfare Trust in collaboration with IHCL's airline catering brand, TajSats, which has partnered with individuals and brands like Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, World Central Kitchen, Deutsche Bank, Tata Trusts and others, it added. Asked how long IHCL plans to continue with the initiative, it said, "This is a very dynamic situation - we will monitor how it evolves and take a call accordingly." New Delhi: Samsung Biologics, a South Korean biopharmaceutical firm, has signed a deal to manufacture Moderna`s COVID-19 vaccine at its local factory. Under the agreement, the biotech unit of Samsung Group will provide the U.S. drugmaker with contract manufacturing organization (CMO) services for its mRNA vaccine. It means that some of the Moderna vaccine would be produced in South Korea. The two sides signed the contract on Saturday during a South Korea-U.S. vaccine partnership event held in Washington, DC, with President Moon Jae-in attendance, reports Yonhap news agency. Also present were John Rim, CEO of Samsung Biologics, and his Moderna counterpart Stephane Bancel, along with Stanley Erck, CEO of Novavax, another American vaccine production company. The deal is expected to contribute to the stable and speedy supply of the Moderna vaccine in South Korea, according to Moon`s office, Cheong Wa Dae. Moon pledged his government`s full support for the vaccine developers and manufacturers, citing the nation`s goal of emerging as a "global vaccine production hub." Moon pointed out that he and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed to establish a comprehensive global vaccine partnership between the allies during their summit talks the previous day. The president described it as a "vaccine alliance" to help combine the original technologies of the U.S. and the drug production capability of South Korea. AstraZeneca, Novavax and Sputnik V vaccines are already being manufactured in the country. Moderna also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with South Korea`s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Under the MOU, Moderna agreed to strive for investments in the mRNA vaccine production facility and hiring of manpower in South Korea. The ministries plan to offer support for Moderna`s investment and business activities. South Korea`s National Institute of Health also signed an MOU with Moderna on strengthening cooperation on research into infectious diseases. Live TV #mute New Delhi: All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh has released a recruitment notification for the posts of Senior Medical Officer(AYUSH), Medical Officer (AYUSH), Junior Medical Record Officer (Receptionist), Social Worker, Coding Clerk on Direct Recruitment Basis. The candidates can apply for the post by June 18, 2021. The eligible and interested candidates can apply online on AIIMS Rishikeshs official website- at https://aiimsrishikesh.edu.in Important Dates: Starting Date of Application - 19 May 2021 Last Date of Application - 18 June 2021 Vacancy details : Senior Medical Officer(AYUSH)- 1 Medical Officer AYUSH- 5 Junior Medical Record Officer(Receptionist)- 5 Social Worker- 2 Coding Clerk- 1 Age limit : Senior Medical Officer(AYUSH): 25 to 40 years Medical Officer AYUSH: 21 to 35 years Junior Medical Record Officer(Receptionist): 18-30 Years Social Worker:18-35 Years Coding Clerk: 18-30 Years The candidates need to note that date of examination, details of center and any other information about the recruitment will be uploaded on AIIMS, Rishikesh website i.e. www.aiims rishikesh.edu.in. Call letters will be sent out on the AIIMS, Rishikesh official website 15 days before the date of examination. Live TV New Delhi: Amid the rising cases of Mucormycosis or 'black fungus', the Union Health Ministry on Saturday said the availability of Amphotericin-B, the key drug to treat the deadly disease is now being increased and the ministry is in touch with five additional manufacturers. "Amphotericin B was available in the country in limited supply. Its availability and supply are now being increased. Ministry of Pharma is coordinating with Ministry of Health for providing license to five additional manufacturers," Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry. Talking about the existing manufacturing capacity Agarwal said, "The existing manufacturers are working towards increasing their capacity and production capacity." During the press interaction, the Health ministry also briefed that states are advised towards the need for Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) to manage fungal infections in health facilities like establishing/activating the Hospital Infection Control Committee, taking transmission-based precautions with focus on the droplet, airborne and contacts to protect healthcare workers and ensure patient safety; ensuring effective Biomedical Waste Management and Enhanced IPC practices in ICU, Labs, etc, with focus on immuno-compromised patients, on steroid treatment and with comorbidities. Earlier on Saturday, Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers DV Sadananda Gowda announced an allocation of 23,680 additional vials of Amphotericin- B to various states and Union territories. The allocation has been made based on the total number of patients, the minister informed in the official release. After a detailed review of rising no. of cases of #Mucormycosis in various states, a total of 23680 additional vials of #Amphotericin- B have been allocated to all States/UTs today. The Allocation has been made based on total no. of patients which is approx. 8848 across country. pic.twitter.com/JPsdEHuz0W Sadananda Gowda (@DVSadanandGowda) May 22, 2021 Mucormycosis is a rare fungal disease commonly being detected in COVID-19 patients who are in the recovery phase. Doctors are linking the sudden surge in Mucormycosis cases to the use of steroids to treat coronavirus patients. Cases of 'black fungus' infection are being reported in several parts of the country and various states have already declared it a 'notifiable' disease under the Epidemic Diseases Act, thereby making it mandatory to report every Mucormycosis case to the state government. The fungal infection, which is caused by exposure to mucor mould that is commonly found in soil, plants, manure, and decaying fruits and vegetables, affects the brain, lungs, and sinuses and can be lethal to those suffering from diabetes and having compromised immune systems such as cancer patients or people with HIV/AIDS. Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday (May 22, 2021) evening announced Black Fungus or mucormycosis as an epidemic disease under Section 2 of the Epidemic Disease Act 1897. The announcement from the Bihar Chief Ministers office comes after the state hospitals witnessed more than a hundred cases of fungal disease. The Chief Ministers office (CMO) in a tweet said, "Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced black fungus as an epidemic." Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced black fungus as an epidemic: CMO ANI (@ANI) May 22, 2021 Earlier, the state health minister Mangal Pandey had said, "Following instructions from chief minister Nitish Kumar, Black Fungus has been made a notifiable disease under the Epidemic Disease Act. Government and private hospitals will have to inform the health department through a civil surgeon. Patients will get free medicine." Additionally, Bihar has reported at least 117 cases of Black Fungus. Under this act, now all the mucormycosis cases either suspected or certified among the patients will be reported by all private and government health institutions to the health department through the districts civil surgeon, revealed Minister Mangal Pandey. The state has also recorded over five cases of white fungus, which is another fungal infection known as Aspergillus Flavus infection in medical terminology. Earlier, the state government had designated sections of AIIMS-Patna and the IGIMS for the treatment of Mucormycosis or Black Fungus cases. Meanwhile, on Saturday, Bihar recorded over 4,375 fresh COVID-19 cases and 103 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking the total caseload to 44,907. The positivity rate came down to 3.11% on Saturday. Live TV New Delhi: Amid the second wave of coronavirus in the country, the Centre will hold a high-level meeting today (May 23, 2021) to take a call on the pending CBSE and ICSE Class 12th Board Exams. The virtual meeting will be chaired by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at 11.30 AM and will be attended by all the states and UT Education Ministers, Education Secretaries and Chairpersons of State Examination Boards and stakeholders. Union Minister for Education Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank', Union Minister for Women and Child, Smriti Zubin Irani and Union Minister Information and Broadcasting, Prakash Javadekar will also be present in the meeting. The consultative process will be further strengthened through a high level meeting to be chaired by Honble Defence Minister Shri @rajnathsingh Ji, also to be attended by my cabinet colleagues Smt. @smritiirani Ji and Shri @PrakashJavdekar Ji. (2/4) Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (@DrRPNishank) May 22, 2021 Friends, I need "YOUR" valuable suggestions too. You can send them on my twitter handle. (4/4) Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (@DrRPNishank) May 22, 2021 During the meeting, the proposals for the conduct of entrance examinations for professional courses will also be discussed. As per the Ministry of Education on May 22, Pokhriyal in a letter to states and UTs, has stated that the Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education and CBSE are exploring options regarding the conduct of examinations, keeping in mind the safety and security of the students and the teachers. The letter noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected various areas including the education sector, particularly the board exams and entrance exams. This is to be noted that in view of the prevailing coronavirus situation, almost all the State Education Boards, CBSE and ICSE have postponed their Class XII examinations, 2021. The National Testing Agency (NTA) and other National exam conducting institutions have also postponed the entrance exams for admissions to professional courses. The Education Ministry informed that the Department of Higher Education is also deliberating upon the finalization of the dates of examinations for institutions of higher learning. Meanwhile, according to news agency PTI's CBSE sources, the possible options that can be explored are: conducting pen and paper mode exams for only major subjects, conducting all exams in two phases planned as per the COVID-19 situation in different states or districts, or cancelling the exams and announcing results as per an alternative assessment scheme. Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-24 03:49:34|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of other men and women of color who lost their lives as a result of interactions with police in the 12 months since George Floyd's death have demonstrated the urgency of a social justice movement targeting police reform and systemic racism, reported USA Today on Sunday. Black man Floyd died on May 25, 2020, after being restrained for more than 9 minutes by Derek Chauvin, a white former police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, now a convicted murderer. While many Americans shouted Floyd's name in the wake of his killing, fewer know the names of those who have died since -- in 2020, 1,127 people were killed by police, according to data collected by Mapping Police Violence, a research collaborative that uses a variety of state and regional databases to determine the number and nature of most but not all police-involved deaths. According to the data, just under 50 percent of those killed were white people, a demographic that accounts for 68 percent of the nation's 330 million residents. In contrast, as COVID-19 disproportionately killed people of color, Black people represented 27 percent of all police deaths last year, although they are 13 percent of the population. Latinos comprised 21 percent of those killed and are 17 percent of the population. The database does not break out police deaths of Asian Americans and Native Americans. USA Today's reporters interviewed four American families, who, by sharing stories of outrage and grief, hoped bringing greater visibility to their cases might reform a police system that disproportionately harms people of color. "In some of the cases, officers face murder charges. In others, their actions have been deemed within the law. In every case, family members say their loved ones did not deserve to die. They vow to pursue accountability so that others can be spared the same fate," said the report. Law enforcement supporters said that while some reforms are necessary, citizens should not discount the value of quality policing and the relative infrequency of excessive use of force. Justice Department statistics for 2018 show that of some 61 million people older than 16 who had at least one contact with police, 1 percent had a gun pointed at them, said Jim Burch, president of the National Police Foundation, a non-profit focused on improving policing. "While no one can deny that excessive force is a problem and in 2020 we saw this first-hand with the murder of George Floyd and the deaths of others, the majority of officers encounter the public every day without the use of force and in response to requests for their assistance," Burch was quoted as saying. Enditem New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday (May 23, 2021) extended the lockdown in Delhi for the fifth consecutive time. The COVID-19-induced restrictions will now remain in place in the national capital for another week. The Delhi CM stated that there were 1,600 COVID-19 cases in the national capital in the last 24 hours, which were over 28,000 during the peak. He also said that the positivity rate has come down from 36% to 2.5% now. Kejriwal said that if the COVID-19 cases continue to decrease, the AAP government will begin to unlock Delhi in a phased manner from May 31. , | Press Conference | LIVE https://t.co/jSIrwjVQpL Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) May 23, 2021 He also commented on the COVID-19 vaccination drive and said that the Delhi government is planning to vaccinate everyone as early as possible. "There is a possibility that the third wave won't hit if everyone is vaccinated. We are planning to vaccinate everyone as soon as possible. I'm in talks with domestic & foreign companies regarding vaccines. We're ready to spend from our budget," the Delhi CM said. Arvind Kejriwal had first imposed a lockdown in Delhi on April 19, which was then extended four times due to the COVID-19 situation. The city witnessed 2,260 fresh infections between Friday and Saturday, its lowest since March 1. Delhi Health Bulletin - 22nd May 2021#DelhiFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/L3iANPgmFH CMO Delhi (@CMODelhi) May 22, 2021 There are now 31,308 active coronavirus cases in Delhi. New Delhi: The cyclonic storm at the Bay of Bengal is expected to hit the West Bengal and Odisha coasts as very severe cyclonic storm Cyclone Yaas on Wednesday, May 26 causing heavy rainfall in the coastal districts of both the states. The cyclonic system is currently centred about 590 km north-northwest of Port Blair at 1730 hrs IST of May 23. It will intensify into a 'Cyclonic Storm' by morning of May 24 and further into a 'Very Severe Cyclonic Storm' during the subsequent 24 hours. Depression over eastcentral Bay of Bengallay lay centred at 1730 hrs IST of today, the 23rd May, 2021 about 590 km north-northwest of Port Blair. To intensify into a Cyclonic Storm by 24th May morning and further into a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm during the subsequent 24 hrs. pic.twitter.com/LecHxMwDC7 India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) May 23, 2021 The cyclone is likely to make landfall between Paradip and Sagar islands on evening of May 26 with a wind speed of 155- 165 kmph gusting to 185 kmph, a storm surge warning of about 2-4 meters has been issued by the IMD on Sunday as per data from its observed and forecast track. PM Modi holds review meeting on Cyclone Yaas Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held a meeting with senior government officials and ministers to review the preparations for the approaching Cyclone Yaas. PM Modi directed senior officers to work in close co-ordination with states to ensure the safe evacuation of people from high-risk areas. As per the statement issued by the Prime Minister's office, "He spoke about the need to ensure that time duration of outages of power supply and communication network are minimum and are restored swiftly. PM also asked officials to ensure proper co-ordination and planning with state governments to ensure no disruptions in Covid treatment and vaccination in hospitals." The meeting was also attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, along with senior government officials and representatives from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Secretaries from Telecom, Power, Civil aviation, Earth Sciences Ministries to review preparations. Army, IAF, Navy and Indian Coast Guard deployed The tri-services and the Indian Coast Guard have taken several steps to mitigate the impact of Cyclone Yaas that is expected to hit the eastern coast of India on Monday, the defence ministry said. The Indian Air Force (IAF) has airlifted 950 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel and 70 tonnes material from Jamnagar, Varanasi, Patna, and Arakonnam to Kolkata, Bhubaneswar and Port Blair on 15 transport aircraft, as on Sunday. While, eight ships of the Eastern Naval Command and the Andaman and Nicobar Command have been embarked with HADR Bricks to provide succour to the people likely to be impacted. The armed forces are also in constant touch with the civil administration of the affected states. "The armed forces remain ready to mitigate the impact of the impending cyclone, save lives and provide succour to the fellow citizens," as per details shared by defence ministry official on Sunday. Indian Railways cancel 119 more trains The South Eastern Railway (SER) has announced the cancellation of 119 trains as a precautionary measure ahead of Cyclone Yaas. In a press release on Sunday, SER said that in addition to 78 trains announced on Saturday, 41 more will remain cancelled. Earlier, the East Coast Railway announced that it has cancelled 74 trains originating or terminating from Bhubaneswar and Puri. Western Railway had also announced cancellation of 7 trains on the Odisha, Gujarat and Rajasthan routes. On Saturday, the Northern Railway temporarily cancelled over a dozen trains from the national capital to and from Bhubaneswar and Puri in Odisha. Meanwhile a 90-member team of the National Disaster Response Force, the State Diaster Response Force and coastal guards have been pressed into action to evacuate the people from the low-lying areas. A control room has been set up in the Power Department that will function 24x7 from 25 May. The contact numbers for the control room are 8900793503 and 8900793504. LIVE TV New Delhi: Despite the decline in daily coronavirus cases and positivity rates, the Delhi government is mulling over the possibility of extending the ongoing COVID lockdown by another week as the national capital still faces high daily COVID-related deaths and vaccine shortage. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had first imposed a lockdown on April 19, 2021, which was later extended multiple times and lastly on May 16, 2021. While responding to the media reports, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday (May 20, 2021) had said he will discuss the matter with Lt Governor Anil Baijal on the weekend. The official sources told news agency PTI that, "The ongoing second wave has been very fatal and there are little chances that lockdown will be relaxed. Another weeklong extension will likely be announced by the government." Additionally, Delhi Chief Minister on Saturday (May 22, 2021) revealed that in the last 24 hours, around 2,200 cases were reported in the city and the positivity rate too declined to 3.5% but this does not mean the threat of coronavirus has been averted". The CM added, "We have to take all the steps to safeguard against coronavirus". Meanwhile, as per the survey conducted by community platform LocalCircles, over 68% of the respondents favoured a weeklong extension of the COVID-induced lockdown in the national capital. The percentage of respondents favouring lockdown extension was 85% in the last two weeks. However, the opinion of traders are divided on the issue. Speaking to PTI, the chairman of Chamber of Trade and Industry(CTI), Brijesh Goyal, said the opinion of traders was divided over the extension of the lockdown as revealed in a survey conducted by it. Fifty percent traders of Delhi are in favour of extending the lockdown for another one week and the remaining 50 percent supported opening the city, he said. Additionally, 85% of factory owners were in favour of opening up all types of industrial activities shut due to the lockdown in the national capital. On Saturday, the national capital recorded over 2,260 new COVID-19 cases, which is the lowest since March 1, and 182 fatalities. Also the positivity rate of Delhi slipped to 3.58 percent. Live TV New Delhi: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Sunday (May 23) called yoga guru Ramdev's statement on allopathic medicines extremely unfortunate and asked him to withdraw it. Citing a video circulating on social media, the Indian Medical Association on Saturday had said Ramdev has claimed that allopathy is a 'stupid science' and medicines such as remdesivir, faviflu, and other drugs approved by the Drugs Controller General of India have failed to treat COVID-19 patients. The doctors' body also quoted Ramdev as saying that 'lakhs of patients have died after taking allopathic medicines'. These remarks were denied as 'false' by the Haridwar-based Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust. In a letter to Ramdev, Vardhan asked him to withdraw his statement on allopathy. "The statement disrespects the COVID warriors and hurt the sentiments of the country. Your statement on allopathy can break the morale of healthcare workers and weaken our fight against COVID-19," he said. Vardhan said that allopathic medicines have saved lives of crores and said that the fact it is responsible for death of lakhs is 'extremely unfortunate'. "Baba Ramdev, you are a public figure and your statement holds value. I think that you should give statements on any issue keeping in view the time and circumstances. I hope you will think about it seriously and in view of the sentiments of corona warriors from across the world you will withdraw your statement," he said. Vardhan said the explanation given by Ramdev is not enough to pacify the sentiments of the people. "In your explanation, you just said that your sentiment was not to hurt modern science and doctors. I don't think your explanation was enough," he said. Asserting that Ramdev has "utmost regards" for doctors and support staff who have been working day and night during such a challenging time of the pandemic, the statement signed by Trust General Secretary Acharya Balakrishna said, "Swami jee has no ill-will against the modern science and good practitioners of modern medicine. What is being attributed against him is false and nugatory." Live TV New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday (May 22) asserted that the state government will contain the second wave of COVID-19 by the end of May. The UP CM said, The state government will contain the second wave of COVID-19 by the end of this month. Further, he assured that the UP government is making necessary arrangements for the treatment of black fungus as well as improving infrastructure in children hospitals. Adityanath, who was on a Kanpur tour, promised that a 100-bedded pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) will be set up at the medical college in the city. On Friday, the Uttar Pradesh government declared black fungus or mucormycosis as a notified disease under the Epidemic Act. Following his meeting with Team-9, the state CM had issued directions to declare black fungus a notifiable disease under the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897. The BJP leader said that those found guilty of black-marketing of Remdesivir injections are being booked under the National Security Act (NSA). He reiterated that properties of those indulging in hoarding or black-marketing life-saving medicines will be seized. Under the NSA, one can be detained without a charge for up to 12 months if authorities are satisfied that the person is a threat to national security or law and order. Meanwhile, the UP government issued instructions to medical officers of all districts at district hospitals, Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Community health centres (CHCs) in order to curb the transmission of COVID-19 in rural areas. As per the statement issued by the Additional Chief Secretary, Medical and Health family, the medical officers have been directed to ensure the presence of physicians, paramedical staff at all health centers, ANI reported. (With inputs from agencies) Live TV New Delhi: World's leading vaccine manufacturer, Moderna Inc. has declined a request for a direct supply of vaccines by the Punjab state government. The Punjab government had recently requested all the leading vaccine manufacturers that include Pfizer- BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson, Russian Sputnik V and Moderna for the direct supply of the coronavirus vaccines to the state. "One of a Covid vaccine manufacturer Moderna has refused to send direct vaccination to Punjab government as according to their policy, they only deal with Government of India and not with any state government or private parties," said a statement issued by Punjab's Information and Public Relations Department. The statement further added that "It may be recalled that the state government was forced to stop vaccination for phase 1 and phase 2 categories in the last three days because of non-availability." Vikas Garg, Punjab's nodal officer for vaccination said that "the company as per its policy would only deal with the Government of India" on Sunday (May 23). "All efforts would be made for procurement of vaccines to meet the acute shortage in the state, which had received fewer than 44 lakh vaccine doses so far from the Government of India," the notification further stated. Punjab recorded 5421 new coronavirus cases, 201 people succumbed to death in the past 24 hours as per the bulletin released by the health bulletin on Saturday (May 22). Live TV New Delhi: The Tamil Nadu government on Saturday (May 22) extended the full lockdown till May 31 while simultaneously putting stricter curbs in order to quell the rising COVID-19 cases. From Monday, for those making inter-district movement for valid medical reasons or to attend a funeral, e-registration is mandatory. While for travel within district for medical purpose, an e-pass is not required. People travelling to Tamil Nadu during the lockdown will also require an e-pass. Check out the steps below to apply for e-pass: 1. Visit the official website- https://eregister.tnega.org/#/user/pass- to apply for an e-pass. 2. Register yourself on the portal. 3. After submitting the OTP received, select the type of e-pass required. 4. Fill in the necessary details including your name, address (home and destination), range of travel (inter-district/inter-state), duration of travel, number of passengers, vehicle details, ID proof, reason for travel etc. 5. Submit the required documents for travelling. After filling all details, submit the documents and ID proof chiefly Aadhar Card or Voter ID, PAN Card, address proof, vehicle license and employment ID to avail the e-pass. Meanwhile, as per an official government release, private and government buses for long distances will be operated on Saturday (May 22) and Sunday (May 23) to facilitate inter-district travel. Live TV New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment and Promotion Board (UPPBPB) has extended the deadline to apply for various posts under UP Police SI Recruitment 2021. The last date to fill the application form is now June 15. The step has been taken in view of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic due to which interested candidates are facing difficulties in obtaining certificates. Earlier, the deadline to apply for the same was May 30. The candidates can visit the official website of UPPBPB at uppbpb.gov.in for more information. Applications for a total of 9,534 vacancies have been out for the posts of Sub Inspector (Male/ Female), Platoon Commander and PAC & Fire Officer. Heres a step-by-step process of how to apply for the aforementioned posts: Step 1: Visit the official website- http://uppbpb.gov.in/ Step 2: Search and click on the New user tab. An instruction page will open next Step 3: Before filling the application form, candidates have to go through all the points mentioned. Click on the continue button Step 4: Fill in all the details required for basic registration. Once done, fill the detailed registration form Step 5: Upload all the scanned documents that have been mentioned Step 6: Pay an application fee of Rs 400 through online payment or by using a debit or credit card Step 7: Confirm all details and submit. Step 8: Candidates are advised to save a copy and take a printout of the form for further use Age limit: The minimum age limit is 21 years while the maximum age is 28 years. Selection criteria: Applicants will be selected on the basis of the online written exam, PST, PET, and Medical Examination. Those candidates who will qualify for the written exam will be called for PST, PET, and Medical examinations. Anyone with a Bachelor's Degree in any stream from a recognized university and in the age limit mentioned above can apply for these posts. The registration process started on April 1, 2021. Live TV New Delhi: As the number of coronavirus cases across Maharashtra drops, the Uddhav Thackeray-led government is reportedly planning to lift the lockdown restrictions in a phased manner. State health minister Rajesh Tope asserted that if the positivity rate drops below 10 per cent and the number of active cases declines, the government may announce some relaxations in curbs after June 1. The government will assess the situation in the last week of May. If the positivity rate falls below 10 per cent and the number of active cases comes down, the state may consider easing some restrictions, he was quoted as saying by the Times of India. However, he asserted that a final decision will be taken by CM Uddhav Thackeray, keeping in mind the impending threat of a probable third COVID-19 wave. On April 5, Maharashtra had imposed lockdown-like restrictions followed by stricter curbs on April 15. In the last 24 hours, Maharashtra reported 26,133 fresh COVID-19 cases and 682 deaths, taking the tally to 55,53,225 and the toll to 87,300. With 40,294 patients getting discharged during the day, Maharashtras overall count of recoveries rose to 51,11,095, leaving the state with 3,52,247 active cases. The case recovery rate has improved to 92.04 per cent while the fatality rate increased to 1.57 per cent. New Delhi: After Mumbai Police registered an FIR against a person named Kumar Hegde at DN Nagar police station for raping a beautician on several occasions on the pretext of marriage, reports of him being Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut's bodyguard surfaced in the media. However, police refuse to ascertain the accused's identity as yet, according to a report in IANS. The case was filed by a 30-year-old woman reportedly, who alleged that Hedge 'raped' her several times and had promised marriage to her. Why FIR was filed? Kanganas bodyguard promised the victim marriage in June last year, reportedly. "A case has been registered against a man named Kumar Hegde under sections 376 and 377 IPC. Prima facie, they had a live-in relationship and a break-up," Senior Police Inspector Bharat Gaikwad of DN Nagar Police Station told IANS. IPC Sections 376 pertains to rape while Section 377 pertains to unnatural sex. Fraud of Rs 50,000 IANS originally attributed the report to Peepingmoon.com, which stated that the victim alleged in her statement that she came in contact with the accused eight years ago, and last June accepted Hegde's proposal for marriage. However, the accused then started forcibly establishing a physical relationship on multiple occasions. She also alleged that on April 27, Hegde fled with Rs 50,000 from her flat. The website, one of several that have referred to the accused as "Kangana Ranaut`s personal bodyguard", also said that Hegde has also been charged under Section 420, which pertains to cheating, and added that all the cases against him were registered after medical examination and the statement of the victim late on Wednesday night. Identity of the accused When asked to confirm reports regarding the identity of Hegde as Kanganas personal staff, the police official refused to make any comment as that they were unaware of his work and it is yet to be ascertained. Kanganas team is yet to respond on the matter and the case is under investigation. The accused, however, is yet to be arrested, the police official told ANI. Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-24 04:10:25|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LA PAZ, May 23 (Xinhua) -- At least five people died after a minibus fell into a ravine in Chuquihuta in the Bolivian department of Potosi, regional police said on Sunday. Regional police commander Jose Miguel Alvarez told local press that the accident occurred on Saturday afternoon after the bus left the Llallagua mining terminal with staff from the Potosi government. "Unfortunately, on the way, the minibus crashed and five people died and three were seriously injured. Several victims are officials of the departmental government of Potosi," said Alvarez. Images on social media show the vehicle in the ravine, which is about 100 meters deep. Chuquihuta is a small town located near the center of the Bolivian Andes, in Rafael Bustillo province in the department of Potosi. Enditem New Delhi: On May 18, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had warned bank customers that the National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) facility will remain unavailable for 14 hours on Sunday (May 23) from 00.01 am to 14:00 pm. The RBI had urged banks to ensure that their customers are aware of the temporary blackout of the NEFT services so that they can schedule their payments accordingly. The central bank has cited technical upgradation of NEFT as the reason why the digital payments facility wont work on Sunday. "A technical upgrade of NEFT, targeted to enhance the performance and resilience, is scheduled after the close of business of May 22, 2021. Accordingly, NEFT service will not be available from 00:01 hrs to 14:00 hrs on Sunday, May 23, 2021. The RTGS system will continue to be operational as usual during this period. Similar technical upgrade for RTGS was completed on April 18, 2021," an RBI statement said. Other modes of online money transfer Since banks are also closed on Sunday, customers might face difficulties in transferring money. In this situation, customers can make use of the money transfer facility through Immediate Payment Service (IMPS). IMPS works like NEFT, but is majorly used to transfer money instantly. Funds transferred via IMPS are settled in a snap, in comparison to NEFT, which takes a few hours to complete the transaction. However, banks usually charge a small fee to IMPS transactions for offering a faster way to send and receive money. Live TV #mute Beijing: Chinese Foreign Ministry lashed out against Japanese Defence Chief Nobuo Kishi saying Nansei Islands - southernmost of the Japanese mainland close to Taiwan is a source of concern and said that Beijing will safeguard its territory and Tokyo should not stretch too far. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Friday (May 21) said that Japan should "stop misinformation and slander" against China, reported South China Morning Post (SCMP). "Japan`s irresponsible remarks are stoking military competition, stirring up regional tensions, provoking military confrontations and meddling in Taiwan issues," Zhao said. He warned against interference in Taiwan, a self-ruled island Beijing vows to bring back into its fold, by force if necessary. "Japan has always had a small group of forces obsessed with the old dream of militarism and they are trying to get their hands on Taiwan," Zhao said. "We have to tell the Japanese side that our will to safeguard its security and territorial integrity is as firm as a rock and that Japan should not stretch its hands too far."Earlier, in an interview with Nikkei newspaper on Wednesday (May 19), Japanese Defence Minister Kishi said the country could take a "radically different approach" to counter Beijing`s growing military strength, reported SCMP. Japan`s Defence Chief said the country might scrap its 1 per cent GDP cap on military spending to counter China`s armed forces. Kishi said the military balance between Japan and China had "leaned heavily toward China in recent years, and the gap has been growing by the year". "The security environment surrounding Japan is changing rapidly, with heightened uncertainty. We will properly allocate the funding we need to protect our nation," he said. Laura Zhou writing in SCMP said that Kishi said the Nansei Islands, a chain known as the Ryukus in Japan and that stretches from the southernmost of the Japanese mainland to Taiwan, were a major area of concern. Relations between China and Japan, already complicated by their wartime history and territorial disputes over a series of islets in the East China Sea, were further strained last month when Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and US President Joe Biden issued a joint statement stressing the importance of peace in the Taiwan Strait. It was the first mention of the self-ruled island in a joint statement since 1969. In the statement, Japan also promised to bolster its defences "to further strengthen the alliance and regional security".Japan has spent heavily on personnel for its self-defence forces, US military bases in the country and development of its ballistic missile defence and space development, but its pacifist constitution prohibits its military from using force to settle international disputes, wrote Laura. Liu Jiangyong, a Japanese affairs expert at Tsinghua University in Beijing, said Kishi`s remark could be "a trial balloon" in a push for constitutional reform but an increase in military spending to 4 or 5 per cent was unlikely soon, reported SCMP. "But what is worth noting is that the so-called defence budget is not only for defending Japan but an increasing part of it would be invested in the US-led global military strategy so that the Japanese military, even in the case of no attack, could join the US and fight overseas, which also raises its so-called defence input," Liu said. Japan has been active in pushing forward cooperation under the Quad alliance with the US, Australia and India, which Beijing sees as part of efforts to counter China`s influence in the region. Kishi said that he was in favour of a "Quad defence ministers meeting". New Delhi: Indian Army Personnel's part of the UN Peacekeeping forces deputed in the Democratic Republic of Congo or DR Congo have played a key role in reaching out to the local population and saving UN assets amid a major volcanic eruption from Mount Nyiragongo. Mount Nyiragongo, which is an active volcano started spewing lava at 6.30 pm local time on Saturday sparking panic in nearby Goma town with a population of 600,000. The Indian Army Personnel are part of the MONUSCO or United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with Indian Brigade Headquarter located adjacent to the Goma airfield. Within hours of the eruption, the Indian Brigade jumped into action to ensure there is no threat to UN and National assets but also made sure real-time updates on the volcanic eruption were passed on to United Nations. The timely information by Indian peacekeepers, also known as blue helmets since they serve under the UN helped in bringing orderly civilian evacuation. While the Indian Brigade HQ has been thinned out, with 70% with camp being sent to Himbi Company Operating Base (COB) for safety, a minimum strength continues to hold on to camp to ensure it continues to be in operation. "Actions by the Indian contingent in the face of imminent danger has facilitated the smooth evacuation and protection of civilians and other UN personnel in Goma", Indian Army officials aware of the development on the ground told WION. Indian Army has a Brigade consisting of Two Infantry Battalion Groups, one Level III Hospital, and sizeable strength of Officers as Military Observers and Staff Officers in the mission. The total strength stands at around 2200+. MONUSCO has 14000 Military personnel with India the largest troop-contributing country to it. Other countries that are contributing troops to the UN Mission in Congo are Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Africa, Nepal, Brazil, Malawi, Ghana, Uruguay, and Tanzania. MONUSCO took over from an earlier UN peacekeeping operation the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) on 1 July 2010. The new mission has been authorized to use all necessary means to carry out the protection of civilians, humanitarian personnel and support the Central African country's government. According to the latest updates, most of the lava has flown towards neighbouring Rwanda, with a small quantity flowing towards Goma city. The United Nation in an internal security alert had informed the various country contingents as of now no immediate evacuation is required. But a majority of the country contingents including aviation contingents have been evacuated. As of now, according to the latest ground reports, lava is unlikely to reach Goma. Meanwhile, the area is witnessing earthquakes of very low intensity Intermittently. Live TV Islamabad: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the Imran Khan government were seen bickering on the internet on Saturday (May 22) regarding the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the upcoming general elections. Pak election commission`s tweet on EVMs drew flak from the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government after the election body posted a video of a journalist on its official Twitter handle saying: "Voting machine an expensive fraud formula". A few hours later, the ECP deleted the tweet following backlash from the ruling party leaders, accusing it of supporting the opposition parties that oppose the government`s move to introduce EVMs in the elections, The Express Tribune reported. ECP is a constitutional body and it cannot do anything outside its ambit, said Pakistan`s Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib. He asked the election body to explain how the controversial video was shared from its official Twitter handle when the matter of EVMs is pending to be debated in parliament. Most big opposition parties have dismissed the electoral reform by Pakistan Prime Minister for the introduction of EVMs. Despite Imran Khan`s stress on EVMs, the opposition has argued that anything that is controlled and operated by others and can be used to manipulate electoral results is unacceptable. Former Speaker Pakistan and PML-N leader Sardar Ayaz Sadiq had stated last month that the countries where EVMs have been tried and tested have either already reverted to paper ballots or are going back to the old system for different reasons. Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-24 04:14:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close QUITO, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Ecuador reported on Sunday 1,011 new COVID-19 infections and six more deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the caseload to 418,851 and death toll to 14,764, the Ministry of Public Health said. The province of Pichincha led in new infections in the last day with 333 cases, including 295 in the capital Quito, the epicenter of the pandemic in the South American country. The Ecuadorian capital maintains a growing trend of contagion that has not been able to be contained due to the persistence of citizens' lax behavior defying COVID-19 control measures. More than 1.7 million doses of vaccines against COVID-19 have been applied in the country so far. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-24 04:18:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SANTIAGO, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Chile reported 6,519 cases and 132 more deaths from COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the total to 1,329,918 cases and 28,518 deaths, the Ministry of Health reported. Health Minister Enrique Paris expressed his concern about the increase in infections in recent days and called for "strengthening individual care to prevent the spread of the virus." According to the ministry, there are currently 41,510 active cases, with 2,980 patients hospitalized in intensive care units, including 2,462 on ventilators. Only four of 16 of the country's regions have reported a decrease in COVID-19 cases in the last seven days. The southern region of Aysen has reported the highest incidence rate in the country, followed by Los Rios, Magallanes, and Maule. The government has announced that 13 communes will be able to come out of quarantine on Monday and that the gradual end of confinement in the country will continue. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-24 05:12:39|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TRIPOLI, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Libya's Foreign Minister Najla al-Mangoush on Sunday met with visiting Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani to discuss ways to boost mutual cooperation. "I called for forming joint commissions to review, update, study, and activate those agreements to suit the current situation and to serve the interests of the two peoples," Al-Mangoush told a press conference following the meeting. Al-Mangoush praised Qatar's support to the Libyan government and the Libyan political dialogue. "During the talks, we stressed the importance of benefiting from the experience of the State of Qatar to support the efforts of the Government of National Unity in various fields of development and building," she said. Al-Mangoush also commended the Qatari role in solving the Gulf crisis, mediation between some Arab countries and Turkey, and contribution with Kuwait in solving the crisis with Iran. "It has been agreed to form work teams to evaluate agreements between the two countries, and consider supporting and cooperating with Libya," al-Thani said. He stressed Qatar's support for the Libyan political process led by the United Nations "as long as it preserves the unity of the Libyan soil away from foreign interference." The UN-sponsored Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) has recently selected a new executive authority of a unity government and a presidency council, of which the main task is to prepare for the national elections on Dec. 24. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-24 05:59:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAIRO -- Egypt has received the first batch of the raw materials to manufacture China's Sinovac vaccine, said the Chinese embassy in Egypt on Sunday. Along with the Sinovac raw materials, a new shipment of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines also arrived at the Cairo International Airport on Friday, according to a Chinese embassy's statement. (Egypt-Egypt-Vaccine) ---- DUBAI -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and China on Sunday announced the official launch of a regional vaccination site in Dubai for Chinese nationals. The site was jointly launched by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Chinese embassy in the UAE. (UAE-China-Vaccination) ---- JERUSALEM -- Israeli imports from China, excluding diamonds, rose by 37.5 percent year-on-year in the first four months of 2021, according to a report issued by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics on Sunday. According to data, Israeli imports from China in January-April totalled 3.92 billion U.S. dollars, compared to 2.85 billion dollars in the same period in 2020. (Israel-China-Import) ---- TEHRAN -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday that Iran will continue nuclear talks in Vienna until a final agreement is reached, official IRNA news agency reported. Despite all the pressures from U.S.-imposed sanctions and "economic war" and the economic consequences of COVID-19 pandemic, Iran's industry has been able to achieve production growth in the past Iranian calendar year ending March 20, Rouhani said. (Iran-Vienna-Nuke Talks) Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 10:12:15|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Video screenshot taken on May 22, 2021 shows the night sky of Goma city, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Nyiragongo volcano, located not far from the DR Congo's border with Rwanda, started to erupt on Saturday. Right after the volcano burst into activity at around 7 p.m. local time on Saturday, the night sky of Goma, with a population of nearly 2 million, was illuminated with orange flames. The electricity supply across much of city was cut off. (Str/Xinhua) KINSHASA, May 23 (Xinhua) -- A lava flow reached the airport of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)'s eastern city of Goma on Sunday after the eruption of the nearby Mount Nyiragongo volcano and authorities have announced evacuation plans, local media reported. The evacuation plan for Goma has been activated, said government spokesman Patrick Muyaya. "The government is discussing urgent measures to be taken now," Muyaya tweeted. Thousands of Goma residents have fled the city on foot to reach the border with Rwanda as the city with a population of nearly 2 million was illuminated with orange flames. DRC President Felix Tshisekedi is returning from Europe to oversee the relief efforts and is closely monitoring the security and humanitarian situation in the country's eastern North Kivu province, the presidency said. North Kivu Governor, Lt. Gen. Ndima Kongba Constant, said in a televised address on Saturday that local civil defense forces started evacuating Goma residents following the eruption of the volcano. The Nyiragongo volcano, located not far from the DR Congo's border with Rwanda, started to erupt on Satuday. According to the Goma-based volcanological monitoring office, the lava is heading towards the border with Rwanda. The city of Goma is home to two active volcanoes -- Nyamulagira and Nyiragongo. The last time a major Nyiragongo eruption occurred was in 2002, when about 250 people were killed and 120,000 others were left homeless. The eruption of Nyiragongo is similar to its eruption in 2002, said the authorities, adding that other districts of the city were not in danger as the lava was unlikely to reach those areas. Earlier, General Constant Ndima, military governor of North Kivu province, of which Goma is capital, appealed for calm and urged people to follow the guidance of civil protection units. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 17:39:30|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close People enjoy food at a shopping center in Cape Town, South Africa, on May 23, 2021. Figures show that South Africa's Western Cape Province, which hosts the legislative capital Cape Town, is moving toward the third wave of COVID-19, a provincial official said on Sunday. (Xinhua/Lyv Tianran) CAPE TOWN, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Figures show that South Africa's Western Cape Province, which hosts the legislative capital Cape Town, is moving toward the third wave of COVID-19, a provincial official said on Sunday. The province located in the southwest end of the nation is currently facing a resurgence of the pandemic as it has seen increases in case numbers every day over the past 12 days, Premier of the Western Cape Alan Winde said in a statement, while emphasizing the personal behavior in preventing the spread of the COVID-19 as the most important factor in slowing down the occurrence of the third wave, which could arrive in two to three weeks on the current trajectory. He assured the public that the province is fully prepared for the surge in cases with a five-point plan, including changing community behaviors, surveillance and outbreak response. Winde also said the province has enough beds, oxygen and staff to deal with the third wave. Western Cape is one of the hardest-hit provinces in the pandemic in all nine provinces in South Africa. Saturday's statistics showed that the Western Cape recorded 251 new cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the provincial tally to 291,551, with 276,544 recoveries and 11,748 deaths. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 18:04:12|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KAMPALA, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Landslides triggered by heavy downpour on Sunday killed three people and left a child injured in the western Ugandan district of Kasese, a humanitarian relief agency said here. Irene Nakasiita, spokesperson for the Uganda Red Cross Society said in a statement that two children were killed and another injured after a landslide partially destroyed a family house at Katulu village. The injured child has been referred to Kilembe Hospital. The spokesperson said a body of a 60-year-old woman was recovered at Katiri, along River Nyamwamba after it was carried out by running water from senior quarters in Kasese town. "Red Cross action teams (have been) deployed to support the police in responding to this disaster," said Nakasiita. According to Uganda's weather department, several parts of the east African country, especially western and eastern regions, continue to experience normal to above normal rainfall, with destructive effects. The Uganda National Meteorological Authority has warned of enhanced rainfall over several parts of the country that could cause disasters such as landslides and floods. Enditem RTHK: Italy cable car accident kills 14 Fourteen people died including a nine-year-old child on Sunday when a cable car slammed into the side of a mountain in northern Italy, emergency services said. A five-year-old was in a Turin paediatric hospital with brain trauma and broken legs, the Alpine rescue service said on Twitter. The toll could rise further from the accident in Stresa, a resort town on the shores of Lake Maggiore in Italy's Piedmont region, it said. A statement by Prime Minister Mario Draghi expressed his "profound grief" and offered his condolences to the victim's families. The 20-minute cable car ride, popular with tourists, links Stresa with the 1,500-metre summit of the Mottarone mountain, and offers spectacular views of the Alps. The ministry of infrastructure said in a statement that the accident occurred around 12:30 pm (1030 GMT) as the cabin, with 15 people aboard, was about 100 metres from the summit. The ministry said the accident appeared to have been caused by a ruptured cable near the top of the route. Regional president Alberto Cirio said he was "devastated" at what he termed "an enormous tragedy which takes our breath away." Giovanni Toti, president of the neighbouring region of Liguria, noted that the tragedy had occurred just as Italy was emerging from months of Covid-related restrictions. Sunday, he said, was supposed to have been "a day of re-opening rich in hope." European Council President Charles Michel offered a tweet in Italian expressing his "most sincere condolences to the families and friends who have lost a loved one in this tragic accident." Fire service images showed debris from the white and red cabin in a steep wooded area where access appeared difficult. The cable car was closed between 2014 and 2016 for maintenance work. Europe has seen a number of similar cable car accidents over the past 50 years. Nine German skiers were killed on September 5, 2005, when an 800 kilogramme concrete block fell from a helicopter transporting it near the popular Austrian Tyrol resort of Soelden onto a cable carrying their cabin. In February 1998, a low-flying US military jet severed a cable at Cavalese, a ski resort in Italy's Dolomites, killing 20 people. Cavalese was also the scene of a 1976 disaster when a steel supporting cable broke, killing 42 people. (AFP) Last updated: 2021-05-24 HKT 03:15 This story has been published on: 2021-05-23. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 19:24:16|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KINSHASA, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The lava flow stopped on the outskirts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC's) eastern city of Goma, following the eruption of the nearby Mount Nyiragongo volcano, DRC's authorities confirmed. The lava flow came to a stop at around 4 a.m. local time on Sunday morning in Buhene, which marks the northeastern border of Goma, the DRC's Ministry of Communication and Media said on Twitter, adding that local residents started returning to their homes in abandoned neighborhoods overnight. The lava halted a few hundred meters from Goma's airport, according to local media. Local authorities who followed the eruption overnight reported that the lava flow had stopped short of Goma, government spokesman Patrick Muyaya tweeted, adding that an assessment of the humanitarian situation was underway. Around 3,000 people fled Goma for neighboring Rwanda on Sunday after the Nyiragongo volcano, which overlooks the city of Goma and is not far from the DRC's border with Rwanda, started to erupt on Saturday night. As many residents fled to take refuge in neighboring Rwanda, others headed for villages surrounding the city, including Sake. Right after the volcano burst into activity at around 7 p.m. local time on Saturday, the night sky of Goma, with a population of nearly 2 million, was illuminated with orange flames. The electricity supply across much of city was cut off. Goma is home to two active volcanoes -- Nyamulagira and Nyiragongo. The last time a major Nyiragongo eruption occurred was in 2002, when about 250 people were killed and 120,000 others were left homeless. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-24 05:27:14|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Photo taken on May 23, 2021 shows the Libyan-Tunisian Economic Forum and Exhibition in Tripoli, Libya. Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah and his Tunisian counterpart Hichem Mechichi on Sunday inaugurated the Libyan-Tunisian Economic Forum and Exhibition in the Libyan capital Tripoli. (Photo by Hamza Turkia/Xinhua) TRIPOLI, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah and his Tunisian counterpart Hichem Mechichi on Sunday inaugurated the Libyan-Tunisian Economic Forum and Exhibition in the Libyan capital Tripoli. "The two leaders toured the exhibition halls, during which they were briefed on the exhibited products of a number of companies in several sectors, including construction, infrastructure, tourism and foodstuffs," said a statement issued by the Libyan government's information office. More than 170 companies from various sectors participated in the exhibition, along with 1,200 businessmen. Mechichi on Sunday described his two-day official visit to Libya as "successful and fruitful, the results of which will appear soon." In a press statement issued after his return to Tunis from Libya's capital Tripoli, Mechichi said that his visit to Libya was "fruitful, especially in the framework of the exceptional relations between the two countries." "During this visit, it had been agreed with Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah to boost Libyan investments in Tunisia by overcoming all the difficulties faced by investors," the statement said. The two leaders on Saturday signed an agreement on promoting mutual trade and facilitating movement of travelers. The agreement also included technical cooperation on land, sea and air transportation, as well as activating the work of joint commissions on land and sea transportation. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-24 05:49:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Airport staff members unload the first batch of Chinese Sinovac vaccine raw materials from a plane at the Cairo International Airport in Cairo, Egypt, May 21, 2021. Egypt has received the first batch of the raw materials to manufacture China's Sinovac vaccine, said the Chinese embassy in Egypt on Sunday. Along with the Sinovac raw materials, a new shipment of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines also arrived at the Cairo International Airport on Friday, according to a Chinese embassy's statement. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai) CAIRO, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Egypt has received the first batch of the raw materials to manufacture China's Sinovac vaccine, said the Chinese embassy in Egypt on Sunday. Along with the Sinovac raw materials, a new shipment of China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines also arrived at the Cairo International Airport on Friday, according to a Chinese embassy's statement. Egyptian Health Minister Hala Zayed said on May 9 that Egypt will start locally producing Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine in June, and the first 2 million doses will be produced at the plants of the Egyptian Holding Company for Biological Products and Vaccines (VACSERA). The local end-product will be distributed to medical centers across Egypt in two months after being assessed by the Egyptian Drug Authority, said Zayed at a press conference at the airport. "VACSERA will produce more than 5 million doses of Sinovac vaccine in two months, and 40 million doses within a year," she said. Zayed hailed the arrival of a new shipment of Sinopharm and raw materials of Sinovac vaccine as ushering in "a new chapter of bilateral ties," and the best way to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. China has made remarkable contributions to Egypt's diversification of vaccine sources and promoting the country's economic recovery in the post-pandemic era, she stressed. After meeting Egypt's own needs, vaccines produced in Egypt will be exported to other countries in the Middle East and Africa to help fight the pandemic, said the Egyptian minister. Vaccine cooperation has laid a good foundation for Egypt and China to expand medical and health cooperation, Zayed said, adding that the two countries will boost cooperation in medical technology transfer and strive for more results to benefit the two peoples. The two countries' joint efforts in fighting COVID-19 have not only deepened the traditional friendship and political mutual trust, but also set an example for the international community, Zayed noted. For his part, Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Liao Liqiang said that, as Egypt receives the Sinovac vaccine raw materials, it becomes the first country on the African continent to cooperate with China in producing the COVID-19 vaccines. "This is very important for the early prevail over the pandemic not only in Egypt, but also in the whole African continent and the Arab region," Liao said. China calls on the international community to lend more hands to Africa through providing epidemic prevention materials, medicines, technology and funds to ensure the accessibility and affordability of vaccines, Liao said. He reiterated that China has always been a staunch supporter of Africa in fighting the pandemic, an active participant in the continent's development and revitalization, and a strong defender of peace and stability. Egypt started in late January vaccinating the medical staff of governmental hospitals with a COVID-19 vaccine made by another leading Chinese drugmaker Sinopharm, which is the first vaccine approved by the Egyptian Drug Authority. In early March, the most populous Arab country began to vaccinate elderly people and patients with chronic diseases against the highly infectious coronavirus. So far, Egypt has reported 252,690 COVID-19 cases, including 14,670 deaths and 186,223 recoveries. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 09:35:50|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, May 23 (Xinhua) -- A Pakistani soldier was killed in an attack by terrorists across the Afghan border, the Pakistani military said. The terrorists fired on a Pakistani military post from the Afghan side of the border in North Waziristan district of the country's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, an army statement said late Saturday night. The Pakistani troops responded in a befitting manner and a soldier was killed during an exchange of fire, said the statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations, the army's media wing. Pakistan has consistently asked Afghanistan to ensure effective management and control on their side of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, said the statement "Pakistan strongly condemns the continuous use of Afghan soil by terrorists for activities against Pakistan," it said. Earlier this month, four soldiers of the paramilitary Frontier Corps were killed while six others injured after terrorists ambushed them during a fencing activity along the Pakistan-Afghan border in southwestern Balochistan province. Pakistan is fencing bilateral borders, mostly porous, with Afghanistan to block the routes, which the militants use for cross-border movement and violence in both countries. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 09:54:49|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A member of special forces motorcycle teams stops vehicles for checking in Colombo, Sri Lanka, May 22, 2021. As over 50,000 people have been infected with the virus within the past one month alone, Sri Lankan authorities on Friday imposed an islandwide travel restriction, similar to a curfew, to prevent a further spread of the virus. (Photo by Ajith Perera/Xinhua) Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 13:07:49|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SUVA, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Fiji confirmed on Sunday 18 more positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the total tally to 224 in the Pacific island nation. According to the Fijian Health Ministry, there are 10 cases from two related families in Nausori, a town about 19 km northeast of capital city of Suva, four cases are from a household in Suva and two cases from a household in Nasinu, a town near Suva. The Permanent Secretary for the Health Ministry James Fong said that a number of recent cases acknowledged that they did not observe proper physical distancing as they moved about the community and attended social events such as grog parties. He urged Fijians not to let their guard down and adhere to health protocols and movement restrictions. Fiji now has had 134 recoveries, 86 active cases and four deaths since the island nation recorded its first confirmed case in March last year. Currently, like Fiji's major cities of Lautoka and Nadi, Suva and Nausori also have been under a lockdown. Viti Levu, Fiji's main island where Suva is located, still maintains a curfew islandwide from 6:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. every day. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 14:41:14|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NEW DELHI, May 23 (Xinhua) -- India's much-celebrated wrestler and two-time Olympic medal winner Sushil Kumar has been arrested in connection to a murder case, Delhi Police confirmed on Sunday. According to senior officer Neeraj Thakur, Kumar, who is a Delhi resident, was arrested from Mundka village in West Delhi. The wrestler had been on the run since May 4, after a fellow wrestler died in a brawl at a stadium. Kumar was named as one of the assailants by one of the victims who survived. The Delhi Police had announced a reward of 100,000 Indian Rupees (around 1,400 U.S. dollars) for anyone sharing information leading to his arrest. Kumar won a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics, and a bronze medal at the Beijing Games in 2008. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 17:42:04|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KUALA LUMPUR, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian pharmaceutical company Pharmaniaga is ramping up local fill-and-finish of COVID-19 vaccines developed by Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac, a senior official said Sunday. Defense Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said in a press conference that Pharmaniaga had completed the fill-and-finish process of 1,889,800 doses of Sinovac's CoronaVac vaccines and the production is ramping up to some two million doses per month. "As of today, this factory has prepared 1.8 million doses of the locally filled and finished vaccine, and by the end of June another two million more doses will be prepared," he said after a visit to Pharmaniaga's facility. Sinovac and Pharmaniaga in January signed an agreement for cooperation on the local fill-and-finish process for the COVID-19 vaccine, representing a milestone for Malaysia's pharmaceutical industry. "I am proud for the first time our country has produced and manufactured vaccines for humans with the expertise and skills of local talents," said Ismail Sabri. Both the finished products of Sinovac vaccines imported from China and the ones manufactured by Pharmaniaga have been used in Malaysia's national immunization program after receiving approval from the country's regulators. Malaysia is currently rolling out its national COVID-19 immunization program in three phases: phase 1 for frontliners, phase 2 for high-risk groups and phase 3 for all adults aged 18 and above with the whole exercise expected to be completed by February next year. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 23:03:42|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DHAKA, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientist Yuan Longping, renowned for developing the first hybrid rice strain that relieved countless people of hunger, died of organ failure at 91 on Saturday. Dubbed as the "father of hybrid rice," Yuan had devoted his life to the research and development of hybrid rice, which helped not only China but also many other countries and regions including Bangladesh feed billions of their people. "We mourn the death of Yuan Longping, a great friend of Bangladesh," said Squadron Leader (Rtd) M Sadrul Ahmed Khan, a leader of Bangladesh's ruling Awami League party, on Sunday. "His theory and hybrid seeds had given us the Green Revolution dreamt by our Bangladeshi founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman." He believes that developing and strengthening Yuan's hybrid rice research such as saline water-tolerant rice strains can significantly contribute to ensuring food security in Bangladesh. Khan said Yuan's hybrid rice immensely helped Bangladesh achieve food sufficiency. So far, he said, 160 Chinese varieties of rice are registered in Bangladesh, with an annual acreage of 900,000 acres. "China is the largest hybrid rice seeds exporter to Bangladesh. China has also brought advanced seed production technology," Khan said. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 19:04:51|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Three people were shot dead and five others injured at a bar in Youngstown, the midwest U.S. state of Ohio, on early Sunday morning, according to a CNN report, citing police sources. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 19:28:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Three people were shot dead and five others injured at a bar in Youngstown, the midwest U.S. state of Ohio, on early Sunday morning, according to a CNN report, citing police sources. Police responded to the reports of shooting at the Torch Club Bar & Grille in Youngstown shortly after 2 a.m. local time (0600 GMT), said the report. There were dozens of chasings in front of the bar as well as a parking lot two doors down, where a house was also struck by gunfire, local media outlet WKBN reported, adding that there was a four-car accident across the street from the bar that came after shots rang out. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2021-05-23 21:01:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Three people were shot dead and five others injured at a bar in Youngstown city, the midwest U.S. state of Ohio, on early Sunday morning, according to a CNN report, citing local police sources. Police responded to the reports of shooting at the Torch Club Bar & Grille in the city shortly after 2 a.m. local time (0600 GMT), said CNN. Detectives said some sort of argument broke out near the bar, and there was "an exchange of gunfire," local media outlet WKBN reported. There was a four-car accident across the street from the bar that came after shots rang out, said WKBN. It is not clear if any of the shooting victims were involved in the four-car accident. The police investigation is underway. The city has seen 11 homicides this year, with 42 people shot and wounded, said WKBN. Enditem Joanna Cresswell in Lens Culture: How to describe the effect of these photographs? writes Moyra Davey on the pictures that the late American artist Peter Hujar took of the Hudson River in 1976. The water seems embodied, we see faceseyes and lipsand liquid takes on a velvety smoothness and viscosity that could almost be a solid. Each image seems to have its own personality, and we sense Hujars presence as well, a man standing on a pier, with all the connotations of that locale, looking out and taking in the river at his feet. I wonder if he knew when he took the pictures that the resulting images would be so sensual, so corporeal and unearthly at the same time. Davey writes these words at the end of The Shabbiness of Beauty, a newly published photobook, in which she delves into the image-archives of Hujar and edits his photographs into a new series together with her own. Davey has worked in two ways in this bookas photographer, and as curator of both her own and someone elses vision. A someone she cannot talk with, since Hujars life was tragically cut short by an AIDS-related illness in 1987. What is most fascinating about this is how she works in the same way in both roles, moving intuitivelyemotionally, eventhrough pictures by her own hand and by Hujars. You cannot tell which picture belongs to which artist until the index at the end, and even then its difficult to work out without going all the way back through and counting, because there are no page numbers either. In this way, and in many others, this is a book that requires time. It asks you to look again and again, and to see the images as one collectionto understand that the separate visions of two people are entwined here momentarily. The Shabbiness of Beauty also has a third voice; that of poet and writer Eileen Myles, who opens the book with a text. Leaping back and forth between memories and decades, drawing from the presentwith references to the pandemicas well as the recent past and stuff that happened forever go, Myles pins Davey and Hujars images to personal associations, and to things that were happening during the time the writer spent with these pictures. More here. Para evitar aglomeraciones en Segunda vuelta y mejorar la convocatoria al sufragio de los mas vulnerables, la ?@ONPE_oficial? ha modificado el horario escalonado sugerido para asistir a sufragar. Todos a votar !!! #PeruVotaSeguro #6deJunio pic.twitter.com/5Kjlj5bXt5 Presidente @FSagasti en @RPPNoticias: Lo mas importante es demostrar a la ciudadania que se puede gobernar bien y con transparencia. Recuperar la confianza requiere que uno cumpla su palabra y nosotros cumplimos lo que prometemos.#ConfianzaYEsperanza pic.twitter.com/1g2wlGVxb8 "The 34 million jobs, which are temporary, are mostly created for the sowing, maintenance, harvesting, and post-harvesting campaigns for the most versatile Andean tuber," he added. Quevedo affirmed that last season 339,000 hectares were sown, and farmers were hired to work for the stages of preparing the land, sowing, weeding, second fertilization, hilling, pest control, harvest, and post-harvest. Ranking of regions where potatoes are grown On the other hand, Quevedo stated that potato cultivation at the national level is distributed among 19 regions of the country, being the areas with the highest production: 1) Puno which produces 850,000 tons per year. Thus, it accounts for 16% of the national production. 2) Huanuco 745,000 tons per year (14%). 3) La Libertad 533,000 tons (10%). 4) Ayacucho 449,000 tons (8%). 5) Cusco 440,000 tons (8%). Campaign The Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation (Midagri) has launched the campaign "Papa Pa' Ti, lo bueno se comparte" (Potatoes for you, the good is shared) , whose main objective is to encourage the consumption of this exquisite Peruvian product in its various preparations. Woburn, MA (01801) Today Cloudy with periods of rain. Low around 55F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Cloudy with periods of rain. Low around 55F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. Iran's parliament speaker says a three-month monitoring deal between Tehran and the UN nuclear watchdog expired on May 22, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reports. Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf was quoted as saying that the agency would no longer be able to access images from the Islamic Republic's nuclear sites. "From May 22 and with the end of the three-month agreement, the agency will have no access to data collected by cameras inside the nuclear facilities agreed under the agreement," Fars quoted Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf as saying on Sunday. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, is to hold a news conference on Sunday afternoon local time. He is in talks with Iran on extending the monitoring arrangement, which could affect talks between Tehran and six powers to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, the IAEA said. Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States have been negotiating with Iran in Vienna for the past six weeks in the hope of restoring the 2015 accord aimed at preventing Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. Then US President Donald Trump withdrew his country from the accord in 2018, from which point Tehran has increasingly violated its terms. Under the 2015 deal, Iran agreed to observe the IAEA's Additional Protocol that permits short-notice inspections at locations not declared to the agency - to bolster confidence that nuclear work is not being covertly put to military ends. Iran insists it has no intention of developing nuclear weapons. To pressure President Joe Biden's administration to return to the nuclear pact and lift sanctions, Iran's hardline-dominated parliament last year passed a law obliging the government to end implementation of the Additional Protocol from February. To give diplomacy a chance, the watchdog and Iran agreed in February to keep "necessary" IAEA monitoring and verification activities in the Islamic Republic, although Tehran would reduce co-operation with the agency. Story continues Qalibaf told parliament's open session, aired by state TV, that Iran's ultimate authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, backed the decision to restrict access to images from the sites. "Yesterday it was discussed and the decision was made," Qalibaf said. "The law passed by the parliament will be implemented. The supreme leader has underlined the importance of this issue." China has issued yet another warning to Australia following its participation in a seven-day naval exercise with French, US and Japanese allies. The Royal Australian Navy ship HMAS Parramatta practised anti-submarine drills and landing on remote islands off the East China Sea between May 11 and May 17. Speculation over the collaboration presenting as a "threat" to China has since been promptly shut down by a Chinese military expert in state-run publication The Global Times. "Australias military is too weak to be a worthy opponent of China," Song Zhongping told the publication. "If it (Australia) dares to interfere in a military conflict for example in the Taiwan Straits, its forces will be among the first to be hit." The article condemned Australia's military practice in the East China Sea (HMAS Parramatta pictured). Source: AAP Mr Zhongping went further to condemn Australia's participation, saying the "provocative" move fell far short of a realistic threat to China. "Australia must not think it can hide from China if it provokes. The drill will not be a threat to China, because it was only scraped together," he said. The journalist behind the piece also said China's Peoples Liberation Army had no need to make a "pointed response" because Australia was "insignificant militarily". The threatening language came one week after the publication encouraged Australia to build an anti-missile defence system following China's threat of launching a missile on Australian soil. Meanwhile, China hit out at Prime Minister Scott Morrison this week, accusing him of playing dumb over the state of badly-depleted Sino-Australian ties and what has led to their deterioration. An excerpt from the damning piece published by China's state-run mouthpiece. Source: The Global Times Pressed on recent remarks Mr Morrison made to The Sydney Morning Herald where he said there was still "great value" in the two nation's relations, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian revealed Beijing's disapproval of his comments. Story continues "This is what we Chinese call 'feigning ignorance'," he told reporters. In yet another defiant public display, Mr Zhao once again stressed the blame for the struggling relationship lay solely with Canberra. "The root cause of the current serious difficulties in China-Australia relations lies in Australia's gross interference in China's internal affairs, impairment of China's interests and unwarranted restrictions on bilateral exchanges and cooperation in various fields. "The responsibility doesn't rest with China at all." Mr Zhao's latest remarks are yet another stern reminder China is unwilling to budge on what it demands from Australia. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play. "They needed someone out of the military who understood operations in an austere environment, and I fit the bill," he said. "Initially, I was more of a consultant. But then they took a hard look at the way we're providing medical support to security and protective operations, and that consultancy became a unit." That "hard look," as Adam Ciralsky wrote in Vanity Fair, was motivated by the September 2012 attack on U.S. facilities in Benghazi. Afterward, Operational Medicine became the government's way of ensuring that it can "rapidly deploy crisis responders and evacuate personnel in harm's way," a need noted by an interagency panel of experts in response to the "grossly inadequate" amount of time it took to evacuate injured Americans from the Libyan city. But as time went on and Walters grew his team, many of them also combat medics, the scope of their work expanded beyond evacuations. As Walters describes it, Operational Medicine is like a logistics whisperer. Another government agency comes to him with a mission for instance, USAID needs to deliver oxygen cylinders to India and his team determines precisely how to make that happen. The other agency may be the face of the mission. But without Walters and company working behind the scenes, it may not be a success. As a teacher, Jay Wamsted believes there's value in testing. But when his sixth-grade daughter Kira asked to opt out this year, he saw no reason to object. He already knows she needs to catch up on math after months of remote learning. And as a teacher at her school, he knew that many other students were also backing out, undermining the value of the results. I know shes a little behind, and I dont need that data, said Wamsted, who live in Smyrna, Georgia. To take a month to gather data that is not going to mean anything to any of their teachers next year it seems like a waste of time. Parent Abby Norman found her third-grade daughter crying in her bedroom the morning tests were scheduled to begin at her school near Atlanta. Priscilla, 9, had just returned to the classroom after learning remotely and was worried she wasn't prepared. She was so nervous about this test that I dont care about at all, that does not matter to me, said Norman, who is a preacher. I literally ended up telling her, If you want to lick the test and give it back, I dont care. With that reassurance, Abby agreed to take the tests and scored almost off the charts, her mom said. Still, Norman resents that students were put in that situation at all. There's no question that U.S. Rep. John Katko was on the right side of history last week when helped usher through House passage of bipartisan legislation to establish a Jan. 6 commission. The nation must have a congressional investigation into how the horrific Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol happened. As the ranking Republican member on the House Homeland Security Committee, Katko worked with his Democratic counterpart, Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, to get a deal in place. And Katko then stood up against his conference's leadership and brought 34 other Republican House members along in the vote approving the bill. That many votes against party leadership is significant. Such large divisions within one conference just don't happen in Washington these days. But if this bill fails in the U.S. Senate, and there are strong indications it could following Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell's opposition, America will once again be heading down a dangerous path. That path is the one in which the official position of the Republican Party supports former President Donald Trump's lie that the 2020 election was fraudulent, a lie that is eroding this nation's democratic form of government. I read the letter titled "Solitary confinement a tool of oppression." I agree, it is, but there is no such thing as "solitary confinement" in New York state prisons. There are, however, special housing units. The letter writer either has a bad memory or is simply not being truthful. Prison is for members of society who cannot follow the rules and laws of society; special housing is for prisoners who cannot follow the rules and laws of prison. A prisoner gets sent to special housing for a serious assault on staff or another inmate, having a weapon, etc. The tier system is similar to society. Tier 1 prison violations are like infractions, Tier 2 like misdemeanors, Tier 3 like felonies. A direct order is an infraction. The letter writer never would have been sent to SHU based on that, maybe lost a commissary buy or a few days recreation. And SHU is like every other cell block in the prison; the only difference is these inmates are separated from the rest of the population. There are five cells per "tank" in SHU so saying this is "solitary confinement" is a fallacy. An inmate in SHU can talk to his cellmates on either side of him. When I worked in SHU there was usually 50 to 60 inmates housed there. I could only laugh and picture a cartoon clown car when the letter writer stated "Around 20 officers entered the showers to intervene." The SHU shower is approximately 3-by-3 feet, good luck getting two officers in there let alone 20. Also, 20 officers would never respond to the SHU, just the five or six assigned there. Smiths office declined to comment on the case following the verdict when contacted by the Arizona Daily Sun. Witnesses, including store owner Mary DeLeon, indeed ran into difficulty identifying Land during the investigation. DeLeon did, however, identify that Land had come into her store the day prior. Police investigators suggested Land might have been casing the store the day before to get more information. Barker called for Land to be held accountable by the jury and be found guilty on all charges. Let me end with the same phrase I started with: To consider the evidence in light of reason, common sense and experience. Theres a reason why this jury system works, and its because of the common sense of the community that comes in to judge cases, Barker said. Coconino County Attorney Bill Ring kept his comments brief due to the pending trial of Lands co-defendant but thanked a couple parties involved. The Coconino County Attorney's Office thanks the jury for their service and the Flagstaff Police Department for their tenacity in helping us bring this individual to justice, Ring said. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Sun spots usually precede the display. In theory, electrical currents shoot out from the sun, causing the aerial disturbances. 50 years ago 1971: Firefighters caught a fast-burning blaze early Friday morning threatening the timbers of a fire tower at one point. Fortunately quick action contained it to about 5 acres. The fire started in the dry grass among some young trees. Navajo and Havasupi Indian tribes have joined the Hualapai in expressing disapproval with parts of the master plan for development of the Grand Canyon National Park. A 60% increase in the incidence of animal rabies in Flagstaff to date this year has brought a warning from the Coconino County Health Department. The department noted that animal rabies is a serious problem that continues to exist locally. 25 years ago 1996: Forests still dry despite wet weekend weather. A late season cold snap may have foiled plans for some hikers and campers but the meager snow and rain that came with it went unnoticed in the bone-dry forests around Flagstaff. Fire restrictions remain in place, with about 30% of Arizonas 11.2 million acres of national forests closed. New funding from the American Rescue Plan is making its way to Arizonas universities and colleges, including Northern Arizona University. More than $471 million is heading to universities across the state, according to an announcement from Rep. Tom OHalleran. The funding is meant to help institutions cope with the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and navigate future challenges, according to a statement from OHallerans office. At least half of the funding each institution receives will be distributed in the form of emergency cash assistance grants to students who are facing hunger, homelessness and other hardship. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The success of our local and state educational institutions is critical to the success of Arizonas population, economy, and future leaders, OHalleran said in a statement. Of the $471 million, $ 66,183,680 is heading to NAU. NAU President Rita Cheng called the money critical support [for] students and university operations. Under the deal, about 3,000 restaurants will be able to get permits to sell cocktails to go, Weninger said. They will be charged an administrative fee by state liquor regulators and for five years have to pay another fee that will go into a fund to compensate bar and grocery store owners. Not all of those outlets will get the money. It will be dispersed through a lottery system. Restaurants will also be able to lease a license allowing them to deliver beer and wine. But the bottom line is that consumers will be able to have a martini delivered with their steak or a margarita with their enchilada dinner. This is one of the things that I've heard over and over from constituents that they thought was pretty cool, Weninger said in an interview. Secondly, my other constituents, which are bars and restaurants, want to do it and believe that they can derive revenue from it. And, he added, the state gets some revenue too. The deal shows that there are some good things, like the move to telemedicine, that have come from the pandemic, Weninger said. Childbirth has always been perilous for women. Before the advent of modern medicine, a breech birth was often a death sentence. And even as recently as the turn of the 20th century, six to nine women in the U.S. died during childbirth or from related complications for every 1,000 babies born alive, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Advances in medicine and public health have significantly improved the odds that women and their infants will survive childbirth. In 2019, the most recent year for which there are data, only two women died for every 10,000 or so live babies born. That's quite an improvement in little more than a century. Nevertheless, the U.S. still has the highest rate of maternal mortality in the industrialized world, and the rate has been creeping up in recent years. In addition, the progress on maternal health hasn't been equally shared. Black women in the U.S. are more than twice as likely to die from pregnancy-related conditions as other women. In California, which has a lower rate of maternal death than the country as a whole, the disparity is even wider for Black and Indigenous women; in recent years, they have died from complications of childbirth at three to four times the rate of white women. The racial disparity remains even when there's no difference in income or educational attainment. Art in the Western sense is something you want to do if you want to struggle all your whole life. Art in the Indigenous sense is tied to our cosmologies, identities and cultural as well as collective well-being, Begay says. When the trading posts came, thats when art became more commercial, as that tide reflects the Wests relationship to art and its imposition on our own relationship to our own cultural expressions. In this day and age, art is a way to reclaim our own thinking, imagination and the possibilities that arise when we make room for this bit of intelligence, as art is the ability to express what was suppressed during the boarding school era, colonization and prejudicial eras that invoke the present. The response to Save the Peaks Art Initiative started strong when the first phase was announced, but Begay says it has slowed down since. Ahram Online The North African country is set to produce two million doses of Sinovac vaccines in three weeks Egypt seeks to turn into a centre that manufactures coronavirus vaccines for other countries in the African continent, Health Minister Hala Zayed said, as the country's vaccine maker VACSERA started working on manufacturing the first batch of the Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine. On Saturday, during a meeting in Cairo with a Chinese delegation for China's drug maker Sinovac, Zayed said Vacsera's firms have all the capabilities needed for the production process of the coronavirus vaccines. "Vacsera will be serving as the main firm for the Chinese Sinovac Company in Africa," the health minister noted, as according to a statement released following the meeting. The Chinese delegation arrived in Egypt on Friday after recieving a shipment carrying raw materials to produce two million doses of Sinovac vaccines. The shipment is part of a wider agreement that was signed in April to manufacture over 40 million Chinese doses annually via Vacsera's firms in Egypt. The 40 million doses are expected to be produced by the end of 2021 as per the inked deal. Zayed said the Chinese delegation's visit would last for three weeks until the first batch of the vaccines - two million shots - is produced. Also according to Zayed, the production process includes several stages, starting from testing the raw materials by the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA); packaging the vaccine; issuing the approval; carrying out stability studies and then conducting efficiency tests by the EDA. The EDA has approved the emergency use of five vaccines: Sinopharm, AstraZeneca, Sinovac, CoronaVac and Covishield- AstraZeneca. Minister Zayed highlighted the "unlimited" attention the Egyptian leadership is paying to produce vaccinations in order for Egypt to become a centre for manufacturing vaccines for African countries after fulfilling domestic needs. Vacsera's laboratories and production lines have been revamped at a cost of EGP 750 million (nearly $48 million) provided by the government to keep pace with producing the vaccines, said the Egyptian minister. According to a previous statement by Zayed, coordination is ongoing in an effort to locally manufacture the AstraZeneca vaccine at VACSERAs factories in 6 October city. Egypt has received millions of coronavirus vaccines lately as it is ramping up the effort to vaccinate as much as possible from its 110 million-plus population. Nearly two million have been vaccinated against the deadly virus in Egypt, out of a total of 3.5 million who have already registered to receive the inoculation via a website set up by the Egyptian Ministry of Health. Egypt, which is seeing a surge in infections, due to a third wave of the pandemic, has registered a total of 252,690 cases, including 14,670 deaths and 186,223 recoveries. Trump isn't the only topic of discussion in the race, amid reignited concern over street crime and the ongoing debate about criminal justice and the role of prosecutors, renewed in the wake of the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd a year ago. At the beginning of the race, maybe last year, a lot of folks thought that Trump would be a primary talking point, but he doesnt really seem to be the main issue in this crop of candidates, said Christina Greer, political science professor at Fordham University. Hes in a long list of issues, but crime and how the DA will prosecute particular cases seem to be the more prescient issues. The city has seen more than 155 homicides since the start of the year, the highest number for that period since 2011. Other major crime categories, including robberies, burglaries and felonious assaults, remain largely where they were before the coronavirus pandemic. The race could decide whether the next district attorney will continue criminal justice reforms, which in recent years have included scaling back drug prosecutions and locking up fewer defendants for long periods while they await trial. The story of Forrest Fenn, the late art dealer whose treasure hunt led to at least five deaths, will get the 48 Hours treatment this weekend. The CBS true crime program will air an episode on the millionaire, whose treasure he said was found in Wyoming, at 8 p.m. Mountain Time Saturday. Fenn announced in 2010 he had hidden a treasure chest somewhere in the Rocky Mountains, authoring a poem with clues leading to its location. The chests estimated value is around $1 million. A promo for the episode describes Fenn as a modern-day Indiana Jones. In summer 2020, Fenn said the treasure had been found. His grandson later confirmed Jack Stuef, a medical school student from Michigan, had discovered the treasure. Fenn, who had been living in New Mexico, died in September at 90. 48 Hours boasts that its special will include new details and rare photos of the search, as well as interviews with: Letter to the editor: "These differences can be explained not by race but by the differences in the specific cultures." Note: The views expressed by letter writers do not necessarily reflect those of The Gazette. To submit a letter visit https://billingsgazette.com/forms/contact/letter_to_the_editor "This tree-ring study adds to our understanding of the multi-decadal variations that characterize the climate of the last 1200 years in the GYE (and probably longer)," she added in an email. "In particular, it adds new information on the changes in summer temperature through time. "The interesting finding for me was the warm period that occurred 950-970 years ago that is now superceded by the high temperatures of recent years," Whitlock added. "Even the GYE is seeing the effects of human-caused global warming." Heeters study used samples of living and dead Engelmann spruce trees collected in and around Yellowstone National Park. The findings were published in Geophysical Research Letters. Previously, temperature records for the Yellowstone region were only available going back to 1905. The team was also able to identify several known periods of warming in the tree ring record, including the Medieval Climate Anomaly that occurred between 950 and 1250, as well as several multidecadal periods of cooling that occurred prior to 1500. It was during the late 1200s the Ancestral Puebloan, also called Anasazi, abandoned their homes in the Four Corners region of the Southwest. Most bars or home mixologists can easily whip up this quick summer cocktail. Ben Heller, operations manager at 17th Street Barbecue in Murphysboro, Illinois, suggests pairing a quality beer with freshly squeezed lemonade. Though a traditional shandy is typically half beer and half lemonade, Heller prefers the added complexity of grapefruit. A lager will suffice in this recipe, but Heller recommends a pale ale. A little bit of hops goes well with citrus, Heller says. Just make sure the beer and lemonade are cold before you pour them into a frosted mug. Myriad versions have been invented since this drink first appeared in the 1850s, so there are plenty of options, but this recipe couldnt be simpler. Grapefruit Shandy 5 oz cold lemonade 1 oz freshly squeezed grapefruit juice 6 oz cold pale ale or lager beer lemon twist, for garnish In chilled pint glass, stir together lemonade and grapefruit juice; pour beer on top. Serve cold with a lemon twist for garnish. Press Release May 22, 2021 'Now is the time to act,' says Bong Go as he calls on fellow lawmakers to support passage of pending measures enhancing and establishing public hospitals Senator and Chair of the Senate Committee on Health Christopher "Bong" Go emphasized the need to act swiftly when it comes to enhancing health services as he urged his fellow lawmakers not to allow further delays in the passage of local hospital bills which are aimed at improving and establishing public hospitals in different parts of the country. "Obviously, our priorities, ito pong health problem po natin. [...] Ang ayaw nating mangyari, maghihingalo ang mga kababayan natin na wala nang pupuntahan. Nasa pandemya po tayo," Go told his fellow lawmakers during the Senate regular session on Thursday, May 20. "Iba po ang kaso natin ngayon. Darating naman po siguro ang panahon na pagdedebatehan natin 'yung share ng IRA (Internal Revenue Allotment), ng NaTA (National Tax Allotment). Pero ito, habulan tayo ng buhay po ng bawat Pilipino ang nakataya rito," he added. During the Senate sessions on May 19 and 20, Go sponsored fifteen local hospital bills that aim to establish, re-nationalize, or enhance through increased bed capacity, among others local hospitals in various parts of the country. "Nandiyan na po 'yung hospitals na approved. Nandiyan na po 'yung bills na aprubado ng Lower House, nasa kamay natin dito sa Senado. Bakit pa natin papatagalin pa? Kawawa naman ang mga Pilipino." said Go. "Dapat po tayong magkaisa para sa kapakanan ng mga Pilipino. Pinasa na po ito ng Lower House. Naghahanap tayo ng modular hospital. Ito po, pwede na tayong gumawa ng hospital. Pasado na po sa Lower House," he added. While being interpellated, Go described his experience of traveling to different parts of the country and witnessing the state of public healthcare in various regions. "Huwag na po natin ipagkait sa Pilipino kung ano po ang para sa kanila ngayon. Kawawa po. Ako mismo, bumababa po ako. Alam ko po 'yung sitwasyon," he shared. Go strongly appealed to fellow lawmakers not to deprive Filipinos the right to have quality healthcare during the pandemic, especially when the measures being deliberated have already passed the House of Representatives and are now pending Senate action. "In this crucial time, we need these facilities, we need these upgrades. The local government units are asking for assistance because they cannot take on these burdens. Paikut-ikot lang po ang usapan dito, Mr. President. Alam naman ng Pilipino 'yan, paikut-ikot lang tayo dito. Sinasadya natin patagalin. Ibang usapan po ito ngayon," Go said. He also cited that the need to increase hospital bed capacity of most public hospitals has been a challenge during the public health crisis, prompting authorities to establish modular hospitals. He noted that while he welcomes the efforts of the Executive to augment bed capacities of health facilities, these are only temporary in nature. He highlighted the fact that the proposed upgrades stated in the proposed measures can be institutionalized if passed into law. "Minadali natin ang pagtatayo ng modular hospitals. Pero pagkatapos ng pandemya, marahil mawawala na rin ang mga naitayong ito. Narito ang ang permanenteng solusyon sa problema. Aksyunan na natin," he urged. Go acknowledged that there is a need to determine the policy direction of the whole government when it comes to devolving health related functions to local government units. He, however, stressed that "we cannot just pass on the cudgels to LGUs at this time especially amid an ongoing pandemic when resources are already scarce. National government must step in." He added that most local government units have been struggling to cope with the pandemic and are in need of support from the national government. He stressed the need for efficient complementation of resources and interventions between the national government and local government units. "Lalo na po sa mga probinsya na talagang kulang na kulang ang mga health facilities. Sa pag-iikot ko po sa iba't ibang parte ng bansa, nakita ko po mismo ang kakulangan natin sa hospital beds at equipment. Minsan po ang mga pasyente sa hospital corridor na nakaratay. Kawawa po ang ating mga kababayan," Go said. Among the bills upgrading government health facilities sponsored by Go during the session include increasing the bed capacity of the Sinait District Hospital in Sinait, Ilocos Sur; lying-in clinic in Rizal, Palawan; the Naguilian District Hospital in La Union; the Rosario District Hospital in Rosario, La Union; the East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City; and the Mayor Hilarion A. Ramiro Sr. Medical Center in Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental. He also sponsored bills converting the Schistosomiasis Control and Research Hospital in Palo, Leyte into the Governor Benjamin T. Romualdez General Hospital and Schistosomiasis Center, and increase its bed capacity; renaming the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center in Tacloban City into Eastern Visayas Medical Center, and increasing its bed capacity; converting the Medina Extension Hospital in Medina, Misamis Oriental into a general hospital; upgrading the Lanao del Norte Provincial Hospital into the Lanao del Norte Regional Medical Center; and upgrading the Benguet General Hospital. Go also sponsored bills establishing more and improved government hospitals, such as the Eastern Pangasinan Regional Medical and Trauma Center, the Davao Occidental General Hospital, the Neptali Gonzales General Hospital in Mandaluyong City, and the Bacolod City General Hospital. "Bilang mambabatas at Chair ng Senate Committee on Health, patuloy nating ipaglalaban ang pagsasaayos ng kapasidad at kapabilidad ng mga pampublikong ospital upang matugunan ang pangangailangan ng mga maysakit nating kababayan, anuman ang antas nila sa buhay, at kahit saan mang sulok ng bansa sila naroroon," he assured. The cemetery recently bought new mowers and other equipment and repaired other equipment that had been discarded. Sinclair's family donated money for the 250-space columbarium. He said it would have cost the cemetery about $60,000. "It didnt incur any cost to the cemetery, so every space we sell in there is pure profit for the cemetery," said Sinclair, who runs a machine shop in Wilson and is president of the Wilson Historical Society. The cemetery is charging $1,495 for two niches in the columbarium until July 1, after which the price will rise. That compares to $1,850 for an in-ground burial plot. The cemetery owns 60 acres of land, with half of it undeveloped. It averaged 60 to 80 burials a year until last year, when the pace roughly doubled. Sinclair attributes that to Covid-19 deaths. "Things are much more stable. Were on a much better financial footing, although were not rolling in funds," he said. The Sinclairs have a family plot at Glenwood. John's great-uncle, Norman Sinclair, well-known as the longtime president of Lockport Savings Bank, is buried there. That's how John Sinclair became involved in cemetery management. Brown's office, which sponsored a vigorous campaign to encourage census participation last year in the depths of the Covid-19 pandemic, is also supportive. The city was aiming to note a census increase for the first time since 1950. "Mayor Byron Brown supports the Governor's request that the NYS Attorney General review the legal options to determine whether there are any grounds for a lawsuit regarding the accuracy of the census count," spokesman Michael J. DeGeorge said in a statement, "which was short by 89 people and which led to a very narrow loss of a Congressional seat in New York." County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz also noted that Erie County spent money to encourage the census effort as it tried to note an increase in population for the first since 1960. "I think we did a good count here, and I would not be surprised if the population of the county actually increased from the 2010 census," he said. He maintains, however, that the county identified as many as 5,000 people not in the census database that should have been counted. As a result, he does not believe Erie County should be penalized by a loss of congressional representation. The crowd laughed. This had to feel good for them, and for Soder. The state and the country are reopening, and its becoming increasingly simple to go out in public to do the things we lost for most of the last year. But the details of those activities arent quite the same as before, and after 14 months of relative isolation for many people, re-engaging with crowds isnt going to be easy. In this Pandemic Lessons, we explore how to navigate the feelings of stepping back into the public: How does it feel to be at an event like a comedy show? If anything has become true during the pandemic, its this: Strange is now normal. So doing something normal like going to a comedy club, or getting on a plane, or shopping maskless if you are fully vaccinated may seem strange. Jarring, even. But it can also be freeing. Its like a friendly reminder of what things used to be like, Soder said in his dressing room after the show. He spent most of the last year at home in New York, performing occasional rooftop or backyard shows, and a couple of actual gigs in states that were open. His current tour began last week in Indianapolis and continues around the country through the summer and fall. The number of people to die from a cable car accident in northern Italy on Sunday is now 14, officials said. A group was riding in a Stresa-Mottarone cable car which connects the town of Stresa on Lake Maggiore with the nearby Mottarone mountain in the Piedmont region when it plunged into a wooded area Sunday morning, according to a spokesperson for the National Alpine Speleological Rescue Corps, which is leading the rescue operation. Authorities believe there were 15 passengers riding on the cable car at the time of the crash, with officials earlier saying two children were among those who initially survived with injuries. "One of the two children transported by helicopter to Turin hospital didn't make it. It is now sadly 14 the number of people who have lost their lives today," the National Alpine Speleological Rescue Corps tweeted Sunday evening local time. The other child remains in a critical condition, according to the rescue group. Italy's national fire brigade posted a photograph of the crash site on social media, which shows first responders surrounding the mangled cable car near broken trees and severed cables. A spokesperson for the fire brigade said the number of dead could rise. The rejection of drive-thrus by the City of Buffalo Planning Board sends a strong message of support for walkable neighborhoods in the city. Drive-thrus have been banned in all or parts of cities, towns and villages throughout the United States, including St. Paul, Minneapolis, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Washington, DC., and Cape Cod. In Canada, Toronto, Hamilton, Kingston and London are among the cities banning them. There are many reasons why drive-thrus are not good for a community, including roadway congestion from traffic queues, the aesthetics of the standard cookie-cutter designs to accommodate the drive-thrus, and the less visible impacts on sedentary behavior and exhaust pollution from waiting vehicles. Perhaps the most significant detriment of drive-thrus is the effect on neighborhood walkability. By impeding on sidewalks, drive-thrus create an unpleasant environment for pedestrians. Another negative effect is that the massive asphalt portion of the drive-thru site needed for driveway lanes and parking, together with the required stormwater buffers, reduce the per-acre taxable value of the improvements to the municipality. Isabel Debres and Fares Akrams Associated Press article printed in the online Buffalo News was flawed by significant omissions. First, it went virtually unmentioned that Hamas has been launching attacks on Israel since shortly after Israeli soldiers and civilians left Gaza entirely in 2005. These almost continual attacks are what have precipitated past and present rounds of fighting, as Israel rightly tries to defend itself. The primary point here is that if Hamas wasnt continuing almost nonstop attacks on Israel, none of the consequences in Gaza which the article discusses would be operative. Furthermore, Israel makes Herculean efforts to avoid harm to civilians, as confirmed by Richard Kemp, former Commander of British Forces in Afghanistan. This task is made supremely difficult by the Hamas practice of hiding weapons in civilian areas and firing them at Israeli civilians, a double war crime. In addition, 20 to 25% of the rockets launched at Israel by Hamas are landing instead in Gaza, and so it is likely that some of the damage reported in this article is self-inflicted. BANGKOK, May 23 (Reuters) - Thailand has ordered strict controls on the movement of cattle and buffaloes after an outbreak of an a virus that causes lumps to form on the animals' skin and can reduce milk production, a government official said on Sunday. The rarely-fatal disease, which does not affect people and is thought to be spread by flies or mosquitoes, is new in Thailand and has already infected more than 6,700 cows and buffaloes in 35 provinces across the country, according to government deputy spokeswoman Traisulee Traisaranakul. "The prime minister is concerned about the smuggling of cattle and buffaloes from neighbouring countries, which is an important factor in the spread of the disease, as well as unsanctioned domestic movement," Traisulee said. She said animals should only be moved when it is necessary under the guidelines of the department of livestock development. According to official livestock registration data, there are 6.2 million beef cattle, 707,000 dairy cattle and 1.2 millions buffaloes around Thailand. (Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat and Panu Wongcha-um; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell) Carmen and Nathan Sampson and their children are shown outside their farmstand in Sampsonville, Richmond County. (Submitted by Carmen Sampson - image credit) Nova Scotians should look to the roadside this year, as many farmers search for new ways to sell their crops. Carmen Sampson owns and operates Acadian Acres in Richmond County. She and her family began a farm stand in Sampsonville last fall. "We did a few markets last year and the year before," said Sampson. "But this year, and especially with COVID, we're just sticking with the farm stand. It seems to be OK last weekend was our opening weekend and we sold out." The Sampson family shed is made of weathered wood, leftover tin roofing and antique eaves troughs. Acadian Acres Farm and Wild Edibles in Sampsonville has set up this roadside farmstand where customers can come and pick up fresh produce and other items. (Carmen Sampson) Inside is a painted fridge, shelving for preserves, a chalkboard with pricing and a tool box for cash. The stand is left unattended. Sampson said there have been few problems with people taking more than they have purchased. "It's incredibly honest," she said. "I figure if people need it to eat and they can't afford to pay it they need it, so you might as well just take it." If you wish to barter, Sampson said she'll trade food for weed pulling and compost shovelling. The farm stand worked out some kinks last year by adding refrigeration that helps keep produce fresh. "Last year, we had coolers with ice packs in it," said Sampson. "The maintenance and just the smell of the closed cooler wasn't working for us." Sampson said her children have also joined in the business with seashells and rocks for sale. "My daughter also makes dog treats, called 'Top of the Woof,'" she said. "She's learning all about the economics of the farm stand, so it's pretty cute." Farmers finding new ways The existence of farm stands is nothing new, said Kathleen Kevany. But it something she's noticed has been growing in popularity in Nova Scotia. The associate professor in Dalhousie University's faculty of agriculture said some farmers were left with no choice but to pivot away from traditional sales methods for the time being. Story continues She also said student research has shown that farmers greatly benefit from multi-pronged revenue streams. One of the biggest challenges for farms is fanning out produce in a short window of time. And then finding new ways to create value-added products. "Roadside stands are a really helpful path to get particularly perishable foods quickly to customers and not spoil," said Kevany. "Because we don't want to see that." Wasted food Kevany said studies have shown that about 40 per cent food produced for retail sale is wasted in Canada. She said farm stands are a solution to not only cutting down waste, but they also strengthen a social fabric of a community by creating personal connections. They also reduce greenhouse gases, said Kevany, as they shorten the time food spends travelling before ending up on plates. A spokesperson for Department of Environment says it's unclear if the number of farm stands is increasing in the province, as they do not collect data on such ventures. MORE TOP STORIES With a $2 trillion bill being debated in Washington, DC and the recent attack on the Colonial Pipeline earlier this month, lawmakers, analysts, economists, and the media are shining a very bright light on the need to not just build but secure mission-critical systems that impact every organization and individual every single day. Without dedicated cybersecurity funding, experts believe even the most advanced infrastructure will be vulnerable to catastrophic hacks. The administration and Congressional leaders wish to pour trillions of dollars into upgrading Americas airports, roads, shipping ports, public buildings, schools, water systems, energy grids, and more, instrumenting the world with sensors that can collect and analyze data to ensure resilience and efficiency. And while the Industrial Internet of Things will continue to generate enormous value, unless the networks that connect to the edge to collect information are rock solid, unintended consequences could be grave. Designing and building security into any complex infrastructure with digital components is easier to do in the beginning, compared to retrofitting after the fact, and getting cyber security straight as part of planning, budgeting, and building is especially important given modernized roads, bridges, tunnels, and a new wave of sustainable energy creation that is designed to be in place for decades to come. The current plan, as laid out by the White House, would give NIST $14 billion, which is 14 times its annual budget, to bring together industry, academia, and government to advance technologies and capabilities critical to future competitiveness, according to a statement from the administration. NIST could use some of that money to update cybersecurity standards for industrial control systems, and CISA, with a long history of assisting infrastructure operators, could work collaboratively to ensure cyber security measures are backed into every project going forward. While the jury is still out on what the bill will look like after negotiations on Capitol Hill, cyber security industry leaders are preparing to participate, which was made evident in last weeks United for Infrastructure events, which brought together public and private sector agencies and organizations to discuss and debate priorities. Nearly every event included conversations about the urgency of cyber security as a must-have to make sure the digital innovations emerging do not end up causing more harm than good. We asked Chris Swan, CRO of Dispersive, an innovative, secure virtual networking company with a unique solution and reputation for protecting critical infrastructure, to share what the company is seeing in their interactions with government agencies, utilities, industrial and infrastructure customers and partners. Utility and communications networks are more mutually interdependent than ever before, constantly converging, and critically connected, Swan said. With new distributed generation, storage, and other network-enabled assets linking to the US grid daily, utilities, balancing authorities, and other grid partners must increase protection and situational awareness across the network all the way to the edge. Swan explained that this convergence and growing interdependency must be fully understood as cyber-physical infrastructure networks are built out. Security measures must be implemented to protect critical elements of both from cascading failures and potentially catastrophic events, he said. In the 1990s, local area networks began tying centralized and previously isolated utility supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) to each other, increasing overall grid coordination. As the number and diversity of connected assets have increased and analytics have become the lifeblood of critical infrastructure, the trend has been to interface SCADA operating technology (OT) environments to information technology (IT) networks. This combination has helped operators gain a more granular picture of the increasingly complex grid, improve efficiencies and plan capabilities in multiple areas, but has also created a digital layer that adversaries understand can be attacked for ransom as we saw in the Colonial Pipeline incident, Swan said. Innovation is leading to improved efficiencies across the energy ecosystem, but unfortunately, the increased interdependence of the data networks and electricity infrastructure has also heightened vulnerabilities. It is a well-known fact that the US lags behind other developed countries when it comes to critical infrastructure. According to a very recent report from Statista, Singapore is the global leader in overall infrastructure, with a value of 95.4 on a scale of 0 to 100. The United States was ranked 13th. While there are many types of infrastructure, electric power is a critical resource, Swan said. Threats to the power grid are very real and growing rapidly, so this is an ideal time for the private sector and federal, state, and local government agencies to accelerate their efforts to assure that US grid networks remain secure, resilient, and capable of providing service and support. Americans have long been supportive of upgrading and modernizing our crumbling infrastructure, Swan concluded. They are also increasingly aware of cyber attacks, the impact they have, and that infrastructure programs must move beyond shovels and concrete to include modern secure network access, control, and surveillance. Edited by Luke Bellos EU Ambassador to Georgia welcomes the consensus reached between Georgian political parties on electoral reform By Veronika Malinboym The Ambassador of the European Union Carl Hartzell stated that he welcomes the consensus that the Georgian political parties have managed to reach on the subject of the electoral reform:It seems that the consensus on the subject of the electoral reform has finally been reached. We are now waiting for the legislation to be sent to the Council of Europes Venice Commission for final assessment and recommendations as soon as possible.Hartzell added that the judicial reform is just as important of a component of the EU-mediated agreement of April 19:In the nearest future, it will be necessary to focus attention on the process of appointing judges at the Supreme Court, since this process is approaching fast, as well as the appointment of the members of the countrys High Council of Justice. Those two organs are very important in establishing peoples trust in the countrys judicial system. Moreover, this process will determine the stage-by-stage implementation of other reforms, in which the EU and other international partners will participate.In his statement, ambassador Hartzell also expressed his hope for the United National Movement to join the parliament in the nearest future, saying that it is very important for the party to participate in the current political discourse, specifically the implementation of electoral, judicial, and other reforms:I hope that the United National Movement will soon make a decision to join the parliament as that would be a logical step for them; it is very important for them to participate in the discussions of the electoral, judicial, and other important reforms.EU representative also noted that the question of Tamar Zhvanias Chairmanship of the Central Election Commission has not been discussed within the framework of the April 19 agreement, and it is up to the parties to decide whether they want to continue discussing the matter:I can say that the proposed changes to the countrys electoral law look very promising. There have been some discussions with regard to the chairmanship of the Central Election Commission, however, not about the candidacy of Tamar Zhvania in specific. It is, therefore, up to the parties themselves to decide whether they want to discuss it [Zhvanias candidacy on the position of the chairwoman of the Central Election Commission], noted EU Ambassador Hartzell. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 23) -- Dubai-based Filipino fashion designer Michael Cinco called out the Miss Universe Canada team after he was blamed for her failure to land in the semifinals of the Miss Universe pageant. Cinco said the team has been spreading lies about him, including sabotaging Miss Canada Nova Stevens' chances in the international pageant. Now this is for you, to the whole Miss Canada team Miguel Martinez, Denis Martin Davila, and Miss Canada Organization and your ungrateful Miss Canada Nova Stevens, said Cinco in a lengthy Facebook post on Saturday. You have been spreading fake news about me and my team being unprofessional days before the pageant but I chose to be quiet and calm. But this time, I need to stand up for me and my team, as it is just so unfair! he added. The fashion designer also posted a screenshot of a comment from an Instagram account named MG Mode, where it claimed that Cincos gowns arrived late. The gowns arrived on time. Or how could you have sent me photos and videos of her wearing them, showing how the gowns perfectly fitted her, days before each event, said Cinco. You even posted a video of Nova in her last fitting and she was happy. You were forcing me to make Novas 26'' waist line to be cinched to 23'', which I obviously didnt heed even if you said that in pageants, comfort doesnt matter. But please don't say that her gown was ill-fitting, he added. Moreover, Cinco said that it was him who shouldered the photo shoots of Stevens while wearing his creations. Her life story was supposedly inspiring and I even went out of my way hiring a team of world-class photographer and filmmaker to shoot her in my couture gowns at a world-class location in Dubai just to give her extra publicity mileage and create for her a balance of glam and luxury as opposed to her humble homecoming in Africa. And everything in that shoot was paid for by me. Did you get that? he said. Cinco pointed out that other Miss Universe candidates who wore his designs, such as Miss Romania and Miss Czech Republic, expressed their gratitude to him. Even eventual winner Miss Mexico sent him a message, despite not being able to wear his gown both in the preliminary and finals night. But for Nova and your team, not only have I not got a curt thank you, but even seemed so upset with me for (Steven) being eliminated in the pageant. Am I the judge? said Cinco. He also warned the team not to hire him or any Filipino designers anymore. You all are ungrateful, vile, and professional users. Next time dont ask me or any Filipino designers to dress up your candidates. Ask your Canadian designers to showcase their works in world stage, said Cinco. For her part, Stevens said in a video she has nothing but love and gratitude" towards Cinco. You have created the most beautiful gowns I could think of. Ive never once imagined that I would work with you because youre Michel Cinco. So the fact that I was able to work with you is honestly a highlight of my career as Miss Universe Canada, she said. So I just want you to know that that gratitude would never be diminished no matter what. And Ill express that gratitude publicly and privately. Stevens has now made her Instagram account private. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 22) On International Biodiversity Day, a conservation group stressed the importance of allowing indigenous people to participate in efforts to preserve the country's natural resources. Adryon Javier, from the Center for Conservation Innovation PH, Inc., said she spent almost four years in Mindoro province, working with the Mangyans on conservation efforts, as well as equipping them with the technical skills to defend their ancestral lands. The indigenous tribes have a spiritual connection with the environment that involves understanding ecological processes, Javier said, from noticing the presence and absence of certain wildlife, to changes in soil fertility. "They offer an alternative view of the world, one that sees natural processes as cyclical, one that reflects respect for the Earth, and most of all, one that considers actions in the context of future generations," said Javier during a webinar with the University of the Philippines Association of Biology Majors on Saturday. She described the tribes as "subsistence farmers, herders, fishermen, hunters with a vast collection of knowledge of how the ecology of their surroundings work." Javier said her organizations' research also found that forests are degrading at a much slower pace in ancestral domains. The communities' forest homes are rich in biodiversity. Red-tagging These IPs, however, often meet obstacles, such as the stigma of being associated with rebels due to some members taking part in the communist movement. IPs are also victims of red-tagging, Javier shared, which has been a pressing issue in the country that targets various members of the public, even politicians and celebrities. "One of the many misconceptions of our IP groups... is for them being red-tagged or automatically being labeled as members of the rebel group," Javier pointed out. "But you must all remember these are people with their own minds. If you ever recognize some of them joining these groups, it is most probably because it is their own choice," she added. The challenge comes as communities are already battling extractive industries - mining, oil exploration, and illegal logging - that intrude into their territory. Despite these hurdles, indigenous people still seek to participate in the conservation fight, Javier said. Advocates continue to push for the passage of the "indigenous communities conserved areas" or ICCA bill, which aims to give priority to indigenous people in the management of their conservation areas. In November 2020, the United Nations also "revitalized" its system-wide action plan that provides a framework for indigenous people's survival, dignity and well-being. "indigenous peoples are indispensable partners in achieving the [sustainable development goals] and the long-term COVID-19 recovery process, including through their contributions to the protection of biodiversity and the fight against climate change," the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination said. (CNN) -- Over 50 protesters have blockaded four McDonald's UK distribution centers and are calling for the world's largest fast-food chain to become entirely plant-based by 2025. Animal Rebellion is stopping workers from accessing four sites across England using trucks, beacons and bamboo towers with people locked into concrete blocks at the base, said the climate and animal justice movement Saturday. "We believe that putting pressure on one of the largest and most iconic corporations in the world, who are responsible for significant amounts of greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation, can have an impact," a spokesperson for Animal Rebellion, Alex Lockwood, told CNN over the phone Saturday. The group is asking McDonald's to transition to a plant-based food system to "stop the climate crisis and end the suffering of animals" it said in a statement. The activists plan to blockade the distribution centers for at least 24 hours, but will try to stay for 48, said Lockwood. The bamboo structures will be difficult for police and workers to remove because of the protesters locked into the base. Animal Rebellion has parked trucks outside the centers with messages attached reading "Meat & Dairy = Climate Crisis" and "Plant-Based Food System." The blockade will affect around 1,300 restaurants and 3.5 million customers, according to the activist group. "We want to shine a spotlight on the hypocrisy of the sustainability measures of McDonald's, and how they claim to have science-backed emissions targets while ignoring how unrealistic they are when they continue to serve the menu they serve," said Harley McDonald-Eckersall, a 23-year-old who volunteers full-time with Animal Rebellion. "We want to open up a conversation with them." McDonald-Eckersall began protesting at a McDonald's distribution center at Hemel Hempstead, a town northwest of London, at 5 a.m. local time (midnight ET). Police arrived on the scene around three hours later, McDonald-Eckersall told CNN, but she added the atmosphere was "very relaxed." We've had really positive conversations with workers, lots of them taking selfies with the clown car and big burger, so that's been enjoyable," she said. "People are open to hearing why we're here." Animal Rebellion, a sister group to the environmental movement Extinction Rebellion, has not yet heard from McDonald's, McDonald-Eckersall said. The American corporation said its distribution centers were facing disruption. "We are assessing the impact on deliveries to our restaurants and to menu items," a McDonald's spokesperson told CNN. "We apologise to our customers for any disappointment caused." The spokesperson declined to say whether McDonald's would open a dialogue with Animal Rebellion. McDonald's expects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 150 million tons by 2030 and co-founded the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef in 2011, which aims to improve the sustainability of the global beef supply chain. Francesca DeBlase, head of McDonald's global supply chain, wrote in a CNN opinion piece in September that reducing emissions has to be the food industry's "number one priority." Police have also arrived at the other protest sites at distribution centers in Basingstoke, Coventry and Heywood, said Lockwood. Workers tried to remove activists at the Heywood plant, but police are now keeping the situation calm there, he added. This story was first published on CNN.com, "Animal and climate activists blockade McDonald's distribution centers across England" Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 23) At least 51 residents in Quezon City tested positive for COVID-19 after attending a pool party in Barangay Nagkaisang Nayon. Mayor Joy Belmonte confirmed on Sunday the improvised pool party and drinking session that happened in the said barangay despite the city's observance of strict general community qurantine protocols which prohibits large gatherings. The Quezon City Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit reported that a total of 610 residents who joined the party have been swabbed. Around 18 persons are still waiting their results while 31 have already been admitted in some of the city's isolation facilities. The community where the event happened has been placed under lockdown since May 14. The City Legal Department has issued a show-cause order to Barangay Chairperson Feliciano dela Cruz upon Belmonte's instruction to probe the concerned barangay officials. "We encourage the public to take photos and videos whenever possible and report to us by calling our Hotline 122. We assure them that we will take swift action as this is a matter of protecting the health and safety of the whole city," Belmonte urged city residents. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 23) Around 1,272 barangays registered the highest COVID-19 cases in the country, the Commission on Population and Development said on Sunday. In a statement, POPCOM said these barangays recorded an average of 137 infections over an eight-month period from September 2020 to April 15, 2021. The agency added that 63.4% of barangays nationwide reported COVID-19 infections, with 11.5% tallying deaths in the same period. Some 15,252 communities remained free from COVID-19, the agency said. Undersecretary for Population and Development Juan Antonio Perez III encouraged the Health Department and local government units to use their latest Demographic Vulnerability Tool (DVT) as basis for vaccination rollouts in the country, according to geographic priorities. "The latest iteration of the DVT will be useful for local government units in determining barangays with high numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths for their pandemic-mitigation programs," Perez said. POPCOM classified the 1,272 barangays as "high-population density (HD)," with populations ranging from 201 to 999 individuals per hectare. Those with lower COVID-19 infections and populations below 200 persons per hectare are classified as "low-population density (LD)" and "medium-population density (MD)" communities. Around 1,941 persons died due to COVID-19 in HD areas, while 3,348 others in LD places. There were 6,186 casualties recorded in MDs. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 23) A House lawmaker is batting for the priority immunization of around 1.2 million kasambahays or household workers under the A4 category. I cant see any valid justification to exclude kasambahays in the vaccine priority list. If we want families that do not go outside their homes safe from the virus, we should also have our kasambahays inoculated the soonest possible time like all other workers tagged as essential or frontline," Probinsyano Ako Partylist Rep. Jose Bonito C. Singson Jr. said in a statement Sunday. Singson said there is no reason why kasambahays should not be in the list as they are often the ones who go outside of the house to get needed supplies or food items, thus putting them at risk. The lawmaker said he was disappointed to learn that kasambahays were not included in the classification . Hindi naman dahil kasambahay ang tawag sa kanila ay puro work from home na ang trabaho nila. Marami sa kanila ang namamalengke, pinabibili ng mga gamot sa drugstore, nagpupunta sa sari-sari store o groceries; naglalabas ng basura at marami pang ibang gawain sa labas ng bahay, he said. [Translation: Our household workers do not just do work at home. A lot of them go to the market, buy from drugstores, go to neighborhood stores or buy groceries, they take out the garbage and other things outside the house.] LIST: Who are included in the A4 category The government said the vaccination of those who fall under the A4 category would likely begin in June or once supply stabilizes. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 23) -- The country on Sunday logged 3,083 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the nationwide tally to 1,179,812. The relatively low number of new cases was due to the "simultaneous updates" being made in the COVID Kaya, a digital platform for COVID-19 information management, said the Department of Health. Some case data from the CDRS (COVID Document Repository System) were not included in the COVID Kaya and were not included in this case bulletin. This issue is currently being investigated and addressed by the COVID Kaya technical team, the DOH explained. The last time the daily cases numbered at around 3,000 was in March 11, when the country reported 3,749 new infections. The DOH added that all laboratories were operational on May 21, while three laboratories were not able to submit their data to the COVID-19 Document Repository System. Based on data in the last 14 days, the 3 non-reporting labs contribute, on average, 4.1% of samples tested and 2.6% of positive individuals, said the DOH. Of the nationwide tally, there are 50,635 active cases, or the number of sick people. The DOH said 93.1% are experiencing mild symptoms, 2.1% are asymptomatic, 1.5% are critical, 2.0% are in severe condition, and 1.35% are experiencing moderate symptoms. Meanwhile, the death toll climbed to 19,951 with 38 new fatalities recorded. This is lower than the daily death counts recorded in the past few days, as the country logged more than 100 deaths in last five days. The DOH also said 25 cases that were previously tagged as recoveries were reclassified as deaths after final validation. The number of COVID-19 survivors also climbed to 1,109,226 after 6,756 more patients recovered. The DOH added that 10 duplicates were removed from the nationwide tally, where eight are recoveries. In addition, 1,478 cases were deactivated after being tagged by their Regional or City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit as being duplicates. The daily positivity rate, or rate of people who tested positive, stood at 13% out of 42,855 tests conducted as of May 21. Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs has received no new reports on COVID-19 cases among Filipinos abroad. The number of overseas Filipinos who caught the coronavirus remains at 18,659 and the death toll is still at 1,168. However, the DFA's latest bulletin showed that the number of recoveries is now at 11,399, one less compared to the 11,400 recorded on Saturday. The update also showed that the number of active cases, or those who are still undergoing treatment, is at 6,092. Data on Saturday recorded 6,091 active cases among Filipinos abroad. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 23) Vice President Leni Robredo expressed willingness to appear with President Rodrigo Duterte in an infomercial to encourage more Filipinos to have themselves vaccinated against COVID-19. Open na open ako kung kailangan yan para makatulong sa vaccine trust, Robredo said on Sunday during her weekly radio show. Anytime, sabihin lang sakin kung anong gagawin ko, kailan, saan. [Translation: Im very open to that if its needed to help build vaccine trust. Anytime, they just tell me what I need to do, when and where.] Senator Joel Villanueva has proposed that an infomercial be released featuring the two top officials of the land to help boost vaccine confidence among the public. Before this could happen, however, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Friday said Robredo should first clarify her stand on China-made vaccines. Unang-una po, linawin natin kung talagang tatanggapin ng vice president ang lahat ng bakuna kasi nagkaroon siya ng unang mga deklarasyon na mukhang hindi rin siya approved sa mga Chinese vaccine, at pinolitika rin po ang isyu na yan, Roque had said. [Translation: First of all, it should be clear if the vice president will welcome all vaccines, because she earlier made declarations that seemingly show her disapproval of Chinese vaccines, and that issue has also been politicized.] Robredo refuted this, saying she does not discriminate and only wanted to ensure all brands go through similar experts evaluation. In late February, she backed doctors call to have Sinovacs CoronaVac undergo first a review by the Health Technology Assessment Council before they can be rolled out. RELATED: Health technology assessment not required for COVID-19 vaccine use Roque Pag sinabing sinisiraan o kinokontra ko yung Sinovac dati, fake news po yun [If they say I spoke ill or I opposed Sinovac before, thats fake news, she said. Ang sinasabi ko lang, mag-go through naman sana sa proseso para siguradong protected tayo [I only said that all vaccines should go through the process to ensure were protected], she added, as she read a transcript of her previous statements. Regarding the controversial policy of not disclosing in advance the brand of COVID-19 doses to be rolled out in local government units, Robredo said she fears this could result in a drop in the number of registrants. Yung sinasabing sasabihin naman pag nandoon na, okay naman yun, pero again, papaano kung hindi mag-register dahil doon? she said. [Translation: What theyre saying that the vaccine brand will be disclosed right before doses are administered is okay, but again, what if residents dont register in the first place because of the policy?] A health official previously said the directive is meant to avoid situations where crowds troop to inoculation sites in cities where Pfizer-made vaccines, a sought-after vaccine brand in the country, are being offered. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 23) A lawmaker urged the Senate on Sunday to pass several hospital expansion bills despite a recent clash between Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and Senator Bong Go on the issue of financing for hospital upgrades. House Majority Leader and Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin G. Romualdez said the Senate should realize the need "to improve the basic healthcare services in the countryside." "These bills are seeking to upgrade the services, facilities, professional healthcare, and increase the number of medical personnel of two hospitals to serve the people," he was quoted as saying in a statement. "We are confident that the Senate is one with our goal to pass these bills into law to help the struggling hospitals keep up with the increasing number of patients, especially now with COVID pandemic," Romualdez added. Romualdez and his wife, Tingog partylist Rep. Yedda Marie K. Romualdez, filed a bill seeking to boost bed capacities of the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center in Tacloban City and the Schistosomiasis Hospital in Palo, Leyte, which Go sponsored. Aside from increasing capacities, they also proposed to convert the Schistosomiasis Hospital into the Governor Benjamin T. Romualdez General Hospital. They also seek to rename Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center into Eastern Visayas Medical Center. In the statement, Romualdez lauded Go's support to pursue hospital expansion bills. However, Drilon grilled Go, chairperson of the Senate health committee, during a session on Thursday on the local bills being pushed by the latter. Drilon raised concerns about some bills proposing the renationalization and expansion of public hospitals. He argued the national government would be further burdened as it would cough up additional funding for the implementation of the bills. "I am concerned about the finances of this government. Wala na ngang pera, wala na ngang collection (The government does not have money, enough collection)," Drilon said at the session. "Ang ayaw ko lang po ay (What I dislike is) we will again burden the national government, which is already hard up on funds. With funding requirements that can otherwise be absorbed by the local government," he added. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 23) The Philippine National Police on Sunday said it has filed rape with homicide and robbery cases against three individuals, including the victims childhood friend, over the brutal killing of 21-year-old trans man Ebeng Mayor. The suspects were identified by the PNP as Mayors childhood friend, 22-year-old Zander Dela Cruz, alias Dugong; 30-year-old Joel Loyola, alias "Nonoy Sablay; and 34-year-old Richard Elvin Araza, alias "Tiago. They were arrested on Saturday, four days after the slay and two days after Mayors body was found at a vacant lot in Brgy. Bagong Silangan, Quezon City, said Elmer Monsalve, the chief of the QC police's Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit. Dela Cruz was tagged by a witness as the last person seen with Mayor. He was invited for a police interview as a person of interest, but Monsalve said he later confessed to the crime and named the two other accused. What happened? According to the CIDU chief, Mayor had been invited by Dela Cruz to hang out with him, Loyola and Araza at Brgy. Payatas on early morning of Tuesday, May 18. At that time, the victim didnt know the two other suspects. Mayor had also been to a drinking session with Dela Cruz and other friends the day before, he added. Mga 2:30 a.m., nung pauwi na sila, bigla nalang sinikmuraan nitong Nonoy Sablay (Loyola) itong biktima [At around 2:30 a.m., when they were about to head home, Nonoy Sablay suddenly hit the victim in the gut], Monsalve said. The suspects reportedly brought Mayor to the vacant lot in the adjacent barangay, where they sexually assaulted him. Monsalve said Mayor resisted, prompting one of the perpetrators to silence him by hitting his head with a rock. The body was found two days later, in the afternoon of May 20, and was identified by a relative. Monsalve described the face as barely recognizable due to the physical trauma. The skull was broken, he said. What has been done? Rape with homicide and robbery cases were filed against the three before the Quezon City Prosecutors Office on Saturday. Upon arrest, the PNP said they found the victims mobile phone in the possession of Araza. A gun was also recovered from Loyola, who now also faces a complaint for illegal possession of firearm. The suspects also underwent drug testing, and the results are expected to be released either on Sunday or Monday. According to Monsalve, both Dela Cruz and Loyola previously served jail time over illegal drug charges. Hate crime? A number of LGBTQ+ groups have earlier called for an investigation into what they tagged as a "hate crime" against the transgender man. PNP Chief Guillermo Eleazar said they are looking into this possibility. Isa rin 'yan sa iniimbestigahan natin [Thats also one angle were investigating], he said. You know, not only the LGBTQ+ community is condemning this, lahat tayo [all of us] should condemn this. QC Mayor Joy Belmonte also denounced the senseless and barbaric act against the 21-year-old. This type of violence has no space in a civilized society where everyone is treated equally and with utmost respect, Belmonte said, vowing they will leave no stone unturned until justice is served. Quezon City is among the first in the country to pass and implement a Gender Fair Ordinance that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression. We encourage members of the LGBT sector who are experiencing violence and harassment to report via Hotline 122 for immediate action or seek temporary refuge in our QC Protection Center if the need arises, the local government said in a statement. Petrol and diesel prices were raised again on Sunday, May 23, after a day's gap. While the petrol rate was hiked by 17 paise per litre, diesel price was increased by 27 paise a litre, according to a price notification by state-run oil marketing companies. This is the twelfth time the fuel rates have been raised this month, pushing petrol and diesel prices to an all-time high across the country. Diesel rate in Delhi crossed the Rs 84 mark while petrol price in Mumbai neared Rs 100 per litre following Sunday's rate hike. Also Read: Elections over! Petrol, diesel prices shoot up again Petrol price in Delhi increased to Rs 93.21 per litre against Rs 93.04 on Saturday, whereas the diesel rate rocketed to Rs 84.07 a litre, as compared to Rs 83.80 per litre on Saturday. Fuel prices vary from state to state contingent on the incidence of VAT (value-added tax). Rates had already crossed the Rs 100-mark in several cities in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra and with the latest increase, the price in Mumbai too was inching towards that level. A litre of petrol in Mumbai now comes for Rs 99.49 and diesel is priced at Rs 91.30 per litre. Fuel prices differ from state to state depending on the incidence of local taxes such as VAT and freight charges. Rajasthan levies the highest value-added tax (VAT) on petrol in the country, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Also Read: Fuel rates hiked for 13th time in May; petrol touches Rs 104.01 per litre in Rajasthan's Ganganagar Oil companies revise rates of petrol and diesel daily based on average price of benchmark fuel in the international market in the preceding 15-days, and foreign exchange rates. This is the 12th increase in prices since May 4, when state-owned oil firms ended an 18-day hiatus in rate revision they observed during assembly elections in states like West Bengal. Sri Ganganagar district of Rajasthan had the costliest petrol and diesel in the country at Rs 104.18 per litre and Rs 96.91 a litre, respectively. In 12 increases, petrol price has risen by Rs 2.81 per litre and diesel by Rs 3.34 Check out the latest Petrol and diesel prices (per litre) in your city: - City Petrol price Diesel price Delhi Rs 93.21 Rs 84.07 Mumbai Rs 99.49 Rs 91.30 Chennai Rs 94.86 Rs 88.87 Kolkata Rs 93.27 Rs 86.91 Bengaluru Rs 96.31 Rs 89.12 Chandigarh Rs 89.66 Rs 83.73 Hyderabad Rs 96.88 Rs 91.65 Jaipur Rs 99.68 Rs 92.78 Patna Rs 96.19 Rs 90.07 Thiruvananthapuram Rs 95.19 Rs 90.36 (CNN) -- Veteran journalist Martin Bashir has said he "never wanted to harm" Diana, Princess of Wales, with his now disgraced BBC Panorama interview, telling the Sunday Times newspaper, "I don't believe we did." In the 1995 world exclusive interview, Princess Diana confirmed Prince Charles' relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles and described in frank detail how she believed royal life had made her bulimic. An independent investigation published 25 years later by the BBC and led by retired judge Lord Dyson called the tactics Bashir used to secure the sit-down "deceitful." The damning report found the then-32-year-old journalist had documents forged that suggested Palace staff were being paid to spy on the princess. Bashir, it said, took those to Diana's brother, Earl Charles Spencer, and he was then introduced to Diana. It also found a previous internal BBC inquiry in 1996 covered up Bashir's malpractice. Bashir left his role at the BBC earlier this month citing health reasons before the findings were released Thursday. He told the Sunday Times he and Diana "were friends" and continued to be close after the interview was broadcast, with the princess even visiting his wife at the hospital shortly after the birth of their third child. "We loved her. That's what we wanted to protect, and that's why I have never taken money, never said anything, never written anything." In the Sunday Times interview, Bashir expressed his "regret" over showing the fake bank statements to the princess' brother, but insisted "it had no bearing on the interview." He challenged Spencer's timeline of events, arguing the documents were made after he had already started forging a relationship with the royal. He also described Spencer's relationship with his sister as "difficult." He said: "Fairly soon after we met, she didn't want me to communicate with him. She felt he would leak details of the interview and stuff, and felt that he wasn't trustworthy." Dyson said in his report that he found Spencer "a credible and convincing witness" while "there are significant parts of Mr. Bashir's account which I am unable to accept." He also said Diana would "probably have agreed to be interviewed by any experienced and reputable reporter in whom she had confidence even without the intervention of Mr. Bashir." However, Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, this week slammed the BBC for contributing "significantly to her fear, paranoia and isolation" felt by his late mother in the years before her death. The duke also accused the BBC of commercializing a "false narrative" about his mother. William's brother -- Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex -- issued an equally emotional statement after the report in which he said, "The ripple effect of a culture of exploitation and unethical practices ultimately took her life." In the Sunday Times interview, Bashir apologised to the dukes of Cambridge and Sussex saying he is "deeply sorry," but disputed the charge he fueled Princess Diana's isolation and paranoia. "Even in the early 1990s, there were stories and secretly recorded phone calls. I wasn't the source of any of that," he said. Earl Spencer has suggested a direct link between the Bashir interview and her death. "The irony is that I met Martin Bashir on the 31 of August 1995, because exactly two years later she died. And I do draw a line between the two events," he said in a new BBC Panorama documentary broadcast Thursday night. Bashir told the Sunday Times, "I don't feel I can be held responsible for many of the other things that were going on in her life, and the complex issues surrounding those decisions." He added, "I can understand the motivation [of Earl Spencer's comments] but to channel the tragedy, the difficult relationship between the royal family and the media purely on to my shoulders feels a little unreasonable ... The suggestion I am singularly responsible I think is unreasonable and unfair." Bashir's concern now, according to the Sunday Times, is that people will remember Diana's groundbreaking interview for the scandal rather than what she said. "I would love for people to reflect on ... what a trailblazer she was." He continued, "She was a pioneering princess. When you think about her expressions of grief in her marriage, when you think about the admission of psychiatric illness -- just extraordinary! And her sons have gone on to champion mental health." He added, "I don't understand -- 25 years later -- what the purpose of this is ultimately? Okay, maybe you want to destroy me, but outside of this, what's the point? I did something wrong ... but for pity's sake, acknowledge something of the relationship we had and something of what she contributed through that interview!" Bashir told the Sunday Times he hopes people will believe that he has redeemed himself. "I was a young man [32] when the interview took place," he said. "I hope that people will allow me the opportunity to show that I am properly repentant of what happened." On Sunday morning, Sky News reported that Earl Spencer has written again to the Metropolitan Police to review the practices used to obtained the 1995 interview in light of the Dyson report's conclusions. London's Metropolitan Police said Friday they will assess the report to "ensure there is no significant new evidence" after ruling out a criminal investigation in March. Meanwhile, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel said Sunday the publication of the Dyson report was a "significant and serious moment" for the BBC. Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr show, Patel described the statements from Princes William and Harry as "utterly heartbreaking" before saying that the British broadcaster's reputation "has been compromised." "Lessons will have to be learned. No question about that and also there will also be work on regaining trust and confidence and working with the government going forward looking at the mid-term charter review next year," she said, adding that issues of accountability, trust and confidence need to be addressed. Her remarks came a day after it was revealed former BBC director-general Tony Hall, who led the previous internal investigation in 1996, quit as chairman of London's National Gallery. "I have always had a strong sense of public service and it is clear my continuing in the role would be a distraction to an institution I care deeply about," Hall said in a statement. "As I said two days ago, I am very sorry for the events of 25 years ago and I believe leadership means taking responsibility." This story was first published on CNN.com, "Former BBC journalist Martin Bashir denies his Diana interview harmed princess" (CNN) -- Zookeepers shot dead two brown bears that escaped their enclosure and attacked a boar at a zoo in Bedfordshire, England. The female bears, named Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, had wandered into the neighboring wild boar enclosure Friday after a tree fell and formed a bridge for them at the Zoological Society of London's Whipsnade Zoo. The decision was made to euthanize the bears because there was "an immediate threat to human life," said the zoo's chief curator, Malcolm Fitzpatrick, in an email to staff. "As brown bears are strong and dangerous predators, our first priority is safety -- we must quickly make decisions informed by our experience and expertise to protect our people, guests and our other animals," Fitzpatrick said. Zookeepers were on the scene in minutes, but could not simply tranquilize the bears because they would remain "unpredictable and aggressive" for at least 20 minutes, added Fitzpatrick. He said he was "devastated," but that the zookeepers actions "prevented any further loss of life." There will be an investigation into the incident and vets examined the injured boar. A third bear named Cinderella stayed in the enclosure and is unhurt. "As zookeepers and animal carers, this situation is something we train to deal with through regular, rigorous drills -- but one that we always hope we'll never have to face," said Fitzpatrick. It's unfortunate timing for Whipsnade Zoo as it celebrates its 90th birthday on Sunday. The 600-acre site will be organizing activities like treasure hunts, trails and arts and crafts for a week from May 29. The zoo has 3,500 animals including lemurs, cheetahs and penguins. Whipsnade Zoo says the European brown bear is the largest species of bear and females range in weight from 100 to 250 kilograms (220 to 551 pounds), according to Bear Conservation. The ZSL was founded in 1826 and is an international conservation charity which operates Whipsnade Zoo and London Zoo. This story was first published on CNN.com, "UK zoo kills two bears after they escape from enclosure" But pulling employees away from other duties up to twice a week means they have less time to do their regular jobs such as teaching classes, reviewing release paperwork and providing vital inmate services. When they augment you, youre not doing your job that youre hired for, said Jonathan Zumkehr, the union president at the federal penitentiary in Thomson. If youre a counselor, youre not able to counsel the inmates. If youre a case manager, youre not able to do the First Step Act. Those are two days that youre not going to get back. The issue came up when wealth financier Jeffrey Epstein took his own life while in one of the most secure jails in the country, the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York. One of the two prison workers assigned to guard Epstein the night he killed himself was a warehouse worker who was augmented to work as a correctional officer. Both were working overtime because of staffing shortages. Now, the homicide detectives had a theory: a series of retaliatory killings between two feuding groups of young men. They soon collected statements that backed it up. Spivey said in an interview that detectives handcuffed him, brought him to the Homicide Unit, and questioned him intensely about Rocks brother, Raheem Isaac. They wouldnt let me go. I was there for two days no food, no water. I told them the story, but they didnt care. They were saying that I was lying because I said I didnt know who did it. They returned time and again, sometimes as late as 3 a.m. Spiveys mother, Melanie Shepherd, said: The detective kept saying that whoever talks first gets the deal. He came here almost every day. Finally, Spivey said, Detective Timothy Bass took him back to the Homicide Unit and showed him a picture of Raheem. He was like, If you dont know him, you aint leaving. Spivey said he signed a statement so he could go home. (Bass did not respond to messages.) Meanwhile, Detective James Pitts questioned Rock about Spiveys involvement in Hudsons murder. At Spiveys preliminary hearing, Rock testified that he signed the statement only to escape the interview room and that detectives held him for eight hours and slammed his head on the desk so hard it knocked him out. If you go back and look at all of the drafts over the years of land use maps and comprehensive plans and zoning, it is almost the same, maybe a little tweak here and there. Its traditionally the African American communities where things get built, Johnson said. Racial covenant neighborhoods were ones that excluded racial and religious minority groups from living there. While these covenants no longer exist legally, historians and researchers have tracked how there are still patterns of segregation today in Charlottesville as a result of the covenants. When you looking at what single [home] zoning is today, its really just carrying on that legacy of saying these are the homes that we value in these neighborhoods, and they operate on different criteria than the way that we look at historically Black neighborhoods, in terms of redevelopment and future development, said Jordy Yager, a digital humanities fellow at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center and journalist who has researched the history of redlining and racial covenants in the city through the Mapping Cville project. Johnson said as development increases in areas like the Downtown Mall, low-income residents and especially Black low-income residents are concerned theyll be pushed out of their homes. Damiano, known as Swifty in metal-detecting circles, had buried and scattered the objects with a few friends the night before and coordinated the event his first one. Having known David Parr, a Nelson County supervisor and fire department president, Damiano contacted Parr a couple of months ago with the prospect of a fundraising hunt. Parr said the hunt was a far cry from the usual cookout-style fundraisers the fire department usually sees, but its a welcome change that introduces the firefighters to new people. And since the coronavirus pandemic has stood in the way of some of its other fundraisers, he said every little bit helps. Early in the event, Damiano said hed raised a bit over $2,000 already. With a close-knit metal-detecting network online, the event drew people from all over the country who contributed a $100 buy-in to help pay for the tokens and benefit the fire department. Kaye Matteson came from eastern Texas for the hunt and travels all over to hunt with friends. Though the prospect of finding coins and interesting historical tokens is fun, she said her main purpose in driving to Piney River was the camaraderie and to support the fire department. If I dont find anything significant, Im fine, she said. It now sometimes happens that the question Where are you from? is barked in a challenging tone, something that is enunciated with a mixture of sarcasm and scorn. Answering the question with the name your current hometown will sometimes bring out a further challenge: No, I mean where are you really from? When you meet someone who queries you in that manner, my experience has been that it is best to try to de-escalate the situation. Continuing the conversation with an answer about your national origin may only lead to your questioner asking, Why dont you go back to your country? It is, of course, not a question but an order. Trying to explain to those individuals that for those like me who became citizens, this is our country, is futile. To some degree, I feel that the resurgence of antagonistic attitudes toward naturalized citizens is the result of a change in the U.S. political climate, which lately has sought to legitimize stereotypical attitudes toward foreigners and to revive some of the precepts of the doctrine of nativism. I consider myself extremely fortunate to live here in Albemarle County, and grateful for that opportunity. But gratitude should not be confused with subservience. We must acknowledge our good fortune to be adoptive Virginians, but stand up to those who would, in the name of nativism, deprive us of our fundamental rights. Ricardo Preve is a film director who immigrated from Argentina to Charlottesville in 1976. He is a former board member of the Virginia Film Festival. Follow him via @rickpreve on Twitter and Instagram. Virginia has bounced no, ricocheted back from the pandemic-caused recession. Now the state is in the interesting position of deciding what to do with all that money. Officials recently announced that state revenues likely would exceed predictions by more than half a billion dollars. Added to that windfall are the billions of dollars being funneled to Virginia by the federal government. A state budgeting process that officially kicks off in December of the previous year, when the governor presents his proposals for the General Assembly to take up in January, necessarily must be based on predictions. Those predictions are adjusted as the process rolls forward during the legislative session. Revenue projections made during the heart of the COVID pandemic became outdated when vaccines and the advent of warm weather allowed the economy to start opening back up this spring. And that was only one of the factors influencing state revenue collections. By April 2020, state revenues had plunged by $700 million compared with the same month a year earlier. In response, Virginia froze more than $2 billion in proposed new spending. The city council has a good plan. The narrower lanes will slow traffic. Narrower vehicle lanes will make it too difficult for larger vehicles. A separate pedestrian solution should be constructed away from any vehicular traffic. Widening the sidewalk could work best if a barrier is put up between the sidewalk and vehicular traffic. Vote View Results US citizens will soon be able to find out whether their next date partner has been vaccinated against COVID-19 or not. The White House has recently partnered with online dating apps such as Tinder, Match, and Bumble to encourage more people to get themselves vaccinated against the virus, which has killed close to 600,000 people in the US alone. With a large portion of the US population already vaccinated, the country has started loosening restrictions as daily fresh COVID-19 cases have been on a decline. People in the country are returning to some semblance of normal life, including going on dates again. The Joe Biden administration has set a goal of delivering at least a single shot of the COVID-19 vaccine to 70% of US adults by July 4, the Independence Day of the US. The White House has partnered with online dating apps to attract younger populations to get vaccinated who would otherwise be hesitant to get the jab. "Social distancing and dating were always a bit of a challenging combination," White House coronavirus adviser Andy Slavitt told reporters on Friday. He said OkCupid, one of the dating sites, reported that people who displayed their vaccination status were 14 per cent more likely to get a match. "We have finally found the one thing that makes us all more attractive: a vaccination," Slavitt said. The dating platforms, which cater to more than 50 million people in the United States, will offer badges showing vaccination status, free access to "premium content like boosts, super likes, and super swipes" for vaccinated individuals, and filters for potential hook-ups based on people's vaccination status, the White House said. Match Group Inc (MTCH.O) confirmed the participation of its top US brands including Tinder, Match, OkCupid, Hinge, Plenty of Fish, BLK, and Chispa. Promotional campaigns will launch in the coming weeks and run until July 4. "We are honored to work with the White House on increasing vaccinations across America, which will allow people to once again meet in person and engage in meaningful ways. This will make dating safer for everyone, everywhere," Shar Dubey, CEO of Match Group, said. To meet the 70% target as demand slows for vaccines, the White House this month announced partnerships with ride-hailing services Uber (UBER.N) and Lyft (LYFT.O). As of Thursday, the United States has administered about 279.4 million doses, with 48.2% of its people receiving at least one shot, according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Also Read: Double vaccine shots effective against COVID-19 variant detected in India: UK health body Over the past two decades, I have observed a wave of intolerance sweep over America. Im not speaking to tolerance of protected groups, what Im talking about is our inability to tolerate people with differing opinions. Never has this been more apparent than right now. One of the great consequences of our polarized, hyper-politicized culture is the need to prove were right, no matter what. To be wrong is intolerable. To publicly admit that we are wrong is even worse. This is truly sad. Do you know what we call people who change their minds when confronted with new evidence? We call them wise. Do you know what we call people who stubbornly refuse to acknowledge new information or admit theyre wrong? We call them fools. Today (May 13), the CDC released its findings that fully vaccinated people can, with a few exceptions, finally shed their masks and dont need to practice anti-social distancing whether inside or out. But Oregonians must wait. Given that only days ago, Governor Brown decreed that COVID restrictions would only be lifted when 70% of Oregonians had their vaccines, it seems highly unlikely pandemic mandates will disappear anytime soon, even for the fully vaccinated. That, politically, could be admitting her position was wrong. News featured Denton Energy Center serving its purpose, council members, others say Jeff Woo/DRC One of the largest gas-fired power plants in the country, the Denton Energy Center went offline twice during Februarys winter storm. Denton City Council members and others maintain that the center is serving its purpose. Tony Puente Bob Bland Paul Meltzer Jesse Davis The Denton Energy Center is operating as it was designed, and Februarys winter storm did not change that, officials and others say. The winter storm is kind of a separate issue because operation of DEC was so badly interrupted, council member Jesse Davis said. Its not fair to judge its performance by conditions that existed, including not having fuel available. If fuel had been available, it would have been operating at peak. One of the largest natural gas-fired power plants in the country, DEC went offline twice during the winter storm of Feb. 15-17, when the Electric Reliability Council of Texas issued Energy Emergency Alert Level 3 that forced rotating power outages throughout Denton and across Texas. Fuel shortages It tripped off because of the fuel interruption, said Tony Puente, executive director of utilities. The DEC runs whenever the price in the marketplace is above our cost to generate. That could be for five minutes at a time, five hours or five days. Its all a function of what the market price is for energy and the cost to produce that energy. At DEC, two operators work 12-hour shifts and monitor energy prices and whats happening on the statewide grid. Equipment must be ready at all times because DEC is a quick-start facility, said Terry Naulty, assistant general manager of Denton Municipal Electric. We have 12 engines, and this is one of the plants [in Texas] to restart power if the grid went totally black. DEC is one of 13 quick-start or black-start facilities (a power plant that can start without support from the grid) in the state. When that request comes in from ERCOT, we have 60 minutes to respond, Naulty said. The plant went online in 2019 a predominantly renewable source, he said. Especially when solar input is minimal, DEC supplements that energy. During Februarys winter storm, when temperatures dropped well below freezing, fuel was frozen, some generators could not be used across the grid, and some Denton residents went hours at a time without electricity and running water. Only those homes and businesses on the same circuits as infrastructure considered critical maintained electricity throughout the storm. Worst-case scenario I would say that it shows the worst-case scenario that can happen, and it did happen, said Bob Bland, professor of local government at the University of North Texas. The rolling power outages were not caused by a failure to DME or DEC. They are victims like everyone else. There are benefits to having a city-owned electric power plant. Those benefits outweigh the costs. DEC, on which construction began in 2016, is a 225-megawatt natural gas operation. It was proposed as a way to free Denton from coal-fired power. In February the latest data available revenue for the plant was listed at nearly $118 million. For the fiscal year that started on Oct. 1, total revenue is almost $123 million. Debt service on the plant is about $25 million per year in the first few years of a 20-year obligation. These gas plants are designed for 35 years of life, Naulty said. But if you operate and maintain them, you will likely get 50 years out of a facility like this. Bland said he favors what Denton officials have done with DEC. I am still in favor of a city-owned utility, he said. It can work, and the city has invested a lot here. I think those are good investments. As for DEC, it is a $240 million investment. The DEC was to go along with our 100% renewable goal, former Denton Mayor Chris Watts said. Some additional revenue is applied to offset the purchase power cost. DEC made more money than the debt service over [four days]. DME is buying power, and DME is selling power. The revenue on the sell side goes to offset what we paid on the paid side. It does benefit ratepayers because it offsets purchase power costs. Common misunderstanding Council member Paul Meltzer agreed. I definitely think the idea that it would be backup power for us was a common misunderstanding maybe easier to allow than to correct, he said. The Renewable Denton Plan was about how the DEC would enable us to confidently go to more use of renewables. I think 80% was the plan then. I may be the one who later coined the explanation that its a financial hedge not a physical hedge. Meltzer also emphasized that the financial investment in DEC is substantial. Its very unpredictable and may turn out to be about a wash, he said. We could be cumulatively behind for 20 years, until its paid for, then get 10 more years of life out of the plant without having to make payments. Maybe we catch up or somewhat less, maybe somewhat more. According to the city of Denton, DME is one of 2,000 community-owned public utility companies in the U.S., providing service to more than 56,000 customers with annual sales of nearly 1.5 million megawatt-hours. Status of ERCOT suit Meanwhile, ERCOT remains under a temporary restraining order following a lawsuit filed in February by the city of Denton. On May 10, the court heard ERCOT testimony to plea to jurisdiction, Ryan Adams, Dentons director of customer service and public affairs, said recently. The temporary restraining order runs to June 1, when the hearing on the temporary injunction is scheduled, Adams said. In April, ERCOT in the 353rd Judicial District Court in Travis County, challenged that is not the proper venue in the suit, and a hearing was scheduled for May 10 in the 250th Judicial District Court. The temporary restraining order was imposed by 16th Judicial District Court Judge Sherry Shipman in February in Denton County. Weeks later, she granted ERCOTs motion for transfer, sending the case to Travis County. It prohibits ERCOT from using the uplift mechanism by which it spreads the cost of municipalities unable to pay exorbitant energy bills onto other municipalities, including Denton. For example, a city unable to pay part or all of its energy bill to ERCOT because of the sky-high costs imposed during the weather event in February would have its debt pushed onto other cities. The city of Denton contends cities are barred from making such payments. It filed the suit after Denton Municipal Electric spent $207 million to buy electricity from ERCOT. DMEs annual budget is $231.4 million. According to documents, the average price of energy per megawatt-hour in February was $23.73. During the rotating outages that began around the state on Feb. 15, that increased to $2,400 per megawatt-hour. Denton staff members on Feb. 19 issued $100 million in new debt to meet immediate cash flow needs for DME. During the 2019-20 fiscal year, DME spent almost $64 million on power purchases. That compares with just over $97 million the previous year. The utility is carrying about $851 million in debt, in general obligation bonds, revenue bonds and certificates of obligation. A little more than a week after rotating power outages began in February, Denton City Council members gave the OK to allow DME to borrow up to $300 million to cover costs incurred during the storm. Ultimately, the city is seeking a permanent injunction that would, in part, keep ERCOT from demanding payments to cover others debts and keep ERCOT from taking action against the city for not making those payments. The temporary injunction would do the same at least until trial. Related Moscow, ID (83843) Today Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low around 50F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low around 50F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch. I ask people why they have deer heads on their walls. They always say because its such a beautiful animal. There you go. I think my mother is attractive, but I have photographs of her. Ellen DeGeneres On Tuesday morning, while driving through a neighborhood on my way to my foot doctor, I looked over at a house and saw a guy taking a very large, stuffed animal out of the back of his pickup. While my barely awake brain tried to process what my eyes were saying to it, I looked back to the road and spotted a squirrel, who had chosen to zip across the road, hoping to beat the pickup truck that was coming from the opposite direction. I slowed down, but the truck didnt and the squirrel became frantic and indecisive, as they will do. His last move in this life was the wrong one, a juke right and cut left, right into the hard black rubber of steel-belted eternity. The truck kept on moving and passed me, the darkened glass hiding the drivers face. I was stopped now in the road and looked back to my left where the guy with the stuffed animal worked to extricate it from his truck. It was attached to a board, but I couldnt make out what it was. It looked like some kind of big dog. Oh, how sad, I thought. He loved his dog so much he decided to have him stuffed. KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) A coronavirus outbreak on Mount Everest has infected at least 100 climbers and support staff, an expert mountaineering guide said, giving the first comprehensive estimate amid official Nepalese denials that the disease has spread to the worlds highest peak. Lukas Furtenbach of Austria, who last week became the only prominent outfitter to halt his Everest expedition due to virus fears, said Saturday one of his foreign guides and six Nepali Sherpa guides have tested positive. I think with all the confirmed cases we know now confirmed from (rescue) pilots, from insurance, from doctors, from expedition leaders I have the positive tests so we can prove this, Furtenbach told The Associated Press in Nepals capital, Kathmandu. We have at least 100 people minimum positive for COVID in base camp, and then the numbers might be something like 150 or 200, he said. He said it was obvious there were many cases at the Everest base camp because he could visibly see people were sick, and could hear people coughing in their tents. A total of 408 foreign climbers were issued permits to climb Everest this season, aided by several hundred Sherpas and support staff who've been stationed at base camp since April. Bread outfit by HHen Nie among most unexpected costumes of Miss Universe The unique attire inspired from Vietnamese bread, known locally as Banh Mi, which was worn by HHen Nie at Miss Universe 2018 has been named among the ten most unexpected national costumes in the pageants history. Vietnamese bread, known locally as Banh Mi, worn by HHen Nie at Miss Universe 2018 is named among the ten most unexpected national costumes in the pageants history. According to Spot.ph based in Manila, the Philippines, the national costume segment is widely considered to be the most anticipated part of the Miss Universe pageant. Most notably, it is usually the segment which receives the most attention as women from all over the world represent their countries by taking to the stage in the most elaborate of ensembles. The website has recently listed the 10 most unexpected national costumes worn by Miss Universe candidates throughout the past decade, with the bread outfit worn by Vietnamese representative HHen Nie in the 2018 contest making the list. Vietnam's candidates sure know how to steal the show. In 2021, their candidate "hatched" on stage in an elaborate white outfit that resembled an egg; in 2019, their candidate wore a huge version of their instantly recognisable coffee filter as a headpiece, but before all that, H'Hen Nie slayed the stage in a banh mi dress, as described by the website. The Vietnamese outfit finished among the Top 12 of the best national costumes featured in Miss Universe 2018, marking the nations highest achievement in the segment to date. HHen Nie, Miss Universe Vietnam 2017, represented the country in the world beauty contest and secured a Top 5 finish, the best result ever achieved by a Vietnamese contestant in the Miss Universe pageant. Also among the list selected by the website are the national costumes worn by Miss Bahamas Shauntae Miller in 2020, Miss Malaysia Shweta Sekhon in 2019, Miss Laos On-anong Homsombath in 2018, Miss Singapore Zahra Khanum in 2018, and Miss Puerto Rico Kiara Ortega in 2018. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Commuters on a public transit in New York City, U.S. Photo by Shutterstock/Justin Lane. Xuan Quynh has decided to continue wearing a mask even though U.S. health authorities have eased the requirement for fully vaccinated people like her. The international student at Boston University in Newton City, the U.S., says: "Of course, everyone is happy they don't need to wear face masks any more. I'm also happy to see my friends' faces again after many months. "However, me and my friends are quite confused with the new CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidance." The CDC updated its guidance on May 13, saying fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks in many settings. Quynh has already got two doses of the Moderna Covid 19 vaccine since, as a medical intern, she was in a priority group. But she is anxious when it is hard to distinguish between those who had get vaccinated and those had not. "I am worried because there is still a small percentage of people who can get infected, even though they have been vaccinated, by people who have not been jabbed. There are also some people who do not believe in vaccines and do not intend to get it," she said "I think public places like restaurants and supermarkets should only allow people with vaccination certificates to take off their masks." The CDC had been "a little hasty" in changing the mask guidelines since the U.S. still has not vaccinated its entire population. Quynh added that children in the U.S. "are still not vaccinated" and she does not plan to stop wearing a mask any time soon. "I still wear a mask when I go out and meet other people, unless they are people I know for sure have been vaccinated." More than 160 million people, or some 48 percent of the population, have received at least one dose of the vaccine, with nearly 127 million getting both, according to the latest CDC statistics. The agency has warned that while fully vaccinated people can still contract Covid it will be a relatively rare occurrence. As of May 10 only 1,359 people contracted the disease, including fatally, from among more than 115 million fully vaccinated people, according to data from 46 states. Some experts have said the new guidance released by the CDC is based on growing scientific evidence about vaccine effectiveness. Vaccines made by three U.S. companies, Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, have been licensed and shown great efficacy in preventing the risk of severe illness and death. Henry Walke, a member of the CDC, says the vaccines' effectiveness and steady decline in Covid cases has led to an overwhelming consensus that the CDC decision was "the right move at the right time." However, many people, especially ethnic Vietnamese, have said they will not stop wearing masks in the near future. Thu Trang, a student doing a master's degree in English teaching at Michigan State University in East Lansing, is one of them. "After the change in face mask wearing guidelines, my family and I still actively maintain a safe distance and wear face masks when we are around strangers," she says. She and her husband have received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which is said to be 90 percent effective in combating symptoms of Covid. This makes Trang feel more secure than before, but she is still quite worried about variants of the coronavirus. "Full vaccination increases the safety level for people, but we also need to be careful with new strains of Covid-19." Despite causing quite a bit of controversy in the U.S., the CDC's new mask guideline is still considered a major turning point in America's 14-month battle with the global pandemic and sends a signal that the country can resume normal functioning. It is significant for President Joe Biden's goal of getting the U.S. back to normal by July 4 by when he hopes 70 percent of adults would have had at least one shot. About a 15-minute drive from Houston, Texas, Phuong Nguyen, an insurance worker in the city of Sugar Land, said as a person working in the service industry and interacting with various customers, he "did not have a choice." "I still have to do my job even if the client is not feeling well," he said. However, after two doses of a vaccine, he feels much more secure and comfortable when meeting customers, whether or not they are wearing a mask. More than 69 million voters across Vietnam are set to cast their votes Sunday to choose new National Assembly and People's Council members for the 2021-2026 term. Nghe An 89-year-old disabled war veteran Hoang Nguyen rides a three-wheel scooter to a polling station in Nghe An Provinces Nam Dan District. "I've voted nearly 10 times for National Assembly members. For every new era, the country goes through a new path of development, which requires new things. As such, the chosen candidates should feel honored...." Quang Nam Voters peruse the list of candidates as they wait to cast their ballots in Quang Nam. Huynh Thi Tuyet, 75, said she was voting for the 11th time. She said she was choosing "young candidates with capabilities." The central province of Quang Nam has over 1.1 million voters voting at over 1,500 polling stations. Hai Phong City National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue casts his votes at a polling station in Hai Phong. Can Tho City Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh casts his votes at a polling station in Ninh Kieu District, Cai Khe Ward, Can Tho. HCMC A voter scans the list of candidates at a polling station in Phu Nhuan District, HCMC. Nguyen Trong Trai, 64, said he was voting for the 10th time, but this year was different due to the Covid-19 pandemic. "People used to wait in long lines and there was excitement in the air before. But due to the Covid-19 pandemic, mask wearing and social distancing, it's a lot quieter." Trai said he would vote for young candidates who are highly skilled and experienced. "Young people have new ways of thinking and doing things to develop the economy and take care of people's lives." State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc has his body temperature checked and his hands sanitized prior to the voting process in Cu Chi District. Voters at a polling station in HCMC's Thu Duc City, Thao Dien Ward go through registration procedures. Over 5.4 million voters in HCMC are set to choose 30 National Assembly members and 95 People's Council members at all levels for the 2021-2026 term. Hanoi Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong casts his votes at a polling station in Nguyen Du Ward, Hai Ba Trung District. Over 5.4 million voters in the capital city are cast their votes at over 4,800 polling stations in 30 districts and communes. Detainees line up at the premises of the Hanoi police department. Around 2,190 detainees in Hanoi cast their votes Sunday. Under Vietnamese law, detainees and those undergoing drug rehabilitation are allowed to vote for National Assembly and People's Council members. Tran Thi Tham, 100, is the first voter to cast her vote at a polling station in Ba Dinh District's Phuc Xa Ward. Voting began nationwide at 7 a.m., and will continue until 7 p.m. But localities are allowed to decide their voting schedules, as long as it doesn't begin before 5 a.m. and end after 9 p.m. A total of 866 candidates are vying for National Assembly seats and People's Councils at all levels. Over 45 percent of these are women, and over 21 percent are members of ethnic minority communities. Over 25 percent of the candidates are young (aged 40 or less). Sixteen cities and provinces including Ca Mau, Can Tho, Hai Phong, Nghe An, Quang Nam and Bac Ninh commenced the election day early in certain locations. The Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles will host Sunday's 2021 Billboard Music Award ceremony with the event set to be hosted by Nick Jonas. There will be an eclectic mix of live music with starts from past and present straddling a number of genres with Alicia Keys, The Weeknd and Duran Duran set to perform. Other performers set to star in the show include: AJR, Bad Bunny, BTS, DJ Khaled feat. H.E.R. and Migos, Glass Animals, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis with Sounds of Blackness feat. Ann Nesby, Karol G, P!nk, and Twenty One Pilots. Additionally, Nick Jonas will be performing with the other Jonas Brothers and Marshmello. Artist of the decade Canadian rapper Drake is set to be awarded with 'Artist of the decade'. The Toronto native holds a record having scooped a staggering 27 Billboard awards having secured 12 awards alone in the 2109 ceremony. BTS anticipation One of the most anticipated performances of the night is that of the South Korean pop sensation, BTS. To date the group has received five Billboard Music Awards and this year is nominated for four including, Top Duo/Group, Top Selling Song Dynamite, Top Social Artist, and Top Song Sales Artist. The group will perform their new single Butter which was released on Friday 21 May. Full screen Sin tituloMembers of South Korean K-pop boy band BTS pose for photographs during a press conference to promote their new single album 'Butter' in Seoul on May 21, 2021. (Photo by - / Dong-A Ilbo / AFP) / South Korea OUT AFP What time do the Billboard Music Awards start at? The event is set for a 20:00 (ET) 02:00 (CEST on Monday) start in LA. Find out what time the Billboard Music Awards (2021) gets underway where you are in the world. Where to watch the 2021 Billboard Music Awards? The event will be broadcast in the United States via NBC but there are a series of online platforms where the ceremony can be followed. Subscription services: Peacock, Fubo TV, Hulu and Sling TV will all be carrying the awards on their respective platforms for viewers in the USA. The US Department of Labor reported that for the week ending 15 May, initial unemployment claims dropped to their lowest level since the pandemic took hold of the US back in March 2020. However, early data may show that the national insured unemployment rate has remained steady at 2.7 percent. States that saw the most significant increases in initial claims during the week of 8 May were Georgia (+7,404), Washington (+6,111), Illinois (+3,221), Pennsylvania (+2,156), and Ohio (+1,371). Georgia is the only state listed that will be ending additional unemployment benefits in June. Which states have reestablished work search requirements to receive benefits? While twenty-two governors have announced that their state will end the payment of additional unemployment benefits in June and July, other states have opted for less severe changes. These include implementing work search requirements to encourage those on unemployment to begin planning their reentry into the workforce. On June 26, 2020, North Dakota became the first state to report on their job search progress to receive benefits. South Dakota followed their neighbor to the north and implemented the change on 2 August 2020. States that have already implemented this change are not specific to the political parties in power. States that have already made the change include Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Kentucky, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Vermont. State leaders from Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi, Montana, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wyoming have released information that in the next few months, work search requirements will be implemented to receive benefits. Georgia and Pennsylvania have both announced that job search information will become a requirement to receive benefits but have yet to confirm a date. States that will implement work search requirements in June June 1 Indiana June 6 Virginia June 27 Montana How are the unemployment levels in states calling to end additional benefits? The twenty-two states that have called to end the additional payments have an average unemployment rate of 4.5%, almost one points lower than the national average. Those over the 5.4% average nationally include Mississippi, Alaska, Arizona, and Texas. However, sixteen of the states have seen minor increases in their unemployment rate since February 2021. Interestingly, many of the states that have yet to implement these requirements have already announced that they will be ending the payment of additional unemployment benefits. Some policy analysts believe that it may be safer to implement these requirements before making the choice to end the extra payments. By collecting data on how, where, and when people are applying to jobs, leaders can make informed more informed decisions as to the state of the labor market. States where federal unemployment support end in June 12 June Alaska, Iowa, Mississippi, and Missouri 19 June Alabama, Idaho, Indiana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, West Virginia, and Wyoming 26 June Arkansas, Georgia, Texas, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Utah 27 June Montana 30 June Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen also performed his citizen duty at Polling Station No 41 of Constituency No 9 in Cu Chi town. Talking to the press after voting, President Phuc, who is also a candidate of Ho Chi Minh City in the NA election, emphasised the great national solidarity, highlighting the need to further promote solidarity among the people, among religions, as well as among Vietnamese at home and abroad so as to jointly develop Vietnam. He called on the more than 69 million voters nationwide to bring into play the spirit of solidarity and select moral and talented persons to the NA and all-level Peoples Councils. Measures have been applied at the polling station to prevent COVID-19 transmission. Nearly 69.2 million voters nationwide will select 500 deputies to the 15th NA, nearly 4,000 to provincial-level Peoples Councils, almost 23,000 to district-level Peoples Councils, and over 240,000 to communal-level Peoples Councils. Welcoming the agreement, the international community still warned that it is only a temporary measure, and that negotiations need to be further promoted in order to find a comprehensive and sustainable solution to the long-standing conflict between Israel and Palestine. The ceasefire agreement between Israeli and Hamas forces took effect from the morning of May 21, ending a series of days of serious violence that began on May 10. Announcing the truce, Egyptian mediators confirmed that the armed wing of the Hamas movement agreed to stop launching rockets into Israel, while the Israeli government also approved a unilateral ceasefire. Local media reported that life had somewhat gone back to normal in Gaza after the agreement was announced, as people returned to the streets, windows opening and loudspeakers announcing the cessation of hostilities. The ceasefire agreement between the Israeli military and armed Palestinian groups in Gaza was reached in the context of great concern among the international community and repeated calls for all sides to stop fighting and cease acts of violence causing civilian casualties, by far the most of these occurring in Gaza. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and his US counterpart Joe Biden discussed online efforts to reduce tensions in the Palestinian territories. White House officials have held several phone calls with officials from Israel and other countries in the region, seeking to restore security in Gaza. From its UN headquarters in New York (USA), UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the agreement and called on all sides to abide by the ceasefire. He highly lauded the efforts of Egypt and Qatar in collaboration with the UN to help restore peace and safety in the Gaza Strip and Israel. Welcoming Egypt's efforts to help create the ceasefire, President Biden pledged that the US would cooperate with the UN in its efforts to restore humanitarian assistance and rebuild the Gaza territory that has recently experienced a terrible period of bombardment. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, fighting in recent days has claimed the lives of at least 129 Palestinians in Gaza. Israel has also confirmed 12 deaths. In addition, thousands of people have been injured in incidents of violence and conflict, in both Gaza and the West Bank. The bombs have stopped falling, and now the demand for humanitarian assistance for the Palestinians in Gaza has become more urgent. The UN secretary-general called on the international community to coordinate and actively support the rapid and sustainable reconstruction of the Palestinian territories, as well as helping strengthen the Palestinian institutions. The Egyptian president said that the permanent mission of Middle East peace brokers has become even more urgent in the current context, that is to maintain peace, prevent conflicts from reoccurring, and rebuild Gaza. The ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas movement helps to end days of violence, but for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, this is still only a temporary solution. According to the UN leader, to maintain peace for the people, the leaders of Israel and Palestine have a responsibility to begin dialogue as soon as possible to resolve the root causes of the conflict. The UN affirmed it will coordinate with the two sides in the conflict, and with its international and regional partners, especially the "Middle East Quartet", to bring Israel and Palestine back to the negotiating table as soon as possible, hoping to end the occupation of the Palestinian territories and promote the realisation of the two-state solution. The Egyptian leader affirmed a consistent stance of supporting a comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue, ensuring the Palestinians' legitimate right to build an independent state. A new and sustainable solution will help end the violence and tension between Israel and Palestine, contributing to maintaining the security and stability of the whole region. The two-state solution has been supported by the majority of countries and is considered a sustainable path, promoting the establishment of the State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital, peaceful coexistence with the State of Israel, with internationally recognised borders on the basis of pre-1967 boundaries and negotiated agreements, in accordance with international law, the UN Charter and the relevant resolutions. Egypt's Suez Canal Authority (SCA) has provisionally impounded the giant Ever Given ship that had blocked the canal for nearly a week as per an Egyptian court's order pending payment of $900 million in compensation for the losses incurred by the blockage. The announcement was made on Tuesday by Osama Rabie, the chairman of the SCA, who said the figure covers the cost of refloating and maintaining the skyscraper-sized vessels under a lien order issued by the Ismailiya economic court, according to Ahram Arabic news website. A fleet of tugboats and diggers, with the assistance of the tide, managed to refloat the vessel, whose bow had been firmly lodged into the canal sandy bank, causing a huge build-up of vessels at the strategic waterway. The 400-metre-long ship, which had run aground across the canal on 23 March and refloated on 29 March, is now idle in the Bitter Lakes, a wide stretch of water halfway between the north and south ends of the canal, where an investigation into the incident has been ongoing. The SCA had submitted a report on the vessel's stranding and then filed a request with the economic court to impound the vessel until a compensation of $900 million has been paid, according to Rabie. The Panama-flagged MV Ever Given, which is carrying cargo worth more than $3.5 billion, is owned by the Japanese firm Shoei Kisen and operated by a Taiwanese Evergreen Marine Corp. In a TV comment to state-owned Channel 1 on Monday evening, Rabie said the investigation is expected to conclude by Thursday, unlike the negotiation process with the shipowner's insurance providers, which he said involves many details. The shipowner, he added, is contesting 90 percent of the required sum, saying they do not want to pay anything. Last week, Rabie told AP that the authority was negotiating with the Japanese owner of the Ever Given on a financial settlement, expressing his hope that the talks would conclude without a lawsuit. Earlier this month, the SCA chairman said a settlement could have been reached in a friendly way if the shipowner paid a lump sum compensation while assuring that going to court was on the table, albeit it would take a longer time. He announced a rough estimate of $1 billion in compensation for the losses incurred from the blockage and for the cost of dislodging attempts. "Extraordinarily large claim Ever Givens protection and indemnity (P&I) insurer, UK Club, said it was disappointed by what it described as the arrest of the vessel despite a carefully considered and generous offer made to the SCA. We are disappointed by the SCAs subsequent decision to arrest the vessel today. We are also disappointed at comments by the SCA that the ship will be held in Egypt until compensation is paid, and that her crew will be unable to leave the vessel during this time, it said. It did not provide details on the offer it has submitted to the SCA. UK Club said that despite the magnitude of the claim which was largely unsupported, the owners and their insurers have been negotiating in good faith with the SCA. It said the SCA has not provided a detailed justification for this extraordinarily large claim, which it said includes a $300 million claim for a salvage bonus and a $300 million claim for loss of reputation. The claim by the SCA does not include a salvage firm hired to rescue the vessel, it said, of which its owners and their hull underwriters expect to receive separately. Short link: Around 100 Egyptian fishermen detained in Eritrea since the start of the year have returned home on Sunday, the foreign ministry said. The release of the fishermen capped months-long diplomatic efforts by the foreign ministry following appeals from their families, Assistant Foreign Minister for Consular Affairs Amr Mahmoud Abbas said in a statement. In February, Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry phoned his Eritrean counterpart Osman Saleh to push for the release of the fishermen at the earliest opportunity, he said. In January, Eritrean authorities detained the fishermen for the illegal fishing in the countrys territorial waters. Egyptian fishermen were arrested in the territorial waters of neighbouring countries like Sudan, Libya and Tunisia in the past years. Cairo has repeatedly intervened in these cases to secure the release of the fishermen and has warned nationals against trespassing in foreign waters. Short link: Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Osama Rabie said on Monday that Egypt has provided "facilitations" to ensure the success of its negotiations with the owning company and the insurer of the ship Ever Given, which was stranded in the Suez Canal last month. The 400-metre-long ship had blocked the Suez Canal for nearly a week last month. The giant vessel left hundreds of ships stranded and blocked traffic through the narrow international waterway. Rabie affirmed the SCAs keenness to cooperate with the owner and insurer of the ship in order to reach an agreement that is suitable to all involved parties, a statement by the SCA read. Rabie expressed hope that the negotiations will soon result in an agreement in light of the facilitations Egypt has provided in appreciation of its longstanding relations with the owning company. The SCA chief denied allegations that Egyptian authorities have arrested the crew of the vessel, saying the SCA does not mind if the crew leaves the country or is replaced. However, he said that enough sailors have to remain in the country to secure the ship. Also, the captains presence is essential as the guardian of the ship and its cargo. The SCA statement noted that it has already allowed two of the crew to return to their countries for emergency personal reasons. Rabie said the SCA maintains flexibility in dealing with the requests of the ship's owner company in the negotiations. He also affirmed the authoritys commitment to the international norms followed in such cases. In mid-April, Egypt decided to seize the Ever Given until its Japanese owner Shoei Kisen Kaisha pays a compensation bill of $900 million for losses the ship inflicted on marine traffic. Rabies remarks on Monday come only a few days after the ship owners filed an appeal before the Ismailia court against the Egyptian seizure decision. The appeal is expected to be heard on 4 May. A fleet of tugboats and diggers, with the assistance of the tide, managed to refloat the vessel, whose bow had been firmly lodged into the canals sandy bank. The ship, which had run aground across the canal on 23 March and refloated on 29 March, is now idle in the Bitter Lakes, a wide stretch of water halfway between the north and south ends of the canal. The ship is carrying cargo worth more than $3.5 billion. Short link: Three crew members aboard the cargo vessel that blocked global shipping in the Suez Canal last month will be allowed to return home, the ship's manager said on Thursday. The Ever Given has been anchored in a lake between two sections of the canal since being dislodged on March 29 and is caught in a legal dispute linked to a $916 compensation claim made by the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) against the ship's Japanese owner. "Our utmost priority remains the safety and wellbeing of our crew. We are in regular contact with them and their families, offering all necessary support," said Ian Beveridge, the CEO of Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM). "While we are hoping that the vessel and her crew will be able to resume the voyage as soon as possible, we are incredibly proud of our master and crew who have and continue to perform their duties to the highest standards with exceptional professionalism under difficult circumstances," he added. Two other crew members left the ship earlier in April due to urgent personal circumstances, the SCA said. Short link: An Egyptian economic court upheld on Tuesday a ruling to prevent the giant Ever Given ship that blocked the Suez Canal in March from leaving the country pending the payment of $900 million in compensation for the losses incurred by the blockage. The court rejected a legal appeal by the ship owner against a ruling that granted the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) the request to impound the mega container ship as ongoing compensation talks lingered. The Panama-flagged MV Ever Given, which is carrying cargo worth more than $3.5 billion, is owned by the Japanese firm Shoei Kisen and operated by a Taiwanese Evergreen Marine Corp. The 400-metre-long ship, which had run aground across the canal on 23 March and refloated on 29 March, remains idle in the Bitter Lakes, a wide stretch of water halfway between the north and south ends of the canal, where an investigation into the incident has been ongoing. A fleet of tugboats and diggers, with the assistance of the tide, managed to refloat the vessel, whose bow had been firmly lodged into the canal sandy bank, causing a huge build-up of vessels at the strategic waterway. The Ever Givens protection and indemnity (P&I) insurer, UK Club, said last month it was disappointed by what it described as the arrest of the vessel despite a carefully considered and generous offer made to the SCA. It did not provide details on the offer it has submitted to the SCA. It said the SCA has not provided a detailed justification for this extraordinarily large claim, which it said includes a $300 million claim for a salvage bonus and a $300 million claim for loss of reputation. Short link: Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on Tuesday approved the Suez Canal Authoritys plan to widen and deepen 40 kilometres of the international waterway, including the part that witnessed the Ever Given crisis in March. The giant container ship, sailing under the Panamanian flag, ran aground in March and blocked the Suez Canal, where around 10 percent of the international trade passes, for almost a week. The 400-meter-long ship was refloated and is currently held by the Egyptian authorities until its company pays compensation claim of $600 million. El-Sisi gave the approval to the projects while attending the inauguration ceremony of a number of projects belonging to SCA in Ismailia governorate. Attending the ceremony, Osama Rabie, the SCA chief, explained the project to develop the southern stretch of the canal. The project includes widening 30 kilometres of the stretch between the Suez city and the Great Bitter Lake area by 40 meters, Rabie said. He noted that the authority will also deepen that part from 66 to72 feet. The remaining 10 kilometres of the waterway will also be expanded so that it allows two-directional traffic and enables more ships to pass. El-Sisi said the project should be finished over the course of two years at most. Inaugurated projects El-Sisi inaugurated several projects through video conference before he moved to the scene in a tour to inspect them. The inaugurated projects include the first phase of Port Said water station with a capacity of 80,000 cubic meters and at a cost of EGP 180 million, Rabie said. This phase will raise the station's daily supply of water to 480 cubic meters to provide the needs of Port Said city till 2038, Rabie noted. The projects also included the Ferdan Pilot Station, which is one of 16 stations established along the waterway course. The stations are part of the states digital transformation plan to link all the navigation monitors through a unified grid, Rabie said. Rabie also shed light on other projects that are being constructed, including turning the administrative building of the Suez Canal Company established in 1862 to an international museum. The museum will showcase the history of the canal since the Pharaonic idea of linking the Red Sea with the Mediterranean Sea until the drilling of the New Suez Canal, Rabie added. Fishing fleet El-Sisi, during the ceremony, said the SCA has finished the building of 34 fully-equipped fishing ships as part of 100 ships the SCA is building at a cost of EGP 2 billion. He said the ships can fish at regional and international waters, noting that each of the ships comes at a cost of EGP 17-18 million. The president invited the private sector to contribute to building the fishing fleet and to engage in other national projects. GERD El-Sisi also spoke about the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) dispute, saying the negotiations path is usually hard and strenuous and needs patience and deliberation. Egypt and Sudan have been in dispute with Ethiopia over Addis Ababa's plans to unilaterally implement the second dam filling next July despite the two states water concerns. The president reassured citizens that Egypts water rights will not be compromised. He said he believes it is normal for Egyptian people to worry about the issue, saying he appreciates their concerns about their homeland. He, however, urged them to be confident that their water rights will not be forsaken. He mentioned his recent meetings with US Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman and Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi in Cairo to discuss the GERD crisis. He said the political path and efforts are ongoing to reach a solution to this extremely sensitive issue. Ramadan series El-Sisi hailed the Ramadan TV series that brought to memories the hard days Egypt has witnessed and could only pass thanks to [the peoples] sacrifices to combat terrorism. He greeted the families of those who lost their lives to face terrorism and endured fire, bullets and explosives instead of the Egyptian people. El-Ikhtyar 2 soap opera displayed this Ramadan has shed light on the heroic acts and sacrifices made by the security forces to combat terrorism over the past decade. Short link: UK Club, an insurer of the container ship that blocked the Suez Canal in March, said on Monday a reduced compensation claim made by the Egyptian authorities for almost $600 million to free the vessel and cover related losses was still "exceptionally large." The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) adjusted its claim from an initial $916 million in an effort to settle out of court, SCA head Osama Rabie told private TV network MBC Masr on Saturday. The Ever Given, one of the world's largest container ships, was jammed across the canal for six days from March 23, stopping traffic in both directions. The vessel, still loaded with thousands of containers, is being held in a lake between two stretches of the canal amid the dispute about the level of compensation SCA has claimed from the Japanese owner Shoei Kisen. Rabie said on Saturday there was no immediate prospect of a settlement. "We haven't seen any response from their side so far, so we are moving forward with the issue, as we were, in the court," he said. UK Club said the reduced amount proposed had not been reflected in SCA's claim filed at court. "The Ever Given's owners still have not been provided with evidence that would support a claim of this size, which remains exceptionally large. The Ever Given's interests continue to negotiate in good faith with the SCA," it added. An Egyptian economic court is due to hold a hearing on May 22 to consider the SCA claim for what it describes as losses due to the blockage and costs for dislodging the ship, SCA sources said. An Egyptian investigation into the incident found no wrongdoing by the SCA or its pilots, the sources said, without elaborating. One source said the court could authorise the SCA to auction off the ship if the owner rejected any ruling to compensate the canal authority. Rabie has also mentioned such an outcome. An Egyptian court rejected an appeal by Shoei Kisen against the Ever Given's detention earlier this month. Short link: Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Friday received a phone call from his Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi who praised Egypts efforts in reaching a ceasefire with the Palestinian side. An Egypt-brokered ceasefire in Gaza came into effect early on Friday, ending 11 days of Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip that left more than 250 Palestinians dead, hundreds injured and hundreds rendered homeless by the destruction of tens of residential and commercial buildings. As per the ceasefire, the Palestinian factions in Gaza also stopped rocket attacks against Israeli cities. The top Israeli diplomat asserted Israels keenness on maintaining calm. The two ministers discussed measures that ensure facilitating the process of the reconstruction of Gaza in the coming period. During the phone call, the two ministers also asserted the need of coordination between the two countries, the Palestinian authority and the international partners on maintaining stability and resuming the work of communication channels to bring about peace. Following the truce agreement, Egypt sent two security delegations to Tel Aviv and the Palestinian territories to follow up on the implementation of the ceasefire. On Friday, Egypt sent a massive relief convoy to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, consisting of 130 aid-laden trucks. The trucks, laden with 2,500 tons of foodstuff, medicines, baby formula, clothes and appliances, are provided by Long Live Egypt Fund to the Palestinian people, per presidentia directives. Short link: A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip held into Saturday as officials said Egyptian mediators conferred with the sides on securing longer-term calm. The ceasefire began before dawn on Friday, ending 11 days of cross-border shelling exchanges that caused fresh devastation in Gaza, shook up Israel and raised international concern about a slide into wider regional conflict. Egypt, which mediated the halt to the fighting with U.S. support, sent a delegation to Israel at around noon on Friday to discuss ways of firming up the ceasefire, including with aid for Palestinians in Gaza, Hamas officials told Reuters. The delegates have since been shuttling between Israel and Gaza, with talks continuing on Saturday, the officials said. Despite confrontations between Israel police and Palestinian protesters at Al-Aqsa compund in Jerusalem on Friday, there were no reports of Palestinian factions rocket launches from Gaza or Israeli military strikes on the enclave as of Saturday morning. U.S. President Joe Biden said on Thursday that Washington would work with the United Nations on bringing humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to Gaza, with safeguards against funds being used to arm Hamas, which some countries in the West deems a terrorist group. Gaza medical officials put the Palestinian death toll from Israeli air and artillery strikes at 248, including 66 children. Israel said its forces killed more than 200 fighters from Hamas and allied faction Islamic Jihad, and that at least 17 civilian fatalities in Gaza were caused by Palestinian' rockets falling short. Palestinian attacks killed 13 people in Israel, including two children, a soldier and three foreign workers, medics said. *This story was edited by Ahram Online Short link: The cars will be manufactured at the state-owned El-Nasr Automotive Manufacturing under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) inked with the Chinese Dongfeng Motor Industry Import & Export Co. (DFMIEC), Tawfik told MBC Misr TV channel late on Saturday night. The minister said local components will be used by 58 percent in manufacturing the new electric-powered cars. He noted that a protocol has been signed with an Egyptian company to manufacture the battery, whose cost alone is estimated at 30 percent of the car's total price. Only the motor, whose cost is 13 percent of the car's price, will be imported. The minister said that financial support of EGP 50,000 would be provided for the buyer of such cars, with no replacement of the old fuel-run car. The electric car would be offered in three types: the first will have the smallest battery and can go 250 km per charge, the second type can run 400 km, and the third one has the capability to cover a 508 km trip, Tawfik said. The minister noted that the Chinese company has entered into a partnership with Nissan Corporation to provide better cars for the Egyptian market. Egypt's first locally assembled electric car by El-Nasr company, which is owned by the Metallurgical Industries Holding Company, comes as part of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi's directives to localise the manufacture of green cars. Egypt has currently 75 charging stations and plans to increase them to 3,000 during the next year, at a cost of at EGP 450 million. Egypt has been recently supporting the environment-friendly cars and in January it launched the three-year Go Green initiative which is now open for taxi and private-car owners in seven governorates with a target of replacing 70,000 rickety old private cars with hybrid ones in the first year and 90,000 in each of the second and third years. More than 1.3 million cars older than 20 years old are still running in Egypt, according to the country's trade and industry ministry. The owner of a container ship that blocked the Suez Canal in March says the canal authority was at fault over its grounding as it disputes the vessel's detention and a compensation claim, a lawyer representing the owner said on Saturday. The Ever Given, one of the world's largest container ships, became jammed across the canal in high winds on March 23, and remained grounded for six days, blocking traffic in both directions and disrupting global trade. The vessel has since been held in a lake between two stretches of the canal as the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) pursues a $916.5 million claim against Japanese owner Shoei Kisen. On Sunday, Ismailia Economic Court ruled that considering the appeal submitted by Shoei Kisen against the impounding of the Ever Given ship does not fall within its jurisdiction. The court also ordered the referral of the case back to the district's court of first instance for consideration on 29 May. The appeals chamber at Ismailia Economic Court held hearings on Saturday over the ship's detention, which the SCA is seeking to uphold following an appeal by the owner, as well as the SCA's financial claim. Lawyers representing Shoei Kisen argued that the SCA had been at fault for allowing the ship to enter the waterway amid bad weather, Ahmed Abu Ali, a member of the legal team, told Reuters, adding that the authority failed to prove any fault by the ship. Recordings from the ship that were presented to the court showed disagreements between SCA pilots and its control centre over whether it should enter the canal, Abu Ali said. Lawyers for Shoei Kisen said the ship should have been accompanied by at least two tug boats suitable for the ship's size "but this didn't happen", he added. In an official statement following Sundays ruling, the Suez Canal Authority said its lawyers responded to allegations by the ship owners that Egypt was at fault for allowing the mega ship to pass during unstable weather. The lawyers argued that the ship remained under the command of its captain during the crossing of the canal, adding that the SCA guide's opinion while on board is non-binding. Lawyers for Shoei Kisen argued that the Ever Given's detention was legally flawed and that the work to release the ship was not "a salvage (operation) in the proper legal sense", meaning the SCA could not seek compensation for such an operation, Abu Ali said. "This was one of the duties of the authority according to the traffic contract," he said. Shoei Kisen is claiming $100,000 in initial compensation for losses related to its detention, he said. Short link: Egypt's parliament the House of Representatives approved on Sunday an eight-article law aimed at raising minimum bonuses and incentives granted to state employees. A report prepared by the Labour Force Committee and the Budget Committee clarified that the new bill comes to reflect the state's commitment to achieving economic and social stability for the families of state employees. Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait said the new increase in bonuses and incentives will come into effect as of the first of July. "A bonus of EGP 75 plus an incentive of EGP 175 will make a minimum increase of EGP 250 for each state employee as of the first of July," said Maait. "A state employee in the lowest job rank (the sixth rank) will obtain EGP 250 bonus and incentive," he added. "This increase was decided as a kind of financial support to state employees at a time of difficult economic conditions, and while the coronavirus pandemic hit hard many sectors of society," said Maait. Last March, Maait said that the minimum wage and bonus increases for state employees - working at the administrative body of the state - will cost the government EGP 37 billion in total. Parliament speaker Hanafy Gibaly said state employees will benefit from the new bonus and incentive increases even when they go into retirement. The first article of the bill states that the minimum periodical bonus granted to state employees, addressed by the 81/2016 Civil Service Law, will be increased to be EGP 75 per month. As for state employees not addressed by the 81/2016 Civil Service Law, article two indicates that they will be granted a special bonus at a rate of 13 per cent of their basic salary along with a minimum of EGP 75 per month, as of the first of July 2021. Moreover, article three states that an additional incentive granted for state employees and workers, both addressed and not addressed by the Civil Service Law, will be increased between EGP 225 and EGP 400, depending on the employee's job rank. "Workers at the third rank will get an additional incentive of EGP 225; those at the second rank will get EGP 275; those at the first rank will get EGP 325 and those at "excellent rank" will get EGP 400," said the report. Article five also states that workers in the public sector as well as public enterprise companies will also be given a grant equal to that paid to those working at the state's administrative units. Egypts Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry is set to travel to Jordan on Sunday for talks about building on a Cairo-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. According to an official statement, the Egyptian foreign ministry said Shoukry will be received by Jordans King Abdullah II in Amman. His visit will include in-depth discussions with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi on necessary measures to stabilize the situation in Palestine and a permanent de-escalation in Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem. They will also discuss means to create a climate conducive to the urgent revival of the peace negotiations to reach a comprehensive political settlement that ensures the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital under the basis of international law. The visit by Shoukry comes as an Egypt-sponsored ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian factions held into a third day on Sunday. Egyptian mediators have been sent to Tel Aviv and the Palestinian territories to follow up on the implementation of the ceasefire, which began on Friday. The 11-day fighting has been deemed the most serious since 2014 as Israel upped aggression on Gaza with artillery and air strikes in response to rocket attacks on Israeli towns from the strip, which is controlled by Hamas. Some 248 people were killed in Gaza, while the death toll in Israel stood at 13. Short link: If you are currently a print subscriber but don't have an online account, select this option. You will need to use your 7 digit subscriber account number (with leading zeros) and your last name (in UPPERCASE). Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi reviewed on Sunday the workflow of the under-construction rural development project. This came during El-Sisis meeting with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, and the ministerial group supervising the Haya Karima (Decent Life) initiative, presidential spokesman Bassam Radi said. El-Sisi directed the officials to harness all of the countrys resources and spare no effort to render such a project a success. The rural development project, which covers about 1,500 villages in phase one, seeks to upgrade infrastructure in villages, including water, sewage, power, natural gas and road services. It also includes lining irrigation canals for the effective use of water and improving healthcare, education and social protection services. The project seeks to achieve comprehensive development in all Egyptian villages by improving infrastructure and services available in them. The project targets 4,584 villages in total, at an estimated cost of EGP 700 billion. Short link: The Sawiris Foundation for Social Development announced the winners of the 16th Sawiris Cultural Award on Friday. This Edition is considered the largest in the history of the award in terms of the number of submitted works. A total of 1263 literary works were submitted to various fields of the award. This year, 12 young and established writers received awards for their distinguished work in the fields including novel, short story, screenplay, playwriting, and literary criticism. Dr. Iman Yahya won the best novel award - under the established writers contest - for her novel 'Al-Zawga Al-Mexicia' (The Mexican Wife), published by Dar Al-Shorouk. Meanwhile, the award for best short story collection, written by an established writer, went to Samir El-Fil for his collection 'Autobis 77' (Bus Line 77) that was published by the Egyptian General Book Authority. The award for best novel written by a young writer went to Ahmed Al-Fakharany for his novel 'Bayasat Al-Shawam' published by Dar Al-Ain. The same novel also won the translation award, which was added to the awards branches this year in an attempt to encourage contemporary literary excellence and introduce creative young writers to readers outside the borders of the Arab region. The literary award includes translating the winning novel into English, covering all contracting costs with a publishing house for the translation, printing and the publishing of the novel. As for second-place in the young writers novel contest, the award went to Ahmed Al-Morsi for his novel 'What Remains of the Sun' published by Dar Al-Bashir. The first-place prize for best short story collection made by a young writer went to Gilan Al-Shamsi for her short story collection 'As if the story is missing' published by Al-Ain Publishing House. In second-place, Muhammad Faraj won with his short story collection 'Long Term Plans' published by Dar Al-Ain. Regarding the best screenplay award, established writer Samar Taher won for her screenplay of the movie 'Al-Nazeel' (The Inmate), while Paula Tadros Thabet won the young writers' contest for his screenplay of 'Abdullah'. In the field of playwriting, the first-place award went to Faisal Rizk for his play 'Hakawy Al-Aragouz' (Tales of the puppet), while second-place went to Mina Bebbawy for his play 'Bernatanya'. As for the award for best submitted work in the field of literary criticism, it was awarded ex aequo to Sameh Fayez for his book 'Stories about Reading' published by the Egyptian-Lebanese House and to Professor Abdel-Nasser Hilal for his book 'The Visual Turn - from Text to Speech published by the Egyptian General Book Authority. In order to encourage young writers, financial rewards are also granted for the shortlisted nominated work. Granted in the novel contest: 'Random Arrangements' by Dunya Kamal Al-Qalash, 'Ahmar Larang' (Blood Oranges) by Charles Akl, and 'Camelia's Ghosts' By Nora Naji. With regard to the short story collection, the grants went to: 'Sleep Thieves' by Amjad Al-Sabban, 'Visions of the Holy City' by Omaima Subhy, and 'A Report on Al-Refaeia' by Muhammad Al-Fuly. In the screenplay category: 'The Ghazala who fled the schoolyard' by Ahmed Ihab Abdel-Warith, 'Where Did Shaker Abaza Go?' by Mahmoud Hassan Abdel-Alim, 'Hamlet' by Al-Sayed Abdel-Nabi, 'Kilo 35' by Mahmoud Ahmed Abd-Rahman. This year, six jury committees of prominent writers; filmmakers; critics and drama professors in Egypt participated in the evaluation of the work that was submitted and selection of the winners. Literature Jury (Section One - Established Writers): Prof. Rania Fathy (Committee Rapporteur), Prof. Hussein Hammouda, Writer and Novelist Subhi Moussa, Writer and Journalist Karima Kamal, as well as Writer and Novelist Mansoura Ezz El-Din. Literature Jury (Section Two - Young Writers): Prof. Hala Kamal (Committee Rapporteur), Writer and Novelist Reem Bassiouni, Writer and Novelist Sahar Al-Moji, Writer and Journalist Muhammad Shair along with Writer and Journalist Hisham Aslan. Screenplay Jury (First Branch - Senior Writers): Director and Producer Marianne Khoury (Committee Rapporteur), Film Director Dr. Ahmed Maher, Film Director Dr. Hassan Issa, Prof. Salma Mubarak, and Film Critic Issam Zakaria. Screenplay Jury (Second branch - Young Writers): Film Director Hala Jalal (Committee Rapporteur), Film Director Ahmed Fawzi Saleh, Prof. Ashraf Rajeh, Film Director Amir Ramses, and screenwriter Maryam Naoum. Playwriting Jury: Theatre Director Hassan Al-Greetly (Committee Rapporteur), Prof. Amal Mazhar, Prof. Dalia Al-Shayal, Professor Dina Amin, and Theatre Director Tariq Al-Douairi. Literary Criticism Jury: Prof. Faten Morsi (Committee Rapporteur), Prof. Sahar Abdel-Hakim, Prof. Mohamed Badawy, Prof. Hoda Ayyad, and Prof. Walid Al-Hamamsy. Short link: A river of red-hot lava came to a halt on the outskirts of Goma on Sunday, sparing the city in eastern DR Congo from disaster after the nighttime eruption of the Nyiragongo volcano sent thousands of terrified residents fleeing in panic. Fire and fumes emanated from the blackish molten rock as it swallowed up houses, heading towards Goma airport on the shores of Lake Kivu and leaving smouldering wreckage in its wake, an AFP correspondent said. But the military governor of North Kivu province said "the city was spared" by a matter of a few hundred metres (yards) after "the lava halted near Buhene on the outskirts of Goma". Nine people were nonetheless killed in accidents during the evacuations, said General Constant Ndima, appointed governor early this month when the province was placed under a "state of siege" to combat violence by armed groups. Another four people were shot dead while trying to escape Goma's Munzenze prison, according to local military spokesman Guillaume Njike Kaiko. Many families slept on pavements surrounded by their belongings under a night sky turned red by the eruption of Africa's most active volcano. "They lost everything... hundreds of people," one resident said. Pope Francis offered a special prayer for Goma during his weekly Angelus prayer at the Vatican Sunday, when the area felt around a dozen tremors. Ndima said 7,000 people fled overnight to neighbouring Rwanda before returning. "All the Goma residents returned home without incident this morning after spending the night in emergency shelters which Rwanda set up, mainly schools," said Rwanda's minister for emergency management, Marie Solange Kayisire. She spoke to AFP from the town of Rubavu near the border. "Only about 100 of them are still in Rwanda but they are people who have cars who spent the night in hotels," Kayisire added. Despite a relative return to calm, Goma's 1.5 million residents remained wary. "There is a smell of sulphur. In the distance you can see giant flames coming out of the mountain," one resident, Carine Mbala, told AFP. Tourists who were near the crater when the volcano erupted are safe, the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN) tweeted, adding that the rare mountain gorillas in the Virunga National Park, where Mount Nyiragongo is located, were also not threatened by the eruption. DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi said he would cut short a trip to Europe "to supervise the coordination of aid". General Ndima said MONUSCO, the UN mission in the country, along with NGOs and international organisations in the DRC, would hold an emergency meeting Sunday with local and regional authorities. The first departures from Goma city came even before the official confirmation that Mount Nyiragongo had erupted at around 7:00 pm Saturday, spewing red fumes into the night sky. - 'I'm scared again' - Power was cut in large parts of the city as residents began fleeing. Tens of thousands of people, many carrying mattresses, food and parcels, streamed towards the Rwandan border, while others headed west towards Sake in the neighbouring Masisi region. Resident Richard Bahati recalled the volcano's eruption in 2002. "The volcano devastated all our homes and all our possessions. That's why I'm scared again this time," he said. - Last flights - Several planes, belonging to MONUSCO and private companies, took off on Saturday evening, according to an airport source. In a May 10 report, the Goma Vulcanology Observatory warned of increased seismic activity around the volcano, one of six in the region. The Observatory's Adalbert Muhindo advised continued vigilance as tremors were continuing. Nyiragongo last erupted on January 17, 2002, killing more than 100 people and covering almost all of the eastern part of Goma with lava, including half of the airport's landing strip. During that eruption, the victims were mostly sick or elderly abandoned to their fate in the northern districts of the city. Nyiragongo's deadliest eruption, in 1977, claimed more than 600 lives. It has not been monitored for the past seven months because of a lack of funding, according to the head of the local vulcanology observatory. Short link: Hundreds of masked Hamas fighters brandishing assault rifles paraded in Gaza City and the group's top leader made his first public appearance on Saturday, in a defiant show of strength after the militants' 11-day war with Israel. Saturday marked the first full day of a cease-fire, and Egyptian mediators held talks to firm up the truce which ended the fourth Israel-Hamas war in just over a decade. In Gaza City, residents began assessing damage. One of Gaza City's busiest commercial areas, Omar al-Mukhtar Street, was covered in debris, smashed cars and twisted metal after a 13-floor building in its center was flattened in an Israeli airstrike. Merchandise was covered in soot and strewn inside smashed stores and on the pavement. Municipal workers swept broken glass and twisted metal from streets and sidewalks. We really didn't expect this amount of damage, said Ashour Subeih, who sells baby clothes. We thought the strike was a bit further from us. But as you can see not an area of the shop is intact. Having been in business for one year, Subeih estimated his losses were double what he has made so far. Drone video and photos showed some city blocks reduced to rubble, in between homes and businesses left standing. Both Israel and Hamas have claimed victory. On Saturday, hundreds of Hamas fighters wearing military camouflage paraded past the mourning tent for Bassem Issa, a senior commander killed in the fighting. The top Hamas leader in Gaza, Yehiyeh Sinwar, paid his respects in his first public appearance since the war began. Israel bombed the house of Sinwar, along with that of other senior Hamas figures, as part of its attack on what it said was the group's military infrastructure. Israel's defense minister, Benny Gantz, has said Israel delivered a punishing blow to Hamas, and that top Hamas figures remained targets. Still, there was a widespread expectation that the cease-fire would stick for now, even if another round of fighting at some point seems inevitable. Underlying issues remain unresolved, including an Israeli border blockade, now in its 14th year, that is choking Gaza's more than 2 million residents and a refusal by the Islamic militant Hamas to disarm. The U.N. Security Council released a statement Saturday, welcoming the cease-fire and stressing the immediate need for humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian civilian population, particularly in Gaza. Thousands rallied in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, calling for coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians. The fighting began on May 10, when Hamas militants in Gaza fired long-range rockets toward Jerusalem. The barrage came after days of clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Heavy-handed police tactics at the compound and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers had inflamed tensions. The war has further sidelined Hamas' main political rival, the internationally backed Palestinian Authority, which oversees autonomous enclaves in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Hamas' popularity seemed to be growing as it positioned itself as a defender of Palestinian claims to Jerusalem. On Friday, hours after the cease-fire took effect, thousands of Palestinians in the Al-Aqsa compound chanted against Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his self-rule government. Dogs of the Palestinian Authority, out, out, they shouted, and The people want the president to leave. It was an unprecedented display of anger against Abbas. The conflict also brought to the surface deep frustration among Palestinians, whether in the occupied West Bank, Gaza or within Israel, over the status quo, with the Israeli-Palestinian peace process all but abandoned for years. Despite his weakened status, Abbas will be the point of contact for any renewed U.S. diplomacy, since Israel and the West, including the United States, consider Hamas a terrorist organization. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is to meet with Abbas and Israeli leaders when he visits in the coming week. Abbas is expected to raise demands that any Gaza reconstruction plans go through the Palestinian Authority to avoid strengthening Hamas. Abbas met Saturday with Egyptian mediators, discussing the rebuilding of Gaza and internal Palestinian relations, according to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa. An Egyptian diplomat said that two teams of mediators were in Israel and the Palestinian territories to continue talks on firming up a cease-fire deal and securing long-term calm. The diplomat said discussions include implementing agreed-on measures in Gaza and Jerusalem, including ways to prevent practices that led to the latest fighting. He did not elaborate. He was apparently referring to violence at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the planned eviction of Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in east Jerusalem. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss behind-the-scenes deliberations. Separately, a 130-truck convoy with humanitarian aid and medical supplies reached the Gaza border from Egypt on Saturday, according to a senior Egyptian official at the border crossing. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters. Across Gaza, an assessment of the damage to the territory's already decrepit infrastructure began. The ministry of public works and housing said that 769 housing and commercial units were rendered uninhabitable, at least 1,042 units in 258 buildings were destroyed and just over 14,500 units suffered minor damage. The United Nations said about 800,000 people in Gaza do not have regular access to clean piped water, as nearly 50% of the water network was damaged in the fighting. Israel has said it was targeting Hamas' military infrastructure, including a vast tunnel system running under roads and homes, as well as command centers, rocket launchers and the homes of commanders. The Israeli military has said it was trying to minimize harm to civilians and accused Hamas of using civilians as human shields. The Gaza Health Ministry says at least 248 Palestinians were killed, including 66 children and 39 women, with 1,910 people wounded. It does not differentiate between fighters and civilians. Twelve people were killed in Israel, all but one of them civilians, including a 5-year-old boy and 16-year-old girl. Israel has accused Hamas and the smaller militant group of Islamic Jihad of hiding the actual number of fighters killed in the war. Prime Minister Netanyahu said Friday that more than 200 militants were killed, including 25 senior commanders. Islamic Jihad on Saturday gave a first account of deaths within its ranks, saying that 19 of its commanders and fighters were killed, including the head of the rocket unit in northern Gaza. Short link: Israeli police on Sunday escorted around 50 Jewish visitors to a flashpoint holy site in Jerusalem where police actions in recent weeks had ignited protests and violence that triggered war in Gaza, according to the Islamic authority overseeing the site. The Waqf said police cleared young Palestinians out of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and barred entry to Muslims under the age of 45. Muslims who entered were required to leave their IDs with police at the entrance. It said three Muslims were arrested, including a guard. Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the site was open for regular visits and that police had secured the area to prevent incidents, without elaborating. Israeli police had briefly clashed with Palestinian protesters after Friday prayers in an early test for the truce, which had taken effect hours earlier. The Waqf said Sunday it was the first time Jews had been allowed to visit the site since May 4, a week before the war broke out. The Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam. It sits on a sprawling hilltop in Jerusalem's Old City that is revered by Jews as their holiest site because it was the location of the biblical temples. The site has often been the scene of Israeli-Palestinian violence and was the epicenter of the 2000 Palestinian intifada, or uprising. Israeli police repeatedly clashed with Palestinian protesters in the days leading up to May 10, when Gaza's militant Hamas rulers fired long-range rockets at Jerusalem. The forced expulsion of dozens of Palestinian families from a nearby Jerusalem neighborhood was cited as another major trigger of the 11-day war, which was halted by a cease-fire on Friday. In recent years, increasing numbers of religious and nationalist Jews have visited the site. Palestinians fear Israel plans to eventually take over the compound or partition it. The Israeli government has repeatedly claimed it has no intention of changing the status quo, under which the Waqf oversees the site under Jordanian custodianship. *This story has been edited by Ahram Online Short link: Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking ahead of a trip to the Middle East, reaffirmed on Sunday US support for a two-state solution as the only way to provide hope to Israelis and Palestinians that they can live 'with equal measures of security, of peace and dignity.' His remarks came days after Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire, halting 11 days of mutual bombardment that killed more than 200 Palestinians. 'If there isn't positive change, and particularly if we can't find a way to help Palestinians live with more with more dignity and with more hope, this cycle is likely to repeat itself, and that is in no one's interest,' Blinken said on ABC's 'This Week.' The State Department announced Thursday that Blinken will travel to the Middle East 'in the coming days', with plans to meet with Israeli, Palestinian and regional counterparts. Blinken's support for a two-state solution the vision of Israel and a Palestinian state living peacefully side by side restates a long-time US goal, though he conceded that this was not 'necessarily for today.' But his remarks about 'equal measures' for Israelis and Palestinians seemed to shift the tone, at least, from Donald Trump's administration, which cut aid to the Palestinian Authority and issued a Middle East peace plan with strong Israeli backing but no support from Palestinians. The top US diplomat emphasized the need to provide humanitarian aid to Palestinians while beginning a major effort at reconstruction. 'Something more positive' Saying the ceasefire would help mark a pivot from violence to 'something more positive,' he added, 'That has to start now with dealing with the grave humanitarian situation in Gaza. 'Then reconstruction, rebuilding what's been lost, and critically, engaging both sides in trying to start to make real improvements' in people's lives. He was asked on ABC how the Biden administration could ensure that aid would go to ordinary Palestinians and not help the Hamas militants who launched thousands of rockets at Israel. 'We've worked in the past and we continue to work with trusted, independent parties that can help do the reconstruction and the development, not some quasi- government authority,' he said. 'The real challenge here is to help the Palestinians and particularly to help the Palestinian Authority deliver better results for their people, and of course, Israel has a profound role to play in that too.' Israel's response to the Hamas rocket barrages has drawn sharp criticism from some liberal members of the US Congress who have questioned American arms sales to the Jewish state. Asked about that, Blinken replied, 'The president has been clear we're committed to giving Israel the means to defend itself. At the same time, any arms sale will be done in full consultation in Congress.' Short link: Fighters opposed to Myanmar's military junta burned down a police station in the eastern town of Mobye on Sunday and said they killed at least 13 members of the security forces and captured four, local media said. Videos shared on social media showed what appeared to be the bodies of security forces in the latest fighting of a general upsurge of conflict in parts of Myanmar since the Feb. 1 coup that overthrew elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. A gun battle also erupted near the Chinese border early on Sunday, while on Saturday an armed ethnic group opposed to the coup launched an attack on a jade mining town on the other side of Myanmar, near India. Video from Mobye showed bodies in the uniforms of the security forces, while other pictures showed four men who were said to be police with their hands behind their backs and blindfolded with surgical masks. A police vehicle was shown in flames as dozens of fighters milled at the scene. Reuters was unable to reach a junta spokesman or to independently confirm the video or the accounts of the fighting. The Irrawaddy news outlet quoted a fighter from the local People's Defence Force - formed since the coup - as saying the police station had been set on fire and that two civilians had been wounded in the fighting. Reports from other media said up to 15 members of the security forces had been killed. The Progressive Karenni People Force, a network of local groups, said one fighter had been killed. Mobye is around 100 km (60 miles) east of the capital Naypyidaw, but lies near territory held by some of the ethnic armed groups that have fought for greater autonomy for decades. Another clash occurred near the town of Demoso, 20 km (13 miles) south of Mobye, media said. They quoted militia fighters as saying security forces suffered as many as 20 dead and had brought reinforcements with armoured vehicles. There was no independent confirmation. A national unity government set up underground by opponents of the coup announced a new flag and command structure for the People's Defence Force, being set up to oppose the army. An alliance of four ethnic armed groups which are also against the coup battled early on Sunday with security forces in Muse, one of the main crossings to China, Myanmar media said. While the junta is struggling with new conflicts on several fronts, it also faces daily protests and strikes that have paralysed hospitals, schools and much private business. TEACHERS SUSPENDED More than 125,000 teachers - nearly a third of the total - have been suspended for joining a civil disobedience movement to oppose the coup, an official of the Myanmar Teachers' Federation said. At least 815 people have been killed by security forces since the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners activist group. Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing said in comments broadcast on Saturday that 300 people had been killed in addition to 47 police. Protesters also demand the release of nearly 4,300 people who have been arrested since the coup, including Suu Kyi, 75. Min Aung Hlaing said Suu Kyi was healthy and would soon appear in court. Her next hearing is on Monday on some of the various charges brought against her. The army seized power claiming fraud in an election won by Suu Kyi's party in November. Its accusations had been dismissed by the former electoral commission. In further comments from an interview released by Hong Kong-based Phoenix Television on Sunday, Min Aung Hlaing sought to reassure Chinese businesses after some factories were set ablaze recently in the commercial capital Yangon. "Our citizens are not being anti-China but it's the politics that cause the hatred," he said. Some opponents of the coup have accused China of supporting the junta, which has been condemned by Western countries that have introduced limited sanctions. China has been milder in its approach and has said it seeks stability. The European Union on Sunday denounced a proposal by the election commission appointed by the junta to dissolve Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy. Short link: Media rights groups on Sunday urged Turkish authorities to investigate explosive allegations by a mafia boss about the high-profile killings of two journalists in the 1990s. Sedat Peker, an underworld mobster exiled abroad, has accused members of the government and the ruling AKP party of corruption and various crimes in a series of YouTube posts over the past three weeks. In the latest, released on Sunday, he alleges former interior minister Mehmet Agar was the head of the 'deep state' in Turkey and alleges Agar was involved in the 1993 murder of prominent investigative journalist Ugur Mumcu. Mumcu, who wrote for the Cumhuriyet daily, was killed in the capital Ankara after somebody rigged his car to explode when he switched on the ignition. The perpetrators were never identified. In his video recording, Peker described Mumcu as a 'martyr' and a 'honourable man'. The mafia boss also claimed the murder of Turkish Cypriot journalist Kutlu Adali had been ordered by a former lieutenant colonel and a senior official of the National Intelligence Organisation (MIT), Korkut Eken. Adali, who worked for the left-wing Yeni Duzen newspaper in Nicosia, was shot dead in front of his home in 1996. His killers have never been identified. Calls to investigate Erol Onderoglu, Turkey representative for Reporters Without Borders (RSF), said Peker's allegations needed to be investigated. The truth about the killings of journalists in the 1990s had been 'swept under the rug', he tweeted. 'Peker's legitimacy or position does not justify silence. #Impunity,' he added. The Turkish Journalists' Union called for answers Sunday. 'We want an investigation into the #UgurMumcu and #KutluAdali murders,' the union tweeted. 'We demand that the suspects be put on trial. We call on prosecutors to do their duty.' Peker, 50, who has been jailed several times for a range of offences, from fraud to running a criminal group, fled Turkey in 2020 to avoid prosecution and is thought to be currently living in the United Arab Emirates. Since then, he has released a spate of videos in which he claims to expose state-media-mafia links after police operations against him and his associates across the country in April. In one, he accuses Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu of having offered him protection and of having tipped him off about an impending investigation against him last year, which allowed him to flee before being arrested. Soylu is one of the most powerful figures in President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government. Despite pressure from the opposition to resign, he has dismissed Peker's allegations. A journalist for Turkey's state news agency Anadolu was fired Friday after raising Peker's claims against the interior minister at a government press conference with other ministers. Fahrettin Altun, the Turkish presidency's director of communications, wrote on Twitter: 'Those who seek to harm the respectability of our state will pay the price.' There was no immediate reaction to the latest claims. Some commentators refer to what they call the workings of the 'deep state' derin devlet in Turkish to talk about a shadowy structure alleged to exist with links between politicians, secret services, mafia and extremist groups. Short link: A dozen people were killed and about 50 injured in shootings across the United States over the weekend, after President Joe Biden last month branded the country's gun violence an "epidemic." The spate of shooting incidents included deaths in New Jersey, South Carolina, Georgia, Ohio and Minnesota. In total, the attacks claimed 12 lives and wounded at least 49 others. Two people died when gunfire broke out at a house party in Camden, New Jersey on Saturday night, and at least 12 people were injured, according to police. In South Carolina, one 14-year-old girl was killed and 14 people wounded at a concert. Police in Atlanta, Georgia, found three gunshot victims early Sunday after responding to a call about shots fired. All three victims were pronounced dead at the scene, US media reported. Three others were killed and eight injured outside a bar in Youngstown, Ohio, early Sunday morning, while a 16-year-old girl was killed and seven people injured in a park in Columbus. A deadly shooting also occurred in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the night before supporters and relatives of George Floyd, the Black man killed by a white former police officer last spring, held a march Sunday on the first anniversary of his death. One person was killed and eight injured, with one victim in critical condition. Minneapolis police told AFP that one suspect in the shooting had been arrested, while a second suspect had died. The United States has suffered a series of mass shootings in recent months, including at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, an office building in California, a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado -- as well as a birthday party in the same city a few weeks later -- and at several spas in Atlanta. Biden has introduced six executive measures aimed at tamping down the crisis, including a proposed rule to halt "ghost guns," as firearms built from home kits are known, and boosting support for agencies involved in tackling community violence. In addition to mass shootings, gun violence in general -- including less-publicized incidents often involving family members or acquaintances -- has surged across the United States last year. Gun sales jumped at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Overall, 2020 was one of the most violent years in the United States in decades. So far this year, there have been at least 200 mass shootings in the United States, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Short link: Egypts Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat signed a financing agreement with the African Development Bank (AfDB) on Sunday worth 145 million ($176 million) with the objective of improving the efficiency and safety of the Egyptian railway system. Under the agreement, Egypts Railway Authority's main lines (Alexandria / Cairo / Assiut / Naga Hammadi and Benha / Port Said line) will be extended with 953 km controlled by the European Train Control System (ETCS-L1) to manage the course of the cars. The agreement also provides an additional 100 wagons, using the ETCS. This signing took place in the presence of Egypts Minister of Transportation Kamel El-Wazir, the Minister of Transportation, AfDBs country manager in Egypt Malinne Bloomberg, and the railway authority officials; all alongside the working groups of both ministries. The agreement encompasses the installment of the ETCS on old cars. The project covers the provision of 260 wagons, of which 110 were supplied and are eligible for the management system. The ETCS installment will depend less on human control in order to increase the safety and security of railway lines. Al-Mashat noted that sustainable infrastructure for the transport sector enhances the governments development plans, adding that through multilateral and bilateral cooperation, the ministry is able to provide financing for the implementation of various projects across multiple sectors. In the transportation sector, the signed agreement will improve services for citizens and also stimulate the private sector, according to Al-Mashat. Transport sector accounts for more than 20 percent of the ongoing development cooperation portfolio of the Ministry of International Cooperation, with a value of $5.13 billion. The development financing is secured through multilateral and bilateral development partnerships, including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank (EIB), and Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD). The financing is directed towards many projects such as the development of metro lines, the implementation of road projects, and the modernization of railways, Al-Mashat explained. Al-Mashat applauded the support coming through AfDB in providing financing for the development of the railway signals project, which is the first contribution of the AfDB in the transportation sector. She added that the funds will enhance this sector by advancing Egypts development vision and work towards achieving the UNs Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The latter includes SDG 8: Decent Work & Economic Growth, SDG 9: Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure, and SDG 11: Sustainable Cities & Communities. On his side, Minister El-Wazir said that the agreement comes within the framework of the political leadership's directives to develop the existing railway network, including a signaling and communication system that spans various railway lines. This system controls the speed of the train and records data on its route, while also providing the possibility of automatically stopping the train without the intervention of the driver in the event of any danger to prevent human error. The agreement also coincides with the Ministrys implementation of projects that develop and modernize signal systems to increase the safety and security of main lines, according to El-Wazir. This is planned to be completed by December 2021 for the Cairo-Alexandria lines and the Benha-Zagazig-Ismailia line. The Port Said line will be 100 percent completed, the Cairo-Aswan line will be 50 percent completed, and the Beni Suef-Nagaa Hammadi-Aswan line will be finished towards the end of December 2021. More work will also be accomplished on the Cairo-Beni Suef-Nagaa Hammadi line. Citizens will begin to feel improvement in transportation services by September 2021 alongside the development of the three lines and signal towers, said El-Wazir. AfDBs Bloomberg noted that the new development financing comes within the framework of the banks strategic partnership with Egypt, adding that this will open new horizons for the banks work in the transport sector. She added that the project will support the Ministry of Transportations modernisation strategy, and provide 1,200 new jobs in the projects implementation phase. The current development cooperation portfolio with the AfDB amounts to $641 million, covering various sectors including agriculture, transportation, water treatment, scientific research and entrepreneurship. Short link: SpaceCast Weekly is a NASA Television broadcast from the Johnson Space Center in Houston featuring stories about NASA's work in human spaceflight. They include the International Space Station and its crews and scientific research activities, and the development of Orion and the Space Launch System, the next generation American spacecraft being built to take humans farther into space than they've ever gone before. Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. The saga of the six-day Suez Canal shutdown and the associated standstill of global shipping has ended, leaving 400 stranded ships at the northern and southern end of this key global waterway free to make their way through the canal. However, as they resume their voyages to their destinations, they will likely arrive later than planned, putting the global, and not just the Egyptian, insurance sector in a difficult position. Ever Given is insured for more than $100 million by its mother company, but this only covers the vessels hull in case of accidents such as the cost of dredging, tugging, and floating carried out by the Egyptian administration of the Suez Canal. It also covers any damage or losses on either bank of the Suez Canal during the tugging and floating processes. Sadeq Hassan, head of Misr Life Insurance, a subsidiary of the Insurance Holding Company, said that the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) had every right to ask the Ever Given company for compensation for lost revenues caused by the shutdown of navigation, whether because some ships were delayed, or because others were rerouted away from the Suez Canal to avoid traffic problems. He said that maritime law regulates such incidents, including compensation and the cost of rescue. The law states that when a ship is in crisis and sends out a distress call, the rescue team that responds receives a percentage of the ships value in exchange. This percentage increases if the ship is in distress but does not send out a mayday signal. He added that Egypt had extensive global experience on such technical and legal matters, concentrated at the Marine/Hull Insurance Committee at the Egyptian Insurance Federation. Procedures were waiting on the investigations with the ships crew, he said, and insurance companies in Egypt and around the world that were impacted by the canal shutdown would take steps as soon as the investigation was over and a decision was taken on whether the ships crew were responsible for this incident and to what extent bad weather had exacerbated it. We must bear in mind that any ship is in the custody of its captain, who is fully responsible for it during the voyage, he noted. The Suez Canal closure seriously disrupted world trade. On the third day of the crisis, the price of fuel rose by five per cent, and on the fifth day, the auto industry in the US announced it was entering a serious crisis, due to the delay of two ships in the Suez Canal carrying essential components from China and Thailand on their way to the US. Once investigations are complete, the process of assessing the damages and negative impacts of the episode will begin, in order that each party shoulders its responsibility, Hassan explained. The crisis also spread further. Lebanon declared it was on the verge of a serious crisis, partially due to a delayed fuel shipment destined for its electricity generation plants. The blockage of the Suez Canal had led to losses in global trade of about $400 million per hour, according to the London-based Lloyds List. Amr Kamal, an expert on letters of guarantee at the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris, stated that letters of guarantee in the Suez Canal incident were less vulnerable compared to insurance contracts. Letters of guarantee are provided by a supplier to the party receiving goods and commodities. If the supplier does not deliver on time, or the goods do not meet the agreed specifications, the receiving party has the right to demand the liquidation of the letter of guarantee as a result of the suppliers non-compliance with the conditions of contract. Kamal explained that letters of guarantee were issued based on completing a task within a certain timeframe. Letters of guarantee to ensure delivery by a deadline are different from those focused on specifications of goods, but both types are unaffected by the Suez Canal shutdown because it would be difficult to demand the cancellation of the letters since the supplier, transporters, and shipping were subject to force majeure beyond their control. The letters of guarantee that are vulnerable to liquidation in the recent incident are those based on a contract between two parties that does not clearly stipulate taking into account compelling circumstances beyond the control of either party and that prevent them from meeting their obligation to the other, Kamal said. Only in such cases could the recipient of the letter of guarantee demand its liquidation for the failure to meet contractual obligations. He noted, however, that even if there was a clause in a letter allowing for force majeure and the parties agree not to use their right of recourse, the two can still agree to extend the letters of guarantee to ensure the completion of their contract until the end of the force majeure period. *A version of this article appears in print in the 8 April, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Short link: Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Saudi King Salman stressed during talks in Riyadh on Sunday the need to preserve the security and stability of Arab states and to combat attempts to drive a wedge between Arab allies, Egypt's state news agency MENA said. President El-Sisi landed in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Sunday for a visit to boost ties after months of apparent tensions between the two Arab allies. The Egyptian presidency said El-Sisi's visit came in response to an invitation by King Salman last month when the two leaders met on the sidelines of the Arab League Summit held in Jordan. The two Arab leaders said they look forward to enhancing cooperation between their countries to face challenges and restore security and stability in the region, referring to the civil conflicts in Syria, Yemen, Libya. The official Saudi Press Agency said the talks between El-Sisi and Salman "reviewed the strong and brotherly relations as well as cooperation between the two countries" and recent developments in the region. Earlier on Sunday, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement that Salman and El-Sisi would discuss "regional and international issues of common interest" and that the "fight against terrorism" in the region would top their agenda. On Friday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said the visit would also be a good opportunity to discuss international and regional developments in light of the new US foreign policies under the Trump administration, especially after El-Sisi's recent visit to Washington. Tensions between Saudi Arabia and Egypt grew last year when an agreement between the two countries to transfer ownership of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia was met with protests and lawsuits in Egypt. Some reports have suggested that the two countries also differ on their stances on how to reach a resolution to the Syrian civil war. There has been speculation that the reported row over Syria stems from Riyadh's conviction that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad must be removed to put an end to the country's six-year civil war, while Cairo advocates a political solution that denies Islamist militants any future role in Syria. However, officials from both countries have repeatedly emphasised the close ties between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, denying the existence of tensions or disagreements. Saudi Arabian state oil company Aramco decided in March to resume oil shipments to Egypt following a six months suspension. Short link: A drop in electricity generation in Ivory Coast and Ghana has left households and businesses fuming as well as cutting power supplies to neighbouring West African countries Mali and Burkina Faso, officials said. A prolonged dry season has reduced water levels at hydropower dams in both countries that in some cases could take months to resolve, hampering productivity, raising costs and hitting the economies of the world's biggest cocoa producers. In Ivory Coast, which exports power to six countries, the national power company faces a generation deficit of about 200 megawatts (MW), or nearly 10% of its 2,230 MW capacity, director general Ahmadou Bakayoko told a news conference on Friday. Officials told Reuters that most power companies in the country were producing at reduced capacity. "Electricity production at the national level has been severely impacted since November 2020 by major unforeseen technical incidents on our electricity generation tools," Energy Minister Thomas Camera told the same news conference. Camara said the national power utility, Ivory Coast Electricity Company (CIE), had been forced to use reserve water from its reservoirs to keep hydropower plants going but there was not enough rain to replenish dams. Delays in the expansion of the Azito thermal power plant in the main city Abidjan due to the coronavirus pandemic have also hit capacity. The situation could return to normal around July, he said. "We have drastically reduced exports to 60 MW from 200 MW," Camara said. A spokesman at Mali's energy ministry told Reuters that electricity imports from Ivory Coast had fallen 30%, causing repeated outages and leading to a 100 MW generation deficit. Burkina Faso's utility blamed its power shortages and cuts on generation constraints in Ghana and Ivory Coast. In Ghana, which exports to Burkina Faso, the national utility is carrying out rolling outages until May 17. The power regulator on Friday blamed the problem on several issues including work on transmission lines and a lack of rain that has left reservoirs depleted in the north of the country. GENERATOR RUSH The outages in Ivory Coast have led to complaints from the cocoa sector, which depends on a steady power supply for its grinding machines. Two industry sources said most cocoa grinders were operating at between 25% and 50% of capacity. The power cuts have led to a rush by businesses to secure diesel-powered generators which are scarce and expensive. Those unable to afford them have sent workers home, the sources said. "This has led to additional production costs for us because diesel generators cost three to four times more than conventional electricity," said Louis Amede, director general of Ivory Coast's business federation. He said the national utility was rationing power to companies, supplying them for just 12 hours out of every 48. In Abidjan's working-class district of Yopougon, several small businesses including sewing workshops, hairdressing salons and bakeries were unable to operate. Luc Pare, a young fashion designer, lay on a bench in his shop, waiting for power to return so he could use his sewing machine. "We can't work. Eid celebration is approaching. I have a lot of orders and I don't know what to say to customers who are very demanding." Short link: Their beaming smiles say a lot about the passion of the three university girls who chose to put effort into challenging deep-rooted norms in order to see change on the horizon. Zeina El-Salamony, Farida Rashwan and Neamat El-Touby are three students in their final year at Egypts MSA University, who just launched the Raise them well campaign as part of their graduation project. The campaign has already taken off on various social media platforms, and will be distributed via print outlets soon, El-Salamony told Ahram Online. The students are using their campaign to battle the problem of gender-based differences in parenting. They say their aim is to help parents learn about the mistakes they make, their long-term effects, and how to prevent them. The team explained to Ahramonline that they were prompted to initiate the campaign after observing how since the beginning of time, the differences in raising boys and girls has been prominent and obvious to many girls and women of this day and age. Providing a historical overview, the students explain that mothers, grandmother, and great-grandmothers discuss the differences in the level of liberty and freedom that they had in contrast to the permission and independence that their brothers had. Although the topic has raised many eyebrows over the years, it has been all talk and no action," El Salamony says. In turn, the students launched the campaign to raise awareness about the prejudice girls face as they grow, and the psychological turmoil that is created. "As this happens, boys are affected too. Their personality is embedded with a sense of false superiority, which causes them to belittle females. When we view many of our traditions and culture, the differences in the upbringing in terms of sexes is remarkable. Arab culture raises girls to be inferior in society, while her male opposite is raised to be superior," El Salamony adds. The students say that a clear example is the way parents discipline the child. In many cases, boys are pressured to be violent in order to "be a man", while girls are pushed to be quiet, polite, and obedient. Describing the impact of these differences in parenting, they explain that on many occasions, girls are accustomed to being undermined, which leads to diminished self-esteem and sense of self-worth. With this campaign, the main goal is to overturn this mentality as much as possible and convince parents to raise their children as equals, El Salamony concludes. Short link: Egyptian court says has no jurisdiction to look into appeal against impounding Ever Given El-Sayed Gamal El-Din, , Sunday 23 May 2021 The ruling allows the SCA to keep impounding the vessel An Egyptian court ruled on Sunday that hearing an appeal against the impounding of the Ever Given ship, which had blocked Egypt's Suez Canal in March, does not fall within its jurisdiction. The Ismailia Economic Court had ordered in April the mega-ship be impounded over financial disputes linked to a $916 compensation claim made by the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) over the losses incurred due to the nearly week-long blockage. Shoei Kisen, the ship owner, filed an appeal against the impounding order with the court. Under the Egyptian legal system, such appeals are usually examined by economic appeals courts, not courts of the first instance such as Ismailia Economic Court. The court 's appeals chamber also ordered on Sunday the referral of the case back to the district's court of first instance for consideration on 29 May. Sunday's ruling allows the SCA to keep impounding the vessel. The 400-metre-long ship had run aground across the canal on 23 March and was refloated on 29 March by a fleet of Egyptian tugboats and diggers, with the assistance of the tide. The vessel, which is still loaded with thousands of cargo containers worth more than $3.5 billion, has since been anchored in a lake between two sections of the canal. The incident caused a huge build-up of vessels after stopping traffic in both directions. The SCA said the claimed compensation covers losses incurred from the six-day blockage and the cost of dislodging attempts. Shoei Kisen argued that the SCA had been at fault for allowing the ship to enter the waterway amid bad weather, one of the lawyers representing the ship owner's legal team told Reuters. It also said the dislodging efforts fall within the SCA's duties, claiming $100,000 in initial compensation for losses related to the impounding order. The compensation claim has been recently reduced by the Egyptian authorities to almost $600 million, in order to free the vessel. However, the UK Club, an insurer of the mega-ship, said the amount was still "exceptionally large." https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/412688.aspx In Photos: Egypt sends over 3,000 tons of humanitarian aid to Gaza Amr Kandil, , Sunday 23 May 2021 The aid includes vegetables, poultry, fruits, blankets, carpets, mattresses, sanitisers, medical masks, clothes and medicine Egypt sent more than 3,000 tons of humanitarian aid, including food and medicine, on Sunday to the Rafah border crossing, the last stop before the aid is transferred to the Gaza Strip. The aid, packed in 130 containers, include blankets and clothes as well as construction materials, a Cabinet statement read. This comes only two days after an Egypt-brokered ceasefire went into effect in the strip, ending 11 days of Israeli airstrikes that killed more than 250 Palestinians. The airstrikes also targeted hundreds of buildings and displaced tens of thousands of Palestinians in the enclave of Gaza. An Egyptian convoy - prepared by the donation-based 'Tahya Misr' (Long live Egypt) Fund -has delivered the aid to the Rafah crossing, the only crossing point between Egypt and Gaza. ## The convoy was prepared through contributions and in-kind donations provided by Egyptian companies working in various commercial and industrial fields, the statement read. The companies provided these contributions as part of an Egyptian initiative supporting the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi launched the initiative on Tuesday. The aid also includes vegetables, poultry, fruits, blankets, carpets, mattresses, sanitisers, medical masks, clothes and medicine, the statement noted. The aid will be delivered to the Palestinian people under an Arabic slogan translated as we share for the sake of humanity," the Cabinet said. The slogan aims to encourage all social work parties to compete and exert more effort in to achieving record numbers in charity and solidarity from the different nations around the world, the statement added. The states 'Tahya Misr' Fund allocated the account No. (037037 - Reconstruction of Gaza) in all Egyptian banks to receive contributions and donations in local and foreign currencies. It also receives contributions through its online website (www.tahyamisrfund.org). ## Egypts top religious authority Al-Azhar also announced on Sunday plans to send an urgent relief convoy to Gaza in solidarity with the Palestinian cause. Al-Azhars aid comes after weeks of violence, destruction and Zionist terrorism that targeted Palestinian people, homes, roads, public properties, media headquarters, Red Crescent buildings and others, a statement by Al-Azhar read. The Israeli aggression caused big harm and humanitarian disasters that harmed the city and its infrastructure as well as caused severe psychological impact on the families of the martyrs whose houses and properties were bombed, the statement added. The aid comes as an extension of Al-Azhars stance rejecting Israeli assaults on the Palestinians living in Jerusalems Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood and their attempt to forcibly displace these residents, read the statement. Al-Azhar also reiterated the rejection of Israelis storming into Al-Aqsa Mosque and the oppression of peaceful Palestinian protests. https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/412704.aspx KYODO NEWS - May 22, 2021 - 17:07 | All, Japan The Ground Self-Defense Force conducted a major artillery live-fire drill in central Japan on Saturday, featuring a scenario for preventing enemy troops from landing on remote islands. The annual firepower exercise at the East Fuji training area in Shizuoka Prefecture comes as Japan has been increasingly vigilant over China's maritime assertiveness in the East China Sea where Beijing claims the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands. Japan is stepping up its capabilities to protect the Nansei Islands, a chain stretching southwest toward Taiwan and covering Okinawa and the Senkakus, uninhabited isles which China calls Diaoyu. The two-hour drill mobilized some 3,100 troops, 45 tanks and armored vehicles, and 54 pieces of artillery, using 43 tons of live ammunition worth 780 million yen ($7 million). Combat helicopters also joined the training. The event was livestreamed on YouTube as the GSDF refrained from allowing the public to see it on site for the second straight year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The drill is normally held in late August but was brought forward, considering the schedules of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. By Yuka Nakao, KYODO NEWS - May 23, 2021 - 14:47 | All, Japan, Coronavirus With the coronavirus pandemic adding to the challenge of finding work in a foreign country, overseas students in Japan have taken to visiting online job-information fairs, events that also allow companies in rural areas access to a more diverse range of candidates. A virtual job fair on Saturday featuring nine companies was attended by over 1,100 students from 24 countries and territories such as Indonesia and Thailand. In addition to sessions run by the participating firms, the event also included seminars on job hunting in Japan and a personal consultation corner. Sessions by the firms, which included Nitori Holdings Co., a Tokyo-based home furnishings retailer, and Marukyo Co., a confectionery maker based in Tottori Prefecture, western Japan, lasted 45 minutes each. Some firms used English and Chinese during their presentations. Questions from the job seekers included wanting to know what the companies expect from foreign students to the level of Japanese ability required and how much overtime there would be per month. Kompyang Supartini, an Indonesian employee at The Monogatari Corp. who participated in one session, cited difficulties in communicating with her Japanese colleagues but said the company offers Japanese-language lessons and training in business manners for its international staff. Kompyang works as a manager at one of about 500 restaurants the Aichi Prefecture-based companies operates in Japan and has an eye on Monogatari's plans to expand the number of restaurants it runs in Southeast Asia. "I want to gain more knowledge and experience in Japan and be ready to be deployed as manager of an outlet in my home country," she said. Pasona Inc., a major staffing firm that organized the event, said Japanese job hunting is "unique and difficult," citing the Japanese practice of hiring new graduates en masse in April, the particularities of Japanese resume-writing technique and job interview etiquette. Nonetheless, Pasona spokeswoman Yuko Hashimoto said, "It's not only companies with overseas branches that are seeking foreign hires but also those that only operate domestically, in the expectation of generating a good 'chemical reaction' from having a more diverse workforce." Pasona has organized job fairs for foreign students since 2007, and Hashimoto feels that going online has made it easier for students and companies to meet up, regardless of the size or location of the firm. A labor ministry official also said online job fairs and interviews have helped new graduates. "There was a period last year when all job-hunting activities halted, but the rates of those who found jobs have gradually improved, partly due to the spread of online interviews," the official said. The job-search season for students who will graduate next March got off to a solid start, said Recruit Co., which operates Rikunabi, a major job-hunting website. According to the company, the percentage of those who found work as of May 1 stood at 51.3 percent of graduating students, up 5.6 points from a year earlier, and about the same level as in pre-pandemic 2019. As of April 1, the start of the business year in Japan, the employment rate for those who graduated in March fell 2.0 points from a year earlier to 96.0 percent as companies cut new hires due to the harsh economic climate amid the pandemic, according to the labor and education ministries. The ministries plan to continue their support for students through such means as retaining the same number of career counselors as last year -- around 1,400 -- up 20 percent from the pre-pandemic period. KYODO NEWS - May 23, 2021 - 20:47 | All, Japan, Coronavirus The Defense Ministry said Sunday it administered Moderna Inc.'s coronavirus vaccine among Self-Defense Forces members, the first confirmed use of the vaccine in Japan, as the SDF will start running mass vaccination centers the following day. The vaccine developed by the U.S. pharmaceutical company was granted fast-track approval by the Japanese government on Friday along with one provided by Britain's AstraZeneca Plc. The ministry vaccinated SDF doctors and nurses as well as private nurses who will work at the centers which will open in Tokyo and Osaka on Monday for inoculations of the elderly. They will use the Moderna vaccine at the venues. Japan now has three available vaccines, also including one developed by U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BioNTech SE already in use. The AstraZeneca shot will not be used immediately in Japan amid lingering concerns over rare cases of blood clots being reported overseas, the health ministry has said. Related coverage: Japan approves Moderna, AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines KYODO NEWS - May 23, 2021 - 20:00 | World, All A former Muslim leader at China's largest mosque in the country's far-western Xinjiang region was incarcerated by Chinese authorities in 2017 as he was accused of having spread extremism, sources close to the matter said Sunday. In addition to the person who led prayers in the mosque, other religious leaders have been also detained, the sources said, amid accusations that the Communist-led government has infringed on the human rights of the Muslim Uyghur minority in the region. The former imam at the Id Kah mosque was sentenced to 15 years in prison, the sources said. China's move may come under fire from the United States and other democratic nations that have lambasted the alleged repression of the Uyghurs as amounting to a "genocide." The current imam at the mosque, however, has denied religious oppression by the ruling Communist Party. China has been criticized for mass detention of the Muslim Uyghur minority who oppose growing state surveillance under the re-education campaign in Xinjiang. President Xi Jinping's leadership has consistently said its internment camps are vocational training centers established to combat terrorism and religious extremism preemptively, urging the United States not to interfere in its "internal affairs." In March, meanwhile, the United States condemned the "genocide" that has occurred against the Muslim Uyghur minority in China in an annual human rights report issued for the first time under the administration of President Joe Biden, who took office in January. The abusive treatment of ethnic and religious minority groups in the Xinjiang region includes the arbitrary imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberties of more than 1 million civilians, forced sterilization, coerced abortion, rape and forced labor, the 2020 report said. China has been facing boycotts of the 2022 Winter Beijing Olympic by democratic countries denouncing its alleged human rights violations against the nation's Muslim Uyghur minority in Xinjiang. New Delhi: The ED on Friday said it has attached a three-acre plot worth Rs 45 crore in Patna in connection with its money laundering probe in the IRCTC hotel allotment scam case involving RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his family. Agency sources said the land is allegedly in the name of the family members of Lalu Prasad and a mall was supposed to be constructed here. The estimated market value of the plot is Rs 45 crore, they said. The property has been provisionally attached to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The central probe had last week questioned Lalu Prasad's wife and former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi in this case in Patna. It has earlier questioned Rabri Devi's son Tejashwi Yadav, the former deputy chief minister of Bihar, twice in this case. In July, the agency registered a case against Lalu Prasad, his family members and others under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Also Read: IRCTC hotels scam: CBI grills Tejashwi Yadav for seven hours Just before this, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a criminal first information report and conducted multiple searches on the properties of Lalu Prasad and others. The CBI FIR alleged that Lalu Prasad, during his tenure as the railway minister in UPA-I, handed over the maintenance of two Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation hotels to a company in 2004 after receiving a bribe in the form of a prime land in Patna through a 'benami' company owned by Sarla Gupta, wife of Prem Chand Gupta, a former Union minister. The ED registered the criminal case against his family members and others under the PMLA, based on this CBI FIR. The CBI has already recorded the statements of Tejashwi and Lalu Prasad in this case. The ED is investigating the alleged "proceeds of crime" generated by the accused, purportedly through shell companies, according to the officials. Others named in the CBI FIR include Vijay Kochhar, Vinay Kochhar (both directors of Sujata Hotels), Delight Marketing company, now known as Lara Projects, and the then IRCTC managing director P K Goel. The CBI FIR was registered on July 5 in connection with favours allegedly extended to Sujata Hotels in awarding a contract for the upkeep of the hotels in Ranchi and Puri and receiving premium land as "quid pro quo". For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Dehradun: Six teachers of a rural school were killed and five others injured on Thursday when their vehicle plunged into a gorge in the Almora district. The vehicle, a Bolero, met with the accident near Chitai temple about 10 km from Almora, Superintendent of Police P Renuka Devi told PTI on phone. The incident occurred at around 9 am and the vehicle was ferrying eleven persons, mostly teachers, to a rural school. Three teachers died on the spot while three others succumbed to injuries at a hospital, Devi said. Five injured were rushed to the Almora base hospital from where some were referred to a higher centre in Haldwani, she said. Also Read: 13 killed in road accident near Kheda's Kathlal on Indore-Ahmedabad highway The teachers had apparently hired the vehicle to drop them at their school, the SP said. It is not yet certain what led to the accident, she added. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Reacting to objections raised by some sections of the society on singing 'Vande Mataram', Vice President Venkaiah Naidu asked, If not your mother, who would you salute, Afzal Guru. Recalling the Supreme Court's 1995 verdict on Hindutva, Naidu said, "Hinduism is not a narrow concept, it is a broader cultural connotation of India." "Vande Mataram ke baare mein vivaad hota hai, 'Maa tujhe salaam'. Maa ko salaam nahi karenge toh kisko karenge? Afzal Guru ko karenge kya? (Vande Mataram' is an ode to the motherland, what is the problem with it? if you don't salute your mother, who would you salute, Afzal Guru), he asked. I want to tell people Bharat Mata ki Jai is not just about one photo, it is about all 125 crore people living in this country irrespective of their caste, colour, creed and religion. They all are Indians," Naidu said speaking at the release of a book on former Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) chief late Ashok Singhal. Naidu went on to describe Singhal as the finest proponents of Hinduism. He sacrificed 75 years of his life for the future, Naidu further added. The vice president made the remarks after some politicians called for singing the national anthem instead of Vande Mataram" at schools and other institutions, sparking a controversy. Afzal Guru was given the capital punishment for hatching the conspiracy behind the attack on Indian Parliament in December 2001 which led to the death of 14 people, including six security personnel. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Suspended Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar on said that party has given him a lot and there is no future for India if there is no Congress. He also added, that he is ready for whatever punishment the party deems fit if the Congress party suffers any damage in Gujarat because of his 'Neech' comments against PM Modi. Congress on acted strongly against its senior leader Mani Shankar Aiyar and suspended him from party's primary membership over his "neech" remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. If any damage has been done to Congress because of what I said or did then I am saddened by it. I had no such intention. I am ready to accept any punishment that the Congress party wants to give me: #ManiShankarAiyar on his 'Neech' comment pic.twitter.com/b9CTEOpxlc ANI (@ANI) December 8, 2017 The Congress party also issued a show cause notice to its Rajya Sabha MP Aiyar for using derogatory language against PM Modi. Also Read: Congress suspends Mani Shankar Aiyar after Rahul Gandhi's rebuke "This is Congress Gandhian leadership and respect towards its opponents. Congress party has issued a showcause notice to Mr Mani Shankar Aiyar and suspended him from party's primary membership. Will Modi also " Congress leader Randeep Surjewala tweeted on Thursday. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi too disapproved of Aiyar's remarks and said both he and the party expected the senior leader to apologise. "He (Modi) is 'neech kism ka aadmi' (a vile man) who has no 'sabhyata' (civility)," Aiyar, who has often courted controversy with his off-the-cuff remarks said, attacking Modi after the latter accused the Congress of seeking votes in B R Ambedkar's but trying to erase his contribution to building India. Also Read: Mani Shankar Aiyar apologises to PM Modi after Rahul Gandhi's rebuke Aiyar asked Modi "What is the need for doing dirty politics on such an occasion?". Modi, who was in Surat, latched on to Aiyar's comments, saying it was an insult to Gujarat. "Mani Shankar Aiyar said I belong to 'neech' caste, I am 'neech' (vile), this is an insult to Gujarat," he told an election rally. "This is Mughal mentality which hates people who even wear good clothes," he said but asked BJP workers and supporters not to respond to Aiyar's remarks. The Congress too strongly disapproved of Aiyar's remarks, with party vice president Rahul Gandhi saying he and the party expected the leader to tender an apology. "BJP and PM routinely use filthy language to attack the Congress party. The Congress has a different culture and heritage. I do not appreciate the tone and language used by Mr Mani Shankar Aiyer to address the PM. Both the Congress and I expect him to apologise for what he said," Gandhi said on Twitter. For more News updates Follow english.newsnationtv.com For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing a rally in Bhabhar town of Banskantha district in poll-bound Gujarat accused Mani Shankar Aiyar of offering a Supari on his head. Targeting Aiyar for the second time in two days after his "neech aadmi" jibe at him, Modi said, Mani Shankar Aiyar told people when he visited Pakistan- remove Modi from the way. Did you go to Pakistan to offer a Supari on my head? Modi's allegation came just a day after Aiyar sparked a massive political controversy by calling PM Modi a "neech kism ka aadmi. Both PM Modi and BJP were quick link the controversy with Gujarat elections. However, Rahul Gandhi interfered timely and not allowing the issue to escalate further rebuked Aiyar and asked him to apologise. Read | Aiyar's 'neech' remark, aggressive BJP and Rahul Gandhi's master stroke Later, acting strongly agianst Aiyar, Congress suspended him from party's primary membership and issued a show cause notice for using derogatory language against country's Prime Minister. On Friday, Launching BJP's poll campaign for the second phase of Gujarat Assembly elections, Modi lashed out at Congress and said, When there were floods in the region, Congress MLAs were "relaxing" in Bengaluru while "BJP leaders were helping people". Modi further said the issue here is of Congress mentality and the partys work culture means atkana, latkana and bhatkana. Also Read | Congress suspends Mani Shankar Aiyar after Rahul Gandhi's rebuke New Delhi: In a shocking incident on Thursday, a DCW volunteer was allegedly beaten up with iron rod and her clothes was ripped apart before parading her in the lanes of Delhis Narela locality. The incident took place a day after the 33-year-old helped the Delhi Commission for Women bust a liquor racket in the area, PTI reported. Rajneesh Gupta, DCP (Rohini), however, dismissed the DCWs allegations that the woman was paraded naked and instead said her clothes had torn a little while she was being beaten by a group of women. There were no men among the assailants, said the DCP. According to police, the woman was a member of the Nasha Mukti Panchayat and had assisted them earlier. A total of 312 quarters of alcohol and 12 beer bottles were found from the area on Wednesday, said the DCP. Four more women arrested in connection with assault and thrashing of a woman member of Nasha Mukti Panchayat ANI (@ANI) December 8, 2017 On Wednesday night, Delhi Commission for Women Chairperson Swati Maliwal and her team raided the house of a woman identified as Asha. The police said Asha and a few other women allegedly beat up the victim. The womens commissions chief Swati Jai Hind said that the volunteer, who lives near the area, was surrounded by a group of men and women and attacked her on Thursday morning. The owner of the illegal liquor shop, along with a mob, surrounded the female volunteer. She was beaten up with iron rods, her clothes were torn and she was paraded naked in the locality, she told. On Thursday afternoon, a group of women allegedly attacked the victim for her role in leading to the alcohol seizure. The woman suffered bruises and abrasions on her face and forearm. She did not suffer any fractures and did not receive any sharp injuries. The police team rushed her to a hospital, said the DCP. The injured woman had earlier this year got another assault case registered against the prime suspect. We had arrested the woman suspect back then also, said the DCP. Meanwhile, Madhur Verma, Delhi Polices spokesperson, pointed out that 55 cases under the Excise Act had been registered against the bootleggers of this neighbourhood. Utterly shocking and shameful that this is happening in the capital of India. I urge Honble LG to immediately intervene, take action against local policemen and ensure everyones safety https://t.co/Den926EgML Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) December 7, 2017 A brave lady beaten & paraded naked in Delhi by liquor mafia, her video is made~all coz she dared to raise her voice against crime and helped DCW catch people selling illegal liquor in their home at 50 m from police chowki. Is there any law and order in Delhi? Shame @DelhiPolice https://t.co/IchXfXbv25 Swati Jai Hind (@SwatiJaiHind) December 7, 2017 Shameful 2 term incident as 'quarrel' when ppl who attackd Praveen, threatend her & DCW team in front of me last night. Also no MLC records someone's insult on having been paraded naked! She has iron rod marks on body & is still hospitalised! Police Maalkhana is at 50 m, pl chk! https://t.co/U5PJuIPFQk Swati Jai Hind (@SwatiJaiHind) December 7, 2017 For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday stepped up attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking why there is no mention of development in his speeches during the Gujarat election campaign. Gandhi said he did not get an answer to even one of the 10 questions he had asked Modi on Gujarat's report card, despite the BJP being in power in the state for 22 years, and wondered if governance meant mere speeches. "BJP has its government in Gujarat for 22 years. I will only ask, what is the reason development is missing in the prime minister's speeches. "I asked 10 questions on Gujarat?s report card but no answers came. No manifesto till the campaign for the first phase of polling ended. So, 'ab bhashan hi shasan hai' (does governance mean mere speeches now)," he asked on Twitter. Taking on Modi, the Congress leaders has started aquestion a day series on social networking site with the tagline "22 saal ka hisab, Gujarat maange jawab? (22years of account, Gujarat demands answers). The Congress is seeking to wrest power from the BJP and Gandhi has spearheaded the attack, often targeting the prime minister over the claims of development and questioning the 'Gujarat model'. As polling began on Saturday for the first phase of Gujarat elections, the Congress vice president welcomed the first-time youth voters of the state and urged all to help make the festival of democracy a success. "Participation of voters is the soul of democracy. Welcome all the first-time youth voters of Gujarat. Appeal to all voters to vote to help make a success of this festival of democracy," he said on Twitter. The second phase of the assembly polls is on December 14. The results will be out on December 18. Chotta Udaipur: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi said that the party respects the chair of Prime Minister and explained why senior leader Mani Shankar Aiyar was suspended for his neech slur against PM Narendra Modi on Friday during an election campaign in Gujarats Chotta Udaipur. Gandhi addressing to hundreds of party workers said, The Congress Party respects the chair of Prime Minister. No one in the Congress is allowed to insult the Prime Minister. That is why we took strict action against Mani Shankar Aiyar He added, Modiji and BJP can say anything about us and our action." During the rally, the Congress vice president asserted that the Congress will win the state assembly elections. No one can stop us from winning. A storm is coming. In a controversial remark, Congress leader Aiyar on Thursday had called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a neech aadmi (vile man), who does dirty politics. Also read: Rahul Gandhi hurls question number 10 at PM Modi, asks about Rs 55,000 crore meant for tribal welfare in Gujarat Aiyar had said, He (Modi) is neech kism ka aadmi (a vile man) who has no sabhyata (civility). Soon after Aiyars statement, BJP and Modi lashed out at Aiyar and Congress. PM Modi hitting back, had said, The Congress would be punished for insulting all of Gujarat. People of Gujarat will take revenge on December 18 and teach you the precise meaning of neech." Also read| Rahul Gandhi: BJP shows 'unbelievable disrespect' to Gujarat people by not releasing manifesto for state Assembly Election 2017 BJP senior leader and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley termed Aiyars removal from the party as Congresss strategic suspension. New Delhi: The government on Friday extended the deadline for mandatory linking of PAN with Aadhaar by three months to March 31, 2018. This is the third extension given by the government to individuals to link the Permanent Account Number (PAN) with the biometric ID. The Centre had already informed the Supreme Court that it is willing to extend till March 31 the deadline fixed for mandatory linking of Aadhaar to avail various services and welfare schemes. "It has come to notice that some of the taxpayers have not yet completed the linking of PAN with Aadhaar. "Therefore, to facilitate the process of linking, it has been decided to further extend the time for linking of Aadhaar with PAN till March 31, 2018," the finance ministry said. As of November, 13.28 crore out of 33 crore PANs have been linked to the 12-digit biometric identifier Aadhaar. This year, the government made quoting of Aadhaar mandatory for filing income tax returns (ITRs) as well as obtaining a new PAN. Section 139 AA (2) of the Income Tax Act says that every person having PAN as on July 1, 2017, and eligible to obtain Aadhaar, must intimate his Aadhaar number to the tax authorities. The government had in August extended by four months the deadline for linking PAN with Aadhaar till December 31, pending the Supreme Court verdict. The Supreme Court is hearing petitions challenging the government's decision on Aadhaar. The apex court has said it may consider setting up of a constitution bench to hear pleas challenging the Centre's move to make Aadhaar card mandatory for availing various services and benefits of welfare schemes. The deadline for linking PAN with Aadhaar previously was July 31 but was extended to August 31 and later to December 31, 2017. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi : Samsung has tied up with Paytm Mall to offer a cashback upto Rs 8,000 on its range of Galaxy smartphone which includes Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S8+, Galaxy S8, Galaxy C9 Pro, Galaxy C7 Pro and Galaxy J5 Prime. In order to avail the cashback, customer will have to visit the companys outlet. Select smartphone of their choosing, scan the Paytm Mall QR Code and pay the phones price. After the successful purchase of smartphone, cashback will automatically be credited into their Paytm Wallet. In addition to Paytm Mall, Samsung has also partnered with Bajaj Finserv to offer no-cost EMIs on select devices above Rs 10,000. MobiKwik users can avail 10 per cent SuperCash discount. Cashify offers a buyback of upto 40 per cent value of the device when upgrading to the next Samsung device. Samsung is also offering great deals on wearable device such as Gear Fit 2 Pro and Gear Sport along with deals on speakers, audio accessories and TV sets. Sandeep Singh Arora - Vice President, Online Business of Samsung India said, "We are happy to spread the joy this festival season with a week-long sale on the Samsung Shop. During the sale, we will have exciting offers, EMI and exchange schemes that will allow consumers to purchase and enjoy their favourite Samsung product. Bahrain Bourse has announced that only fully-vaccinated investors (who completed 14 days following their second dose) and fully-recovered investors who are above 18 years, will be allowed access to Bahrain Clears Investor Services Centre. Investors will have to show the green badge on their BeAware Bahrain application to access the premises as of May 23, 2021 until June 3, 2021 or based on the recommendations of the National Medical Taskforce for Combating the Coronavirus (Covid-19), reported Bahrain News Agency (BNA). All investors will have to pre-book their appointments with Bahrain Clear via the Skiplino application before visiting Bahrain Clears Investor Services Centre, where only investors with prior bookings will be allowed access. This is part of the efforts of Bahrains government entities to combat the spread of Coronavirus (Covid-19) and based on the recommendations of the National Medical Taskforce for Combating the Coronavirus (Covid-19). Goma (DR Congo): At least 15 United Nations peacekeepers were killed in the restive Democratic Republic of Congo, officials said on Saturday, in the deadliest attack in the organisation's recent history. The UN Security Council said the peacekeepers, who were from neighbouring Tanzania, were killed in the North Kivu province late Thursday, alongside five Congolese soldiers, with 53 personnel wounded. UN chief Antonio Guterres led an outpouring of outrage over the deadly ambush, calling it a "heinous" act. "I condemn this attack unequivocally. These deliberate attacks against UN peacekeepers are unacceptable and constitute a war crime", he said in a statement. DR Congo's huge eastern region has long been wracked by violence, but fighting between government soldiers and militia groups, as well as inter-ethnic clashes, has increased significantly this year. North Kivu province, which borders Uganda and Rwanda, has seen a particular uptick in killings and kidnappings between rival ethnic groups. The UN in October declared a level 3 emergency in DR Congo -- a status afforded to conflicts in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. Read more: Pakistan allows Kulbhushan Jadhav to meet mother, wife on Christmas MONUSCO, the UN's peacekeeping force in DR Congo, said its operating base at Semuliki, North Kivu, was attacked by "suspected ADF elements". ADF are a Ugandan Muslim rebel group, one of several armed groups active in the North Kivu region. "Attacks against those who are working in the service of peace and stability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are cowardly", MONUSCO head Maman Sidikou said in a statement, vowing to bring the attackers to justice. Guterres said it was the worst attack on UN peacekeepers in the organisation's recent history. "I call on the DRC authorities to investigate this incident and swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice", he said. "There must be no impunity for such assaults, here or anywhere else. Some those wounded in the attack are in critical condition with the medical evacuation of casualties continuing, he added, while military reinforcements have arrived on the scene. Secretary-General @antonioguterres condemned today's attack on @UNPeacekeeping in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Watch his statement below. Read our story at https://t.co/jwDpDeSTvH. pic.twitter.com/y1fAwSYUeO UN News (@UN_News_Centre) December 8, 2017 For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Ahmedabad: Gujarat goes to the polls today for the first phase of the assembly election being held in 89 seats of Saurashtra and South Gujarat regions with 977 candidates in the fray. The second phase of the high-stakes election with the BJP making a bid for a fifth term and the Congress attempting an electoral revival -- will be held on December 14. After a campaign that often turned vituperative, around 2.12 crore voters are expected to exercise their franchise in Modis home state tomorrow to choose between the ruling BJP and the Congress. Prominent candidates in the fray for Saturdays battle include Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who is contesting from Rajkot (West), and Congress Shaktisinh Gohil (Mandvi) and Paresh Dhanani (Amreli). The high voltage campaign for the first phase ended last evening. Sparring between the two parties while canvassing for the polls, viewed as a prestige battle for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a litmus test for the leadership of soon-to-be Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, continued till the very end. Also Read | Congress suspends Mani Shankar Aiyar after Rahul Gandhi's rebuke Yesterday, the Congress suspended its leader Mani Shankar Aiyar for referring to Modi as a neech kism ka aadmi (vile sort of man), triggering a controversy just ahead of the election. The campaign shaped up as a duel between Modi and Gandhi, and often turned personal. The poll narrative kept changing with issues such as the Ayodhya title suit, Gandhis imminent elevation as Congress president and his visits to temples being raised by BJP leaders. Gandhi emerged as the Congress pivot to take on the might of the prime minister on his home turf. While Modi addressed about 15 rallies, Gandhi spent more than seven days in Saurashtra and south Gujarat, addressing a number of meetings. Also Read | After 'neech' row, Congress bars its spokespersons from speaking against PM Modi BJP president Amit Shah, the chief poll strategist of the saffron party, also addressed a number of rallies, mainly targeting the Congress and Gandhi. The BJP drafted in Union ministers Arun Jaitley, Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman, besides Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The Congress fielded former prime minister Manmohan Singh and prominent leaders such as P Chidambaram, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sachin Pilot to canvass for votes. The second phase comprises 93 seats in north and central Gujarat. The counting of votes will be taken up on December 18. Colombo: Sri Lanka on Saturday formally handed over the strategic southern port of Hambantota to China on a 99-year lease, in a deal dubbed by the opposition as a sell-out. Two Chinese firms - Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG) and Hambantota International Port Services (HIPS) managed by the China Merchants Port Holdings Company (CMPort) and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority will own the port and the investment zone around it, officials said. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe during a visit to China in April had agreed to swap equity in Chinese infrastructure projects launched by former president Mahinda Rajapaksa in his home district. Sri Lanka owed China USD 8 billion then finance minister Ravi Karunanayake had said last year. With this agreement we have started to pay back the loans. Hambantota will be converted to a major port in the Indian Ocean, Wickremesinghe said while addressing the handing over ceremony held in parliament. There will be an economic zone and industrialisation in the area which will lead to economic development and promote tourism, the prime minister said. The governments grant of large tax concessions to Chinese firms have also been questioned by the opposition. The opposition and trade unions have dubbed the deal as a sell out of the countrys national assets to China. The Sri Lankan government had signed a USD 1.1 billion deal in July to sell a 70 per cent stake in the Hambantota port to China. Sri Lanka received USD 300 million as the initial payment under the 99-year lease agreement which the opposition had described as a sell out. The port, overlooking the Indian Ocean, is expected to play a key role in Chinas Belt and Road initiative, which will link ports and roads between China and Europe. In order to allay Indias security concerns over the Chinese navys presence in Sri Lanka, Wickremesinghe had earlier ruled out the possibility of the strategic port being used as a military base by any foreign country. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: India has been known to be a country which is quite heterogeneous in its social and cultural mix, yet stands united as a nation on the underlying principle of 'Unity in Diversity'. The country has a secular fabric and a tolerant society which is empathetic towards one and all. Hence the human rights of citizens are of paramount importance in promoting the ideas of equality, liberty and among all sections of the society. However, there have been major cases of Human rights violations in India which have left a reversible scar on the minds of people. The human rights violations have been generally based on caste or religious discrimination. The weaker and marginalized sections have usually been the victims of the human rights violations. These groups are backward in nature and do not wield much power in the society. Issues related to excessive powers of the armed forces and the police is very common in India. The government gives them the power to protect the people of the society but some officers use their power to suppress the weaker sections of the society. In order to strive for an ideal balance in the society, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) gives rights to these people so that they can live life comfortably. So here is more on the National Human Rights Commission and how to file a complaint when your Human Rights are being violated - The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India is an autonomous public body constituted on 12 October 1993 under the Protection of Human Rights Ordinance of 28 September 1993. If the alleged act is of national importance then NHRC will take suo motu action of its own. State Human Rights Commission Every state in India has got a State Human Rights Commission for protection of human rights in a particular State. If any person has a grievance that his or her human rights are being violated then he may approach the respective state commission where the alleged act has been committed. Guidelines on how to file complaint with the NHRC 1. A complaint may be made to the Commission by the victim or by any other person on his behalf. 2. Complaint should be in writing, either in English or Hindi or in any other Language included in the eighth schedule of the Constitution. Only one set of complaint needs to be submitted to the Commission. 3. Complaint may be sent either by Post or Fax or even by email. 4. No fee is chargeable on such complaints. 5. The complaint shall disclose i) Violation of human rights or abetment thereof or; (ii) Negligence in the prevention of such violations, by a public servant. 6. The jurisdiction of the Commission is restricted to the violation of human rights alleged to have been committed within one year of the receipt of complaint by the Commission. 7. Documents, if any enclosed in support of the allegations in the complaint must be legible. 8. Name of the victim, his/ her age, sex, religion/ caste, State and District to which the incident relates, incident date etc. should invariably be mentioned in the complaint. 9. Please submit the complaint preferably in the format which is made available on the website of Human Rights Commissions which can be different for different states. Modes of filing a complaint with NHRC Online Complaint with NHRC First is the online Complain Registration. For this, You have to open the website of the National Human Right Commission and then go to complaints. Under complaints section, there is an option of complaint registration. By clicking that Online complain registration form will appear. Simply, fill the form and register it. Offline Complaint with NHRC The second option is the offline complain. National human right commission provide an application form for complain on their website. Link for the offline form is provided here https://nhrc.nic.in/nhrc.htm. Just print the application form under complaints. Fill the form and submit it to NHRC within the prescribed period of time. By post: National Human Rights Commission Manav Adhikar Bhawan Block-C, GPO Complex, INA, New Delhi 110023 By fax: (011) 23386521 New Delhi: As the voting in the first phase of elections began in Gujarat, some EVMs malfunctioned in Patidar dominated Surat and other parts of the state. Senior Congress leader Arjun Modhwadia also complained that EVMs were connected to mobile devices via Bluetooth in a Muslim-dominated area of Porbandar. A team of Election Commission (EC) reached polling booth in Thakkar Plot, Porbandar, to investigate complaints of EVM tampering using mobile phones. There are reports of EVM malfunctioning in several polling stations. Request the Election Commission to take necessary action immediately, Congress leader Ahmed Patel tweeted. The Election Commission said they have reserve EVMs and all the faulty machines were being replaced. "There are 24,000 polling booths in Gujarat. The problem has occurred in seven or eight booths," NDTV quoted Chief Election Commissioner Achal Kumar Joti as saying. Chief Election Officer (CEO) B B Swain said an inquiry was ordered into the matter and the collector and the observer of the Election Commission (EC) were sent to the spot. A team of Election Commission reaches polling booth in Thakkar Plot, Porbandar after complaints of EVM being connected to Bluetooth #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/ETmuu73Fwk ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2017 The ruling BJP, however, said the complaint made by Modhwadia shows the opposition partys search for an excuse as it knows that it would bite dust in the election. The issue of EVM tampering has been making the rounds after BJPs massive victory in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand elections. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday greeted Congress president Sonia Gandhi on her birthday. Extending his wishes to 70-year-old Gandhi, Modi said on Twitter that he prays for her long life and good health. Birthday greetings to Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi. I pray for her long life and good health. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 9, 2017 A bitter political battle is on in Gujarat between the BJP and the Congress, with Modi and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi mounting attacks on each other. Rahul Gandhi is soon to succeed his mother Sonia Gandhi as the Congress president. Sonia Gandhi, who has been facing health issues, has not campaigned till now in the Gujarat Assembly polls. Celebrations outside 10 Janpath on Congress President #SoniaGandhi's birthday. She turns 71 today pic.twitter.com/QmBxpiHUGh For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New Delhi: BJP MP from Maharashtra Nana Patole, a critic of the central and state governments handling of farmers issues, on Friday resigned from the party and the Lok Sabha, accusing the saffron party of failing to keep the promises it made to the people. Announcing his decision, he told reporters that he would join Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi at a rally in Ahmedabad on December 11. People, he alleged, are dying due to the BJP governments policies, a reference to farmers suicide, and that his voice was being stifled. Patole, who had quit the Congress to join the BJP before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, also took pot-shots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying his response to issues raised by him was not expected in a democracy and they had an argument. He was referring to a meeting Modi had with BJP MPs from some states. The MP from Bhandara-Gondiya constituency, where he had defeated NCP heavyweight Praful Patel in 2014, also met Congress general secretary in-charge for Maharashtra Mohan Prakash, who said his party was a home for Patole. He is an old colleague from the party. He has been raising the issues Rahul ji (Congress vice president) and our party have been raising. He did so by staying within the ruling party, Prakash said. Patole, who parried queries on which political party he would join, said he would share dais with Rahul Gandhi at a rally in Ahemdabad on December 11. He was yet to decide on which party he would join, he said. He had recently met Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Congress president Ashok Chavan. He said he had long been raising pro-farmers and pro-people issues. I have raised these issues in the Lok Sabha and flagged them whenever I met the prime minister and the states chief minister. When I highlighted them at a meeting at the prime ministers residence, his response was not something expected in a democracy, he said. Patole claimed that there is a lot of dissent among BJP leaders and there could be more resignations. In his resignation letter, he cited 14 issues related to agriculture, economy and unemployment as reasons for his resignation. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Los Angeles: Two teens were killed in a shooting at their high school in the southwestern US state of New Mexico, police said, adding that the assailant was dead. The attack took place at Aztec High School, New Mexico State Police said on Twitter. The school is located in the small town of Aztec some 180 miles (300 kilometers) northwest of Albuquerque in an area close to Navajo tribal lands. Initial reports of other people being wounded are wrong; San Juan County Sheriff Ken Christesen told a press conference. The identities of the shooter and those killed were not released. Garrett Parker, a student at the school in the town of 7,000, told the local TV station KOAT that he was stunned. "Out of any state, out of all the states in America, you don't think it would happen here," he said. Parker said he was in history class when the shooting started. "At first it sounded like kids were just banging on the lockers. But it started getting closer and louder and it was obvious it was gunshots. We could hear gunshots from right outside our door," he said. The teacher had locked the door as he normally does and the students hid in a corner of the room. "Right after we got outside the door, right outside the door, there was someone lying dead. But I don't know who it was," Parker added. Aztec High School was locked down and evacuated, while nearby schools were placed on lockdown. Police set up an area in a park for parents to pick up their children, the San Juan County Sheriff's office said on its Facebook page. "It's tragic when our children are harmed in violent ways especially on school campuses. We express our condolences to those families who have been harmed," Navajo President Russell Begaye said in a statement. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Kathmandu: The Covid infection has also spread its footprint on Mount Everest, the world's highest peak. According to an expert on mountaineering, at least 100 climbers and paramedics have been found infected with the corona virus, although Nepal (Nepal) officials have refused. According to reports, Lucas in Austria was the only major climber to stop his Everest expedition last week due to kovid's fear. He said on Saturday that his foreign guide and 6 Nepali Sherpa guides had tested positive. Many people, including climbers, rescuers and doctors, are positive: It is learnt that Fartanbach said in Kathmandu, Nepal's capital, 'We all know about confirmed cases now. Rescue teams, insurance companies, doctors and mountaineering people have been confirmed. I have a list of cases found positive, so we can prove it.' A climber made this big claim: "We have released a list of at least 100 people who have been described as covid positive in the base camp. This number can be around 150 or 200. There were many cases in the Everest base camp because they saw people themselves sick and heard people coughing from inside their tents.'' A total of 408 foreign climbers have been issued permission to climb Everest this season. He is accompanied by hundreds of Sherpas and colleagues who have been living in the base camp since April. Officials in Nepal's mountaineering department, however, have ruled out any active case among mountaineers and colleagues at the base camp this season. Mountaineering was banned last year due to the epidemic. Also Read Cyclone Yaas: Railways cancel various trains from the East Coast to Kerala Sushmita Sen in love affair with THIS Pakistani cricketer. What caused a breakup? Children wrote an emotional letter to corona infected mother, going viral on social media Prime Minister Modi today held a meeting to review the preparedness to deal with cyclone Yas amidst corona crisis in which several ministers and officials participated. In the meeting, Prime Minister Modi has asked the officials to evacuate people engaged in offshore activities on time. The PMO has reported that the National Disaster Response Force has already deployed 46 teams. Today, 13 teams are being airlifted to deal with Cyclone Yaso. At the same time, the PM's office said that the Indian Coast Guard, Navy has deployed ships, helicopters for relief, search and rescue operations. Prime Minister Modi has asked officials cut electricity, telephone networks. The India Meteorological Department has reported that the low pressure area over the Bay of Bengal is likely to be converted into a cyclonic storm 'Yaas' and is expected to reach west bengal and odisha coast on May 26. A low-intensity area over the East Central Bay of Bengal was formed on Saturday which could turn into a severe cyclonic storm and on May 26 it may turn towards West Bengal, northern parts of Odisha and coasts of Bangladesh. This news was given by the Regional Meteorological Department. Regional Meteorological Department Director G K Das said the storm is likely to cross the coasts of both the states and neighbouring countries by the evening of May 26. He said that due to this, the wind speed on the afternoon of 26th May on the north parts of West Bengal, Odisha and bangladesh coast may be 90 to 100 kmph. Kamal Nath made allegations on Shivraj government of hiding corona death figures King Khan's daughter Suhana shared stunning picture when she turns 21, Ananya Pandey made this special comment Accident : A woman killed while sand lorry wheel rolled over her Bahrain Bourse has issued the Investor Relations Best Practice Guide, which highlights the investor relations function and the effect of its best practices on the valuation and competitiveness of listed companies in the market. The launch of the Investor Relations Best Practice Guide is another step towards promoting the importance of good investor relations practices across Bahrains capital market whilst enhancing corporate governance and transparency among companies in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Chief Executive Officer of Bahrain Bourse, Shaikh Khalifa bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa was quoted as saying in a Bahrain News Agency (BNA) report. The Guide aims to build a long-term effective Investor Relations programs within listed companies to enable transparent communication between the company, investors, and analysts to foster efficiency and transparency. Director of Marketing and Business Development and Board Member of Middle East Investor Relations Association (MEIRA), Marwa Al-Maskati said: The launch of the Investor Relations Best Practice Guide complements Bahrain Bourse's efforts in relation to promoting investor relations in Bahrains capital market in collaboration with Middle East Investor relations Associations (MEIRA). The Investor Relations (IR) Best Practice Guide aims to provide a blueprint framework for listed companies to structure an effective IR program and strategy. Investor Relations is the effective two-way communication of the relevant information between an issuer and the financial markets to ensure that the investment community is making an informed judgement about the fair value of an issuers securities. The Investor Relations Best Practice Guide includes guiding principles of Investor Relations, outlines the operating and regulatory environment, and provides guidance on Investor Relations strategies in line with best international practices. The Investor Relations guide also includes case studies from listed companies Investor Relations best practices. Bahrain Bourse and MEIRA officially launched the MEIRA chapter in Bahrain during April 2019 with the aim of developing and enhancing best practices in Investor Relations (IR) across the Kingdom of Bahrain. Bahrain Bourse has also joined MEIRA Board of Directors in December 2020. The founding members of MEIRA chapter in Bahrain include Aluminium Bahrain (ALBA), Bank ABC, Batelco, Bahrain Bourse, Ithmaar Holding, National Bank of Bahrain, and Sico BSC. (Adds detail, quotes) By Steven Scheer JERUSALEM, May 23 (Reuters) - David Brodet will step down as chairman of cash-strapped El Al Israel Airlines at the end of May after seven months in the job, he said on Sunday, having waited until the Israeli flag carrier received a government bailout package. The Israeli government this month approved a $210 million bailout package for El Al on condition of steep spending cuts and a cash injection from the airline's owners. "During my tenure as chairman, I worked ... to get the company what it needed, to overcome the great crisis El Al has gone through since it was founded," Brodet wrote in a letter to directors, saying he led the negotiations with the Finance Ministry. A new chairman has yet to be named. Brodet considered stepping down after the state approved the bailout but opted to wait until the end of fighting between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza. He likened his tenure at El Al to doing reserve duty in the military, calling it a duty and saying: "I have set goals for myself, and I am happy to say that they have been achieved." Brodet said the state aid would enable El Al to pay its debts to customers and suppliers as well as compensate the 1,900 workers whose jobs are being cut. El Al posted an $86 million loss in the three months to the end of March, versus a net loss of $140 million a year earlier. "There is much more to be done to recover from the severe crisis that befell El Al. But I'm sure it now has all the conditions and tools to succeed," said Brodet, who previously was chairman of Bank Leumi and director-general of the Finance Ministry. El Al suspended scheduled passenger flights in March 2020 at the start of the coronavirus crisis, when Israel closed its borders to most foreign citizens, compounding the company's financial woes. Following a rapid vaccination rollout Israel has begun to open up some international routes to its citizens and El Al has resumed flying while small groups or vaccinated foreign tourists were allowed to enter from Sunday. Story continues The Israeli government last week gave permission for Kenny Rozenberg, who recently became an Israeli citizen, to join his son Eli in controlling El Al after buying control last year. El Al was one of only a handful of carriers flying to and from Israel after many airlines suspended flights during 11 days of Israeli-Hamas fighting. (Reporting by Steven Scheer Editing by David Goodman) The pandemic may have brought cross-border travel to a standstill, but deals have shown no signs of stopping as international investors strive to tap mainland China's breakneck growth, according to industry watchers. China's strong economic recovery this year, together with the government's promotion of the Greater Bay Area and other development projects, has encouraged international investors to plough their money into the world's second-largest economy, according to Lennard Yong, chief executive of Tricor Group, a consultancy that helps companies to expand in Asia. Foreign direct investment in China grew at the fastest pace in more than a decade during the first quarter of 2021, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce last month. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. More than 10,000 new foreign-invested companies were established in China during the first three months of the year, an increase of almost half from a year ago, ministry data shows. "The pandemic may prevent people from travelling but that does not affect investors' interest in the Greater Bay Area. We still expect to see double-digit growth of business related to the Greater Bay Area this year," Yong said in an interview at his Hong Kong office. Tricor, a Hong Kong-headquartered company with 2,800 staff in 21 markets including Shenzhen, Singapore, Japan and Australia, has seen strong interest in investment going in and coming out of the bay area in recent years, he said. Many international companies have established a presence in the bay area, which has a population of 72 million across nine mainland cities as well as Hong Kong and Macau. In February 2019 Beijing unveiled a blueprint that included measures to draw capital and talent in to the area to help turn it into an economic powerhouse. The policy includes the upcoming Wealth Management Connect scheme for cross-border trading of investment products, leading big banks such as HSBC and Standard Chartered to expand their manpower. Story continues "China has gradually opened up its market to international firms to invest. The fast-growing economy and huge consumer market have attracted international investors to come to the country," said Derek Lai Kar-yan, vice-chairman of Deloitte China. The latest case is BlackRock, the world's biggest asset manager, whose majority-owned joint venture BlackRock CCB Wealth Management in China has won approval to start operating in the country. American lender Citigroup, which has had a presence in China since 1902, is also seeking a licence later this year to open a wholly-owned domestic securities business after it was granted a fund custody licence in September last year. Tricor has seen a lot of demand from bay area customers wanting to invest outside China, Yong said. Many of them are manufacturers wishing to expand into other Asian countries. "We have seen very decent growth in outbound investment from the Greater Bay Area companies investing in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand in the first quarter this year," he said. 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. Reuters The Federal Reserve could stop adding to its holdings of mortgage-backed securities (MBS) several months before it finishes increasing its stockpile of Treasuries, if the findings of a Reuters poll of economists are a guide. The expectation the U.S. central bank could reduce its MBS purchases by a relatively larger proportion than its purchases of Treasuries coincides with a growing debate about the need for any buying of housing-backed assets, given the red-hot real estate market. It is uncertain exactly how the Fed will go about slowing the expansion of its $8 trillion balance sheet, a stash of assets that has roughly doubled in size since it kicked off the large-scale purchases in March 2020 to stem the massive economic fallout triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. By Andrius Sytas VILNIUS, May 23 (Reuters) - Lithuania on Sunday called for European Union countries to jointly recommend that planes avoid Belarusian airspace, after a Ryanair flight was forced to land in Minsk and an opposition activist on board detained. The proposal for a joint declaration will be put forward at a meeting of European leaders on Monday and will include a call to recognize the incident as a violation of International Civil Aviation Organisation rules, the foreign ministry said. Lithuania has also asked its EU allies to summon Belarusian ambassadors and to protest against the use of military aircraft to divert planes. "This is a brutal affront against all (the) EU," Lithuania's foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said in a statement. (Reporting by Andrius Sytas in Vilnius; Editing by Alexander Smith) Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonima (NYSE:LOMA) shareholders should be happy to see the share price up 13% in the last month. But that doesn't change the fact that the returns over the last three years have been less than pleasing. In fact, the share price is down 48% in the last three years, falling well short of the market return. See our latest analysis for Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonima To paraphrase Benjamin Graham: Over the short term the market is a voting machine, but over the long term it's a weighing machine. One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price. Although the share price is down over three years, Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonima actually managed to grow EPS by 25% per year in that time. Given the share price reaction, one might suspect that EPS is not a good guide to the business performance during the period (perhaps due to a one-off loss or gain). Alternatively, growth expectations may have been unreasonable in the past. Since the change in EPS doesn't seem to correlate with the change in share price, it's worth taking a look at other metrics. With revenue flat over three years, it seems unlikely that the share price is reflecting the top line. We're not entirely sure why the share price is dropped, but it does seem likely investors have become less optimistic about the business. You can see below how earnings and revenue have changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image). We know that Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonima has improved its bottom line lately, but what does the future have in store? So we recommend checking out this free report showing consensus forecasts What About Dividends? As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. So for companies that pay a generous dividend, the TSR is often a lot higher than the share price return. In the case of Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonima, it has a TSR of -45% for the last 3 years. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. This is largely a result of its dividend payments! Story continues A Different Perspective Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonima shareholders have gained 48% over twelve months (even including dividends). This isn't far from the market return of 48%. Given the three-year TSR of 13% per year, shareholders probably aren't too concerned by the recent gain! It could well be that the business is getting back on track. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. To that end, you should be aware of the 1 warning sign we've spotted with Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonima . But note: Loma Negra Compania Industrial Argentina Sociedad Anonima may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with past earnings growth (and further growth forecast). Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. UD Trucks UD Trucks are now being assembled in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at Zahid Groups Arabian Vehicles & Trucks Industry (AVI) facility in the King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC). UD Trucks are now being assembled in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at Zahid Groups Arabian Vehicles & Trucks Industry (AVI) facility in the King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC). JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, May 23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- UD Trucks, the leading Japanese truck manufacturer, with a range of medium and heavy duty vehicles that provide comprehensive solutions that meet the needs of Kingdom's demanding transportation sector are now being assembled, with excellence, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at Zahid Groups Arabian Vehicles & Trucks Industry (AVI) facility in the King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC). AVI is now the only facility in the world that assembles Volvo Trucks, Renault Trucks and UD Trucks on the same production line; an achievement that showcases Zahid Tractor, AVI and Zahid Groups relentless commitment to creating career opportunities and enhancing the careers of Saudi Arabian nationals. Commenting on this announcement, Mr. Nasser J. Bayram, Group President Transport at Zahid Group stated, "From the outset of our journey with UD Trucks, our main objective has been to ensure that UD Trucks joins the league of 'Made in Saudi'. Mr. Bayram added, It has been a year since the brands relaunch Saudi Arabia and we are very happy to see that we are delivering on our plan and our strategy; today we can finally say that UD has joined the league as the first trucks roll off the AVI assembly plant in KAEC. Zahid Tractor Commercial Vehicles Division, is driving the Kingdom's manufacturing and transportation industries towards achieving Vision2030 and is committed to continuously investing in human resources and state-of-the-art technology along the way. Mr. Mohamed W. Zahid, Director of Zahid Tractor's Commercial Vehicles Division added, For the last forty-one years, we have proudly represented AB Volvo's truck brands in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and added UD Trucks to the existing portfolio of Volvo and Renault Trucks in January 2020. We have seen a significant interest and demand for UD Trucks. Through our kingdom wide network of branches, state-of-the-art facilities and our well trained and experienced team, UD truck owners across the kingdom are receiving the needed service, support and guidance. Mr. Zahid added, Given the Japanese technology that differentiates UD Trucks, and considering our customer relationships that are based on professionalism, excellence and integrity, we are confident that the assembly of UD Trucks in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will spearhead the continued growth in demand for UD Trucks. Story continues On behalf of UD Trucks, Mr. Mourad Hedna President of UD Trucks MEENA commented, Saudi Arabia is and will continue to be one of the biggest and most important market for UD Trucks in the Middle East, East and North Africa region. With Zahid Tractor's professionalism and long experience in the trucking industry and with UD Trucks reputation and strong Japanese heritage based on quality and reliability, we are convinced that we will contribute to our customer's success. During the launch ceremonies held in February 2020 I promised that UD Trucks would soon be assembled in the Kingdom and here we are today, 12 months later, celebrating the assembly of the first UD Truck in Saudi Arabia! EDITOR NOTES: UD Trucks is a leading Japanese commercial vehicle solutions provider, active in more than 60 countries on all continents. Since its inception in 1935, the company has been an innovation leader with a clear vision to provide the trucks and services the world needs today. The company is committed to go the extra mile for smart logistics with the most dependable solutions for demanding customers. To best support across applications and geographies, UD Trucks offers a full range of heavy-duty trucks - Quon and Quester, medium duty trucks - Condor and Croner, and light duty trucks - Kazet and Kuzer, as well as associated operational and financial services. UD Trucks is a proud member of the Volvo Group, which in 2018 saw a year-on-year increase in sales of nine percent and employs a workforce of 100,000 employees globally. For more information from the UD Trucks, please visit: http://www.udtrucks.com/en-int/home Zahid Tractor is a Zahid Group company. Zahid Group has successfully evolved over the course of the last century from its origins as a modest trading concern to become a multi-national organization encompassing a diverse portfolio of companies operating across 11 sectors. The Groups success is built on long-standing partnerships, associations with globally renowned brands and its adherence to the highest levels of professionalism and operating standards. For more information from Zahid Group, please visit: www.zahid.com Contact info: Ali Al Tarawneh a.tarawneh@anotherinkingdom.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e507e254-b46e-408b-b373-ecf678f3c26e WHILE campaign junkies everywhere are focused on the 2022 midterm elections, Im already thinking about the fight for the Senate in 2024. Sure, what happens in next years congressional elections will impact the future, as will the next presidential contest, the state of the economy and dozens of other unknowns. If you are looking for predictions here about 2024, you are looking in the wrong place. But we already know that while handicappers initial ratings for the Senate class of 2022 suggest a relatively even fight involving only a handful of states, the 2024 map strongly favors the GOP. At least nine Democratic-held seats in competitive states will be up in 2024Arizona (Kyrsten Sinema), Michigan (Debbie Stabenow), Minnesota (Amy Klobuchar), Montana (Jon Tester), Nevada (Jacky Rosen), Ohio (Sherrod Brown), Pennsylvania (Bob Casey), West Virginia (Joe Manchin III) and Wisconsin (Tammy Baldwin). In addition, the seat of independent Angus King of Maine, who caucuses with the Democrats and recently turned 77 years of age, will be up. Democrats may eventually hold some, most or all of these seats, of course. Senators Tester, Brown, Casey and Manchin, for example, have shown the ability to attract working-class white voters and to win in a difficult environment. UNFORTUNATELY, 2020 will go down in the history books not only for the loss of life due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but also for the record-setting number of illegal drug-related deaths not only in Virginia as a whole, but also in the Fredericksburg region. And bootleg fentanyl was the cause or a contributing factor in three of every four overdoses in the commonwealth. According to Virginia Department of Health forensic epidemiologist Rosie Hobron, at least 2,297 Virginians died from suspected overdoses last year, and that number will likely go up as additional data is collected. The worst thing about this terrible loss of life is that it was unnecessary. State health officials acknowledge that pandemic-induced isolation and financial dislocation was partially to blame. But the widespread availability of fentanyl which was a factor in 125 out of 161 overdose deaths reported in the Fredericksburg region alone turned what was already a mental health crisis into an overdose crisis. So now what? Prohibition, either of alcohol or controlled drugs like fentanyl (which, when used correctly, alleviates severe pain in cancer patients) and Just Say No campaigns clearly havent worked. Weve lost the War on Drugs, as last years grim statistics make painfully obvious. In fact, in his first 100 days, FDR signed 76 bills into law. Thats a record that still stands to this day. By contrast, in his first 100 days in office, President Biden signed only 11 bills into law, which is one of the lowest numbers in modern history. For comparisons sake, President Donald Trump signed 28; President Barack Obama signed 14; and President Bill Clinton signed 22. And Biden has had the advantage of Democrats being in charge of both houses of Congress. By this benchmark alone, comparing Biden to FDR is a farce. Yet whether or not one agrees with FDRs New Deal policies, it is beyond dispute that FDRs first 100 days in the Oval Office were monumental in terms of passing big legislation to address the Great Depression. Like FDR, Biden inherited a nation in crisis. However, during his first 100 days in office, all Biden has done is pass one gargantuan spending bill: The American Recovery Plan. It is true that Biden has proposed two other enormous spending billsThe American Jobs Plan and the American Families Planbut the odds of those bills making it through Congress and to the Resolute Desk for his signature seem remote right now. Arcapita Group Holdings, the global alternative investments firm, has announced the appointment of Stephane Brown as Group Chief Operating Officer (COO). Browns appointment strengthens Arcapitas experienced management team and demonstrates its commitment to improving and expanding its business operations. Brown brings more than 20 years of financial services experience gained from senior management, strategy, risk and governance roles across Europe, North America and the Mena region. In his new role, Brown will oversee Infrastructure and Risk at Arcapita, propelling the organisation forward in line with its culture, vision, and growth plans. Atif A. Abdulmalik, Chief Executive Officer at Arcapita, said: We are very pleased to welcome Stephane as Arcapitas Group Chief Operating Officer. Stephane has an exceptional track record of delivering operational excellence and growth, and his arrival strengthens our senior management team. Stephanes appointment reflects Arcapitas commitment to improving and expanding our business, as we look to achieve steady and consistent growth over the next five years. We are confident that he will help us capture future opportunities, ultimately benefitting our investors and shareholders. Prior to joining Arcapita, Brown held senior management roles in banking, private equity and consulting. During his time at Morgan Stanley, he had several COO roles, including Mena COO, before becoming European Head of Legal Entity Risk Management. More recently, he was COO for Panmure Gordon in the UK, and also supported early-stage Fintech and Venture Capital firms with their growth strategies and build out. Brown has an MBA from Columbia Business School, USA, and holds a BA with honours from Amherst College, USA. -- TradeArabia News Service Meyer estimates damages at more than $200,000. I dont know what theyre going to be able to salvage out of that house, Meyer said. Theres so much heat, smoke and water damage. Potter, who works for the Metropolitan Utilities District in Omaha, had his work laptop at home along with three monitors. He had his personal laptop and three, 3-D printers. Meyer also said he didnt think furniture in the house could be saved. I know some of that stuff can be replaced, Potter said. We have a lot of pictures that are digital that we can get reprinted. But there were keepsakes from his wifes mother, who died 12 years ago. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} I dont know whether or not they made it, Potter said. There are other things that wont be saved including decorations for the wedding of their daughter, Ivy Luedtke. Potter said Ivy and her husband, Trevor Litz, were married privately, but were planning a bigger wedding. They got married in front of a few people two years ago, but this was for everyone else, Potter said. A Pakistani soldier has been killed in a cross-border attack by Afghan militants in northwestern Pakistan, the Pakistani military said on May 23. The attack late on May 22 targeted a military post in the district of North Waziristan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, the military said in a statement. It said troops returned fire and that a soldier was killed. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack; the military provided no further details. The statement said Pakistan has consistently asked Afghanistan to manage and control its side of the border. Afghan Defense Ministry deputy spokesman Fawad Aman said there was no center of terrorism in Afghanistan" and that almost all militant groups fighting in Afghanistan have bases in Pakistan. Terrorists are entering Afghanistan from Pakistan, conducting terrorist operations against people, he said in comments quoted by AP. Pakistan shares a long, porous border with Afghanistan that was drawn up during the period of British colonial rule. North Waziristan and other tribal regions that were merged into northwestern Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province in 2018 long served as sanctuaries for local and foreign militants. For years, the military carried out massive operations to clear them of militants. Many fighters crossed into Afghanistan or hid in the mountainous terrain. Earlier this month, militants in Afghanistan fired across the border at troops in southwestern Pakistan, killing at least four soldiers. Based on reporting by AP With the purchase of every $7 phone call and overpriced pack of ramen noodles, people held at the El Paso County jail are chipping away at the Jess Stainbrook is the executive director of the Invisible Disabilities Association and Ali Thompson is a 20-year law enforcement officer and the mother of two children with special needs. Patricia Yeager, PhD is the CEO of The Independence Center in Colorado Springs, the local home of civil rights for people with disabilities. Colorado Springs, CO (80903) Today Clear skies. Low 53F. SSE winds at 15 to 25 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Clear skies. Low 53F. SSE winds at 15 to 25 mph, decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Ahli United Bank (AUB) donated to Bahrains Smile Initiative, an initiative of Bahrain Future Society for Youth which provides psycho-social support to children with cancer and their parents in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Naseema Haider, Head of Private Banking at AUB, delivered a donation cheque to the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Future Society Sabah Al Zayani, in the presence of the financial secretary Safa Al Nasser. Haider said: "We are pleased to continue our support to the Smile Initiative and boost its capabilities to maintain implementing its invaluable programs that support children with cancer in the Kingdom of Bahrain. We note the success of the initiative in increasing the effectiveness of these programs to reach cancer-stricken kids in their homes in line with Covid-19 precautionary measures. Haider concluded her statement by affirming that AUB is omitted to support initiatives aimed at serving the most vulnerable of Bahraini Society, cancer patients, as part of the Banks social responsibility towards the Kingdom of Bahrain, and in a way that reflects the ideal values of Bahraini society such as social compassion and cohesion. Sabah Al Zayani stated that AUB is keen to regularly provide support for the "Smile" initiative which confirms the firm commitment to the Bahraini community, and helps the initiative continue its work and achieve its mission in providing psychosocial support to children with cancer and their parents. Smile aims to invest its resources as effectively as possible to promote its responsibility towards cancer-stricken kids and their families in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Smile is very proud of its partnerships with government and private sector institutions for the sake of the success of its voluntarily work, Al Zayani concluded. TradeArabia News Service Clay Turner is the co-publisher of Colo|Spgs magazine and was the creator and longtime creative director of Americas 1st Freedom magazine, a National Rifle Association publication that covers political, legal and social issues surrounding the Second Amendment for 700,000 member-subscribers. The fact that the pending legislation was introduced at all and would impose a bit more responsibility on marijuana sales suggests the Democrats are starting to get it. They just might be coming around to the realization that parents are more worried about their children than they are wowed by the nonstop pot party down at the Capitol. A former aide to U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn sued the Colorado Republican and his congressional office Thursday, alleging the congressman was "willing to sacrifice the health and safety of his employees" by disregarding safety concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic, even as the virus infected Lamborn and multiple staff members. Reporter Stephanie Earls is a news reporter and columnist at The Gazette. Before moving to Colorado Springs in 2012, she worked for newspapers in upstate NY, WA, OR and at her hometown weekly in Berkeley Springs, WV, where she got her start in journalism. In a significant endorsement that will support exports to European Union (EU) markets, Omans largest cement manufacturer, Raysut Cement Company (RCC), has received CE and NF certifications. CE and NF are two stringent global quality norms validating RCCs adherence to EU standards in cement production. The Muscat Stock Market (MSM)-listed RCC said the certifications come at a time when it is expanding exports to newer global markets. Currently, 50 per cent of the companys output is exported to East Africa, India, Maldives, South Africa, and Indian Ocean islands. We consider CE and NF certifications as a testimony to our commitment to constantly improve product quality and processes in line with rigorous global safety, quality and environmental regulations, said Group CEO, Joey Ghose. The CE (Conformite Europeenne) mark, formerly EC mark, is mandatory for selling certain products in the European Economic Area (EEA) since 1985. The NF Mark from AFNOR certification entity is a French compliance norm that ensures product safety, quality, usage ability and performance. The certifications fit into our export strategy for newer geographies as the CE Mark that endorses compliance with EUs health, safety and green regulations allows us to market our products in Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, said Ghose. Winning the certifications also coincided with RCC clinching a new export order from the Reunion Islands in the western Indian Ocean, and an annual contract has already been signed with Enterprise Audemard Group of the French island to ship 8,000 MT cement every month. The first shipment has been received by the party. RCC is also looking at setting up a grinding unit in Madagascar to leverage the 7-8 per cent Y-o-Y growth in that countrys market. RCC has a current output of 6 million metric tonnes of cement, slated to increase to 10 million by 2022, and later to 22 million tonnes. Ghose said the Covid-19 pandemic has thrown a major challenge to the business, but RCC was facing it successfully with no change in leadership or vision. Recently, RCC had won certifications from other parts of the world boosting its export scope. These are from BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards), enabling it to stabilise its presence in India, and from SABPS (South African All Brothers Products and Systems) to help RCC leverage the South African market. Salim bin Ahmed bin Alawi Al Ibrahim, Acting Deputy Group CEO of RCC said: The cement now produced at RCCs Salalah plant has accomplished the strictest environmental criterion of Hexavalent Chromium (Cr6+) content of less than two parts per million. The NF certification also opens up new market opportunities and we are now introducing a superior quality cement brand to the French colonies in the Indian Ocean Reunion Islands. Last year RCC won the CEO of the Year honour for its Group CEO Mr. Joey Ghose, at both the Oman Best Employer Awards and GCC Best Employer Awards from Employer Branding Institute, which reinforced the companys excellence across leadership, health and safety, technology, training and talent management. We regularly train our employees through on-the-job and by sending them overseas to upgrade their skills. These trainings help us strictly implement quality, environmental and safety norms at our production facilities to improve our products in line with global demand, added Al Ibrahim. -- TradeArabia News Service I think its important for us to continue to look for additional uses for soybeans domestically and additional market opportunities from an export perspective so that were not over-reliant on one particular customer. I think one of the reasons we saw a significant downturn in price was because of the tariffs, because our No. 1 buyer stopped buying, Vilsack said. So that suggests that we need a more resilient export strategy that looks for other alternative markets so that were not as reliant. Vilsack said the department is discussing new ways soybeans could be utilized, such as in aviation fuel or in other bio-based products. He said the administrations plan includes funding to promote bio-based manufacturing to continue that kind of research and exploration. So we can continually look for new ways to use our crops, to use agricultural waste, to use everything that we grow and raise in a way that produces something of greater value. By doing that you create multiple markets, Vilsack said. Our focus here at USDA is on more, new and better markets, because at the end of the day thats what farmers want. On one hand, the GOPs leadership has put the party in a questionable national position by remaining in thrall to Trump and his dishonest depiction of the 2020 election. That was a principal factor in Cheneys ouster and is a main reason so many Republicans are worried about its future. Polls show Trumps overall national approval, even within the GOP, has declined since he left office. A recent NBC News poll showed his overall favorability has dropped from the low 40s to the low 30s. The Washington Post said Trump fared poorly in swing districts in a recent National Republican Congressional Committee survey. At the same time, though, the partys structural position remains strong. The GOP controls a majority of governorships and legislatures and half of the 100 Senate seats, and the party is only a handful of seats short of a majority in the House. The GOPs big 2010 mid-term victory enabled it to re-draw legislative and congressional lines in key states to ensure a House majority. By 2018, political and demographic changes helped the Democrats regain the House. Iowas five segment, 35-day spring turkey season concluded May 16. According to data obtained through the Department of Natural Resources harvest reporting system, a total of 11,680 wild turkeys were bagged during 2021, a decrease of nearly three thousand birds from last years harvest of 14,614 turkeys. Turkeys were bagged in 98 of Iowas 99 counties during 2021. A total of 411 turkeys were reported from Clayton county the highest number tallied for a single county. No turkeys were reported from Grundy county. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} In North Central Iowa, all counties reported a modest to significant decrease over 2020. In Cerro Gordo county, a total of 129 turkeys were reported this spring compared to 135 in 2020. In Winnebago county, 58 gobblers were taken in 2021; compared to 67 in 2020. A total of 29 wild turkeys were harvested in Hancock county, compared to 43 during 2020. Please log in to keep reading. Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. Thats why both Democrats and Republicans in the General Assembly ought to figure out a way to join together to have Virginia offer its own vaccine tax credit. If youre keeping political score, and we know some of you are, three of the four states we mentioned earlier have Republican governors. The mayor of Lancaster, California is also a Republican. Fishwick a Democrat appears to have had this idea first but its Republican politicians across the country who are taking the lead in implementing incentives for vaccinations. There are details to be worked out, of course. If wed had a vaccination tax credit in place from the beginning, the Department of Health could have given us the equivalent of a W-2 form to file with our taxes. Or we could just make a copy of our vaccination cards. Whatever. Like we said, a detail. What might this cost? The census shows Virginias population is 8,631,393. The census further estimates that 78.2% of Virginias population is 18 and older so thats 6,749,749 adults. Some vaccines have now been approved for those as young as 12, but for figuring purposes, lets just deal with those adults. If each one got a $100 tax credit or an actual check thats $674.9 million. Virginias apparently due for $4.3 billion as part of the American Rescue Plan. The state could spend $3 billion on school construction as weve previously advocated and then write a check to every vaccinated adult for $100 and still have money left over. It wont, of course. Last week, Gov. Ralph Northam and Democratic leaders in the General Assembly laid out a different set of priorities. Still, we come back to the vaccination figures, which arent where we want them yet and which, we notice, now tend to be highest in the most affluent parts of the state and lowest in the least. As of Tuesday, the most vaccinated locality is Albemarle County, where 62.9% have gotten at least one dose, but some localities in Southwest and Southside Virginia are barely over 30% Carroll County is 30.7%, Lee County is 30.5% and Prince George County 30.2%. These highly paid tax attorneys, wealth managers and accountants specialize in creating complex wealth-hiding loopholes such as offshore tax havens, dynasty trusts, anonymous shell companies, and bogus transactions. They are paid millions to hide trillions. To make them pay their fair share, we desperately need a stronger IRS. But the billionaire wealth defense industry has teamed up with Republicans in Congress to demonize and defund the tax authorities on the beat. Since 2010, the IRS has lost roughly 18,000 full-time positions, primarily due to Republican budget cuts. With these cuts, it has lost the expertise required to follow the money and unravel the complex tax dodges that have proliferated in recent years. Now, the priorities of the IRS are totally misdirected. You are four-times more likely to get audited if you use the Earned Income Credit a tax break for working families than if youre a billionaire using a Grantor Retained Annuity Trust. This is why the tax gap between the amount owed and the amount collected has expanded so dramatically. IRS commissioner Charles Rettig told Congress in April that the gap may be as large as $1 trillion a year. GREENSBORO For Branson Linnens, the idea of starting a coffee shop percolated for years. He was indecisive. He hopped between jobs ones that had the potential to provide a steady paycheck and benefits, but didn't quite fit his dream. Still, he hesitated when it came to jumping into the coffee business, wondering if it'd be worth the risk. I would get down a lot of times because I felt like it was never going to happen, Linnens, 25, said. One day, he was wandering through his familys land. When he was younger, his dad told him that hed found arrowheads on the property. They were everywhere out there, he'd say, although Linnens never found one. But its an area he liked to walk, so he did. That day, he was feeling particularly discouraged, wondering if he was going to be able to make his dream work. I was praying about it, he said, saying please let me able to make this happen somehow. While he was praying, he looked down and saw it. There was an arrowhead sitting there. Thats when he decided what to name his coffee shop. But Arrowhead Coffee Co. didnt begin then and there. Instead, Linnens waited, and somewhat by accident, wound up going after his dream business in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, unwilling to put off what he wanted to do for any longer. For now, Arrowhead Coffee Co. lives in a mobile cart, one that Linnens made with the help of his father-in-law. Linnens, often with his wife or other family member in tow, sets the cart up wherever he can. One of his regular spots is outside The Tiny Greenhouse on Beaman Place in Greensboro. Hes got bigger plans, but for now, hes glad to have made the leap he contemplated for years. Linnens said his love for coffee has been "brewing, no pun intended" since he was a teenager, but when it came to his career, he'd always had a different plan. After graduating high school, Linnens went to GTCC and got his associate degree in criminal justice with plans to become a law enforcement officer. He graduated from basic law enforcement training, but started having doubts, concerned about the climate surrounding law enforcement and the danger that comes with the job. Near the end of 2016, I got hired on with the Guilford County Sheriffs Office, Linnens said. Right before I really got in there, I had a change of heart. He called his captain and said he was sorry, but law enforcement wasnt for him. Thats when the panic set in. Having turned down a career hed worked toward for years, Linnens took a job at Chick-fil-A. He worked there for a while, but then he started thinking what could he do other than law enforcement? He'd been a volunteer firefighter in high school and the plan was to enter law enforcement. Could he really change his mind now? Everybody just knew me as public safety Branson. It was ingrained in my mind that was what I had to do. So he went back to applying for positions in law enforcement, but even after being accepted at Greensboro Police Department, he couldnt bring himself to accept the job. He considered other agencies, including the Highway Patrol. He could have had his pick, but he kept going back and forth. He said it was Ciara, his then soon-to-be-wife, who told him it wasnt meant for him if he was so uncertain. She was right, Linnens said. So he took a job at Guilford Metro 911 in August 2019. It was a way he could help people, so it seemed like a good fit. Smallbiz Linnens (copy) (copy) Branson Linnens says he spent a small fortune on a commercial espresso maker as he launched his Arrowhead Coffee Co. in early 2021, amid the c But it wasnt me, he said. I hated it. Sitting in a dark room for 12 hours with six computer screens in front of him wore him down quickly. Sure, he was helping people, but he wasnt seeing anyone, and being able to meet and talk with people was one of the main reasons he had been drawn to law enforcement. In January 2020, he and his wife married. The day before they came back from their honeymoon, they were sitting in St. Lucia, waiting for a shuttle, talking about coffee. I just said it, he said. I said, I want to go work at a coffee shop. I want to own my own coffee business. With the support of his wife, they agreed hed quit his job and try to get on with a local shop to learn the business. Still waiting for a shuttle, he started emailing coffee shops. The day after they arrived home, he started work at a coffee shop in Graham. I told the guy there that I was leaving behind benefits, retirement and a credible job to come work in a coffee shop." It was a risk, but he loved it. He was learning, and when they opened a second location, they were planning on letting Linnens be in charge of it. Then the COVID-19 pandemic began. Like so many, Linnens' hours were cut. "Thankfully, Ciara had a good paying job," he said. "She was basically supporting us, but she didn't care. We didn't care, because I was happy." Still, after months of hardly any work, Linnens stepped away from the coffee shop. In the meantime, he kept making some money on the side with a small business he's had since he was a teenager a sticker and keychain Etsy shop linked to his popular Instagram, @ncoutdoorculture, which posts scenic North Carolina images. Sales from the Etsy shop are how he bought his wife's engagement ring. The world in chaos and with more uncertainty than ever before, Linnens decided to finally begin taking small steps in the direction of the career he really wanted. Smallbiz Linnens (copy) Branson Linnens makes an espresso at his coffee stand outside of The Tiny Greenhouse in Greensboro. Linnens launched Arrowhead Coffee Co. in e He started making lists. What would he need to start his own coffee business? He spent a small fortune on a commercial espresso maker. Slowly, he started collecting all of the necessary pieces, like the espresso he'd use to make his drinks. He always knew it would be Hatchet Coffee a Boone-based coffee company that began with the owners selling coffee out of the trunk of their car at farmer's markets. In early 2021, the cart built and the prospect of launching Arrowhead Coffee nearing, Linnens said he was often panicked at the thought of trying to begin during the pandemic. "The closer we got to me starting, everything just started getting worse," he said. "There were plenty of nights I was almost in tears because I was so close to chasing a dream, but how was I going to do this? "It took me all those years to finally swallow my pride. I finally made that decision, but things were going sideways." He said he prayed a lot, told himself it was in God's hands. Slowly, with warmer weather nearing, events started picking up. With the pandemic in mind, most were outside, perfect for a mobile coffee cart designed for the outdoors. Only a couple of months into the new venture, he said he's found more success than he anticipated. He had his first event at the Winston-Salem Junction Market in March, and since, his weekends are booked. He stays on the lookout for more businesses like The Tiny Greenhouse, where he often sets his cart up on the sidewalk. "My goal was to bring them more business, as well as myself," he said. "Come to find out, that's exactly what happened." Now that he's in it, venturing down the career path that pulled him away from every other job, he said he's still scared with every event, wondering if something will go wrong. But he's so glad he stopped waiting for that "right moment." "You never know until you try. It's like having a kid. Are you ever really ready?" And at each event, he knows he's where he's supposed to be, talking to people as he makes their lattes. Visiting coffee shops and chatting with the baristas was always one of his favorite parts of the coffee-going experience. "Baristas can be almost like a therapist," he said. "You just walk in and feel comfortable. I wanted to be that guy." Being in a position to help by listening to someone's troubles had drawn him to law enforcement, but behind the coffee cart, he finds a way to do the same. After a year of being holed up at home, Linnens said people seem happier than ever to be out, talking with a stranger. "If I can at least have a good conversation with someone while I'm making their coffee, that means the most to me." Looking ahead, Linnens hope to transition from the cart to a concession trailer, one that he can set up outside of Greensboro businesses on a regular schedule. But the ultimate goal? A permanent shop somewhere in the city. Instead of a "first dollar" hanging on the wall behind the counter in his shop, he said he'll hang something different: His arrowhead. Linnens isn't the only one to start a new business during the pandemic. According to the Peterson Institute for International Economics, startup business activity grew in the United States last year, from 3.5 million startups in 2019 to 4.4 million in 2020, a 24% increase. Locally, plenty of other people chose the pandemic as the time to launch a small business. Here's a look at three of them: Picnicscaping When the COVID-19 pandemic began, people turned to outdoor events, with guidance from health officials suggesting the virus was less transmittable outside. Puja Oza Vora, 26, took that into consideration when thinking about how she could put her event planning and tablescaping skills to work during the pandemic. The result? Picnicscaping. With the pandemic, I started having these small wine parties at my house, Oza Vora said. I thought about how neat it would be if I could just pick everything up and deliver that for someone. She began putting together a website and social media presence for Picnicscaping, gathering the supplies needed to create a luxury picnic experience for small groups of people. "Its just safer right now," Oza Vora said. "People would rather be outside and its secluded." Her background includes a landscape architecture degree from N.C. A&T, as well as wedding planning. Weddings and large events came to a standstill, and though she still maintained work helping manage her family's gas station business, she wanted to find a way to continue utilizing her passion for event planning. Though the picnics can be for any occasion or no occasion at all, she sees luxury picnics as a way to still celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and engagements in a pandemic-friendly and unique environment. "You just come, enjoy your time and dont have to lift a finger." Her basic picnic packages start at $175, with prices increasing with number of picnic guests and special ad-ons like catering. The picnics can be set up at people's homes she even put together an indoor picnic for a couple when the weather wouldn't cooperate in February or at downtown Greensboro parks, like LeBauer Park. Oza Vora is currently in talks with Greensboro Parks and Recreation with hopes of being granted permission to have picnics at city parks. "Why not treat yourself?" Oza Vora said. "Why not let yourself have a luxurious experience?" NYA Hippie Looking for custom, unique rings? NYA Hippie has you covered. Harlee Warner, 25, started the hand-stamped ring, keychain and suncatcher online shop in late 2019, but when the pandemic began, she had to completely rework her business. Back when she started the shop with the help of her fiance, she was selling a completely different set of products salt lamps, essential oils, bracelets. But their products were outsourced, and as soon as COVID-19 hit, shipping and receiving items for the shop became "a nightmare," Warner said. I wanted to be able to have control and do it all from my own home, Warner said. So basically, she said, I just flipped the business upside down. NYA it stands for Not Your Average Hippie went through a transitional phase around June 2020, with Warner trying her hand at hand stamping, a technique that involves marking pieces with unique designs by hammering a stamp into metal. Able to produce an entirely new line of products from the comfort of her she-shed at home, Warner eliminated the products she was outsourcing from her online store and began marketing an entire new line of products mainly rings and keychains, all of which she hand stamped herself. Once I got started, it was so much easier handling the products, the shipping. I'm able to do it all by myself. Warner first began NYA Hippie after working at her fiance's family restaurant for several years. Before then, she completed a two-year medical assisting program at GTCC, but knew by the time she was done she didn't want to pursue a career in the medical field. Neither she nor her fiance went to school for business, so when they began tinkering with the idea of starting an online shop, they taught themselves along the way. The idea to call the shop NYA Hippie popped into her head early on. "We are hippie, free people," Warner said, referring to herself and her fiance. "But we're not just your average hippie. "People back in the day would associate it with drugs and dropouts, but its involved into a different meaning just kind, loving people. Not your average just made sense to me." Her fiance has since returned to his family's restaurant, leaving Warner to manage the business on her own. She's found success, fulfilling orders from across the country. Worried what others might think, Warner didn't share her small business success on her social media until just recently. "After I did, the reaction that I got was not what I was expecting," she said. "I thought nobody was going to care. But I actually got quite a few orders from people I knew." Warner said she doesn't know exactly what NYA Hippie will evolve into in the future, but for now, she knows she's doing what brings her joy. "You spend half of your life working, so you might as well be happy with what youre doing." Bloom Botanical Co. Taylor Greeson was among those whose day jobs were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. When almost all travel came to a halt last year, Greeson, a flight attendant, was left with extra time. She went months at a time without working, leading her to seek out a way to supplement the loss of income. She'd had a passion for plants for several years, ever since she moved into her first one-bedroom apartment and slowly filled the tiny space with over 50 plants. Back then, she was working as a hairstylist on a budget. She wanted plant hangers, but they were expensive. "So I started watching videos on YouTube and made them all myself." At the start of the pandemic, Greeson, 25, learned about propagating plants. She decided to put her skills to work, selling the plants she grows on Facebook Marketplace. "I realized just how much other people loved plants, too," Greeson said, so she decided to take it a step further. Greeson started off by getting her business license and creating a name Bloom Botanical Co. She struggled to find a wholesale plant supplier there was a national plant shortage at the time, she said but eventually found the perfect one. She created an online Etsy shop, one where she can sell her handmade plant hangers, and began setting up pop-up shops at local vendor markets this spring. Greeson said she enjoys selling on Etsy, but nothing compares to being able to meet people at the pop-ups who share her same love of plants. "It makes me so happy seeing how excited people get when they're taking home a new plant baby." Though she wouldn't mind making Bloom Botanical Co. a full-time job at some point, for now, Greeson loves being a flight attendant. She plans to keep on with spring and summer pop-ups as a side business and continue selling plant hangers from the Etsy shop year-round. "I will just have to see where life takes me." Contact Jamie Biggs at 336-373-4476 and follow @JamieBiggsNR on Twitter. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Even if it were proven that Willingham was the only innocent person executed since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, isnt that an error percentage that exceeds acceptability? There can be no authentic advocacy for the death penalty that does not include ghoulish possibilities. As macabre as the execution of the innocent may seem, its more gruesome to consider it may have occurred just four years ago, a time when reasonable persons might assume such actions would be a moral impossibility. According to The New York Times, the Innocence Project and the ACLU pushed for additional DNA testing on several occasions, including on the eve of Lees execution. All requests were denied. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, responding to the DNA results, defended Lees execution. Its my duty to carry out the law, he said, adding, The fact is that the jury found him guilty based upon the information that they had. The governor also suggested the new DNA evidence was inconclusive. But four years after being executed by the state, Lees guilt remains in doubt exacerbated by DNA results the governor deems inconclusive. One of the moms (Patricia Lizotte) in our troop taught all of us how to sew before this and when we wanted to do the bags, she showed us how to do the pattern, Avery said. The girls created 100 bags, filling them with bottled water, fuzzy socks, crossword puzzles, pencils, cancer patient pamphlets and other items. Even with pandemic restrictions, the girls earned 10 different badges this year and will receive them at their end-of-the-year party on Memorial Day weekend. They will begin work on their Gold Award project when they enter high school. Each summer, Avery attends the weekly Girl Scout camps where she enjoys working on earning badges. One year, she went to Camp Keyauwee in Sophia. Two years ago, she was at Camp Ginger Cascades in Lenoir. I think the thing about going to camp is I really get to be outdoors and I get a break from my whole family and I get to make new friends, Avery said. Then the mayor learned of a way to team with the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife to repair the dam and more through the weir construction and restoration of the river site. The $2.5 million project was funded largely by the the USDFW and supplemented by funds from the North Carolina General Assembly, bringing Madison's cost to zero, officials said. Myers said he is excited about the park's potential to stimulate major economic development for the town and county. He said similar projects in Pennsylvania and Colorado have generated as much as $20 million in annual tourism revenue, for example. And economic development officials here estimate Madison River Park could see about 250,000 visitors annually, Myers said. That kind of traffic could produce tourism dollars of about $20 million, Myers said, noting the park is at an advantage being easily accessible from larger Triad cities, such as Greensboro, Winston-Salem and High Point. Madison downtown business owner Daniel Joyce said he's already seeing new business and economic growth at his downtown coffee shop Mad Bean. He's also doing good business at Steam Works, a music venue on the second floor of his downtown cafe in one of the town's most historic buildings. German Greens' policy risks jobs: former Chancellor Schroeder Xinhua) 16:10, May 22, 2021 BERLIN, May 21 (Xinhua) -- China is Germany's most important trading partner and Germany should not pursue a "supposedly value-based policy" which risks jobs, former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has said. In his newly released podcast "The Agenda" on Thursday, Schroeder said a Green Party policy that called international supply chains into question would lead to a "massive threat to jobs" in Germany. The governing CDU/CSU (Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union) should make clear to the Green party and potential future government partner that "the economy in Germany is not to be toyed with," Schroeder stressed. Schroeder added that Germany could not allow itself to be "drawn into a trade policy dispute between the United States on the one hand and China on the other." Schroeder was the leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) of Germany and he served as Chancellor from 1998 to 2005. (Web editor: Sheng Chuyi, Bianji) Siemens Mobility has been awarded a 110 million contract to modernize and optimize the Kijfhoek freight railyard, the largest yard in the Netherlands and a vital link between the Rotterdam ports and major industrial areas in Europe. This contract awarded by ProRail B.V. includes providing a state-of-the-art fully automated system to manage yard operations and 15 years of maintenance services. Located south-east of Rotterdam, the Kijfhoek marshalling yard encompasses 50 hectares, with 14 arrival tracks, 41 classification tracks and 12 stabling tracks. The increased automation of freight rail yards, systems and processes is having a considerable impact on the economic efficiency of freight transport, as intelligent systems are allowing for goods to be delivered faster, more reliably, and in a far more sustainable manner, said Andre Rodenbeck, CEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility. As a global market leader in cargo automation and maintenance services, our sophisticated Trackguard Cargo MSR32 solution and highly digitalized customer services will enable Kijfhoek to safely enhance the efficiency and reliability of its operations. Siemens Mobility will provide its Trackguard Cargo MSR32 automation solution, which will allow the yard to operate its marshalling and humping operations with a high degree of efficiency, reliability, and safety. In addition, the highly digitalized maintenance services will improve general operations and reduce the overall life cycle costs. The project is intended to be completed in 2024 and Kijfhoek will continue to operate at least 50% of capacity during this work. Trackguard Cargo MSR32 is a proven system specifically designed to efficiently manage and organize the movement of rail cars in freight yards. It allows for the rationalization of operational sequences at all levels, from train arrival to train departure, and provides the maximum possible automation of all work cycles and humping operations. This includes the route and speed control units for all points, retarders, and propelling systems, as well as the radio-based integration of the humping locomotive to closely manage the humping speed. This project, as well as the 15-year customer service commitment, builds on the already longstanding relationship between Siemens Mobility and ProRail B.V. Siemens Mobility has previously partnered with ProRail to deliver class B signalling systems, rail electrification, track outdoor elements, passenger counting systems, and station displays. Siemens Mobility is also one of the finalists for a running tender to implement ETCS nationally across the Netherlands. TradeArabia News Service MARTINSVILLE, Va. Death from COVID-19 returned to Henry County as of Thursday morning. The 124th resident of the county was recorded at 5 p.m. Wednesday by the Virginia Department of Health as having died from the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. This death likely occurred weeks or even months ago. VDH goes through an extensive review of death certificates and other information before adding to its database. We never know much about victims or cases other than basic demographic information that can be derived by changes in VDHs data. Health officials dont discuss specific cases or individuals who pass away. But all data are tracked by residence, and we were able to find that this one was a Black man in his 70s. This was the 320th victim of COVID-19 in the West Piedmont Health District and the sixth in May two of them Henry County residents and the first since May 13. Most have been elderly: 241 of them (75.3%) have been at least 70 and all but two were 40 or older. They also are overwhelmingly white (230, or 72%) and predominately male (54%). REIDSVILLE The City of Reidsville will officially open the areas newest Lake Reidsville Blueway access point with a ribbon cutting event planned for Tuesday along the lake at 1226 McCoy Road. City officials and staff from the Reidsville Chamber of Commerce will honor Pella Corporation during the noon event for the companys donation of $30,000 to the city for the creation of the recreation plan, city officials said in a Friday news release. The funds were used for the construction of the McCoy access point, which includes a trail, stairs and launch site for kayaks and canoes. The money further helped pay for landscaping and improvements to the parking area. Additionally, the donation by Pella helped the city develop its Greenway, a collection of trails across Reidsville, the release detailed. The Reidsville City Council adopted its first Greenway Plan in 1997. Three years ago city officials made plans to update the plan, expanding the document to include Blueways, which are designated water trails along rivers, lakes and streams. The benefits of Greenway and Blueway expansions are far-reaching, city officials said in the release. WENTWORTH Rockingham Countys COVID-19 infection rate continued to stay in a safe range at 5.3% as reports of three new deaths came from the health department over the past week. So far, COVID-19 has claimed the lives of 120 residents in the county of roughly 91,000. The most recent deaths were in people ages 66, 81, and 79, according to Katrina White, spokesperson for the Rockingham County Department of Public Health. The victims died at home and their deaths were reported late to county officials. On Friday, 7,784 residents of the county had contracted COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. Around 27% of residents had been fully vaccinated, as of Friday, while the county has administered more than 51,000 vaccine injections, according to county health statistics. Hospitalizations continued a slow climb to 61 on Friday, up from 59 earlier in the week. Meanwhile Cone Health and Rockingham County Schools nurses continued their efforts to vaccinate those 12 and older through the Rockingham County School Districts high school-based clinics. Today is Friday, May 21, 2021. Let's get caught up. These headlines are in the news this morning: Palestinians celebrated after a cease-fire took hold in Gaza, halting the 11-day war with Israel; White House infrastructure negotiations with the GOP reach a critical stage; and the Cuomo brothers are now both under fire. Read on for these stories, other top headlines, celebrity birthdays and more. TOP STORIES Palestinians claim victory as Gaza truce faces early test GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) Palestinians rallied by the thousands early Friday after a cease-fire took effect in the latest Gaza war, with many viewing it as costly but clear victory for the Islamic militant group Hamas over a far more powerful Israel. The 11-day war left more than 200 dead the vast majority Palestinians and brought widespread devastation to the already impoverished Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. But the rocket barrages that brought life to a standstill in much of Israel were seen by many Palestinians as a bold response to perceived Israeli abuses in Jerusalem, the emotional heart of the conflict. A giant panda cub born during the pandemic and so far only seen by the public on a virtual "Panda Cam" will greet visitors in person for the f What happens in North Carolina with energy production affects temperatures and storms and droughts elsewhere. For the fictional Hushpuppy and real-life Mujinga in Congo and Ha in southeast Asia, flash floods wash away lives and livelihoods. For Rosaria in Honduras, long, hot dry years parch farms and send families trudging for miles in search of someplace they can survive. Shifting energy production from gas-fired plants to renewable sources could significantly cut methane emissions, save lives and protect our Earth. Can we stop Duke Energys gas expansion? What happens somewhere affects everywhere. In every news cycle, the overwhelming surge of global COVID-19 infection rates and deaths highlights the gaps among nations and neighborhoods in access to vaccinations and health care. Vaccines are a tremendous opportunity for protecting health but that protection is uneven, compounded by logistics of keeping vaccines at the right temperature, transportation issues, staff shortages and confusion. As international debates wear on over patents and vaccine production, over sharing or withholding vaccine supplies, and over misinformation and denial and mismanagement, dangerous variants of the virus are emerging. But wait. If you are intent on reforming law enforcement because you, a Black man, have repeatedly been the victim of police mistreatment, doesnt that suggest that you believe that the problem is in the system and not in a few bad apples? Isnt that systemic racism? Biden has not been a shining example of rhetorical clarity. The morning after he said in his address to the Congress, We have a real chance to root out systemic racism that plagues America, he said in his CBS interview he doesnt think Americans are racists. So, our systems are racist, but were not? Come to think of it, the president didnt say that America is not a racist country; he said the American people are not racist. Maybe he agrees with Rashawn Ray, a fellow at the Brookings Institution, who, relying on sociologist Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, says that there can be systemic racism without actual racists. Maybe that is what the president believes. Maybe. How would we know? Harris also said that she doesnt think that America is a racist country. But, she added, We also do have to speak the truth about the history of racism in our country and its presence today. In September 2014, I was sitting with Henry McCollum at the moment a judge ordered his release from death row for a crime he did not commit. Many folks in the courtroom clapped in celebration. Others embraced out of relief. It had been 30 years since Henry and his brother Leon Brown two innocent and intellectually disabled children had been convicted and sentenced to death in Robeson County. A case that had captured the countrys attention had come to an end for the two men, who had unflinchingly claimed their innocence for all those years. The press, lawyers and advocates rushed to announce the courts decision. The courthouse buzzed as they explained the 30 years of injustice undisclosed evidence, new DNA results, the rush to judgment that failed to give closure to the family of the victim, the wrongful incarceration endured by Henry and his little brother, Leon. But Henry, the innocent man at the center of it all, remained solemn. After the judge ordered his release, he was led, still shackled, to a small, dim holding area of the same courthouse that took his freedom to begin with. I knelt near him for a few minutes. He was silent and didnt make eye contact. He was overwhelmed. Bahrain's leading telecom services operator Batelco has announced the launch of Business in a Box an innovative solution to deliver a full suite of technology productivity tools for its small and medium enterprises (SMEs) clientele in the kingdom. SMEs in Bahrain are a key pillar of the economic diversification vision, accounting for 30% of Bahrain's GDP and contributing greatly to employment opportunities. Starting and running a small business can be overwhelming as there are many elements to consider, such as drafting a business plan, securing funding, finding the right technology and devices needed to run the business efficiently. Batelcos Business in a Box includes all the essential digital business tools, which can be tailored to each companys specific requirements, all in one package with one single bill. It is a bundle of multiple products and services from Batelco that are customizable based on the type and size of the business, said Bahrain's telco giant. To start with, the bundle includes internet connectivity, the full suite of Microsoft 365 with essential Office applications and cloud storage on OneDrive to provide access to files from any device, anytime and anywhere, it added. Batelco said these are crucial services that support the modern way of running businesses by operating remotely. Additionally, all the necessary business devices such as laptops, printers, tablets, and mobiles are part of the deal along with top of the range network security, and Cloud POS (Point of Sale), enabling businesses to manage their sales, inventory, and payments, it stated. On the new product, Batelco Enterprise General Manager Abderrahmane Mounir said: "Improving efficiency, agility and productivity are important factors in helping a company to excel, and a one-stop-shop solution such as Business in a Box enables customers to focus on growing their business, while Batelco takes care of the technology and keeps it within their budget." "Among the key benefits of Batelco Business in a Box is the fast setup time as customers dont need to individually source these business-critical components, and as the product is customisable, SMEs can select the best elements for their specific needs to run their business efficiently," added Mounir.-TradeArabia News Service Todays Highlight in History: On May 23, 1934, bank robbers Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker were shot to death in a police ambush in Bienville Parish, Louisiana. On May 23: In 1430, Joan of Arc was captured by the Burgundians, who sold her to the English. In 1533, the marriage of Englands King Henry VIII to Catherine of Aragon was declared null and void by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer. In 1911, the newly completed New York Public Library was dedicated by President William Howard Taft, Gov. John Alden Dix and Mayor William Jay Gaynor. In 1915, Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary during World War I. In 1939, the Navy submarine USS Squalus sank during a test dive off the New England coast. Thirty-two crew members and one civilian were rescued, but 26 others died; the sub was salvaged and recommissioned the USS Sailfish. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. In 1944, during World War II, Allied forces bogged down in Anzio began a major breakout offensive. In 1945, Nazi official Heinrich Himmler committed suicide by biting into a cyanide capsule while in British custody in Luneburg, Germany. In 1967, Egypt closed the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping, an action which helped precipitate war between Israel and its Arab neighbors the following month. In 1977, Moluccan extremists seized a train and a primary school in the Netherlands; the hostage drama ended June 11 as Dutch marines stormed the train, resulting in the deaths of six out of nine hijackers and two hostages, while the school siege ended peacefully. In 1984, Surgeon General C. Everett Koop issued a report saying there was very solid evidence linking cigarette smoke to lung disease in non-smokers. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, starring Harrison Ford, was released by Paramount Pictures. In 1994, funeral services were held at Arlington National Cemetery for former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. In 2007, President George W. Bush, speaking at the U.S. Coast Guard commencement, portrayed the Iraq war as a battle between the U.S. and al-Qaida and said Osama bin Laden was setting up a terrorist cell in Iraq to strike targets in America. In 2011, President Barack Obama opened a six-day European tour in Ireland, where he paid tribute to his Irish ancestors before heading to Britain. The European Union imposed sanctions on Syrian President Bashar Assad over the continuing crackdown on antigovernment protesters. Pakistani commandos recaptured a major naval base from Taliban attackers after a bloody 18-hour standoff. In 2016, during his visit to Asia, President Barack Obama, eager to banish lingering shadows of the Vietnam War, lifted the U.S. embargo on selling arms to Americas former enemy. Prosecutors failed for the second time in their bid to hold Baltimore police accountable for the arrest and death of Freddie Gray, as an officer was acquitted in the racially charged case that triggered riots a year earlier. The Supreme Court upended the conviction and death sentence of a Black Georgia man because prosecutors had improperly excluded African-Americans from his all-white jury. Dr. Henry Heimlich, the 96-year-old retired chest surgeon credited with developing the namesake Heimlich maneuver, used it to save a woman choking on food at his senior living center in Cincinnati. In 2020, for the first time since he declared the coronavirus pandemic a national emergency more than two months earlier, President Donald Trump played golf at one of his courses at the start of the Memorial Day weekend, as he pushed for state and local leaders to fully reopen after months of closures and tight restrictions. China reported no new confirmed coronavirus cases for the first time since it started announcing infections in January. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts: Arizona election database is not missing CLAIM: The election database in Maricopa County in Arizona has been deleted, seals were improperly broken on boxes that hold the votes, and ballots are missing. THE FACTS: An unprecedented, partisan audit of the 2020 election in Arizona's largest county is being used to spread false information about the vote. Though a partial hand recount and two extra audits found no issues in the election that gave Biden a margin of victory of less than 10,500 votes in the battleground state, Republicans in the Arizona state Senate used their subpoena power to take possession of all 2.1 million county ballots, the machines that counted them and hard drives full of data, and hired a Florida-based cybersecurity firm to comb through it. The firm, Cyber Ninjas, is run by a supporter of former President Donald Trump who has promoted election conspiracy theories. On May 12, Senate President Karen Fann sent a letter to the chairman of the Republican-controlled Maricopa County Board of Supervisors accusing county officials of deleting election databases. The letter also questioned why there were discrepancies between certain batches of ballots and log sheets, and why broken seals were found in ballot boxes. Trump released a statement echoing Fann's letter, which also spread on social media. It read, in part: "The entire Database of Maricopa County in Arizona has been DELETED! This is illegal and the Arizona State Senate, who is leading the Forensic Audit, is up in arms. Additionally, seals were broken on the boxes that hold the votes, ballots are missing, and worse." At a meeting Monday, county officials refuted the allegations and issued a 14-page response to Fann, calling her accusations "false, defamatory, and beneath the dignity of the Senate." The letter, along with a separate technical memo, detailed the procedures around the vote and explained how they had been misunderstood by those behind the Senate's audit. In refuting the claim about deleted databases, the county listed a number of technical mistakes that may have been made by the firms running the audit when they configured a copy of the data and searched for the files in question. Furthermore, Megan Gilbertson, communications director for Maricopa County Elections Department, told The Associated Press that "the county backs up and archives all of its election data." On Tuesday, Ben Cotton, the founder of a computer forensics firm working on the audit, told key senators the data in question had been deleted from the server he copied but he also acknowledged he had recovered the data and had access to it thereby undermining the claim that the database had been permanently destroyed. Seals were not improperly broken on ballots, as was alleged. They were opened before the tabulated ballots were put in long-term storage, which is standard procedure, according to county officials. As for the allegation that ballots were missing: If a ballot cannot be read by the tabulation machine, it must go through a distinct process to be duplicated and is tracked in a separate set of logs. Liz Howard, senior counsel for the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, said those running the audit are "basically looking at the wrong tracking sheets, the wrong documents." Election integrity experts who reviewed the county's documents said the evidence indicates the county followed established protocols, but those conducting the audit lacked professional election experience to understand what they were examining. "Experts have raised concerns over how those conducting this review would not know what they were looking at and that they would draw incorrect and malicious conclusions to support their own agendas," said Tammy Patrick a former Maricopa County official and senior adviser to the elections program at Democracy Fund. Fann did not respond to a request for comment. Associated Press writers Jude Joffe-Block in Phoenix and Terrence Fraser in New York contributed this report. Moderna vaccine ingredient falsely targeted as unsafe CLAIM: SM-102 is an ingredient in the Moderna vaccine that is not safe for humans or for veterinary use. THE FACTS: As millions of Americans receive COVID-19 vaccines, posts online are falsely claiming that an ingredient listed in the Moderna vaccine is unsafe for humans and animals. One Instagram user posted a video that compares the ingredient list for the Moderna vaccine with the ingredients in a chemical solution made by the Michigan biotech company Cayman Chemical. Both products list SM-102, a lipid, as an ingredient. The Cayman product comes with a warning that it is to be used for research purposes only and contains chloroform. "It's unbelievable how many people are just following this blindly, and not doing active research to find out what they are putting into their, and now their children's body," the caption on the video reads. In fact, SM-102 the ingredient both products have in common is harmless to people and isn't what makes the Cayman Chemical solution dangerous. Only the Cayman product contains chloroform, a hazardous solvent. The posts ignore information on the Cayman Chemical safety sheet that lists chloroform as a "dangerous component" and lists SM-102 separately under "other ingredients." In response to the misleading social media posts, Cayman Chemical released a statement reaffirming that the product being mentioned online is made up of 90% chloroform and 10% SM-102. It is intended for research purposes only. The company has a separate division for products for human and veterinary use. "While it is a common solvent, chloroform has several known serious hazards," the company said in a news release. "Neither the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances (RTECS), or the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) Classification and Labelling Inventory list any hazards associated with SM-102." The Moderna vaccine uses SM-102 to deliver the genetic code, or mRNA, of the spike protein that coats the coronavirus into our cells. Experts say there is no need to be concerned about SM-102 in the vaccine. The amount of lipid used in the vaccine is very small, said Lisa Morici, an associate professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Tulane University School of Medicine, in an email. "Our own cell membranes are composed of lipids," she said. Representatives for Moderna could not immediately be reached for comment. Associated Press writer Beatrice Dupuy in New York contributed this report. Video shows child having epileptic seizure, not COVID-19 vaccine reaction CLAIM: A video shows a child shaking uncontrollably in response to the COVID-19 vaccine. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. THE FACTS: A video of a child with epilepsy experiencing a seizure is being shared online to falsely imply the child is reacting to a COVID-19 vaccination. The video shows a young boy in an orange and blue shirt trembling as an adult woman soothes him, saying, "Come on, baby" and telling him to breathe. Overlaid text on the clip reads, "But they're safe right?!" and copies language about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines from the World Health Organization. In a version that amassed more than 2 million views on Facebook, a second video alongside the first shows a woman crying and shaking her head in fear. Taken together, the post falsely implies the child's physical symptoms are somehow related to the COVID-19 vaccine. But in a May 6 Instagram post, the boy's father explains that the child has epilepsy and has experienced seizures since 2009. "No, nothing to do with Covid," the post reads. In the post, the father does claim that his son's epilepsy is related to vaccines he received as a young child. But that is not supported by scientific evidence, Dr. Paul Offit, a vaccine expert at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, told The Associated Press. "Vaccines do not cause epilepsy," Offit said. One side effect of many vaccines is a fever, which can cause seizures in a small percentage of young children, Offit explained. But those seizures, known as febrile seizures, are "short-lived and do not cause permanent harm," he said. Data on the millions of COVID-19 vaccinations administered so far does not show any link between the vaccines and seizure disorders, Offit said. U.S. health advisers endorsed the use of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine in kids as young as 12 last week. The two-dose vaccine made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech was studied in more than 2,000 kids ages 12 to 15 and was found to be safe and effective. Children who haven't been vaccinated should still wear masks and keep 6 feet apart, according to the CDC, which recommends masks for children age 2 and older in public settings and when with people outside their household. Associated Press writer Ali Swenson in Seattle contributed this report. Image of pyramids lit with Palestinian flag is manipulated CLAIM: A photo shows Egypt projected the Palestinian flag on its Giza Pyramids during the latest war between Palestinian militants in Gaza and the Israeli military. THE FACTS: An internet search reveals this image was fabricated using a 2014 photo of the pyramids that did not feature the flag projection. Since fighting broke out between Israel and the Hamas militant group in Gaza on May 10, neighboring Egypt has treated wounded Palestinians and sent trucks carrying humanitarian aid and medical supplies to Gaza. However, Egypt has not shown solidarity with the Palestinians in the form of a light show on its three famed pyramids of Giza, despite a fake image suggesting as much on social media. The image circulated widely on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter on Tuesday, with captions in both Arabic and English. "Egypt showing the flag of Palestine on the pyramids," wrote a Facebook user. "Thank you Egypt!" In reality, the widely circulating picture is an edit of a 2014 image of the pyramids that can be found on Wikimedia Commons. On Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announced Israel would halt its offensive against Hamas militants. Ali Swenson Biden did not fake driving electric truck CLAIM: President Joe Biden was caught fake driving a Ford F-150 Lightning truck during a visit to a Ford safety testing center Tuesday. A man in the passenger seat was operating the vehicle using a second steering wheel. THE FACTS: An article shared thousands of times on Facebook this week falsely claimed that the president faked his Tuesday test drive of an electric Ford truck at Ford's Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan. "WOW! Biden Caught Fake Driving -- Someone Else Is Steering Vehicle -- It Was All a Stunt!" a headline on the conservative website The Gateway Pundit read. The story misrepresented videos and pictures to claim they showed a passenger in the truck was steering instead of the president. There's no truth to these claims, according to Melissa Miller, manager of government and public policy communications at Ford. "There was only one steering wheel in the vehicle the president drove yesterday," Miller said in an email Wednesday. Photos and videos of the event show that the passenger in the vehicle, who was identified to reporters as a member of Biden's Secret Service detail, was adjusting a camera that was resting on the dashboard, not operating the car. Associated Press photos of the inside of the vehicle show the right side of the dashboard was obstructed by a black cloth covering, which car experts say is typical in prototype vehicles before they are released. "Cloth coverings are very common on the interior of prototype vehicles because they're designed to hide the dashboard from prying eyes before the product is officially released to the market," said Billy Rehbock, social media editor at the automotive website MotorTrend. The Gateway Pundit did not respond to a request for comment. Ali Swenson ___ Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Illinois lawmakers responded Saturday to the first draft of the long-awaited proposed state legislative maps, which were released late Friday, setting off the once-a-decade process wrought with bitter, partisan strife. Democrats dubbed their proposal a fair map that represents the broad diversity of the state, yet it was widely denounced by Republicans and good government groups, who said it relies on flawed data and is built to protect Democratic incumbents and give the party an overall partisan advantage. I think this is a slap in the face to the people of Illinois, to be honest with you, said state Rep. Tim Butler, R-Springfield, the minority spokesman for the House Redistricting Committee. In the year 2021, the fact that the majority would put out these simple, rudimentary PDF maps as their maps to the people of Illinois, is just really unconscionable. Democrats unveiled the map just after 7 p.m. Friday, which was long after lawmakers left town for the weekend and allowed the party to avoid additional media scrutiny on the controversial topic. The party is seeking to meet a June 30 deadline to pass a map that will lock in their supermajorities in the state House and Senate for another 10 years. Per the state constitution, the legislature controlled by Democrats is given the first crack and drawing a map. If one isnt approved by the end of June, the process is turned over to an eight-person commission divided evenly between Democrats and Republicans. If they cannot agree, the Illinois Secretary of State draws a name either a Democrat or Republican to break the tie. This would essentially give Republicans a 50% chance at drawing the map, a scenario supermajority Democrats are certain to avoid. Democrats touted the proposed map as fair, reflecting the geographic, racial and ethnic diversity of the state while taking into account feedback received from more than 45 redistricting hearings held across the state in March and April. Hearings are planned on the proposed boundaries on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. Redistricting is about making sure all voices are heard, and thats exactly what this map accomplishes, said state Sen. Omar Aquino, D-Chicago, chairman of the Senate Redistricting Committee. This is a fair map that reflects the great diversity of our state and ensures every person receives equal representation in the General Assembly. But Republicans and good government groups sharply criticized the proposal, which offered almost no details about the demographic makeup of each district or the underlying data used to create them. And as of Saturday afternoon, there has been no legislation filed detailing the proposed lines. Butler said he received a courtesy call from state Rep. Lisa Hernandez, D-Cicero, the House Redistricting Committee chairwoman, just 12 minutes before the maps were released. He said it was the first time he and his fellow Republicans saw the proposed districts. Though dozens of public hearings were held across the state, most were not well attended. In any case, Butler said Democrats took everything they heard in the hearings and threw it out the window of their secret room in the Stratton Building. I mean, look, they drew these maps in a locked room where the public wasn't allowed in, they produced maps and put them out at 7:30 p.m. on a Friday night after they had told all their members to head home for the weekend and turn off their phones, Butler said. This is in no way transparent and open and public-involved. This is worse than the Madigan playbook. 'Veto any partisan map' Another point of contention is the use of population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureaus American Community Survey instead of redistricting data from the 2020 census. The latter, which includes counts of population by race, ethnicity and other factors, is typically used by state legislatures to draw legislative and Congressional maps. However, delivery of that data has been delayed until the end of September by the COVID-19 pandemic. If Democrats are to meet the June 30 deadline, it means using alternative data sets. CHANGE Illinois, a nonpartisan nonprofit that advocates for an independent redistricting process, said they strongly reject any map that utilizes ACS as its underlying dataset, saying it would lead to an undercount of nearly 42,000 Illinois residents. We urge Illinois lawmakers to seek relief from the courts and halt current attempts to pass maps that erase thousands of Illinoisans, the coalition said in a statement. We urge Gov. J.B. Pritzker to fulfill his repeated pledges to veto any partisan map, but especially one built from an undercount of Illinoisans. Pritzker campaigned on independent maps in 2018, vowing to veto any map that was drawn by lawmakers, political officials or staffers. But the governor has slowly walked back on that promise, saying Wednesday that he planned to veto an unfair map, leaving the definition of that open to interpretation. I have not seen a map from the Republicans, I think I would have liked to have seen what they would like to see, Pritzker said Wednesday. I have not seen what the Democrats have come up with yet. So, I hope theyll produce a map soon too, and well see where we go." Republicans, without the votes in the General Assembly to stop a Democratic map, hope Pritzker will keep his initial promise. "This will be a good test for Pritzker," said state Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet. "Did he mean what he said when he said he would veto a map that wasn't a fair map with an independent commission that was used a computer system that didn't know where the incumbents live?" What's proposed for Central Illinois Macon County, for instance, would be split into three Senate districts and four House districts. Most of the urban core of Decatur would continue to be in the 48th Senate District, currently represented by state Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield. The district would pick up most of Springfields Democratic-trending west side while dropping conservative Macoupin and Montgomery counties. Watch now: Springfield alderman chosen to fill Manar's seat in Illinois Senate (copy) Andy Manar resigned Jan. 17 after eight years in the Illinois Senate to become a senior advisor to Gov. J.B. Pritzker, departing the chamber with just under two years left in his term. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Turner could not be reached for comment Saturday. The 96th House District, which covers half the Senate district and connects the east side of Springfield and Decatur, appears to remain mostly intact. The district is represented by state Rep. Sue Scherer, D-Decatur. "Last night was the first time I saw the entire map," Scherer said in a statement. "I'll be reviewing it this weekend." The other half of the district, the 95th House District, would include a sliver into rural Macon County. It also includes rural portions of northern Christian County and loops around Springfields urban core to capture outlying areas on the citys south and west sides and north end. It appears to include Butler's Springfield home. The proposed map would place most of northern and eastern Macon County, currently represented by state Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, in state Sen. Sally Turners 44th Senate District, which would also include all or parts of DeWitt, Logan, McLean, Menard, Piatt, Sangamon and Tazewell counties. The 88th House District would cover the northern and western portions of the county, an area currently represented by state Rep. Dan Caulkins, R-Decatur. "It's not really a map," Caulkins said. "I mean, it's a painted picture of Illinois that has different areas colored in claiming to be House districts and Senate districts." "This is Mike Madigan all over again," he said. The county's southern portion, currently represented by state Rep. Brad Halbrook, R-Shelbyville, would be in the 107th House district. Rose's 51st Senate district would shift south and east, straddling the Indiana border, stretching from Champaign County to as far south as Lawrence County. It would not include any portion of Macon County. Much of Rose's new district would include pieces of state Sen. Darren Bailey's current district. Bailey, R-Louisville, is seeking the GOP nomination for governor and thus forgoing a reelection bid. Bailey released a statement about the proposed legislative boundary maps Saturday afternoon via his office, which indicated that he will be touching more on this topic in the coming week. "A closed-door redistricting process was brought to fruition as Democrats posted a 'map' using inaccurate data. Democrats are pushing ahead with their agenda so they can pick their voters and keep their power. The governor needs to own up to his campaign promise and step in and end the madness," Bailey said. Mac White, chairman of the Coles County Democrats, said he is still assessing the proposed boundary maps, but believed that Rose, a Charleston native, would be a more capable advocate for the Coles County area than current 110th district Rep. Chris Miller, R-Oakland. McLean County would become even more fragmented under the proposal, split among three Senate districts and five House districts. The most significant change proposed involves the 46th Senate district, a swingy Peoria-based seat that currently includes working class areas in Fulton County. Under the new proposal, the district would stretch from Peoria to the urban portions of Bloomington-Normal, presumably adding thousands of Democratic voters in the process. The Twin Cities, currently split between Sally Turner and state Sen. Jason Barickman, R-Bloomington, would largely be unified under one legislative district under the proposal. The 91st House district, which covers half the Senate district, would include Bloomington and Normal along with portions of Peoria, Tazewell and Woodford counties. Both the House and Senate district could give Democrats an opportunity to compete in the county, which currently has an all-Republican state legislative delegation. On the other hand, the Senate districts Barickman and Turner each represent would become more rural in nature. I think there was nothing surprising about last nights disclosure other than the abundant lack of transparency that exists around it, Barickman said Saturday in an interview with The Pantagraph. Its difficult to ascertain the specific impact to anyone because theres a lack of detailed data," he said. "Its a PDF that doesn't allow you to even determine where the actual boundaries exist. Barickman said he expects there to be changes before the final maps are approved. State Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, whose 105th House district would also serve to get more rural under the proposal, said the process was "obviously flawed" and "lacked transparency." Its different. Its an opportunity to represent potentially new people, which I have always enjoyed representing people, whether that is those who I have been representing for years in my district," Brady said. "The one thing I think is important to keep in mind is the true data that have been used in this is skeptical, Im very skeptical of the data. The western and southwestern portions of the county would be included in the 87th House district, which would also encompass most of Tazewell County and the northern portion of Logan County. The new district would include the home of state Rep. Keith Sommer, R-Morton. The northeastern portion of the county would be in the 106th House district, currently represented by Thomas Bennett, R-Gibson City. Sierra Henry of The Pantagraph contributed to this report. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Similar tests at two prominent downtown businesses revealed similar since repaired location glitches caused by the computer server that controlled each voice over the IP phone system, he said. People assume 911 just works, but there are so many things with the way data has leap-frogged past the ability of a 911 system data has increased faster than phone systems can keep track of and the biggest hurdle will be the voice over IP phones, Miller said. I get it people are mad because youre changing your address, he said. How mad are you going to be if you dial 911 and they dont show up? Not because they dont want to; they just simply cant find you. The new system also includes something called Rapid SOS, a secure web-based data platform that improves location information of mobile phone callers to 911. It is designed to provide accuracy to within 10 feet and calculates elevation, in case the person is upstairs or downstairs. The new system will also allow 911 centers to receive text messaging. The city is asking residents to place new address information on their residence, business or mailbox as soon as possible. Once implemented, the system is designed to work with both the old or new address for up to one year, Miller said. The biggest thing people need to do is get new numbers on their mailbox and their house, Miller said. The mailbox is there for mail purposes; 911 only requires numbers be posted on the house. Thats where a lot of failures come in with 911, simply because a lot of people dont identify their home they think the number on the mailbox is enough. But that creates real serious life safety issues. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Imagine spending your 12th birthday waiting and wishing for a safe, loving home. Imagine trying to heal from the trauma of your past with no help or support. Imagine aging out of the foster care system with no safety net in place. These are all realities of youth in foster carerealities that you have the power to reshape. There are roughly 5,300 children in Virginias foster care system that are unable to live safely with their birth family and need someone else to care for themsomeone else to provide love and support through challenges big and small. Approximately 36% of children in foster care are teenagers between 13 and 18 years old. And Black children are disproportionately represented in the foster care system, representing 30% of children in Virginias foster care system yet only 22% of Virginias child population. From February 2020 to February 2021, 406 youth aged out of foster care without permanency. Virginia has fallen back to 50th, dead last in the nation, for the rate at which youth age out of foster care without a permanent connection. These outcomes fail our youth, and disproportionately affect communities of color. Children of color are more likely to age out of the foster care system and are more likely to experience low educational and job attainment. They are also more likely to experience homelessness than the general public. The Sherrills Ford of today is not the same one Kendra Eades grew up in. When she drives around the area, Eades spots pieces of land once owned by family and friends now built up with homes and commercial properties. Around every curve, red dirt is turned up as construction crews lay foundations and frame buildings. The area steadily grew for over two decades, but recent years, and especially the last six months, have shown a sharp spike in growth, Eades said. The population of the area has grown three times faster than the rest of Catawba County, and building permits are five times what they were 10 years ago. Eades family is deeply rooted in the area, with property all over Sherrills Ford, she said. With so much interest in the area, the family can develop and sell property readily. Eades doesnt expect the growth to slow down soon. There was consistent growth for a long time, we were already seeing growth and then, like most places, we had the dip (after the market crashed) and it was really around 2013 we got back up to where it was before, Eades said. And then it kept growing. Now in the last four to six months its taken a turn. Its definitely ramping up. In August 2020, I told you about a program that had just started at the Main Library in Newton. It was born out of a need to help the many people who were coming to the library looking for help. I described them as men and women without experience dealing with community resources, without computers, wi-fi, or printers in their homes if they have homes. Then Catawba County Library System assistant director now director Siobhan Loendorf, said people were coming from area agencies, needing documentation to validate their financial situations, proof that they needed help paying bills, getting food, finding employment, etc. Siobhan told me that she and library employees were working to assist a large influx of people and that it was all very confusing: trying to figure out which agency in Catawba County might be able to help, what sort of paperwork was needed, etc. In response to the challenge, library staff members suggested it would be nice if someone from the library went to the agencies to find out exactly what was needed, so library personnel could be of more help. Even better, what if someone trained to provide help worked in the library? Representative Image Kabul [Afghanistan], May 23 (ANI): A 'female suicide bomber' was killed by security forces before reaching her target near the police headquarters in Afghanistan's Faryab province, TOLO news reported. Interior Ministry spokesperson Tariq Arian said that the suicide bomber was killed in Faryab's Qaisar district. Three Taliban were killed in the incident, TOLO News tweeted. Women have been used by various terror organisations for carrying out the suicide bombing in several countries In 2012, a female suicide car bomber in Afghanistan was used to kill at least 12 people, including nine foreigners. The armed group Hizb-e-Islami said that the attack was carried out in revenge of an anti-Islam film. Suicide bombings have become very common in the war-torn nation as it suffers deadly terrorist attacks almost daily. In 2019, a child was used to carry out a suicide bombing at a wedding ceremony in Afghan's Nangarhar province, killing six people and wounding 14 others, reported TOLO News. The last well-known female suicide bombing attack took place in Pakistan's Dera Ismail Khan area in 2019. A female suicide bomber targeted a government-run hospital here on Sunday, killing six people, two of them policemen, and wounding 28 others, shortly after a gun attack on a police check-post left two policemen dead. Officials said that the suicide bomber clad in a black 'shuttlecock' burqa was sitting near the entrance of the Trauma Centre. They said that the explosion took place when the bodies of the two policemen were being shifted inside the centre, reported Dawn. Among the deadliest attacks, a female suicide bomber in 2010 killed 43 people in north-west Pakistan close to the Afghan border, while 50 others were injured. Police officials told reporters that the suicide bomber was clad in a burqa who reportedly threw a grenade after resisting a security search, TOLO News reported. The Jaffa street suicide attack in the Israeli capital Jerusalem in 2002 also remains one of the most vividly known incidents. A 28-year-old female Palestinian suicide bomber named Wafa Idris, a member of the Fatah group, killed one elderly person and injured 100 others in the attack. Story continues It is also important to note that two days ago, India marked the occasion of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's 30th death anniversary. Gandhi was also assassinated by a female suicide bomber named Dhanu from Sri Lanka's Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Rajiv Gandhi took over the charge of Congress in 1984 following the assassination of his mother and then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He became India's youngest Prime Minister at the age of 40. Gandhi was assassinated by a female suicide bomber named Dhanu during an election rally in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991. The blast also killed 14 others apart from Gandhi and Dhanu. Tensions arose between LTTE and Gandhi after the latter send Indian peacekeeping forces to intervene in the Sri Lankan civil war. On February 18, 2014, the Supreme Court had commuted the death sentence of AG Perarivalan, a convict in the assassination case, to life imprisonment on grounds of a delay of 11 years in deciding the mercy pleas by the Centre. (ANI) Mount Nyaragongo, an active volcano overlooking Congo's Goma town erupted on Saturday evening (Photo/Army) New Delhi [India], May 23 (ANI): After Mount Nyaragongo, an active volcano overlooking Congo's Goma town erupted, Indian Army on Saturday rushed to assist in evacuation of locals and other UN personnel in the affected region. Notably, the Indian Army has a significant presence in the Democratic Republic of Congo as part of MONUSCO, a UN peacekeeping mission headquartered in the eastern town of Goma and bordering Rwanda. The Army in an official statement said that the Indian Brigade headquarters is located adjacent to the Goma airfield. It said that most of the lava from the volcanic eruption has flowed towards Rwanda and only a small stream is trickling towards Goma. "As a precautionary measure, various country contingents were told to be on the alert by the UN's internal security system who calculated that evacuation will not be required. However, a majority of the country contingents including aviation contingents evacuated immediately," Army said. "The Indian Brigade headquarters have held their ground and in a calculated and calm manner, thinned out 70 per cent of the strength of the camp and sent them to the Himbi Company Operating Base (COB) for safety. A minimum strength continued to hold onto the Camp ensuring no threat to UN and National assets as also providing security to empty Aviation base and Aviation fuel stored there," it added. Army said that an Observation Point has been established in the area that is giving real-time updates of the lava flow to the Brigade headquarters, enabling them to pass the correct information to the UN and hence creating a semblance of orderliness in the civilian evacuation. "Currently, it is ascertained that the lava flow has considerably slowed down. Lava flow at this stage is unlikely to reach Goma town unless there is a fresh eruption through fissures. Intermittent earthquakes of very low intensity are being currently experienced," it said. "Actions by the Indian contingent in the face of imminent danger have facilitated the smooth evacuation and protection of civilians and other UN personnel in Goma," the statement added. (ANI) The UAE has welcomed the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) decision to remove the country from the US intellectual property protection (IPP) Watch List. In its 2021 Special 301 Report, the USTR outlined a set of key achievements made by the UAE in the field of IPP during the past period, leading to its success in coming off the watch list, a WAM report said. The report highlighted several measures taken by the UAE to develop its national system for protecting intellectual property rights across various commercial and investment activities, the most important of which are: The Ministry of Health and Prevention resolving concerns with IP protection of pharmaceutical products (Decree 321), and the UAE making progress on longstanding IP enforcement concerns, particularly through increased efforts by Dubai Customs. Also, greater transparency through the publication of IP enforcement procedures by multiple enforcement authorities, including publication of annual IP enforcement statistics by Federal Customs, as well as the efforts by the Ajman Department of Economic Development to significantly reduce the availability of counterfeit goods at the Ajman China Mall. The USTRs Special 301 Report puts a spotlight on foreign countries and laws, policies, and practices that fail to provide adequate and effective IP protection and enforcement for US inventors, creators, brands, manufacturers, and service providers. USTR reviewed more than 100 trading partners for this years report, placing 32 on the Priority Watch List or Watch List. The UAEs removal from the Watch List is the culmination of consistent and constructive cooperation between a range of UAE and US stakeholders, including the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Ministry of Health and Prevention, the Federal Customs Authority, Dubai Customs, the Ajman Department of Economic Development, the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi, the USTR, the US Department of Commerce, and the US Patents and Trademarks Office, amongst others. Commenting on the announcement, Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh, Minister of State, said: "The USTRs decision is encouraging news. Over the last year, we have worked hard to strengthen the UAEs IPP framework in many important ways. This decision is an endorsement of our progress. The UAE is committed to implementing robust IPP regulatory standards, including having an infringement and enforcement framework that upholds these standards. "We firmly believe that the process of creating and commercialising IP enriches society and drives economic growth. It is, therefore, our intention to build on this positive result and continue to strengthen and reinforce rigorous IPP rights across the UAE." -- TradeArabia News Service Representative Image Islamabad [Pakistan], May 22 (ANI): There are actualities that could possibly lead Pakistan into a civil war. Previously, Pakistan has experienced the consequences of a civil war that resulted in the foundation of Bangladesh. Irfan Raja in an opinion piece in Asia Times has said that as long as the growth of inequality and injustice is unchecked, the chance of a complete breakdown becomes more likely in Pakistan. Though bad governance, corruption and poverty are certainly factors that can stir hatred and violence in any society, inequality and injustice are the main components that drive a society into civil war. But there are many other factors that can lead Pakistan into a second civil war. First is the functioning of a feudal society that restricts equality and limits ordinary people's progress in education and intellectual growth. Second is the uninterrupted furtherance of a colonial legacy in Pakistan that empowers the bureaucracy and establishment to the extent that civil servants have become feudal lords in uniforms. Seventy-three years since independence, Pakistan is still failing its purpose of existence. It's not an Islamic welfare state nor a democracy or liberal state. Instead, it has become an "intolerant society." The moment people question the policymakers, they are labeled foreign agents, traitors, or disloyal. The ability to challenge or think comes with education, and at this moment education is not a priority in Pakistan. Writer and journalist Tariq Ali has explained how colonial masters appointed elites who shaped an education system that serves their interests and produce deaf and blind people, not thinkers. Ali believed that the Pakistani state has "failed to forge a national identity" while its leaders are unable and unwilling to "address the country's poverty and inequality", while the military has a role in "the country's spiral toward violence and disunity." Story continues So, what really causes civil war? Experts offer various reasons that could potentially "fuel a civil war." For example, a World Bank report suggests that "it is due to economic inequalities or to a deep-rooted legacy of colonialism." Once a civil war starts, it is "difficult to end", wrote Raja. Many experts have warned several nations against sleepwalking into civil war. Pakistan has failed to address many injustices. Many civilians have died in custody of Pakistan's security institutions, particularly in troublesome areas of Balochistan, Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Amnesty International has revealed shocking data on "torture and death in police custody" in Pakistan, reported Asia Times. Yet many corrupt Pakistani politicians, bureaucrats, generals, industrialists, and media pundits are enjoying luxurious lives, wrote Raja. Pervez Musharraf is a case in point. The man whose policies gave rise to terrorism in Pakistan, for instance the attack on the Red Mosque (Lal Masjid) and killing of Baloch tribal chief Nawab Akbar Bugti that "sparked fury and fears of war," is enjoying a luxurious life abroad, said Raja. Since the death of Bugti, Balochistan is burning and ordinary people are paying the price. Meanwhile, people like Majeed Achakzai, a former Balochistan provincial lawmaker, was cleared of all charges in a hit-and-run case that killed a poor traffic warden on duty; Rangers personnel "get presidential pardon over youth's killing"; and the list goes on of apparent miscarriage of justice, reported Asia Times. This is surely a failure of a judicial system that hardly ever protects the weak but always stands up to defend the strong. (ANI) Representative image Islamabad [Pakistan], May 23 (ANI): A Pakistani soldier was killed near the Afghan border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province's North Waziristan district, the Pakistan military's media wing said on Saturday. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the Pakistani troops responded to the firing but Sepoy Umar Daraz, 32, died due to a bullet injury. "Pakistan has consistently asked Afghanistan to ensure effective management and control on their side of the Pak-Afghan Border," ISPR said. Pakistan strongly condemned the incident, the military's media wing said. Earlier this month, four Pakistani soldiers were killed and six others injured in a terrorist attack near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Balochistan. According to a Pak media report, the majority of work on Pakistan's side of the fence, on nearly 2,600 kilometers border with Afghanistan, has been completed. ISPR had said the fence is being erected to stop terrorist activities and illegal activities including smuggling from Afghanistan. However, Kabul does not recognize the border, called as the Durand line. (ANI) HMS Queen Elizabeth (Photo Credit: Reuters) London [UK], May 24 (ANI): The UK's carrier strike group, led by HMS Queen Elizabeth, has left for the Indo-Pacific region on a world tour that will last about seven months, carrying the strength of nine ships, 32 aircraft, and 3,700 personnel. The dispatch of the ship, on Saturday on its maiden operational deployment, is a representation of the 'Indo-Pacific tilt' in the UK's foreign policy. The carrier group is also believed to boost Britain's involvement in the region and to deter China which is asserting its influence in Indo-Pacific, NHK world reported. This follows the Boris Johnson government's calls for increased focus on the region in a new policy paper on diplomacy and security for the coming 10 years which was released in March. The seven-month global deployment will extend through the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean and on to the Indo-Pacific, interacting with more than one-fifth of the world's nations. Johnson was also among those to visit HMS Queen Elizabeth on Saturday ahead of her departure, joined on Friday by UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, First Sea Lord, Admiral Tony Radakin and Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston on the flight deck. UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace had said: The UK's Carrier Strike Group sets sail to write Britain's name in the next chapter of history - a truly global Britain that steps forward to tackle the challenges of tomorrow, working hand-in-hand with our friends to defend our shared values and uphold the rules-based international order." In a projection of the UK's global reach and influence, the carrier strike group will interact with over 40 nations during its 26,000-nautical-mile global tour, undertaking over 70 engagements, exercises and operations with allies and partners. In the Indo-Pacific, the carrier strike group will visit India, Japan, South Korea and Singapore to strengthen Britain's security relationships, reinforce political ties and support our UK exports and international trade agenda. HMS Queen Elizabeth is the largest and most powerful surface vessel in the Royal Navy's history. (ANI) The flight today was elegant, beautiful," Colglazier said. Were going to analyze all the data that we gather on these flights. But watching from the ground and speaking with our pilots, it was magnificent. So now its time for us to do this again. Virgin Galactic said the flight provided an assessment of upgrades to a horizontal stabilizer, other flight controls and a suite of cabin cameras designed to provide live images of the flight to people on the ground. The shuttle also carried a scientific payload in cooperation with NASAs Flight Opportunities Program. Preparations for the latest flight included a maintenance review of the special carrier plane that flies the six-passenger spacecraft to a high altitude, where it is released so it can fire its rocket motor and make the final push to space. The first powered test of the rocket ship in New Mexico from Spaceport America was delayed repeatedly before Saturday's launch. In December 2020, computer trouble caused by electromagnetic interference prevented the spaceships rocket from firing properly. Instead of soaring toward space, the ship and its two pilots were forced to make an immediate landing. COVID-19 has created an opportunity for our local school systems to get major federal funding to renovate their aging buildings. No local tax dollars required. Since the epidemic began, Cabarrus County has had 22,000 reported cases of COVID-19, around one in ten of those (2,200) suffer long term effects lasting eight months or more and it has claimed the lives of at least 258 of our neighbors. As this catastrophe began to unfold a year ago, schools shut down to protect our kids. They are now beginning to re-open. This is challenging, because the newer kinds of COVID virus are more infectious to kids than last years version. There are a number of steps that can be taken to protect the kids (and those they live with at home they could infect). High on the list of good things to do is to get them lots of fresh air in the classroom. Fresh air dilutes the concentration of virus in the air, and makes it less likely one infected child will infect others. Turns out that if local leadership seizes the opportunity, the Federal government COVID stimulus funds will pay for it! And we can get a two-fer. DES MOINES In his second go-around as the countrys top agricultural official, Tom Vilsack hopes when it comes to farm pollution to wield more carrot and less stick. Vilsack said this week that in President Joe Bidens administration, the ultimate goal is to reduce emissions, but that his preferred method is through incentives and education, not the heavy hammer of regulatory enforcement. If we dont reduce emissions, were going to continue to see warmer climates or warming temperatures to the point where were going to have our ability to produce severely at risk, which we cant afford, Vilsack said during an interview with Lee Enterprises Des Moines Bureau. During the interview, Vilsack discussed agricultural pollution and conservation, ag markets trying to bounce back from price fluctuations sparked partially by trade disputes, federal implementation of the ethanol and biodiesel fuel mandates, and warnings from a fellow Iowan in D.C. about meat at the school lunch table. The goal is also to make sure that there is profitability in whatever it is we create so that the right set of incentives are in place to encourage farmers to do this, Vilsack said. The challenge with regulations is that its hard to get them enacted because you have rights to litigate, which drags the process out. And oftentimes there is not the capacity to fully enforce whatever regulation you have. And people figure out a million different ways to get around regulation. Vilsack has the scars to prove it. During his first stint as secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the entirety of former President Barack Obamas two terms in office the federal ag department received blowback from farmers, industry leaders and conservatives over the departments attempt to define which waterways are subject to federal regulation. The federal ag department under Obama and Vilsack never shook the controversy over the Waters of the U.S. rule. Vilsack, who accepted the federal ag secretary post again when asked by Biden after his election in 2020, said this week the country cannot afford more legal hurdles slowing down its effort to reduce pollution and address climate change. We dont have time. We really have to pick up the pace here, of these activities, and I think the most effective and efficient way and the least time-consuming way is by providing some incentives, he said. Vilsack, a two-term Iowa governor, spoke with the bureau via video call from his home just west of Des Moines. Vilsack said he does most of his work virtually for the time being there is not yet much in-person activity in the federal ag department offices in Washington, D.C., he said. Vilsack said the department is preparing a report that will outline recommended agricultural conservation strategies. Vilsack said it must be a system that calculates the benefits of certain practices, is adaptable to farms both large and small, and is fully staffed at the federal level to assist farmers. Theres a multitude of ways, I think, for us at USDA to use existing tools and to create new tools that provide the financial incentives and direction that reward farmers for conservation practices that in turn have the consequence of reducing emissions, improving soil health and protecting the water, he said. Vilsack said he is encouraged by how soybean prices have rebounded after collapsing to a 12-year low two years ago. Former President Donald Trumps administration renegotiated a number of international trade agreements, which contributed to drops in myriad crop prices. Soybean prices cratered to $8.02 per bushel in May of 2019. Please log in to keep reading. {{featured_button_text}} Enjoy unlimited articles at one of our lowest prices ever. But since then, thanks in part to China once again buying American soybeans in a new trade agreement with the U.S. secured by the Trump administration, soybean price hit a seven-year high of $13.20 in March, according to USDA data. Vilsack said the experience shows a more diverse foreign buying base and the discovery of new ways to use soybeans may be wise in order to help stave off future fluctuations. I think its important for us to continue to look for additional uses for soybeans domestically and additional market opportunities from an export perspective so that were not over-reliant on one particular customer. I think one of the reasons we saw a significant downturn in price was because of the tariffs, because our No. 1 buyer stopped buying, Vilsack said. So that suggests that we need a more resilient export strategy that looks for other alternative markets so that were not as reliant. Vilsack said the department is discussing new ways soybeans could be utilized, such as in aviation fuel or in other bio-based products. He said the administrations plan includes funding to promote bio-based manufacturing to continue that kind of research and exploration. So we can continually look for new ways to use our crops, to use agricultural waste, to use everything that we grow and raise in a way that produces something of greater value. By doing that you create multiple markets, Vilsack said. Our focus here at USDA is on more, new and better markets, because at the end of the day thats what farmers want. More markets for which Vilsack expects better days ahead are ethanol and biofuels. Industry leaders have had their gripes with each of the past two administrations: Obamas periodically delayed annual ethanol volume requirements, and Trumps became liberal with the use of waivers that allowed oil companies to circumvent ethanol requirements. Vilsack said he has been impressed by Bidens director of the federal Environmental Protection Agency, Michael Regan, who visited Iowa recently. Vilsack said Regan assured farmers that he understands the importance of the biofuels industry. He understood the importance of stability. He understood the necessity of making sure that waivers were granted in very limited circumstances, and not as broadly granted as they were in the previous administration, Vilsack said. He also understood the necessity of giving markets clear signals, and in terms of volumes. So I think we have someone at EPA that does understand, does appreciate and does respect the important role the biofuel industry will play and needs to play. One topic that Vilsack does not appear destined to dwell upon is meat in school lunches. U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, an Iowa Republican, has been expressing warnings that Bidens and Vilsacks ag department may reduce the amount of meat made available in student lunches, which Ernst alleges would have a devastating financial effect on meat producers across the country, including in Iowa. Ernst has introduced legislation that would stop any federal agency from eliminating meat from menus in its cafeterias even though no such action is being considered. I dont even know how to respond to that (question from the bureau) because theres absolutely nothing to that, Vilsack said. I dont know why she brought it up. You know, I dont know why people bring up issues that arent issues. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Redick said he saw one of their films and thought it was funny, ingenious and joyful. I was like, I want that for our students, Redick said. I want our community to have the same feeling as were rolling into the end of the year. They pitched me the script and we looked at it and did auditions with the students. For Swan Lake: Cancelled, Scribner wrote the script and came up with an idea and a structure. Then he and Rowe worked with the 15-member cast entirely over Zoom to help develop their characters. Still, the script was tailored to the individual students, who were a mix of UNCSA high school and college, as well as ballet and contemporary dance students. Cudjoe said the first rehearsal on Zoom was interesting. Usually, you do these things in person, but we were doing it through Zoom, Cudjoe said. It was surprisingly very interactive. I felt like they were there with me. They felt very present, and it helped me be very present in the process. I think it made it more comfortable in the end. Maneskin's win was only Italy's third victory in the contest. The victory means Italy will host next year's competition, with cities bidding for the honor. Four Forsyth County sheriffs deputies shot a man to death last year after that man reached for a rifle, Forsyth County District Attorney Jim ONeill said. Christopher Joel Mock, who had been a person of interest in the disappearance of his girlfriend, led Forsyth County sheriffs deputies on a mile-long chase on March 24, 2020 in Clemmons. Winston-Salem police later found the girlfriend, Toni Renee Handy, dead on the same day that the deputies chased Mock, who was driving Handys truck. When law-enforcement officers kill someone in the line of duty, the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation conducts an investigation, and the elected district attorney decides whether the officers use of force was appropriate. ONeill said in a statement Friday that he has determined that the deputies fatal shooting of Mock was justified. It is important in these serious officer-involved shooting cases to wait until all the available evidence is collected, including but not limited to, the completion of testing of any toxicology screens, before making an official ruling, he said. Now that this testing has been submitted, the investigative file is complete, and upon review of all the available evidence submitted, the shooting was justified under NC law. The Cooper administration launched Thursday North Carolina's version of a vaccination lottery featuring four $1 million cash prizes and those newly vaccinated getting two entries. Meanwhile, Gov. Roy Cooper said he will provide Friday a status update on his COVID-19 statewide pandemic emergency order. DMCC, the worlds flagship Free Zone and Government of Dubai Authority on commodities trade and enterprise, has announced that the Dubai Design Academy (DDA) has signed a Memorandum of Understating (MoU) with Pearson, a leading awarding organisation. Through the agreement, the DDA will become an approved academy that offers accredited BTEC courses a vocational qualification that provides a more practical-based learning experience to professionals across the industry. With over 40 years of experience educating professionals, Pearsons BTEC courses will help individuals acquire the high standards of knowledge and practical skills needed to succeed in their career. Maryam Al Hashemi, Director of Precious Metals and Commodities signed the agreement on behalf of DMCC, while Pearson was represented by Jason Gregory, Director of International BTEC and Apprenticeships. The signing ceremony took place virtually on May 19 in the presence of Maryam Al Hashemi, Director Precious Metals and Commodities at DMCC and Jason Gregory, International Director UK BTEC and Apprenticeships. Al Hashemi said: Empowering jewellery professionals and equipping them with the knowledge and practical experience to thrive in the modern jewellery industry is the main objective of the Dubai Design Academy. At DMCC, we are committed to unfolding a host of great opportunities for professionals working in the precious metals and stones industry, and we take pride in nurturing aspiring talents in the region. We are confident that our agreement with Pearson will elevate the skillsets of the industrys talent and in turn, advance modern jewellery design. The DDA will develop a sustainable foundation for academic operations through the agreement with Pearson. Offering jewellery-design programmes and courses, the Academy will equip students with innovative design development training and practical experience of the cutting-edge production techniques that are shaping the modern jewellery design industry. Jason Gregory, Director International BTEC and Apprenticeships, Pearson, said: We are delighted to be partnering with DMCC, as it is committed to quality in terms of education and training and helping people make progress in their lives through learning, especially in the growing creative sectors like jewellery design and production. We also recognise the concept of Think, Design, Develop, Trade as it is very much aligned to the BTEC philosophy of learning by doing and application of knowledge and skills. We look forward to working with DMCC to establish an international centre of excellence of training in jewellery design and production in the UAE. The DDA was inaugurated in September 2019 to position Dubai a leading centre for innovation in jewellery, creating industry-defining designers, makers and entrepreneurs. Guided by the concept of Think, Design, Develop, Trade, it provides both design and manufacturing courses. The DDA is licensed by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) and has an educational partnership with Gemvision USA. Professional courses are designed for various levels of jewellery professionals and enthusiasts, whilst simultaneously creating a new career path for young talent. -- TradeArabia News Service Teaching civics could indeed restore health to American democracy or, in our existing hackneyed state, deepen the divisions. The lack of civics calls into question whether a nation can co-exist 157 years apart in the documentation of its origin (1619 vs. 1776) or whether the reasons for its greatest crisis (the Civil War) can realize commonly agreed-upon pedagogy. This is one of the great challenges that civics presents an overreliance on the need for agreement. Civics is not simply memorizing what happened, but garnering an appreciation for why its important. More than feverishly attempting to persuade the contrarian perspective to accept our point of view, it is a more fruitful exercise to understand why they see it differently. The American legacy is so vast; it is impossible to be contained in a single perspective. When it comes to civics education, agreement should only be shared in a macro context. A nation that eschewed homogenization, in lieu of a radical idea, must paradoxically rely on the discomfort of difference for its strength. RALEIGH When it comes to our business climate and economic prospects, North Carolinians are used to receiving accolades. Lets add another to the list. The Cato Institute just released a study of regulatory barriers facing entrepreneurs. North Carolina fared well in the analysis, ranking 12th best in the nation. No, we werent in the top 10. More on that in a bit. But first I want to underline the ways in which North Carolina policymakers have made it easier to start and grow businesses in our state. First and foremost, our lawmakers have not set a minimum wage higher than the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour. Few workers stay at minimum wage for long, of course, and most jobs have starting salaries well above it. However, in industries that employ low-skilled workers, setting the minimum wage at $10 an hour or more, as some states do, requires entrepreneurs either to change their mixture of labor and capital, redesign their business altogether, transfer the financial hit to consumers as higher prices or some combination thereof. Entrepreneurs adjust to the higher costs, yes, but not always easily. All other things being equal, theyd rather go where states dont substitute political judgments for economic ones. There was a little boy named Roland Rogers, 9 years old. He lived with his father, Robert; his older sister, Rita; and her 1-year-old son, Ryan, all in a small but costly apartment. Rita took Roland to school, where the teacher gave him a sheet with some writing on it that he couldnt read. He was pointed to a seat and he sat. He tried listening to the teacher, but she didnt make much sense, and all the other kids were just talking, anyway. So Roland took out his pencil and drew a cartoon. Eventually school let out and Roland stood on the street until Rita arrived and took him home. There, he drew some more he liked drawing foxes while listening to his father and sister talk about money. They had an EBT card. They had to get a bus pass, they had to pay the bills, they had to get groceries. They split up the chores and the money and hoped they could get it all done. It just confused Roland. The next day, Rita took Roland back to school, where he sat by himself, drawing. No one spoke to him. The days passed like that for a month. Roland faced each moment with a degree of helpless resignation mingled with an undercurrent of fear. He felt as if there was a stone in his stomach. Then it was over. Learning the truth On Jan. 6, our Capitol was attacked. The integrity of a fair election was threatened. Lives were put in danger and lives were lost. We must never, ever forget the insurrection and we must do everything possible to prevent another breach on our democracy. After the 9/11 attack, a commission was formed to investigate who was responsible, why it happened and how to prevent another attack. It was met with bipartisan support. Twenty years later, another commission is needed. There are many questions that must be answered. Our country suffered the worst assault on U.S. democracy in living memory, but the main difference is that on 9/11 we were attacked by foreigners and on Jan. 6 we were attacked from within. That makes some folks very uncomfortable. However, those who participated in the insurrection and those who aided and abetted it must be held accountable. What exactly happened on Jan. 6? Many have tried to gaslight Americans by attempting to rewrite history and perpetuate the Big Lie. Learning the truth is imperative. Some may resist, but without truthful knowledge, our democracy many not survive another assault. Carol Ashley Winston-Salem "This is common after a recession," Thompson said. "Individuals leave the labor force during a recession, perhaps after losing a job, and it takes quite a while to attract them back." He said that phenomenon is more severe this time around because both the recession and the subsequent recovery were so abrupt. Jobs disappeared literally overnight last year during the spring as the coronavirus pandemic caused entire industries to shut down. The federal government has attempted to lessen the sting of some of those sudden job losses by temporarily increasing the amount of unemployment payments that people can get, first with an extra $600 a week and then an extra $300 a week on top of whatever state benefits they qualify for. As of this week, more than 20 states, all led by Republican governors, said they plan to end participation in the extended benefits program early, most of them sometime next month. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts has not yet said what his plans are. Thompson said the extra unemployment benefits, as well as government stimulus payments, may have caused a delay in some workers coming back into the labor force. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The current COVID-19 fuss has caused adverse effects on the business industry. However, as businesses transform seamlessly to accommodate changes caused by the pandemic, the e-commerce industry has experienced a boom for a niche of products. Even in a marketplace platform such as Amazon, sellers have noticed at least 8 products that customers frequently add to their carts. Buying Trends in 2021 Industry influencers often determine buying trends, and the current customer behavior is fast shifting towards trending products. Thankfully, social media has a hand in promoting buying trends for most products in 2020 and 2021. 8 Amazon Items That Are Flying Off The Shelves With thousands of products today, some people rely on social media recommendations and reviews that back bestsellers in the online market. In this regard, let us explore 8 Amazon Items you can feel confident purchasing this spring. 1. Little Green Machine A 20-year-old Lincoln man was arrested early Sunday after police say he used a knife to threaten a woman he was staying with. Lincoln Police Department Capt. Tarvis Banks said officers arrested Treyvonn Ironshell around 12 a.m. Sunday morning after the woman reported the incident. Banks said the woman asked Ironshell to leave her home in the 1400 block of Ninth Street, where Ironshell had been staying before an argument ensued. During the argument, Ironshell grabbed a knife and threatened the woman, according to police. He fled the home on foot before police arrived on scene. Banks said Ironshell was arrested a few blocks away and lodged in the Lancaster County Jail on suspicion of making terroristic threats and using a deadly weapon to commit a felony. Ironshell was on probation after he was sentenced to 90 days in jail and five years of probation last July after pleading no contest to attempted first-degree assault for an incident that landed his 3-month-old daughter in an Omaha hospital with bleeding on her brain. Ironshell was 17 at the time. Reach the writer at 402-473-7223 or awegley@journalstar.com Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The Senate agreed to pay Cyber Ninjas $150,000 in state money, but it is not clear how much more the audit will cost and who is paying for it. The pro-Trump One America News Network raised $150,000 in a single day in April and has continued to ask for donations. Byrne has also started a fundraising drive with a group that says it has raised $1.7 million with a goal of $2.8 million. Neither will have to disclose donors or account for how the money is spent, and Logan has declined to detail financial information. Byrne's organization is also involved in recruiting volunteers. The audit's liaison with the Senate sent an email to local Republicans last week asking for more volunteers and referring them to the website of Byrne's organization's to apply. Byrne said his group simply refers volunteers to Cyber Ninjas for vetting. The email was first reported by The Arizona Republic. Logan started Cyber Ninjas in 2013 in Indiana after working for two years for a cybersecurity firm called Cigital, according to his LinkedIn profile and Cyber Ninja press releases. He moved his firm from Indiana to Sarasota in 2014, according to the Cyber Ninjas website, which quotes Logan describing the firm as a Christian company. Last year, when Cyber Ninjas received $98,000 in federal COVID relief money, it claimed five employees. But, he said, it would be difficult for someone to convince him the state needs to eliminate or lower standards. "When those desperate times come for the agencies, the temptation is to lower that standard. And, in my opinion, this board has a responsibility to make sure that doesnt happen, and not to give in to that temptation to fix what they perceive is the problem, Duis said. No one has asked to have it on the agenda yet. But board members say they've heard complaints. David Stolz, agency counsel to the Crime Commission, said theres always somebody who doesnt like the state telling them what the hiring standards should be. "Thats been the argument forever. And I dont think that ever goes away. But thats part of being a certifying body, setting down some minimum standards. And what youve developed over the years, theyre not overly onerous," he said. "Theyre pretty straightforward. Urbanek said her personal take is that if the local agency is issuing the certificates, then that's fine. But the certificate recruits get from state allows them to work anywhere in the state. Given the nature of the job and stress that comes with it, she said, it's important for officers to start out in good shape. School's almost out. And senators are feeling the urge to dash out the door. Spring and summer are beckoning after a long legislative session that was conducted with pandemic restrictions during a long, long, dark winter. Horns honking, tires squealing, windows rolled down, balloons ascending, members of the Legislature are headed home on Thursday. Then they'll be back in Lincoln for a week or so this autumn to tackle redistricting, a process that will be conducted largely in the shadows before it's ready for prime time. It's going to be contentious as it always, and already, is. The latest meeting of the redistricting committee quickly resulted in the partisan division that openly surfaces every 10 years as members of this uniquely nonpartisan Legislature decide how to divide legislative and congressional districts, with majority Republicans holding and ready to fully exercise the upper hand. During that recent executive session, one senator who is a Democrat twice backed his chair farther away from the table, almost reflexively distancing himself from the proceedings. Another Democrat who is usually outspoken remained silent most of the time. The Lufthansa Group plans to add seven long-haul tourist routes from Frankfurt and the Munich hub to exciting vacation destinations for summer 2022. From March 2022, flights will once again depart from Munich to the sunny destinations of Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic and Cancun in Mexico. Each destination will be served twice a week. Moreover, there will be two flights per week from the Bavarian capital to Las Vegas in the United States. Departing from Frankfurt, travellers can look forward to four dream destinations. Back on the flight schedule: Starting in March 2022, the Lufthansa Group will offer three flights a week to Fort Myers in the sunny state of Florida as well as to Panama City in Central America. In addition, Salt Lake City in the western United States will be on the flight schedule for the first time starting in May 2022 - with three flights per week. The Lufthansa Group is also expanding its services to East Africa and will be flying from Frankfurt to Kilimanjaro twice a week for the first time from June 2022. This summer, the flight schedule already includes Mombasa (Kenya) with onward flights to the dream island of Zanzibar (Tanzania). The flights will initially be published with Lufthansa flight numbers next week (May 26) and will be bookable via lufthansa.com. They will be operated by Eurowings Discover in summer 2022. The new Lufthansa Group airline is specialized in tourist travel from the Frankfurt and Munich hubs. TradeArabia News Service Although permanent settlement was forced to wait until territories or states formed, the Louisiana Purchase started an ever-increasing number of people crossing the Missouri River headed west. With the concept of the transcontinental railroad, the river furnished a challenge. The Union Pacific Railroads chief engineer Grenville Dodge pointed out that the Missouri River is the most formidable obstacle to travel between the Atlantic and the Pacific, while an observer at Nebraska City added, a bridge could never be done in Gods world. Bridges did, of course, come, particularly those built by the railroad, but before, and virtually concurrent with, their permanent crossings, came several ingenious, albeit sometimes brief, methods of getting across the Missouri while leaving the United States. Even without a way to directly cross the river, some railroad activity began on the west side of the Missouri with locomotives brought upriver and cars, both with cargo and empty, arriving via barges or boats while others were ferried across from Iowa. If it is called Standing Bear, the new school will join a monumental 11-foot tall sculpture that stands on Centennial Mall to recognize the Ponca leader. A smaller copy of Benjamin Victors sculpture also stands as one of Nebraskas two entries in the U.S Capitols Statuary Hall. It would be fitting that another small version of the sculpture be installed at the new high school with text of his famous quotation and an explanation of why the school has been named in his honor, thereby continuing the recognition for future generations. While LPS is preparing to honor Standing Bear, efforts to secure the return of Standing Bears pipe tomahawk from Harvards Peabody Museum of Archeology and Ethnology to the Ponca Tribe are picking up speed. Monday, the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee unanimously advanced to the full Legislature Sen. Tom Brewers LR128, which would encourage the Peabody to fulfill its commitment to repatriation of Native American objects. In the case of Standing Bears tomahawk, which the Harvard museum has owned since it was donated there in 1982, repatriation is likely to occur in the near future. Gov. Pete Ricketts has expressed solidarity with Georgias Gov. Brian Kemp, who signed into state law voter "reform" that silences and suppresses the votes of those who handed Georgia to Democratic presidential and Senate candidates in November. Regardless of ones political perspective, one can't help but see this misguided attempt at voter reform as retaliatory. It appears to intentionally suppress the minority voters who showed up in large numbers in the last election. For our governor to express solidarity with Kemp causes alarm, particularly because right now in our Legislature, LR3CA threatens to cull voter rolls through ID restrictions, and LB76 seeks to make our state a winner-take-all state as it relates to votes in the Electoral College. These measures would disenfranchise voters by either making it harder to vote or making their vote inconsequential. To give solidarity to this retaliatory voter suppression, enacted by the state of Georgia, is to undo the work of people who worked hard to increase Black and minority voter turnout. Silencing those voters who came to the polls in record numbers is perverse political theater. It shows a coldness to the history of voter suppression done to Black and minority voters in the state of Georgia that is incongruent with Christian principles of love and equity. May 17-21 This list is not comprehensive. Municipalities are listed as they appear on the criminal complaint. Suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. To see mugshots of the accused, visit journaltimes.com/gallery. Additional information about the complaints can be found at: journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts. Bernard (aka Alex Berns) A Allison, Chicago, Illinois, possession of THC (possession of a controlled substance on or near certain places). Byron D Beadles, 5000 block of Graceland Boulevard, Racine, misdemeanor retail theft (intentionally take less than or equal to $500), retail theft (intentionally conceal less than or equal to $500). Ericka L A Bergevain, 3900 block of Green Street, Racine, throw or discharge bodily fluids at public safety worker, resisting an officer, disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments), misdemeanor bail jumping. Powerful storms in January of 2020 ravaged portions of the Lake Michigan shoreline causing massive erosion, swallowing paths and roads, destroying parkland, and leading to millions of dollars of damage. While our cities have been working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to cover some costs, those reimbursement funds are nowhere near sufficient to enable us to plan for and protect against future storms. The American Jobs Plan would allow us to build back better along our lakefront, providing long term protection as well as spaces for the community to enjoy. Climate change has caused devastating flooding in all our cities. Our aging infrastructure is not equipped to withstand the worst effects of climate change nor to meet the needs of our residents and businesses into the future. The investments included in the American Jobs Plan will mitigate the risks of flooding by improving the resilience of our infrastructure, thus better protecting homes and businesses. We also welcome investments in clean energy jobs to facilitate our transition away from fossil fuels and reduce emissions and the impacts of climate change. The current conflict in Gaza is a result of Israeli settlers forcibly evicting Palestinians in East Jerusalem. Palestinians endure constant aggression under the illegal Israeli occupation, including myriad checkpoints when traveling within the Palestinian territories, destruction of Palestinian land and property, mass incarceration and other daily humiliations. There appears to be no hope of changing the imbalance of power between Israel and the stateless Palestinians. It is not surprising that armed groups in Gaza have little recourse but to disrupt life in Israel. The price paid for these acts of resistance is dear. The Israeli response to the Palestinian resistance has wounded hundreds and killed over 50 Palestinians, including children. Fewer than 10 Israelis have died. Our tax dollars fund the Israeli military to the tune of $10 million a day. As we mourn the death of Black citizens at the hands of our institutions and are shocked by the daily oppression felt by Black people, it is worth noting the similarities between the Black struggle and Palestinian struggle. 1. Yes. Its important to keep my child as safe as possible. We plan to take advantage. 2. Yes. With the school district dropping its mask mandate, its a necessary step. 3. No. Local COVID cases are dropping. There is no good reason to vaccinate my child. 4. No. There hasnt been enough data on vaccinated children. I think Ill hold off. 5. Unsure. I havent decided yet whether to take part in the vaccine clinics. Vote View Results Help India! In the last few years, social media has emerged as one of the most important modes of instant relief mechanism during natural disasters and Covid-19 and especially so in a big country like India. Therefore, social media regulation and reform must be brought in accordance with the right to life as enriched in our constitution. Dr Ahmed Raza | TwoCircles.net Support TwoCircles A new foundation for social media and journalistic independence was strengthened legally after the recent Supreme Court of Indias order against social media clampdowns by the state governments and police departments. The order came in response to the police crackdown on individuals use of Facebook, Twitter etc. during the ongoing second wave of pandemic seeking medical help or administrative attention by sharing information about scarcity of beds, oxygen, medicines, ICU, ventilators, ambulances etc. in both government and private hospitals. The second wave of Covid-19 pandemic in India needs to be viewed very seriously by the government, health administration, health sector industries etc as a large number of unfortunate cases of fatalities, shortages of beds and medicines, oxygen supply as well as coordination gap among the agencies etc were reported by social media platforms. Though, the authenticity, reliability and facts of the reporting by the social media have always been questioned by the existing state governments as several states always remain intact in achieving the number one position among the Covid-19 management state. Even, few of the states namely Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra have acted strongly by booking various cases against the citizens who sought help on social media platforms help during their emergencies. The governments of these states reasoned that these posts on social media were spreading misinformation about the availability of the resources in the hospitals and thereby creating panic in the society. However, after the Supreme Court order, exposing grievances or seeking help on social media, emergencies or any natural disaster like situation amounts to be a legal right. At the same time, we cannot misuse social media freedom in the name of the right to freedom of expression as manipulation in social media has undoubtedly contributed to other sensitive issues in our society such as political polarization, increasing the crime of mob lynching, triggering communal conflict, communalism through hate speech, converting nationals into anti-nationals etc. This article tries to explore the possibilities of social media reforms following the legal provision, right to freedom, right to privacy, right to life etc which must be taken as a balanced approach while dealing with social media reform in India. India has emerged as the seventh-largest market for social media sites as it provides an opportunity to every citizen to discuss political and social issues on the platforms and give their views. The first political experiment in India could be associated with BJP which mainly focussed on social media campaigning during the 2014 elections to grab the minds of youth. This led to a grand victory for BJP over the Congress party. Over the years, the misuse of social media by members of some members of society has appeared to be like an unguided missile that always poses a threat to fundamental ideals of the state. Hence, social media reforms in India is indispensable for the government. Following are the two models of social media reforms providing a balanced approach among several rights such as the right to freedom of expression, right to access information, right to privacy etc. Need for regulation The contents of social media are expected to be publishable on a public portal in accordance with the freedom of speech and expression conferred under Article 19 (1) (a) of the Indian constitution. Although, a large number of incidents of misuse of social media platform by the citizens, political parties, social activists have been reported whose views would go against the security, sovereignty and integrity of the state, or be dangerous to public order, or be in contempt of court. Such instances of expression of freedom of expression need to be regulated as social media gives a free hand to everyone. The role of social media in increasing the hatred and inhuman crime of mob lynching has been felt during the last few years. Social media has also been misused to contribute to communal violence by spreading fake, fabricated and manipulated message and videos. In 2012, many states of India including Karnataka and Pune saw a migration of students from the northeast and people from the southern Indian states due to instigation carried out through erroneous propaganda on social media. Converting national or intolerant people to anti-nationals has become a common feature of social media platforms by tempering the original videos, pictures and message before uploading into the social media sites to set a narrative against the targeted people. Such kind of misinformation and unlawful activities amount to be the consequences of untethered use of social media platforms, which are being used as a freehand tool in the hands of citizens, political parties etc that must be formally regulated following the constitutional provisions. Dont censor calls for medical help on social media The contents on social media cannot be formally censored by the government on many accounts such as posting critical view on policies, governance models and call for help during health emergencies. The Chief Justice of Tripura High Court broadly remarked that posting on social media was tantamount to a fundamental right applicable to all citizens as the police had booked a man who was earlier arrested over a social media post against the union government policies. On the other hand, there must be full freedom to all citizens for exposing the mal-administration, and freely ask help from anyone during emergencies or natural disasters. Posting about such issues are associated with the right to life of an individual. In the last few years, social media has emerged as one of the most important modes of instant relief mechanism during natural disasters and Covid-19. Therefore, social media regulation must be brought in accordance with the right to life as enriched in our constitution. Scores of cases were reported in the last decade where social media acted as a quick informer to the authorities if and when an individual life was at high risk. The first instance occurred in the Uttarakhand floods during which Twitter played a vital role in helping the people. At the same time in 2015, during a cyclone in Chennai, social media platform Facebook acted as a tool to ensure the safety of people by introducing a feature called Safety-check, through users could mark themselves safe and their friends and acquaintances would come to know about it. To conclude, it could be argued that in this day and age social media has appeared to be a lifeline for many during the ongoing second wave of Covid-19 pandemic as they could inform the authorities about their situation through social media. Informing the authorities can lead to timely disposal of their grievances or redressal of their issues from government agencies, civil societies, NGOs etc. Therefore, the time is right for us to think of social media reform instead of social media regulation in terms of its relevancy to society. Dr Ahmed Raza is an Assistant Professor, MANUU (a central university) & Project Director- (MRP, ICSSR) Ministry of Education, Government of India. Bill Espe said The Sweet Shop has lasted for a century because we make a high-quality product, and have a great location and a very loyal clientele. During the holidays, when people (who were raised in La Crosse but now live elsewhere) come home, they say they have to make two stops before they can go home, Marty Diersen said. One is The Sweet Shop, and the other is Coney Island Hot Dogs, Espe said. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The Sweet Shop makes about 150 kinds of candy and has about 125 kinds for sale at a time. It makes about 45 kinds of ice cream and has 17 available at a time in its dipping cabinet, Diersen said. Some are seasonal, like pumpkin ice cream and cinnamon ice cream in the fall, Diersen said. In June, well make strawberry ice cream with real strawberries. The Sweet Shop also makes ice cream toppings, Diersen said, such as hot fudge, caramel, chocolate syrup and fruit toppings such as pineapple, cherry, raspberry and blueberry. The nuts that go on the sundaes are roasted here, Diersen said, and include peanuts, cashews and pecans. The Sweet Shop also has eight kinds of soda pop on tap at its soda fountain, including Coca-Cola and seven kinds made on the premises. Complicated Love Stories Kristen may be married, and David may be a priest-in-training, but quite a few fans have picked up on the chemistry between them and they have, at times, seemed just one second away from giving in. And while she and her husband dont have a perfect marriage, they do seem good together when hes around and not off climbing mountains. FAIRFIELD TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) A family house party in South Jersey turned into a crime scene where at least two people were fatally shot and 12 others were wounded, state police said. Authorities arrived at the house in Fairfield Township, about an hour outside of Philadelphia, late Saturday night. A resident who runs a local anti-violence organization said he was called out to assist families at the 90s-themed party. John Fuqua, of Life Worth Living, said guests who attended the party were of all ages. New Jersey State police said a 30-year-old man and 25-year-old-woman were fatally shot. There were 12 other people who were injured and transported to local hospitals. No arrests have been made. Photos show overturned pop-up party tents, tables and chairs, and debris throughout the home's yard. A long driveway was still filled with cars late Sunday morning. Two cousins who live in the area of the shooting said they heard music from the party until after midnight, then a series of shots at least 15 of them over a few minutes. While the city had previously banned chokeholds, no statewide legislation followed Garners death. It wasnt until the Floyd killing that the New York Legislature passed a bill to effectively ban police use of chokeholds and make it a felony. The lawmaker who pushed the ban said a similar bill introduced in 2014, shortly after Garner died, failed to gain traction. When I came to the Senate, I came looking for this bill, state Sen. Brian Benjamin said of the legislation he introduced in 2019. But it wasnt until George Floyds murder occurred that the nationwide, global energy around Weve got to do something, really changed the dynamics in New York. When asked to speculate why the Legislature didnt act after the Garner death, Benjamin said there was room for detractors to give the officer the benefit of the doubt. He said what happened in Minneapolis was different. With the Floyd video, theres absolutely no wiggle room of any kind around the evilness of what was happening there, he said. The legislation related to chokeholds and neck restraints is part of a broader effort in many states to address police procedures, training and discipline since Floyd's death. One top Democrat, Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, the highest-ranking Black lawmaker in Congress, has suggested he would be open to a compromise, and Bass said she agreed with his broader point that its not worth walking away from a deal if Democrats cannot include every priority. I also agree that the day that President Biden signs this bill, the next day, we keep working, Bass said. Because this bill, I think, will be significant. But in no way, shape or form do I think its going to be enough. Police have killed roughly 1,000 people in the U.S. each year since 2015, and a disproportionate number of the victims have been Black. Studies of criminal justice data show Black Americans are far more likely than white Americans to be pulled over by police and are as much as three times more likely to be searched. Black men were about 2.5 times more likely than white men to be killed by police between 2013 and 2018, according to a 2019 study published by the National Academy of Sciences. Black women were 1.4 more times likely than white women to be killed by police, according to the same study. VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) A prominent opponent of Belarus' authoritarian president was arrested Sunday after the airliner in which he was traveling was diverted to the country after a bomb threat, in what the opposition and Western officials denounced as a hijacking operation by the government. Raman Pratasevich, who faces charges that could bring 15 years in prison, was aboard the Ryanair flight from Athens, Greece, to the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius when it changed course to head for Minsk. I saw this Belarusian guy with girlfriend sitting right behind us. He freaked out when the pilot said the plane is diverted to Minsk. He said theres death penalty awaiting him there," passenger Marius Rutkauskas said after the plane arrived in Vilnius following several hours in the Belarusian capital. "We sat for an hour after the landing. Then they started releasing passengers and took those two. We did not see them again Rutkauskas said. Flight tracker sites indicated the plane was about 10 kilometers (six miles) from the Lithuanian border when it was diverted. There were conflicting accounts of the move. VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) A prominent opponent of Belarus' authoritarian president was arrested Sunday after the airliner in which he was traveling was diverted to the country after a bomb threat, in what the opposition and Western officials denounced as a hijacking operation by the government. Are we brave enough to face our polarization? And to take steps to address it? Most of us will agree that polarization is getting in the way of implementing productive solutions to many of the serious challenges we are currently facing. There is plenty of discussion of what causes polarization, but finding a way forward can seem next to impossible. While some people Ive talked to think that with a new administration, everything will calm down and that we should wait for gradual change, I am of the opinion that we need to take a more active approach. Braver Angels is a national organization that offers some basic principles and concrete skills that have brought results and a measure of hope to many people looking for a way to address our continuing polarization. Personally, I was already becoming concerned over 20 years ago by our lack of ability or willingness to have ordinary conversations about important public issues with folks we viewed as being on the other side. And our elected representatives have over the years become more and more paralyzed when it comes to resolving urgent situations that need to be addressed. In 2018 I encountered glimmers of hope when I heard a radio program about a group called Better Angels. (The name has since been changed to Braver Angels.) Oftentimes, it seems like Sen. Ron Johnson is pulling facts out of thin air. But speaking as an atmospheric chemist, I can assure you that nothing in the air supports his wildly inaccurate claims on climate. Johnson has claimed in the past, and recently doubled down on, an untruth about the history of Greenland: that it was green when explorers discovered it around the 10th century C.E. and has since turned snowy and white due to changes in the climate. In this one-man disinformation campaign, he cites this mythical story about Greenland as evidence that the current climate crisis is nothing to be alarmed about. If Johnson and other climate deniers came to accept the science that receives far more rigorous scrutiny than their own false statements, they would have to acknowledge that the extreme weather patterns we are currently observing are being driven by human-caused climate change. My own recent studies and public comments demonstrate how unchecked carbon pollution is driving climate impacts right here in the Midwest, from record-breaking floods and extreme storms in Iowa to cold snaps nationwide. Climate change activists often cite a goal of reaching net zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 2050. To reach net zero, according to the website Climate Central, any greenhouse gas emissions released are balanced by an equal amount being taken out of the atmosphere. Suppose we succeed and achieve that goal. Unfortunately, this will not stop further warming of the Earth. In fact, if we were to reach net zero tomorrow, the planet will continue to grow warmer for a long, long time. This problem was illustrated by an article in the March 2021 issue of The Atlantic, titled The Dark Secrets of the Earths Deep Past. As recently as 2017, atmospheric CO2 passed 410 parts per million (ppm), an alarming event that was widely reported. On March 5 of this year, the CO2 levels reached 420 ppm. By comparison, the CO2 level during pre-industrial days was only 280 ppm. In 2013, the atmospheric CO2 reached 400 ppm, and scientists wanted to determine the last time it was that high and what our planet was like then. By examining air bubbles trapped in two-mile-long ice cores taken from Antarctica, it was estimated that the Earths atmosphere had 400 ppm of CO2 about three million years ago. A neighbor boy, Larry Schwilk, age 8, and I, age 11, both of us living in Orwigsburg, Schuylkill County, arrived on Aug. 15, 1955, at Camp Miller, a Lutheran boys camp at Shawnee on the Delaware River, for two weeks of camping. Larrys brother Sandy, age 16, had already been there as a camp counselor for the summer. It started raining all day Aug. 17, and when we woke on Aug. 18, the Delaware River had risen 20 feet, to the top of the banks it banks. Our cabin was no more than 100 feet away. By the time we finished breakfast, the river overflowed its banks and reached our cabin. The counselors decided to evacuate the camp, and by the time we started to leave, we had to walk across a farmers cornfield 100 yards wide, in chest-high water, holding hands in a human chain. We reached an elevated dry road, and pickup trucks drove us to Camp Ministerium, a Lutheran girls camp, which was several miles on higher ground never to be impacted by flood waters. We arrived in wet clothes, which we wore until we arrived home on Aug. 22. We had no change of clothes or toiletries, nor could we take a shower until arriving home. Larry and I slept on a barn floor, sharing a wool blanket. We had two small meals a day breakfast and supper and no snacks. We spent our days sitting and watching the river, and Camp Miller, flooded up to the cabin rooftops. Since there were no phone communications, our parents didnt know if we were alive or dead for four days, until Aug. 21. Thats when an Orwigsburg pilot, Felix Bartush, flew Mrs. Schwilk in his plane to the East Stroudsburg airport and drove to the camp to find us alive and well. Since all the roads, bridges and railroad tracks had been flooded and washed out in the area, the only way in or out was by airplane. The next day, my father arranged to have a local pilot, Ned Dolan, in John Millers plane from Port Carbon, fly in and take all three of us back home. Our first airplane ride! Several other camps along the Delaware River flooded overnight, on Aug. 17 and 18, resulting in numerous drownings. We were very lucky to have good, responsible counselors who were quick to react. The ironic part of the story was that I didnt want to go to camp, but my mother insisted. When I was met by my parents upon landing, she said, Ill never make you go to camp again. (Thanks mom, from your loving son.) P.S.: I did go to Boy Scout camp in the future, but not to Camp Miller! The author, a retired certified public accountant, lives in Lancaster. Subscribers to LNP / LancasterOnline can read, at no cost, about other Lancaster County survivors of the August 1955 flooding in the Poconos, if theyve registered to read LNPs newspapers.com archives: lancasteronline.com/archives. If you know an interesting story, please write it in 600 words or less and send it to Mary Ellen Wright, LNP editorial department, P.O. Box 1328, Lancaster, PA, 17608-1328, email it to features@lnpnews. com. Please include your phone number and the name of the town you live in. When visiting Lancasters mass vaccination site in March, Gov. Tom Wolf praised the public-private collaboration, saying it was a really good example of what local folks can do to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. With the capacity to administer up to 6,000 doses a day at a time when the public was clamoring for limited vaccine the site had a wait list of 50,000 in short order. What it didnt have was a toll-free phone number for patients to call. And the mass vaccination site located at the former Bon-Ton department store in Park City Center still doesnt have a toll-free phone number. Theresa Jumper, of Lancaster, said she was slapped with a surprise $26.03 long distance phone bill after calling 717-588-1020. I just never expected it to be a toll call the way it was promoted because its in Lancaster, said Jumper, 80. Jumper added, It just never crossed my mind. Thats because the mass vaccination site is in Lancaster, while the call center is in Akron. Shes not alone. Carrie Anderson doesnt have long-distance service through her telephone carrier. Without the help of assistants in the Lancaster city mayors and county commissioners offices she would not have been able to make and confirm her two appointments for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Thats because its a long distance call from Lancaster to Akron. Why would they create a system that doesnt work for people? asked Anderson, 46, of Lancaster. At a time when it is common to schedule appointments online, vaccine providers in Pennsylvania were required to have a phone number to address access issues for those without internet service. Brett Marcy, a spokesman for the Vaccinate Lancaster Coalition, which operates the mass vaccination site, blamed the oversight on the speed with which the center opened. We focused on the most expedient option to get a phone number activated quickly, as it was imperative that we get our community members registered and scheduled for vaccination as quickly as possible, Marcy wrote in an email to LNP | LancasterOnline. John Lines, a spokesman for Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health, the lead health care partner for the coalition, declined to comment. The issue was brought to the attention of the site as well as county and city leaders shortly after its March 10 opening. Lancaster Mayor Danene Sorace, Lancaster County Commissioners Josh Parsons, Craig Lehman and Ray DAgostino all declined to comment. Its uncertain how many Lancastrians were impacted by the toll charge. Its also unclear why, when the issue was raised, officials did not find a workable solution for a public health effort in which 100% of eligible expenses of the sites $17 million budget are reimbursable through FEMA. The vaccination center discontinued Sunday hours beginning May 16. Marcy previously said it is slated to remain open until June 30. Lehman, however, has said the center will operate until the beginning of June. Notice any problems? Email the Lancaster Watchdog at watchdog@lnpnews.com or go to LancasterOnline.com/watchdog and tell us about it. Two men have been charged after they led authorities on a high speed chase in Conoy Township, according to Susquehanna Regional police. Zaire Traizon Brown, 23, of Lancaster, was charged with fleeing or attempting to elude an officer, recklessly endangering another person and reckless driving, while Julio Torres, 23, of Old Forge, was charged with hindering apprehension. Those charges stem from a chase that began after Brown refused to pull over when he was seen driving nearly twice the speed limit in the 300 block of South Second Street at 1:30 p.m. on April 14, police said in a news release. Brown, driving a Saturn Ion, fled from police, reaching speeds of more than 100 mph before officers ended the chase out of safety concerns, according to the news release. A passing motorist then told officers that the Saturn had crashed on a bridge along Route 441, just north of Falmouth Road, police said. Brown and Torres, who was a passenger in the vehicle, then fled into the nearby woods where they were captured and arrested, according to the news release. Torres later provided officers false information about who was driving the vehicle. Information on scheduled court appearances for Brown and Torres was not immediately available. Torres was arrested last June during a protest at the Lancaster police station following social justice demonstrations in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Torres prompted the countys president judge to notify the public he had COVID-19 after Torres revealed his COVID-positive status during his video arraignment after being arrested. Results Torres later made public indicated he was tested May 7, meaning a 14-day quarantine would have been over before the protest. He has been serving a sentence of four years of probation after pleading guilty in January to aggravated assault a second-degree felony and misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. The riot charge, a third-degree felony, was dropped. Police had received numerous complaints about speeding in the area where Brown and Torres were first spotted due to traffic being detoured through Bainbridge after the bridge on Route 441 was closed, according to the news release. Editor's note: This story was updated at 11:50 a.m. with new information from police and Lancaster County Coroner Dr. Stephen Diamantoni. A Mount Joy brother and sister were killed after a pickup truck and a tractor-trailer collided in East Petersburg on Saturday night, causing the vehicles to burst into flames, according to Northern Lancaster County Regional police. A car carrier tractor trailer struck the passenger's side of a Ford Ranger on Graystone Road near Main Street (Route 72) at 9:06 p.m. on Saturday, according to police. The crash caused a fire. Rescue crews arrived to find driver Brandie Leigh Kasper, 21, and her brother Leonard Christian Kasper, 18, inside the Ranger, both dead at the scene, police said. The Kaspers' were identified by Lancaster County Coroner Dr. Stephen Diamantoni. An autopsy on Monday morning showed that the siblings died from thermal burns and smoke inhalation, according to Diamantoni. He ruled their deaths accidental. The driver of the tractor-trailer, Cesar Torres, of Florida, was evaluated on the scene and released from medical care, according to the news release. Police conducted a chemical test on Torres in keeping with protocol for all commercial vehicle crash investigations. A crash reconstruction team was on the scene Sunday afternoon, police said. The Lancaster County Crash Team, Lancaster County Coroners Office and a member of the Lancaster County District Attorneys Office were at the crash scene Saturday night, according to the news release. Social media accounts belonging to Leonard Kasper indicated he was a student at Hempfield High School. Hempfield High School could not confirm to LNP|LancasterOnline that Leonard Kasper was a student there, though they did release a statement saying they were informed of the tragic death of an 18-year-old Hempfield High School senior as a result of an accident in East Petersburg this weekend. Counselors provided support to students and staff members on Monday, and will continue to be available to talk to students without an appointment in the schools counseling office, according to the statement. When: Solanco school board meeting, via livestreaming, May 17. What happened: Superintendent Brian Bliss gave the board an update on how the district is returning to normal as COVID-19 restrictions are being relaxed. There will be an in-person graduation June 11, but at this time there are still some restrictions planned. Background: It appears COVID-19 mitigation measures will no longer be mandated after May 31, but masking will still be required in the schools. Because graduation will be outdoors, by keeping distances between students, seniors will be able to individually walk across the stage to receive their diplomas without masks. Why its important: The current plan, as announced sets up the stadium with seating in four person pods, and four tickets available per graduate. What happens next: The limited number of tickets is generating concerns from parents, but Bliss noted that as regulations continue to change, there could be changes prior to graduation. Quotable: The guidance were receiving keeps modifying. If we can increase capacity we will increase capacity, Bliss said. Other happenings: Following the superintendents presentation, board members discussed masking and what school might be like in the fall. Just prior to the last board meeting there was a rally against requiring student masks. Masks remain required by the state until at least 70% of all Pennsylvania adults have been fully vaccinated. Board member Justin Kreider asked what will happen if that mark is not reached by the start of school in the fall. He urged people to reach out and let their board members know how they feel on the topic. Bliss is optimistic about the fall. He speculated that even if the vaccination target is not reached, requirements for schools could be modified. What can I say about Israel and Palestine? What new insights can I offer? I feel I can only offer my pain and my prayer. These things cause me pain: People are dying. Children and civilians are dying. Two entities show no interest in doing anything but replaying the same scene over and over, with little difference in the outcome. Israel, a place that I love, desecrated Muslim holy ground, and of all times, during the sacred Muslim month of Ramadan. And I feel more pain. It hurts that so few people are willing to ask how a land that is theoretically locked in by Israel, Egypt and the Israeli-patrolled Mediterranean somehow has thousands of rockets to shoot at Israel, and why they are stored and fired from places where children and noncombatants live, inviting an Israeli response. I feel pain when people who cant speak to the difference between the Palestinian Authority, Hamas and Hezbollah defend Palestine. (Hint: They even have different flags.) Or when they dont question why Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, is now in the 16th year of a four-year term (this is not a typo) and just canceled Palestinian elections yet again. And yes, I feel pain that Israel cant find its way out of its own political morass, and that isnt helping either. Im in pain wondering why there are solidarity marches for Israel and others for Palestine, but so few rallies for peace. I feel the deepest cut when people I respect allow themselves to be reduced to learning current events from Facebook memes or in the echo chambers of their preferred news sources or even from pop-culture figures with biases but no credentials rather than thinking and researching critically for themselves. After some 11 days of deadly fighting, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire Thursday. I pray that it will endure. I remember when I first learned about Occams Razor, which guides us to consider the simplest possible answer. It doesnt work in this case. It hurts when people refuse to see complexity, to see that this isnt just about Israel and Palestine. Its also about Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia and even the United States, among many layers to the situation. I try to believe people when they tell me theyre not antisemitic just anti-Israeli policy, and then I see threats against Jewish lives and institutions in Europe perpetrated by people flying the flag of the Palestinian Authority. That hurts, too. Even as I participate in this journalistic exercise, Im mindful of the slogan that says if it bleeds, it leads. It hurts deeply to see pictures of destruction of flames, of people wailing over pain and loss in Gaza city and Ashkelon and so few photos illustrating heartfelt and beautiful symbols of peace and shared existence. Well see hatred on the streets of Lod and Acre between Arab and Jewish citizens of Israel, but nothing of hope. I have a special affinity for the city of Haifa. While not perfect, it is a place where heads of school who are Jewish, Muslim and Christian can issue a joint statement about this crisis, where the Arabs and Jews on the medical staff of the Rambam Health Care Campus can speak sincerely about unity and family, and not only on the pain of what divides. What is left for me here but prayer? I pray for new leadership, not the entrenched leadership that can see only one path, the path of mutually assured destruction. I pray for people of vision who can see other ways forward, people with enough charisma to overcome decades of hatred and violence, people committed to peace. I pray for the children, convinced as I am that good people want for all children what an old Israeli folk song describes: Next year we will sit on the porch, and count all the migrating birds. Children on vacation will play catch between the house and the fields. I pray for this to come now, not next year, as the song suggests, or even tomorrow, as youll find in another Israeli folk song, but now. I pray to God for strength and courage, but not to make peace. In the words of Rabbis Harold Kushner and Jack Reimer, We cannot merely pray to You, O God, to end war; For we know that You have made the world in a way that (people) must find (their) own path to peace within (themselves) and with (their) neighbors. Salaam. Shalom. Peace. Israeli poet, Yehuda Amichai wrote, Let it come like wildflowers, suddenly, because the field must have it: wildpeace. Jack Paskoff is rabbi at Congregation Shaarai Shomayim in Lancaster. He also is a correspondent for LNP. Email: jpaskoff@shaarai.org. Earlier this month, Pennsylvania House Bill 958, also known as The Immunization Freedom Act, was approved by the state House Health Committee. If this legislation were to be enacted, it would force health care practitioners to practice outside of the accepted standards of care. It would discourage science-based vaccine education delivered by medical professionals. And it would label providers who stand firm in their commitment to evidence-based medicine as unprofessional. As a pediatrician for more than 20 years, the health and well-being of children has always been first and foremost in my mind. The prevention of disease through use of immunizations has been the triumph of modern medicine. In fact, vaccines are the most effective tool we have against childhood disease. Every year, an estimated 2 to 3 million deaths worldwide are prevented because of this global health achievement. Think about it thats like preventing a COVID-19 epidemic every year. We live in a world where none of us sees polio. Or diphtheria. Or rubella. In fact, the success of vaccines and the resulting absence of these deadly diseases in our daily lives are paradoxically undermining their very success. Out of sight, out of mind. But we know what happens when we let down our guard. Remember the measles outbreak that began at Disneyland in California in the winter of 2014-15? The first person known to be infected in that outbreak was an unvaccinated 11-year-old who was later hospitalized. The outbreak grew to 147 cases in seven U.S. states, as well as in Mexico and Canada. Measles had been declared eliminated from the United States in 2000 but, tragically, the spread of disinformation about vaccines has led some parents to be hesitant, or even resistant, to getting their children vaccinated. Questioning childhood vaccination schedules is part of this. In reality, what vaccines are most effectively given when is not opinion, or whimsy, and cannot be subject to arbitrary changes. The decisions on vaccine schedules and timing are based on decades of evidence, and seek to target the most susceptible individuals at their most vulnerable stages of life. The schedule has been crafted over years to maximize the benefit and minimize potential harms. And like all science, it is a work in progress. As we get more data and new vaccines, schedules are adjusted to increase benefits and further reduce harms or reactions. But shifting them at the whims of Google searches, memes and TikTok clips makes a mockery of the solid, deliberative evidence that has led to our current schedule. The Immunization Freedom Act, whose prime sponsor is Republican state Rep. David Zimmerman of East Earl Township, is not supported by science. State lawmakers should not be legislating the practice of medicine. And they certainly shouldnt be forcing providers to practice outside a standard of care. In any other context, this would be considered malpractice. Accepting nonstandard schedules as if they are equivalent to the schedules endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics sends the wrong message to parents and families by implying that they are just as good. Any potential deviation from the standard schedule should only be considered through careful, shared decision-making, not as a mandate. Alternative schedules have not been proven to be effective. Immunity may not be achieved. Parents need to know this. Because of this, undervaccinated or unvaccinated children will be treated differently by physicians because their risk of having a potentially deadly and infectious disease is different. More testing, more evaluation, longer conversations likely will be necessary. This process takes time and needs to be conducted by knowledgeable professionals doctors. The Immunization Freedom Act disincentivizes discussion rather than encouraging open communication. As pediatricians, we also have the responsibility to prevent spread to our other patients many of whom are at risk because they are too young to be fully vaccinated. Special appointment times, avoidance of waiting rooms, all of this is so we can provide quality care to all our patients. This bill could limit our ability to provide that care and keep all of our patients healthy. Legitimate fear of vaccine-preventable diseases has been replaced with a perceived but unfounded fear of harm from vaccines. Physicians and other licensed medical practitioners are the best sources of truth when it comes to immunizations. Not Google, Facebook, Instagram or YouTube. And not legislators. This bill would undermine our role as trained health care experts and interferes with our partnership with families. State lawmakers: Dont let this legislation impede us from our No. 1 priority keeping all children healthy and safe. Elizabeth Imboden, M.D., is a board-certified pediatrician and a member of the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She is chair of pediatrics at WellSpan York Hospital and associate clinical professor of pediatrics at Drexel University and Penn State College of Medicine. In our ongoing fight against COVID-19, approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children ages 12 to 15 is an important step forward but its only as good as the number of parents who make use of it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 17 million adolescents in the U.S. can now play a crucial role in strengthening our efforts to gain back a healthier future. Even though adolescents generally dont get as severely ill from the novel coronavirus as adults do, even healthy kids can get very sick with acute COVID-19, and we dont know what long-term effects there could be. Weve seen kids develop a post-COVID-19 complication called multisystem inflammatory syndrome, usually characterized by fever, elevated inflammatory markers and heart dysfunction that requires hospitalization. Weve seen this even in children who had a nonsevere initial COVID-19 infection. Were also seeing long haulers children with symptoms that develop during or after COVID-19 and last 12 or more weeks. In children, the most common symptoms are ongoing fatigue and difficulty concentrating. Apart from how sick they can become, we now know that children can transmit the virus to other people just as readily as adults can which means they could be putting grandparents and others who are most vulnerable at risk. Vaccination can largely prevent these scenarios, but still, we know some parents have hesitations about the vaccine, such as these: Its too new. I understand that parents may want to take a wait-and-see approach, but the flip side is that the longer we wait to vaccinate, the more infections will accrue. Vaccination is key to reducing future variants of the virus. The vaccines have gone through all the usual steps for study and approval, and results show they are extremely effective and safe. Its too fast. The COVID-19 vaccines were able to move more swiftly through the approval process because of the industry and government investments behind them to bring them to fruition faster. Also, the basic science of the vaccine development process has improved, which is a testament to how far weve come in the field of virology and vaccinology. Its too risky. Its important to dispel the myths about the messenger RNA, or mRNA, vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna. They do not impact our DNA rather, theyre a set of instructions for the cells to make a viral protein, and this mRNA is quickly broken down after the protein is made. They also are not harmful to fertility. Its too political. Unfortunately, whether or not to vaccinate has become a politically charged question. In truth, its an important public health and personal health issue. Getting your child vaccinated and getting vaccinated yourself protects your child and the rest of society. If were going to achieve herd immunity which is at least 70% of the population vaccinated and probably higher were going to have to vaccinate this age group. My kids are too young. Some parents worry that their children are being exposed to too many vaccines, but the amount of viral protein in a vaccine is much less than their child would get with an actual COVID-19 infection. Your children have probably heard a lot of rumors about the vaccine and might be scared or confused, so emphasize the benefits to them. Besides being protected, theyll be happy to know that getting vaccinated may reduce their need to quarantine from friends or activities if they do get exposed to the novel coronavirus. Dont be afraid to talk about possible side effects they may experience. Studies show adolescents experience similar side effects to the young adult population a sore arm at the injection site and, to a much lesser extent, fever and achiness. Let them know this is their healthy immune system at work! Emphasize the safety of the vaccine to your kids. The fact that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was paused because of a problem in less than one in a million cases shows that safety is a top priority of regulators. Parents are often looking for opportunities to teach their children valuable life lessons and this is one of them. We all have an important role to play in caring for and protecting one another, and in this case, we can do that by getting vaccinated. Patrick Gavigan, M.D., is a pediatric infectious diseases physician at Penn State Health Childrens Hospital. He sees patients at the Childrens Hospital, as well as at the Penn State Health Lime Spring Outpatient Center in East Hempfield Township. THE ISSUE: From 2017 through 2020, the Pennsylvania General Assembly spent $203 million just to feed, house, transport, and provide rental offices and other perks for lawmakers and their staffs, according to a database of nearly 400,000 transactions created by The Caucus and Spotlight PA during a yearlong investigation. That averages to more than $51 million a year. About one in 10 of those dollars $20 million in all over the four years went into lawmakers pockets in the form of reimbursements for meals, mileage subsidies, per diems, and other expenses. So read an in-depth report, published in last Sundays LNP | LancasterOnline, on legislative expenses. It was reported by Mike Wereschagin, Sam Janesch and Brad Bumsted of The Caucus, a watchdog publication of LNP Media Group, and Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA, a nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer. A team of Temple University students, led by journalism professor Aron Pilhofer, contributed to building the database for that story. The next time a state lawmaker says the commonwealth cannot afford to better fund social services or schools or programs for struggling Pennsylvanians, please remember this story from The Caucus and Spotlight PA. Heres some context on that annual average of $51 million the General Assembly spends on itself: Gov. Tom Wolfs 2019-20 budget proposed a combined increase of $50 million in funding for Pre-K Counts and Head Start Supplemental Assistance. But the final budget enacted by the General Assembly lowered the combined amount to $30 million. And remember that not only are lawmakers costing taxpayers a fortune with their spending on the General Assembly, but theyre failing to be transparent about it. As The Caucus and Spotlight PA journalists reported, citizens who want to see what lawmakers are buying with their money face an array of barriers, delays and even pushback from lawyers hired by the General Assembly with yet more taxpayer money. In their quest to obtain the Legislatures expenses, the two news organizations filed more than two dozen requests under the states Right-to-Know Law, beginning in late 2019. When the records finally arrived, they were in sometimes book-length PDF files, some of which werent text-searchable, and some of which were heavily redacted. Initial responses included thousands of pages with either blacked-out or missing details as House and Senate officials attempted to keep aspects of lawmakers spending secret, The Caucus and Spotlight PA reported. Even though financial records are among the few categories of records the Legislature is required to make public, those officials claimed a legislative privilege allowed them to hide, among other details, who legislators were meeting with and why while spending taxpayer money. Both chambers, the news organizations reported, ultimately provided most of those details, though the Senate has stood by its legislative privilege claims. Such claims of privilege obviously make it easier to shield inappropriate and excessive spending or even just spending that lawmakers would find it uncomfortable to explain. Theres a reason they make this information hard to get, Tim Potts, a retired top-level House staffer and now a citizen activist, told The Caucus and Spotlight PA. Its a political motivation to protect themselves. Wed like to say were shocked by this harsh assessment from a former Harrisburg insider, but sadly were not. Its still appalling, though. The gravy train Weve argued for years that the 253-member Legislature is bloated, wasteful and ineffective when it comes to addressing the issues such as property taxes Pennsylvanians really care about. But if thats ever going to change, lawmakers would need to be willing to jump off the gravy train, and why would they? They can choose to take flat-rate per diems, or daily payments, to cover the expense of merely going to work no receipts required. As The Caucus and Spotlight PA discovered, numerous state lawmakers racked up in excess of $100,000 on food, lodging, office rent and other perks from 2017 through 2020. That was on top of their base salaries, which exceeded $90,000 in 2020 for rank-and-file lawmakers; those in leadership positions make tens of thousands of dollars more. Its nice work if you can get it. Were far from the only ones to have bristled at the taxpayer money vacuumed up by the state Legislature. As The Caucus and Spotlight PA reported, a grand jury investigating state lawmakers misuse of public money more than a decade ago recommended that the General Assembly make dramatic changes to how it conducted its business and spent taxpayer money. The grand jurors recommended that the Legislature move to a part-time work schedule (wed prefer a smaller Legislature) and impose term limits. They recommended eliminating taxpayer-funded partisan caucuses, requiring receipts for reimbursement for lodging and food, and reducing the number of district offices to one per legislator, The Caucus and Spotlight PA reported. And they recommended that the Legislatures budget itemize spending, rather than lumping expenditures under broad, vague categories. None of those changes, of course, was implemented. Outside counsel There were so many details in the incredibly well-reported article by Spotlight PA and The Caucus that caught our attention too many to reexamine in this space. Please read it if you havent already. But this detail stood out to us: All four caucuses have state-paid lawyers on staff, but that hasnt stopped them from charging taxpayers for outside counsel as well. Both chambers pay outside lawyers to represent them on matters ranging from election-related lawsuits to school funding litigation to sexual harassment claims. Over four years, the Legislature paid about $20 million to 55 law firms. And often, The Caucus and Spotlight PA reported, the public cant even find out what work those firms are doing, let alone assess whether its money well-spent, because of the multiple redactions the chambers employ to mask legal work. Why are taxpayers paying the salaries of staff lawyers if outside counsel is so often needed? If staff lawyers didnt spend so much time redacting documents, could they handle more legal work? Why wouldnt political parties pay for election-related lawsuits? What specific legislators needed to be defended using outside law firms? And what was the precise nature of the claims against them? And are we, as we fear, just screaming into the abyss? Verifiable facts Some lawmakers suggested to The Caucus and Spotlight PA that theyre concerned about the lack of transparency, too. Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman, R-Centre County, said hed even champion a requirement that the Legislatures expenses be posted online and in an easily digestible way. Indeed, he said he already is working with Senate officials to make that chambers expenses more readily available online. Which sounds truly promising. But weve found it instructive over the years to consider an elected officials actions and not just his words. As The Caucus and Spotlight PA reported, of the four top leaders in the House and Senate, only two post a portion of their expenses on their official websites. And of the two Senate leaders, Corman hasnt updated his website in six years. Six years. More than a decade after some members first started posting their own expenses online, just 18 lawmakers in the 203-member House and 11 in the 50-member Senate post some level of financial information today, The Caucus and Spotlight PA reported. The big spenders are both Democrats and Republicans though we were heartened to learn that GOP House Speaker Bryan Cutler, of Peach Bottom, refuses to take per diems, has never had a state-paid vehicle and formats his online expense reports by category of spending to make them more understandable. But massive spending and the lack of transparency around it seem to be ingrained in the culture of the General Assembly. And that must change. As Alex Howard, an open government advocate and director of the Digital Democracy Project based in Washington, D.C., told The Caucus and Spotlight PA, state-level disclosure laws should mandate that spending details be accessible in formats that are complete, free, not restricted in terms of use, electronic and machine-readable. Said Howard: Democracies aspire to be self-governed, and self-government depends upon shared, verifiable, trustworthy facts. If we cant have those, democracy doesnt work. Indeed. EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR SUNDAY, MAY 23, 2021 Malthusianism, in All Its Evil Formulations, Must Be Crushed May 22, 2021 (EIRNS)When you hear that leaders of the U.S. and the U.K. would be willing to risk a nuclear war, even knowing that their own countries would be decimated and civilization could be destroyed, do you doubt that it were possible, that one would have to be insane to think in that way? When told that the Green New Deal plans to eliminate all fossil fuels and nuclear power, and rely only on renewables like solar and wind, which would be capable of sustaining only a small fraction of the current human population, is your response that those promoting it could not possibly intend such a genocidal result? If the answer to either question is yes, then you have rejected the evidence in plain sight that those leaders are open, proud supporters of the ideas of Parson Thomas Malthus, that population growth must be stopped or the human race will destroy itself. The argument has taken many forms over the centuriesParson Malthus himself argued that human population growth is exponential, while food production is geometric, leading inevitably to famine, depression and depopulation. In the heyday of the British Empires colonial expansion, eugenicsrace sciencewas preached by the good Parsons of the day, showing scientifically that the white race was superior to the lesser races, justifying both the forced backwardness and ill treatment of their colonial subjects, with an occasional famine or unrestrained pandemic to cull the herd. Eugenics was discredited when the Nazis used it to eliminate the Jews and others in gas ovens, but after the war, Lord Bertrand Russell (whom Lyndon LaRouche described as the most evil man of his time), said, regarding the need to deal with the overpopulation problem: War ... has hitherto been disappointing in this respect ... but perhaps bacteriological war may prove more effective. If a Black Death could spread throughout the world once in every generation, survivors could procreate freely without making the world too full. ... The state of affairs might be somewhat unpleasant, but what of it? Now, Parson Malthus has pretended to be a climate scientist, terrifying the children and the child-like with computer printouts which claim that carbonthe food of plants, the food of lifeis actually a pollutant which is heating the planet to a boiling point, which will kill us all if we dont shut down industries, stop eating meat, and, at all costs, prevent the developing countries from developing into modern industrial nations. To be certain of that, Mark Carney, former Governor of the Bank of England and now the UN Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance, told a climate conference with African leaders that they must promise absolutely that they will not develop their resources nor cut down their trees, nor build any carbon polluting industries or infrastructure, in order to get carbon offsets from the industrial country industries. Those industries will continue emitting carbon, while keeping the developing countries backward, and their raw materials cheap, by paying a small carbon tax. And Carney even told the Africans that green police will have to occupy their countries to enforce the non-development and to earn their carbon offsets. Green Colonialism. And why do the U.S. and U.K. governments hate Russia and China so much, deploying nuclear armed missiles, planes and submarines to all of their borders, in Europe, in Asia and now even in the Arctic? Is it because of their aggression, when, unlike the U.S. and NATO, they keep their military forces within their own borders and their immediate neighborhood? Is it because of human rights, as in Xinjiang, which is prospering, while U.S. wars and sanctions on Syria, Yemen, and dozens of other countries are causing famine and misery? The answer is that the Green New Deal will not work if China is building infrastructure, power plants and industries all over the developing sector with the Belt and Road, while Russia is building both coal-fired plants and nuclear power plants in Africa. Russia and China are doing what Franklin Roosevelt intended to do after the warto end European colonial forced backwardness once and for all with American System methods, Hamiltonian methods. But America itself has given up on the American System and succumbed to the British System, free markets, free trade, deregulation, deindustrialization, and economic policy run not by elected governments but by private banks, which are cutting credit to the productive economy to save the planet. Will they go to war to get their way? Perhaps they believe Russia and China will back down, and give up on development. Perhaps they think the developing countries of Africa, Ibero-America and Asia will also agree to be bought off in order to remain backward. They are wrong. The LaRouche Organization, the Schiller Institute, and the Committee on the Coincidence of Opposites know that unless the path to war and depopulation is rejected by the citizens and the nations of the world, and these nations come togetherincluding especially Russia, China and the U.S.to end the pandemic with modern health systems in every country; to stop the famine with a mobilization of farmers globally to double food production; to stop the war buildup and divert the military-industrial sector into high-technology energy, infrastructure and space exploration; and put the bloated gambling casino of Wall Street and the City of London through bankruptcy reorganization in a New Bretton Woodswithout all of this, the world and the population faces disintegration. We are human, we are a cognitive species, which can create the future needed by mankind as a whole. Act like it. The ruling party of Honduras is giving aid to its supporters. But many supporters of opposing political parties say they have not received assistance during the coronavirus health crisis. Many have left Honduras as a result. Cesar Lopez and his family are from San Pedro Sula. This year, the Honduran government gave out rice and beans to poor residents. However, Lopez and his family got nothing. He said the food only went to supporters of the ruling National Party, which he opposes. He said it is much the same for government jobs and other aid. Lopez left for the United States earlier this year. He said his decision was partly the result of unfair aid policies during the pandemic and after two hurricanes last year. He told Reuters, the government only gives to its supporters. Lopez was on his way to Texas and had stopped in a Guatemalan village. The ruling party denies that it only helps its favorites. Officials said these claims are from opponents of President Orlando Hernandez who want to make him look bad. The conservative National Party forcibly took power in 2009 after a military coup. It has since built a powerful political organization that has great influence over the lives of 10 million Hondurans. The National Party uses a system that experts call clientelism. The term describes when a political party provides goods, services, money, jobs or aid in exchange for political support. Andrew Seele is the president of the Migration Policy Institute, an immigration policy group in Washington, D.C. He said, Sometimes the balance between staying and leaving is hope things could get better, and clientelism destroys that hope. Political experts and those living in Honduras said supporting the ruling party does not guarantee money or food. Additionally, opposing it does not mean a permanent loss of public aid. The Latin American Public Opinion Project at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee reported on clientelism in 2019. It found Honduras had the second-highest level in Latin America after the Dominican Republic. The study found that more than 18 percent of the Honduran voters they spoke to in 2014 had experienced clientelism. They said they were offered a gift, favor or aid in exchange for their vote in the 2013 presidential election. The study did not state which political parties reportedly made the offers. For many Honduran migrants, the practice of clientelism offers them little hope and has become a part of their decision to leave. Reuters spoke to more than 20 former and current Honduran government officials and experts. They said the National Party uses control of the government and money to help supporters, punish opponents and influence elections. For years, Honduras has had problems with politicians misusing government money for personal gain and being involved in drug-trafficking. The administration of President Joe Biden has made targeting corruption central to a $4 billion plan. The administration said the plan will deal with the root causes of migration from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. Im Jill Robbins. Laura Gottesdiener and Drazen Jorgic reported this story for Reuters. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. ___________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story coup n. a sudden attempt by a small group of people to take over the government usually through violence China recently made history by successfully landing a spacecraft on Mars. The event marked a major step in Chinas space program and launched a new international exploration effort on the Red Planet. Chinas official Xinhua News Agency announced the landing on May 15. China has left a footprint on Mars for the first time, an important step for our countrys space exploration, it said. Chinas space program had already completed several successful unpiloted missions to the moon. The countrys last spacecraft to land there was able to successfully collect material from the lunar surface. It was the first time in more than 40 years that any nation had collected moon material for return to Earth. Landing a spacecraft on Mars, however, is much more difficult than landing on the moon. The vehicles require special equipment to protect against the extreme heat of the Martian atmosphere. The spacecraft also require special rockets to slow its speed and parachutes that deploy at just the right time to prevent crash landings. Historically, there have been many crash landings on Mars. So far only three nations -- the United States, China and the Soviet Union (USSR) -- have successfully landed spacecraft. The U.S. has had nine successful Mars landings since 1976. This includes its latest mission involving the U.S. space agency NASAs Perseverance explorer, or rover. The USSRs Mars 3 spacecraft landed safely in 1971. But that mission ended seconds later when the spacecrafts instruments failed. There are currently other spacecraft operating in orbit around Mars. One was launched by the United Arab Emirates and arrived in February. The Emirates Mars Mission is studying Martian atmospheric conditions from an extremely high orbit. Three other orbiting spacecraft belong to the U.S., two are European and one is from India. Chinas Tianwen-1 spacecraft -- which includes an orbiter, lander and rover -- spent seven months on the trip to Mars. It landed at Utopia Planitia, a large flat area in the northern half of the planet. Its rover Zhurong was named after the Chinese god of fire. The six-wheeled vehicle is solar powered and weighs 240 kilograms, Xinhua reported. It has several cameras and other instruments that use radar, laser and sensors to measure atmospheric conditions and magnetic forces. Zhurong is to study the planet's surface soil and atmosphere. Like the past and present NASA rovers, it will also look for signs of ancient life, including ice and any other water below the planets surface. Data collected by Zhurong will be sent back to Earth through the Tianwen-1 orbiter. Last week, China released the rovers first pictures from Mars. Roberto Orosei is a planetary scientist at the Institute of Radioastronomy in Bologna, Italy. He told Nature an important part of the mission could help confirm earlier studies suggesting the presence of permafrost in the area around Utopia Planitia. The studies found evidence that permafrost could be hiding just below the surface. The rovers ground-searching radar equipment might be able to identify signs of this permafrost, Orosei said. Learning the depth of such permafrost and finding out more about its formation could offer new information into more recent climate changes on Mars. Scientists are trying to understand what happened to ancient water they believe once covered the surface, Orosei added. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson praised Chinas successful landing on Mars. As the international scientific community of robotic explorers on Mars grows, the United States and the world look forward to the discoveries Zhurong will make to advance humanitys knowledge of the Red Planet, his statement read. I look forward to future international discoveries, which will help inform and develop the capabilities needed to land human boots on Mars, Nelson added. Im Bryan Lynn. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from Reuters, The Associated Press, Xinhua, Nature and NASA. Caty Weaver was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. Quiz - Now that China Has Landed on Mars, What Is Next for the Mission? Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz __________________________________________________________ Words in This Story mission n. a flight by an aircraft or spacecraft to perform a specific task permafrost n. an area of land that is permanently frozen below the surface advance v. to develop or progress capability n. the ability or power to do something One in three women worldwide will experience physical or sexual abuse in her lifetime. Violence against women has been called, by global leaders, the human rights issue of our time, a pandemic, said Cheryl Thomas, the head of the organization Global Rights for Women. One hundred-thirty-seven women a day are killed by their intimate partners or their family members, she added. In the United States, President Joe Biden is now asking lawmakers to provide more resources for the Justice Departments Office on Violence Against Women. The proposal calls for increasing its budget to $1 billion, almost two times the current amount. Patricia Cumbie was a young adult in college when she was raped. A man attacked her at a party. I remember at the time feeling like, Oh, is what happened to me a crime or not? And I think that's a very common reaction for a lot of survivors, you know, because violence against women is so normalized. The United States has been a world leader in the violence against women movement. In 1994, Congress passed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which created the Office on Violence Against Women. Joe Biden, a senator at the time, led the push for that law. It was the first of its kind in the world. Cumbie, who also works with Global Rights for Women, says the U.S. sets an important example. Domestic violence is the privilege in power that men have to abuse women, she said. There is stranger danger, she continued, but by and large, the violence is carried out by people that we know and love. That fact, she says, makes the issue more complex and difficult to talk about. Comfort Dondo, a Zimbabwean immigrant in Minneapolis, says she spent five years in an abusive marriage. And when I called the Minneapolis Police Department they would come, and they would not even talk to me or take a report, she said. They would talk to him. The abuse was not only physical, Dondo says. Her husbands better knowledge of the legal system resulted in her losing custody of her son. She is now seeking to get him back. She said When we talk about domestic abuse, it goes beyond just the beating. It is the emotional torture of alienating a woman from her babies. Institutionalized sexism Thomas says violence against women is accepted because most societies are used to seeing men in positions of power and control. The violence, physical and emotional, sometimes includes separating women from their friends and loved ones. Domestic violence is closely related to other forms of inequality. Dondo said her white husband has much more power over her, a Black woman, in America. I speak for African Americans, that's my experience, when we end up marrying white men, Dondo said. The white man has more power over her, access to money, for good lawyers, language, and they also know the system very well. Stopping violence before it happens Victoria Banyard is a professor of social work and director of the Center on Violence Against Women and Children at Rutgers University. She thinks financing crime prevention is a good step but also that more money should be put toward stopping abuse before it starts. Violence against women can take many forms, she points out, from verbal, emotional abuse and physical violence, to blocking a woman from her friends and loved ones, to economic abuse. If you're experiencing physical violence, for example, you might have to miss time at work, she said. "A woman might lose her job as a result. Sometimes, abusers also block victims from having a career at all. There are many ways domestic violence affects women and holds them back economically, she said. After escaping her marriage, Comfort Dondo went to school and completed a masters degree. Later, she started the nonprofit organization Phumulani which works to stop violence and abuse of women, especially those from African ancestry. She and other experts believe it is critical to include men in the discussion about stopping violence against women. Men must be held, in her words, accountable, with love so that they will not go and say, We didn't know that was abuse. Im Dan Friedell. Dora Mekouar reported this story for Voice of America. Dan Novak adapted it for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story intimate-adj. having a very close relationship : very warm and friendly privilege-n. a right or benefit that is given to some people and not to others custody-n. the legal right to take care of a child (such as a child whose parents are divorced) alienate-v. to make (someone) unfriendly : to cause (someone) to stop being friendly, helpful, etc., towards you verbal-adj. relating to or consisting of words Lewiston, ID (83501) Today Showers this evening becoming a steady rain overnight. Low 57F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Showers this evening becoming a steady rain overnight. Low 57F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%. [Editors note: This article contains strong language that readers might find offensive or disturbing.] SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. Dr. Gail Newel looks back on the past year and struggles to articulate exactly when the public bellows of frustration around her covid-related health orders morphed into something darker and more menacing. Certainly, there was that Sunday afternoon in May, when protesters broke through the gates to her private hillside neighborhood, took up positions around her home, and sang Gail to Jail, a ritual they would repeat every Sunday for weeks. Or the county Board of Supervisors meeting not long after, where a visibly agitated man waiting for his turn at the microphone suddenly lunged at her over a small partition, staring her down even as sheriffs deputies flanked him and authorities cleared the room. The letters, emails and cellphone calls that now number in the hundreds and inevitably open with Bitch, and make clear people know where she lives and wish her dead. And that January meeting with Santa Cruz County Sheriff Jim Hart, after the vicious mob attack on the U.S. Capitol, when he recommended to a roomful of county officials that deputies do a threat assessment at each of their homes. Newel, whod already been through the process, casually mentioned a New Years resolution to get more exercise and start walking to work. Absolutely not, Hart told her. She wasnt walking anywhere without an escort. Newel, 63, is the health officer in Santa Cruz County, a picturesque string of communities hugging Californias rugged Central Coast. In normal years, hers would be a largely invisible job that involves tracking measles outbreaks and STD infections, testing children for lead exposure, and alerting the public to tainted lettuce and unhealthy air. Covid has changed all that, in ways both expected and not. Newel, like health officials across the nation, has been thrust into an unwelcome spotlight and subjected to extreme scrutiny from politicians and the public over mask requirements, business closures and the extended interruption of travel and social gatherings. Some of the dissent was understandable: the shocked response of residents asked to make unprecedented sacrifices during a time of great uncertainty. But in Santa Cruz and many other U.S. communities, legitimate debate has devolved into overt intimidation and threats of violence. Public servants like Newel have become the face of government authority in the pandemic. And, in turn, they have become targets for the same loose-knit militia and white nationalist groups that stormed the U.S. Capitol in January, smashing windows, bloodying officers and savagely chanting Hang Mike Pence. Over the course of a year, Newel and her boss, Santa Cruz Countys health services director, Mimi Hall, have seen their lives upended for reasons well beyond the exhausting workload that comes with battling a devastating pandemic. Their daily routines now incorporate security patrols, surveillance cameras and, in some cases, personal firearms. They are public servants who no longer feel safe in public. When I do have days off, I dont want to be out in the community. Im intimidated to be out in the community, Newel said. Im looking to see who might be close to me or to my car, who might be following me looking to see if theres any kind of situation that I might not be able to get out of or that might be dangerous to me in some way. Newel was born and raised in the city of Fresno in Californias Central Valley, a region known for industrial-scale farming and conservative politics. After completing degrees in medicine and public health, Newel returned home to work as an obstetrician. There, in addition to delivering hundreds of babies, she helped develop a lactation center, a program for pregnant women with substance abuse issues and a teen pregnancy program. After 30 years of catching babies, shed planned to retire as a doctors wife in Santa Cruz, where her wife, also a physician, had taken a job. The couple call themselves Central Valley refugees; they often felt unwelcome in Fresno County as a same-sex couple. With their adult children already out of the house, they bought a home in Santa Cruz and made plans to spend the rest of their lives there. Newel felt called to serve when the health officer in a neighboring county urged her to consider a second career in public health. She became Santa Cruz Countys health officer on July 1, 2019. Newel developed an easy affinity with director Hall, who has the broader responsibility of managing all countywide medical, behavioral and environmental health programs. Hall, 53, was born in Myanmar, where her parents worked as doctors in a small hospital without running water or electricity. The family relocated to the U.S. when she was a young child. Hall has spent her entire adult life working in public health, the past 22 years in California county government. She worked in the heart of the Sierra Nevada before moving north to Plumas, a county bigger than Delaware but so sparsely populated that its county seat isnt designated a city. There, she said, she fought with elected officials who didnt believe in her work. She said her children, among the few Asian Americans in Plumas, experienced racism and bullying. When Hall was hired by Santa Cruz County in 2018, she moved her husband and three kids to a seemingly bucolic home in the redwood forests of the Santa Cruz Mountains. As health officer, Newel is part of a fraternity of greater Bay Area health officers who, since the early AIDS era, have met regularly to work on public health issues. Many of her local counterparts have deep knowledge of infectious diseases and, in the early days of the pandemic, she leaned on them heavily. In California, like many other states, every county is required to have a health officer. That person must have training in medicine, and, in emergencies, is granted broad authority to keep the public safe. When Newels Bay Area counterparts issued the first sweeping stay-at-home orders in the nation on March 16, 2020, she was just hours behind in issuing one for Santa Cruz. It ordered most businesses to close and banned most travel and social gatherings. A few weeks later, in an effort to keep tourists away, she ordered the beaches closed as well. It was a grueling time both Newel and Hall went months without a real day off but adrenaline-filled. They set up testing sites, organized data-tracking operations, coordinated with dozens of state and local groups on covid response and oversaw contact tracing for hundreds of cases. And, as life-threatening pandemics go, they were off to a good start. Research suggests that lockdowns are most effective when initiated early, and that research is reflected in the Santa Cruz experience. Through June 2020, only a handful of people were diagnosed in Santa Cruz each week, and just two people had died from the virus in a county of 280,000, a fraction of the national death rate. *** Santa Cruz County might seem an unlikely venue for menace. Its known for its laid-back vibe and hippie communes. But its also a study in divergence: Multimillion-dollar estates are tucked into the Santa Cruz Mountains alongside the barricaded compounds of well-armed survivalists. Farmworkers tend to world-class strawberry fields in the southern part of the county alongside exclusive vacation rentals. In the early months of the pandemic, the covid diagnoses mostly came from south county, among agricultural workers still tending crops and living in crowded housing. The complaints, however, were mostly from people in the wealthy beach communities, and out-of-towners deeply resentful of the highly publicized restrictions. The pushback started with angry emails and voicemails, people who contested the beach closures, the intrusion on personal freedoms. But over time, it ventured further, into language that was personal and terrorizing. Newel remembers threatening letters that stated her address and the names of her children. Others included photographs of the front and back of her home from close range, and messages like Look out; were coming for you. The county clerk helped scrub her address from the internet. Hall remembers obscene late-night phone calls, and a man who seemed to be casing her home. She took her cell number off her email signature. Then came the Sunday protesters, who would surround Newels home with bullhorns and sirens blaring, their hostile rants making her and, worse, her family feel like hostages. Im willing to be a public servant, but I dont think that includes having people trespass onto my private property, she said. I was quite worried for my family and for myself and our safety. Most local health officials in the U.S. are women and, as the pandemic wore on, the threats took on a clearly misogynistic tone. People used words like bitch and cunt, and made disturbing veers into sexually explicit references. At a county Board of Supervisors meeting in late May, a young man, his voice thick with rage, accused Newel of ruining his life by closing the beaches. You want me to stay inside, get fat, watch Netflix and masturbate? The hearing was packed with people lobbying for a variance from state closure rules. As in previous meetings, people filmed Newel at close range. During the public comment period, they streamed to the microphone. Many removed their masks. People were visibly agitated, tapping feet, muttering swear words. Then, a man started toward the mic, but made a beeline for Newel instead. Sheriffs deputies surrounded him and whisked Newel and Hall out of the room, while a county executive evacuated the meeting. Feeling he could no longer ensure her safety, Sheriff Hart asked Newel to stop attending meetings in person. In the days and weeks that followed, Hall, too, adopted new routines. She would leave work at 7 p.m., when the security guards ended their shift. On her way out of her office, she called her husband, staying on the phone with him until she was locked in her car. Once home, she checked the charge on the security cameras that provide a full-perimeter view of her home and greeted her dog, who works double time as family member and security detail. Still, she didnt know what to make of it all. Youre not sure is it really dangerous? You feel this feeling of, well, maybe were overreacting, you know? Hall said. Many of the people expressing the most vicious anger over the past year have histories of anti-government sentiment. There are the white supremacists, and groups with adopted militia names. The sovereign citizens, who view themselves as governed only by their own interpretations of common law. The people who oppose any government mandates to be vaccinated. Still, things accelerated during the collision of Donald Trumps presidency with the pandemic. Membership in right-wing, white supremacist, anti-government and anti-vaccine groups was on the rise before 2020, under a Trump presidency seen as sympathetic to such ideologies and facilitated by the use of social media to draw in new adherents. Then came the pandemic, which stranded people in their homes and transformed screens into their primary social gateways. Across chatrooms and websites, folks converged online to share grievances about perceived threats to personal freedoms. They found common cause in rebelling against closures and mask mandates and rallying around Trump. Groups that had previously protested vaccine requirements adopted militia language and imagery. Militias began organizing against health orders, and their tactics were adopted by yet more newly organized groups that formed online. On April 17, Trump used his favored platform, Twitter, to send a series of calls to LIBERATE MINNESOTA! Then to LIBERATE MICHIGAN! and LIBERATE VIRGINIA, and save your great 2nd Amendment. It is under siege! It set off a cascade of repercussions for health officials. Thousands of Facebook pages sprung up to organize against stay-at-home orders. They just erupted in rage at the lockdowns. [Trump] immediately undercut the credibility of public health officials, said Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism and an expert on militia and white nationalist organizations. He turned the public health sector into liars and enemies of his supporters. Public health is inherently not an individualistic endeavor. Its the science of improving the health of populations, and more often than not, those improvements are of a collective nature. To bring down rates of smoking, weve taxed cigarettes and restricted where people can smoke. Workplaces were made safer through regulations limiting exposure to toxic materials and risky machinery. Infectious diseases are slowed to a crawl through vaccination requirements. Its not surprising that health officials would become the recipients of the backlash associated with anti-government ideologies, said Jason Blazakis, director of the Center on Terrorism, Extremism and Counterterrorism at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey. But the country hasnt reckoned with how covid disinformation is animating those threats. By the end of May, health leaders across the nation were quitting in droves. In California alone, eight public health officials had left top posts, including Orange Countys public health officer, Dr. Nichole Quick, whod been given a security detail before she resigned. These were people with extensive training in public health, but also people with deep relationships in the community, the kind of expertise you cant gain in school. Just up the coast from Santa Cruz, the health officer for Santa Clara County, Dr. Sara Cody, was receiving so many credible threats by spring 2020 that she and her family were given 24-hour security details. A series of threatening letters were particularly disturbing. They were suspected of coming from the same anonymous author because of sentence structure, but also their misogynistic content and clear anti-government position, a sheriffs report said. One said: You are fucking so many for no reason you will pay a heavy price for your stupidity bitch. Another read: You must go no matter how you go you stupid fucking bitch. Santa Claras sheriffs office began investigating. Sheriff Hart grew up in Santa Cruz and has been with the department for 33 years. Its a rustic place without a lot of serious crime. Hart was aware of some members of white supremacist groups in the mountains, but largely considered them benign carryovers from a previous era. I would always take threats, especially to myself and to some of our staff, with a grain of salt, Hart said. Were in law enforcement; some people dont like us. I get that. June 6, 2020, changed his thinking. Seven months to the day before the siege on the U.S. Capitol, on a warm Saturday afternoon, a 911 call came into the sheriffs office. A suspicious-looking van was parked on the side of a road in the mountain town of Boulder Creek, the caller said, and it matched the description of a van used in a drive-by shooting a week earlier in Oakland, when a federal security officer was killed during a Black Lives Matter protest. Using the vehicle identification number to determine the owner of the van, Santa Cruz sheriffs deputies made their way to his home, which was just up the road from Halls. There, a violent ambush unfolded. According to law enforcement reports, Steven Carrillo, an active-duty Air Force sergeant, shot at officers with a homemade AR-15-style rifle and threw at least one explosive. He fled, hitting an officer with a car. Driving the backroads, he carjacked at least one person. The brutal episode came to an end when Carrillo was tackled by a young man while attempting to steal another vehicle. Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller, 38, was fatally shot in the ambush, the first member of Santa Cruz County law enforcement to die on the job since 1983. Authorities have since tied Carrillo to an active state faction of the Boogaloo Bois, a secretive and decentralized anti-government movement. Unlike many of the groups pushing back against public health measures over the past year, they are expressly anti-cop. One of their stated goals has been to infiltrate Black Lives Matter protests and cause violence that will be blamed on the left, to incite a civil war. Carrillo has since pleaded not guilty to multiple charges of murder in the Santa Cruz and Oakland attacks. Hall immediately took down the signs from her fence celebrating her daughters graduation and declaring Black Lives Matter anything that identified them and installed more security cameras. I started wondering, Who around me thinks this way? And how close are they? Hall said. Newel had a similar response: Until that time, the threats seemed like nothing but threats. Like, oh, people might say these horrible things to me, but theyre not going to act on them. And then that one action completely changed how I thought about my community. Hart was devastated. He had known Gutzwiller since the deputy was a teenager. Before that day, Hart said, he realized that right-wing ideology existed but didnt understand the level of cold-blooded commitment. He started rethinking the threats to Hall and Newel. I never thought in my career that I would see professionals, doctors being threatened for doing their job. Its been mind-boggling to me, said Hart. A month later, Hall received a chilling letter containing references to the Boogaloo movement. It began with Hey, CUNT, threatened her family and wished her a slow death. Similar letters had been sent to Sgt. Gutzwillers widow and the sheriffs department. Harts department put out a bulletin to other law enforcement, including details of the letters and information about the man they suspected might have sent them. In neighboring Santa Clara, the sheriffs department noticed similarities to the string of letters their own health officer had been receiving since April. When the suspect left work midday to mail yet another anonymous letter to Cody, a Santa Clara County sheriffs deputy was tailing him, according to court records. The suspect, Alan Viarengo, was arrested and charged with felony stalking and harassment of a public figure related to the letters to Cody; he has pleaded not guilty. Detectives searched his Gilroy home and found more than 130 firearms, thousands of rounds of ammunition and materials to build explosives, according to law enforcement reports. As the criminal case moved forward, Hart suggested that, in addition to security systems, the women acquire firearms. Halls husband came home with a shotgun. For Newel, who holds pacifist beliefs, it wasnt an option. I wouldnt ever have a gun in my home, she said. That same month, adherents of a sovereign citizens movement the FBI characterizes as extremist and a form of domestic terrorism went to Newels home and served her papers claiming shed broken the law. The same group, irate that Santa Cruz Police Chief Andrew Mills had supported Newels closure orders and mask mandates, left papers inside his home, on his bedroom pillow, according to law enforcement. Throughout these episodes, Newel and Hall were still responding to the pandemic. Even as fires raged through the mountains, forcing them to evacuate their homes. Even as they were placed on furlough to make up for budget shortfalls. When you ask Newel and Hall about the effects of living amid so much bile and unease, both say they are not ruled by fear. But they also describe sleepless nights when their spouses are out of town, and both have withdrawn from the community. Hall stopped joining her childrens school events on Zoom, afraid other parents would recognize her, and goes to the grocery store incognito, beneath a hat and messy ponytail. Newel just doesnt go out much at all. Since last April, 22 top health officials have left their posts in California. In December, just as vaccines were arriving, Hall seriously considered resigning. Shed gained 30 pounds and started taking blood pressure medication. She was bringing her laptop into bed every night and not spending enough time with family. Her children wanted her to quit. There were days I just felt like, I cant do this. I cant do it anymore. I cant get up tomorrow morning. I was mentally, physically, emotionally exhausted. She has stayed, not because she thinks things will necessarily get better, but because quitting wouldnt make her life easier. Itd just teach people that if theyre loud enough and mean enough they can get what they want. If she had learned anything from her refugee parents, it was that she could go on, and so she must. Its not the idea that everything will turn out fine. It is that no matter what, you can survive this, she said. As for Newel, she said shell stick the job out because shes stubborn that way. But she and her wife have rethought their retirement plans. If we dont feel comfortable being out in the community, or if were afraid to live here, were not going to want to stay, she said. And thats something of a heartbreak. This story was done as a collaboration between KHN and This American Life. Listen to the companion audio story here. This KHN story first published on California Healthline, a service of the California Health Care Foundation. For the Air Force Materiel Command, making sure new employees receive a great first impression is key to talent management and the driving force behind the continued success of the enterprise acculturation initiative. The intent is to ensure new hires have the tools, knowledge and resources available to support them as they begin to contribute to missions across the spectrum and throughout their two-year probationary period of work. This reader-submitted photo posted to The Lufkin Daily News Facebook page shows what appears to be a funnel in storm clouds near Lufkin Thursday afternoon. As executive director for local nonprofit Free Bikes 4 Kidz Madison, Kristie Goforth is determined to give away 2,021 bicycles this year to children and families who need them. Goforth, 49, is not only passionate about creating transportation access but also fostering economic development, caring for the environment and supporting the arts. In addition to serving on Mononas City Council, she grew the Monona East Side Business Alliance into an economic hub, serves as a Dane County parks commissioner and co-founded the Momentum Urban Arts Fest. Though her bid for mayor of Monona in the spring against incumbent Mary OConnor wasnt successful, Goforth feels like she started a movement with her positive outlook and ability to inspire others. Because of that, I have a good ability to mobilize people, Goforth said. Although I didn't win, I have to say, I feel like I did start a movement here of people being engaged. Goforth moved to Monona in 2014 when she was hired to run the Monona Chamber of Commerce. She transformed the chamber into the Monona East Side Business Alliance and tripled membership in 18 months. She grew up on an island in Lake Huron in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan on the Canadian border. Her dream was to attend college but growing up as the daughter of a single mother working three jobs made that challenging. It wasnt until a cook at the Door County restaurant she was waitressing at encouraged her to pursue college did she make that dream a reality. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with degrees in conservation biology and geography, with an emphasis on cartography and urban planning. Youve been an alder on Mononas City Council since April 2020 and ran for mayor. What inspired you to run for public office? When I was running the chamber, it didn't take long for me to realize that Monona definitely had walls up around it. I think it had to do with that kind of resistance of, "We won't be absorbed by Madison. We're not Madison. We're distinctly different than Madison." I felt like we really needed to put down the drawbridges on either end of Monona Drive and really open our chamber up to the east side of Madison and build bridges there, because we have a community of 8,000 people who just weren't big enough to support our own chamber of commerce. I was really proud of the work I did there. I could have taken that to city hall and done a similar type of work in elevating Mononas brand, really carving out an identity and establishing it as a community for the future. You've said you represent a new generation of leadership in Monona. What does this mean and why is it needed? When you're running for office, you have to demonstrate that you're the better candidate, and so you have to have a critical set of eyes. But I think those who are critical of the way things are is because we are the optimists. We can see how much better things can be for everyone, not just a select field. I just see untapped potential everywhere I look in the city. I often said through the campaign I believe that Monona has the potential to be one of the best small cities in America. We have all the ingredients here, we just need someone who knows how to pull them together. I would have loved that opportunity and while that's not there for me now, I will still continue to be a voice for people who are unrepresented and maybe aren't considered in some of our decision-making. Had you been elected mayor, you would have been the first Native American mayor in Wisconsin history. Despite some progress made locally in terms of representation, there are still firsts to be made in 2021. What did this mean for you? Its amazing and disappointing. I actually did a little digging and I was like, "How many Native American city council members are there in Wisconsin?" and I believe there are four. Its really shocking to believe that Native voices are still barely heard and rarely represented, and says a lot about where we are and how far we have to go. It takes a lot of time, energy and resources to gear up for and run a campaign. Wheres that excess energy going now? Whats next for you? We're hoping to start a program with area schools to start an apprentice program for bike mechanics. We would focus on schools that already have an auto mechanics apprentice program up and running. Transportation is a fundamental need for everyone and this would be one more way to tackle the challenges we face with transportation shortages. I have had people tell me I should consider going bigger in politics than Monona and that I should look at state politics. But after experiencing a rough local campaign and getting a peek behind the curtain of politics, sadly I don't think someone who truly cares about people and is unwilling to compromise their convictions can be successful in that ecosystem. I'm a community builder who has the ability to mobilize people and help them become inspired. Free Bikes 4 Kidz Madison is doing some incredible work and we have opportunities to grow the organization, so our roots run deeper in the community. There was a time in my life where I never thought I would be in a position to contribute to my community. Since I have that opportunity, it's something I am compelled to do. How does your role with Free Bikes 4 Kidz Madison influence your public service work? This is probably the first time in my professional career where I'm primarily working with communities of color. That has just been fabulous. It has been wonderful to just be immersed by populations that we don't see a lot of representation, especially in Monona. The transportation equity piece is another really big thing that I'm just super passionate about. Without transportation, you can't get a job. Are your kids getting to school reliably and even as a recreational pursuit, transportation can be a major barrier. It's something we really need to work on and I cannot wait for the day when we can have a Regional Transit Authority here. That is going to be a gamechanger for the state of Wisconsin, if we can get there. What would you say was one of the most influential moments that led to where you are today? I grew up with a single mom who dropped out of high school at age 16, and we never ever rose above the poverty line. She worked three jobs around the clock. I remember in high school when I was 16, 17, hearing a lot of the teachers asking my classmates, "Where are you going to go to college? What do you hope for the future?" None of them asked me that question. If there is one way you can (influence) a young person's life, it is by asking them that question and not just asking the white, affluent children that question, but asking all people that question, no matter their backgrounds. Share your opinion on this topic by sending a letter to the editor to tctvoice@madison.com. Include your full name, hometown and phone number. Your name and town will be published. The phone number is for verification purposes only. Please keep your letter to 250 words or less. Third, look to the future and recognize that power shifts. It was freaky that Republicans won the Senate, Assembly and governorship in 2010. This allowed Republicans to control the election map. But times change, and they will. I served as a volunteer in Vietnam and was sent my absentee ballot, with a note that said the ballot had to be notarized. To be clear, there were no notaries where I was in the Delta. It was a way for liberals in Madison to suppress the vote of a soldier in combat whom they assumed was pro-war. I was not pro-war. This was the only time in my life that I did not vote. Make no mistake. The bottom line of Stroebels integrity package is to reduce voter turnout. The big lie that Trump won the 2020 election is a false narrative that courts and voting officials have rejected. Many of those folks were Republicans. Stroebel and his fellow Party members could try to win over voters, but they no longer have the will to do this. Their current efforts will only buy time. Then they will lose. They answered the call, all right, by marching to the Capitol, gaveling in the special session as they were legally required to do, but then adjourning in about 15 seconds. They thought it was funny to them a cute poke in the eye to the Democratic governor but, victims of gun violence weren't laughing. Well, the NRA itself isn't laughing these days either. The once powerful lobby that has played kingmaker in so many state and national elections, helping elect politicians who would steamroll grieving parents of murdered school children and survivors of mass shootings begging for help, is now on the ropes. Wayne LaPierre, the NRA's uncompromising executive director, has been accused by New York Attorney General Letitia James of mismanagement and lavish spending. Her suit lays out a broad litany of allegations of corruption and greed from executives who James said looted the NRA. LaPierre is accused of raiding the nonprofit's funds to bankroll an extravagant lifestyle, even though he was already paid millions in direct compensation by the organization. The corruption is so bad and so deep that the NRA needs to be dissolved, she insists. From a better way to integrate pockets in womens sportswear to more effective heart monitoring during surgery, and from one-stop power conversion software to a pick-up compost service, the top 12 in the 2021 Wisconsin Governors Business Plan Contest represent a deep well of innovation. Literally theres also a finalist who has developed a way to remotely monitor a water well without opening it. That range of business plans will take center stage June 2-3 at the virtual Wisconsin Entrepreneurs Conference, where the Diligent Dozen survivors of a contest that began with more than 250 qualified entries in late January will compete for prizes and, more important, exposure. People can register through the Wisconsin Technology Council to watch the competition. Organized in categories of advanced manufacturing, business services, information technology and life sciences, the contest is broad enough to attract entries that reflect the extent to which technology has become a staple in almost every industry. Carol Fritsche contacted SOS just 11 days before her airline voucher was set to expire but nearly a year after shed been trying to get its expiration date extended and its amount increased to match the cost of a June 2020, COVID-19-canceled flight. It took another month of laboring to communicate with TAP Air Portugal before SOS felt safe in wishing her and her husband, Jeff, Tenha uma boa viagem! Portuguese for Have a nice trip! The Fritsches, of Madison, in January of last year scheduled the June 1 flight from Lisbon to Newark, N.J., and then on to Portland, Oregon, where they lived at the time. Total cost: $1,219.50. The couples youngest daughter lives in Norway, Carol explained, and when they visit her, they like to explore other places in Europe as well. The plan was to fly to Lisbon from Norway and then back to the states. Then came the virus, the trip to Europe was canceled, and TAP sent the couple two vouchers for the flight from Lisbon one for Jeff worth $649.75 and expiring April 30, 2022, and one for Carol worth $450.21 and expiring April 9, 2021. That was odd, because the Fritsches were traveling together, economy class, in two seats in the same row that cost the same amount. Authorities began filing charges during the summer and have continued. Some charges have been filed as recently as March. Few have made their way through the courts at this point, in part because of a general slowdown in processing cases due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which stopped jury trials for more than a year. Trials are now being scheduled and are resuming June 1. So far, none of the cases that have settled resulted in long prison sentences. The longest so far has been a five-year federal prison sentence given to Anthony Krohn, 37, of Madison, who accidentally shot himself in the leg during a protest while carrying a gun that, as a felon, he was not allowed to have. But he may have company soon among those facing federal charges. Kyle Olson, 29, of Janesville, arrested during a Downtown protest, is to be sentenced June 4 in federal court, also for gun possession by a felon. Marquon Clark, 26, of Madison, who was charged with trying to set fire to the City-County Building on June 24, is set for a plea and sentencing hearing on June 2. A plea agreement calls for a sentence between six and nine years. He also faces felony criminal damage charges in Dane County related to the Capitol Square statue incidents. This State Journal editorial ran on May 24, 2001: There may be no better evidence of improper activity by the four legislative caucuses than the hear-no-evil, see-no-evil, speak-no-evil response by the senior leaders of the Senate and Assembly. With one exception, the Big Four have refused repeated requests to comment on the Wisconsin State Journals investigation of the caucus system. Were asking them now to speak up, and were giving them the space to do so. An investigation by State Journal reporters Dee Hall and Phil Brinkman has left little doubt that employees of the Assembly and Senate Democratic and Republican caucuses secretly campaign for legislative candidates on state time and from their state offices. That appears to violate state law. Eleven former caucus staffers told the State Journal that, at certain times of the year, campaign work is the primary and required duty of caucus employees. The State Journal also obtained campaign documents, emails, bills and telephone messages sent to and from some caucus offices. While it is unclear exactly how much time caucus staff members spend on campaigning, the pattern of abuse is clear. ... Guided by Xi's environmental vision, China champions biodiversity Xinhua) 09:02, May 23, 2021 Photo shows a "Skywalker gibbon" (L), a red-webbed tree frog (R, top) and a kind of wild tree lizard (R, bottom) in Gaoligong Mountain National Nature Reserve, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Gaoligong mountain national nature reserve/Handout via Xinhua) BEIJING, May 22 (Xinhua) -- As the global community celebrates the International Day for Biological Diversity on Saturday, China is exploring a solution to tackle the universal issue of biodiversity loss under the leadership of President Xi Jinping. Piloting a market-based mechanism for green growth, China is actively fostering a new man-nature relationship in which both can prosper, living together in harmony. "Ecological environmental protection and economic development are intertwined and complement each other," said Xi during a recent study session attended by the country's top leaders. "Building ecological civilization and promoting green and low-carbon circular development not only meets people's growing needs for a beautiful environment, but also promotes higher-quality, more efficient, fairer, more sustainable and safer development," he said. By carrying out major biological conservation projects and improving the mechanisms to encourage the green transition, China's practice sheds light on how ecological strength can be turned into economic strength. COMMUNITY OF LIFE Surrounded by high mountains and deep valleys, the Gongshan Drung-Nu Autonomous County in southwest China's Yunnan Province is home to the Drung ethnic group, a small community that makes a living mainly by raising animals, especially bees. As part of their beekeeping activity, local residents use as many as 38 kinds of plants to attract bees, build their homes and repel them where necessary. The bees pollinate local herbs, which people in the community sell to improve their lives. The beekeeping techniques used by the Drung ethnic have been selected as a key biodiversity conservation project by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment to showcase the synergy that can exist between man and nature. Addressing the Leaders Summit on Climate in April, Xi called on the international community to work together to foster a community of life for man and nature. "We need to look for ways to protect the environment, grow the economy, create jobs and remove poverty, all at the same time," he said. Just like the beekeeping project, the country's many ecological conservation efforts have disproved the assumption that there must be trade-offs between economic growth and environmental protection. The Yangtze River Economic Belt, covering nine provinces and two municipalities, is undergoing a green transition under Xi's leadership. Stressing high-quality development of the region, Xi has reiterated that the restoration of the ecological environment of the Yangtze River should be a major priority. Over the years, the country has shut down a large number of highly polluting and energy-intensive enterprises along the river and put into effect a 10-year fishing ban in pivotal waters to restore degrading biodiversity. In the first quarter of this year, the region's 11 provinces and municipalities reported rapid economic growth, with their combined gross domestic product accounting for 46.5 percent of the country's total, higher than the 2020 and 2019 levels. MARKET-BASED MECHANISM To better coordinate economic development and environmental protection, China is actively exploring and improving a market-based mechanism for green growth. China will establish a sound mechanism for realizing the value of ecological products so that the protection and restoration of the ecological environment can be awarded a reasonable return, while the cost of damaging the environment can be paid correspondingly, Xi said at the study session. Under the guidance of Xi's thought on ecological progress, China issued a guideline in April, vowing to establish a basic policy framework for the realization of the value of ecological products by 2025. The various problems surrounding ecological products, such as the difficulty of valuing and trading them, will have been effectively resolved by that time, and an incentive mechanism to encourage environmental protection will take shape. The country's ability to transform ecological advantages into economic advantages will have been significantly enhanced by then, according to the guideline. Governments at different levels have taken measures to include indicators of green growth into their evaluation systems. China's southern tech hub Shenzhen has established a "gross ecosystem product" (GEP) accounting system, which is the total value of final ecosystem goods and services supplied to human well-being and sustainable economic and social development, according to the municipal bureau of ecology and environment. The bureau said GDP will no longer be the sole measure of Shenzhen's development in the future, and GEP will become an important indicator for the city's green growth. In addition to its efforts in achieving modernization that features harmony between nature and humans, China also aims to work closely with its global partners to restore the ecological balance on Earth, honoring its commitments while encouraging others to do so. China will actively participate in global environmental governance, improve South-South cooperation, and cooperate with neighboring countries, Xi said. In October this year, the country will host the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) in Kunming of Yunnan. Participants are expected to work out concrete plans for post-2020 global biodiversity protection. (Web editor: Meng Bin, Bianji) But Pence chose exactly the wrong analogy. Gadhafi was vulnerable because he had earlier agreed to give up his nuclear weapons program. Had he managed to assemble an atomic arsenal, the United States would not have tried to evict him from power. From Libya, Kim can deduce the potential downside of surrendering his nuclear weapons. It may not be impossible for the United States to reach an agreement with North Korea to freeze or reduce the size of its arsenal in exchange for sanctions relief and full diplomatic relations. But even that limited task will be harder for Biden because of Trumps self-defeating policy toward another adversary Iran. President Barack Obama had joined with several other major nations in negotiating an agreement in which Iran agreed to give up 98% of its stockpile of uranium, dismantle thousands of centrifuges and accept stringent international inspections all of which would prevent it from building nuclear weapons. In exchange, the United States and its partners consented to lift economic sanctions on Tehran. But Trump stupidly withdrew from the accord, proving that the United States cant be trusted to honor its commitments. Why would Kim reduce or surrender his nuclear deterrent to get an agreement that might end up in a White House shredder? Why would he risk being naked to his enemies, as Gadhafi was? And in this case, no lawsuits at all should occur. Instead, Wisconsin should adopt Iowas proven model for drawing fair maps at virtually no public expense. Thats what a bipartisan group of Wisconsin lawmakers proposed last week. Most are Democrats, led by Rep. Deb Andraca of Whitefish Bay and Jeff Smith of Eau Claire. Democrats lack the power to force change. But two Republicans are on board: Reps. Todd Novak of Dodgeville and Travis Tranel of Cuba City. At least six Republicans have voiced support for nonpartisan redistricting in recent years. The deadline to join as cosponsors before the bill is introduced is Monday. Michiganders should be proud of Gov. Gretchen Witmer, who is standing up against a powerful bully. The Canadian oil pipeline company Enbridge says it wont obey her order to get its ticking time bomb of a decrepit oil pipeline out of the Straits of Mackinac. The same 68-year-old Line 5 runs through northern Wisconsin, where it could also cause a disaster at any time. For just one example, it runs through the Bad River Reservation at right angles to the Bad River, in a spot that could be washed away with the next large rainstorm. The raging river would then hit the pipeline with tremendous force, likely rupturing it. If this is allowed to happen, it will devastate Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is considering Enbridges permit application to build an expansion of Line 5 in Ashland and Iron counties. Both jobs and the environment are threatened by the existing Line 5 and the expansion plan, and we Wisconsinites need a champion as firm as Gov. Whitmer to defend us. Gov. Tony Evers and DNR Secretary Preston Cole in Wisconsin should reject Enbridges application and protect Lake Superior and the jobs that depend on its health. As President Joe Biden promotes a reinvigorated economy of clean energy jobs, this is not the time to prop up an aging oil pipeline. Lawmakers cut Boise States budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1, by $1.5 million, which some lawmakers said would send a message to the university about the legislative majoritys values. In January, Tromp was questioned pointedly about social justice at a hearing of the Legislatures Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, and in March the university abruptly suspended a course with roughly 1,300 students enrolled after receiving reports that at least one student was degraded in one of its 52 sections. On Thursday, Tromp said that people she had never met delivered flowers and candy to her house after the January hearing. Less than two weeks after she became president of the university in the summer of 2019, Tromp got a letter from 28 lawmakers opposing the universitys efforts to promote campus diversity. During a discussion with one signatory, Tromp said that the legislator was worried about white students from small-town Idaho arriving on campus and being made to feel ashamed because of things they dont know or because of who they are. In response, Tromp said she doesnt want that kid to feel ashamed, either I want every single student who walks on our campus to feel like it is their place. I dont want that kid to feel ashamed either, Tromp said Thursday. I dont want that kid to feel silenced either. But the relationship between Tromp and lawmakers isnt always as collegial. Tromp recounted her tense January presentation before the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee. Conservatives grilled her over the universitys contract with the Boise Police Department and the fate of Big City Coffee, which closed its campus shop amidst backlash over its pro-law enforcement stance. After JFAC, I got flowers and candy from people I never met, delivered to my house, Tromp said. During her address, delivered at a Boise Centre convention ballroom and over a virtual platform, Tromp touted Boise States pandemic response. A quarter of Boise States fall credit hours were moved to ExtraMile Arena, allowing students to socially distance. The university has administered 5,500 COVID-19 vaccines and 40,000 COVID-19 tests, serving students, employees and the larger community. And the universitys remote learning upgrades will pay long-term dividends for example, she said, remote learning will allow rural students to help out during harvest season without falling behind academically. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Funding for the Legislature increased by a higher rate than almost every other government agency Some of the same Republicans who argued in favor of reigning in spending and governing with the lightest touch possible also voted in favor of increasing budgets connected to the Legislature. Many agencies and branches of government will receive modest funding increases for 2022, or in some cases remain flat or see a slight decrease. Public schools get a 3.8% increase, the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation will get a 2.3% increase, The Department of Agriculture gets a 3.7% increase and Idaho State Police gets a 22.55% increase. Funding for the House and Senate go up 26% through one bill alone, and there are several others that increase funding connected to the Legislature or would have increased funding if the bill passed. Senate Bill 1033 increases funding for the Idaho House of Representatives and the Idaho Senate by $1.7 million every year going forward. Thats an increase of 26% compared to the current years budget. According to the bills statement of purpose, the increase was necessary because year-end fund balances have been declining significantly over the past several years due to an increased number of interim committees, working groups and a special session. BOISE There once was a time when Democrats had power real power in Idaho. That time was not so long ago. For years until 1960, Idaho Democrats controlled the Legislature. From 1971 to 1995, Idaho had Democratic governors. The last great year for the Idaho Democratic Party was 1991 when the Senate was split 21-21. The House had 56 Republicans and 28 Democrats. In those days, the two parties were forced to talk and work together on issues. When we had the tied Senate, almost all legislation was based on compromise. I think it was to the benefit of education and to the benefit of the people. And I think thats the way politics should be. It shouldnt be that just because youre in power, you power through. What you (should) do is try to represent everybody. And that requires compromise on the big issues. It just doesnt happen anymore, said Bruce Newcomb, a Republican who served for eight years as Idaho House speaker. But the Idaho Democratic Partys newest chairman hopes those days may soon be here again. Fred Cornforth was selected in March by the state central committee for the partys highest position. He was able to convince the committee that he has big plans. And maybe, just maybe, he can make them happen. The planWhen pushed for details, Cornforths grand plan doesnt sound overly complicated. When I was growing up, my mother would constantly tell me to mind my attitude. This most often occurred while I was doing household chores at her request. What she meant was for me to not only respect her but also be gracious and grateful, even while doing chores. I heard what she was saying but did not understand what she was asking, nor did my attitude approve for years. How, I asked myself, could I be anything other than aggravated, peeved, irritated and upset? Wow, was I wrong. It was not until decades later that I understood what she meant. While we cannot control our circumstances, including the chores of life and the friction created by our interaction with others, we can control how we think and what meaning we give to the actions and activities of others. This frames how we react to those actions and activities; our change in attitude then creates changes in those around us. As a teenager, I sometimes cleaned the baseboards in our house, but I lived in a house that provided shelter. I sometimes washed and dried the dishes, but I had food to eat. Decades later, I have come to realize that the way we approach life influences the way life unfolds before us. We each get to choose to be grateful for what we have or be frustrated by what we dont have. This way, the bill not only protects parents who want to let their kids play outside but also enables parents struggling to make ends meet to make child care arrangements that make life easier rather than harder, says Diane Redleaf, Let Grows legal consultant. In other words, it prevents poverty from being mistaken for neglect. The law would have been most welcome in 2015 when Houston mom Laura Browder was arrested for having her kids wait 30 feet away from her in a food court when she had a job interview there and didnt have time to line up child care. The arrest came after she had accepted the new job. The bill also helps folks who philosophically choose not to helicopter-parent most famously personified by the Meitivs of Maryland, investigated not once but twice for allowing their kids, 10 and 6, to walk home on their own from a local park. They did so not because of laziness or neglect, but because they wanted their kids to experience independence. Hounding parents for not hovering over their kids in normal situations like walking and playing in the neighborhood would have seemed bizarre in any other era. Now perhaps it will seem bizarre anew, as kids regain the right to some unsupervised time and parents regain the right to give it to them without getting arrested. By now, the river was moving pretty fast, and we made good distance. By 5 p.m., though, we hit another rapids. This is the witching hour. We were hungry and a little tired, not the best for attempting another portage. We decided to call it a day and set up camp above the rapids among a series of old placer mines that still had remnants of sluice boxes and metal sifters and grates. It felt fun to stay at a place that had a history. The weather again turned cold and windy. We were hoping for better weather. More headwinds and rapids would kill our progress. Day 5: Three more rapids Our first order of business on Day 5 was getting around the latest set of rapids. This time, we knew exactly what to do and how to do it, so we made short work of it and were on our way downriver. Shortly thereafter, we hit another rapids, rockier, shallower and possibly doable to run it, but we didnt want to risk hitting a jagged rock at high speed. We slipped into a little side bay and lifted the canoe over some rocks that had been piled up at some point to create a water wheel, which was still there but long ago abandoned and not operating. This was just a little downriver from a well-known hermits cabin thats on a bluff above the river. State board members discussed the possibility of the college inserting a hyphen between Patrick and Henry to try and distinguish it from the person Virginias first governor and a slave owner and the two counties the college serves. State board member Dana Beckton pointed out the two counties are named after Patrick Henry. Putting a hyphen in does not automatically or clear up the convention behind the name, she said. I dont want us to get stuck on a hyphen and think the hyphen will cure it. The board also updated its policy advising colleges about what they should consider when naming a college and suggested Patrick Henry and Dabney S. Lancaster keep it in mind. It says the name should reflect the values of inclusive and accessible education articulated in the VCCS mission statement, with special emphasis on diversity, equity, and opportunity, and be relevant to the students it seeks to serve and to the geography of its service region. The state board approved requests from local college boards to remove the names of John Tyler, Lord Fairfax and Thomas Nelson from three community colleges. Theyll return to the state board this summer with the new name theyd like to replace it with. Tradition tells us that, come the midterms, the presidents party loses seats in the House. If this tradition holds in 2022, that could be bad news for Democrats, whose House majority now stands at only nine seats. But history of late doesnt seem to be commandeering the drivers seat. Right after Joe Biden turned Georgia blue, Politico confidently stated that to win the states two Senate runoffs on Jan. 5, the Democratic Party will have to defy a long track record of failure in overtime elections. So everyone believed, Democrats included. Everyone was wrong. Special elections tend to produce low turnout, and former president Donald Trump wasnt on the ballot to motivate Democrats to show up. But while Trump wasnt on the ballot, he was in voters heads. Democrats took both seats. And that was the day before Trump sent his goons on a rampage at the Capitol. Rather than outrightly condemning that violent attack on the democracy, Republicans are trying to downplay a horror Americans saw with their own eyes. Rather than evict the man who incited it from party leadership, Republicans have doubled down in demanding servile obedience to the toxic figure now walking the corridors at Mar-a-Lago. Proponents of a patent waiver on Covid-19 vaccines and other treatments argue it would boost access in developing countries. Dozens of countries have revised a proposal at the WTO for patent waivers for medical tools needed to combat COVID, insisting it must be broader than just vaccines, non-governmental organisations said Saturday. More than 60 countries have presented a revision of their text before the World Trade Organization on ditching intellectual property protections for COVID-19 jabs and other medical tools while the pandemic rages, according to the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) charity and NGO Knowledge Ecology International (KEI). KEI published what it said was the revised text, which pushed for the waiver to be broad and long-lasting. The WTO did not immediately verify the authenticity of the document, but a Western diplomat close to the waiver discussions confirmed it was genuine and had been distributed to all WTO members. That text said the waiver should cover all medical "prevention, treatment and containment" tools needed to battle COVID. In addition to vaccines, it should include treatments, diagnostics, vaccines, medical devices and protective equipment, along with the material and components needed to produce them, it said. It also said the waiver should last for "at least three years" from the date it takes effect, following which, the WTO's General Council should determine whether it could be lifted or should be prolonged. 'Frightening increase' "We are pleased to see the governments sponsoring the COVID-19 intellectual property waiver proposal reaffirm that the waiver aims to remove monopoly barriers for all medical tools ... needed to tackle this pandemic," MSF South Asia chief Leena Manghaney said in a statement. "With a frightening increase in infections and deaths in developing countries, and with potentially promising treatments in the pipeline, it is crucial that governments have every flexibility at their disposal to beat back this pandemic," she said. Global death toll and coronavirus cases as of May 22 at 1000 GMT, based on AFP tallies. The WTO has since October faced calls led by India and South Africa for the temporary removal of such IP protections, in what proponents argue will boost production in developing countries and address the dramatic inequity in access. That notion has long met with fierce opposition from pharmaceutical giants and their host countries, which insisted patents were not the main roadblocks to scaling up production and warned the move could hamper innovation. The positions appeared to shift earlier this month, when Washington came out in support of a global patent waiver for the jabs, with other long-time opponents voicing openness to discuss the matter. The European Parliament voted narrowly this week to urge Brussels to get behind the proposal. Observers have however said the ambitions for the waiver appear to differ significantly among the longtime supporters and those now coming around to the idea, who have seemed to focus more narrowly on vaccines. It remains unclear if countries will be able to see eye to eye, but with the pandemic that has killed over 3.4 million people still far from over, there is intense pressure on them to do so. With the new revision on the table, MSF called for "governments to immediately move towards text-based negotiations," insisting there was no time to lose. In light of the WTO's usual glacial pace in decision-makingwith agreements requiring consensus backing by all 164 member statesa deal could meanwhile take time. According to MSF, more than 100 countries overall now support the proposal, including China and Russia. A full 62 countries are now official co-sponsors of the proposal, with Indonesia, Fiji, Vanuatu and Namibia having joined in recent weeks. Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak 2021 AFP According to the Montana Board of Crime Control, these are the ten Montana counties with the highest violent crime rate per 1,000 people. Burglaries 700 block of Cooper St: Unlawful entry to storage units. Theft from vehicles 800 block of S. Catlin St: Vehicle parts taken. 1500 block of Philips St: Misc. items taken from vehicle. 3600 block of Stephens Ave: Pistol/wallet taken from vehicle. 2500 block of W. Central Ave: Misc. items taken from vehicle. 1902 Brooks St: Purse taken from vehicle. 1300 block of W. Broadway: Fuel siphoned. 4100 block of Hillview Way: Bicycle taken. 1700 block of Eaton St: Cash taken from vehicle. 2400 block of 39th St: Fuel siphoned. 3800 block of OLeary St: Vehicle taken. 1600 block of Rogers St: Vehicle parts taken. 500 block of S. 5th St. E: Misc. items taken from vehicle. 1100 block of Clark St: Backpack taken from vehicle. 800 block of Simons Dr: Speaker taken from vehicle. The Missoula consolidated planning board voted 8-0 in favor of the rezone at a meeting earlier this month. Invermere subdivision Council also discussed the Invermere subdivision in the Miller Creek neighborhood on Monday. Long-planned to be annexed by the city, the project will include 19 new lots between 10,000 and 20,000 square feet. The petitioner, Drake Lemm, is represented by Gilbert Larson of Gilbert Larson Engineering and Surveying. They are asking the city to annex the subdivision and zone it as low-density residential. There will be parkland added and the engineering firm said improving the subdivision's green space would be a top priority, which will be included in a project to improve roads and other infrastructure prior to structures being built. "It was actually the developers' intent to build the park last year, in 2019," Larson said. "It has taken significantly longer than we thought it would to get park master plans approved through both the county and the city." Councilor Stacie Anderson told Larson it was "disingenuous" to blame Parks and Rec and the city for the delay and asked him if they were willing to submit a revised schedule. Larson did say they would work with Parks and Recreation to put one together. In his recent memoir "Grounded," U.S. Sen. Jon Tester describes a strange hearing in the Montana Legislature in January of 1899. State lawmakers gathered to investigate concerning rumors that Copper King William Clark of Butte, one of the wealthiest men in the world, had tried to buy his way into the U.S. Senate (back then, state lawmakers elected U.S. senators). Then state Sen. Fred Whiteside of Flathead County ponied up some evidence. He pulled 30 $1,000 bills from envelopes, which he claimed was some of the bribe money from Clark. People of Montana, Whiteside warned the gasping audience, you are sleeping over a volcano. Since then, our state has led the nation in the fight against the influence of money in our politics. Montanans expect real people and their ideas not billionaires, out-of-state corporations or dark money should decide our elections. More than 120 years after Clarks scandal made national headlines, Americas fragile democracy remains under fire. The growing influence of money in politics and recent laws to make voting more difficult in Montana and across the country are signs the volcano beneath us is rumbling. Like nearly every other family in Missoula, Ashley Ostheimer Hilliard, her husband and their four children had their lives upended by the coronavirus pandemic. Securing quality, affordable child care was already a challenge for local parents and a rising concern for employers throughout Montana. When COVID-19 concerns shut down schools and closed businesses, including the hospital kitchen where her husband worked, Ostheimer Hilliard, whose children range in age from 18 months to 12 years old, had to piece together a constantly evolving schedule to cover her part-time studies and part-time work hours, her husbands new shift and their childrens schooling and child care needs. Eventually, her husband opted to stay at home full time to provide care for their children while Ostheimer Hilliard started working full time to make up for the loss of income. Now, with the coronavirus threat receding, her husband has found a new job with a schedule that does not overlap with her own work hours; this way, they dont have to regularly rely on outside child care. Especially for families with more than one child, child care costs can quickly add up. It can cost more than a mortgage, Ostheimer Hilliard noted. The monthly average is more than the monthly costs of grad school. Burke County residents likely wont see a property tax increase in the 2021-22 fiscal year and county officials will have to decide how to spend more than $17.5 million of COVID-19 relief funds. Burke County Manager Bryan Steen released his proposed 2021-22 budget to the Burke County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday night. A public hearing on the proposed budget has been set for 6 p.m. on June 15 but commissioners will hold several workshops to fine tune the budget before the public hearing. The workshops are scheduled for May 25 and 27. Increases of fees will be proposed during the May 25 budget workshop, said Margaret Pierce, finance director for the county. She said increases will be requested by animal services, planning, EMS, water/sewer and solid waste. Steen is recommending the property tax rate remain at 69.5 cents per $100 of property value and a total budget of $116.2 million for the 2021-22 fiscal year. In his budget message, he said that is $6.5 million less than was requested by county departments. Of the total, Steen said Burke County Public Schools has requested $16.04 million from the county. In addition, the proposed budget calls for replacing 18 county vehicles, including two ambulances. Bar owner Pat Hughes cleans his beer taps at Scruffy Duffy's which has been closed for more than a year in New York on May 17, 2021. REUTERS At Mass for the Feast of Pentecost, Pope Francis explains that the consolation of the Spirit is not like the "consolations of the world", "anesthetics" that "do not heal". Today is "the time of consolation": To proclaim the joy of the Gospel, not to "battle paganism" or the lament "secularization". Rather to seek "harmony in diversity", without opposing and excluding oneself to choosing between "conservatives and progressives, traditionalists and innovators, right and left". The Spirit makes "witnesses of God's today, prophets of unity for the Church and humanity". Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The Holy Spirit is "the definitive gift" of Jesus, whom he calls with the name of "Paraclete" which "means two things: Comforter and Advocate". Pope Francis thus began his homily at the Pentecost Mass that he celebrated this morning in St. Peter's Basilica, from the altar of the Confession. The faithful along the central nave observed the social distancing due to the pandemic. From the Holy Spirit's characteristics of "comforter and advocate", the pontiff drew important consequences for the mission of the Church in the world. For example, the Pope stressed that this is "the time of consolation", and therefore it is time for a joyful proclamation of the Gospel, not for the "battle against paganism" or the lament against "secularization". Furthermore, since the Paraclete "pushes towards unity, concord, harmony of diversity", it is important to seek "the whole", not to oppose and exclude oneself to choosing between "conservatives and progressives, traditionalists and innovators, right and left". In his homily, Francis first specified that the "consolation" of the Spirit is different from the "consolations of the world". These are "anesthetics", "they distract, but do not cure", "they do not cure the deep evil that we carry inside." Instead the Spirit is the very tenderness of God, who does not abandon us; because being with those who are alone is already consoling . We too are called to testify in the Holy Spirit, to become Paraclites, comforters. Yes, the Spirit asks us to give body to his consolation. How? Not by making big speeches, but making neighbors; not with words of circumstance, but with prayer and closeness. The Paraclete tells the Church that today is the time of consolation. It is the time of the good news of the Gospel rather than of the fight against paganism. It is the time to bring the joy of the Risen One, not to complain about the drama of secularization. It is the time to pour love on the world, without marrying worldliness. It is the time to bear witness to mercy rather than inculcate rules and norms. It's the time of the Paraclete! " The Pope then explained being the "advocate" of the Spirit, who "does not replace us, but defends us from the falsehoods of evil by inspiring thoughts and feelings in us". He then listed "three basic antidotes against as many temptations, widespread today", which are suggested by the Spirit. The first suggestion is "Live in the present ... The Paraclete affirms the primacy of today, against the temptation to be paralyzed by the bitterness and nostalgia of the past, or to focus on the uncertainties of tomorrow and allow ourselves to be obsessed with fears for the future". The second is "Look for the whole". "The Paraclete affirms the primacy of the whole. Overall, in the community the Spirit prefers to act and bring novelty. We look to the Apostles. They were very different: among them, for example, there were Matthew, a publican who had collaborated with the Romans, and Simon, called Zealot, who opposed them. There were opposing political ideas, different worldviews. But when they receive the Spirit they learn not to give primacy to their human views, but to the whole of God. Today, if we listen to the Spirit, we will not focus on conservatives and progressives, traditionalists and innovators, right and left: if the these are the criteria, it means that the Spirit is forgotten in the Church. The Paraclete pushes for unity, harmony, harmony of diversity. It shows us parts of the same Body, brothers and sisters among us. Let's look for the whole! ". Finally, the third tip is Put God before your self. It is the decisive step of the spiritual life, which is not a collection of merits and our works, but a humble welcome from God. The Paraclete affirms the primacy of grace . "If in the first place there are our projects, our structures and our reform plans, we will lapse into functionalism, efficiency, horizontalism and we will not bear fruit. The Church is not a human organization, it is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Jesus brought the fire of the Spirit to earth and the Church is reformed with the anointing of grace, with the power of prayer, with the joy of mission, with the disarming beauty of poverty. Let's put God first! . The pontiff concluded with a prayer: "Holy Spirit, Paraclete Spirit, console our hearts. Make us missionaries of your consolation, paraclete of mercy for the world. Our advocate, sweet prompter of the soul, make us witnesses of God's today, prophets of unity for the Church and humanity, apostles founded on your grace, which creates everything and renews everything. Amen". Palestinians sit on chair amid the rubble of a building which was damaged in Israeli air strikes during the Israel-Hamas fighting in Gaza on May 23, 2021. REUTERS Mohammad Nadir, center, a former Afghan interpreter who enlisted as a U.S. Marine, poses with a group of Marines in Helmand province, Afghanistan, in February 2017. Photo courtesy of U.S. Marine Corps An employee of the Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections processes ballots in Atlanta, Georgia on Nov. 5, 2020. REUTERS Philippine Coast Guard personnel survey several ships believed to be Chinese militia vessels in Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea, in a handout photo distributed by the Philippine Coast Guard on May 5 and taken on April 27, 2021. REUTERS Vodacom will not be able to offer uncapped mobile data packages unless it gets more spectrum to expand its 5G network. This is according to Vodacom Group CEO, Shameel Joosub who spoke to MyBroadband about the companys plans for 5G, one year after it launched the first 5G mobile network in the country. Joosub said Vodacom wanted to grow its 5G mobile network, which would enable it to offer uncapped or high data cap packages. Vodacoms 5G mobile network went live at 20 sites in Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Cape Town, in May 2020. Since that time, it has incrementally extended coverage in these locations, while select parts of Durban have also been added to the 5G network. Vodacom said the assignment of temporary emergency spectrum played a key part in this rollout, in addition to its roaming agreement with Liquid Telecom, which provided it with sufficient spectrum to support the 5G network. The maps below show Vodacom 5G coverage in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban. The 5G expansion has been slow when compared to Vodacoms LTE/4G rollout. The operator launched the countrys first 4G mobile network in October 2012, with 70 base stations providing 4G connectivity to customers in Johannesburg. By the next month, it had grown coverage to 400 sites across South Africa and by the end of March 2013, it had over 600 sites. Around five years after the launch, it reached more than 75% population coverage. Today, the 4G network covers more than 95% of the population. Based on this, many might assume Vodacoms 4G network would be perfect for providing broadband services to those who cannot be reached by fixed solutions like fibre. Joosub said while mobile data plays a crucial role in bringing quality broadband to more South Africans, it was not a good idea for operators to offer uncapped packages on 4G networks due to the current contention of users on limited available spectrum. Vodacom has 81MHz of spectrum which it has to use to provide services to 44 million subscribers. That means it has more than 543,200 subscribers per MHz, more than any other network operator in the country. Despite this, it still manages to outperform Telkom, Cell C, and Rain in network speed tests, showing that it uses its spectrum more efficiently. Pushing the network even further by providing uncapped data at affordable rates would be to the detriment of the larger customer base, Joosub explained. Trying to provide an unlimited wireless service on a 4G network is not very economical and doesnt really make sense, Joosub said. It will not be long before all your customers will start suffering from those unlimited services, because you cant keep up with the capacity. Joosub said that 5G was the crucial answer to these limits, as it would empower telecommunications companies to offer new types of mobile broadband packages. 5G is a different technology, and can emulate fibre-like offerings and allow you to do bigger bundles and unlimited offerings, Joosub stated. However, it will not be possible to exponentially increase 5G availability until new spectrum was available. With South Africas spectrum auction delayed due Telkoms interdict against ICASA, it is unlikely that Vodacom would be able to significantly expand its 5G network in the near future. Joosub called on stakeholders in the spectrum auction to stop playing games and do whats best for the country. We do need certainty. The delays in the spectrum auction is holding the country back, Joosub stated. He added that aside from being able to provide more data to customers, the additional spectrum would enable operators to bring down data prices. South Africans can now buy large screen 4K TVs at significantly reduced prices thanks to specials from prominent retailers, including Everyshop, Takealot, and Makro. These specials come as prominent televisions brands, like Toshiba and Sony, are trying to take on established brands like Samsung, LG, and Hisense in South Africa. Two weeks ago, Toshiba announced that it has relaunched its TVs in South African with eight new models. The company said while it does not have a strong presence in South Africa, it still manufactures great televisions. The latest Toshiba TV models feature the companys its proprietary CEVO video processing engine to offer exceptional picture quality. Toshibas TVs sold in South Africa are manufactured in Cape Town, which the company said will build on its history and deep relationships with South Africa. Toshibas re-entrance into South Africa follows a similar move by Sony last year. In September 2020, Sony launched a new range of 4K TVs in South Africa through Incredible Connection and HiFi Corp. Sony said South Africa is an important market to them, which is why they launched their latest TVs here. The increased competition is good news for South Africans as these TV brands are now offering big discounts to fight for market share. Toshiba has launched aggressively priced promotions through Everyshop, offering a 65-inch 4K TV for R8,499 and a 75-inch model for R13,299. Sony, in turn, has cut the price of its 85-inch 4K TV from R45,999 to R39,999. Established TV brands are not sitting back. Hisense, for example, is running a super brand week promotion until the end of the month, As part of this promotion, many Hisense televisions are on special through online retailers like Takealot, HiFi Corp, and Everyshop. Samsung has also cut the price on many of its high-end TVs, which include a 75-inch 4K TV which are now available for under R20,000. Here are a few of the large screen TVs on special from prominent retailers like Everyshop, Incredible Connection, Makro, Takealot, and HiFi Corp. Hisense Laser TV from HiFi Corp R79,999 Sony 65-inch OLED TV from HiFi Corp R49,000 Sony 85-inch 4K TV from Incredible Connection R39,999 Hisense 85-inch UHD TV from Takealot R29,999 Samsung 75-inch TV from Everyshop R19,999 Hisense 65-inch ULED TV from Takealot R19,999 Samsung 70-inch UHD TV from Makro R15,999 Toshiba 75-inch 4K TV from Everyshop R13,299 LG 65-inch Nano Cell TV from Game R12,999 Samsung 55-inch 4K TV from Everyshop R8,999 Toshiba 65-inch 4K TV from Everyshop R8,499 Hisense 50-inch UHD TV from Takealot R7,599 Skyworth 55-inch UHD TV from Everyshop R7,499 Uswitch recently conducted a study to determine which nations had the most active video game cheaters and found that cheating was most common among gamers from Russia and Italy. Using Googles search volume data and adjusting it according to each countrys population, the online comparison service was able to create an index score and show the top 20 countries with the most video game cheaters. It found that people in Russia were most likely to use cheats, closely followed by gamers in Italy. The table below shows the top 20 countries with the most players who use cheat codes while playing video games, according to Uswitchs analysis. Position Country Index ranking score 1 Russia 18.40 2 Italy 16.58 3 Israel 4.87 4 Japan 4.48 5 Sweden 4.03 6 Romania 3.13 7 Portugal 2.36 8 Turkey 2.34 9 Brazil 2.32 10 Denmark 2.28 11 United States 2.10 12 Ireland 2.00 13 Argentina 1.92 14 Poland 1.77 15 Croatia 1.52 16 United Kingdom 1.43 17 New Zealand 1.41 18 Canada 1.35 19 Australia 1.28 20 Bulgaria 1.13 Video game cheating is not only a nuisance to players who want to compete fairly but has become big business in parts of the world. This is particularly evident in China, which was excluded from the analysis above because Googles search engine is blocked in the country. China is infamous for its game cheating operations, with one recent example being the bust of a ring which made $76 million (R1.06 billion) in revenue from selling video game cheating subscriptions for titles like Overwatch and Call of Duty Mobile. Chinese police seized assets worth $46 million (R645 million) from the gang, which included a number of luxury cars. Groups like these make it easy for gamers to purchase or download malware-like tools that allow them to hack or inject special code into games to affect gameplay. Online first-person shooters are prime targets for cheating, with popular forms being aimbots and wallhacks. These hacks give players an unfair advantage over their opponents by improving their accuracy or locating enemies. Aimbot is a software tool that will automatically focus on a target and ensure that the user never misses a shot, whereas a wallhack assists in scanning the map for other players. It allows gamers to see through walls and other solid objects to locate hidden enemies. A study by Virtual Private Network (VPN) service provider Surfshark used Google and YouTube search data to determine which popular first-person shooter games had the greatest risk of cheating. According to their findings, Fortnite is the most cheated online game, with 26,822,000 YouTube searches for cheating-related videos. It also racked-up three times as many cheating queries, as second-placed Overwatch with 9,279,829 views. A list of the top 15 first-person shooter games with the most cheat searches can be found in the image below. Developers have been forced to turn to unusual and controversial methods to keep players from cheating. Call of Duty: Warzone co-developer Raven Software recently announced on Twitter that it had banned another 30,000 malicious accounts, bringing the total number of banned accounts to 500,000. The developer has taken proactive steps to combat the cheating problem, implementing seven-day bans, regulating the market for cheat providers and resellers, and preventing cheaters from switching to alternate accounts. Activision has gone as far as to use malware disguised as a cheat known as Cod Dropper v0.1 to install dangerous software onto its targets machines. Now read: Steam allegedly threatened to remove games if devs sold them cheaper anywhere else The South African government paid over R1.6 billion to Cuba for services which could have been done by local workers. This was revealed in a recent Rapport article, which unveiled that a large part of this money was spent on the SA Armys Project Thusano. Project Thusano started in 2015 and it is a partnership between the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and Cuba to create a sustainable system of transport for the SANDF. In simple terms, Cuban military mechanics are used to provide maintenance to SANDF vehicles and train local mechanics. The project started in the 2015/2016 financial year with the SANDF spending R6 million on Project Thusano. The spending rapidly increased to R144 million in 2016/2017, R163 million in 2017/2018, and R261 million in 2018/2019. Minister of Defence, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula revealed that R1.076 has been spent on Project Thusano to date. The SANDF defended the project, saying it has saved the country R2.1 billion over the contract period with the added benefit of developing essential skills. This report comes amidst a legal battle over the use of Cuban engineers to help fix the countrys water crisis. Last month Human Settlements, Water, and Sanitation Minister, Lindiwe Sisulu welcomed 24 Cuban engineers to South Africa. These Cuban engineers have been seconded to South Africa to enhance and improve governments efforts on water delivery and related services. The Cuban engineering project would cost R64 million. Shortly after the engineers arrived in South Africa, it emerged that they were not registered to work in the country. The Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) said they were not allowed to carry out engineering work unless their qualifications are assessed and approved, or they are supervised by a registered engineer. Trade union Solidarity has also argued that it was not necessary to import skills from Cuba as there were many local engineers who could do the job. Solidarity has subsequently sent a list of more than 120 competent and willing engineers to Sisulu who can easily replace the 24 Cuban engineers. After their plight was unsuccessful, Solidarity said it would serve court papers on Sisulu seeking the disclosure of information and an interdict to stop the deployment of the Cuban engineers. There was also an outcry last year after it emerged that the government spent R440 million on health specialists from Cuba while many local health professionals were unemployed. The South African Medical Association (SAMA) raised concerns about the plan, adding that not engaging with the association is flawed and wrong. Earlier this year, SAMA spokesperson Angelique Coetzee said they havent seen the positive impact these doctors are reported to be making. She added that they are aware of complaints about the language barrier. Coetzee added that employing Cuban doctors in South Africa can have negative long-term effects as it comes at the expense of employing local doctors. Minister of Health, Zweli Mkhize defended the decision, saying South Africa stands to benefit from the Cuban medical brigade. Minister Naledi Pandor has also defended the position, saying the Republic of Cuba has been a vital embodiment of humanism and international solidarity. The Cuban medical brigade working with such acclaimed commitment and dedication to save lives in the hinterland of our country do so in pursuit of this exalted vision of building a better human society, she said. Now read: Here are 120 South African engineers who can fix the water crisis instead of Cuban engineers New research reveals that using Ivermectin to treat COVID-19 helps to reduce deaths and shows a large improvement in recovery. The study Review of the Emerging Evidence Demonstrating the Efficacy of Ivermectin in the Prophylaxis and Treatment of COVID-19 was published in the American Journal of Therapeutics. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many medical professionals looked for potentially effective treatment options. A medicine which showed potential is the oral antiparasitic agent Ivermectin. It exhibited antiviral and anti-inflammatory mechanisms with trial results reporting significant outcome benefits. Researchers have now reviewed published peer-reviewed studies, manuscripts posted to preprint servers, expert meta-analyses, and epidemiological analyses to see if Ivermectin is indeed effective. The results are encouraging. Meta-analyses of 18 randomized controlled treatment trials of Ivermectin in COVID-19 have found large, statistically significant reductions in mortality, time to clinical recovery, and time to viral clearance. Furthermore, results from numerous controlled prophylaxis trials report significantly reduced risks of contracting COVID-19 with the regular use of Ivermectin. The many examples of Ivermectin distribution campaigns leading to rapid population-wide decreases in morbidity and mortality indicate that an oral agent effective in all phases of COVID-19 has been identified, the researchers said. Ivermectin in South Africa South Africas Department of Health has discouraged the use of Ivermectin for management of COVID-19 until the study on its efficacy and safety has been concluded. Department spokesperson Popo Maja said in January 2021 that the National Essential Medicines List Committee (NEMLC) COVID-19 Sub-Committee has considered all available evidence on the treatment or prevention of COVID-19 with Ivermectin. Currently, there is insufficient evidence to recommend Ivermectin for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19, Maja said. Some studies have suggested that Ivermectin may be of benefit in the management of COVID-19, however the evidence that is currently available is preliminary and of low quality. Maja noted that studies vary widely in terms of disease severity of participants, medicines, with which Ivermectin was compared and additional medicines that participants received. He said several Ivermectin studies are currently underway, and the outcomes of these studies will provide the department with more scientific data to make informed decisions. As new data becomes available, the sub-committee will continuously review and amend the recommendations accordingly. In the meantime, we discourage the use of Ivermectin outside of well-conducted randomised controlled trials, he said. Prescribing Ivermectin in South Africa In March 2021, civil rights organisation AfriForum successfully obtained a settlement with the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) to prescribe Ivermectin to treat Covid-19. Dr George Coetzee, who joined forces with AfriForum in this case, said COVID-19 is a dangerous disease and there is no single wonder drug that can defeat the pandemic on its own. The most important factor in the fight against COVID-19 is every persons immune system, he said. Ivermectin makes a big contribution in this regard, and access to and availability thereof is, especially for the more vulnerable of the population, indispensable for us to heal people. AfriForums head of research, Barend Uys said the practical implication of the settlement is that doctors can prescribe Ivermectin to patients if, in their judgement, it is required. It also allows patients to take a prescription to any pharmacy where Ivermectin is available and buy the medicine. Ivermectin can now be used for other purposes than stated on the label of the registered medicine off-label use that includes the treatment of COVID-19, Uys said. Review of the Emerging Evidence Demonstrating the Efficacy of Ivermectin in the Prophylaxis and Treatment of COVID-19 Hernandez said that she tried to apply for Medi-Cal and food stamp assistance, but she did not qualify because her salary, prior to the pandemic, was above the median poverty level. Now only her husband is the provider at home that she shares with her 18-year-old son. I really need my job, my health insurance. I was always on time to work, assured Hernandez. It seems unfair to me that now the company is calling back people who have less seniority than me. When I call to ask if I can come back to work they tell me that there is still no job available for me. Rodriguez was also affected by the loss of his health insurance. He said that he was infected with COVID-19 in early January and was hospitalized for three weeks. In those days, one of his daughters also had to be hospitalized due to COVID and kidney failure. Now Im just waiting to see how much the hospital fees are going to be, Rodriguez said. And no matter how many times I apply to other jobs, I havent been able to find one. This is the reason why I am very happy that the law passed, The resort said the pace of rehiring will depend on demand. If things go as we think theyll go, we can plan accordingly, and not have to give up business unnecessarily, he said. Weekend traffic has been particularly strong in Napa over the past few weeks, according to Visit Napa Valley President & CEO Linsey Gallagher. Weekend hotel occupancy is averaging between 80% and 90%, she said, a boost she attributes to the states imminent reopening and the widespread availability of vaccinations. Midweek traffic, fueled in large part by corporate events and gatherings, is what is currently missing from the equation, Gallagher said. California began allowing group event bookings after more than a year of restrictions on April 15. The lead time on corporate business is much longer than a leisure guest, who might decide on a Wednesday that theyd like to come up on a Friday, Gallagher said. These events are planned six months to two years in advance. Thatll change a little, but because that pipeline is such a longer lead time, itll take time for that business to recover. It doesnt turn back in the way leisure can. Among the monuments, plaques, and gravestones planted across Napa County in honor of those who went to war, one type of monument is absent a tribute to all of the local service members who have died in action. Now, members of the countys Veterans Commission hope to create a memorial that could become a single focal point for remembering every Napan who lost his or her life in U.S. wars stretching back more than a century. The installation would carry the names of 179 Napa County natives known to have been killed in action, from the two world wars to Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register. Special offer: $1 for your first 6 months! Members of the Veterans Commission, an advocate for retired service members that Napa County created in 2018, seek to place the future monument at Veterans Memorial Park in downtown Napa, according to chairman Frank Lucier. Such a central monument would unify a history of sacrifice that for decades has been scattered not only among physical landmarks but even in local records, which were not pulled together until the Veterans Commission in 2019 completed a three-year project to gather a comprehensive list of the countys war dead, he said. Now here we all were, waking up from hibernation and shucking off pandemic restrictions. Look at you! Look at me! Smile, laugh, drink and eat like inmates freed from a pandemic dungeon. For one guest, the past 14 months had been exactly that. Due to health issues, she hadn't been in a supermarket in over a year. Now she was partying with strangers! I presumed that all of us, except for Felix and his cohorts, had been vaccinated. I did not ask to see vaccination cards. The pre-pandemic normalcy of this backyard BBQ was so very sweet. It beat Thanksgiving and Christmas when we hosted chilly dinners on our driveway so as to keep everyone safe. I couldn't wait to go to work Monday morning and roam the Register offices in a similar unmasked state. Talking to people without a cloth barrier would almost be fun. But when I arrived, I encountered our publisher, Davis Taylor, in the lunchroom. He was tightly masked. Huh? One of the women from the front office strolled by. She was all masked up, too. I retreated quietly to my cubicle. Had I misread the situation? Had the day of mask liberation come and gone? I had to laugh when I read that the city of American Canyon is considering roundabouts to ease traffic on Highway 29. Has anyone considered making the intersections on Eucalyptus, Rio Del Mar, S. Napa Junction, and Donaldson Way free-flowing with flashing yellow lights north to south and make traffic traveling east to west "No turn" and unable to cross the highway median between 7-9 a.m. and 4-6 p.m? Force west traffic to turn south and east traffic to go north. Force them to do a U-turn at one of the major stoplights at American Canyon Road and Napa Junction Road. This would be the most cost-efficient and makes more sense. San Francisco and big cities have done this on major streets forever. Adding another lane will just encourage people to speed to already existing red lights, putting roundabouts would be confusing and is better used in a park. Keeping the two lanes does nothing. Please don't make it worse. Dave Gutierrez Vallejo We pulled up to a safe distance and saw them floating on the surface, which is the only way they can get any sleep, the captain told us. It was already a magical trip and we hadnt even arrived yet. Once to the island, the ferry nosed in at Bechers Bay and we unloaded from the front of the boat. This precarious loading maneuver is why many trips get cancelled. When the seas are too rough, the captain cant hold the boat next to the dock safely to let passengers off. Once safely on the pier, we got a quick overview of the dos and donts of the island by the local park ranger. As the boat left the dock, we realized we were on our own. A quick glance at our cell phones showed us we had no service, which made me realize we were truly going to relax on this trip. We hefted up our backpacks and started the 1.3-mile walk to the campsite with about 20 other rag-tag campers, some fully prepared with backpacking equipment, others lugging duffle bags and dragging ice chests. We were truly a motley crew. The island is breathtaking, completely quiet and serene. We walked along the shoreline path with views of the beautiful white sand beach below, mesmerized by the solitude and the feeling like we were the only people for miles. According to information published by the British Navy on May 22, 2021, the HMS Queen Elizabeth Carrier Strike Group starts its maiden operational deployment on May 22, 2021, which will include visiting more than one-fifth of the worlds nations. Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link British Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth departed Portsmouth on May 22, 2021, for her maiden operational deployment. (Picture source British Navy) Led by HMS Queen Elizabeth, the task group will visit 40 nations including India, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Singapore in a deployment covering 26,000 nautical miles. The group will also join up and take part in exercises with French carrier FS Charles De Gaulle in the Mediterranean as well as navies and aircraft from allies such as the US, Canada, Denmark, Greece, Israel, Italy, Japan and the UAE. While in the Pacific, ships from the Carrier Strike Group will mark the 50th anniversary of the Five Powers Defence Arrangements between Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and the UK by taking part in Exercise Bersama Lima. Joining HMS Queen Elizabeth on her maiden deployment are destroyers HMS Diamond and Defender; frigates HMS Richmond and Kent; an Astute-class submarine in support below the waves; and Royal Fleet Auxiliary support ships RFA Fort Victoria and RFA Tidespring. More than 30 aircraft will also embark across the task group including F-35 jets from 617 Squadron, the Dambusters, and the US Marine Corps VMFA-211; Wildcat helicopters from 815 Naval Air Squadron and Merlin helicopters from 820 and 845 Naval Air Squadrons. Royal Marines from 42 Commando will also deploy with the carrier. Dutch frigate HNLMS Evertsen and American Arleigh Burke destroyer USS The Sullivans are also part of the strike group. FORT WORTH, Texas Customers planning their summer getaways now have an additional European option to consider. Yesterday, the Spanish government announced it would welcome fully vaccinated visitors beginning June 7. When leisure travel is permitted, American Airlines will be ready to connect leisure customers in the United States with Spain. The carrier already operates daily flights to Barcelona (BCN) and Madrid (MAD) and will add two additional flights to MAD this summer, home to Americans Atlantic Joint Business partner, Iberia. Spain opens its borders to fully vaccinated visitors beginning June 7 American currently offers daily flights to Barcelona from Miami and Madrid from Dallas-Fort Worth Additional flights to Madrid are scheduled to begin June 17 from Miami and New Yorks JFK Proof of vaccination will be required for visitors FORT WORTH, Texas Customers planning their summer getaways now have an additional European option to consider. Yesterday, the Spanish government announced it would welcome fully vaccinated visitors beginning June 7. When leisure travel is permitted, American Airlines will be ready to connect leisure customers in the United States with Spain. The carrier already operates daily flights to Barcelona (BCN) and Madrid (MAD) and will add two additional flights to MAD this summer, home to Americans Atlantic Joint Business partner, Iberia. American is eager to once again connect leisure customers with Spain, said Brian Znotins, Americans Vice President of Network Planning. Whether they want to stroll through the Plaza del Sol and take in the excitement of the Spanish capital or relax on a sunny Barcelona beach, American is ready to take them on their journeys. American currently operates daily flights to BCN from Miami (MIA) and to MAD from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW). Beginning June 17, customers will have two additional options to the sun and fun of Spain when daily Boeing 777-200 service to MAD begins from MIA and New York (JFK). Tickets can be purchased on aa.com. About American Airlines Group Americans purpose is to care for people on lifes journey. Shares of American Airlines Group Inc. trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol AAL and the companys stock is included in the S&P 500. Learn more about whats happening at American by visiting news.aa.com and connect with American on Twitter @AmericanAir and at Facebook.com/AmericanAirlines. NATO Secretary-General affirms willingness for cooperation with Russia Armenia Special Investigation Service charges political party member for giving electoral bribe Armenia Central Electoral Commission grants motion to launch criminal prosecution against MP candidate "I Have the Honor" bloc member: Coronavirus and 'nikolavirus' (Nikol Pashinyan) are both lethal Greek PM: Greece willing to back positive EU agenda for Turkey Russia Deputy FM, France Ambassador discuss settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict CoE: We are engaged in a dialogue to develop a set of confidence-building measures between Armenia, Azerbaijan Armenia 3rd President states when country's security system began to collapse Armenia Armed Forces' General Staff ex-deputy chief on acting PM's statement on his "National Hero" title Armenia Arevik National Park director dismissed for being a friend of Meghri mayor Reuters: Erdogan's summit with Biden clouded by bitter disputes Armenia acting MOD receives Head of ICRC Delegation Gagik Tsarukyan: Armenia needs to develop the economy by using resources of country and people Gagik Tsarukyan: Russia is Armenia's main ally, and this can't be altered Armenia MOD: Azerbaijanis try to carry out engineering works in Kut border section, Armenian side counters Armenia 1st President's nephew and his son involved in brawl in Yerevan Snap elections online voting starts, Azerbaijan continues 'trial' of Armenian POWs, Jun 11 digest Armenian former high-tech industry minister, member of ruling party on June 9 brawl in Yerevan Robert Kocharyan: If Armenia wants a peaceful settlement of Karabakh conflict, it needs to give Azerbaijan hope Armenia acting PM: During campaign meetings hundreds of mothers thanked me for signing Nov. 9 document Citizens are demanded to applaud Armenia acting PM Armenia ruling party lawmaker, MP candidate: Civil Contracts election promises are continuation of 2018 promises Armenia villager to Nikol Pashinyan: Yard of Turk's house is in front of our military post Opposition Prosperous Armenia Party assures that it's not expecting ministerial positions Robert Kocharyan: "Armenia" bloc will restore and deepen country's ties with allies Czech Rep. parliament committee calls on Azerbaijan to release all Armenian captives immediately "Armenia" bloc member Armen Gevorgyan holds meetings with diplomatic corps and international organizations Dollar still dropping in Armenia Azerbaijan announces names of 26 Armenian servicemen it intends to "put on trial" Armenian publishing house to print 66,925,000 ballots for upcoming snap parliamentary elections "Armenia" bloc member: There are reports that over 10 police buses escorted acting PM yesterday Gallup: "Armenia" bloc records slightly higher indicator than ruling party Armenia acting PM has been obligated to publicly apologize to Khachatryan family "Armenia" bloc: Robert Kocharyan and ARF-D resolved crisis that Levon Ter-Petrosyan created in 1998 Intellectual Armenia Party to support "Armenia" bloc in snap parliamentary elections Armenia ruling party MP's powers terminated Brawl takes place during Armenia ruling Civil Contract Party's campaign meeting, case launched Armenia acting premier: We also have enclave under Azerbaijan rule Holy Etchmiadzin: We express regret for unwise, inappropriate statements of acting PM "I have the honor" bloc member: Armenia acting PM has instructed his voters to go to polls by afternoon Prosperous Armenia Party MP: Enemy does not divide Armenians into "blacks" and "whites" Bright Armenia Party leader: Acting premier will not be able to get 60% of votes Armenia acting PM: There are people in media who are more like "killers" than journalists Ex-President Kocharyan: 2009-2018 I did not agree with Armenia authorities on many issues Armenia has new millionaires Armenia President visits Russia embassy, meets with ambassador Artsakh search continues Friday for remains of Armenian soldiers killed in war Armenia ruling party election offices heads being paid by provincial halls? Armenia emergency ministry preparing for a new cooperation with USAID US, Turkey top defense officials discuss regional issues 95 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia G7 leaders pledge to share 1bn doses of coronavirus vaccine with world Armenia snap parliamentary elections online voting starts Trump tells Biden to give Putin his warmest regards Newspaper: Pashinyan is both Armenia acting PM and not Newspaper: Why is Armenia arms dealer released from custody? National Geographic officially announces 5th ocean Armenia MP candidate is detained Armenia Prosecutor General receives OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission's delegation France's Macron intends to discuss situation in Nagorno-Karabakh with Turkish counterpart Armenia 3rd President on Nikol Pashinyan: People look at him and say 'greetings, son of a b**ch' US Department of Commerce intends to impose sanctions against Armenia's Armenal aluminum foil producer/exporter Armenia 1st President recalls his "remedial secession" formula for Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement "I Have the Honor" bloc to Armenian authorities: Let them try to use force or threaten anyone Armenia 2nd President: Everything that makes us Armenian has been destroyed over past three years Azerbaijan continues obscene farce, "investigation" into case of another 26 Armenian POWs is over Ex-governor presents situation in Armenia's Syunik Province Armenia 3rd President doesn't know why Nikol Pashinyan hasn't signed the pro-Armenian document he's talking about Armenia's Pashinyan: If I'm guilty, execute me, and I'll submit Armenia acting PM holds march with twice as many security and police officers in Vanadzor (PHOTO) Armenia acting MOD attaches importance to transparency of procurement and supplies in Armed Forces Remains of 4 more Armenian servicemen found and removed from Artsakh's Jrakan region Enigmatic incident takes places in Yerevan, semi-decayed body of man found under bridge Philip Reeker: Azerbaijani Armed Forces need to return to positions of May 11 Armenia opposition party leader says he's ready to form coalition with all forces, except for ruling party Armenia MOD: Azerbaijani side opens fire at military posts in border section of Gegharkunik Province Head of Armenia's Mission to OSCE: Goals of OSCE and CSTO serve as ground for their cooperation Azerbaijan shares documents on 8 Armenian POWs, COVID-19 in Armenia, Jun 10 digest Azerbaijanis open gunfire at military posts in Armenia's Gegharkunik Province for nearly 30 minutes Armenia acting justice minister expresses gratitude to US for supporting government's reforms agenda Philip Reeker: US will continue to press for the return of Armenian POWs and detainees Armenia 1st President: Russian peacekeepers won't leave Nagorno-Karabakh after 5 years Catholicos of All Armenians receives newly appointed Ambassador of Kazakhstan Armenia Parliament Speaker also attending ruling party's campaign meeting in Odzun (PHOTO) Zakharova: Russia makes essential contributions to post-war demining in Nagorno-Karabakh 160,000,000 children are involved in child labor around the world Dollar loses value in Armenia Biden, Johnson underscore close ties between US and UK Armenia attorney general forwards video recording of ex-FM's sensational statement to National Security Service Ex-President Kocharyan: Armenia must stand on its feet to conduct effective negotiations on Nagorno-Karabakh Armenia 2nd President: Border with Azerbaijan needs to be constructed as soon as possible Armenia 1st President proposes to acting PM to publicize recording of their conversation about Karabakh Armenia President congratulates Portuguese counterpart on National Day of Portugal Iranian Ambassador to Armenia acting minister: Iran has already developed roadmap and timetable for joint programs People are brought in vans to Lori Province village for meeting with Armenia acting premier Karabakh rescue squad searching for remains of deceased servicemen in Fizuli and Jabrayil Karabakh President appoints new chief of staff Armenia 1st President doesn't rule out formation of coalition with Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan after elections Armenia former President Kocharyan: Only way to work with external partners is being straightforward, honest Acting US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs visits Armenian Genocide Memorial In total, 407 residents and visitors of Block 506 Hougang Avenue 8 have undergone PCR testing as of Sunday (23 May). (PHOTO: Google Street View screengrab) SINGAPORE The Ministry of Health (MOH) has identified 10 COVID-19 cases from four households at Block 506 Hougang Avenue 8. "They are largely Persons Under Quarantine who turned positive for COVID-19. This means that they have been isolated early and ring-fenced, and not likely to be moving around while being infectious," said MOH in a joint news release with the Ministry of National Development (MND) on Sunday (23 May). One of the cases was detected after mandatory COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing was announced for all residents of the block earlier in the week. In total, 407 residents and visitors from the block were tested over Friday and Saturday, with 126 more test results pending. Those who missed their test can still undergo their mandatory free swab test on Sunday and Monday. (Click here for the list of clinics). The release noted that all the cases detected at the block were "in the same stack" and that, based on MOH's initial assessment, airborne transmission of the coronavirus is "highly unlikely". "Epidemiological investigations are ongoing to determine linkages and the source of transmission," it added. Based on the case numbers provided, the COVID-19 infections at the Hougang block are linked to at least two clusters, including the Changi Airport Terminal 3 cluster that currently has 105 cases. One of the cases, a 57-year-old Malaysian woman, had preliminarily tested positive on 16 May for the B1617 COVID-19 variant that originated from India. Also announced in the release was the mandatory testing for residents of Block 559 Pasir Ris Street 51, where four COVID-19 cases have been detected across two households. Residents of the block can visit the Regional Screening Centre located at former Coral Primary School from 9am to 4pm from Sunday to Monday to take their test. They can also contact 1800-333-9999 with any queries. The ministries also noted that cleaning and disinfection works have been carried out at the public areas of the Hougang block and will also be conducted at the Pasir Ris block. Story continues Residents not under quarantine The MOH-MND release noted that the residents of the Hougang and Pasir Ris HDB blocks are not under quarantine and are free to leave their homes as well as to carry on with all activities allowed under the Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) regulations. Deliveries of goods and services, such as cylinder gas, food and repair works, to units at the affected blocks are also still allowed. "We strongly urge service providers to continue to extend their services to the residents and support our fellow Singaporeans," said the ministries. Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore More Singapore stories: All residents of Pasir Ris HDB block to undergo COVID-19 testing COVID: JEM, Westgate to close from 23 May to break any transmission chain Of 40 new COVID cases in Singapore, 30 in community COVID: Taxi and rental car drivers to get $10 more daily top-up per vehicle LTA Ex-director of Twelve Cupcakes Daniel Ong fined $65,000 The mass vaccination site at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis is accepting appointments. A limited number of walk-ups will be accepted from 9 to 11 a.m. Wednesday through Sunday. People are encouraged to get an appointment to ensure a vaccine will be available. To schedule an appointment, go to onestop.md.gov/preregistration. A dive team pulled the body of a 19-year-old from Lake Lanier on Thursday, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources told news outlets. The teen was attempting to swim across a cove at Young Deer Creek in Forsyth County when he apparently got too tired and went under, Mark McKinnon, a spokesperson for the department, told 11Alive. A dive team used sonar to find and recover his body from 22-feet-deep water, 11Alive reported. Officials are waiting to release the teens name until after his family has been notified. The drowning is the third death on Lake Lanier so far in 2021, according to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. In 2020, seven people drowned in Lake Lanier. It is a very large lake, McKinnon told McClatchy News in April. Theres about 8 million visitors a year to Lake Lanier ... so theres a lot of traffic. In April, a South Carolina man drowned after strong winds separated him from his boat, McClatchy News reported. Earlier this month, officials recovered the body of a 23-year-old who jumped off a pontoon boat and never resurfaced, according to WSBTV. SC man drowns after strong winds rip boat away from men in lake, Georgia officials say Couple turning back from one avalanche gets separated by another, Montana officials say Falling glacier ice kills Idaho man climbing in Alaska national park, officials say Media rights groups on Sunday urged Turkish authorities to investigate explosive allegations by a mafia boss about the high-profile killings of two journalists in the 1990s. Sedat Peker, an underworld mobster exiled abroad, has accused members of the government and the ruling AKP party of corruption and various crimes in a series of YouTube posts over the past three weeks. In the latest, released on Sunday, he alleges former interior minister Mehmet Agar was the head of the "deep state" in Turkey and that Agar was involved in the 1993 murder of prominent investigative journalist Ugur Mumcu. Mumcu, who wrote for the Cumhuriyet daily, was killed in the capital Ankara after his car was rigged to explode when the ignition was switched on. The perpetrators were never identified. In his video recording, Peker described Mumcu as a "martyr" and a "honourable man". The mafia boss also claimed the murder of Turkish Cypriot journalist Kutlu Adali had been ordered by a former lieutenant colonel and a senior official of the National Intelligence Organisation (MIT), Korkut Eken. Adali, who worked for the left-wing Yeni Duzen newspaper in Nicosia, was shot dead in front of his home in 1996. His killers have never been identified. - Calls to investigate - Erol Onderoglu, Turkey representative for Reporters Without Borders (RSF), said Peker's allegations needed to be investigated. The truth about the killings of journalists in the 1990s had been "swept under the rug", he tweeted. "Peker's legitimacy or position does not justify silence. #Impunity," he added. The Turkish Journalists' Union called for answers Sunday. "We want an investigation into the #UgurMumcu and #KutluAdali murders," the union tweeted. "We demand that the suspects be put on trial. We call on prosecutors to do their duty." Peker, 50, who has been jailed several times for a range of offences, from fraud to running a criminal group, fled Turkey in 2020 to avoid prosecution and is thought to be living in the United Arab Emirates. Story continues - 'Slander, lie' - In the same video published on Sunday, Peker also claimed that the son of ex-Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, an Erdogan loyalist, was part of a major drug trafficking ring between Venezuela and Turkey. "This is absolutely a lie, a slander," Yildirim told reporters. "Linking us with drugs is completely an insult. We strongly reject them." In another video, Peker also accuses Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu of having offered him protection and of having tipped him off about an impending investigation against him last year, which allowed him to flee before being arrested. Soylu is one of the most powerful figures in President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government. Despite pressure from the opposition to resign, he has dismissed Peker's allegations. A journalist for Turkey's state news agency Anadolu was fired Friday after raising Peker's claims against the interior minister at a government press conference with other ministers. Fahrettin Altun, the Turkish presidency's director of communications, wrote on Twitter: "Those who seek to harm the respectability of our state will pay the price." There was no immediate reaction to the latest claims. Some commentators refer to the workings of the "deep state", derin devlet in Turkish, a shadowy structure alleged to exist with links between politicians, secret services, mafia and extremist groups. fo/bp Nicholas Witchell - Justin Sutcliffe Nicholas Witchell, the BBCs royal editor, has revealed that he was told to back off from speaking to Diana, Princess of Wales in order to give Martin Bashir a clear run. It was Witchell, who was working for Panorama in 1995, who first mooted the idea of a televised interview and had arranged to meet the Princess to discuss the proposal before events took a different turn. He was forced to cancel two consecutive lunch meetings at Kensington Palace after being sent away on assignment and before it could be rescheduled, he was promoted to the role of diplomatic correspondent. Steve Hewlett, the editor of Panorama, took Witchell off the project and replaced him with Bashir. Witchell, who became the royal correspondent three years later in 1998, said he was told the matter had to be kept secret from the Kensington Palace authorities. The Princess of Wales and Bashir during the BBC Panorama interview in 1995 - PA He told BBC Breakfast on Friday: I was due twice to go and meet Princess Diana to discuss the Panorama interview. But I was then instructed on Sept 2 1995 by the then-editor of Panorama, Stephen Hewlett, to back off so that a man called Martin Bashir could be given a clear run to secure the interview. And it was explained to me that Martin Bashir was working on a confidential basis and that it was necessary to keep this matter secret from the Kensington Palace authorities. And I have to say that I have always wondered in the years since then how it was that Martin Bashir succeeded in getting alongside the Princess. Well, now we know. Witchell is said to have been furious when it emerged, shortly after the landmark interview was broadcast in November 1995, that Bashir had forged bank statements in a bid to gain access to the Princess of Wales and win her trust. Witchell said his planned interview with the Princess would have been forward thinking and focused on her charity work. The journalist, who gave evidence to the inquiry, said of Lord Dysons report: I think there are implications for the BBC, and that's not a subject for me to speculate about. This will take some days now for it to settle down and for people to look at the damage that has been done, but there is very considerable damage to the BBC's reputation and that is a matter of very considerable regret for all of us who work for the BBC, for all of us who've worked for BBC News over the decades, to think that this one 'rogue reporter', as he's been described. The funny thing is he used to sit just behind me in the New Broadcasting House in London, but he and I have never discussed what happened 25 years ago, and, again, now we may understand why there is a reluctance on his part to do so. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking ahead of a trip to the Middle East, reaffirmed on Sunday US support for a two-state solution as the only way to provide hope to Israelis and Palestinians that they can live "with equal measures of security, of peace and dignity." His remarks came days after Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire, halting 11 days of mutual bombardment that killed more than 200 Palestinians. "If there isn't positive change, and particularly if we can't find a way to help Palestinians live with more -- with more dignity and with more hope, this cycle is likely to repeat itself, and that is in no one's interest," Blinken said on ABC's "This Week." The State Department announced Thursday that Blinken will travel to the Middle East "in the coming days", with plans to meet with Israeli, Palestinian and regional counterparts. Blinken's support for a two-state solution -- the vision of Israel and a Palestinian state living peacefully side by side -- restates a long-time US goal, though he conceded that this was not "necessarily for today." But his remarks about "equal measures" for Israelis and Palestinians seemed to shift the tone, at least, from Donald Trump's administration, which cut aid to the Palestinian Authority and issued a Middle East peace plan with strong Israeli backing but no support from Palestinians. The top US diplomat emphasized the need to provide humanitarian aid to Palestinians while beginning a major effort at reconstruction. - 'Something more positive' - Saying the ceasefire would help mark a pivot from violence to "something more positive," he added, "That has to start now with dealing with the grave humanitarian situation in Gaza. "Then reconstruction, rebuilding what's been lost, and critically, engaging both sides in trying to start to make real improvements" in people's lives. Story continues He was asked on ABC how the Biden administration could ensure that aid would go to ordinary Palestinians and not help the Hamas militants who launched thousands of rockets at Israel. "We've worked in the past and we continue to work with trusted, independent parties that can help do the reconstruction and the development, not some quasi- government authority," he said. "The real challenge here is to help the Palestinians and particularly to help the Palestinian Authority deliver better results for their people, and of course, Israel has a profound role to play in that too." Israel's response to the Hamas rocket barrages has drawn sharp criticism from some liberal members of the US Congress who have questioned American arms sales to the Jewish state. Asked about that, Blinken replied, "The president has been clear we're committed to giving Israel the means to defend itself... At the same time, any arms sale will be done in full consultation in Congress." bbk/jm The Biden administration has not yet seen evidence that Iran will comply with the nuclear commitments needed to lift sanctions, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday. Why it matters: A new round of indirect talks with Iranian officials will resume in Vienna in the coming days. President Biden has pledged not to lift sanctions unless the country first stops enriching uranium. Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free Details: Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Iran's parliament speaker, said on Sunday that a three-month monitoring agreement with the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency has expired, meaning inspectors can no longer access images of nuclear sites. Following those remarks, United Nations officials announced they would delay a planned press conference in Vienna by Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, AP reported. Blinken will be traveling throughout the Middle East later this week although the State Department has yet to release his official schedule, Al Jazeera reports. What he's saying: "I think the steps that Iran is taking underscore the urgency of trying to get Iran back into compliance with its obligations under the nuclear deal," Blinken said on CNN. "The deal that stopped their the dangerous aspects of the nuclear program the prospect that they could have fissile material for a nuclear weapon on short order." "I think we've actually made progress in clarifying what each side needs to do to get back into full compliance. The outstanding question, the question we don't have an answer to yet, is whether Iran, at the end of the day, is willing to do what is necessary to come back into compliance with this agreement." Go deeper: U.S. and Iran remain far apart as nuclear talks reach critical stage Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free. PHILADELPHIA (AP) Xander Bogaerts and Danny Santana hit consecutive home runs in the sixth inning, Matt Barnes retired Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins to strand the potential tying run in the ninth, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4-3 Saturday night for their fourth straight win. Nathan Eovaldi (5-2) ended a streak of three no-decisions, allowing two runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings. Any time a team is going well, the starting pitchers are giving you quality outings, Eovaldi said. With our lineup, if you give up two or three runs, you have a really good chance to win the ballgame. Four relievers combined for one-run, two-hit relief, and AL East-leading Boston improved to a season-high 11 games over .500 at 29-18. It was huge, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. It didnt look easy, but the pitching staff did an amazing job. Philadelphia has lost four in a row and six of seven, dropping two games under .500 for the first time this year at 22-24. The Phillies went 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position, left 10 runners on base and struck out 13 times the 14th time in May reaching double digits and 29th time in 46 games this season. Its hard to score runs when you strike out a lot, Phillies manager Joe Girardi said. You can hit a ton of home runs and score a lot of runs and strike out, but were not doing that. Well continue to talk about approaches. We have some guys who have gotten off to slow starts and guys in some slumps. But I think were capable of doing better. Ronald Torreyes singled leading off the ninth and Jean Segura walked with one out. Harper grounded to first baseman Bobby Dalbec, whose off-line throw to second was reeled in by Bogarts as the shortstop managed to keep a foot on the base, with Segura waving an arm and possibly obstructing his view. Barnes then struck out Hoskins on four knuckle-curves, the last in the dirt, for his 11th save in 12 chances. Watching him grow and develop even from 18 when I got first got here has been incredible, Eovaldi said. His mechanics are a lot cleaner and hes going right after batters. Its an uncomfortable at-bat for hitters going up against him. Story continues Harper struck out three times in an 0-for-5 night and is in a 2-for-25 slide with 13 strikeouts. Bothered by a shoulder injury that forced him from a game against Toronto last week, he is hitless in his last 16 at-bats. Ill go in and think about it before making a decision on tomorrows lineup, Girardi said. Boston took a 2-0 lead in the third off Spencer Howard (0-1), who made his first start this season after three relief appearances. Eovaldi and walked Kike Hernandez, and Rafael Devers followed with a double for the only hit Howard allowed in three innings. Bogaerts added a sacrifice fly. I kind of didnt give myself enough time to regroup after running to first (in the second inning), Howard said. I had more and more trust in my stuff and got aggressive. It wasnt a total loss today and there were a few positives. Odubel Herrera cut the gap to 2-1 with a sacrifice fly in the fourth, and Bogaerts and Santana homered in a three-pitch span from Sam Coonrod starting the sixth. Bogaert has 10 homers this season, and Santana hit his second in as many nights since his contract was selected Friday from Triple-A Worcester. Hoskins hit a solo homer inside the left-field foul pole in the bottom half, reaching 100 home runs in 450 games. He is the third-fastest among Phillies to start their career behind Ryan Howard (325) and Chuck Klein (390). Santana was hit by a Howard pitch in the second inning, Segura was hit by Phillips Valdez in the seventh and Hoskins was plunked in the ribs by Darwinzon Hernandez with the bases loaded later in the seventh. Hernandez struck out Brad Miller with a fastball to strand the bases full. TRAINERS ROOM Red Sox: OF Alex Verdugo was out of the Boston lineup on Saturday night after straining his left hamstring on Friday. Its nothing serious, Cora said, hoping Verdugo could play Tuesday.. ... LHP Chris Sale, returning from Tommy John surgery that has sidelined him since Aug. 13, 2019, threw from flat ground. Philies: LHP Matt Moore was placed on the 10-day IL with low back spasms. UP NEXT LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (5-2, 4.70) starts Sundays series finale for Boston and RHP Zack Wheeler (3-2, 2.52) for Philadelphia. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Experts warned that many of the 'missing' patients would be those who were never referred for checks by their GP or kept away for fear of adding to the Covid pressures on the NHS - Getty Images Europe/Hollie Adams England is at risk of "replacing the Covid crisis with a cancer crisis", with more than 300,000 people missing urgent checks since the start of the pandemic, experts have warned. Official statistics show that, in the 12 months ending in March, 304,555 fewer patients were given an urgent referral to hospital by their GP because of suspected cancer. The number referred for breast cancer checks alone dropped by more than 20,000 in 2020/21, the analysis by Cancer Research UK showed. Overall, around 38,800 fewer patients started treatment for cancer a drop of 12 per cent, according to the data, which covers England. In some cases, treatment was put on hold to allow hospitals to cope with an influx of Covid patients and to protect cancer patients from virus infection. But experts warned that many of the "missing" patients would be those who were never referred for checks by their GP after struggling to access appointments or had kept away for fear of adding to pressures on the NHS. Cancer Research UK's chief executive, Michelle Mitchell, said: "The UK faces the real possibility of the Covid-19 crisis being replaced with a cancer crisis." The statistics show the numbers starting treatment who were referred as an urgent case dropped by more than 17,000, increasing the risk of later diagnosis when treatment is less likely to succeed. The charity said the "devastating" figures showed Britain was at risk of walking into a cancer crisis that could set back survival for the first time in generations. Ms Mitchell urged anyone with possible cancer symptoms to contact their GP and keep trying if they struggled to secure an appointment. She said: "Sadly, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on cancer services, and the lives of cancer patients, over the past year. "Its not only those who've had a cancer diagnosis that were worried about there are thousands of missing cancer patients out there, many of whom would ordinarily have been diagnosed through an urgent referral but haven't been because of the pandemic. Finding the missing cancer patients is a priority. Story continues "It's vitally important that anyone who has noticed an unusual change in their body gets in touch with their GP. And if it's tricky getting an appointment, do keep trying." It comes amid growing concern that patients are being put at risk because of poor access to GP care, with some struggling to get the right help. The Telegraph was inundated with letters from readers describing how difficult it was to see a GP after reporting the case of Joy Stokes, 69, who died from cancer after months of being refused an appointment. Listen to Joy's story, as told by her husband Nick, on the Planet Normal podcast with Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan, from 20:49 on the audio player below: Family doctors were told to introduce a system of "total triage" during the pandemic, meaning those seeking to see their GP were being discouraged and told to have an online or phone discussion first. The system became embedded in annual guidance which took effect last month but was abolished last week amid a growing backlash. The NHS statistics show that, between April 2020 and March 2021, 2,078,403 patients were given an urgent referral to hospital by their GP because cancer was suspected a fall from 2,383,958 the previous year. The 13 per cent drop followed a Government campaign urging people to "Stay Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives" and the introduction of "total triage". In recent months, health chiefs have repeatedly urged those with symptoms that could mean cancer to contact their GPs amid concern that too many are staying away or struggling to get the appointments they need. The number of women with suspected breast cancer who were given an urgent referral fell by 20,144 over the year, the NHS data shows, with around 425,147 in 2020/21 compared with 445,291 in the previous 12 months. While the number of referrals fell dramatically during both the first and second Covid waves, there was a sharp rise this March as services struggled to catch up. The figures show 232,084 referrals in March, up from 174,624 in February. Separate research by the Institute for Public Public Policy Research suggests survival rates have been set back by up to eight years, with an extra 4,500 avoidable deaths likely this year alone as a result of late diagnosis. Charities said too many patients had been left struggling to get an appointment or been scared off seeing their GP for fear of being a burden on the health service or catching Covid. Sara Bainbridge, the head of policy at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: "This data shows a devastating year of disruption, which has seen tens of thousands of people missing a diagnosis or experiencing changed and delayed treatment, while their chances of survival potentially worsen." The charity said its own analysis showed a 15 per cent drop in new cancer diagnoses between March and December last year compared with the previous one. Last autumn, the Care Quality Commission warned that poor access to family doctors could fuel delayed cancer diagnoses and deaths, with 26.7 million fewer appointments between March and August. An NHS spokesman said: "While treating more than 400,000 people for Covid-19 throughout the pandemic has inevitably had an impact on care for other conditions, NHS staff have gone to great lengths to ensure cancer treatment could continue safely, with almost 300,000 people starting treatment and more than 2.2 million referred for cancer checks throughout the last year. "The NHS is now going further and faster to ensure patients receive timely, expert care, with more people receiving potentially life-saving cancer checks in March than ever before, and our message remains the same please come forward if you have a worrying sign or symptom so we can treat you as soon as possible." Disruption, delays and changes to treatment The pandemic has a devastating impact on healthcare, with thousands of patients suffering from other conditions facing delays as the pressures on the NHS grew, write Laura Donnelly and Lizzie Roberts. Some patients who had already been diagnosed with cancer suffered disruption, delays and changes to their treatment amid attempts to reduce the numbers in hospital and the risk of infection. Charities are particularly worried about the "missing cancer patients" those who suffered worrying symptoms yet were never referred for tests. The official figures show that, across the country in 2020/21, there were around 300,000 fewer urgent referrals by GPs for suspected cancer, while around 38,800 fewer patients started treatment. Each of these cases is far more than a statistic. Jess Brady: Contacted GP more than 20 times, but diagnosis came too late Jess Brady, 27, from Hertfordshire, had been planning travel adventures until she began feeling ill last summer. When the satellite engineer started experiencing chronic fatigue and a cough she could not shrug off, doctors insisted it must be long Covid even though she had never been diagnosed with the virus. Her symptoms grew increasingly debilitating, with weight loss and vomiting, and she got in touch with her GP repeatedly but to no avail. "Jess contacted her GP surgery on more than 20 occasions in five months and went to A&E," her mother, Andrea, said. Jess Brady and her mother, Andrea, who had become increasingly concerned about her daughter's health By November, Mrs Brady was increasingly concerned about the possibility of cancer as large, ugly glands appeared on her daughter's neck. When they finally secured a face-to-face appointment with her GP, concerns were dismissed. "She was young, previously healthy and apparently there was no knowing how long a referral to a specialist would take," her mother wrote in Metro. Such was Mrs Brady's concern that she secured a private hospital appointment for her daughter. Urgent tests followed, which identified stage four adenocarcinoma, which had spread throughout her body and was too advanced and aggressive to treat. She died on Dec 20, less than a month after being diagnosed. "No parent should cradle their child as they enter this world and hold them as they leave it. Nothing could ever prepare us or can ever console us," her mother wrote. She is now campaigning for prevent cancer deaths, calling for an increase in face-to-face appointments and more urgent referral of suspected cases. "Dealing with the real risk of Covid should not create a higher risk of cancer death in our younger generations. Action must be taken," she said. Jess's parents are campaigning to improve diagnosis of cancer in young adults. To add your signature, click here. Brian Marsden: Cancer diagnosed five months after attempts to see GP Brian Marsden, 66, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, first discovered an unusual mole in June last year but struggled to get a GP appointment despite repeated efforts. After difficulties even getting through to his local surgery, he was told "we're not seeing patients" and had to push to secure an appointment. A nurse at the practice had "a fleeting glance" at the mole and pronounced it fine, despite the fact it had been weeping and produced a scab, his daughter Clare Marsden Eastburn said. Brian Marsden was diagnosed with an aggressive nodular melanoma in November five months after first contacting his GP Within a few weeks it had "aggressively grown", but again Mr Marsden could not get through to the surgery. "They resorted to sending a letter through the prescription box because they weren't even opening up, you couldn't even walk into reception to speak to someone," said Mrs Marsden Eastburn. Eventually Mr Marsden, who owns a DIY business, was referred to hospital and diagnosed with an aggressive nodular melanoma in November five months after first contacting his GP. Surgery to remove it only went ahead in January, when lymph nodes and nerves had to be removed because the cancer had spread. Mr Marsden continued to worsen, suffering pain in his shoulders and arms. Scans in April established that the cancer had spread to his spine, with a further deterioration after more surgery. Until last year, he was "really fit and healthy" and active, rising at five o clock in the morning to go flower markets and carrying around big bags of compost, his daughter said. She added: "It's like looking at an 80-year-old man now he has just been through so much." Michelle Bailey: Treatment disrupted as Britain entered lockdown When Michelle Bailey, 37, was diagnosed with fast-growing and invasive breast cancer at the start of March 2020, she was told she would need a lumpectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. But as the Covid crisis took hold, the plan was changed. "I was told 'there's been disruption to your treatment plan,'" said the mother of one from Stockport, Greater Manchester. "Instead, I would need a single mastectomy. It was a lot to take in. I'd prepared myself and talked to my son about it. To go back and be told 'we can't do that now' was a shock. But I had no choice. Michelle Bailey was told there had been 'disruption to your treatment plan' as the Covid crisis took hold Since the operation at Wythenshawe Hospital more than a year ago, there has been little follow-up. She has yet to see the surgeon for a post-operative appointment or to have a fitting for a prosthesis. When the site of the mastectomy became sore, her GP attempted to examine her remotely. Ms Bailey said: "My GP did a FaceTime call with me to look at the site because I was concerned about a build-up of fluid there as it was so sore. There was no physiotherapy afterwards, no support other than from charities." Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust said it was sorry to hear about the concerns and had continued to provide cancer care throughout the pandemic. Sherwin Hall: Suffered long delays before fatal tumours found Sherwin Hall, 27, from Leeds, West Yorkshire, went to hospital suffering from leg pain on March 23 last year, just as Britain locked down. Despite repeated visits and begging for a scan, he was only given a course of antibiotics for a misdiagnosis of prostatitis. After 13 hospital visits in four weeks, Mr Hall was finally given an MRI on May 26 which revealed a 14cm malignant tumour in his pelvis and 30 small tumours on his lungs. He died in December. Sherwin Hall went to hospital suffering from leg pain on March 23 last year, just as Britain locked down He had said: "I kept begging them in April and May to give me an MRI scan, but no-one would listen. Both my GP and my consultant told me that I couldn't get one because scanning services were slowed down because of the coronavirus." His widow, LaTroya Hall, being supported by the Catch Up With Cancer Campaign, said: "I am devastated. I have lost the love of my life." Has your treatment been delayed or have you missed an urgent check? Share your story below CNN has dropped Rick Santorum as a senior political commentator amid controversy over recent disparaging remarks the former senator made about Native Americans. Driving the news: Speaking at a Young America's Foundation event last month, Santorum said, "We birthed a nation from nothing I mean, there was nothing here. I mean, yes, we have Native Americans, but candidly, there isn't much Native American culture in American culture." Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free. What they're saying: "[I] can confirm that we parted ways," Alison Rudnick, vice president of HLN Communications and CNN Diversity & Inclusion, told Axios by email. Santorum, who is also a former Republican presidential candidate, said in an emailed statement to Axios, "When I signed on with CNN, I understood that I would be providing commentary that is not regularly heard by the typical CNN viewer. He added he greatly appreciates the opportunity CNN provided him over the past four years and that he's "committed to continuing the fight for our conservative principles and values." Of note: Santorum appeared on CNN's "Cuomo Prime Time" not long after the Young America's Foundation event to explain his comments. Santorum said he "misspoke" and that he "was not trying to dismiss Native Americans." CNN leadership "wasn't particularly satisfied with that appearance," an executive told HuffPost, which first reported the news of Santorum's departure from the network. "None of the anchors wanted to book him," the executive added. "So he was essentially benched away." The big picture: CNN's split with Santorum follows pressure from Indigenous-led groups and others, who called on the network to fire the former senator. "Rick Santorum is an unhinged and embarrassing racist who disgraces CNN and any other media company that provides him a platform," said Fawn Sharp, president of the National Congress of American Indians, in a statement last month. "Televising someone with his views on Native American genocide is fundamentally no different than putting an outright Nazi on television to justify the Holocaust," Sharp added. "Any mainstream media organization should fire him or face a boycott from more than 500 tribal nations and our allies from across the country and worldwide." Following news of CNN's decision, Sharp tweeted, "It wasn't a matter of if, but when. Justice is served." Editor's note: This article has been updated with Santorum comments in reaction to his being dropped by CNN. Like this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free. Associated Press When Brad Larsen went from old player to young coach and earning an NHL head job became a goal, he spent time on a hockey database website looking up the paths of those who came before him. Larsen found many of the most successful coaches took their time and embraced patience. My vision was, Im not in a rush to be a head coach, Larsen said. COLUMBUS, Ohio A teenage girl is dead, five other young people were wounded and two others injured in a shooting late Saturday at a music party promoted on social media at the amphitheater in Bicentennial Park in downtown Columbus. Police and Columbus Fire medics were called just before midnight Saturday and found a chaotic scene with several people wounded. Olivia Kurtz, 16, was transported to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead at 1:06 a.m., police said. Three females and two males, ranging in age from 15-19, were wounded. The shooting victims were transported to local hospitals, where they were all expected to recover from their injuries, police said. Two other young people received hospital treatment for non-gunshot injuries as they were attempting to flee from the area. Dozens of small cones marking bullet casings and evidence covered the stage, steps and the surrounding grass areas at the amphitheater Sunday morning. A police K9 dog also was at the scene scouring for evidence. Police said there was no scheduled event at the park, but that the shooting occurred during "a private event that was promoted on social media." The amphitheater at Bicentennial Park along the Scioto Mile in downtown Columbus is marked by a red tag in this Google satellite view. "It appears that somebody organized over social media a large party/concert at the amphitheater there," Deputy Police Chief Tim Becker said. The event was after park hours, there was no permit issued and not authorized or sanctioned by the city Recreation and Parks Department, Becker said. The organizers "threw something together, potentially even charging admission to get in and concessions and a DJ is what we're being told," he said. "Upon our arrival, all of those people had fled with their equipment. They very quickly loaded up and took off." Witnesses gave differing accounts of where the shooting erupted and whether people in the crowd returned fire, and investigators don't know how many shooters there were, Becker said. Numerous red party cups could be seen Sunday scattered on the steps around the amphitheater, apparently abandoned by people fleeing the gunfire. At least one park bench in front of the amphitheater appeared to have been knocked over. Story continues 1 dead, at least a dozen others injuredafter shooting at 'unauthorized' concert in South Carolina, police say Neighbors recall loud party, call police Rick Richards, who lives near Bicentennial Park, said he and his wife started hearing music playing at the amphitheater around 9:30 p.m. "The music was getting louder and louder," Richards said, and by about 10 p.m. he and his wife and some neighbors began calling the Columbus police nonemergency line about the noise. Crime scene tape surrounds Bicentennial Park in downtown Columbus on Sunday morning, May 23, 2021, as Columbus police investigate a shooting late Saturday night that killed one and injured several others. The small yellow cones all over the stage and surrounding grass areas mark bullet casings and other evidence. "No one's coming," Richards said of police. "The response early on is there's a shift change and it's not a priority call," he said, but the dispatcher did say they were putting it on the call list. Manhunt underway after gunman kills 2, wounds 12 in New Jersey house party shooting rampage Unable to sleep because of the vibrating bass from the music, Richard said he went onto his condo balcony and looked over at the large crowd of people at the park. He said he was on the balcony for only a few minutes and considering calling the police again when gunfire broke out. "All at once I hear, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop," Richards recalled. "People just started scattering like crazy." This time, Richards called the 911 emergency line to report a shooting. A dispatcher answered right away, he said, and while he was still on the phone with the dispatcher, a wave of police and medics were responding at the park. Richards said he believes police might have broken up the park event and the shooting might not have occurred if they had responded sooner to the non-emergency calls about crowd and noise. "Had someone (from police) come at 10 a.m., instead of letting it go on past 10:30 or 11 o'clock, they could have shut it down with one or two cruisers," he said. "Disappointment doesn't speak well when someone is dead," Richards said of the police response. "I don't know what the priorities are. ... I think this was absolutely avoidable." 'Another life lost due to gun violence' Columbus police officials plan on discussing their response to the complaints on Monday, Becker said. "Normally it's very busy around that time at the establishments that have lots of people," Becker said. "Normally, (officers) would swing by and check anywhere that is just on routine patrol, but there's not a lot of opportunity to do that on a Saturday at midnight." In a statement, Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther said the community must better protect its children from violence. "I am saddened and angered by the tragic and senseless death of a young girl and another life lost due to gun violence," Ginther said. "While police are still working to understand what occurred, it is clear that we as a community must do better to protect our children. As a father, my heart aches, and I offer my sincere condolences to the family. Anyone who has information should please call the police." Brian Steel, vice president of Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge No. 9, said the Bicentennial Park shooting is "is just another example of the complete chaos plaguing our city. At some point, we must all come together, say enough is enough and demand law and order is reestablished. Our hearts go out for the victims and families impacted by the violence. "There has to be a lot of video evidence that is on phones right now," Becker said. "We need parents to be talking to their children, go through their phones. It is the parent's right to do that they are the parent and bringing that evidence forward so other kids aren't subject to being shot, killed and traumatized." Many of the young people shouldn't have been out at that hour at all, Becker said. "It's just a tough challenge," he said. "It really is a parenting challenge. At some point, it's not necessarily the police's responsibility, but it's a parent's responsibility to know where their kids are and have consequences for violating those curfews." Contributing: Bill Bush and Bethany Bruner, Columbus Dispatch This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus, Ohio, shooting: 1 dead, five others wounded at park event But Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, vice dean in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said Maryland struggled during the first phase of the campaign, which required distributing doses quickly and in an organized way when theres more demand than there are vaccines. For example, he cited the complex maze of online sign-ups created by the range of vaccinators the state chose to rely upon from the start. A California high school edited out from an "inclusion event" photo pins and stickers bearing the name of the popular conservative group Turning Point USA. The school said the stickers were removed to show "school unity," and no preference for one club over another. Turning Point USA, however, says the move is Orwellian. "Whitney High School digitally assassinated any mention of TPUSA from a so-called inclusion event group photo-editing out TPUSA logos & branding from students shirts," Turning Point wrote of the incident on Twitter. "This is straight out of Orwell." A group of students from Whitney High School in Rocklin, Calif., stood together for a class photo at an event where clubs were allowed to set up tables and advertise themselves during lunch. "I noticed all of the stickers and pins were missing," Blake Whitney, leader of the TPUSA chapter, said when he got the photo back, according to CBS Sacramento. Turning Point set up a table at the club fair as part of the schools "inclusion week." Brayden Locketz, another TPUSA member, said he was eager to discuss politics with students who were interested. FLORIDA HIGH SCHOOL ISSUES REFUNDS AFTER YEARBOOK EDITED 80 FEMALE STUDENT PHOTOS TO BE MORE MODEST Turning Point passed out stickers that reportedly had messages like "'I Heart America, Free Speech, and USA." Locketz said that the students were given no prior warning to remove their stickers before the photo was taken. "It might have been a different story. But they went ahead and did it after the fact," Locketz said. "They made us feel like we were bad people for doing that." LAWSUIT ALLEGING VIRGINIA PUBLIC SCHOOL ADMISSIONS DISCRIMINATION AGAINST ASIAN AMERICANS MOVES FORWARD "Following the conclusion of Whitney High Schools Inclusion Week that took place last week, the Associated Student Body (ASB) student leaders participated in a group photo to show school unity. Some students wore stickers that they received from a handful of school-sanctioned clubs," Sundeep Dosanjh, a spokesperson for the district, said, according to CBS Sacramento. "These stickers included symbols of the clubs and were removed from the group photo with the goal of honoring the group of ASB students without any other club affiliation in the spirit of equity, inclusivity and school unity." Story continues "Its just really astounding to me," Whitney said. He said that the photo was indicative of how TPUSA students felt at the school. "Students from my club dont feel good on this campus whatsoever," Whitney said. "We feel like the school is trying to silence us." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP TPUSA also claimed that high school officials had told its members they could not waive signs around the booth as it would draw "too much attention," and claimed their booth was moved to the "corner of the room" because the activities director saw the large number of students drawn to it. ROVINJ, Croatia (AP) Sun loungers are out, beach bars are open and rave music is pumping. Hotels and restaurants are greeting visitors hoping to get a head start on summer after more than a year of coronavirus lockdowns and travel restrictions. Croatia has widely reopened its stunning Adriatic coastline for foreign tourists, becoming one of the first European countries to drop most of its pandemic measures. Now, the ability of people to go there depends on each country's travel rules. The mood is relaxed in the Istria region, the northernmost part of the Croatian coast famous for its pebble beaches, thick pine forests, wine and delicacies such as truffles, olive oil, goat cheese and prosciutto. Hardy anyone wears masks on the streets or in restaurants in the picturesque town of Rovinj. Still-standing limits on indoor dining and rules requiring a set amount of distance between tables are rarely observed. People are fed up with lockdowns, said Nikola Sandic, a waiter at a seafood restaurant located in a small boat harbor. They have a glass of wine, watch the sea, and that's all they need. Virus cases are dropping in Croatia, and after a slow start to the country's vaccine rollout, inoculations are picking up. Officials predict that some 50% of the population of 4 million will be fully vaccinated by mid-summer. Croatia, a European Union member and a popular vacation destination on the continent, is letting in tourists from the United States, most of Europe and beyond who hold a vaccination certificate, or proof of a negative test or having recovered from COVID-19. Health officials set those measures weeks before the EU moved Wednesday to soon allow fully vaccinated foreign travelers from countries deemed safe into the 27-nation bloc. Croatian tourism officials expect a swell of American visitors, who will be spared the hassle of airport transfers when direct New York-Dubrovnik flights start up, expected in July. Story continues Tourism Minister Nikolina Brnjac said her country is applying strict health measures to avoid a repeat of what happened last year, when visitors ignored social distancing on the beaches and in bars, and the tourist season abruptly ended with Croatia facing a surge in coronavirus cases. The country's some 80,000 tourism workers have priority for getting COVID-19 vaccines, and several PCR testing stations will be installed to make it easier for travelers to obtain results they might need to provide when they return home. "It is our duty to provide all the prerequisites for a safe and comfortable trip, as well as predictable vacation planning, she said during a recent webinar on travel safety, In that sense, Croatia is among the first, if not the first, European destination that already applies broader criteria for tourist visits, the same ones that should soon be applied at the EU. Croatia heavily depends on tourism; some 20% of its revenue comes from foreign visitors during the summer. Adriatic resorts like the medieval walled city of Dubrovnik and Rovinj, with its narrow cobble streets and small squares, almost completely depend on tourists. Goran Pavlovic, manager at the tourist board in the seaside resort of Opatija, said that Croatia is ready but the success of its summer season will largely depend on the regulations in other countries, especially if travelers must quarantine once they go home. It will definitively be a challenging year in front of us because of the pandemic situation, Pavlovic said. Croatias tourism workers are optimistic. We finally want to see the smile of the guests without their masks, said Maja Segon, a receptionist at the Hotel Savoy in Opatija. ___ Darko Bandic contributed from Pula, Croatia. May 23PERU Deputies found three people shot to death in a home in Peru on Friday after a family member wasn't able to get in touch with them. The Miami County Sheriff's Office said in a release a family member asked deputies to go to the family's home and check on them. Deputies went to the home and discovered the bodies of three victims who had died from what appeared to be fatal gunshot wounds, according to the sheriff's office. A joint investigation on the deaths has been launched by the sheriff's department, Indiana State Police and the Miami County Coroner's Office. Miami County Sheriff Tim Hunter said Sunday their are "numerous" officers from both departments assigned to the case. "We're working desperately on it to get this solved as quick as we possibly can," he said. Hunter said they are withholding the identities of the three who died, as well as other details on the incident, pending further investigation. Investigators are asking anyone with information concerning this matter to contact the Miami County Sheriff's Office at (765) 472-1322 or the Indiana State Police at (765) 473-6666. Carson Gerber can be reached at 765-854-6739, carson.gerber@kokomotribune.com or on Twitter @carsongerber1. (Bloomberg) -- Dubais benchmark stock index advanced the most among Gulf peers as real estate shares extended gains. The Dubai Financial Market General Index rose as much as 1.7%, up for a fifth day in its longest winning streak since March. The sub-index tracking Dubai-based real estate shares climbed as much as 2.7% on Sunday, reaching the highest level since November 2019. Those shares are trading higher amid a residential property price rally Morgan Stanley sees lasting for years. Morgan Stanley Sees Dubai Property Rally Lasting for Years Vaccinations are helping a lot the reopening theme from an investment case perspective, particularly in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, Ali El Adou, head of asset management at Daman Investments in Dubai, said in an interview with Bloomberg TV. The UAE, a federation of seven sheikdoms including Dubai, has one of the highest inoculation rates globally. Were still bullish, in terms of that theme, especially when were now talking about malls, real estate, airlines, logistics, so were still focusing on that, he said. Meanwhile, gauges in Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Egypt and Israel notched gains while those in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were little changed. Qatari and Omani shares declined. MIDDLE EASTERN MARKETS: Saudi Arabias Tadawul All Share Index ends little changedSaudi Marketing 1Q Profit 4.26M Riyals Vs. 8.12M Riyals Y/yDar Al Arkan 1Q Profit 28.5M Riyals Vs. 12.4M Riyals Y/yAlKhorayef 1Q Profit 26.9M RiyalsStock falls 5.4%, down most since MarchREAD: Saudi Bank Asset Growth Is at Lower Yields, CoR Trend UncertainThe Dubai Financial Market General Index climbs 1.3% to the highest level since Jan. 20Emaar Properties +2.7%; Dubai Islamic Bank +1.9%; Dubai Investments +3.1%CI Capital prefers Emaar Properties over its subsidiaries at current valuation as it offers the most diversified exposure into all segments, including development, retail, and hospitality as well as the preferred play on the merger with Malls, Sara Boutros and Marlene Milad write in a noteIn Abu Dhabi, the ADX General Index trades 0.4% higher, up to a fresh highFirst Abu Dhabi Bank +0.6%; Aldar +1.1%; Adnoc Distribution +1.9%Kuwaits Premier Market ends 0.2% higher after falling for the past three sessionsAgility Public Warehousing pushes index up most, rising 1.4%ElSewedy rises as much as 9.2% in Cairo, the second biggest gainer by points among members of the EGX 30Company managed to increase its backlog slightly to Q1, and its gross profit surged 56% in the period, Prime Groups analyst Dina Abdelbadie writes in a noteThus, gross profit margin improved to 15.2% from 11.1%, thanks to higher volumes and prices in the wire & cable segment and higher prices of meters and transformers, Abdelbadie (overweight) says, adding that the broker is positive on the stock Story continues More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2021 Bloomberg L.P. European Union leaders were due to meet Monday to discuss possible sanctions against Belarus after a Ryanair flight from Greece to Lithuania carrying an opposition activist was diverted to Minsk over a supposed bomb threat. Why it matters: Raman Pratasevich, a journalist and opposition leader wanted by the Belarusian government, was detained at the Minsk airport once the plane landed. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted, "Those responsible for the Ryanair hijacking must be sanctioned." Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free The UN's civil aviation agency, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), said in a statement the landing "could be in contravention of the Chicago Convention," a treaty protecting airspace sovereignty. Lithuanian Police said in a statement they had launched a pre-trial criminal investigation into the matter and would cooperate with prosecutors in other EU countries. The state of play: The plane was flying over Belarus and was six miles from the Lithuanian border when Belarusian air traffic control told the pilots to divert to Minsk due to "a potential security risk on board," per the Washington Post. The presidential press service said that President Alexander Lukashenko "personally ordered" a fighter jet to escort the flight down to the Minsk airport, according to AP. Officials later confirmed no explosives were found on the airplane, per AP. The flight continued on its way after the diversion to Minsk and landed in Lithuania later Sunday, Bloomberg reports. Of note: Pratasevich co-founded the Telegram channel Nexta, which helped organize massive anti-government demonstrations last year, AP notes. He has been living in exile in Lithuania for several years out of fear of being arrested in Belarus, where he faces up to 12 years in prison if convicted on charges of "inciting hatred and mass disorder," the New York Times reports. What they're saying: Leaders in the U.S. and Europe have condemned the action. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for Pratasevich's "immediate release." Story continues Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) tweeted that the U.S. "needs to consider restricting commercial air traffic into and over Belarus until this matter is resolved. No travelers can feel safe if state sponsored hijacking becomes acceptable." Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) in a joint statement with European counterparts urged the ICAO to investigate the "reckless act," saying: "Using fighter aircraft to intercept a civilian Ryanair flight is an act of piracy on a route between two NATO and EU countries." "We call on NATO and European Union States to put sanctions on the Lukashenka regime and suspend their ability to use Interpol and other international organizations to further attack democracy in Europe," the group added in its call for Pratasevich's release. In Europe, exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya in a statement urged the ICAO to investigate the incident, per WashPost. The United Kingdom's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab tweeted that the U.K. was "alarmed" by Protasevich's arrest and warned "this outlandish action by Lukashenko will have serious implications." Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout. More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free Belarus forced a passenger plane carrying a wanted opposition activist to divert and land in its capital, provoking a furious outcry from world leaders who described it as an "act of state terrorism" ahead of an EU summit Monday expected to toughen sanctions on Minsk. Dissident journalist Roman Protasevich was detained on Sunday after Ryanair flight FR4978 was pulled from its Athens-to-Vilnius route and -- accompanied by a Belarusian fighter jet -- diverted to the capital city, state television reported. Passengers described seeing the 26-year-old, who had been living in Poland, looking nervous as the flight was diverted to Minsk. "He just turned to people and said he was facing the death penalty," Monika Simkiene, a 40-year-old Lithuanian, told AFP in Vilnius after landing -- without Protasevich -- several hours later. Edvinas Dimsa, 37, said: "He was not screaming, but it was clear that he was very much afraid. It looked like if the window had been open, he would have jumped out of it." The incident comes as the European Union is set to discuss toughening its existing sanctions against Belarus, imposed over the crackdown by the regime of President Alexander Lukashenko on opposition protesters, at a pre-planned summit on Monday. "The outrageous and illegal behaviour of the regime in Belarus will have consequences," EU chief Ursula von der Leyen tweeted, calling for Protasevich's release, and adding those responsible "must be sanctioned". Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki denounced Belarus's actions as "an act of state terrorism", while French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian called for a "strong and united response" from the EU. Lithuania and Latvia have called for international flights not to use Belarusian airspace. The International Civil Aviation Organization -- the UN's civil aviation agency -- said the forced landing "could be in contravention of the Chicago Convention", which protects nations' airspace sovereignty. Story continues Minsk's airport had released a statement earlier saying the plane had to make an emergency landing there at 1215 GMT following a bomb scare. "The plane was checked, no bomb was found and all passengers were sent for another security search," said Nexta, a Belarus opposition channel on the Telegram messaging app, which Protasevich previously edited. Lukashenko's press service said on its own Telegram channel the president had given the order to divert the flight and had ordered a MiG-29 fighter jet to accompany the plane. It comes as Belarus authorities intensify their crackdown on the opposition following historic protests that gripped the ex-Soviet country after last year's disputed presidential election. - 'Absolutely unacceptable' - The United States "strongly condemned" the arrest, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling for Protasevich's release. "This shocking act perpetrated by the Lukashenka regime endangered the lives of more than 120 passengers, including US citizens," he said in a statement, using an alternative spelling of the Belarusian leader's name. He added on Twitter: "We demand an international investigation and are coordinating with our partners on next steps." European leaders reacted with fury. In Athens, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis tweeted: "The forced landing of a commercial plane to detain a journalist is an unprecedented, shocking act." Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda described Belarus's actions as "abhorrent" and prosecutors said they had opened a criminal investigation for the hijacking of a plane. The government in Ireland, where Ryanair is headquartered, described the incident as "absolutely unacceptable", while NATO called it "dangerous" and demanded an international investigation. Since last August's disputed election, Belarusians have taken to the streets demanding the resignation of Lukashenko, who has ruled for over two decades. Protasevich and Nexta founder Stepan Putilo, 22, were added to Belarus's list of "individuals involved in terrorist activity" last year. The two -- both now based in Poland -- were accused of causing mass unrest, an offence punishable by up to 15 years in jail. Belarus also labelled the Nexta Telegram channels and its logo "extremist" and ordered them blocked. With close to two million subscribers on Telegram, Nexta Live and its sister channel Nexta are prominent opposition channels and helped mobilise protesters. "It is absolutely obvious that this is an operation of secret services to capture the plane in order to detain activist and blogger Roman Protasevich," exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said on Telegram. The opposition says that Tikhanovskaya, who fled to neighbouring Lithuania after the election, was the true winner of last year's presidential vote. - KGB involved? - A member of the Nexta team, Tadeusz Giczan, tweeted that representatives of the Belarusian security agency had been on Protasevich's flight. "Then when the plane had entered Belarus airspace, the KGB officers initiated a fight with the Ryanair crew insisting there's an IED onboard," he said. A spokeswoman for state company Lithuanian Airports, Lina Beisine, told AFP that Minsk airport had said the flight was redirected "due to a conflict between a member of the crew and the passengers". In a statement -- that did not mention Protasevich -- Ryanair said the flight's crew had been notified by Belarus air traffic control of "a potential security threat on board" and were instructed to divert to Minsk, the "nearest" airport. The EU and the United States have sanctioned Lukashenko and dozens of officials and businessmen tied to his regime with asset freezes and visa bans. tk-acl/dt/kjl/rbu/je The J. Edgar Hoover Building of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is seen on April 03, 2019 in Washington, DC. Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images An FBI employee was charged with keeping classified information in her home for years. An FBI official said Kendra Kingsbury, 48, put "her country's sensitive secrets at risk." The information included information about US defense strategies and al-Qaeda. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. A federal grand jury indicted a Kansas FBI employee on charges of illegally stashing classified national security documents in her home for more than a decade, according to the Department of Justice. Kendra Kingsbury, 48, was charged May 18 with two counts of having unauthorized possession of documents relating to the national defense. Kingsbury was arrested and the indictment was unsealed May 21. Kingsbury served as an intelligence analyst for the agency's Kansas City Division for more than 12 years, and held a top secret security clearance, the indictment said. She was suspended in 2017. According to the indictment, she worked with numerous "FBI squads" that concentrated on different areas, including counterintelligence and violent gangs. The indictment alleged that Kingsbury started improperly removing "sensitive" documents and bringing them home in June 2004, and continued to do so up until December 15, 2017. The eight-page indictment alleged that Kingsbury obtained several documents with confidential information, including ways the US defends "against counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and cyber threats." Other documents in her possession included information about al Qaeda and a suspected associate of Osama Bin Laden. The indictment also said Kingsbury did not have a "need to know" most of the information she found in the documents, and was not granted permission to take any classified documents. "The breadth and depth of classified national security information retained by the defendant for more than a decade is simply astonishing," the assistant director of the FBI's counterintelligence division, Alan Kohler Jr., said in a statement. Read the original article on Insider May 23It's almost baseball season, as the Santa Fe Fuego are set to open their 2021 Pecos League season against the Roswell Invaders on June 2. But, first, the home team needs a place to stay. The Fuego is seeking families willing to host one or more players at their home through the end of the season in early August. "A vital part of a successful season is to have host families provide housing for the players, giving them support and a family atmosphere for the summer," the Fuego say on their website. "Many past Host Families have developed friendships with the players they have welcomed into their homes and have enjoyed watching their players progress in their careers. This is a great opportunity to receive an inside look at the trials and tribulations of a professional baseball player." The Fuego ask that host families provide each player with their own room for the season, and access to a kitchen, and washer and drier, if possible. Host families get two season passes for Fuego home games and a discount on merchandise. If interested, a meet-and-greet event will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on May 26 at Fort Marcy Ballfield. There's also a form at santafefuego.com. Alexis and John Cloonan appeal for anyone with any information that would lead to discovering who shot dead six year old Aiden Cleos (Fox 11 News) A family in California have appealed for anyone with information about the fatal shooting of a six-year-old boy to come forward. Aiden Leos was killed on Friday morning in what authorities believe was incited by road rage as he was being driven by his mother to school. A GoFundMe was established, which has raised over $130,000 for the family. They spoke at a press conference asking for anyone who knows to come forward. His sister emotionally pleaded for people to come forward. Please help us find the people that did this to my little brother. Hes only six and he was so sweet. He was a very loving boy so please help us find who did this to him. he said to reporters. She spoke about her mother having to hold her little boy as he died so she is very distraught right now. Aidens uncle John Cloonan also spoke to the media, saying You can tell it was a cowardly way of doing it because they shot her in the back pretty much. You have no idea what you took from us today. You took her son away, her boy. This boy was full of love and joy and laughter. he said. I hope someone knows something and that whoever did this, I hope you can see what youve done to this family. Not that it matters much now because my nephew is dead. Were never going to be full again. He continued. He described how Ms Cloonan was merging to the right side to get away from the person, and as you can see if you go online and look at the photos, theres one bullet shot in the trunk that went through the trunk and right through my nephew. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. The tragic killing happened at roughly 8.10 am while Aidens mother Joanna Cloonan was driving him to his kindergarten class at Calvary Chapel Yorba Linda. Ms Cloonan gestured to a driver who cut her off, as she veered her body to the right, a gunman, believed to be a passenger in the other car, shot a bullet into the car, which hit Aiden. Mommy, my tummy hurts, Aiden is reported to have said. After pulling the car over, Ms Cloonan pulled him out the car and a police officer, not on duty, performed CPR on the boy, until an ambulance arrived. Aiden was declared dead at Orange County Hospital Story continues Police are searching for the suspects, who they believe to be a man, the shooter and woman, the driver of the white Volkswagen. A spokesperson for California Highway Patrol told the Orange County Register that they were working day and night to find them, and seeking dashcam footage of passing cars. The names of the suspects have not been released, and the police are describing it as an isolated road rage incident. A homeless man pushes his cart of belongings along the streets of downtown Los Angeles, California - AFP Dating back to 1921, the Pacific Palisades has been home to intellectuals and Hollywood celebrities for decades. Larry David, Ben Affleck and Arnold Schwarzenegger - who went on to become Californias governor - are among the stars who have made the town with a three-mile coastline their home. More secluded than areas like Beverly Hills, the town - which has a population of just under 30,000 - is a haven of tranquility. House prices can be stratospheric. Francois Navarre, the owner of one of Hollywoods major celebrity photo agencies, recently put his mansion on the market for an eye-watering $15.9 million. Residents have long regarded the paparazzi as a nuisance. Ben Affleck, for example, complained about being followed by photographers when taking his children to church. But now there is a new bone of contention. Residents of the Pacific Palisades and other upmarket Los Angeles beach towns are fuming at council plans to house the homeless in temporary cabins next to the seafront. Thousands have signed a petition to halt a proposal by local council members to dismantle unofficial encampments and move the homeless population to shelters in parks and beaches, including the famous Will Rogers State beach, where Baywatch was filmed. The Pacific Palisades is a beach retreat for the elite - Jon Bilous Pictures distributed by Councilman Mike Bonin show rows of beach hut-style cabins, which he called legalised emergency homeless shelters, in car parks in the Marina del Rey and Pacific Palisades areas of Santa Monica Bay. Parents are frustrated, said Matt Stayner, 54, a long-term resident who said he can no longer take his four children to Westchester Park, one of the earmarked areas. Weve lost our park and I would like to see action. Opponents said the proposed camps are not a solution to homelessness and would bring the problems of drugs, mental illness, crime and danger into the communities where the tent cities would rise. They feared their communities could become the next Venice, a neighbourhood with multiple encampments that has experienced a huge 177 per cent spike in violent robberies in the last year. Story continues Business owners say they are being forced to close their doors, while some residents say they are now too afraid to leave their homes after dark. Videos appear on social media every day showing fires being lit and fights breaking out. Homelessness in Los Angeles was already on the rise before the coronavirus pandemic, which has further exasperated the problem in places like Skid Row, Hollywood and Venice Beach. The LA Homeless Services Authority says homelessness was up 13 per cent, this year reaching 66,000 people in the greater LA area. Other residents said that while the solution was not ideal, they did not see what else could be done to alleviate the problem. Homeless population in Venice continues to grow which has resulted in a petition to recall Los Angeles City Council member Mike Bonin - Mega/JRSN I think a lot of people are thinking if we create safe camping locations, that more people will come, Sara Chapman told the LA Times. Well guess what? Theyre already here. So not dealing with them and not doing something is not the answer. Gavin Newsom, the Californian governor, said he was committing $12billion toward the state's seemingly intractable homeless problem in what he said was the largest amount of money spent at one time to get people off the streets. The move comes as LA, San Francisco and San Diego, along with smaller cities and towns, grapple with mushrooming homeless populations and the spread of unsanitary conditions and disease in blighted communities. The $12billion in homelessness spending is part of a larger $100billion package Newsom calls the "California Comeback Plan," in reference to economic damage sustained to the nation's most populous state during the coronavirus pandemic. Of the $12billion, $7billion would be used to acquire more temporary housing under "Project Roomkey," a programme in which the state provides money for cities and counties to rent hotel rooms for people living on the streets. Another $1.75billion would be spent to build affordable homes, some $450million to address student homelessness and $150million to "stabilise and rehouse" people given shelter under Project Roomkey. Last month, the US District Judge David Carter ordered Los Angeles to find shelter for the roughly 4,500 people living on the streets of the city's infamous Skid Row neighbourhood. They are the first in the nation to finish a medical cannabis masters program, she said. They are going to have a significant impact on how medical cannabis is used. They are going to contribute to research, and I think, new laws that support the use of medical cannabis for patients with various health challenges. Cryptocurrency exchange Huobi said its scaled back or suspended some of its services and products in certain countries and has stopped its miner hosting services in mainland China in response to the recent crackdown on crypto in that country. News of the exchanges pullback, which includes suspending some of its futures contract trading services, leveraged investment products, exchange-traded products (ETP) as well as miner hosting services in China, appears to be one of the reasons for the latest drop in the crypto market. The price of bitcoin fell to as low as $31,816.14 before rebounding slightly to $31,905,.17, down 16.4% in the last 24 hours while ether is down to $1,793.08, down 24.3% in the last 24 hours after having been above $4,300 a few weeks ago. Bitcoin has now lost more than half its value from its all-time high of $64,829.14 set last month. Most other major cryptos are down anywhere from 15% to 30% and more. Related: Market Wrap: China Breaks Crypto as Bitcoin Falls to $36K, ETH Drops $300 in Two Hours Due to recent dynamic changes in the market, in order to protect the interests of investors, a portion of services such as futures contracts, ETP, or other leveraged investment products are temporarily not available to new users from a few specified countries and regions, according to Huobis statement shared with CoinDesk. Huobi always strives to abide by the evolving policies and regulations of each jurisdiction to adhere to risk and preserve the well-being of our users and their assets, the statement said. The exchange did not disclose the specific countries and regions where it will stop the trading services and investment products. Huobi is also set to suspend the sale of crypto mining machines and mining hosting services in mainland China. The exchange said it will soon give its existing clients more details in regard with what to do with their mining machines. Story continues Related: Why Bitcoiners Are Rooting for This Latest China Mining Ban to Finally, Actually Be Real To be clear, Huobi did not stop the operation of its own mining pools but the co-location hosting services the exchange provides to anyone who wants to invest in crypto mining. The hosting sites operate their clients mining machines with maintenance services in their mining facilities, and do not own any of the mining machines themselves. Huobi is a major crypto trading services provider for the Chinese crypto investors. Huobi has the eighth largest mining pool in the world with 4% hashrate of the entire bitcoin network, according to data from BTC.com. The move came on the heels of a series of warnings against crypto trading and mining from a variety of Chinese authorities ranging from local government, financial industry associations and the State Council. The Financial Stability Development Committee of the State Council called for crackdown on crypto mining and trading while three financial industry associations sent a more targeted message to the Chinese banks and platform companies that have been friendly with crypto firms. The National Internet Finance Association of China, the China Banking Association and the Payment and Clearing Association of China, which specifically oversee major financial institutions, issued a crackdown notice that asks their member banks and payment companies not to offer services related to crypto such as over-the-counter (OTC) trading. While the notice is similar to a previous warning against crypto in 2017, it has sharpened the focus on the Chinese banking industry that has been providing services to crypto firms that run crypto trading platforms such as OTC desks. Tether price Tether on the Chinese fiat currency renminbi has been in sharp decline since Saturday morning after the State Councils notice, indicating there is more demand to trade the stablecoin for renminbi. Chinese investors are exiting the market, selling tether into RMB to avoid collateral damages (ie if further action against peer to peer OTC and banking), Dovey Wan, founder of crypto investment firm Primitive Capital, said on Twitter. Apart from more restrictions on trading activities, the latest crackdown advocated by the State Council, has also affected the mining industry in China as they may be cashing out as the crackdown notice came out on Friday night. China is arguably the largest bitcoin mining hub in the world. The Inner Mongolian branch of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said recently it will encourage people to report on any crypto mining operations in the region, signaling a tougher stance on the industry since the local government decided to eliminate all mining businesses due to environmental concerns. Related Stories This story originally published Thursday, May 20, by the Idaho Capital Sun. During the 2021 session, the Idaho Legislature increased its own funding by some of the highest levels of any state government agency, while rejecting millions of dollars in federal stimulus money and grants. Total Idaho general fund appropriations for the 2022 budget year are growing by 4% compared to last year, according to general fund comparison of the fiscal year 2021 and fiscal year 2022 budgets by the Division of Financial Management. The Idaho House of Representatives and Senate are increasing money for their own coffers by 26% through Senate Bill 1033 alone about a $1.7 million increase due to an increase in interim committees and a special session. In the meantime, Republicans led the rejection of $46 million in federal grants and stimulus funds, and refused federal funding that was already approved for Idaho that would have benefited schools and early childhood programs. On April 27, House Republicans killed Senate Bill 1210, which would have provided $40 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding for COVID-19 testing in schools. Supporters noted it would be optional for schools to participate in the testing program, which could have helped schools stay open and more quickly identify and respond to outbreaks. But some House Republicans painted the program as an expansion of big government and a way to collect more data on children. Forty million to pay for lab tests? I have a problem with this in our schools, Rep. Heather Scott said in floor debate April 27. On March 2, the House killed House Bill 226, which would have provided $6 million in federal grants for early childhood education in Idaho. The original bill failed on a razor-thin 34-36 margin. Again, House conservatives said they had sticker shock, wanted to rein in spending and said the costs of the federal stimulus packages would add to the national deficit. During the closing days of the session before the House took another recess May 12, the House declined to take up and vote on SB 1193, the rewritten bill containing the $6 million. Story continues Pressed about the $6 million during a Thursday press conference, Speaker of the House Scott Bedke, R-Oakley, said the House had already voted on the issue once and wasnt going to go down that road again. Take my word for it, the votes were not there, Bedke said. Technically speaking, the bill is still sitting on the Houses reading calendar if the Legislature reconvenes later this year. In previous Idaho Capital Sun reporting, Gov. Brad Littles budget director said its unusual for the state to reject or return money already approved for use in Idaho. This is my third session as budget director, and I cant say I can readily recall a time which we didnt accept federal funds for a specific purpose until this year, Division of Financial Management Administrator Alex Adams said during a telephone interview earlier this month. Any federal funds Idaho rejects can be available for Congress to send elsewhere. Higher education budgets On April 7, the second day after returning from recess, the House killed the $315 million higher education budget. Republicans cited anecdotes they said they heard to claim that universities, particularly Boise State University, were promoting a social justice ideology. Legislators rewrote the higher education budget and reduced funding for Boise State, Idaho State University and University of Idaho by a combined $2.5 million after legislators cited the social justice debate. Overall, higher education funding increased by 2% over last year. But that was a smaller increase than the 2.6% increase from the original budget bill, Senate Bill 1179. Gov. Brad Little had also recommended a 2.6% funding increase. Reigning in spending, but not for themselves Some of the same Republicans who argued in favor of reigning in spending and governing with the lightest touch possible also voted in favor of increasing budgets connected to the Legislature. Many agencies and branches of government will receive modest funding increases for 2022, or in some cases remain flat or see a slight decrease. Public schools get a 3.8% increase, the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation will get a 2.3% increase. The Department of Agriculture gets a 3.7% increase and Idaho State Police a whopping 22.55% increase. Funding for the House and Senate go up 26% through the one bill, and there are several others that increase funding connected to the Legislature or would have increased funding if the bill passed. Senate Bill 1033 increases funding for the Idaho House of Representatives and the Idaho Senate by $1.7 million every year going forward, an increase of 26% compared to the current years budget. According to the bills statement of purpose, the increase was necessary because year-end fund balances have been declining significantly over the past several years due to an increased number of interim committees, working groups and a special session. The bill passed quickly without any debate. Rep. Rick Youngblood, the Nampa Republican who sponsored the bill, explained how the funding works. The expenses are authorized by Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Winder, R-Boise, and Bedke. Funding comes from quarterly transfers out of the states general fund. Youngblood pointed out there were previous increases of 29% in 2002 and 21% in 2009. He then asked the House to pass the bill to continue the operations of our Senate and House of Representatives. It passed 59-8, with eight of the most conservative members of the House voting against it. But none of them debated or questioned the spending increase on the floor. Idahos Legislative Legal Defense Fund gets a boost Senate Bill 1022 spends $4 million to bolster the Legislative Legal Defense Fund. The fund was created in 2012 to be used for legal expenses incurred by the Legislature, such as when a law was challenged in court or when the Legislature utilizes outside private legal services. In her floor debate March 18, Rep. Caroline Nilsson Troy, R-Genesee, said the balance of the Houses portion of the account was down to zero dollars. As you know, weve gone through some recent lawsuits and as a Legislature, we dont choose to be sued, and we dont go out to sue others, Troy said in her floor debate. This is a bill that really is going to allow the Legislature to continue to operate as an equal branch of government. As I mentioned before, the Idaho Legislature is stretching our wings to be considered an equal branch of the three branches of government. Many bills pushed through by Republicans over the past decade have led to legal challenges and consistent losses in court losses that have come at a big cost to taxpayers. House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, attempted to question some of the fees for external legal services and ended up opposing the bill. Rep. Colin Nash, D-Boise, said the House spent the fund down by about $1 million since Fiscal Year 2019 by hiring private law firms to litigate petty, intergovernmental disputes, with Idaho Treasurer Julie Ellsworth over office space and another with Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra over funding for her offices budget. Funding this is showing that we continue to resort to expensive litigation to solve minor intergovernmental disputes, Nash said on the House floor. The public is tired of seeing the state sue itself. Rep. Wendy Horman, R-Idaho Falls, pushed back and supported the funding increase. The Legislature does not choose to be sued for doing our job, she said. In the end, the bill passed the House along party lines, 57-11, with all Republicans supporting it and all Democrats opposing it. Here is a look at the increases or decreases in the 22 general fund budget Israel Defense Forces (IDF) international spokesman Jonathan Conricus argued on "Fox and Friends Weekend" on Sunday that none of the recent violence in the Middle East "would have been possible without Iranian knowledge, funding, expertise and hands on involvement on the ground." "Its very clear, Iranian fingerprints are all over the situation in terms of money, knowledge, personnel and energy spent," Conricus told host Pete Hegseth. He added that "when the most important countries around the world are thinking about negotiating with Iran, people need to remember [that] the Iranians are the number one exporters of instability and terror and death and destruction in the Middle East and they should be addressed and held accountable as such." Israel, late last week, announced that it had come to a cease-fire agreement with Hamas that put an end to 11 days of fighting in which Hamas fired thousands of rockets at Israeli civilian targets, to which Israel responded with airstrikes. "Iranian specialists, engineers and people who deal in rocketry and explosives have been educating and telling Hamas engineers how to produce rockets, how to manufacture their own weapons," Conricus argued on Sunday. "Had it not been for that very specific and detailed Iranian intervention, we wouldnt have been in the situation now." He also explained that the IDF focused on degrading "these capabilities, both in terms of the locations where they produce the weapons, the rockets and also in terms of the key personnel, the terrorists, the engineers that are behind all of these rockets that have been fired throughout Israel." A United Nations spokesperson for Iran did not immediately respond to Fox News request for comment. NETANYAHU ADVISER MARK REGEV SAYS HAMAS SHOULD THINK TWICE BEFORE BREAKING CEASE-FIRE Brandishing assault rifles, hundreds of Hamas fighters paraded through the streets of Gaza on Saturday in a defiant claim of victory on the first full day of a cease-fire agreement with Israel. Conricus called it "no surprise." Story continues "We knew even on the first day of fighting that no matter how hard we would hit Hamas, they, at the end, like all terrorists do, would declare victory, but I dont think thats how they feel today," Conricus told Hegseth. "I think that theres probably a lot of reckoning, a lot of different after-action reviews that Hamas, their seniors, have to make because as they now come up from the tunnels that they hid in during these 11 days of fighting and meet the civilians that they are responsible for, they now see the magnitude of the destruction of their military infrastructure and they have to face the anger of the civilians in terms of what happened to the Gaza Strip and what they, Hamas leaders, brought upon Gaza for the first time since 2008." He added, "I think as the days will pass, we will see what kind of damage and how many military casualties Hamas and the other terrorists sustained and according to our estimate, it is not an insignificant number, were talking about a lot of dead terrorists." The fighting resulted in more than 200 deaths, mainly in Gaza. Palestinian officials estimate reconstruction will cost tens of millions of dollars, Reuters reported, adding that economists said the fighting could have hampered Israels economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. It's not clear how long the cease-fire could hold, with both sides saying they will only "hold fire" as long as the other side does. Israeli offensive and defensive capacity are still in solid shape. And Hamas is reportedly still boasting thousands of rockets in its now-battered Gaza arsenals. Speaking from Tel Aviv, Conricus had this message to Americans on Sunday: "Do not reward Hamas with a prize. Do not get confused with what happened on the ground, who started this, and do not forget which country is a democracy, which country is fighting against an evil jihadi terrorist organization and dont forget who is firing deliberately at civilians, all of those bad things are done by Hamas." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "Were defending ourselves," Conricus stressed. "Were using the latest and best American weapons to do so and we are very happy with our capability to target those terrorists." Fox News Tyler Olson contributed to this report. Dr Rajendra Bharud, district collector for Nandurbar, has been praised for his efforts in tacking the second wave As India's cities and towns struggled to keep Covid patients breathing amid a severe oxygen shortage, one rural district managed to avoid the crisis, BBC Marathi's Mayank Bhagwat and Janhavee Moole report. "There's a pattern in the pandemic and it's important to understand it," says Rajendra Bharud, the collector, or senior administrator, in Nandurbar district in India's western state of Maharashtra. He says he realised early on that he needed to plan and prepare. And that decision certainly paid off: he has been making headlines in India for what is being called the "Nandurbar model". The remote, tribal district is being praised for ramping up resources and managing its caseload in a devastating second wave that has left even Mumbai, Maharashtra's capital and India's richest city, reeling. How did that happen? Anticipating a crisis "We saw cases peaking in India after they peaked in Western countries. We had seen these countries being hit by a second wave and a third wave. So we realised it could happen here as well," Dr Bharud explains. Maharashtra, one of India's largest states, had long been a Covid hotspot - it still accounts for about a fifth of India's Covid caseload overall, although official figures show its share of active cases dropping in recent weeks. But in April, as the caseload mounted rapidly, Maharashtra presented an alarming scenario. It was adding more cases daily than any other state, partly given the size of its population. But it was also seeing a shortage of critical care beds and oxygen, and families found themselves travelling across districts in search of beds so they could save a loved one. Dr Bharud, who studied to be a doctor, says his background in medicine came in handy, and he was able to see the writing on the wall. At the height of the first wave in September last year, Nandurbar had around 1,000 active cases. But like everywhere in India, numbers dropped sharply in the following months - they fell below under 400 by the end of December. Story continues But Dr Bharud says his administration did not let its guard down. India's colonial-era epidemic diseases law gives district collectors a lot of powers to contain the spread of the virus - so he began preparing in September itself. An acute oxygen shortage has gripped India in the second Covid wave And even as cases dipped, his administration continued expanding or building infrastructure - from quarantine centres to oxygen plants - that would help fight the virus. And they were ready when cases began to climb by the end of March - by 30 April, Nandurbar had some 7,000 active cases. But they were not falling short of beds or running out of oxygen - a familiar sight across India's biggest cities. Preparing for the shortage Dr Bharud says the fact that Nandurbar was his home district helped. He personally knew the challenges that lay ahead. One of the remotest districts in western India, Nandurbar is located amid hilly forests, bordering the states of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. It's about 440km (270 miles) from Mumbai. It's a relatively poor district largely populated by tribespeople with few healthcare facilities. Before the pandemic, it had just nine critical care beds and 80 oxygen beds for a population of nearly two million, says Dr Rajesh Valvi at the Nandurbar Civil Hospital. Early in the second wave, some patients in border villages crossed into Gujarat when they found it difficult to find a hospital bed. But district officials soon converted schools and hostels into quarantine centres. And they were monitored by local primary healthcare centres - each village has one. So patients with mild symptoms were treated quickly and only those with a serious infection went to hospital. This ensured that patients' condition did not deteriorate due to delayed care and it significantly reduced the burden on major hospitals. They also added both critical care beds oxygen beds - now they have 148 of the former and 556 of the latter across the district. And with cases falling, some 200 beds are vacant. The other thing the district did was increase its oxygen supply. It did not have a liquid oxygen plant because it was not an industrial district - unlike some others that were able to tap into nearby industrial resources to ramp up supply. It also had no oxygen refill plant, which supplies the vital gas to portable cylinders. And none of the hospitals had a plant that could convert oxygen from air and directly supply it to beds via a pipeline. "We realised we would not get enough oxygen if there is a second wave," Dr Bharud says. So the district installed three such plants in September, February and March in two major government hospitals. And then two private hospitals in Nandurbar city followed suit. One plant can also fill up to 125 jumbo-sized cylinders to supply air to patients in other hospitals. These plants are now producing 4.8 million litres of oxygen per day - and Nandurbar has surplus oxygen that it sends to other districts. The district installed oxygen plants in three hospitals They bought 30 oxygen concentrators, too, which help the breathless patients breathe more easily, for primary healthcare centres in remote villages to reduce the burden on hospitals. They have also trained healthcare workers - including specialised "oxygen nurses" - and set up a centralised control room to monitor the situation. Neelima Walvi, an "oxygen nurse" in Nandurbar's biggest public hospital says her sole task is to monitor the oxygen given to Covid patients to cut waste or leakage. "If their oxygen level is over 95, I reduce the amount of oxygen given to them, say from five litres to one or two litres, depending on their condition," she says. Every Covid hospital or centre was told to appoint such a nurse for every 50 beds. The model proved so successful that the state government has ordered other districts to do the same. What comes next? Since the start of the pandemic, the district has recorded 38,000 Covid cases and about 700 deaths. In the second wave, it reported its highest number of daily deaths on 4 May - 18. Nandurbar is of course not an urban or densely populated district such as Mumbai, where the challenges are often greater. But its success, experts say, has show the value of India's vast decentralised bureaucracy that has not been harnessed enough to battle Covid. But challenges do remain, officials and doctors say. Dr Abhishek Payal, who has been treating Covid patients at a private hospital, says some of the shortages they faced in March and April have lessened as cases numbers appear to fall. But, he adds, following up on patients, is an issue in such a remote district. "A lot of the people we treat come from very far away. Once they are discharged, they cannot always return for a check-up for weeks or even months. So treating those facing long Covid is a big challenge." He is also worried that the infection is now spreading in rural areas, where vaccine hesitancy is higher, especially among the tribal communities. "It's not one man's job to fight Covid," Dr Bharud says. "We are focusing on how people can get treatment and vaccines in their villages so they don't have to travel far. "We need to improve facilities further to ensure that we are ready to face the third wave." Additional reporting by Nilesh Patil Read more of our Covid coverage: May 23Joe Hertler's heart and his head were in two different places this past year. As the frontman for Michigan-based funk/rock/jam band Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers, he wanted nothing more than to get back on stage and perform in front of an in-person audience. But he also recognized the very real risks associated with in-person events, so he was hesitant when offered the chance to tour again a couple months ago. "I was pretty against it," Hertler admitted. "I was like, 'Maybe we should wait a little bit,' but I think the benefit ultimately was to the spirit of the band and crew, who have been just really wanting to feel like that part of their lives is still pulsing." The group ultimately embarked on a "socially distanced tour" that started in Texas and headed east, criss-crossing through Southern states including Texas, Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina (and now will perform Friday, May 28 at The Lincoln). Even though several of these areas loosened health precautions a long time ago, it was crucial to the band to implement its own protocols to put on the safest shows possible. First off, Hertler said it took a while to get everyone fully vaccinated, but the band agreed not to hit the road until they'd all gotten their shots. They also openly encourage all their fans to do the same, especially those who plan to attend a live show. On tour, temperatures were checked upon entry, the group hired triple the security it usually does, and everyone sat in "pod seating" that forbade audience members from leaving their own group to help enforce social distancing. "We were pretty stringent," Hertler said. "And there were really no issues at all, which is interesting because ... we were getting messages from people being pissed off about (mask mandates), and then we'd also get messages from people on the opposite side being like, 'How can you guys even consider touring? That's so irresponsible.' And they have an argument there. But we just try to mitigate the risks as much as possible." Story continues Throughout the first year of the pandemic, Hertler and his bandmates spent a great deal of time livestreaming performances, but he couldn't bring himself to get excited about them. Those virtual shows just weren't the same, and he said the band's music doesn't translate as well in that type of setting (as opposed to how well it works for electronic bands, he offered as an example). When he wasn't performing in front of a webcam, Hertler was spending lock down in his home studio in Lansing, Michigan, working on new material. Keyboardist Micky Bracken and guitarist Bryan Hogon often came over to flesh out what he'd written that week, and the trio would work on production. He's never had this much time to work on demos, so this creative process was a little different than previous albums, but Hertler's excited about this new groove-heavy music. He said the record is nearly done; they just need to find someone to produce it and perhaps re-record a few songs. "It's very drum oriented there's a lot of hip-hop grooves, a lot of one-chord jams," he said. "I really, really got into hip-hop-style drum production. I feel like I just sort of listened to hip-hop exclusively for the last year or two, but it was the grooves in the drums that I think they really were inspired by." Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers haven't played Cheyenne since 2019, so Hertler is excited to return to Wyoming his second-favorite state after Michigan and see some familiar faces in the fanbase the band has grown since debuting locally at Fridays in the Asher a few years ago. "It's definitely a place I could someday consider living," he said of the Equality State. "We'll have a little time out there, too, so we'll probably go hiking and check out the area, as we typically do. And then also Wyoming's been supportive of us. It's a state most bands wouldn't travel to because they might not have a crowd there, but we're fortunate to have at least a couple hundred people that will buy a ticket and come up to our shows and are always really kind and enthusiastic and welcoming, so it's always a state that I super look forward to." Niki Kottmann is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's features editor. She can be reached at nkottmann@wyomingnews.com or 307-633-3135. Follow her on Twitter at @niki_mariee. Rescuers work by the wreckage of a cable car after it collapsed near the summit of the Stresa-Mottarone line in the Piedmont region, northern Italy, Sunday, May 23, 2022. Italian Police via AP A mountaintop cable car fell nearby Lake Maggiore in northern Italy, rescuers said. At least nine people were killed when the cable car collapsed, according to the Associated Press. It is believed that 11 people were on board at the time, Sky News reported. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. At least 12 people have died after a mountaintop cable car fell close to Lake Maggiore in northern Italy, according to local authorities. Italian emergency services said that two children were also seriously hurt in the fall and have been transported to a hospital in Turin, The Telegraph reported. The cable car collapsed near the summit of the Stresa-Mottarone line in the Piedmont region, the Associated Press reported. The line reaches a height of 4,900 feet, the AP said. Images show the wreckage fell into a thickly forested part of the mountain. It is unclear what caused the collapse. Mario Draghi, Italy's prime minister, shared his condolences in a statement. "I express the condolences of the entire government to the families of the victims, with a special thought for the children who were seriously injured and their families," Draghi said. Read the original article on Insider Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia, speaks to reporters about her recent interaction with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of New York, as she leaves the Capitol after the last vote of the week. (Photo by Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) Marjorie Taylor Greene lashed out at Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, accusing her of being at fault for the surge of anti-Semitic attacks. Ocasio-Cortez had denounced antisemitism attacks in the US and worldwide amid violent clashes in Gaza and Israel. Last week Greene came under fire after comparing Capitol mask mandates to the Holocaust. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene lashed out at New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, accusing her of being at fault for the surge of anti-Semitic attacks. In a tweet on Friday, Ocasio-Cortez denounced antisemitism attacks worldwide in the midst of violence between Israel and Palestine. Hate crimes against Jews in several US cities have surged in the past couple of weeks amid clashes in Gaza and Israel, as Insider's Sarah Al-Arshani previously reported. Police investigations of antisemitic assaults are underway in New York City and Los Angeles, for example. In response to Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, Greene claimed that the congresswoman is to blame "for attacks on Jewish people" and called her a "terrorist." "@AOC, you're responsible for attacks on Jewish people bc of your hate-Israel stance against Israel's right to defend itself from terrorists Hamas, calling Israel an apartheid state, & supporting terrorists groups," Greene tweeted Saturday. "Aligning yourself with terrorists means your a terrorist." This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Her comment comes after a recent spate of controversial statements and behavior. Last week, the Georgia lawmaker followed and chased Ocasio-Cortez in the Capitol, accusing her of backing terrorists. "You don't care about the American people," Greene shouted down as she pursued the New York lawmaker down a corridor. "Why do you support terrorists and antifa?" AOC responded to Greene's actions by telling reporters Greene is "a pretty belligerent person that's not in control of themselves." Greene, also last week, called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "mentally ill" for enforcing a mask mandate at the Capitol and compared the requirement to the Holocaust. While Greene was met with criticism from other GOP lawmakers and Jewish organizations she told an Arizona reporter on Saturday that she said nothing wrong and stood by her remarks. Read the original article on Insider Charlie Johnson was supposed to graduate from college on Saturday but his sister accepted his diploma instead. Thats because hours earlier, Johnson was among two people killed in an early-morning shooting near a nightclub in downtown Minneapolis. Eight other people were wounded in the gunfire which broke out around 2 a.m., according to FOX 9 of Minneapolis. The two deaths followed another fatal shooting in the city a few hours earlier, with the three total deaths bringing the citys 2021 homicide total to 31, the Star Tribune of Minneapolis reported. MINNEAPOLIS POLICE: 2 DEAD, 8 INJURED IN DOWNTOWN SHOOTING Two men had opened fire after an argument on North First Avenue, the report said. One gunman was killed while the other was arrested Saturday afternoon in Bloomington, just outside the city. The suspect, who was not immediately identified, was being held on probable cause murder in Hennepin County Jail, FOX 9 reported. Johnson, who had studied mechanical engineering at the University of St. Thomas, was a bystander, according to the station. Julie Sullivan, president of the university, shared a statement in reaction to the news that Johnson had died just hours before he would have graduated. "Our community is shocked and saddened by the news of Charlies death," Sullivan wrote. "We grieve with his family and friends and pray for their comfort. On a day he and his family should have been celebrating his graduation from our School of Engineering, we are devastated by this loss." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The university is making counseling available to grieving students and has also contacted the students family, FOX 9 reported. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he continues to work with the citys police chief and violence prevention director to address crime, the Star Tribune reported. Frey said he supports Chief Medaria Arradondos call for more public safety funding, the report said. She loved literature and widened our horizons through the novels, short stories and poetry she taught us to dissect, deconstruct, and grow to love as much as she did, said Dr. Viti. In senior year creative English, we became as enchanted just as she was, by Gerard Manley Hopkins, one of her favorite poets, and T.S. Eliot. I doubt that many high school students in that era, the 1960s, or even today plunged headlong into Hopkins long poem The Wreck of the Deutschland or Eliots Four Quartets. But we did, under her tutelage. Jill Sims is an avid traveler with two goals in mind for this summer: access to the great outdoors and avoiding crowds of people. She and millions of Americans are planning their getaways now that the pandemic is in retreat. They are buying tickets to wide open spaces in nature be it mountains or beaches around the U.S., avoiding the quarantines and virus tests required to go abroad. At Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, travelers are heading in outsized numbers to Alaska and several spots in the northern Rocky Mountains, like Jackson Hole, Wyo., and Kalispell, Mont. "It doesn't get much more open than Alaska," said Joe Esposito, senior vice president of network planning at Delta Air Lines. "Last summer was a very big year for Alaska and we think this summer's going to be even bigger." Airports are getting busier, with security checkpoints now processing about 65% of pre-pandemic passenger volumes. And airplanes are filling up now that all the airlines have unblocked middle seats. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gave the industry its latest boost in April by telling the public it was safe to travel once fully vaccinated. Booking lead times now stretch several months in advance rather than the two weeks that was typical during the pandemic. "There's no question there has been a mind-set change," said Kyle Potter, editor of Thrifty Traveler, a website providing airfare deal and consumer travel insights. "People are looking ahead and feeling confident in traveling in a way we haven't seen in the last 16 months." And that confidence is most visible at MSP in the surging number of flights to Alaska, up 30% this year compared with 2019 levels, said Brian Ryks, chief executive of the Metropolitan Airports Commission that runs the airport. "People still want to travel and they are substituting international trips for domestic trips," Ryks said, with many people deciding now is the time to check Hawaii and Alaska off their bucket lists. "Those are as exotic of destinations that you can get while still flying domestically." Story continues Twin Cities-based Sun Country Airlines has long been flying seasonally to Anchorage from its hometown, but added Fairbanks to its Alaska summer destinations this year. A couple of months later, the Minnesota-Alaska corridor became a battleground in a simmering squabble between Alaska Airlines and Delta over encroachments on each other's hub airports. "The competition between Alaska and Delta is absolutely cutthroat right now," Potter said. "That's good news for our region." In March, Atlanta-based Delta announced a bevy of new or expanded nonstop service between the Lower 48 states and Alaska, including doubling its daily flights between MSP and Fairbanks and adding a third daily flight from MSP to Anchorage. Exactly one week later, Alaska Airlines announced the launch this summer of nonstop service between MSP and Anchorage for the first time ever. "Airlines don't take kindly to their competitors going after each other's hubs," Potter said. MSP officials usually court airlines for months or years before landing a new route. Ryks said he and other airport staffers were caught off guard by Alaska Airlines' new nonstop to Anchorage. "To be honest, we were a little bit [surprised]. There's obviously some competition there with Delta, no doubt," Ryks said. "But certainly we are pleased with that service. The airline has a good customer service reputation." Scott Habberstad, director of sales for Alaska Airlines, chuckled and shrugged off the suggestion that its route announcement was the latest tit-for-tat with Delta. "The industry is trying new things to better understand where our consumers want to go and how they want to get there," he said. Alaska Airlines' customers and employees in Anchorage have been asking for a nonstop route to Minneapolis-St. Paul for years, he said. "I can say with a straight face, over the last 20 years, there has not been an employee meeting in Anchorage when somebody hasn't asked us to serve Anchorage to Minneapolis nonstop," he said. Many area residents have family in Minnesota or their kids come down to play college hockey in the North Star state. "So you just have this flow of family and sport between the two," Habberstad said. Still, a twice-weekly nonstop is considerably less than Delta's three daily round trips from MSP to Anchorage and its two daily round trips to Fairbanks. "The connectivity is really strong in our network to get you up to Alaska," Esposito of Delta said. Without the return of business or international travel, Delta had to throw historical data of where people want to travel out the window when planning this summer's schedule. "So we had to go at it logically in terms where we think people want to book," Esposito said. Meanwhile, Sun Country is trying to dodge the lunchroom food fight while also seeking to shuttle Minnesotans to and from the 49th state. Sun Country executives say the times of day and the days of the week scheduled for its MSP-Anchorage and MSP-Fairbanks trips are a better fit for Minnesotans' preferred travel times than Alaska Airlines' flights. "We feel really good about our ability to service the needs of folks originating from Minnesota," said Grant Whitney, Sun Country's chief revenue officer. As for Delta, Whitney and his colleagues at Sun Country prefer to avoid conflict with the behemoth. "They have a very powerful hub here in the Twin Cities," Whitney said. "We expect Delta will always have a really big presence in Alaska from the Twin Cities, but we will coexist with them there like we do in many of the markets we serve out of here, but take nothing away from them." But Alaska's popularity this summer faces an obstacle that air travelers across the country are encountering: a shortage of rental cars at their destination. Sims, who lives in Minneapolis, was initially thrilled to see Delta launch a huge fare sale this spring for summer flights to Anchorage. She's been there once before and is itching to get back. But after some consideration, she decided to visit Mount Rainier National Park in Washington and Acadia National Park in Maine this summer. "It is going to be so crowded," Sims said of Alaska. "The rental car shortage does stress me out quite a bit." When the pandemic grounded travel to a near-halt last spring, rental car companies lost their customers and revenue. To stymie losses, about one of every three rental cars in the U.S. were sold into the used car market. The resurgence in travel is now happening faster than the rental car companies are able to replenish their stock, and consumers fortunate enough to secure a rental reservation are paying hefty prices at the counter. "It is a challenge," said Habberstad, who lives in Anchorage. "It's something that I don't think anyone could've predicted 12, 13 months ago." Visitor bureaus in Alaska have been working feverishly to explain alternative transportation, from shuttle services to trains to private planes, he said. "I would encourage people to think a little differently about Alaska this year," Habberstad said. "Historically, it's a place people think you have to really plan your trip to. But don't be afraid to book an impulse trip. There are going to be great deals out there at the last minute." Kristen Leigh Painter 612-673-4767 When Alena Shifrins parents in 2014 moved in with her family of four in Mount Kisco, New York, she knew shed have to expand her 1,200-square-foot home. Soon the Cape Cod-style home about 37 miles northeast of Manhattan underwent a major renovation and grew to 2,300 square feet. Having her parents living with her allowed her to keep a close eye on her mother, who had suffered a stroke a few years earlier. It also allowed Shifrin to take a job as a fitness instructor without worrying about watching her young children, then 9 and 5. She had been a full-time, stay-at-home mother to accommodate her husbands busy schedule as an orthopedist. Now, her father could drive her children to their activities. But once the pandemic hit, the space started feeling cramped. And, the family wasn't alone. While the number of Americans living in multi-generational family households has continued to rise in recent years, the pandemic seems to have further accelerated the trend. Before March 2020 - when cases of COVID-19 began to surge and the economy sputtered - approximately 11% to 12% of primary residence buyers every year bought multi-generational homes. In the first three months of the pandemic, however, that number jumped to 15%, according to a National Association of Realtors analysis. The association's survey, based on 8,000 people who bought a home between April to June, found the top reason for buying a multi-generational home was to take care of aging parents. Permanent jobs rise: Employers sweeten pay, benefits for gig workers amid labor shortages Unemployment is 'broken': Benefits need reform, workers and lawmakers say As for Shifrin, her children were now 16 and 12, and they were attending school remotely. Her husband needed a quiet place while he treated his patients from home via telemedicine. Her fitness classes also had moved online. I was the one being loud. I have a little music and Im singing and Im like lets do this, and everyones home and its chaos and my parents are like, 'its so loud. Why are you guys so loud?' she said Not to mention, everyone was trying to find the best Wi-Fi spot in the house. Story continues By November, right after Thanksgiving, Shifrin says she realized the multi-generational family had outgrown the house. The pandemic made the need to find a bigger home more pressing. I was just so desperate. I was like, we've got to get out. This is not healthy. Everybody's getting miserable. It's time to go she says. Jessica Lautz, vice president of demographics research for the National Associations of Realtors, said taking care of aging parents and spending more time with them and relatives was a "top priority" for purchasing a multi-generational home. Lautz added that other reasons included adult children moving back home and cost savings that result from multiple incomes purchasing a larger house together. In 2016, 64 million people, or 20% of the U.S. population lived with multiple generations under one roof, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of census data. That number was the highest since 1950 when three or more generations living under one roof composed 21% of all households. John L. Graham, professor emeritus at the University of California, Irvine and co-author of All in the Family: A Practical Guide to Successful Multigenerational Living" says the growth in multi-generational households is a cultural shift back to the way things once were and that the arrangement is mutually beneficial. Its only in the last 50 years in the United States and the Northern European countries that people have tried out the nuclear family living, he says. It just doesn't work well. Grandparents and grandkids are supposed to be near each other. Graham says families living together provide enormous psychological benefits, particularly for the elderly when they are around younger people. Especially during the pandemic, with a shortage of health care workers, the family is going to be the saving grace of home health care, Graham said. The Bhatnagar family of Stamford, Connecticut. When the pandemic hit, Shobha Bhatnagar and her husband, Gaurav, found their adult children back at home in Scarsdale, New York, about 20 miles south of Shifrin's family. Their daughter had returned from college to learn remotely, and their son, who was working in Brooklyn, moved back home with his partner. The couples mothers, who live in India, also were slated to join them later in the year. While the family had planned to move to Connecticut to escape the high tax school district where they were living, theyd never thought of buying anything much larger than their 2,400 square-foot-house. The pandemic convinced them otherwise. The couple knew they no longer could plan to alternate the mothers visits and would need more space. Thats when they found the house of their dreams. In June, they saw a 5,000 square-foot home in Stamford, Connecticut, with six bedrooms, a cottage and a pool for which they paid less than the smaller Scarsdale home. They said the best part about the house was that it had two bedrooms and two bathrooms on the lower floor so their mothers wouldnt have to use the stairs. It was a place where each person could have their own space and be together to watch TV. The other thing was that they kept each other company and did not feel isolated, says Shobha Bhatnagar, who co-owns a management consulting firm with her husband. We were working extra-long hours. They would spend the mornings cooking and feeding us and then watch TV afterwards. Shobha Bhatnagar with her mother and daughter Home remodel snags: Finally tackling that renovation? You should expect delays, shortages 'I don't care that I'm overpaying': I dont care that Im overpaying The rise in multi-generational living can be attributed to racial and ethnic diversity in the U.S. population, according to Pew Research. Among Asians living in the U.S., 29% lived in multi-generational family households in 2016, according to census data. Among Hispanics and Blacks, the shares in 2016 were 27% and 26%, respectively. Among whites, 16% lived with multiple generations of family members. For Shifrin, having her parents at home where she could watch them was a major source of comfort during the pandemic. A lot of seniors are suffering depression from isolation because they can't see their families, she says. I was able to make sure that my parents got their vaccinations, and I could drive them without worrying about getting them sick since we were all quarantining together. Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is the housing and economy reporter for USA TODAY. Follow her on Twitter @SwapnaVenugopal This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Multi-generational home sales rise during COVID-19 as parents move in May 22TUPELO Dozens of Nettleton High School Class of 2021 graduates celebrated their accomplishments with friends and family at the BancorpSouth Arena on Saturday morning. Following the traditional graduation processional to the tune of "Pomp and Circumstance," Sarah Raper led the crowd in prayer before a welcome address by Casey Joe Fowler. "Nettleton High School will always hold a special place in our hearts," Fowler said. "First of all, I want to thank God for his many blessings. I also want to thank parents, teachers and administration for allowing us to have this event. Now, mamas get your tissues ready and dads, get your cameras out." In her speech, Valedictorian Viviann Housley reminded classmates that they're going to make mistakes in life, but they shouldn't dwell on them. She recalled being upset while riding home from school with her father after scoring a 95 out of 100 on an Algebra II test. He shared a quote from author Joyce Meyer, which Housley in turn shared with her classmates: "Strive for excellence, not perfection, because we don't live in a perfect world." Having been homeschooled as a child, Housley told her fellow seniors that her only image of high school before stepping through the doors of Nettleton was what she had seen on television. That motif ran through her speech as she looked back at the "seasons" they experienced together. "Classmates, I hope you carry a piece of Nettleton with you through every episode of your life," Housley said. "I hope one day we'll reunite for a sequel. I cannot wait to see the spinoffs of your success." After 73 of Nettleton's seniors crossed the stage to receive their diplomas, a special diploma presentation was made to the sister of Jamonte Guines, a graduate currently recovering in the hospital from a serious car accident, since he couldn't be there to accept it himself. Story continues NHS Principal Justin Hollis said having a traditional graduation ceremony meant the world to his students. "The last year-and-a-half of their high school career, they have dealt with so many obstacles that nobody before them has had to deal with," Hollis said, adding that it took "great character, integrity and work ethic" to make it through high school during the pandemic. blake.alsup@djournal.com Dozens of Myanmar security force members were killed Sunday, rebel fighters said, after heavy fighting in the coup-hit country's eastern fringe. Myanmar has been in chaos since the February putsch, as the military uses lethal force to crack down on dissent. The civilian death toll has climbed to at least 815 people, according to a local monitoring group. The violence has pushed some in the anti-junta movement to form a so-called "People's Defence Force" (PDF) in their own townships -- made up of civilians who fight back against security forces with homemade weapons. There were clashes in eastern Myanmar over the weekend, particularly in Kayah state's Demoso town, and in neighbouring Shan state. People's Defence Force member Thet Wai -- not his real name -- said at least 20 police officers died Sunday and his side seized a police station in Moebyel town, Shan state, east of the capital Naypyidaw. The police station was burnt down and rebel fighters also took four security force members into custody, local media reported. "I thought today is a day of conquest," Thet Wai, 29, told AFP. "But I am also worried because we have seen air strikes and tanks today. They have much better weapons than us." He said the Myanmar military had launched helicopter air strikes in the evening at Demoso, a town in Kayah state about 40 kilometres south. Another civilian fighter at Demoso said at least 13 Myanmar soldiers had been killed Sunday, while four of his men were wounded. "We intended to seize their police station, but they used air strikes and we could not stop their reinforcement trucks getting into the town," he said. "We had to withdraw our troops from fighting." The fighting continued through Sunday night, according to a senior leader of the Karenni National Progressive Party -- an ethnic armed group with a stronghold in Kayah state. He confirmed that the military was using tanks, helicopters and mortar attacks in Demoso and Loikaw, the capital of Kayah state. Story continues Meanwhile, military chief Min Aun Hlaing, who removed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi from power in the coup, gave a two-hour interview to Hong Kong's Phoenix Television, with the full programme yet to air. In a snippet released Sunday, he offered reassurances to Chinese investors after a spate of arson attacks at factories in the commercial capital Yangon. "Our citizens don't hate China," he said. "It happened for political reasons." Suu Kyi has not been seen in public since she was placed under house arrest. She has been hit with a string of criminal charges including flouting coronavirus restrictions during last year's election campaign and possessing unlicensed walkie-talkies. Suu Kyi is expected to appear in person in court on Monday for the first time, after weeks of delays to her legal case. bur-lpm/leg/dhc/ch A woman dining at Dukes Hawaiian restaurant by the pier said she heard fireworks while she was eating, and when she went to the window to see what was happening she saw hundreds of people running away from the beach. Rand Paul says he will not get vaccinated for Covid-19, flouting the advice of medical experts (AP) Senator Rand Paul says he will not get a Covid-19 vaccine because he already had the virus, flouting the advice of experts on the disease. Until they show me evidence that people who have already had the infection are dying in large numbers, or being hospitalized or getting very sick, I just made my own personal decision that Im not getting vaccinated because Ive already had the disease and I have natural immunity," Mr Paul told the conservative talk radio station WABC. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say people should still get vaccinated even if theyve previously contracted the virus, because little is known about how long the resulting natural immunity lasts. Dr Anthony Fauci, the United States top infectious diseases expert, has also said vaccines provide stronger protection than that immunity. Vaccines are highly efficacious, Dr Fauci said at a recent White House pandemic briefing. They are better than the response you get from natural infection. The Kentucky Republican contracted the coronavirus in March 2020, just as the pandemic was beginning to affect the United States. He was the first known senator to get infected, and tested positive just days after his father, former senator Ron Paul, publicly suggested the virus wasnt real . People should ask themselves whether this coronavirus pandemic could be a big hoax, the elder Mr Paul wrote on his website, with the actual danger of the disease massively exaggerated by those who seek to profit financially or politically from the ensuing panic. Since then, over 589,000 Americans have died of the virus, and more than 33 million have contracted it, including Senator Paul. Mr Paul has repeatedly sparred with Covid-19 experts about the virus, including with Dr Fauci at a combative congressional hearing . He was also the only senator of either party to oppose the first Covid relief bill, and has fiercely opposed lockdowns, mask mandates, and other measures to contain the pandemic. Story continues Read More Dr Fauci once again schools Rand Paul after GOP senator peddles Covid misinformation Dr Fauci fact-checks Rand Paul as he spews misinformation about Covid-19: Here we go again with the theater Marjorie Taylor Greene and Rand Paul show us how desperate Republicans have become Rand Paul called disgusting after attacking Joe Bidens transgender health nominee on trans issues Democratic senator demands Covid skeptic Rand Paul wear a mask on Senate floor Is the party over for Texas Instruments (TXN) stock? For months, shares in the major semiconductor company trended higher, fueled by the tailwinds from the global chip shortage. Since the end of April, though, this factor has no longer been sending shares to new highs. Following last months earnings and guidance release, investors have become more uncertain about results in upcoming quarters. As a result, after sliding back from above $190 per share, the stock has bounced between around $180 and $185 per share in the past few weeks. Some may see this sideways trading as an opportunity, but with shares still sporting a stretched valuation (a product of the past excitement over the chip shortage), shares may have more room to slide from here. (See Texas Instruments stock analysis on TipRanks) TXN Stock and Cooling Enthusiasm For its fiscal Q1 2021 (quarter ending March 31, 2021), Texas Instruments beat on both revenue and earnings. Sales for the quarter came in at $4.29 billion, ahead of analyst projections of $4 billion in revenue. Earnings for the last quarter were $1.87 per share, well above the sell-sides range of $1.44 to $1.66 per share. As mentioned above, these numbers were not enough to further excite investor interest in TXN stock. Managements commentary, on the surface, sounded bullish for the coming quarter. They described plans to increase their manufacturing capacities in response to strong demand for their chips. Upon deeper examination, analysts are questioning the veracity of the company's guidance. While its updated revenue forecast is above prior estimates, these numbers still point to lower-than-expected quarter-on-quarter growth. This is a matter for concern, because the forecast does not match up well with the stocks still-premium valuation. That inconsistency doesn't necessarily indicate a big downside risk for the stock, but it may pave the way for shares to continue pulling back. Shares Remain Richly Priced Compared to Peers Story continues After sliding back from its highs, TXN stock might be ready to recover (at least partially) from its recent losses. Yet, given its still-premium forward P/E ratio, a recovery may not be in the cards. Sure, in todays market, a 24.4x forward P/E is by no means frothy. That being said, its still much higher than what similarly-sized chip peers trade for at present. For example, Broadcom (AVGO) and Qualcomm (QCOM) sport forward P/E ratios of around 16.4x and 16.7x, respectively. Another similar play, Analog Devices (ADI), does sell at a similar forward valuation to TXN (around 25.3x). Like TXN, this company counts the automotive and communications industries as key end-users for its chips. At the same time, ADI has more justification for its forward multiple, as it's growing at a much fast clip than TXN. Until we see more signs that the aforementioned chip shortage tailwinds will continue to boost Texas Instruments results, its hard to see its current valuation as sustainable. What Analysts are Saying About TXN Stock According to TipRanks, TXN stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy. Out of 18 analyst, 10 rate it a Buy, 6 analysts rate it a Hold, and 2 analysts rate it a Sell. As for price targets, the average analyst price target on TXN stock today is $205.06 per share, implying around 10.8% upside from todays prices. Analyst price targets range from a low of $170 per share, to a high of $235 per share. Bottom Line: Pullback More Likely Than Rebound For the past few weeks, many chip plays, much like Texas Instruments, have pulled back. Investors fear a post-chip shortage crash across the board. This fear may be overblown, at least according to Citi analyst Christopher Danely, who still believes the sector has more upside before the crash. All the same, its tough to avoid the likelihood that growth is set to slow in upcoming quarters. This may make it a challenge for TXI, sporting a forward P/E on par with faster-growing rivals, to maintain its current valuation. It's not set in stone, but this may signal that a continued pullback is more likely than a rebound. Investors may remain cautious, and less likely to dive back in, in light of their recent disappointment with Texas Instruments' earnings release. Disclosure: Thomas Niel held no position in any of the stocks mentioned in this article at the time of publication. Disclaimer: The information contained herein is for informational purposes only. Nothing in this article should be taken as a solicitation to purchase or sell securities. Denisfilm / Getty Images/iStockphoto Some U.S. residents might be getting extra government perks thanks to a surplus of cash in state coffers, likely in the form of lower tax rates or cash payments. See: $1400 Stimulus May Be on the Way This Time from Your State Find: Vaccine Perks: States Are Offering These Incentives to Encourage Covid-19 Vaccinations On Monday, CNBC reported that 29 states had taken in as much or more tax revenue during the previous 12 months than the year leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic, making them flush with extra cash. Some states with surpluses plan to use the extra money to provide financial relief to residents. The data comes from the Pew Charitable Trusts, which released a new report showing that despite the start of a recession, rainy day funds in the majority of states were either unchanged or grew in the fiscal year ended June 2020. Nationally, overall rainy day funds were $71.6 billion which ranked second behind only the pre-pandemic record of $78.7 billion to deal with budget shortfalls or other emergencies. New York, New Mexico and Maryland are among the states offering payments or tax credits to low-income families, CNBC noted. In California, which has a surplus of $75 billion, Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed sending $600 checks to residents earning up to $75,000 a year. California households struggling financially might also get relief on past-due rent, utility bills and traffic tickets. Idaho, with a $500 million surplus, is providing a tax rebate to residents who filed a 2019 tax return, in amounts of either $50 per person or 9% of taxes owed, whichever is greater. The state has also authorized a lower top tax rate. Other states with surpluses that have either enacted or proposed tax cuts include Montana, Oklahoma and Iowa. See: More States Are Stopping Federal Unemployment Benefits Early Are Your Benefits About to Be Cut? Find: Despite Optimism for Summer Travel, The Real Rebound Might Have to Wait a Year On the other end of the spectrum, some states that rely on tourism and natural resources have seen a drop in revenue as those industries were hit hard by the pandemic. This group includes Hawaii, Nevada, Texas and Alaska. Story continues Two states, New Jersey and Nevada, drained their savings in fiscal 2020. Connecticut posted the biggest revenue gain among states where rainy day savings grew as a share of operating costs. Wyoming had the largest rainy day reserves as a share of operating costs. Regardless of whether a state has a surplus, all are due to get a combined $195.3 billion in federal support as part of the American Rescue Plan. More From GOBankingRates This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: These States Are Handing Out Free Money Is Yours One of Them? WILL OLIVER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock / WILL OLIVER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Although the Colonial Pipeline has been restored after the cyberattack and fuel is (mostly) flowing freely some southeastern states are still experiencing a gas shortage and fuel prices may not drop by as much as expected in the coming weeks, ABC News reports. See: As Gas Demand Increases, So Do Prices 25% Higher Than Last Year Find: Gas Prices Are on the Rise And Not Because of the Pipeline Hack The app Gas Buddy showed that 31% of Virginia gas stations, for instance, are still without fuel as of Monday, which is keeping prices high. Business Expert Nancy Hubbard of the University of Lynchburg (VA), told the Virginia ABC News affiliate that gas prices may drop slightly, but not more than 5 or 10 cents per gallon, based on historical data. She explained, Gas always goes up in the summer simply because the blend that is used is more expensive than the winter blend. Additionally, she pointed to 2019 prices, where gas average $2.89 per gallon through May, based on statistics from AAA. To contrast, however, last May gas had dropped as low as $1.06 per gallon as a result of decreased demand during one of the roughest months of the pandemic. The national average gas price reached a high six-year high of $3.04 last weekend, according to AAA statistics, up from last months average of $2.87. Last weekends prices are still a full dollar and change lower than the record highs of 2008, when gas reached $4.11 per gallon in mid-July. Southern and Midwest states have some of the lowest prices in the country right now, with gas in Louisiana and Mississippi at $2.72. Texas, Arkansas, and Missouri drivers are paying just $2.76. Surprisingly, states most affected by the pipeline are paying just around $3 per gallon, while states on the West Coast, including California, are paying up to $4.13, according to AAA. See: Auto Expenses You Can Expect If You Havent Driven During Quarantine Find: Why Supply and Demand Is Important to You and the Economy Story continues If youre planning a long-distance trip for the holiday weekend, you may want to plan to stop and top off your tank when you reach states where gas costs less. More From GOBankingRates This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Which States Have the Lowest Gas Prices Right Now? Texas authorities seized more than a dozen firearms and over 3,500 rounds of ammunition following the pursuit of a suspect who was believed to be heading to Mexico. The short chase began around 7:30 p.m. Friday after a Texas Highway Patrol trooper attempted to stop a vehicle traveling in Hidalgo County, located on the border with Mexico, for a traffic violation, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) said in a press release. BORDER CRISIS: 233% INCREASE IN FENTANYL SEIZURES AT SOUTHERN BORDER The trooper eventually stopped the vehicle near the city of La Joya and discovered 16 firearms and 3,520 rounds of ammunition inside. The firearms seized included high-powered fully automatic rifles, shotguns, handguns and a .50 caliber rifle, the DPS said. The driver was arrested and is facing weapons charges. The DPS said he was believed to be headed to Mexico. "Everyday (sic), the @TxDPS is on the frontline to secure our border," Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted Saturday in response to the seizure. Fox News national correspondent Bill Melugin reported that a DPS official said the uinidentified suspect was a Mexican national. Fox News reached out to the DPS for more details but did not immediately hear back. The arrest occurred during Operation Lone Star, which was set up earlier this year in response to a surge in migrants and cartel smuggling across the Texas border. "Thanks to @GovAbbotts leadership, DPS continues its presence, including air, ground, marine and tactical security assets, along the border to combat the smuggling of people, weapons and drugs into Texas," the DPS tweeted. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Abbott told Fox News in March that Operation Lone Star deploys National Guard and DPS officers to help fill in the gaps along the border through which cartels smuggle migrants and drugs. Police are still investigating shooting at Youngstown bar (Getty Images) Three people have died and at least eight people following a mass shooting at a bar in Ohio, according to local police. The Youngstown Police Department were called to the Torch Club Bar and Grille at 2 am, after they received reports of a shooting. People affected by the gun violence were taken to the local hospital, the St Elizabeth Youngstown, but police were unable to comment on their conditions. Lieutenant of Youngstown police Frank Rutherford said that police were attempting to speak to as many eyewitnesses as they could. No information was provided about motive or any possible suspect. In 2016, Governor John Kasich signed a bill into law that allowed people to carry weapons into places such as, bars, restaurants and daycare facilities. Recently, there have been a number of high profile shootings across the country. NPR reported that, prior to this one, that there had been 194 mass shootings since the start of 2021 in the USA on 10 May. Read more: On 9 May, a shooter opened fire on his girlfriends family while they attended a Mothers Day party that was upset he was not invited to in Colorado Springs. Local police deemed it an incident of domestic abuse. In April, another shooter went on a killing spree around the Atlanta area whose victims were mostly women of Asian heritage. Lily Ebert, a 97-year-old Holocaust survivor, received antisemitic comments on her TikTok posts. TikTok: @lilybert There has been a sharp rise in the number of antisemitic incidents since the start of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The ADL said that between May 7 and May 14, 17,000 tweets used variations of the phrase, "Hitler was right." Jewish creators told Insider that their posts are being targeted with antisemitic abuse. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. At 97, Lily Ebert is one of the oldest Jewish creators on TikTok. She is also a survivor of the Auschwitz death camp, where the Nazis murdered 1.5 million Jews. Neither facts were enough to restrain the online mob looking for Jews to abuse on social media since Israel's bombing campaign on Gaza began. After posting an innocuous TikTok video wishing her followers a restful Shabbat (Sabbath) from her London home, her great-grandson and the account's administrator said she was flooded with "messages of hate." A "Happy Holocaust," "Peace be upon Hitler," and "Ask her if she thinks the treatment of Palestinians reminds her [of] the treatment she got in the camps" were some of the comments Ebert received. The targeting of the Auschwitz survivor is not a one-off; the Anti-Defamation League said that between May 7 and May 14, more than 17,000 tweets could be found that used variations of the phrase, "Hitler was right," Insider's Sarah Al-Arshani reported. There has been a 500 percent increase in the number of antisemitic incidents reported in the UK since May 8, according to the Community Security Trust (CST). Around a third of the 116 incidents took place online, the charity said. Insider spoke to several Jewish creators who described how the recent rise of anti-Jewish racism online, triggered by recent events in Israel and Gaza, has created an atmosphere so toxic that many are fearful for their safety and have considered leaving social media for good. Read more: People were offended when Clubhouse hosted an anti-Semitic discussion on the holiest day of the year for Jews Story continues Content about being Jewish is often spammed with antisemitic comments The majority of recent abuse is clearly driven by the most recent escalation of violence in the Middle East, Jewish creators told Insider. Gaza's health ministry said 232 Palestinians were killed and more than 1,900 were wounded in the conflict. Israel reported that at least 12 of its citizens died. But Jews in the diaspora, with no ties to Israel, were being held accountable for the death and destruction, Sara Gibbs, a Jewish comedy writer from London, said. "Ordinary Jews are blamed for the actions of a state thousands of miles away," Gibbs told Insider. "Regardless of what you feel about Israel, we don't have a collective responsibility for the actions of a foreign government. To suggest otherwise is just plain racism." Sara Gibbs has received antisemitic abuse on Twitter. Juliet McKee Jewish creators also said that their accounts are being spammed without even referencing the conflict, and any content identifying themselves as Jewish is often enough to attract antisemitic abuse. Katie Rez, a Canadian YouTuber, explained how apolitical content about her Jewish identity regularly leads to her receiving hateful comments. "I'll post a video about being Jewish and then people will just be like, 'Oh, so you support killing babies.' I'm like, okay, that's uncalled for," she said. Katie Rez was targeted with antisemitic abuse for wearing a Star of David necklace. Katie Rez In one recent incident, another YouTuber made a video that focused on her wearing a Star of David necklace. What followed was a barrage of antisemitic comments on her social media accounts, she said. "Ew, she's a Jew," said one comment. "Death to Jews," said another. Melinda Strauss, a TikToker with almost 200,000 followers, said that her videos chronicling her life as an Orthodox Jew in New York also frequently receive racist responses. "When I'm talking about keeping kosher at Trader Joe's, why are people commenting and saying these things?" she told Insider. Recently, her 12-year-old son became the focus of antisemitic attacks online after posting a video of him wearing a yarmulke. Commenters wrote "six million wasn't enough" - referring to the estimated number of Jews killed in the Holocaust - and told him to "get back in the oven," Strauss said. "A video about my son's yarmulke, literally the back of my son's head, was also getting message, after message, after message of people calling him a Palestinian killer," she said. A TikTok spokesperson told Insider: "Keeping our community safe is our top priority. Our Community Guidelines make it clear that hate has no place on TikTok. We use a combination of technologies and moderation teams to detect, review, and, where appropriate, remove content that violates those guidelines" The spokesperson added: "We're open about the fact that we won't catch every instance of violating content, which is why we continue to invest at scale in our safety operations, as well as giving our users more controls to manage their comments and making it easy for our community to report inappropriate content and behaviors in-app for review." While TikTok has implemented tools to make reporting and filtering out offensive comments easier, Jewish TikTokers, have shared videos describing how content without a single reference to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is often spammed with comments blaming Jews for the death of Palestinians. It has also become increasingly common on TikTok and Instagram for users to spam videos with "Free Palestine" or emojis of the Palestinian flag on unrelated content made by Jewish creators. "It's not antisemitic in any way to say, 'Free Palestine,'" Gibbs said. "It is antisemitic, however, to jump on a Jew's page and say, 'Free Palestine,' for absolutely no reason other than they're Jewish." The CST said it is committed to differentiating between "general anti-Israel campaigning" and antisemitic abuse. "It's only when the use of the "Free Palestine" slogan is targeted at blameless Jews, as often is the case on social media, that it is recorded as a potential hate crime. "If someone were to single out a random Jewish person specifically as the target, then we would count it as antisemitic because it's clearly being used in order to intimidate or harass that person," Dave Rich, head of policy at the CST, said. Even Jewish creators who speak in support of Palestinians are harassed Jewish creators who choose to comment on the conflict say that harassment ensues regardless of their leaning on the issue. Rachel SJ, a Jewish TikTok creator with over 45,000 followers, said that there is a problem with the common assumption that all Jews hold the same view on the matter. "It's interesting because I even know creators that have posted their views speaking out against Israel's actions and then on other videos they're still getting harassed in the comments," they said. The Los Angeles influencer posted a video about how to support Palestinians, but still receives an influx of abuse on their posts. "I'm definitely seeing a lot of hate towards Jews, probably as an attempt in solidarity or to help Palestinians, and obviously nobody wants to see other people's suffering, but targeting random Jews creates a really unsafe place," they said. Gibbs has shared a similar experience on Twitter, where she has 47,000 followers. "I find the actions of the government abhorrent and I can't and won't defend them," she said. "I understand that emotions run high when you see videos of children in distress or dead kids- but the target of the attacks is wrong." 'I've been scared to walk around in Toronto' Gibbs has taken temporary breaks from using Twitter to protect herself from an overwhelming amount of antisemitic abuse. Other creators have said that the atmosphere online has become so toxic that they have considered deleting their accounts permanently. "I consider it all the time," Rachel SJ said. "I talk to fellow Jewish creators about it and some of them have already left." Rez has also weighed up deleting her YouTube channel. "I have considered it but I'm not going to, especially when it comes to antisemitism, just because I feel like it's my duty to talk about this stuff." But her experiences online have made her increasingly afraid of real-life encounters, she said. "I've been scared to walk around in Toronto," Rez added. There are concerns in the Jewish community that online attacks are encouraging in-person attacks. "Grotesque displays of anti-Jewish racism should have no place on social media, yet we have found online networks rife with it, and it is now finding its way onto campuses and our streets," a spokesperson for the anti-racism charity Campaign Against Antisemitism told Insider. Hate crimes against Jews in several cities across the world have surged in the past couple of weeks. In Toronto, an elderly Jewish man was assaulted in Toronto while attending a pro-Palestinian event, the algemeiner reported. A religiously aggravated assault of a rabbi led to two arrests in the United Kingdom, the Jewish News said. Four men were arrested in London after a convoy of cars shouted racist and misogynistic abuse in a predominantly Jewish part of London, Sky News reported. This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. In the US, the ADL - which tracks antisemitic incidents - said in the week after the fighting in Israel and Palestine began they received 193 reports of anti-Jewish attacks. These incidents include two cars attempting to chase down a Jewish man in Los Angeles and the beating of a 29-year-old Jewish man in New York's Times Square. Synagogues in Tucson, Arizona, and Salt Lake City, Utah, have also been vandalized with swastikas, Fox News said. "This should be a wake-up call to all decent people that antisemitism online and offline is spiraling out of control," the Campaign Against Antisemitism spokesperson said. 'It leaves scars on the Jewish community' It is hoped that, with the recent news of a ceasefire on Friday, the number of antisemitic incidents might stop rising so dramatically. "The pattern previously has been that when the conflicts in Israel end or calm down, things tend to calm down," Rich said. But the damage dealt will still leave an impact, he added. "It leaves scars on the Jewish community and on the individual people affected by it, and those take a long time to kind of wear off." The creators hope that recent events might encourage people to reflect. "I hope people educate themselves about what antisemitism is and looks like in all of its many forms because it can be very subtle. It can be really hard to name and see because so much of it is normalized and prevalent," Rachel SJ said. Strauss agreed and stressed the importance of one particular lesson. "People have to learn to separate me as a Jewish person living in New York, or a Jewish person living in California, or anywhere outside of the Middle East, from what's happening in these conflicts," she said. Read the original article on Insider May 23Hawa Diarra in a blue, green and peach-colored African print dress and red head wrap was helping clean bowls of vegetables as she sat on a chair beneath the trees in the well-worn courtyard of her family's home in Bamako, Mali. That's when she saw the large man in a mask walk through the far entranceway. For a split second, she wasn't sure what was happening. "She was like, 'Who is this?'" Moulaye Sissoko said with a laugh. That's when he removed his light blue COVID covering and she saw the big grin of her son. She let out a squeal and came hustling toward him and the two embraced with a long, loving hug. Behind her, her daughters vocalized their surprise and utter delight. "I tried to make the trip a secret," the Dayton Flyers' 6-foot-9, 250-pound sophomore center said. "Only one of my sisters knew and I had her record it." Moulaye shared that emotional video on Instagram and it's now posted with this story on the Dayton Daily News website. It also shows Mamadou Sissoko, Moulaye's dad, walking down a corridor toward the courtyard. He's wearing a red Dayton Flyers cap and an unsuspecting look when he spots his 22-year-old son and, for a second, you can tell he is puzzled. "He thought maybe something was wrong, that that's why I was home," Moulaye said. But when he saw his son's reaction the joy, the confidence, the ease in which he immediately fit back into the family Mamadou knew better and that's when he lowered his head and charged like a bull into his boy's waiting arms. Moulaye Sissoko's family at their home in Bamako, Mali. From left: Aminata (sister who's known as Mimi), his mom Hawa Diarra, Moulaye, Mamadou Sissoko (dad), Siga (sister known as Anita) In front: Kadidiatou (sister known as Poutchou). CONTRIBUTED Moulaye Sissoko's family at their home in Bamako, Mali. From left: Aminata (sister who's known as Mimi), his mom Hawa Diarra, Moulaye, Mamadou Sissoko (dad), Siga (sister known as Anita) Story continues In front: Kadidiatou (sister known as Poutchou). CONTRIBUTED That recent scene was a far cry from the one six years ago when 16-year-old Moulaye left Mali for the United States with one suitcase, no English, no winter coat and a whole lot of nervousness to go with his big dreams. "I wanted to develop my basketball talent, but I had heard bad stories I'd seen movies, action movies where all kinds of things happen to people and I worried," he said. "I wondered what would happen to me." It soon became a whirlwind of new experiences and places he'd never heard of before. He went to live with a host family Danny and Andrea "A.J." Doyle in Bentonville, Arkansas. A few months later he was headed to Birmingham, Alabama to attend classes and play basketball at Central Park Christian School. The following year it was on to Lincoln Academy, a hoops-focused school in Suwanee, Georgia. The Doyles eventually moved to Des Moines, Iowa and that has become his home away from home. But no place has made more of an impact or been more of a challenge than the University of Dayton, which he came to in 2019. His first year as a Flyer when the Obi Toppin-led team went 29-2 before the COVID outbreak prevented a tournament run was a redshirt season so he could adjust to college life and develop his unpolished basketball skills. And then last season, he was hampered not only by the COVID concerns and protocols that significantly changed the game for everyone, but by an injury to his left knee that required surgery. He played in 14 games and averaged 1.4 points and 2.7 rebounds per contest. "Moulaye has been through a lot and he's had to show some real perseverance," Flyers coach Anthony Grant said. "Imagine going from a family where he had a mom and dad and siblings to having to rely on and depend on people he didn't know at all and who didn't speak your language. And you're in a place you know nothing about. "You have to count on those people to take care of you and guide you and lead you in the right direction. "He was fortunate to get with a really good family." Danny Doyle, who's now in real estate investment, is a former small college basketball player and a coach at the high school and college level. His wife A.J. serves in various capacities at the Valley Church in Des Moines. She and her husband who have a 2-year-old son, Nico have hosted several other Malian basketball players in recent years, most of whom both men and women are playing on college teams now. Among them are 6-foot-8 Issa Samake at Drake, 6-foot-11 N'Faly Dante at Oregon and 6-10 Mhamadou Diawara at Stetson. There's also 6-7 Harona Sissoko at Illinois State and women's players Aicha Coulibaly at Auburn and Purdue's Rokia Doumbia. "I can tell you Moulaye has always been an impressive young man," A.J. said. "It's pretty remarkable what any international student does, but especially one who has to learn the language and show some pretty amazing skill at a very young age. "It isn't easy to be away from your family and all that is familiar, especially when you're trying to keep up in the classroom and in sports. It's more challenging than most people know and that's why these kids deserve real credit." "With Moulaye, though, you can tell he was raised right. His parents turned out a wonderful son." Grant agreed, calling the Flyers' big man "mature" and "respectful." The other day, as Moulaye talked about his recent trip back home, he recalled that first time he left for America: "My mother was very worried and it took a while for my dad to convince her ... and to make me feel OK, too. "He had studied in England and been to America for work stuff and he sat me down for a couple of hours and just talked to me "He said, 'Don't forget where you come from and what we taught you. Remember who you are.'" Dayton's Moulaye Sissoko shoots against La Salle on Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020, at UD Arena. David Jablonski/Staff Dayton's Moulaye Sissoko shoots against La Salle on Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020, at UD Arena. David Jablonski/Staff Helping Mali athletes Although he speaks French, Bambara, the national language of Mali, and the closely-related Malinke, Moulaye knew no English when arrived in the Doyle's home. So how did they communicate? "With great difficulty," A.J. said with a laugh. "We communicated through a variety of ways. We used Google Translate and we also relied on a lot of hand gestures. "My husband and I both speak Spanish and occasionally we'd try a Spanish word and hope it was close enough to the French word so maybe he could figure out what we were saying. "And if we were really desperate, we'd call one of the other kids with a better command of English and have them translate." She and her husband, who both are from Des Moines originally, said their association with Malian athletes began "through a friend who runs a basketball camp in West Africa." Tidiane Drame, a Malian-American from California, is an amateur basketball scout and talent broker who runs the Mali Hope Foundation. Over the years, he's helped get several young Mali athletes to the United States, including 6-foot-8 McDonald's All American Cheick Diallo, who played a season at Kansas and in the NBA with the New Orleans Pelicans. He now plays in Russia. Drame also helped Dante, a five-star recruit who lived with the Dolyes and last season averaged 8.2 points and 5.8 rebounds a game for Oregon. A.J. said her husband was a volunteer coach at the West African camp and met several players who had hoop dreams they hoped to pursue in America. "He told me, 'You know we always wanted to open our home to foster care and in some type of way, maybe this is it,'" A.J. said. "We started with one kid and pretty soon he had a friend, who had friends, who had other friends and it just grew. Pretty soon we had a whole crew." She said Moulaye is the "social glue" of the bunch and keeps everybody in touch. While the Malians are spread out across the college basketball world, they often congregate at the Doyle home for holidays and breaks from school because its just too far or too expense to go home. University of Dayton men's basketball player Moulaye Sissoko with his mother, Hawa Diarra. CONTRIBUTED University of Dayton men's basketball player Moulaye Sissoko with his mother, Hawa Diarra. CONTRIBUTED Moulaye's last trip home had been in 2019 and before that he returned on occasion to play for the youth national teams in tournaments that took him to Spain and all across Africa, including Egypt, Rwanda, Senegal, Angola and South Africa. When they gather at the Doyle home, the Malians try to bring a little bit of African life with them. A.J. remembered a graduation celebration they held for five of the players. "The celebration was half American, half West African," she said. "Moulaye's dad was able to get a visa and came to be a part of it. "In West African culture the children prepare their own lamb for the dinner. When we lived in Arkansas, they also killed a lamb and prepared it for a big celebration. "This time we had a bunch of side dishes and even an African DJ. "I got to spend some time talking to Moulaye's father. He's a wonderful man and he and his wife truly did raise their son very well." Opportunity is there with Flyers Not only has Moulaye had to adjust to American life, but he's had to try to adapt to basketball as its played at the NCAA Division I level. "I think he's learning what it means to be successful in U.S. education and sports while still holding on to his heritage and background and the way he was raised," A.J. said. "That's not easy to do for someone who comes to a foreign country at his age. "It's not easy to adjust to the U.S. style of play on the basketball court either, especially in the beginning when you don't have that strong of a command of the language." Grant said he thinks the redshirt year helped Moulaye immensely, but said last year because of COVID risks and regulations was a setback for many. He said Moulaye's situation was further exacerbated because of the injury and his limited playing time: "At this stage of his career, going into year three, I think he understands what our expectations are and what it's going to take for him to each his potential. Dayton's Moulaye Sissoko shoots against Southern Methodist on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020, at UD Arena. David Jablonski/Staff Dayton's Moulaye Sissoko shoots against Southern Methodist on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020, at UD Arena. David Jablonski/Staff "He's doing what he needs to be doing in the classroom. We've just got to get him to understand how he can impact the game for us. If he can do that, the opportunity is there for him. But he's got to own it." The one-week trip back home to Mali was a way for Moulaye to recharge for what's ahead. "It was great to see my family and my homeboy," he said. "They want to know what it's like for international students and what my life is like in Dayton, things like that." He went to the open air market, visited relatives and said "every morning my mom would wake me up to see what I wanted to eat that day. "We had yassa and maafe (meat with tomato, onion, garlic, cabbage, leafy or root vegetables and peanut butter.) African porridge. Everything was organic. I got mangos and oranges right off the trees." While the daily temperature in Bamako population 2.7 million now tops 100 degrees in the landlocked nation, he said it beats the winter weather in Dayton: "I can't get used to the cold. I wear a couple of jackets and I'm still cold going to practice." But there was one thing he carried from Dayton to Mali. "I brought some games along to play with my family," he said. "I taught them how to play UNO. "No one there knows UNO." He does. Since coming to the U.S. he's gotten better and better at learning to play the cards he's been dealt. The following is a transcript of an interview with former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb that aired Sunday, May 23, 2021, on "Face the Nation." JOHN DICKERSON: And we go now to FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb, who sits on the board of Pfizer and joins us from Westport, Connecticut. Good morning. So-- DOCTOR SCOTT GOTTLIEB: Good morning. JOHN DICKERSON: Dr. Gottlieb, we have been piling up some good numbers in the last couple of weeks we've been meeting together, but I wanted to focus on one. We're going to put up on the- on the screen the decline in hospitalizations for people to see. What does that say to you, that graph? DR. GOTTLIEB: It shows really a rapidly declining overall vulnerability of the US population. I think we're still seeing a lot of cases per day, about 20,000 cases per day yesterday, and cases may not fall much below 10,000 because we're doing a lot of testing around the country. But the bottom line is that the people who are getting infected now tend to be people who are younger or less vulnerable to the infection because a lot of the vulnerable population has been vaccinated. About 85% of those above the age of 65 have now been vaccinated. So the people most likely to get into trouble with COVID have now been protected through vaccination. And you're seeing a rapidly declining rate of new hospitalizations as a consequence of that fact. JOHN DICKERSON: So as Mark Strassmann said in his piece, we are entering into the post pandemic stage. So help us put together a kind of toolkit to navigate that post pandemic stage. What should individuals be keeping in their mind for that stage that might be different than what we were all been thinking about for the last year and a half? DR. GOTTLIEB: Yeah, I think it's an environment right now where we're not going to rely necessarily on public health ordinances and mandates from governors and mayors to protect us, but we're going to have to protect ourselves based on our own assessment of our risk and our own comfort. And so if you're unvaccinated, you're going to be at higher risk. If you're in a high prevalence area where there's still a lot of infection, you're going to be at higher risk. If you have a pre-existing medical condition that could put you at higher risk because you're either immunocompromised, because of the medicine you might be on or you have a risk factor like heart disease or lung disease, you're going to be at higher risk as well. So I think people may need to make individual assessments of their risk as they make judgments about what they should and should be doing, like wearing a mask in an indoor setting and also judging the setting. If it's sort of, you know, crowded setting with a very mixed population, you don't know a lot of the people that's different than, you know, getting together in a household where, you know, a lot of people are vaccinated. And finally, we need to make a judgment about just what our comfort is. A lot of people have spent a year wearing masks, taking certain precautions. And so it's going to take some time for us to get comfortable again, going into settings without taking those precautions. I think there's nothing wrong with wearing a mask if you're still in an indoor setting, even in an environment where it's not- not mandated. And in some places, it's the etiquette. If you go into a pharmacy or a doctor's office, people expect you to be wearing a mask. So people have also got to make an assessment about what their comfort level is. And the good news is that I think culturally we've changed in that if you're walking around with a mask right now, you're not looked upon in an odd fashion. Whereas, you know, two years ago, if you wore a mask, everyone would take a step back from you. Story continues JOHN DICKESON: That's right. Well, and maybe- so maybe people carry the mask in their pocket and use it as the circumstances require. I wanted to add to your point about those who are vaccinated and those who are not. In the calculation people are making in this post pandemic phase, if you choose not to get vaccinated, you're making a public health choice as well, not just for yourself, right, based on what we know about how the vaccine works? And- and what- if you're vaccinated, your ability to spread really almost disappears. DR. GOTTLIEB: I think that's a key point. We haven't really talked about it as much because it's not currently in the approved labeling of the vaccines. And so FDA isn't in a position where they really can't speak to this directly and manufacturers can, of course, but CDC can, and they have. When they- when they lifted the recommendation for wearing masks indoors or outdoors, if you're vaccinated, what that change was predicated on was information that they have that gives them confidence that if you're fully vaccinated with one of the available vaccines, you're going to not only be much less likely to get infected, either symptomatic or asymptomatic infection, but if you do get infected, if you are vaccinated and you become asymptomatically infected, you're far less likely to transmit the infection. Now, we haven't fully quantified the magnitude of that, but it is substantial. So someone who is fully vaccinated, even if they do end up getting infected with the virus and either know they're infected or they don't know they're infected, they haven't developed symptoms, there's still going to be far less likely to spread that infection. So by getting vaccinated, you're protecting those around you, even if you're at lower risk, if you're someone who could potentially come into contact with the virus and put others at risk, and you don't want to be in that position of putting other people at risk. You have elderly parents, you have children, you have other people around you who may be vulnerable. Getting vaccinated is going to substantially reduce the likelihood that you could introduce the infection into a setting where other people could be put at risk. JOHN DICKERSON: In our last minute, what about parents who want to know what to think about their kids who are under 12 and they're not being able to get vaccinated? DR. GOTTLIEB: I think this gets back to some of the first points we discussed. You're going to have to make an assessment about the risk. I don't think kids need to be wearing masks outside anymore. I think CDC is going to have to revise its guidance for summer camps because wearing a mask, you know, is difficult in the summertime when it's hot. And I don't think that the risk merits that. But I do think parents need to make an assessment about the risk of the environment the child's going to be in. So, you know, in a crowded indoor, stuffy setting, in a classroom, for example, I think having kids continue to wear masks for a period of time is reasonable, still not in a very low prevalence environment. The rate of infection is coming down sharply. I think by June, we're probably going to be at one infection per 100,000 people per day, which is a very low level. It's what defines-- JOHN DICKERSON: All right. DR. GOTTLIEB: --as a very low level. So the risk is going to be quite low when we get to that point. JOHN DICKERSON: All right, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, once again, thanks so much for your help. And we'll be back in a moment. Gottlieb says Americans should rely on "individual assessments" of COVID risk Colleges resume in-person graduations as COVID-19 restrictions lift Russel Honore, who led Capitol security review, urges Senate to approve funding bill The following is a transcript of an interview with Senator Bernie Sanders that aired Sunday, May 23, 2021, on "Face the Nation." JOHN DICKERSON: And we go now to Senator Bernie Sanders, who joins us from Burlington, Vermont. Good morning, Senator. SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS: Good morning, JOHN. JOHN DICKERSON: I want to start in the Middle East. You have made the case that how the US government responds in this ceasefire period says something about President Biden's commitment to human rights more broadly. And last Sunday, you wrote a piece in The New York Times that said the US must stop being an apologist for the Netanyahu government. Since you wrote that the president has been very supportive of Israel. Do you think the administration is being an apologist for the Netanyahu government? SEN. SANDERS: Look JOHN, all that I think is that given the incredible suffering in Gaza, where we have a poverty rate of 56%, 70% of the young people are unemployed. And after the Israeli attacks, you have wastewater plants destroyed, clinics destroyed, hospitals destroyed. I think the United States has got to develop a even-handed approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We have to be pro-Israel, but we have to be pro-Palestinian. And I hope and believe the president understands that. And I was delighted to see that he is moving forward to try to rebuild with the international community, the destruction- rebuild Gaza after all of that destruction. JOHN DICKERSON: You mentioned an even-handed approach. When I read a portion of your editorial to Prime Minister Netanyahu, he thought it was preposterous, your claim that he had created the conditions and that- that he'd made peace impossible because he said, how do you have negotiations with Hamas? They are dedicated to the destruction of Israel. President Biden again said that this week when he said, "Until the region says unequivocally they acknowledge the right of Israel to exist as an independent Jewish state, there will be no peace." How do you have an even-handed approach to terrorists who want to destroy Israel? Story continues SEN. SANDERS: Well, what you have got to do is also understand that over the years, the Netanyahu government has become extremely right wing and that there are people in the Israeli government now who are overt racists. You have in West Jerusalem people being evicted from their homes. Tremendous pressure on people within Israel, the Arab community, as well as Gaza. So you have a very difficult situation. You have Hamas, a terrorist group. You have a right-wing Israeli government, and the situation is getting worse. And all that I'm saying is that the United States of America has got to be leading the world in bringing people together, not simply supplying weapons to kill children in Gaza. This last series of attacks killed 64 children and destroyed a large part of the infrastructure of Gaza in a community that has already been one of the most uninhabitable territories in the world. JOHN DICKERSON: You have put forward legislation that would delay the sale of military equipment to Israel. Would you also put the same kind of conditions you'd like to see on that aid to Israel on any aid the US gives through the UN or otherwise to the Palestinians to make sure that Hamas doesn't get any of it? SEN. SANDERS: Absolutely. Look, Hamas is a terrorist, corrupt, authoritarian group of people, and we have got to stand up to them. But once again, our job is not simply to put more and more military support for Israel. It is to bring people together, and we can't do it alone. We need the international community. But that's what I think we need to be doing. JOHN DICKERSON: Let me ask you about how this has played out here at home. The Anti-Defamation League says there were 193 reports of anti-Semitic incidents this week, up from 131 the previous week. So that's during this period while the crisis began. In the past, you've said it should be possible to be a critic of Israeli policy, but not be anti-Semitic. But it doesn't seem to be playing out that way with this uptick in random attacks. SEN. SANDERS: Anti-Semitism is rising in America. It's rising all over the world. That is an outrage. And we have got to combat anti-Semitism. We have to combat the increase in hate crimes in this country, against Asians, against African-Americans, against Latinos. So we got a serious problem of a nation which is being increasingly divided, being led by right wing extremists in that direction. JOHN DICKERSON: There are a number of liberals who use the word apartheid to describe Israel's treatment of the Palestinians, a number of them liberals in the House who use that language. The executive director of the American Jewish Congress, who handled Jewish outreach for your campaign, has said that that word, Joel Rubin, has said that using that word has increased the level of vitriol that has contributed to this anti-Semitism. Do you think those who- who share your view should not use that kind of language? SEN. SANDERS: Well, I think we should tone down the rhetoric. I think our goal is very simple. It is to understand that what's going on in Gaza today is unsustainable when you have 70% of the young people unemployed, when people cannot leave the community, when hospitals and wastewater plants have been destroyed. That is unsustainable. And the job of the United States is to bring people together. And that is what we have got to try to do. JOHN DICKERSON: I want to switch to domestic affairs now. The president and Republicans have been going back and forth on this question of infrastructure. The president made another bid, shortened the price tag a little bit. But the central question of what infrastructure means, Republicans say it roads and bridges. Democrats say it includes lots of other things in the environment, childcare, elder care. Is that difference so big that it can't be fixed through bipartisan negotiations and Democrats should just go it alone? SEN. SANDERS: Well, look, I think most working-class Americans understand that for the last 40 years, what the government has done is catered to the needs of the wealthy and large corporations. The rich are becoming much richer while real wages for average American workers have gone nowhere over the last many, many decades. And I think what we have got to do now, JOHN, is start paying attention to a struggling middle class and struggling working class. What does that mean? It means that at a time when half of our people are living paycheck to paycheck, we have got to create millions of good paying, good paying jobs. That is rebuilding roads and bridges. We've talked about that forever, but it is also having to deal with the existential threat of climate. How do you not deal with climate when the scientists tell us that the very future of the planet is in peril? And furthermore, when I think about infrastructure, of course, it means education. How do we lead the world unless we have, in a competitive economy, world economy, the best-educated workforce in the world? Of course, it means childcare. Of course it means health care. And I think we've got to expand Medicare to cover dental, eyeglasses, hearing aids. JOHN DICKERSON: So, Senator-- SEN. SANDERS: And of course, that means dealing with income and wealth inequality. JOHN DICKERSON: So in 30 seconds we have left, Senator, with ambitions like that which the president shares, how do you do it through a bipartisan process? Aren't you going to have to go through reconciliation just with Democratic votes? SEN. SANDERS: That's probably right. And I think that's what the American people want. We would like bipartisanship, but I don't think we have a seriousness on the part of the Republican leadership to address the major crisis facing this country. And if they're not coming forward, we've got to go forward alone. JOHN DICKERSON: All right. Senator Bernie Sanders, thank you so much for being with us. And we'll be back in one mom- one moment. Stay with us. Bernie Sanders urges "even-handed" U.S. approach to Israel and Palestinians As Gaza ceasefire holds, Israelis and Palestinians face political fallout Hamas sees victory in Gaza as ceasefire appears to hold Strong quakes rattle two regions of China, affecting thousands Xinhua) 09:08, May 23, 2021 Rescuers set up a tent in Yangbi Yi Autonomous County, southwest China's Yunnan Province, May 22, 2021. At least 3 people were killed and 27 others injured as of 6 a.m. Saturday after a series of earthquakes jolted Yangbi Yi Autonomous County in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Yunnan Province, local authorities said. Four earthquakes over 5.0-magnitude jolted Yangbi from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. (Beijing Time), according to the China Earthquake Networks Center. Rescue forces have been dispatched to the quake zone, and rescue efforts are underway. (Xinhua) KUNMING/XINING, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Three people are dead and dozens injured after a series of earthquakes rattled southwest China's Yunnan Province and northwest China's Qinghai Province. China has allocated 10 million yuan (about 1.56 million U.S. dollars) from its central budget for disaster relief to the provinces of Yunnan and Qinghai. The emergency funds, allocated by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Emergency Management, will be used to aid disaster relief and ensure people's livelihoods in the affected areas. Authorities have also sent 5,000 tents, 10,000 folding cots and 20,000 blankets to facilitate the relief work. The National Health Commission on Saturday dispatched medical teams, consisting of surgeons, critical-care experts, and psychologists, to the two regions. Four earthquakes over 5.0-magnitude struck Yangbi Yi Autonomous County in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday Beijing Time. The tremors were felt in all 12 counties and cities of the prefecture, with Yangbi being the worst hit. Hours later at 2:04 a.m. Saturday, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake jolted Maduo County of Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC). The county is located over 4,000 meters above sea level. The two locations are about 2,000 km apart. In Yunnan, by 3 p.m. Saturday, three people were killed and 32 others injured, according to a press briefing on Saturday night. Seven people were severely injured and 25 others had minor injuries. Earlier on Saturday morning, Li Zepeng, deputy head of the prefecture, said that a large number of houses and facilities were damaged in the areas hit by the quake. Soon after the earthquake, China's Ministry of Emergency Management (MEM) and the Yunnan provincial disaster reduction committee office initiated emergency response and dispatched rescuers. The prefecture of Dali also set up an earthquake relief headquarters, sending nine teams to nine villages and towns to carry out relief work. So far, over 16,200 rescuers and relief materials including tents and daily necessities have been dispatched to the quake area. Yangbi has arranged 380 centralized settlement sites for over 85,000 affected people. In Qinghai Province, 13 people suffered slight injuries, local rescuers said. Roads and houses were damaged. Strong tremors were felt by residents in provincial capital Xining, which is 385 km away from the county seat of Maduo. Work teams and well-equipped rescue forces have been immediately dispatched to the quake-hit area. As of 6 p.m. Saturday, 5,409 people have been relocated in Maduo county, and 370 tents have been set up in schools, hospitals and nursing homes. The earthquake occurred in the sparsely-populated pastoral areas, where brick and wood bungalows are mostly scattered, rescuers said. The barns and sheep pens of the local residents were damaged to a large extent, said Doter, Party secretary of the county's Huanghe Township. At an average altitude of 4,200 meters, Maduo County is located at the source region of the Yellow River with a great number of rivers and lakes. In the past five years, about 25 earthquakes of magnitude 3 or above have occurred within 200 kilometers of the epicenter, the largest of which occured Saturday, CENC data showed. (Web editor: Meng Bin, Bianji) This week, as schools start their final grading period and all the organizations within them begin to wind down for summer, some Parent Teacher Associations and organizations are trying to reach out to parents and guardians who will represent their diverse student bodies when they return to the buildings next year. And while great efforts have been made to pull communities together during this year of grief and isolation, for a lot of those PTAs, PTOs and PTSAs, the rooms they gather in next September will be similar to the one that I sat in 17 years ago: too white, too wealthy and, most likely, too removed from the academic, health and economic crisis that has exposed and exacerbated the inequalities that have been there all along. A look at the shareholders of Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C. (LON:FSTA) can tell us which group is most powerful. Generally speaking, as a company grows, institutions will increase their ownership. Conversely, insiders often decrease their ownership over time. We also tend to see lower insider ownership in companies that were previously publicly owned. Fuller Smith & Turner is a smaller company with a market capitalization of UK508m, so it may still be flying under the radar of many institutional investors. Taking a look at our data on the ownership groups (below), it seems that institutions own shares in the company. Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Fuller Smith & Turner. View our latest analysis for Fuller Smith & Turner What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Fuller Smith & Turner? Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing. As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Fuller Smith & Turner. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. When multiple institutions own a stock, there's always a risk that they are in a 'crowded trade'. When such a trade goes wrong, multiple parties may compete to sell stock fast. This risk is higher in a company without a history of growth. You can see Fuller Smith & Turner's historic earnings and revenue below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story. Our data indicates that hedge funds own 5.3% of Fuller Smith & Turner. That catches my attention because hedge funds sometimes try to influence management, or bring about changes that will create near term value for shareholders. Our data shows that BlackRock, Inc. is the largest shareholder with 8.5% of shares outstanding. For context, the second largest shareholder holds about 5.3% of the shares outstanding, followed by an ownership of 2.8% by the third-largest shareholder. Story continues A deeper look at our ownership data shows that the top 25 shareholders collectively hold less than half of the register, suggesting a large group of small holders where no single shareholder has a majority. While studying institutional ownership for a company can add value to your research, it is also a good practice to research analyst recommendations to get a deeper understand of a stock's expected performance. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily. Insider Ownership Of Fuller Smith & Turner The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. The company management answer to the board and the latter should represent the interests of shareholders. Notably, sometimes top-level managers are on the board themselves. Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances. Our most recent data indicates that insiders own some shares in Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C.. In their own names, insiders own UK21m worth of stock in the UK508m company. Some would say this shows alignment of interests between shareholders and the board. But it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling. General Public Ownership With a 50% ownership, the general public have some degree of sway over Fuller Smith & Turner. While this group can't necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run. Next Steps: It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Fuller Smith & Turner better, we need to consider many other factors. To that end, you should learn about the 2 warning signs we've spotted with Fuller Smith & Turner (including 1 which makes us a bit uncomfortable) . But ultimately it is the future, not the past, that will determine how well the owners of this business will do. Therefore we think it advisable to take a look at this free report showing whether analysts are predicting a brighter future. NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday the United States is waiting to see if North Korea wants to engage in diplomacy over the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Friday injected fresh urgency into attempts to engage North Korea in dialogue over its nuclear weapons, with Biden saying he would meet its leader Kim Jong Un under the right conditions. "We are waiting to see if Pyongyang actually wants to engage," Blinken said on ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" program. "The ball is in their court." "The best chance we have to achieve the objective of total denuclearization of the Korean peninsula is to engage diplomatically with North Korea," Blinken said. North Korea has rebuffed U.S. entreaties for diplomacy since Biden took over from Donald Trump, who had three summits with Kim and famously exchanged "beautiful letters" with the third-generation leader. (Reporting by Chris Sanders; Editing by Lisa Shumaker) A UN official in war-battered Gaza Sunday called for a "genuine political process" to avert further bloodshed, after the military conflict between Israel and Islamist group Hamas that ravaged the Palestinian enclave. As thousands of Gazans slowly tried to piece back together their lives, top UN staff visited the territory after an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire Friday halted 11 days of mutual bombardment, where they warned of the deep psychological trauma of the violence. On Sunday, in a badly-damaged district of Gaza city, volunteers swept up clouds of dust at the feet of collapsed buildings, while others shovelled debris onto the back of a donkey-drawn cart. Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip since May 10 have killed more than 200 Palestinians, rendered thousands homeless and laid waste to buildings and key infrastructure across the blockaded territory. It was the latest such bombardment to hit the crowded coastal strip of some two million people, after three previous wars with Israel since 2008. Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, said the reconstruction needed to go hand in hand with efforts to create "a different political environment". "We need to have a genuine focus on human development," on proper access to education, jobs and livelihoods, he said. "But this needs to be accompanied by a genuine political process". Speaking earlier to a group of journalists, he said "the layers of hardship in Gaza keep getting thicker", because the root causes of the conflict have not been addressed. - 'No pause to breathe' - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking ahead of an imminent trip to the region, reaffirmed Washington's support for a two-state solution so Israelis and Palestinians can live "with equal measures of security, of peace and dignity". Israeli strikes on Gaza killed 248 Palestinians, including 66 children, and have wounded over 1,900 people, the Gaza health ministry says. Story continues Rockets from Gaza claimed 12 lives in Israel, including one child and an Arab-Israeli teenager, an Israeli soldier, one Indian, and two Thai nationals, medics say. Some 357 people in Israel have been wounded. There is controversy about how many of those killed in Gaza were combatants, and how many were civilians. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed the bombing campaign had killed "more than 200 terrorists" in Gaza. Lynn Hastings, of the UN aid agency OCHA, said the intense bombing had devastated people's mental health. During the last war in 2014, "we had humanitarian pauses, where people were able to get out," she said. "That really speaks to the amount of trauma that was experienced this time, where there was absolutely no pause for people to breathe. "The comments that I have heard are not 'I need access to water' -- even though there are 800,000 people who don't have access to clean water right now -- but about the impacts on their lives overall and how they are ever going to recover from this," she said. - 'Here is my home' - Sitting drinking coffee under an olive tree near his destroyed house in Gaza, Abou Yahya was furious. "If I had 50 sons, I would tell them to go and fight Israel," he said. An Israeli air strike hit his home last week, reducing it to rubble, and he has vowed to sleep on top of the debris. "My family has asked me to leave it, not to sleep here, but I won't budge," he said. "Here is my home". Authorities have begun distributing tents and mattresses in the Gaza Strip, as the UN said at least 6,000 people had been made homeless by the bombardment. Lorries bringing much-needed medicine, food and fuel entered Gaza Friday through the Kerem Shalom crossing after Israel reopened it. Peace talks have stalled since 2014, including over the status of occupied east Jerusalem and Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The latest military escalation started after violent clashes in Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound, Islam's third holiest site, which is also revered by Jews as the Temple Mount. Israeli forces had moved in on Palestinian worshippers at the site, toward the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. They had also sought to quell protests against the expulsion of Palestinians from their homes in the east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah, to make way for Jewish settlers. The clashes prompted Hamas to launch rockets from Gaza towards Israel on May 10, and Israel responded with air strikes. On Sunday, Jewish visitors entered the Al-Aqsa compound for the first time in about three weeks. gl-ah/pjm Two people are seen silhouetted against a night sky turned red by the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo, in Goma, Congo Saturday, May 22, 2021. Associated Press/Justin Kabumba A volcano has erupted in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It's unclear if there were casualties, but thousands have already fled two nearby cities. A United Nations peacekeeping operation posted helicopter footage of the fiery scene. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Mount Nyiragongo has erupted in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, spewing lava onto a major highway and prompting thousands to flee, according to media reports. It wasn't immediately clear if any residents were killed or injured. The United Nations' peacekeeping operation in the area, MONUSCO, posted helicopter footage and wrote in French that the lava doesn't appear to be heading directly towards the city of Goma, but that they "remain on alert." This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it. Reuters reported that thousands of residents in the cities of Goma fled, some grabbing mattresses and other belongings. People flee with their belongings after the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo, in Goma, Congo, Saturday, May 22, 2021. Associated Press/Justin Kabumba The last time Mount Nyiragongo erupted was in 2002, killing 250 people and leaving 120,000 homeless, according to Reuters. The Congolese government told the Associated Press it was enacting an evacuation plan, but the outlet reported the announcement came long after the eruption began and many had already begun to flee across the Rwandan border. Read the original article on Insider WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three researchers from China's Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) sought hospital care in November 2019, a month before China reported the first cases of COVID-19, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing a U.S. intelligence report. The newspaper said the previously undisclosed report - which provides fresh details on the number of researchers affected, the timing of their illnesses, and their hospital visits - may add weight to calls for a broader investigation into whether the COVID-19 virus could have escaped from the laboratory. The Journal said current and former officials familiar with the intelligence expressed a range of views about the strength of the report's supporting evidence, with one unnamed person saying it needed "further investigation and additional corroboration." The first cases of what would eventually be known as COVID-19 were reported at the end of December 2019 in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the advanced laboratory specialising in coronavirus research is located. Chinese scientists and officials have consistently rejected the lab leak hypothesis, saying SARS-CoV-2 could have been circulating in other regions before it hit Wuhan, and might have even entered China from another country via imported frozen food shipments or wildlife trading. China's foreign ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian, said on Monday that it was "completely untrue" that three members of staff at WIV had fallen ill. "The United States continues to hype up the lab leak theory," he said. "Does it care about traceability or is it just trying to distract attention?" The Journal report came on the eve of a meeting of the World Health Organization's decision-making body, which is expected to discuss the next phase of an investigation into the origins of COVID-19. Asked about the report, WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said via email that the organisation's technical teams were now deciding on the next steps. He said further study was needed into the role of animal markets as well as the lab leak hypothesis. Story continues A U.S. National Security Council spokeswoman had no comment on the report but said the Biden administration continued to have "serious questions about the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, including its origins within the Peoples Republic of China." She said the U.S. government was working with the WHO and other member states to support an expert-driven evaluation of the pandemic's origins "that is free from interference or politicization." "We're not going to make pronouncements that prejudge an ongoing WHO study into the source of SARS-CoV-2, but we've been clear that sound and technically credible theories should be thoroughly evaluated by international experts," she said. A joint study into the origins of COVID-19 by the WHO and China published at the end of March said it was "extremely unlikely" that it had escaped from a lab. But China was accused of failing to disclose raw data on early COVID-19 cases to the WHO team, and the United States, the European Union and other Western countries called on Beijing to grant "full access" to independent experts. A State Department fact sheet released near the end of the Trump administration said "the U.S. government has reason to believe that several researchers inside the WIV became sick in autumn 2019, before the first identified case of the outbreak, with symptoms consistent with both COVID-19 and common seasonal illnesses." It did not say how many researchers. (Reporting by David Shepardson and Andrea Shalal; additional reporting by Gabriel Crossley in Beijing, David Stanway in Shanghai and Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Andrew Heavens) Liggon said in email to the News & Advance that as the school board's chairperson she is not aware of any equity lessons in the schools about critical race theory. "I was saddened that the school budget was not passed as anticipated and that our dedicated employees are awaiting a contract for the next school year," Liggon wrote. "With all that has happened with the COVID pandemic and all that our employees endured during this time, the delay has troubled me but we hope to resolve and move forward as quickly as possible after the June joint board meeting." Amherst Town Council has approved the towns $3.6 million budget for fiscal year 2022 that begins July 1. Town Manager Sara Carter said the budget balanced the towns need to continue investing in infrastructure while weathering the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The town has worked hard to manage costs and maintain a zero levy for real estate and personal property taxes, which has been in place for years in town of just more than 2,300 residents, according to Carter. The town also has reduced connection fees and eliminated availability fees for water and sewer hook ups, she said. A 1.4% cost-of-living pay increase also is included for town employees. The town employees 19 full time and 11 part time. The 6% of gross charge meals and beverage tax remains in place and the budget and holds all water and sewer rates and fees at the same level as fiscal years 2018 to 2021. Council voted 3-1, with member Janice Wheaton opposed and member Kenneth Bunch absent, to adopt the budget. No one spoke for or against it during a public hearing in April. After the chaos of the pandemic year, we are very grateful to be on a fiscally sound footing and especially glad to see business rebounding in the Town, Carter said of the new budget in a later email. Just as the past year amid the COVID-19 pandemic has been far from ordinary, Welburn urged the graduates to appreciate their uniqueness. In your time behind the red brick wall, you have become an original and a leader whether you realize it or not, Welburn told the graduates. ...This year has tested every fiber of your being, and just being here today is a declaration of success. Welburn encouraged the graduating class not to let the chaos of the last year overshadow this accomplishment. As graduates go forth into the next chapter of their lives, Welburn told them to block out the noise, focus on what is important and know that avoiding failure is impossible. Welburn said she was honored to return home 26 years after her commencement to join the Class of 2021 in celebrating their accomplishment. Randolph College President Bradley Bateman said it felt like a small miracle to see the Class of 2021 on the field Sunday. The last 15 months have tested us in ways that we did not know we could be tested, Bateman said. The isolation and loss of social life have been difficult. The uncertainty has been destabilizing. You have endured things that no class in the history of our college has had to endure. He also was president of Sweet Briar College and what is now Longwood University, and he served as the head of the State Council for Higher Education when it was formed. He died in 1975. The reason his name has come up in discussions about renaming the school is because of his role during the period after the U.S. Supreme Courts 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education. Lancaster was a segregationist. He was once quoted as saying, Well fight it from the housetops, from the street corners, in every possible way. We are going to maintain our way of life. Lancasters position at the time was for localities to have the local option to desegregate even if meant there would be some integration of schools rather than the state control. Lancaster was named the director of the State Referendum Information Center, which was created to spread awareness of the need to vote in favor of a statewide referendum to allow for tuition grants so parents could send their children to segregated private schools. Virginians overwhelmingly voted in favor of changing the Virginia Constitution to permit this. But when the Arlington School Board voted to integrate, segregationists worried it would spark more integration. But if Buckley were to say that he would support a proposal by the charter commission to move to a nonpartisan election system, as is the case in almost all Maryland municipalities, it might might blow enough wind into the sails of this idea that other candidates would get on board. Weve asked before: When did Democrats specifically the House Democratic leadership, since both measures passed the Senate with bipartisan support become so aggressively opposed to better schools, particularly in rural and central-city Virginia, the two places that have the most difficulty funding school construction? We have often pointed out that once it was liberal Democrat from Northern Virginia Francis Pickens Miller in 1949 who campaigned for governor on a platform of state aid for school construction. He lost but came close enough to winning the Democratic nomination that the conservative Democrats who ran the General Assembly then felt spooked into providing $75 million for new schools, which set off a wave of school construction across the state in the 1950s. That example while instructive is also so far in the past that it may no longer seem relevant, so heres a more recent one. In 1998 the last cycle in which Democrats had any control of the House of Delegates until the current term it was Democrats who made state funding for school construction their signature issue. More notably, it was Democrats from Northern Virginia who were often the most vocal in support. We ask again: What happened? Japan's Defense Ministry has announced that 7,348 people were administered coronavirus vaccinations on Monday, the first day of operations of large-scale facilities in Tokyo and Osaka. Residents aged 65 or over in Tokyo's 23 wards and Osaka City are eligible for inoculations at the two centers. They are run by the Self-Defense Forces in Tokyo's Otemachi district and Kita Ward in Osaka City. Ministry officials say 4,876 out of the 5,000 people who made reservations received shots at Tokyo's site, and 2,472 out of 2,500 were injected in Osaka. The unused doses were administered to civilian nurses and staff who work at the venues, in line with earlier plans. This week, officials plan to increase the number of people who are inoculated in stages. They will aim to inoculate up to 10,000 people a day in Tokyo and about 5,000 in Osaka from Monday, when senior residents across the whole of both prefectures become eligible. Four years after a New Zealand teacher died in Japan, where he was restrained to a hospital bed for more than a week, his family remains committed in their campaign to call for the end of the practice they believe killed their son. Kelly Savage died in Yamato City Hospital in Kanagawa Prefecture on May 17, 2017, a week after suffering a heart attack and more than two weeks after he was hospitalised for mental health issues. His parents, Martha and Mike Savage, believe he died after suffering a blood clot, after being strapped to a bed in the psychiatric ward for 10 days. From the time he was admitted until his fatal cardiac arrest, he was strapped to a bed, they said. A likely cause of death is that Kelly suffered a blood clot in his legs as a consequence of the restraint for 10 days, and this blood clot travelled to his lungs. When the hospital authorities did little to explain or investigate the circumstances of the 27-year-olds death, his family started a public campaign to draw attention to the practice to prevent others from having the same fate. Kellys parents said that a study of Japanese police autopsies showed 47 deaths were suspected of being caused by mechanical restraints in psychiatric hospitals from 2016 to 2018. The number of people restrained in Japanese psychiatric hospitals had more than doubled over a 20-year period, peaking at 12,528 in 2017, they said. After Norwich University, Grenville enrolled in Captain Partridges academy where he could focus his youthful rage and put into practice what I had learned at Norwich. By July 1851, his higher education complete, Grenville Dodge set his sights on a civil engineering position in Peru, Illinois. His parents were shocked and disappointed that he would be relocating so far away. Little did they know Grenvilles first move signaled the beginning of multiple journeys journeys in which the entire family would eventually participate. Grenville received $2 per day to lay track and assist in surveying. In 1852, at age 21, his lifes course became further entrenched when he was hired by Peter Day, an engineer with the Rock Island Railroad Company. Day, very impressed by the quality of the work, gave Grenville his own crew and challenged him to select the best routes for the railroad. Impressed once again, Day made Grenville his principal assistant. In time, Day progressively became a mentor and father figure to the young man. The young engineer charted and surveyed the trans-Iowa railway through Grinnell and beyond. By 1853, Grenville saw Council Bluffs for the first time. The citizens of the Bluffs were so delighted with the prospect of the railroad that they gave him and his men fresh clothes (no doubt desperately needed), and honored them with a ball. To accommodate its bat population, Kevin Cavallin, a volunteer at the Iowa Wildlife Center, said the center built makeshift dwellings using portable greenhouses to house them over the winter months. As you can imagine, its been a task taking care of two seasons worth of bats, Cavallin said. According to its website, a study by the U.S. Geological Survey concluded that the risk of passing SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, on to North American bats was low. In late fall, we were given the greenlight to release some of our 2019 bats, Cavallin said. It was welcome news, as some of the bats had started reproducing in captivity, meaning even more bats for which to care. Most of the bats brought to the Iowa Wildlife Center are recovered from homes all across Iowa. One of the bats released on Wednesday was recovered from a church in Des Moines in 2019. Big brown bats, the species of bat released at Grays Lake park on Wednesday, are termed crevice-dwelling bats and type that are typically found in homes, taking up residency where there is easy access to water and moderate temperatures. People find them where they shouldnt be, or their cats find them or their dogs find them, Ehresman said. A frequent thought among those who can be skeptical about the true intentions of politicians is that the only political party that truly cares about government spending, debts and deficits is the party that is out of power. Given the Iowa Legislatures recent history, it appears local control suffers from a similar ideological malleability. In other words: Iowa state lawmakers think local control is great until they are in control and another government body is doing something they dont like. For recent evidence, look no further than the 2021 session of the Iowa Legislature. With Republicans in complete command of the state-lawmaking process, local control was an oak leaf in a tornado as state lawmakers enacted new mandates that limited the governing options of local school boards, elections officials, county supervisors and city councils and mayors. A bill that was passed in the 11th hour (and signed into law in the 12th) prohibits local governments from enacting public face mask requirements that exceed the states requirement, if any. So if the COVID-19 pandemic flares up again in any corner of the state, those communities will not be allowed to enact face mask requirements unless the state has one. For 30 years, the Sandhills Cattle Association has awarded scholarships to the youth of the association members. In that time, 500 applications have been reviewed and reduced to 124 scholarship recipients, who have been awarded $110,250 just from the Sandhills Cattle Association alone. Funds for this program are raised through the annual benefit auction at each convention. In September 2020 the scholarship auction brought in nearly $6,700 thanks to many vendors generous donations throughout the Sandhills region. This year, 21 applications for the Sandhills Cattle Association scholarship program were submitted for the committees review. The committee narrowed down the applicants to eight finalists and ultimately awarded five scholarship recipients. The associated has announced that after a lengthy application process, the following five applicants have been selected to receive this years Sandhills Cattle Association scholarships. The recipients are: Fletcher Larsen received one of the $2,000 Sandhills Cattle Association scholarships. Larsen is the son of Scott and Kris Larsen and is currently a senior at Valentine High School. He will be attending Kansas State University this fall to study animal science with a pre-veterinary option. Our Climate: A series exploring a world of fear and promise. After decades, offshore wind is finally taking off. Photo: Mischa Keijser/Getty Images/Cultura RF For decades, the strong winds blowing off the Massachusetts coast have beckoned developers with visions of wind turbines for clean, carbon-free energy, but the opposition could be just as fierce. One effort to build a wind farm five miles off the coast of Cape Cod, called Cape Wind, was scrapped after nearly 20 years of opposition from locals, including liberals such as the Kennedys. But since then, the price of wind energy has plummeted and the political climate has changed, opening the possibility that offshore-wind farms could turn the Northeast into Americas next energy boom land. In the next five years, offshore-wind-farm developers plan to bring online 9,100 megawatts from 13 offshore-wind projects along the East Coast. The Department of Energy estimates there are about 2,000 gigawatts of potential wind energy on the countrys coasts, enough to meet the nations annual energy needs four times over without emitting carbon dioxide that warms the planet. Already, federal officials gave final approval to build the nations first commercial-scale offshore-wind farm a dozen miles off the coast of Marthas Vineyard earlier this month, called Vineyard Wind. The company won the bid for a project kicked off in 2016 when Massachusetts mandated the states utilities buy offshore wind power within a decade. When Vineyard Wind is operational two years from now, 62 turbines will generate about 800 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 400,000 homes, according to the company. The amount of carbon dioxide saved would be equivalent to taking 325,000 cars off the road in a year. Many people have called Massachusetts and this region the Saudi Arabia of wind, Kathleen Theoharides, the states energy and environment secretary, told Intelligencer. Once this project went out the door, projects in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, and other states, were underway. The Trump administration frequently rallied against wind power both onshore and in the ocean, and tied up Vineyard Wind in environmental reviews and permit delays. In a sharp turnaround, the Biden administration not only approved Vineyard Wind but also announced a national goal of generating 30 gigawatts of electricity from offshore wind equivalent to 30 coal-fired power plants by 2030 as part of efforts to curb greenhouse emissions. If the nation were to reach that goal, it would give the U.S. the same capacity of offshore power over the next nine years that it took Europe 30 years to build. Its not just an environmentally friendly U.S. administration that has set up offshore wind for boom times. We found that costs have decreased so much more in the last five years than any of the experts were predicting it to do, said Erin Baker, professor and faculty director of the Energy Transition Initiative at the University of Massachusetts. During that period, she said, offshore-wind electricity production has quadrupled across the world. Baker and colleagues published an article in Nature predicting that the cost of wind energy will fall 50 percent between now and 2050. Cape Wind was over 20 cents a kilowatt hour, and Vineyard Wind is coming in at six and a half cents total an hour price point, Theoharides said. Its a much more competitive price that actually saves rate payers money, which Cape Wind does not bother to do. A wind turbine three miles off Block Island, Rhode Island. Photo: David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images The East Coast is particularly suitable for the nascent offshore-wind industry because of the combination of strong winds close to population centers, according to Baker. Nearly 40 percent of Americans live near its coasts, and the northern part of the East Coast lies on a shallow continental shelf, meaning its relatively easy to plant traditional fixed-bottom turbines on the seafloor, like those planned for Vineyard Wind. On the West Coast, the continental shelf is much steeper, but next-generation floating offshore turbines could provide a solution. Theyre tethered to the ground, but they float, Baker said. You can put them in much deeper water. Last month, California lawmakers advanced legislation to clear the way for a rush of floating wind farms over the next two decades. There are environmental roadblocks that could ground the offshore-wind industry. Among the top concerns are how wind turbines would coexist with marine life and the fishing industry, with fishing groups from Maine to Florida expressing fear that large projects could render huge swaths of the ocean off-limits to their catch. As this industry builds out to the scale that were envisioning, its very important that we ensure these projects are sharing the ocean resource in a responsible way, Theoharides said. A long-term study last year found that 35 turbines off of Englands coast had no discernible impact on the areas highly productive lobster fisheries. The promise of offshore wind is great, but the amount needed to win the fight against climate change is still enormous. In Massachusetts, to reach the goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, the state would need to deliver an offshore-wind project of a similar size to Vineyard Wind each year, starting in 2030. Its really clear that we cannot get to our ambitious climate goals without wind, Theoharides said. Two weeks ago, Liza Backman packed her life into her Nissan Fit to drive from Brooklyn, her home of three years, to Auburn, her hometown. Today, the geochemist is teaching chemistry from Fairbanks, Alaska, before researching the Arctic tundra herself. Born in snow-filled Buffalo, raised in the heat of Auburn, Ala., and then living amid the concrete of New York City, the cold parts of the world called out to Liza Backman as young as first grade, when Carol Smith, her teacher at the The Village School, now Auburn Montessori School, gave her an Atlas. It meant a lot to have that Atlas, Backman said. Ive kept it with me as a reminder to always follow your passions. She teaches earth science, chemistry and international baccalaureate chemistry at Brooklyn Emerging Leaders Academy (BELA), a public all-girls charter school in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y. PolarTREC, a nationally funded organization connecting research experiments and STEM educators, has given Backman the opportunity to study climate change in the Arctic tundra, something shes wanted to do for a couple of years. In view of Cyclone Yaas, as many as 18 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed in Odisha. Seven teams have been deployed in Balasore, 4 in Bhadrak, 3 in Kendrapada, 2 in Jajpur, one each in Jagatsinghpur and Mayurbhanj. Four teams have been kept as reserve, as per the NDRF. According to the Odisha government, 66 Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) teams and 177 fire services teams are being deployed in areas that are likely to be affected by the cyclone. The Indian Air Force has airlifted 21 tonnes of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief equipment, along with 334 NDRF personnel on Sunday. To mitigate the effect of the cyclone, the IAF has airlifted 606 personnel and 57 tonnes load of NDRF so far since 21 May. "#CycloneYaas Airlift of 21T of #HADR eqpt & 334 personnel of @NDRFHQ by 5xC-130 aircraft from Patna & Varanasi to Kolkata and Arakkonam to Port Blair is currently underway. #IAF has airlifted 606 personnel and 57T load of NDRF since 21 May, to mitigate the cyclone effect", the Indian Air Force tweeted. Mayurbhanj, Bhadrak, and Balasore districts are likely to be worst affected by the cyclonic storm Yaas which will reach the state on May 26, Umashankar Das, Deputy Director of India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Bhubaneswar on Sunday said. "We are expecting that the well-marked low-pressure area over the east-central Bay of Bengal will concentrate into a depression during next 12 hours and by tomorrow (May 24), it is going to be a cyclonic storm and will continue to move in the north north-westward direction and on May 26 it will reach Odisha, West Bengal, and Bangladesh coast," Umashankar Das told ANI. "The North Odisha districts, particularly Mayurbhanj, Bhadrak, and Balasore are expected to most affected," Das said. The Deputy Director of IMD Bhubaneswar informed that Bhadrak, Balasore, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Cuttack, Khordha, and Puri are expected to receive heavy to heavy rainfall on May 25. "On May 26, we are expecting extremely heavy rainfall at Mayurbhanj and Balasore," he added.The IMD had earlier predicted that the cyclonic storm Yaas will hit the coasts of Odisha and West Bengal on May 26 and both the states will experience heavy rainfall from May 22 to 26. (ANI) Also Read: Coronavirus: India records 2,40,842 fresh COVID-19 infections, 3,741 deaths in last 24 hrs Thank you for Reading! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content. China has announced that it will impose taxes on heavy sour crude, a move that could hit Venezuela hard as it continues to struggle with U.S. sanctions and a dilapidated oil industry. Media reports suggest as many as 400,000 bpd of Venezuelan oil could be orphaned as new Chinese tax laws make it impossible for the country to export its crude to Asia. New regulations expected to come into place on June 12 would make the profit margins on Venezuelan oil too low to warrant its current export route. Venezuela has not been exporting oil directly to China since 2019, largely due to the U.S. sanctions that continue to restrict the countrys oil exportation. However, China has been importing Venezuelan oil via Malaysian refineries, where it is mixed with fuel oil or bitumen before continuing on to China. Chinas new rules could add around $30 per barrel to this "diluted bitumen", making it economically inviable. Light cycle oil (LCO) and mixed aromatics will also be taxed under the new scheme. Chinese customs data suggests that around 380,000 bpd of diluted bitumen were coming into the country via Malaysia between January and March, much of which originated in Venezuela. While non-U.S. companies are not explicitly prevented by the sanctions from buying Venezuelan oil, it has been highly discouraged. However, due to Chinas growing oil demand, many of these alternative routes of access have been largely overlooked by the U.S. The Chinese Ministry of Finance stated of the background for the new tax introduction, "A small number of companies have imported record amounts of these fuels and processed them into sub-quality fuels which were then funneled into illicit distribution channels, threatening fair market play and also causing pollution". New taxes are expected to pave way for opportunities for Chinas domestic refiners to increase supply as well as boosting prices as the countrys fuel demand continues to increase. This comes as Chinese oil refiners hit higher production levels in April, signaling a sustained recovery in crude processing. Related: Russia Is Making A Mad Dash To Outrun Peak Oil Demand While Venezuela is facing huge changes in its export outlook due to Chinese taxes, it seems as if the U.S. will continue to waive sanctions for several international companies based in Venezuela, allowing several firms to continue existing in the country within limits. Previously permitted waivers are expected to continue for oil major Chevron and services companies Schlumberger, Halliburton, Baker Hughes, and Weatherford. This will allow the firms to preserve their assets so long as they dont carry out maintenance activities or pay local employees. The waivers are expected to be renewed for at least six months in June, after which it could be possible for Chevron to lift Venezuelan oil, as stated in an early waiver. However, for now, Venezuela does not seem to be a key foreign policy focus for Biden, making this possible but unlikely. It seems as though Venezuela is trapped in somewhat of a stalemate, unable to progress with U.S. allies due to heavy sanctions on its oil sector and unable to export to major importer China due to heavy taxes. While there is the potential for wiggle room in the coming year, as Biden creates a clearer foreign policy strategy, the future is still unknown for the untapped potential of the Latin American oil giant. By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Key Latin American U.S. ally and the regions fourth-largest oil producer Colombia finds itself rocked by anti-government protests which are now into their third week. This has even reignited fears of renewed civil war in the strife-torn Andean country. Colombias anti-government protests began with a national strike on 28 April 2021 called by various civil society and trade union groups in response to President Duques proposed tax reform. A massive fiscal black hole where the budget deficit had reached nearly 9% of GDP is ratcheting up pressure on the cash-strapped national government in Bogota. The bill, which was seeking additional government revenue of $6.4 billion, if approved by Congress would have significantly elevated the tax burden for many Colombians and businesses already reeling under the substantial economic fallout from the pandemic. Even after Duque withdrew the bill the anti-government protests expanded in response to the use of heavy-handed tactics by the police and are now in their third week with no sign of abating. They are fueled by a myriad of social ills and long-standing grievances including rapidly rising poverty, police brutality, an explosion in violence since Duque took office, rising corruption, and poor healthcare. After failed attempts at negotiation, anti-government protestors have established roadblocks on many major roads in Colombia blocking the transport of essential supplies including food, medicines, and fuels. It is Colombias southern departments of Valle de Cauca, Cauca, Narino, and Putumayo which are among the worst affected. These events are directly impacting Colombias already beaten-down petroleum industry after an earlier series of oilfield invasions saw the Colombian Petroleum Association (ACP Spanish initials) release a series of communications (Spanish) condemning the violence. The roadblocks are preventing the transportation of vital supplies, notably water, fuel, and parts, which is forcing some onshore petroleum companies to shutter wells as well as delay exploration and development activities. Related Video: Iraq Eyes Exxon Stake and New OPEC Status Earlier this week Colombias fourth-largest onshore oil producer Gran Tierra Energy announced the shuttering of oilfields in the Middle Magdalena Valley and Putumayo Basins, shaving 5,250 barrels per day off its petroleum production. Parex Resources, the third-largest oil producer, released a media statement explaining its operations in the Llanos Basin are affected by the blockades. As result, Parex had elected to withdraw its second-quarter 2021 guidance, although the driller has yet to provide any details of how much of its crude oil production will be impacted. Parex further explained that the four six well drilling programs on the Cabrestero Block will be delayed as will exploration and seismic activities for the VIM-1, LLA-32, and VMM-46 blocks will be impacted. In stark contrast, Colombias second-largest oil producer Frontera Energy announced this week it would maintain its 2021 production outlook as it has had no material impacts from recent events in Colombia. While the largest driller, national oil company Ecopetrol has advised it is monitoring the situation but operations, including its crude oil production, have yet to be materially impacted. Ecopetrol had forecast 2021 average production of 700,000 to 710,000 barrels of crude oil daily 81% weighed to crude oil, which at the upper range is almost 2% greater than the 697,000 barrels per day pumped during 2020. Those production shut-ins are bad news for Bogota which is struggling to reactivate Colombias economically crucial oil industry and return the tempo of operations to pre-pandemic levels. For 2020 petroleum was responsible for nearly a fifth (Spanish) of government revenue, 28% of export income and 3% of gross domestic underscoring its economic importance even during a period when oil prices were severely depressed. The latest numbers from Colombias energy ministry (Spanish) underscore that the urgently needed recovery is a long way off. March 2021 petroleum production fell 0.14% quarter over quarter and by 6.5% year over year to 744,715 barrels per day. The sharp decline in output compared to the same period a year earlier is particularly worrying. By April 2020, the fallout from the pandemic, the March 2020 oil price crash and Colombias quarantine lockdown were fully impacting the crucial oil industry causing operational activity and production to sharply decline. If Duque is unable to find a peaceful solution that ends the blockades Colombias petroleum industry will continue to suffer from production declining further. If the government deploys Colombias combat-hardened army to remove the roadblocks, there is every likelihood that violence will explode, with some analysts predicting the country is yet again on the brink of civil war. Any escalation in violence will not only cause vital oil output to decline, for an industry yet to benefit from the promised peace dividend associated with the 2016 FARC treaty, but impact exploration as well as development activities. Heightened turmoil and bloodshed will see wellhead attacks, oil pipeline bombings, extortion and even the kidnapping of oil industry workers, which were regular events two decades ago, become commonplace yet again. By Matthew Smith for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Some of Omahas biggest companies are preparing to bring their employees back into their offices after the relaxation of indoor mask guidance for people who have been fully vaccinated. While some are accelerating their return-to-work plans, others are sticking to their original plans, and still others dont have plans set at this time. Some companies have offices that have been open for some time, with precautions in place to help ensure employee safety. Heres a look at several area employers plans: First National Bank About 70% of employees at the First National Bank of Omaha have been working from home over the course of the pandemic. On May 1, fully vaccinated employees were invited to return to the workplace on a voluntary basis. On June 1, all employees will be invited to return to the workplace, regardless of vaccination status. Kevin Langin, a First National spokesman, said the company has been trying to balance bringing workers back with maintaining safety regulations. Builders are also facing higher costs for other materials, including PVC pipe, shingles, appliances and garage doors. They are seeing price increases anywhere from 5% to 20%, according to Vogtman. Whats causing the materials shortage and subsequent price hikes? Experts say its the surge in consumer demand in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Supply and demand. Its really as simple as that, Brett Clarke, owner and president of Frontier Builders in Omaha, said in an email. When COVID-19 first became an issue, many of the lumber facilities began to lower production as they thought there would be a decrease in demand. Instead, Russell said, the demand for lumber rose as people began to undertake home improvement projects. Demand increased very rapidly. (Lumber mills) were caught with short inventories. They have been trying to rebuild inventory since then, but theyve never been able to do that, he said. As soon as they get something produced, its out the door. The lumber price increases have been dramatic enough that construction contracts have been adjusted and real estate agents are feeling the pinch between their clients and the homebuilders. Kleeb denied supporting the action in a response to Bacon on Twitter. This is an awful action and not one supported by the Democratic Party, Kleeb wrote. Not sure why you asked me though other than to keep portraying us as on the other side of cops which we arent reminder it was your partys supporters who attacked cops and Capitol. The Revolutionary Action Party issued a statement Sunday afternoon that said police intentionally targeted people of color to arrest, leaving Whites alone. A review of the Douglas County Jail booking sheet found two of the arrestees at the protest were listed as White, four as Black and one as Hispanic. The statement also included three demands. 1, The Nebraska Democratic Party and Douglas County Democratic Party must renounce and refuse any endorsements or financial support from the OPOA. 2, Danny Begley must come out with an adequate apology and adequate policy to implement that would combat these racist southern strategies to flourish in our community. 3, Anthony Connor (stet) must resign. In response to the statement, Kleeb said no donations have been received from the police union. She also said the Democratic Party of Nebraska did not support Saturday nights protest. Portraits of James Scurlock remain scattered across Omaha a year after his fatal shooting. The plywood displaying his likeness that had covered the windows of a downtown coffee shop last summer now are held in the Durham Museum basement archives. A billboard that demanded "Justice for James," which was briefly posted at 72nd and Dodge Streets, now is tucked away at the Great Plains Black History Museum. And in the neighborhood where Scurlock grew up, a massive mural honoring "JuJu World" has weathered months of storms outside the Easy Drive Package convenience store. Those permanent relics ensure that a piece of the story of what happened to the 22-year-old will endure both to remind those who observed last summers cascading events and to teach future generations. For the Scurlock family, the touching tributes are not worth the loss of their loved one's life. Its a very heavy price, said Scurlock's father, James Scurlock II. For Omaha, some historians say, the case was reminiscent of past violent events and responses in Omahas history and again exposed the citys racial divisions, raised questions of fairness in the justice system and spurred extended protests. It also sparked tense conversations online, in person and in the streets. Scurlocks killing last year swiftly triggered a local rallying cry amid a national reckoning on race relations and policing after George Floyd was murdered by a White Minneapolis police officer. On May 30, 2020, bar owner Jake Gardner, 38, fatally shot Scurlock after an 18-second struggle in the Old Market outside a bar that Gardner owned near 12th and Harney Streets. That launched a tumultuous and tangled web of events, decisions, marches and press conferences for 114 days until Gardner died by suicide, ending the possibility of more answers being revealed at trial. Even though some reminders remain around town, a person walking by the spot where Scurlock died wouldn't know what happened there last May. Days after the shooting, Gardner was evicted from The Hive and the next-door Gatsby nightclub. The space sits empty today. Theres no marker, nothing on the landscape its just something that happened in the past. That is what is dangerous, when we forget these stories, said Ashley Howard, an assistant professor at the University of Iowa who grew up in Omaha. Scurlock is not a hashtag, Gardner is not a cause celebre ... just like Scurlock didnt have a chance to tell his side, Gardner didnt, either. That story is just gone, and people can fill in the gaps with whatever agenda or narrative they want to put in there. By the end of May 2020, three factors had created conditions that culminated in thousands of people gathering at 72nd and Dodge Streets for demonstrations that ended in confrontations with law enforcement officers: In Nebraska and elsewhere, people already had lived through about two and a half months of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, which led to job losses, school closures and people isolating in their homes. The deeply divisive 2020 presidential campaign was in full swing, with Joe Biden the apparent Democratic nominee in the race to unseat then-President Donald Trump, whose words and actions were regarded by many as exacerbating the nation's racial divide. And a string of incidents involving Black people had been captured on video: the Floyd killing; a confrontation between a Black birdwatcher in New Yorks Central Park and a White woman who had let her unleashed dog run free; and the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery as he was jogging in Georgia. (A 911 call about the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor, which occurred in Louisville, Kentucky, in March, was released in late May.) It was like a trifecta, said Cynthia Robinson, an associate professor and chair of the Department of Black Studies at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. The policing of Black bodies has always gone on, but now people are seeing it. Now were home and we have more time, because of the virus. And we have presidential leadership (in 2020) who is really letting it be known, 'Do this. It is OK to do this.' Emotions were high the night Scurlock was killed. The evening before, more than 2,000 people had attended a Black Lives Matter protest outside Crossroads Mall at 72nd and Dodge, the spot known for demonstrations and celebrations alike. The peaceful gathering soon turned chaotic, with police in riot gear firing pepper balls and gas canisters while some protesters threw objects at officers, broke business windows and tried to smash police cruiser windows. Emboldened and angry, many protesters returned to the site again Saturday night. When Omaha police forced them from the area, some went downtown, where more mayhem occurred, including vandalism and graffiti. Gardner, a former Marine, had gone to protect his bar from vandals and pull a "military style firewatch, as he put it on Facebook. Scurlock, who was at the initial protest, headed downtown with friend Tucker Randall to let off steam, Randall has told The World-Herald. Scurlock, who police say can be seen on video from earlier in the evening vandalizing an office near 13th and Harney Streets, ultimately collided with Gardner outside The Hive bar. The confrontation started with Randall pushing Gardners father, David Gardner, who was pushing a woman and who Randall had said was yelling racial epithets. Jake Gardner lifted his shirt to reveal his handgun, then grabbed it briefly and put it back in his waistband. Passer-by Alayna Melendez tackled Gardner into the street and ran away when he fired two shots. Seconds later, Scurlock jumped on Gardner and held an arm around his upper chest. The two struggled as Gardner yelled for Scurlock to get off of him. Switching the gun to his left hand, Gardner fired one shot, striking Scurlock in the neck. Gardner told police he acted in self-defense. Scurlocks family contends that Scurlock is a hero who tried to subdue an armed man. Brenness Long, 33, who with his mother owns the Easy Drive Package convenience store at 24th Street and Camden Avenue where the Scurlock mural is displayed, offered a distant observer's view of what happened: They were both in the wrong, in my eyes, Long said. Neither Scurlock nor Gardner, he said, should have been outside the bar that night, taking matters into their own hands. Long agreed to let someone paint the mural on his building because he said he wanted to do something to help the community. The mural was designed and painted by 29-year-old artist Hugo Zamorano and others, including one of Scurlocks brothers. I wanted to do something, and I wasnt going out to the protests," Zamorano said. "I have a little more pull and power with my art than I do my physical appearance. Two days after the shooting, Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine announced that he would not bring charges against Gardner, determining that Gardner had shot Scurlock in self-defense. Public outcry over Kleine's decision was immediate. As rallies, police-protester clashes and a curfew continued for two more nights, Kleine relented and filed a petition for a special prosecutor and a grand jury to review the case. Had it not been for the pressure, this guy could have just killed James Scurlock and moved on, said Robinson, the UNO professor. In late September, former U.S. federal prosecutor Fred Franklin, serving as a special prosecutor, presented the Gardner case to grand jurors. They decided to indict Gardner on manslaughter and three other felony charges. On Sept. 27, the day his attorneys said he was set to return to Omaha to be arraigned on the charges, Gardner fatally shot himself in Oregon. It was a jarring and unexpected end to the dizzying turn of events. Its not a victory that Gardner is dead, said Howard, the University of Iowa professor. Him being dead is not justice served, either. The shooting had prompted immediate calls of racism, not just because Gardner was White and Scurlock was Black but also because Gardners former employees and a relative had said Gardner had a history of racist actions and talk. It goes back to Whites thinking they can police Black people," Robinson said. "That really is historical. The origins of that go back to slavery. Howard, who studies race in the Midwest, had closely followed the news of the Scurlock killing and watched live video feeds of the Omaha protests. Speaking to Black Omahans during recent visits to her hometown, she found that many people brought up the 1969 fatal shooting of Vivian Strong, a 14-year-old Black girl who was killed by Omaha Police Officer John Loder, a White man. Even though the circumstances were very different the victim profiles, who was doing the shooting those two instances told the same story for Black Omahans, Howard said. This is a cautionary tale that is told down generation to generation. I would suspect many White Omahans would not know who Vivian Strong is. Theres two very distinct experiences that Black Omahans and White Omahans face in the city. Barbara Hewins-Maroney, a UNO associate professor of urban studies, brought up the 1919 lynching of Will Brown outside the Douglas County Courthouse as a comparison to Scurlock's slaying because of the strong community response elicited by each killing. Both happened at a time when things seemed, on the surface, to be OK, between Black and White relationships, but when you get down to under the crust of it all, no, it wasnt, she said. I think each of these incidents gave emerging leaders a chance to speak up and do more and ask for more and start questioning, Why? Why? Why? Eric Ewing, the executive director at the Great Plains Black History Museum at 24th and Grant Streets, said Scurlock's shooting should be remembered to help prevent similar situations from occurring. We can either say its repeating itself or we can say that its never changed, Ewing said. Different times, but still the same or similar outcomes. What we could say is we definitely are not learning from the past. In a sense, I say thats because were not learning about the past. A coalition of local organizations, including the Great Plains museum, sought to collect physical remnants and interviews from local Black Lives Matter protests to mark the significance of the moment. The Durham Museum, at 801 S. 10th St., last year put out a request to the public for items related to the pandemic or the protests, a rare contemporary history haul to add to the museum's more than 80,000 archived objects that date back to the 1850s, said collection manager Becky Putzer. Durham officials collected the colorfully painted plywood that had covered the windows of Culprit Cafe & Bakery. They also have a black-and-white photo of 7-year-old Zuri Jensen, who was photographed by Dalton Carper as she held her fist in the air at the first 72nd and Dodge protest. Artist Anthony Penas stylized poster of that photo and others he created relating to the movement also are part of the museum's collection. Putzer said that as of now, the items can provide educational moments on social media or be viewed in virtual tours. But she said she would love to create a dedicated exhibit or collaborate with the other organizations. Items like this, it really will make a visual impact," said Putzer, referring to the image painted on the plywood. "This is such a beautiful example of the reaction to what happened, she said. Im excited to display this someday because I think it is a focal piece for our conversation about Omahas response to James Scurlock and George Floyd and the summer of 2020. The vinyl billboard displaying the original Scurlock portrait art by Kat Morrow is now folded in a bag on the floor of the Great Plains Museum. Ewing would like to hang it outside the museum every year, but said he wants to get the Scurlock family's permission first. The museum also is working on video interviews to document the pandemic and social justice and plans to publish those conversations. Ewing said people have expressed more interest in the museum and its resources because of the increased awareness of racial justice issues. Despite the in-person restrictions of the pandemic, the organization recorded 1,000 more guests, mostly virtual, in 2020 than in 2019. But Ewing and Robinson said its draining and anxiety-inducing for them to keep talking about the Black lives that have been lost. Scurlock's family is still grieving his death, and it's sometimes hard for them to drive past the mural at 24th and Camden and see Scurlock's face smiling back. Although he is getting all this recognition for who he was and what he stood for, we do have to go on without him, said his sister, Rajeanna Scurlock, 21. And its just so bittersweet, because were definitely hurting without him. We wish he was still here with us. A week after Omahas Black Lives Matter protests and Scurlock's killing, more than 2,000 people marched along Dodge Street from 72nd Street to Memorial Park as part of a walk and rally for racial justice. The demonstration was sanctioned by police, who blocked off traffic on Dodge. Jackie Font-Guzman, who worked at Creighton University for 15 years, most recently as the director of the Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Program, said she saw the community come together that day and throughout the summer. She said she thinks the show of unity helped push the Douglas County Board of Health in mid-June to declare racism as a public health crisis and other local institutions to pledge to make improvements. Omaha is not a place where people would go out to the streets to gather and protest. It really brought it home, said Font-Guzman, who now is the executive director of diversity, equity and inclusion at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. I think people were ready to listen to that and grapple with it and say we need to do more. The Justice for James movement was born out of the frustrations that police never booked Gardner into jail and Kleine declined to file charges. Ja Keen Fox, the group's lead organizer, started daily protests outside Kleines west Omaha neighborhood for 36 straight days, which Fox said symbolized a quick 36 hours between Scurlocks death and Kleines no-charge decision. The groups priorities have broadened since then. Fox said racism occurs in many areas housing, infrastructure, economic development not just in the justice system. Were not looking for symbolism, were not looking for just words, Fox said. Were looking for a real policy and systemic chance that shifts the way Black and brown people are able to live their lives. The organization is preparing for the election of the Douglas County attorney in 2022 and speaking to prospective candidates. Kleine switched his political affiliation to the Republican Party in October after a resolution adopted by the Nebraska Democratic Party said his handling of the Gardner case perpetuated White supremacy, something he vehemently disputes. Gardners suicide put an end to what likely would have been years of court hearings and potential appeals. But just as the case had been litigated, dissected and argued about on social media last summer, various conspiracy theories swirled that Gardner was not actually dead, although Franklin obtained and filed Gardners Oregon death certificate so a judge could officially dismiss the case. Many online commenters thought the man with red, shoulder-length hair who happily carried out Rep. Nancy Pelosis podium at the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection bore an uncanny resemblance to Gardner. Yet that man, from Florida, was identified and arrested days later. Hewins-Maroney said her students and friends have floated ideas that Gardner's death certificate was forged, that Gardner fled to Canada or is hiding out in the Pacific Northwest. Despite the rumors, all evidence shows that Gardner died by suicide. Some recognized that no matter what might have been the resolution of the criminal case, the matter wouldnt have been settled in many people's minds. An unnecessary death and murder of a Black man can never be resolved, Hewins-Maroney said. Said Robinson: There will be closure when we dont have to fight for social justice again. The Black community is a part of Omaha," Ewing said. "So how can Omaha move forward? We all are part of the community of Omaha. Omaha has a responsibility for the ugliness ... if part of the pie is bad, then the whole pie is bad. So its everyones responsibility. And its just one case, those interviewed said. A systematic change is whats needed, and while Scurlocks killing may have prompted some discourse, more work is needed. Font-Guzman said the case showed people need to get out of their affinity groups and reach out to make connections with others. I should be willing to sit with that discomfort, be able to acknowledge that I will not be able to fully understand someone or where theyre coming from, but I will still have some sort of relationship, Font-Guzman said. Theres so much emphasis on convincing someone that your position is the correct one, which leads to polarization ... those are not healthy approaches. We should be able to have conversations and be in existence and thrive in a community together. Omaha World-Herald: Afternoon Update The latest headlines sent at 4:45 p.m. daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. But the state appealed, putting the decision on hold. And on Feb. 26, Wetherell, 40, died at the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women near York of an undisclosed medical condition, according to Corrections. On Wednesday, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the matter moot because of her death and vacated the district court judgment. The next day, Danielle Conrad, executive director of the ACLU of Nebraska, said the decision followed seven years of litigation with positive developments in both state and federal court in the case it filed. With the recent death of one of our clients, we are reminded that justice delayed is justice denied, she said. Ms. Wetherells friends and family have our sincere condolences. Conrad said they are conferring with Gillpatrick and the legal team about potential next steps. The bottom line is this: Our clients were simply asking for the ability to marry. Marriage is a fundamental right, including for Nebraskans who are incarcerated, she said. Johnson turned to a senior officer standing nearby and said, I want you to talk to this young man after were done here and change his mind. The presidents gambit worked. Hagemeister reenlisted and made the Army a career. He later became an officer and retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1990. After his Army career, Hagemeister worked as an instructor at the Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and as a defense contractor who trained soldiers using large-scale computer simulations. He served on the board of directors of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. Although he lived in Kansas, Hagemeister maintained ties with his home state. In 2013, he visited Lincoln for the dedication of a plaque in the State Capitols 14th-floor chamber honoring the 72 Nebraskans who have received the Medal of Honor. During a 1988 visit to his high school alma mater, he answered questions about his life and military service. He downplayed his heroic acts on that day in Vietnam, more than 20 years earlier. The first reaction was for survival, Hagemeister told the students. Then it became doing my job as a medical corpsman and getting people out alive. It was a very scary episode. Shah Mahmood Qureshi sought US help for arranging coronavirus vaccines for Pakistan as the country could not get the supply committed under COVAX, owing to excessive global demand. The COVAX facility has been established to even out the playing field by providing access to diagnostics, treatment and vaccines against the disease to developing countries. COVAX aims to ship close to 2 billion doses of vaccines by the end of 2021, in an unprecedented global effort to guarantee access to vaccines for all. Qureshi also held virtual interactions with US Congressman Tom Suozzi and Senator Lindsey Graham and discussed bilateral ties, as well as Palestine, and Afghan issues, reported The Express Tribune. Talking to the reporters in New York, Qureshi said that US wanted to engage with Pakistan as they could not deny Pakistan's significance. At his media interaction on Friday (local time), Qureshi was accompanied by Pakistan Ambassador Asad Majeed Khan and Permanent Representative to UN Munir Akram, reported The Express Tribune. The FM told reporters that Pakistan and the US have decided to enhance bilateral engagement by taking advantage of modern communication tools. "Therefore, a select group of Congressmen would hold a meeting with Pakistani authorities in June," he said. "The Congressmen would also be invited for a meeting during the upcoming UNGA session, likely to be held physically. As a third step, they will be invited to Pakistan in October which will also help address their misconceptions about Pakistan, besides giving a better understanding about the country." Qureshi arrived in the US along with his counterparts from Turkey, Palestine and Tunisia to address the special session of the United Nations General Assembly on the deteriorating Palestine situation on Thursday. The UNGA session was convened on the joint request from the Arab Group Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) with a sole objective to improve the Palestinian situation with a ceasefire being the first step. Qureshi termed the session "effective and productive". Meanwhile, Qureshi on Thursday (local time) was slammed by CNN anchor Bianna Golodryga for his anti-Semitic slur. He accused that Israel has 'deep pockets' and 'they contrio media'. "Israel is losing out. Despite their connections, they are losing the media war," Qureshi said in the interview. Pak FM Qureshi was trolled at various social media sites for his remarks on Israel. (ANI) Also Read: 'Imran Khan running Pakistan only for his friends': Oppn slams PTI govt over unrealistic GDP growth figures Two recent headlines reflected continuing Republican divisions: House GOP Ousts Rep. Liz Cheney, and Ex-Republican Office Holders and Officials Declare Independence from Donald Trumps Party. They gave the impression of a party coming apart at the seams, ill equipped for national leadership, especially when President Joe Biden is enjoying strong voter approval for his efforts to end the pandemic and revive the economy. One prominent Trump critic, Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, on CBS Face the Nation likened the GOP to the Titanic, saying it is in a slow sink while We have a band playing on the deck telling everybody its fine. But there is another, more positive take on the state of the GOP. Most Republican strategists and independent analysts believe the party has an excellent chance of regaining the House of Representatives in the 2022 mid-term elections and possibly the Senate too. In many states, GOP governors and legislators are enacting a multi-issue conservative agenda. Noting these two seemingly contradictory portrayals of the Republican Partys prospects, a friend asked me recently to explain, Which of these narratives makes sense? The answer is that both do, to a certain extent. Omaha is a vibrant and diverse urban area, which isnt well understood outside of the state or even among many younger Nebraskans. The young people we must attract and retain are the entrepreneurs, quality workers and creative thinkers who will become Nebraskas job creators and leaders who fuel our collective prosperity. Unfortunately, some state government leaders, not least among them Gov. Ricketts, are at work to keep these people away. A year after George Floyds murder under the knee of a Minneapolis cop and 15 months into a life-changing pandemic that disproportionally affected people of color, they are telling the world that Nebraska has reset to the decades-old White default that everything was really just fine all along. The Legislature, for the second time in a year, refused to establish minimal safety requirements for slaughterhouse workers, most of whom are people of color who early in the pandemic accounted for one in six COVID infections. Senators opposing the bill argued that packers have adopted protections and the pandemic is almost over anyway. Maybe. The coronavirus has been unpredictable and continues to mutate. It may pack more nasty surprises as society, not vaccinated to a level of herd immunity, drops restrictions. Why is it our governor can comment on anything and everything happening in Washington, D.C. but doesnt have any interest in our own state and the needs of these human beings? Our mental health resources have been totally depleted over the years. Our son, Donny, resides at the Beatrice State Developmental Center, which is defined as an institution and so defamed by so many. We would say that it is and has been his home now and on a number of other occasions. Now the state again is trying to close it, not allow new admissions, reduce staffing and the list goes on. Another case where the state is not fulfilling its responsibility. Our state could and should do so much more for families and individuals who need help. One only has to see what has happened to our child welfare system to observe more incompetence on the part of our governor and DHHS. People, please stand up, take an interest and understand the special needs of those in Nebraska. They need us and, by the way, they did not choose to have a disability, but we have a choice in helping them and their families. Joe Valenti, Omaha advocate for the developmentally disabled Hatred toward Israel Sheikh I.C. Quaye the Chairman of the Ghana Hajj Board has expressed uncertainty towards performing Hajj and Umrah prayers in the Grand Mosque in Mecca this year. Given the new Visa requirements, from Saudi Arabia, which prescribes the COVID-19 Vaccine as a prerequisite for obtaining a visa for travel, both parties have agreed that the overwhelming majority of Ghanaian pilgrims, who have paid since 2020, to perform the Hajj have not had their first coronavirus jab. He said this at a meeting held by the Ghana Hajj Board and the Ghana Hajj Agents Association at the Hajj Village, Accra, to deliberate on the way forward in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given that all Visitors to Saudi Arabia need to have received both inoculations of the coronavirus and given that there must be an eight-week gap between inoculations, the time constraints clearly make it difficult for Ghanaian pilgrims to comply with the directives from Saudi Arabia. Sheikh I.C. Quaye said despite their uncertainty, the Hajj Board would continue to monitor communications from the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah Affairs, Saudi Arabia, and update the ummah accordingly. He said if travelling to Mecca was granted in Ghana, each person would be required to pass through the Saudi Arabia new visa requirement successfully. He gave the assurance that in the event that the pilgrimage did not come on, prospective pilgrims who would demand a refund would be offered full payment. He said, new visa requirement from Saudi Arabia, was the double dose of COVID-19 vaccine and the other previous health requirements to obtain a visa to travel to Mecca. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwesi Amoako-Atta has disclosed that 6,000 kilometres out of 11,000 kilometres of roads are to be completed under the governments second year of roads programme. His update follows the 4,000 kilometres of roads constructed in the first term of the Akufo-Addo administration. Speaking at a press briefing in Accra on Sunday May 23, 2021, Mr. Amoako-Atta established that the 6,000 kilometres of roads to be completed falls under critical, cocoa, town roads and asphalt overlays and the Sinohydro Master Project Support Facility. On critical roads programme, the Minister said part of the roads to be completed are Navrongo to Naga stretch of roads, the Wa to Bulenga to Yaala road, Salaga to Ekumdipe to Kpandai road which is 60% complete, upgrading of Yagaba to Mankarigu road as well as the upgrading of Daboya to Mankarigu road among hosts of road projects As part of governments year of road programme, 81 number of critical roads of total length 2,167.2 kilometres were identified in all the 16 regions of the critical for rehabilitation at a cost of GHS 7.827 billion, he said. Under the cocoa roads programme, the Minister noted that 325 projects are currently ongoing across cocoa growing areas across the country establishing that 4,853 kilometres of roads are being constructed at a cost of GHS14.511 billion. Providing more details, the Minister said these include the Aboabo to Esikuma to Dunkwa road, Have to Hohoe road, Sefwi to Wiawso to Akontobra stretch, the Dodokorpe to Borae junction road, Hohoe to Jasikan road among other road projects. He said 563.3 kilometres of roads are to be completed under the town roads programme at a total cost of GHS 1.083 billion including the rehabilitation of Gambaga, Nalerigu and Walewale town roads as well as phase 1 of the upgrading of Prestea and Tepa town roads among others. Touching on the asphalt overlay programme, the Minister said the Ministry of Roads and Highways has programmed to undertake 1,500 kilometres of asphaltic overlay in major towns and cities across the country including hospitals, schools, courts, police barracks, army garrisons and other security service compounds. This he said 1,301 kilometres of roads will be completed under this programme in towns such as Obuasi, Kumasi, Akwatia, Oda, Winneba, Swedru, Berekum among others at a cost of GHS 1.665 billion stating that by the end of this government, 3,000 kilometres of roads would have been completed. On Sinohydro Master Project Support Facility, Mr Amoako-Atta said 4 road projects are ongoing including 2 interchanges. The road projects he said include the Accra inner-city roads, Kumasi inner-city roads, dualization of Adenta to Dodowa and the rehabilitation of Ajumako to Afransie road. Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Madam Stella Kumedzro, the Volta Regional Director of Environmental Health and Sanitation, says newborns in mining communities have huge health risks. She said the exposure of expectant mothers to chemicals such as cyanide, nitric acid, sulphuric acid, mercury and other solvents used to separate the minerals from the ore, could pose serious health problems for the babies. We also have harmful chemicals that are used to blast the tunnels, which is ammonium sulphide and oil, also gasolines and diesel used in the heavy vehicles in the mining industry. All these are harmful, especially to babies," she said. Madam Kumedzro, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said the chemicals had negative effects on the kidney and liver and could also cause brain damage. She said when those chemicals were inhaled, drank or ingested, they could cause effects including miscarriages, premature birth, birth defects such as babies with crooked mouth, one eye, and no nose, as well as death of the expectant mother. Madam Kumedzro said the defects are as a result of the mutation of the genes of the mother. She said though some babies could be born normally their body system may not function and advised expectant mothers in such communities to relocate. She also asked expectant mothers working with mining companies to call for reassignment and be posted to safer environments. She recommended the use of Personal Protective Equipment(PPE) to protect all workers from exposure to the chemicals. I cannot over-emphasize handwashing with soap under running water in this situation. It will be appropriate we wash our hands with soap under running water so that we do not ingest these chemicals, Madam Kumedzro said. She appealed to mining companies to use safer chemicals and mine responsibly. Institutions that regulate the sector must ban dangerous chemicals as was done to Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), she said. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Managing Editor of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Kweku Baako Jnr has described as an 'exercise in futility' NDC's decision not to participate in IPAC meetings. The opposition party intends to boycott every Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting because according to them, their contributions are often disregarded. Director of Elections for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah says So for purposes of achieving whatever agenda, entities that the EC knows will not qualify to be political parties are recruited and mobilized, bring them and then they will all say we agree and sign. Then the NDC which is the biggest opposition party is allowed to have just one person representing them at IPAC for decision making. So when we go to IPAC meetings our presence and input does not make any difference. So the NDC cannot have a situation where we have an equal number of seats in Parliament with the NPP but are allowed to have only one vote just as the smaller parties. Kweku Baako contributing to a panel discussion on Joy Newsfile programme, Saturday, said the decision to boycott IPAC meeting is 'wrong-headed'. "An exercise in futility; that decision is wrong-headed and has no sustainable effect. They cant sustain it. I can see in my mind's eye of they reviewing that decision and going back to the IPAC. The NDC can't ignore any serious electoral body...its a question of mutuality; both sides need each other" he intimated. Based on a precedent and referring to a June 26, 1995, Electoral Commission minute, Mr Baako confidently said: "The NDC will return to the table, they will return to the IPAC". However, the National Communications Officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi disagrees with Kweku Baako's view that their boycott "is wrong-headed, and an exercise in futility" Meanwhile, the General Secretary of the opposition party has justified their decision to boycott in a one-on-one interview on UTV. Listen to him in the video below Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The University of Professional Studies, Accra, (UPSA) will on 24th July 2021, confer an honorary doctorate degree on the Editor-In-Chief of the New Crusading Guide Newspaper, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako. A letter signed by the Vice-Chancellor of the UPSA, Prof. Abednego F.O Martey and read by Kwami Sefa Kayi during Wednesday's edition of Peace FM's Morning show 'Kokrokoo' said: Im pleased to inform you that the Governing Council of the University of Professional Studies, Accra has approved your nomination for the conferment of an honorary doctorate degree. In approving your nomination, the Governing Council and Management took note of your many years of selfless public service to Ghana. The nationwide respect you have earned for your fight against dictatorship and for press freedom. Your excellent journalistic skills which have led you to train and mentor dozens of journalist in Ghana to include Anas Aremeyaw Anas; a renowned investigative journalist, your tenure as the longest service panelist on Newsfile making it a household name and your service as a regular panelist on many other morning shows have contributed to the robust and enviable press freedom laws now enjoyed by members of the media and media organizations in Ghana. For your information, UPSA is empowered to confer honorary degrees by the University of Professional Studies, Accra by Act 850. The horary doctorate degree will be conferred on you during the UPSA congregation ceremony scheduled for 8:30 am on Saturday 24th July, 2021. The University hereby respectfully wishes to invite you to the congregation ceremony to take place in the UPSA new auditorium. We will like to extend an invitation to your entourage who will accompany you to mark this important achievement. Congratulations, and we look forward to welcome you to campus on July 24, 2021. Reacting to this, on the 'Kokrokoo' morning show, Kweku Baako who has rejected other offers in the past said he's not decided whether or not to accept UPSA's. "You have been very diabolical...this came to my notice about two or three months and it's delayed (his response) because I'm not sure...I wanted to contact them on the quiet...I'm beginning to suspect that this thing is a conspiracy between you (Sefa Kayi) and Anas" he added. Listen to the video below Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video In this Oct. 15, 2017 photo, Yuan Longping, center, stands in a field of hybrid rice in Handan in northern China's Hebei Province. Yuan, a scientist who developed higher-yield varieties of rice that helped feed people around the world, died Saturday May 22, 2021, at a hospital in the city of Changsha, Xinhua News agency reported. Credit: Chinatopix via AP Yuan Longping, a Chinese scientist who developed higher-yield rice varieties that helped feed people around the world, died Saturday at a hospital in the southern city of Changsha, the Xinhua News agency reported. He was 90. Yuan spent his life researching rice and was a household name in China, known by the nickname "Father of Hybrid Rice." Worldwide, a fifth of all rice now comes from species created by hybrid rice following Yuan's breakthrough discoveries, according to the website of the World Food Prize, which he won in 2004. On Saturday afternoon, large crowds honored the scientist by marching past the hospital in Hunan province where he died, local media reported, calling out phrases such as: "Grandpa Yuan, have a good journey!" It was in the 1970s when Yuan achieved the breakthroughs that would make him a household name. He developed a hybrid strain of rice that recorded an annual yield 20% higher than existing varietiesmeaning it could feed an extra 70 million people a year, according to Xinhua. His work helped transform China from "food deficiency to food security" within three decades, according to the World Food Prize, which was created by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Norman Borlaug in 1986 to recognize scientists and others who have improved the quality and availability of food. Yuan and his team worked with dozens of countries around the world to address issues of food security as well as malnutrition. Even in his later years, Yuan did not stop doing research. In 2017, working with a Hunan agricultural school, he helped create a strain of low-cadmium indica rice for areas suffering from heavy metal pollution, reducing the amount of cadmium in rice by more than 90%. Explore further Rice has many fathers but only two mothers 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Rommel the Jagdterrier holds a dead rat in his mouth after hunting it in a dumpster in lower Manhattan on May 14, 2021. Late on a Friday night, eight dog enthusiasts and their pet pooches prowl several dark alleys in New York's Lower East Side with one mission: to hunt and kill as many rats as possible. The dogs, mostly terriers, pant and strain at their leashes before diving into trash bags and emerging seconds later with a convulsing rodent between their teeth. "They're bred for the job. They're wired for the job. They live for the job," explained Richard Reynolds, organizer of the Ryders Alley Trencher-fed Society, or R.A.T.S. for short. New York's furry rodents are notorious. Legend has it there are as many rats in the city as humans (some eight million), with public-health officials regularly testing new techniques to control the population, including placing dry ice in rat burrows to asphyxiate them. Shortly into the coronavirus crisis, America's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned of "unusual or aggressive rodent behavior" after restaurants and offices closed, disrupting food sources. That hasn't deterred the men and women volunteers of R.A.T.S. and their dogs. They have been chasing vermin for about 30 years and have maintained their nocturnal meets during the pandemic, albeit slightly less regularly. Members of The Ryders Alley Trencher-fed Society (R.A.T.S.) searching for vermin on the New York City's Lower East Side on May 14, 2021. Superpowers Shorter-legged dogs such as Jagdterriers flush out rodents from piles of garbage, construction debris and bushes while faster, longer-legged dogs like Bedlingtons stand back, ready to pounce. "It's a bit like X-Men," says Alex Middleton, a 36-year-old dog trainer. "Each dog has its own superpower." Reynolds, 77, will sometimes pound trash cans with a metal stick to send rats scurrying, while Middleton frequently drops Rommel, a Jagdterrier, straight into dumpsters. "Go on Rommel, get it," the group shouts, as the dog thrashes around in the rubbish. Moments later, following several squeaks, Rommel, blood dripping from his mouth, appears with the rat, and the hunters cheer. The rat catchers pick up the carcasses by their tails and deposit them in a single-strap fabric bag. Its contents will be emptied and counted at the end of the night. Lita the wirehaired dachshund holds a dead rat in its mouth after hunting it in a neighborhood in lower Manhattan on May 14, 2021 in New York City. "The newer members share carrying the bag," said 28-year-old Sophia Pierce. "It's heavydo you want to feel it?" Pierce, a dog groomer who joined the hunts with her wirehaired dachshund Lita a year ago, is unperturbed by the slaughter. "You just kind of get used to it. I think the people that just kind of walk up to it get more squeamish than we do," she said. Reynolds, a dog-show judge, was in a park in New Jersey in the 1990s when his pooches started killing rats during a show there. The park attendant asked if they would come back to help, and R.A.T.S. was born. R.A.T.S. answers calls and Facebook messages from rat-troubled residents who are usually most grateful for the group's swift and effective response. The city government doesn't recommend the practice, citing a risk of dogs catching a serious disease known as leptospirosis. But city officials don't stop the group, because the catchers are not violating its health code. "The occasional beer can has been thrown at us for making too much noise, but we've got a warm welcome most places we go," said Reynolds. Alex Middleton stands with Rommel the Jagdterrier after it killed a rat in lower Manhattan on May 14, 2021 in New York City. 'Different world' Kayla Callender said she was "hyped" earlier this month when she saw the hunters in her Manhattan neighborhood near the Williamsburg bridge. "They make a big difference, for sure. I appreciate it," she told AFP. Not everyone feels the same. Animal rights group PETA's senior director Stephanie Bell described the hunts as "archaic, depraved and illegal." But for Reynolds, death-by-terrier is no crueler than by rat poison or sticky traps. Michael Parsons, a rat expert at Fordham University, likens the hunts to putting "a Band-Aid on cancer." Reducing food waste and refuse is more effective for controlling the rat population, he said. But while saying that the group doesn't make a "heavy impression" on New York's rodent population, he added that it does "contribute something to the community." Jason Rivera, a member of the rat-catching group, and his dog attempt to catch a rodent in New York City on May 14, 2021. Richard Reynolds of the Ryder's Alley Trencher-fed Society (R.A.T.S.) takes his dog out of a crate in lower Manhattan on May 14, 2021. Alex Middleton places a dead rat into a bag during a hunt on May 14, 2021 in New York City. The rats killed by the Ryder's Alley Trencher-fed Society and their dogs are lined up at the end of the hunt in lower Manhattan on May 14, 2021. The group sends DNA samples to universities conducting research and provides frozen rats for falcons to eat at a nearby avian rehabilitation center. The volunteers say their enjoyment comes from seeing their dogs have fun developing predatory skills. "We do rat control but that's not really why we're here," said Reynolds. "We're here for the dogs, to work the dogs." Kim McCormick, a 58-year-old paramedic who makes six-hour round trips from Connecticut to take part, also enjoys the camaraderie among owners. "It's a whole different world, a whole different way of meeting people. We work together, and the dogs are phenomenal together," she said. After three hours of stalking, Greg Conception, 54, lines up the night's haul on the ground. He counts 26 in total. "Usually we get about 40. This is a little light. We're obviously coming here too often," he said. Explore further Leptospirosis in New York Citya risk from rats to dogs and people 2021 AFP Trump thought he was much shrewder than his predecessors in defusing this nuclear threat. Clinton failed, Bush failed, and Obama failed, he tweeted in 2017. I wont fail. First he warned that if the North Koreans threatened the United States, they will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen. He tweeted, I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his. Jay Wamsted, left, and his daughter, Kira, are photographed on Thursday, May 20, 2021 in Smyrna, Ga. Wamsted, who is an 8th grade math teacher, allowed his daughter to skip testing this year. With new flexibility from the Biden administration, states are adopting a patchwork of testing plans that aim to curb the stress of exams while still capturing some data on student learning. Credit: AP Photo/Ben Gray Standardized tests are returning to the nation's schools this spring, but millions of students will face shorter exams that carry lower stakes, and most families are being given the option to forgo testing entirely. With new flexibility from the Biden administration, states are adopting a patchwork of testing plans that aim to curb the stress of exams while still capturing some data on student learning. The lenient approach means large swaths of students will go untested, shattering hopes for a full picture of how much learning has been set back by the pandemic. "We will end up with a highly imperfect set of data," said Robin Lake, director of the Center on Reinventing Public Education at the University of Washington. "This is something our country will have to commit to tracking and learning about for at least the next few years, and maybe the next decade." Some of the nation's largest districts plan to test only a fraction of their students as many continue to learn remotely. In New York City, students must opt in to be tested this year. In Los Angeles, most students are not being asked to take state exams this year. Other districts are scaling back questions or testing in fewer subjects. It's the latest episode in a long-fought battle over school testing and, as in the past, parents are polarized. Some are demanding tests to get a sense of their children's progress. Others see no need to put their children through that kind of stress. Jay Wamsted, right, and his daughter, Kira, are photographed on Thursday, May 20, 2021 in Smyrna, Ga. Wamsted, who is an 8th grade math teacher, allowed his daughter to skip testing this year. With new flexibility from the Biden administration, states are adopting a patchwork of testing plans that aim to curb the stress of exams while still capturing some data on student learning. Credit: AP Photo/Ben Gray As a teacher, Jay Wamsted believes there's value in testing. But when his sixth-grade daughter Kira asked to opt out this year, he saw no reason to object. He already knows she needs to catch up on math after months of remote learning. And as a teacher at her school, he knew that many other students were also backing out, undermining the value of the results. "I know she's a little behind, and I don't need that data," said Wamsted, who live in Smyrna, Georgia. "To take a month to gather data that is not going to mean anything to any of their teachers next yearit seems like a waste of time." Parent Abby Norman found her third-grade daughter crying in her bedroom the morning tests were scheduled to begin at her school near Atlanta. Priscilla, 9, had just returned to the classroom after learning remotely and was worried she wasn't prepared. Jay Wamsted, right, and his daughter, Kira, are photographed on Thursday, May 20, 2021 in Smyrna, Ga. Wamsted, who is an 8th grade math teacher allowed his daughter to skip testing this year. With new flexibility from the Biden administration, states are adopting a patchwork of testing plans that aim to curb the stress of exams while still capturing some data on student learning. Credit: AP Photo/Ben Gray "She was so nervous about this test that I don't care about at all, that does not matter to me," said Norman, who is a preacher. "I literally ended up telling her, 'If you want to lick the test and give it back, I don't care.'" With that reassurance, Abby agreed to take the tests and scored "almost off the charts," her mom said. Still, Norman resents that students were put in that situation at all. Several states lobbied the Biden administration to cancel standardized tests entirely for a second year, but the Education Department aimed for a middle ground: It told states to test as many student as possible without requiring them to come in just for exams. The goal, the agency said, should be to measure the pandemic's impact and identify how to help students recover. Acknowledging the challenges of the pandemic, the agency invited states to shorten or delay tests, and it urged them to ease the stakes for students. But the department later granted additional leniency to certain states, prompting criticism that it failed to set a clear bar. Abby Norman talks with her 9-year-old daughter Priscilla after she arrived home from school to the family's Decatur, Ga., home on Tuesday, May 18, 2021. Priscilla was in tears the first morning of testing because she felt pressure to do well, but didn't feel prepared after remote learning. Credit: AP Photo/Ben Gray Washington, D.C., was granted permission to cancel tests because 88% of students were learning remotely, but the agency rejected similar requests from Michigan, New York and Georgia. Requests to scale back testing were granted in Colorado and Oregon, but a plan to narrow the testing pool in Washington state was rejected. Those who opposed testing say it's the last thing students need after such a challenging year. Schools have other ways to evaluate students, they say, and testing only takes away from classroom time. Michigan's education chief has blasted the uneven flexibility granted to states. School across Michigan have already used other tests to assess students, he said, and more exams "will inform precisely nothing about our children's needs." State officials in New York argued that testing is unlikely to produce useful data given the variability in instruction during the pandemic. Jay Wamsted, left, and his daughter, Kira, are photographed on Thursday, May 20, 2021 in Smyrna, Ga. Wamsted, who is an 8th grade math teacher, allowed his daughter to skip testing this year. With new flexibility from the Biden administration, states are adopting a patchwork of testing plans that aim to curb the stress of exams while still capturing some data on student learning. Credit: AP Photo/Ben Gray "In fact, the students most in need of state assessmentsthose receiving remote instructionare the very children who are not required to take the test," the state's top education officials wrote in an April statement. Testing advocates counter that there's still value in collecting as much data as possible. Lake, at the University of Washington, said even imperfect results can help illuminate the scope of the problem schools face as they help students recover. "Standardized tests at the state level are the most consistent data we've had to track academic progress, so it would be a huge missed opportunity to forgo those tests this year," she said. "Flying blind is not a responsible position for a public official to take." Some critics blame the Biden administration for allowing halfhearted attempts at evaluations. They point to places like New York City, where the outgoing schools chief urged parents in February to consider opting out of tests. Oregon's two largest districts have voted to defy state orders and skip testing. The state says their penalty will be to submit a plan to come into compliance next year. Jay Wamsted, right, and his daughter, Kira, are photographed on Thursday, May 20, 2021 in Smyrna, Ga. Wamsted, who is an 8th grade math teacher allowed his daughter to skip testing this year. With new flexibility from the Biden administration, states are adopting a patchwork of testing plans that aim to curb the stress of exams while still capturing some data on student learning. Credit: AP Photo/Ben Gray "These states are simply playing games. They're not even pretending to make an effort to test students, and the Biden administration is letting them get away with it," said Michael Petrilli, president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a conservative education think tank. If testing isn't feasible now, Petrilli said, it should be done in the fall. Maryland, New Jersey and Washington state have postponed tests, and it's an option for districts in California. In some states, officials are pushing ahead with tests much as they have in the past. In Tennessee and Arkansas, education officials have said all healthy students are expected to take state exams, which are only being offered in-person. More than 1.4 million tests have already been given in Arkansas this spring, and the state is on track to test at least 95% of students, according to the state's education department. Abby Norman, right, and her 9-year-old daughter Priscilla Norman, left, pose at the family's home in Decatur, Ga., Tuesday, May 18, 2021. Norman said Priscilla was in tears the first morning of school testing because she felt pressure to do well, but didn't feel prepared after remote learning. Credit: AP Photo/Ben Gray Abby Norman, right, looks at a project made by her daughter Priscilla, 9, left, as Juliet, 11, runs inside as they arrive home from school to the family's home in Decatur, Ga., Tuesday, May 18, 2021. Priscilla was in tears the first morning of school testing this year because she felt pressure to do well, but didn't feel prepared after remote learning. Credit: AP Photo/Ben Gray Abby Norman greets her daughters Juliet, 11, left, and Priscilla, 9, as they arrive home from school to the family's Decatur, Ga. home on Tuesday, May 18, 2021. Priscilla was in tears the first morning of testing this year because she felt pressure to do well, but didn't feel prepared after remote learning. Credit: AP Photo/Ben Gray Abby Norman greets her daughters Juliet, 11, left, and Priscilla, 9, as they arrive home from school to the family's Decatur, Ga., home on Tuesday, May 18, 2021. Priscilla was in tears the first morning of testing this year because she felt pressure to do well, but didn't feel prepared after remote learning. Credit: AP Photo/Ben Gray Abby Norman, right, said her 9-year-old daughter Priscilla Norman, left, was in tears the first morning of school testing because she felt pressure to do well, but didn't feel prepared after remote learning, sitting outside at the family's home in Decatur, Ga., Tuesday, May 18, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Ben Gray In normal years, the federally required tests are used to gauge school effectiveness and chart the progress of students, both as individuals and in demographic groups. In some states, students must pass certain tests to move to the next grade or graduate from high school. But this year, most states are focusing on measuring student growth and letting schools and students off the hook for the results. After last year's tests were canceled, there was hope that this year's exams would provide the most comprehensive look yet at the pandemic's impact on education. But the inconsistency between states now makes a broad analysis impossible, said Scott Marion, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Assessment, which helps states design and evaluate tests. Still, he believes the results will have value. As schools begin the long process to help students recover, he said, this year's data will provide a foundation to measure against. "I do think the data can be a useful baseline going forward," he said. "If this is the low point, or close to it, how are our kids going to come out of it going forward?" Explore further Going forth with standardized tests may cause more problems than it solves 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. This Saturday, May 22, 2021 image provided by Virgin Galactic shows the release of VSS Unity from VMS Eve and ignition of rocket motor over Spaceport America, N.M. Virgin Galactic completed its third spaceflight and the first ever spaceflight from Spaceport America, N.M. Today's flight sees New Mexico become the third US state to launch humans into space. VSS Unity achieved a speed of Mach 3 after being released from the mothership, VMS Eve, and reached space, at an altitude of 55.45 miles (89.2 km) before gliding smoothly to a runway landing at Spaceport America. Credit: Virgin Galactic via AP Virgin Galactic on Saturday made its first rocket-powered flight from New Mexico to the fringe of space in a manned shuttle, as the company forges toward offering tourist flights to the edge of the Earth's atmosphere. High above the desert in a cloudless sky, the VSS Unity ignited its rocket to hurtle the ship and two pilots toward space. A live feed by NASASpaceFlight.com showed the ship accelerating upward and confirmed a landing later via radar. Virgin Galactic announced that its VSS Unity shuttle accelerated to three times the speed of sound and reached an altitude of just over 55 miles (89 kilometers) above sea level before making its gliding return through the atmosphere. British billionaire and Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson said the flight and landing bring the roughly 15-year-old venture tantalizingly close to commercial flights for tourists. Virgin Galactic says those flights could begin next year. "Today was just an incredible step in the right direction," Branson told The Associated Press shortly after the flight landings. "It tested a lot of new systems that the teams have been building and they all worked." Virgin Galactic CEO Michael Colglazier said at least two more undated test flights lie aheadthe next with four mission specialist passengers in the cabin. Pending trials also include a flight that will take Branson to the edge of space. "The flight today was elegant, beautiful," Colglazier said. "We're going to analyze all the data that we gather on these flights. But watching from the ground and speaking with our pilots, it was magnificent. So now it's time for us to do this again." Virgin Galactic said the flight provided an assessment of upgrades to a horizontal stabilizer, other flight controls and a suite of cabin cameras designed to provide live images of the flight to people on the ground. The shuttle also carried a scientific payload in cooperation with NASA's Flight Opportunities Program. Preparations for the latest flight included a maintenance review of the special carrier plane that flies the six-passenger spacecraft to a high altitude, where it is released so it can fire its rocket motor and make the final push to space. The first powered test of the rocket ship in New Mexico from Spaceport America was delayed repeatedly before Saturday's launch. In December 2020, computer trouble caused by electromagnetic interference prevented the spaceship's rocket from firing properly. Instead of soaring toward space, the ship and its two pilots were forced to make an immediate landing. In this Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020 file photo, Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity departs Mojave Air & Space Port in Mojave, Calif. for the final time as Virgin Galactic shifts its SpaceFlight operations to New Mexico. Virgin Galactic's spaceship VSS Unity, tucked under the wing of its special carrier aircraft, headed east from Southern California on a long-awaited ferry flight to its new home in New Mexico where it will be prepared for commercial operations carrying tourists on hops into space, the company said. Credit: Matt Hartman via AP While Virgin Galactic's stock price ticked up this week with the announcement of the latest test being scheduled for Saturday, it wasn't enough to overcome the losses seen since a peak in February. Some analysts have cautioned that it could be a while before the company sees profits as the exact start of commercial operations is still up in the air. Virgin Galactic is one of a few companies looking to cash in on customers with an interest in space. Elon Musk's SpaceX will launch a billionaire and his sweepstakes winners in September. That is expected to be followed in January 2022 by a flight by three businessmen to the International Space Station. Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin launched a new capsule in January as part of testing as it aims to get its program for tourists, scientists and professional astronauts off the ground. It's planning for liftoff of its first crewed flight on July 20, the date of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Virgin Galactic has reached space twice before. The first time was from California in December 2018. The flights are designed to reach an altitude of at least 50 miles (80 kilometers) as the rocket motor is turned off and the crew prepares to reenter the atmosphere and glide to a landing. As part of the return trip, a feathering system slows and stabilizes the craft as it re-enters the atmosphere. New Mexico taxpayers have invested over $200 million in the Spaceport America hangar and launch facility, near Truth or Consequences, after Branson and then-Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democrat, pitched the plan for the facility, with Virgin Galactic as the anchor tenant. Richardson watched Saturday's flight from the ground below and later thanked the residents of local counties who committed early on to a sales tax increase to support the venture. "It's finally a great day after all of us taking a lot of heatmainly meover a period of time," Richardson said. "But it's happened. It's successful." Explore further Timing of next Virgin Galactic flight still up in the air 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. GLENS FALLS Representatives from Bonacio Construction are expected to meet with city officials in the coming weeks to begin negotiations that should see the company purchase and redevelop three city-owned parcels along the South Street corridor as part of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative. The negotiations will start just weeks after the city selected the Saratoga Springs-based construction company to develop its Market Square concept. The project is a key component of its DRI, a $10 million state grant awarded to the city in 2016 to rehab portions of the downtown area. We were selected as the qualified bidder. The contract for any land transaction is what were going to work toward, said Larry Novik, director of business development for Bonacio Construction. Novik said its possible negotiations fall through and the city looks for another developer to bring the project to fruition, but added he doesnt believe there will be any issues. He declined to discuss any details about the project, but said the citys concept for the site is very much in line with the companys. Hundreds of Jeep enthusiasts are scheduled to roll into Warren County in June for the first Adirondack Jeep Invasion event. The three-day gathering is planned for June 18-20 and will be headquartered at 1000 Acres Ranch in Stony Creek. It will also include a Show and Shine event in the village of Lake George, Warren County and Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce officials announced last week. We had received several requests from our New Jersey Jeep Invasion participants to bring something to New York like our Wildwood show, event host Jamie Longmuir said in a news release. We spent almost two years looking at venues and towns around New York City, Long Island and New York state. Longmuir said the Lake George region was chosen because of the amenities, the family feel of the area, as well as the shops, restaurants and attractions. We dont do shows in parking lots. The venue is a top priority for us, Longmuir said. The 1000 Acres Ranch was chosen as the main event venue because it offers many activities for families, including swimming, horseback riding, tubing, kayaking and fishing, Longmuir said. The Adirondack Jeep Invasion is open to any Jeep branded make, model or year. Last year is hopefully a once-in-a-century experience we wont have to go through again, but the lessons are still to be learned, he said. One lesson is you make it easier for people to fill out a mail ballot and turnout is higher. That should be a lesson that is employed in the future. Horner pointed out that other states conduct many elections entirely through mail-in ballots and have done so successfully and with higher turnout than many other states. (He said NYPIRG had not analyzed all-mail voting enough to take a definitive position.) I think its a legitimate issue to examine, Horner said of all-mail balloting, which is how Oregon and some other Western states run their elections. There are states that do that and they do it well and effectively and without significant problems. In November, voters across the state will have a chance to adopt a constitutional amendment allowing no-excuse absentee ballots in state and local elections (meaning anyone can request without providing a reason). The constitutional amendment is required because of language in the state Constitution that requires an excuse for absentee ballots. But Lowry said he does not think the amendment would apply to school elections, which are governed by education law statutes rather than election law. He also said lawmakers could extend no-excuse absentee ballots to school elections if they wanted to with a statutory change since the current language requiring an excuse also does not apply to school elections hence the reason last years school elections were able to shift to all-mail voting, Lowry noted. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 1 Angry 0 GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP Keira Smith has resided for the past 13 years on East Biscayne Avenue here. Smith, 57, knew when she started living in her home that the back of her property was adjacent to a commercial zone, but she and her neighbors maintain that a recreational vehicle park is not an appropriate or compatible business for the area at New York Road and Route 9. This is a working class and middle-class neighborhood. Some people are retired. Some are still working, Smith said. We dont want the noise or the transient population. Risley RV Resort was proposed to be a commercial business consisting of 57 rental slips for recreational vehicles for limited stays on a little less than 4 acres, according to the conceptual site plan. A portion of the tract is situated in Absecon, but the Absecon section is not proposed to be developed. Earlier this spring, Risley Development came before the zoning board of adjustments to see if an RV park could be built on New York Road without a use variance. But a majority of the zoning board members told the company that a use variance would be necessary, said Heather Butler, zoning board administrator. But more of the burden will fall on business owners. The ordinance requires businesses to install signs informing customers of the ordinance and create new systems to keep carts on site. That could include barriers or electronic wheel locks that stop the roll at the edge of the stores property. The ordinance also suggests assigning an employee the job of retrieving carts and ensuring they stay on site. It also raises the possibility of using clerks to accompany customers to make sure the carts come back or security guards to make sure they do not leave the property in the first place. It also will require each cart include a sign identifying its owner. Cape May County detective charged with conducting unauthorized investigation Criminal charges were filed Thursday against a suspended detective in the Cape May County Pr When a cart is found in neighborhoods, sidewalks or elsewhere away from a store, the owner will have 48 hours to retrieve it under the ordinance. After that, fines of $250 a day per cart will be imposed. At the meeting Monday, Donohue said some residents have argued the ordinance is similar to punishing a store for shoplifting. They have a point, he said. What we have found is a lot of the stores just look at it as the cost of doing business and really dont take necessary steps to secure the carts on their property. This ordinance will encourage them to do so, he said. OCEAN CITY A daily Boardwalk flag-raising ceremony is moving to the Music Pier this summer. A dedication ceremony is planned for 8:50 a.m. Saturday, and the flag-raising will take place at that time every day through Sept. 11, the city said in a news release. The event includes the playing of the national anthem and a medley of patriotic songs. A newly installed flagpole in front of the Music Pier will be dedicated to the memory of three veterans from Ocean City: Joe Caserta, James J.R. Robinson and Bill Cruice. Family members of each will attend the ceremony, the city said. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Caserta, who died this year at 98, was a tank driver in some of the fiercest battles in Europe during World War II. He received the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and other medals. Robinson received two Purple Hearts and a Presidential Unit Citation for his service in the Vietnam War. Cruice was a veteran of the Korea and Vietnam wars, and a founder of American Legion Post 524 in the city. Each was a regular attendee of the flag-raising ceremony when it was held outside OC Waterpark at Plymouth Place. The community has had no luck trying to get in touch with council or Mayor David Zappariello. Ive never seen a mayor and council not talk to their constituents, Romeo said. My fathers always been in politics, and you always have to talk to them. I mean, how do you get anything done if nobody talks? Fire Chief Ken Barbagli spoke throughout most of the event, at one point showing attendees recently obtained certificates showing the department is ready to resume operations. This fire department is up and ready to run, Barbagli said. I dont know how else to say it. Were more equipped than most fire departments around. While the chief fielded questions from the crowd, 53-year-old Robert Anderson raised his hand to say he planned on volunteering at Landisville if the fire company opens back up. Barbagli approached him and shook his hand. A current Atlantic City firefighter of 19 years and a Landisville resident of the past three, Anderson said the situation is sad. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Manpower is everything for firefighting and rescue, he said. The more we have, the better off we are. Its pretty simple, but for some reason theres this background agenda where this firehouse wants to get taken. At least three people were killed and three others were wounded in a shooting Sunday outside a bar in Youngstown, Ohio, police said. Chief Carl Davis of the Youngstown police department said gunfire was reported shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday in the area of the Torch Club Bar & Grille in Youngstown. Davis said three people were dead of apparent gunshot wounds and at least three others were wounded, one in critical condition. None of the shootings occurred in the bar but they stemmed from an incident which began there, he said. Arriving officers rendered first aid to victims near the establishment and officers from nearby departments were called in to help due to the large crowds in what he called a chaotic and tragic event. Authorities said no one was in custody but they were talking to several individuals. Police declined comment on how many weapons were used or other details. Police were processing evidence from two shooting scenes near the bar as well as a traffic accident reported at about the same time. It wasn't immediately clear what relation the accident had to the shooting. In April, for example, 15,906 dogs were surrendered by their owners an increase of nearly 80% over April 2020, according to PetPoint. But many shelters curtailed operations in April 2020, meaning fewer pets could be returned that month. And the numbers were still well below the 20,289 dogs that were surrendered in April 2019, before the coronavirus upended life and commerce. Thats not only bad math, its bad policy. There is simply no compelling evidence that government attempts to enroll children in child care or preschool improves school readiness or other life outcomes, but there is evidence of unintended negative consequences. Speaking of bad investments, consider where the money would come from. The American Families Plan would be funded on the backs of our children and they already own $67,000 apiece of the national debt. Their share of debt will increase by $3,700 per year over the next decade, even before factoring in the additional $4.5 trillion in proposed infrastructure and family spending. We wouldnt take out loans in our childrens names to send them to preschool or to finance monthly child payments for ourselves. Why should we support the government doing so? President Joe Biden says he can pay for all this by taxing the rich. But sober analysis shows that super-sized government entitlements like these require soaking the middle class, just as they do in Europe. Below-average earners pay 45% and 43% tax rates in Germany and France, and the middle-class pays 56% and 70% marginal rates. Thats before a 20% value added tax is applied to their purchases. Thats a lot less money left for families to pursue whats best for them. New York Attorney General Letitia James is playing major league poker with former president Donald Trump and she just raised the stakes. The AGs office announced that its civil investigation of the Trump Organization for filing false tax returns has now become an active criminal investigation. In response, Trump issued a 900-word statement denouncing the investigation as politically motivated. Trump despisers may be tempted to take some heart from the news of the investigation, which will proceed alongside the until-now separate criminal investigation being conducted by the district attorney of New York County, Cyrus Vance Jr. But this is a high-risk move by James. Trumps opponents would do well to remember the sizable risk that would come with prosecuting the one-term president: He could be acquitted. And if that happened, Trump could use the bounce-back as a highly effective tool to support a presidential bid in 2024. The announcement by Jamess office was brief and opaque and it didnt mention the president by name. It said simply that the AGs office had informed the Trump Organization that our investigation into the organization is no longer purely civil in nature and that it was now actively investigating the Trump Organization in a criminal capacity, along with the Manhattan D.A. District Attorney Larry Krasner said doing so was an acknowledgement that even if someone cannot be proven innocent by new evidence, such as DNA, the jailhouse door has to open when theres substantial doubt on the charge of conviction. Paul Casteleiro, an attorney for Walker who works for Centurion Ministries, an advocacy organization that took up his case, said the arrangement for Walker to plead guilty was bittersweet but one he was ready to accept. Hes 60 years old and went in as a 22-year-old kid, Casteleiro said. Hes ready to be home. Prosecutors who reviewed Walkers case did not allege the type of police or prosecutorial misconduct that has been common in many of the other convictions theyve deemed worthy of being thrown out. In a letter to Brandeis-Roman, Assistant District Attorneys Thomas Gaeta and Patricia Cummings cited a troubling confluence of circumstances that they believe led to Walkers guilty verdict, including a narrow investigation that focused only on Walker; questionable trial tactics by Walkers defense attorney; and the possibility that those considering the evidence at trial may have been improperly swayed by his admission that hed had a sexual encounter with the victim, Clyde Coleman. These highly paid tax attorneys, wealth managers and accountants specialize in creating complex wealth-hiding loopholes such as offshore tax havens, dynasty trusts, anonymous shell companies, and bogus transactions. They are paid millions to hide trillions. To make them pay their fair share, we desperately need a stronger IRS. But the billionaire wealth defense industry has teamed up with Republicans in Congress to demonize and defund the tax authorities on the beat. Since 2010, the IRS has lost roughly 18,000 full-time positions, primarily due to Republican budget cuts. With these cuts, it has lost the expertise required to "follow the money" and unravel the complex tax dodges that have proliferated in recent years. Now, the priorities of the IRS are totally misdirected. You are four-times more likely to get audited if you use the "Earned Income Credit" a tax break for working families than if youre a billionaire using a "Grantor Retained Annuity Trust." This is why the "tax gap" between the amount owed and the amount collected has expanded so dramatically. IRS commissioner Charles Rettig told Congress in April that the gap may be as large as $1 trillion a year. "What else has to happen in this country?" he asked. It is unfortunate that some are trying to erase the memory of that day. We must not allow that to happen. We must not because there were brave men and women charged with protecting the Capitol who were left without help. A new inspector general's report last week offered a critical look at the apparent missteps by the leadership of the Capitol Police, saying they had clearer advance notice of the threat than previously known. There also are questions about the conversations that political leaders had among themselves as the riot was playing out. Initially, the Democrats proposal was not fair. It did not include an even number of lawmakers from each of the parties. That has been remedied. The commission also would have subpoena power, but it would require representatives appointed by both parties to sign off. For months, the subject of a commission has simmered. Perhaps it was a mistake not to establish it immediately after the terrible events of Jan. 6. In todays whirlwind news and political environment, its easy to push aside whats gone before especially if those events are traumatic or politically risky. As the spring legislative session winds toward a close in Springfield, we're still waiting for long-delayed ethics reform legislation. Illinoisans across the state have urged lawmakers and Gov. JB Pritzker to act on this, to enact new rules that will show theyre ready to change the political culture in this state. They must see that now is the time, right? Finally. Robust ethics reform is one of the foundations for turning this state around. It is necessary for Illinoisans to have confidence their elected leaders are working in our interests, not their own. That Illinoisans dont trust their government has long been clear. Back in 2016, a Gallup poll said that just one in four Illinoisans had confidence in their state government, the worst showing in the nation. We doubt things have gotten much better since then. Lack of trust is an anchor. It clearly contributed to the defeat of the governors Fair Tax proposal last year, and it does damage in other ways, too. Here in the Quad-Cities, lack of confidence that the state will resolve a range of issues, including how it conducts the business of the people, has led some to give up and move across the river. The barriers to vaccines that persist There are still several challenges officials are working to overcome in the country's vaccination efforts. Experts say many Americans still have questions about the vaccines, haven't received enough -- or the right -- information and others have problems with access, including being unable to take off of work to go get a shot. "Employers not only have an opportunity to increase vaccination rates but... it turns out that they can also help to close the equity gap in vaccinations," US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said during a White House Covid-19 briefing on Friday. "This is so important because we've said from the beginning that success is not just determined by how many people we get vaccinated but by how equitably and fairly we vaccinate our population," he added. "And workplaces, it turns out, can play a role in that." CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky also said last week the agency was asking businesses to support their employees to get vaccinated. "We are really asking the businesses to work with their workers to make sure that they have the paid time off to get themselves vaccinated so they can be safe," she told CNN last Sunday. In the 1940s, the building was transferred to the city of Davenport and moved to the grounds of the Davenport Public Museum, a precursor to the Putnam Museum, at 7th and Brady streets, according to research by the Richardson Sloane Special Collections Department of the Davenport Library. And in the 1960s, there was discussion of moving it up the hill when the new Putnam opened at 12th and Division streets. That did not happen, though, as the Treaty House and the old museum buildings were demolished after the new location opened. A few years previously, the authenticity of the Treaty House was questioned, as its appearance had changed, both inside and out, from when it was built. While the authenticity question may never be answered, its clear that all that remains of the Treaty House today are an engraving and a couple of photos. And, now, the plaque. Rodney Collier, owner of the Grasshopper building, said he got the plaque from an acquaintance who bought it at an estate sale and told him about it because she knew of his love of history. The week's biggest COVID-19 news came from Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds' office. In the early-morning hours of Thursday, Reynolds signed a law that said public schools and other public entities could not require students, public employees or visitors to wear masks. The law came just days after the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended students in all kindergarten through grade 12 wear masks and after the Scott County Health Department asked the state to not take away the mask requirement in public schools. Three Davenport Central students and a sixth-grader at McKinley Elementary School reacted to the new law and described what they saw in their schools. "I don't think that it was very smart to not have people wear masks because not all of my classmates are old enough to get the vaccine yet, so they can still pass it to people. I still wore my mask because I didn't want to get COVID-19 and to make others still feel safe," said 11-year-old Rylie Kelting, a McKinley student. Rylie said many of her classmates were "scared" and described the social reaction to students who did not mask. The three high school students interviewed for this story also described a kind of social polarization based on masking decisions. Vilsack has the scars to prove it. During his first stint as secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the entirety of former President Barack Obamas two terms in office the federal ag department received blowback from farmers, industry leaders and conservatives over the departments attempt to define which waterways are subject to federal regulation. The federal ag department under Obama and Vilsack never shook the controversy over the Waters of the U.S. rule. Vilsack, who accepted the federal ag secretary post again when asked by Biden after his election in 2020, said this week the country could not afford more legal hurdles slowing down its effort to reduce pollution and address climate change. We dont have time. We really have to pick up the pace here, of these activities, and I think the most effective and efficient way and the least time-consuming way is by providing some incentives, he said. Vilsack, a former two-term Iowa governor, spoke with the bureau via video call from his home just west of Des Moines. Vilsack said he was doing most of his work virtually for the time being there is not yet much in-person activity in the federal ag department offices in Washington, D.C., he said. It is not easy for me to get the call in the middle of the night from the chief or one of his team to tell me about incidents like this, and it pains me, he said. IN THE NEWS State bans local face mask requirements Iowa schools are no longer able to require staff or students to wear face masks during the school day, thanks to a new order that was passed in the final hours of the 2021 legislative session and signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds just after midnight, mere hours before the next school day was to start. Districts across the state that still had face mask requirements in place for the COVID-19 pandemic sent alerts to parents and students the next morning with the news that face masks are no longer required. Police backed: State lawmakers passed so-called back the blue legislation that would shield law enforcement officers from some lawsuits and raise the penalty for rioting to a Class D felony. Abortion amendment: Republicans approved a resolution that, if approved again next year, would put an amendment on the ballot as early as 2024 to allow Iowa voters to decide whether the Iowa Constitution provides a right to abortion. Thank you for the Quad-City Times editorial titled "2nd District issues remain" which was published May 9. I served as a Recount Board Designee in Clinton County, selected by the two candidates as the third member of the board. You correctly stated that legislation is needed to resolve the fairness and equality issues brought to light by the recount process. The lack of uniformity in the various counties was a problem, as was the fact that each county, regardless of population, had only a three-person Recount Board. Aside from the 22 uncounted ballots alleged by Rita Harts campaign, our recount in Clinton County found additional votes for both candidates because we were able to examine each ballot. Our board ultimately decided to accept the machine recount of votes if, after a visual examination of all the ballots, we found the exact number in a precinct rejected by the machine as either an "over" vote, "under" vote, or write-in vote. The best lawmakers could muster was bluster that the federal government had no business putting such rules in place with the governor even joining a lawsuit against the rule. Never mind that the federal government puts conditions on funding all the time as does the state when it appropriates funds to cities and counties to assure that the purposes of the funding are met. And in this case, the federal government did not want to pay for tax cuts. They wanted to pay for assistance to individuals and businesses harmed by the pandemic and the recession. Giving up federal funds is becoming a new norm in Iowa. The governor unilaterally ended pandemic-related unemployment benefits beginning June 13 for Iowans who lost work in the COVID recession. She unilaterally gave back $95 million scheduled to go to schools for testing and other COVID-related costs. These moves are consistent with her year of minimalist pandemic response that has cost the state in both economic and human health terms. It is worse that she and the Legislature made deals behind closed doors to cut revenues for services that would both help people and boost the economy. Mason has served in the Corvallis American Legion Post #91 for 23 years, including as the first vice commander and the finance officer. He is a faithful member of the honor guard and when needed in charge of the Caparison Horse. For many years he has overseen marshaling the Corvallis Memorial Day parade but this year his service to community, state and nation is honored as the grand marshal. This is the 101st year of the Corvallis Memorial Day Parade. It was started by World War I veterans after they returned from Europe. The rich tradition of honoring active-duty personnel and veterans who have died continues as the American Legion honors all the United States of Americas war dead those who died that freedom might live. This is also the 150th birthday of Corvallis. To participate in the parade, register or download pre-registration forms online at http://corvallispost91.blogspot.com/, or register the day of the parade from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., at the corner of Second and Market Streets in Corvallis. Look for the parade registration signs. Judging of parade entries begins at 9 a.m. Thats one thing we need to continue to do in Montana, we need to develop hunters, said Republican Sen. Greg Hertz of Polson, who carried the bill in that chamber. A number of hunter advocacy groups and student organizations supported the bill. Opponents, however, cautioned that the bill went against the spirit of efforts in 2015 including recommendations of an advisory committee that license structures be standardized. The effort and subsequent legislation both stabilized state fish and wildlife funding and simplified license structures, they said. Rather than piecemealing a license system and cost based on what we like and what sounds good and what feels good, I would request this body reject this bill because really what we need to do is keep it as a comprehensive package of licenses and fees, Sen. Tom Jacobson, D-Great Falls, said. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is unable to predict the financial impact of the bill, according to HB 647s fiscal note, which also does not predict how many students qualify or may purchase either half-price or resident rate licenses. Although the bill passed by comfortable margins, support was mixed among the parties. QUESTION: I have several key employees who have helped me grow our small business. They feel they should share in the profits they generate. Is there a way to do this without giving up equity in the company? ANSWER: In addition to a Sep-IRA and 401(k) plans, there are several ways to compensate individual key people in your company without actually giving them stock. Lets explore a few: Stock Appreciation Right or SAR works kind of like a nonqualified stock option. Essentially, what you are giving the employee is the right to benefit from your stocks appreciation from the time you grant them the SAR to the time they vest. The grant date is the date the SAR is given to the employee. The exercise price is the market price of the stock on grant date. The vesting date is the first day the SAR can be exercised. The expiration date is the last date the SAR can be exercised. Employees like SARs because there are no immediate tax consequences, as would be the case if they received stock. When the SARs are ultimately exercised, the difference between the market price at that time and the original exercise price, is taxed as earned income and subject to payroll tax. Few seniors know it, but they have a special layer of defense against fraud: employees of financial services firms who are trained to spot and report suspected financial abuse of customers over age 65. Although frontline employees have been asked to flag suspicious behavior to authorities for years, the Senior Safe Act of 2018 made it easier for financial institutions to work with prosecutors. Elder fraud is a complex issue, said Sam Kunjukunju, with the American Bankers Association Foundation. The whole purpose of [the law] is to encourage a collaborative effort. The National Council on Aging estimates that financial exploitation costs older adults between $2.6 billion and $36.5 billion each year. Many victims never come forward. Weve seen folks living Social Security payment to Social Security payment have their entire life savings drained by a home health aid worker, and weve seen people who retired from financial management get convinced to wire money to a fake charity, said Tracy Swaim, with Heartland Financial USA in Dubuque, Iowa. A lot of people that wouldnt ordinarily do it, a lot of guys, they said, they came here because its Hustler, his wife Harper said. To take away the stodginess of it, to make it Hustler, its very clever. Nothing says vaccinations like a stripper pole, said the couples friend George Stoecklin, who joined them to get his shot. Myers, 70, said he was reluctant to get the shot and worried about how fast it had been available. But he noted his age and said he was concerned about his ability to spread the virus and infect others, including his wife. Myers said he was disappointed there were no dancers on the stage while he got his shot but said, at least I got the scope of it. More than 46% of the states population age 12 and over has received at least one shot of the vaccine, but Nevada health officials said this week that a steep drop-off in demand for shots may make it impossible for the state to reach a goal of vaccinating 75% of the eligible population. Nevada officials have been increasingly turning to pop-up clinics in places like churches, schools and senior centers -- and now strip clubs -- to try to get more shots in arms. You couldnt see it on his face, but Lonnie Baldwin was filled with nerves Saturday afternoon as he waited to tell his story of addiction to an audience of 250 well-dressed fundraiser attendees at a Midlothian country club. He blinked the tears out of his eyes as he settled himself behind the lectern. He had talked about his addiction numerous times before, how he got hooked on opioids after undergoing surgery on his hand and how he went from doctor to doctor across Virginia, lying about suffering an injury in order to get more pain pills. But those talks all occurred at Narcotics Anonymous meetings or recovery centers. For the first time, the members of his audience werent all other people in recovery. What Baldwin, 57, did Saturday is known as breaking his anonymity. He felt compelled to do so, because he had heard about Scott Zebrowski, the person for whom the event was dedicated. The similarities between Baldwins story and Zebrowskis were eerily similar. The only difference is Scott died and I didnt, Baldwin said into a microphone. I should have, several times. U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., called them peaceful patriots. Tucker Carlson said they were solid Americans. U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., described them as people that love this country. If you cant trust guys like that, who can you trust? So what is all of this noise about forming a congressional commission to investigate? Do we really need that? Theres nothing to see here. Isnt it time we moved on? Or if youre determined to have an inquiry, how about Benghazi? We havent done that lately, and were so close to proving that Hillary Clinton personally murdered the U.S. ambassador. We also could investigate the massive fraud of the 2020 election. Or the way liberals canceled Dr. Seuss and neutered Mr. Potato Head. But as to Jan. 6, what is there to say? Nothing happened, and theres no reason to investigate it. Its not like we Republicans are scared of an investigation, you understand. Its not like we think that would tie us to what happened in January. Not that anything happened, but if it had, wed have had nothing to do with it. Were not scared. Do we look scared? How can you be scared when nothing happened? A 16-year-old was in good condition at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston after he was shot in his left leg about 9 p.m. Saturday while he was in the front yard of a residence in the 2000 block of West Touhy Avenue in the Rogers Park neighborhood, police said. Shots were fired from a dark-colored vehicle. A 12-year-old girl who was with the teen suffered a laceration to her left arm from glass during the incident. The menu at Napoli by the Lake wont mirror that of Napoli Cowboy exactly, Wilson said, but everything will still be made from scratch. It will offer steaks, seafood, pasta dishes and homemade desserts. Weekly specials have been so popular at Napoli Cowboy that Wilson plans to offer them at the new restaurant, too; he said some customers have told him theyve never actually eaten anything on the menu, always choosing the special. Wilson said he believes even if a restaurant has the greatest food in the world, its a good idea to change it up. I cant count the amount of times in a week that the phone will ring and they say, What are this weeks specials? he said. Napoli by the Lake is right on the water and accessible by boat, something Wilson is excited about. Its a tremendous opportunity, he said. Thats why so many restaurants wanted it. A number of renovations were made to the space, Wilson said, including putting in a new bar, replacing the refrigeration system and kitchen equipment and bringing in new furniture. He said the restaurant can seat about 150 people. Napoli by the Lake is at 773 Ashmeade Road in Moneta. It will be open from 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday to Sunday to start, but Wilson said it will eventually open for lunch as well. The business news you need With a weekly newsletter looking back at local history. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. In the 1940s, 50s and 60s, we built our electrical grid, which was based on fossil fuel generation, coal mostly. Now we want to replace that with renewable energy to reduce our carbon footprint. So this process started some 20 years ago and we have been involved in that now for the last 10 years. And we are providing about 50% of the transformers required for the renewable generation. These are highly specialized transformers, very large, and they are being built to the specifications of the utilities and the developers who are designing and installing them. And they are changing our electrical grid infrastructure in a very meaningful way. Visualize how a long time ago, in the mid-1900s, we were producing thermal power using coal. And these were typically 600 to 1,000 megawatt plants. We designed our grid around those generating stations, generating stations of McGraw Edison, GE and Westinghouse, and all these companies were really part of the infrastructure of our grid. Then of course as time has changed now we are replacing those with what we call distributed energy generation. This generation is all over the country. It is not [concentrated] anywhere in one place. The location of this generation is determined by wind and by solar, and solar requires a lot of land. So where theres a lot of land and sun, thats where the solar goes. And where theres a lot of wind, thats where the wind goes. So its not determined by just where you want to put it or where it is most optimum to put it in certain places. Those places happen to be, in our country, well distributed. So that is causing the grid, which actually connects the user to the generating station, to change. Branches of the grid are being extended to catch power from these new generating stations. The old generating stations are being in some way reduced in capacity or in many other cases theyre being completely eliminated. For my own purposes, Ive started picking out some images to create a family calendar. If I cant narrow the selections to 12, some months may get more than one. I hope to work with a local printer, although there are plenty of online options for creating such projects. The rest of the photos I keep will live in some combination of albums and boxes, and some on my computer. And Ive embraced the idea that their roles may change over time. A couple of unexpected treasures have made their way into frames, while others no longer seem to need such treatment. And the purging will inevitably continue, even as new photos get made. And they will, of course. When we were paying to purchase and develop film, you were a little more selective in taking your photos, Meier mused. The advent of digital photography has changed the way we take and keep photos. I never took photos of what I ate before the advent of camera phones! But seriously, realize this is an ongoing process and that it is going to take time. Once you have an organization scheme and have organized the photos, then you need a workflow to integrate the new photos you take. Dr. Danny Avula, the states vaccine coordinator, said in a call with pediatricians this week that the lack of supply or appointment constraints indicates the trend could continue. But shifting to on-site vaccinations at doctors offices will be crucial. Clearly a lot of opportunity left, Avula told providers. You all as pediatricians will be a big part of that. Rates among 16- and 17-year-olds have faltered, Avula said, adding how about 37% of that population is vaccinated while being eligible for months. The most infections linked to variants, which are a more transmissible COVID-19 strain, are among the 10-to-29 age group, according to the VDHs Friday update. One in five of the states total cases, the most of any population, were people in their 20s. When tacking on residents between ages 0 and 19, that number jumps to being more than a third of all infections. One of them was Carolyn Loftins daughter. Loftin, 38, is the director of housing for Urban Hope and a part-time case investigator for the VDH. She has five children in Richmond Public Schools. Four are in the 12-to-15 age range. Asking 1995 denizens whether they would like a device with todays iPhones capabilities would have yielded only bewilderment and bemusement. With coming advances in remote telemetry and diagnostics, population databases, and artificial intelligence, telehealth in 2046 will be as different from telehealth in 2021 as an iPhone X is from a mid-90s flip phone. And patients and providers perception of telehealth has already undergone a sea change since COVIDs ravages began. Finally, its crucial to understand that while telehealth will likely lower the unit costs of treatment, that in no way ensures that it will reduce aggregate health care spending. Returning to IT, over the past 50 years, the cost of computing power has probably dropped faster than the cost of any other good in human history. The computing power of a single iPhone would have (in theory) cost trillions of dollars in the 1950s. But despite this plunge in cost, we spend more on electronics than ever. Were just getting vastly more out of each dollar we spend. Health care may proceed similarly. As technology lowers the cost of improving health, we may decide collectively to spend even more than we do now. It will be an interesting ride, but no statistics or tea leaves today can show us the future. As the Magic 8-Ball says, Reply hazy. Ask again later. Graboyes is a senior research fellow with the Mercatus Center at George Mason University and has taught health economics at five universities. He wrote this for InsideSources.com. The old argument against this proposal is short and concise: These kids arent mature enough to make these decisions. This is the same argument that was used in opposition to the 26th amendment when this country sent 18-year-olds to die in Vietnam while denying them the opportunity to choose their commander in chief. But lets look at the other side of the coin. In Virginia, at 14 years of age, you can be tried as an adult in state court. At 15 years of age, you can drive a car. At 16, you can work without a work permit and pay federal and state income taxes, as well as sales and vehicle taxes levied by local governments, despite having no control over how their tax dollars are spent. At 17, you can enlist in the United States Military. You can do all this as a minor, but you cant vote for the elected officials who will represent you to your School Board or your Board of Supervisors. Students take civics class in 8th grade, when theyre 13 or 14 years old. High school students take government class as early as 10th grade, when theyre 15 or 16 years old. And in any case, if a student who passes both civics and government is somehow still unqualified to participate in our democracy, even in just a local election, that would be indicative of a deeper-rooted flaw in our education system. Gilmores proposal was to use rising state revenues to pay local governments for what they wouldnt collect from car owners. Since the highest car taxes were in Northern Virginia, some saw this as a scheme by which the state would effectively subsidize local governments in the most well-to-do part of the state. Republicans controlled the Senate 21-19 while the House was deadlocked 50-50. Under a power-sharing agreement, Democrats retained the speakership and some marginal control. Republicans were determined to get the car tax cut Gilmore had run on; Democrats were just as determined to use the GOP interest in a car tax cut as leverage to get state funding for school construction. Their initial proposal was to dedicate state lottery revenues then $350 million a year for school construction. The sponsor was a Democrat from Southwest Virginia, a species then that wasnt as rare as it is now. However, Del. Tom Jackson of Carroll County was joined by many of his Northern Virginia colleagues. And at least one Republican, state Sen. Steve Newman, R-Lynchburg, suggested using a portion of the lottery proceeds, just not the whole amount. Countries worldwide are in different stages of the vaccine rollout, with some battling shortages and others experiencing more supply than there is demand. Now, countries and states are coming up with creative solutions to the lack of demand problem none perhaps better than Ohios COVID-19 vaccine lottery. Even outside the fringe anti-vaxxers and conspiracy theory followers, there appear to be large numbers of people who are hesitant to get vaccinated due to the potential side effects, some of which have been more serious than expected. Notions of the vaccines altering DNA and fears that they could cause cancer, infertility and death are keeping many away, despite the fact that medical experts have denied these theories. In March, countries in Europe and elsewhere paused the use of AstraZeneca amid reports that a small number of recipients experienced blood clots, some of them fatal. In April, the U.S. paused use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for 10 days to investigate rare cases of blood clots, before recommending its use again. A January survey by Texas A&M University School of Public Health showed that 31% of the U.S. public did not intend to get the COVID-19 vaccine once it became available. Yet, since the vaccine rollout, those numbers have grown smaller. A poll by Monmouth University from last month found that 1 in 5 Americans remained unwilling to get the COVID-19 vaccine So far, 38.2% of Americans are fully vaccinated, but its slowing down now. Thats forced many states to get more creative and competitive. Probably the best incentive is coming from Ohio, where Governor Mike DeWine and the Ohio Department of Health just launched a $1-million lottery for vaccinated residents. According to DeWine, there will be five Ohio Vax-a-Million drawings I know that some of you are now shaking your heads and saying, 'Mike DeWine, he's crazy. This million dollar drawing idea of yours is a waste of money.' ... in the pandemic when the vaccine is readily available to anyone who wants it the real waste is a life that was lost now to COVID-19, Governor DeWine said. According to state officials, there have been approximately 1 million entries to the lottery just two days since the official launch. Ohio is also giving away five full college scholarships to vaccinated students between the ages of 12 and 17. Other states also take their own approach when offering incentives, but nothing can top the potential of winning $1 million. In Kentucky, those who get vaccinated at a participating Kroger or Walmart can now receive a coupon for a Kentucky lottery ticket with a top prize of $225,000. Less exciting, is New Jerseys offering of free beer, Connecticuts free beverage and Maine, where vaccinated residents can choose from a free park pass, a hunting or fishing license or a $20 L.L. Bean gift card. Across the Atlantic, the Serbian government said it would pay $30 for each citizen who gets a COVID vaccine before the end of May. The countrys president, Aleksandar Vucic, had also promised paid sick leave but was unable to deliver in the end. No country has made vaccination mandatory, though some businesses, institutions and industries are. In March, Italy made COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for all health workers but there was no resistance there as only about one in 10,000 medical staff is refusing to be vaccinated. However, in the U.S., hundreds of colleges will require students to be vaccinated for fall 2021 and that is not sitting well with many students, with some protesting either due to religious or political reasons. Two Park Forest police officers were patrolling downtown when they heard gunshots and responded to the 300 block of Artist Walk just after 1 a.m. in the south suburb, Park Forest police said in a news release. Email Thomas Elias at tdelias@aol.com. His book, "The Burzynski Breakthrough, The Most Promising Cancer Treatment and the Governments Campaign to Squelch It" is now available in a soft cover fourth edition. For more Elias columns, visit www.californiafocus.net FLORENCE, S.C. Leadership Florence members gathered Saturday morning at Florences First Presbyterian Church to put together toiletries bags for the under-served and in-need populations of the Pee Dee. The stage area of the fellowship hall was filled with donation-filled tubs and class members, their families and Florence One Schools students sorted the donations into piles of toiletries and other items as they prepared to fill bags to be distributed to area agencies. More than 75 Florence companies played host to collection boxes or donated to the cause, said Tyler Jenkins, president of the 2021 Leadership Florence Class. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Wanted to to something for nonprofits that didnt involve money, give people an opportunity to see what they have extra and give it to somebody who needs it, Jenkins said. We got all kind of stuff, Jenkins said. The piles of donations started with tooth brushes and ended with books and blankets. Hotels, dentist offices they gave what they had, Jenkins said. It reminds me of what Jesus said when he told his disciples, if you have an extra tunic give it to somebody else who has a greater need than you, Jenkins said. FLORENCE, S.C. A South Florence High School student who plans to attend Winthrop University recently was awarded a James B. Byrnes Foundation scholarship. Trenton Riddik Fowler was recognized with the Byrnes Scholarship at an awards ceremony on May 13 at South Florence. He is one of 14 scholarship recipients this year in South Carolina. The James F. Byrnes Foundation awards scholarships to young South Carolinians who have lost one or both parents by death. The scholarship program was established by the late Governor James F. Byrnes in 1948 and has awarded more than 1,100 scholarships to date. The foundation currently has 42 Byrnes Scholars attending colleges and universities of their choice. The scholarships are for four years at $4,500 per year totaling $18,000 for four years. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The James F. Byrnes Foundation is unique among organizations that provide college scholarships. In addition to financial assistance, there is a personal involvement with each student. This involvement is carried out throughout one-on-one contact with the executive secretary, the directors of the foundation and the Byrnes Scholars alumni. Should white professors be allowed to use the N-word in class, especially when it is an essential element of the lesson that is being taught? That question caused an uproar this winter at the University of Illinois at Chicagos John Marshall Law School that still hasnt quite gone away, the professor at the center of the controversy told me. They put me on this ridiculous indefinite suspension, law professor Jason Kilborn told me. But it was leave with full pay. So, at least I got a vacation for this entire spring semester. Still, he said, hed rather teach his classes, which were canceled during the investigation. Students had called for Kilborn to be disciplined after he wrote a Civil Procedure exam related to employment discrimination that included redacted versions of the epithets n- and b, which he described as profane expressions for African Americans and women. What bothers me is that we are not only incapable of having intelligent conversations about these issues (employment discrimination in this case), he said, but if we cant even bring up a respectfully abbreviated version of a word that comes up in the employment discrimination context, then where are the boundaries? More notable new essays in Brennan Center's "Punitive Excess" series | Main | Another accounting of Ninth Circuit's significant FIRST STEP safety-valve expansion Lopez ruling May 23, 2021 Spotlighting how "death in prison" LWOP cases still get so much less attention than capital punishment Way back in 2008, I lamented in an article, "A Capital Waste of Time? Examining the Supreme Court's 'Culture of Death'," that all the "Supreme Court attention and constitutional scrutiny given to capital cases necessarily means less attention and constitutional scrutiny given to non-capital cases." Though that article was particularly focused on SCOTUS dockets, regular readers know I have long fretted about the tendency of so many media, lawyers, advocates and legal decision-makers to give so much time and energy to very rare capital cases when there are so many other cases with so many other ugly sentencing realities that could benefit from more attention. Over the last decade, mass incarceration and a range of other sentencing and punishment realities have thankfully garnered considerably more attention in so many quarters. But I think there are still problematic imbalances in coverage and commentary and concern: for example, South Carolina's decision to bring back firing squads even though the state has not had an execution in a decade got lots of attention, while a Mississippi court's decision to uphold an LWOP sentence for marijuana possession has gotten far less attention. Against this backdrop, I was pleased to see this new lengthy article in The Marshall Project under the headline "Life Without Parole Is Replacing the Death Penalty But the Legal Defense System Hasnt Kept Up." I recommend this piece in full, and here are excerpts: Life-without-parole sentences are steadily replacing the death penalty across the United States. Almost 56,000 people nationwide are now serving sentences that will keep them locked up until they die, an increase of 66% since 2003, according to The Sentencing Project, a nonprofit that advocates for shorter prison terms. By comparison, only 2,500 people nationally are on death row according to the Death Penalty Information Center; the number of new death sentences dwindled to 18 last year, as prosecutors increasingly seek life instead. Executions are less popular with Americans than they used to be, according to Gallup, and are astronomically expensive to taxpayers. In Dallas, the district attorneys office says it asks for capital punishment only for egregious crimes where defendants present a continuing threat to society. But as life without parole displaces capital punishment, the countrys patchwork system of public defense hasnt kept up. Only 11 states report having minimum qualifications for lawyers who represent impoverished people facing a lifetime behind bars, according to the nonprofit Sixth Amendment Center. In Texas, theres a continuing dispute over whether the standards for death penalty defense apply if prosecutors seek life without parole instead. Most states have no rules, The Marshall Project and The Dallas Morning News found. Someone just out of law school could handle a life-without-parole case in Illinois or Nebraska. In California, where a third of the prison population is serving some form of life sentence, minimum qualifications apply only in death penalty cases; the state hasnt executed anyone since 2006. Other states have minimal standards. South Carolina requires just three years of experience in criminal law; Arkansas specifies that lawyers should have handled at least one homicide trial. When it comes to life without parole, the idea that you would treat these cases like you would treat other felonies is somewhat incomprehensible to me, said Pamela Metzger, the director of the Deason Criminal Justice Reform Center at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. The sentencing stakes are so high and often irreversible. People facing life have far fewer chances to appeal than those facing capital punishment, and their cases draw far less scrutiny, she said.... Though thousands are serving life without parole for violent crimes such as homicide, courts in almost a dozen states have given hundreds of people that penalty for drug crimes. Prosecutors have found that jurors are less squeamish about locking people up for the rest of their lives than about executing them. And life-without-parole trials cost thousands of dollars less than death penalty cases. They are shorter, involve fewer lawyers, allow limited appeals and often end in plea deals before trial.... Prosecutors have gone wild with life-without-parole sentences -- but in particular counties and for particular marginalized people, said Brandon Garrett, a Duke University law professor who wrote a book on the decline of capital punishment. His study of North Carolina found that more than 60% of the prison population serving life without parole was Black. Only 30% was White.... In 2003, the American Bar Association updated its guidelines for what lawyers should do for clients who face death sentences. Among other things, the guidelines say these lawyers should have extensive criminal trial experience and knowledge of death penalty case law and should hire investigators and mental health experts. Some state legislatures and courts have adopted these standards, including Texas. But experts say enforcement is a problem. And in almost every state, the standards dont apply to life-without-parole cases. May 23, 2021 at 12:09 PM | Permalink Comments The concern here that other issues are crowded out is sensible but there is just a human reality that people dying has a special importance. As a matter of human limitations, yes, this is going to mean other things will get less attention. Jesus didn't merely suffer for our sins as the story goes. He died. We have murder mysteries more than we have other types. The law for a long time provided special barriers in place to deprive people of life. This all adds up to a special concern of a special level. Again, this is not to handwave the concern at all. And, there is very well a lot of attention given to non-murder situations. After all, on the tough on crime front, murder alone is not what gets tough punishments. Criminal justice matters in general still gets a sizable amount of attention. Those who fight against the death penalty particularly also regularly are criminal justice activists. Chris Geidner, e.g., is particularly appalled in various capital cases. But, he is widely concerned with criminal justice matters generally. LWOP is an imperfect solution. The concerns are repeatedly referenced by those very wary about the death penalty in particular. For instance, Justice Stevens' dissent in Harmelin v. Michigan cites LWOP is particularly extreme and in certain ways overlaps with the death penalty. He would give special concern to such punishments too. I'm again supportive of the concern here, but just am not sure how much the special attention for an extreme permanent penalty that goes to the core of what is deemed human -- one's very life -- tells us. The concern is basically also familiar. Police, for instance, kill about one thousand people a year (or that is a figure from a few years ago). Very bad. But, of course, there are a range of other concerns about police relations that should also get attention. The protests for the deaths of George Floyd or whatever, however, to me remain rather understandable and appropriate. And, not just deaths tend to be addressed during the resulting conversations. The same holds true here are a regular basis. The same applies to specific protections and attention. I welcome more expansive concern, especially as executions greatly decease and the immediate concerns of executions arise less often. I also think that once execution is off the table, this is more possible. Once execution, e.g., is abolished in Virginia, the criminal justice energy that worked to abolish it can be focused more on other issues. Hopefully, this will work as it often does -- we go thru cycles. LWOP is used more often, in part since it is promoted as legitimate as compared to the death penalty. In time, we see it is being overused. We balance the scales. So, I welcome the attention. Posted by: Joe | May 23, 2021 12:49:52 PM Post a comment Singapores High Court approved a request to freeze as much as US$3.5 billion of assets belonging to the founding family of collapsed oil trader Hin Leong Trading. (PHOTO: REUTERS/Edgar Su) By Alfred Cang and Chanyaporn Chanjaroen (Bloomberg) Singapores High Court approved a request to freeze as much as US$3.5 billion of assets worldwide belonging to the founding family of collapsed oil trader Hin Leong Trading (Pte.) Ltd. in a move that may be one of the biggest such injunctions in the city-states history. Lim Oon Kuin and his family will be asked by lawyers representing liquidator Goh Thien Phong to disclose their assets to the court in the next few days, according to an email seen by Bloomberg News that was sent to creditors on Friday to inform them of the judgment. The Lims may file an appeal against the asset-freeze order, Goh told creditors. The asset freeze order is a step toward debt recovery for bank creditors including HSBC Holdings Plc and DBS Group Holdings Ltd., which together are owed about US$3.5 billion by Hin Leong. The Lims have sold assets worth millions of dollars in recent months, including a 41% stake in a Singapore commercial storage facility to state-backed operator Jurong Port Pte in March. The Lims have also divested dozens of ships owned by the familys Xihe Group, according to VesselsValue, which tracks such sales. Goh of GTP Advisory PAC and lawyers for the Lim family at Davinder Singh Chambers LLC didnt reply to emails seeking comments. Asset Freeze Hin Leong, once the city-states largest independent oil trader, had applied through its then-judicial managers to freeze assets, shares and funds held by its founder, known as OK Lim, and his two children. The request was motivated by a risk of asset dissipation as more than 20 banks fought to recover billions of dollars in loans to the fabled trader. The asset-freeze order also specifies the Lim familys weekly living expenses, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. The decision took effect from May 21, and applies to Lim and his two children Evan Lim and Lim Huey Ching, who were both directors of Hin Leong. The court approved the winding up of the company in March after a sale process by the court-appointed managers failed to attract bids. Lim, 79, has been charged with forgery and related offenses. He had denied allegations made by HSBC that he used forged documents to obtain financing. Story continues PricewaterhouseCoopers LLPs Chan Kheng Tek is the other liquidator of Hin Leong. Singapore-based law firm Drew & Napier LLC, led by Cavinder Bull, is acting for the liquidators. OK Lims business empire spanning from oil trading to bunkering to storage businesses collapsed last year after wrong-way bets on oil prices unfurled hidden losses and alleged fraud. The fallout reverberated across global markets, prompting financial institutions to reassess their exposure and shaking out large tracts of the often-opaque US$4 trillion oil-trading industry. The familys assets include properties in Singapore and Australia, cash and investments, insurance policies, shares and club memberships, according to a court filing. OK Lim and his children are allowed to remove any of their assets from Singapore, or dispose or reach deals with their possessions so long as the total unencumbered value of their holdings still in Singapore remains no less than US$3.5 billion, according to the filing. 2021 Bloomberg L.P. New coronavirus cases across the United States have tumbled to rates not seen in more than 11 months, sparking optimism that vaccination campaigns are stemming both severe COVID-19 cases and the spread of the virus. As cases, hospitalizations and deaths steadily dropped this past week, pre-pandemic life in America has largely resumed. Hugs and unmasked crowds returned to the White House, a Mardi Gras-style parade marched through Alabama's port city of Mobile, and even states that have stuck to pandemic-related restrictions readied to drop them. However, health experts also cautioned that not enough Americans have been vaccinated to completely extinguish the virus, leaving the potential for new variants that could extend the pandemic. As the seven-day average for new cases dropped below 30,000 per day this past week, Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pointed out cases have not been this low since June 18, 2020. The average number of deaths over the last seven days also dropped to 552 a rate not seen since July last year. It's a dramatic drop since the pandemic hit a devastating crescendo in January. "As each week passes and as we continue to see progress, these data give me hope," Walensky said Friday at a news conference. Among them is Dr. Gianfranco Pezzino, who served as the Shawnee County health officer for nearly 14 years. While the community was fearful at first and abided by the initial lockdown and school closure orders, what followed was months of pushback from county leaders about other mandates and recommendations, he said. Pezzino resigned in December, after county commissioners decided to relax the rules on one of his public health emergency orders which, he said, came at a time the county was seeing its "worst" coronavirus numbers since the pandemic's start. "There was a continuous scrutiny and questioning of everything we were doing. And so that became really difficult to manage, and frankly, emotionally draining. These were already days where I, like all the other people on my team, were working eight, 10, 12 hours a day -- and that alone could be enough to burn out just about anybody," Pezzino said. "These folks are really dedicated to their communities and to keeping them safe and healthy. And they're not really used to playing politics. They really are used to people, listening to them and trusting what they have to say," said NACCHO's Freeman. In your minds eye, visualize what that intersection at I-94 and I-65 would look like today if this amazing project wasnt rejected, Hughes said in disgust. Am I pleased with the new Hard Rock casino thats here? Yeah, of course. But can I help thinking about what could have been here? No, I cant. "We've made things that tasted better than they looked," he said. "The pretzels weren't quite pretzel-shaped but they were tasty." That's fine by Thomala, who never baked before. "It sounded like a fun class and I thought it would help me with my time management," he said. "That is crucial when baking a cake." Keller helped Thomala move his dough from the table and into a baking pan. "The fun thing about his class is hearing the stories behind the baked goods," Keller said. "I had no idea what a Bee Sting cake was until Robin showed me what it looked like." In addition, students looked at the science, the nutrition and even the economics of baking. "Sometimes, home-baked goods are cheaper than the premade stuff," Keller said. "But, with expensive ingredients, that isn't always the case." On the final day of the class, students will have to complete a technical baking challenge plus a class showstopper that will be judged by a knowledgeable baker. You know, sort of like they do on "The Great British Bake Off." "We decided to call this class the 'Great Morningside Baking Class' because it isn't a bake-off in the traditional sense," Keller said. "It will still be interesting to see what the students will come up with." Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. WASHINGTON (AP) Nearly five months after being deployed to the U.S. Capitol to help quell the Jan. 6 insurrection, National Guard troops were set to leave and turn over security of the area to Capitol Police. Guard troops, their mission ending Sunday, were expected to be leaving on Monday, a person familiar with the plan told The Associated Press. The person was not authorized to discuss the plan by name and requested anonymity. The Pentagon announced earlier in the week that an extension of the Guard presence 2,149 troops had not been requested. The planned departure came as Democrats and Republicans sparred over how to fund fortifications of the Capitol and whether to form an independent bipartisan commission to investigate the attack that sought to overturn former President Donald Trumps loss to Democrat Joe Biden. Some Republican lawmakers have begun downplaying the event despite the handful of deaths, injuries to scores of police officers, hundreds of arrests, damages to the building and shouted threats against lawmakers from many of those who stormed the building. Much of the violence was caught on camera. WASHINGTON (AP) Colorado Rep. Jason Crow, a former Army Ranger who served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, says it took time for him to stop constantly scanning his environment for threats when he returned from war 15 years ago. But after the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, he says hes picked the habit up again. Christopher Grider said he came to Washington on Jan. 6 with no intention of rioting. But he got caught up in the mob of angry supporters of then-President Donald Trump as they surged into the U.S. Capitol, breaking through police barriers and smashing through doors. NEW YORK (AP) Eight days after Donald Trump turns 75 next month, New York City voters will cast their last ballots in an election that's sure to have consequences for the former president. LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) Two convicted murderers who fought Nebraska officials in court for years for the right to marry each other will never have the chance to wed after one of their deaths earlier this year. The death of 40-year-old Nicole Wetherell in February also ended the court case she and Paul Gillpatrick, 49, had waged since 2014 before any precedent could be established. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed their case Wednesday before deciding the state's appeal, according to the Omaha World-Herald. Gillpatrick and Wetherell had been engaged since 2011, but officials consistently denied their request to marry because the corrections department was unwilling to transport either of them to the others prison for a wedding ceremony, or allow them to marry via video. Gillpatrick, who is in a Lincoln prison, was sentenced in 2010 to 55 to 90 years for second-degree murder. Wetherell was serving a life sentence at a prison in York for first-degree murder. The two met through a mutual friend in the 1990s. Blinken was also critical of Hamas, saying the group had brought "nothing but ruin to the Palestinian people," and asserted that President Joe Biden has been "clear we're committed to giving Israel the means to defend itself, especially when it comes to these indiscriminate rocket attacks against civilians." The secretary plans to travel to the Middle East to meet with "Israeli, Palestinian, and regional counterparts in the coming days to discuss recovery efforts and working together to build better futures for Israelis and Palestinians," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Thursday in a readout of a call between Blinken and Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders also weighed in on the issue on Sunday, telling CBS News that he thinks the US needs to develop an "even-handed approach" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and expressed hope that Biden is on the same page. When asked whether he thinks the Biden administration is being an apologist for the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Sanders pointed to the "incredible suffering" in Gaza in the wake of the recent violent conflict and said, "We have to be pro-Israel, but we have to be pro-Palestinian." Croatia, a European Union member and a popular vacation destination on the continent, is letting in tourists from the United States, most of Europe and beyond who hold a vaccination certificate, or proof of a negative test or having recovered from COVID-19. Health officials set those measures weeks before the EU moved Wednesday to soon allow fully vaccinated foreign travelers from countries deemed safe into the 27-nation bloc. Croatian tourism officials expect a swell of American visitors, who will be spared the hassle of airport transfers when direct New York-Dubrovnik flights start up, expected in July. Tourism Minister Nikolina Brnjac said her country is applying strict health measures to avoid a repeat of what happened last year, when visitors ignored social distancing on the beaches and in bars, and the tourist season abruptly ended with Croatia facing a surge in coronavirus cases. The country's some 80,000 tourism workers have priority for getting COVID-19 vaccines, and several PCR testing stations will be installed to make it easier for travelers to obtain results they might need to provide when they return home. However, the arrival of the Indian variant and the increase of cases of Indian variant in the United Kingdom pose a problem and so we are vigilant about this (and) in contact with the British authorities, he added. It wont be the red treatment if we have to do it. It will be an intermediate treatment, the minister said. "But it is not excluded this springs to mind because of British tourists that we have health measures that are a bit stronger. From Sunday, Germany already started requiring people arriving from the U.K. to go into quarantine for 14 days. The decision announced last Friday responded to the spread in Britain of the Indian variant. Under the tighter rules, airlines and others will also only be able to transport German citizens and residents from Britain. Follow APs pandemic coverage at: Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Another issue is the quartz comes from mines; the miners are at high risk for a lung disease called silicosis. The technical information today comes from IEEE Spectrum. In 2018, President Trump put a 30 percent tariff on the import of solar panels to encourage manufacturing in the United States. Since then, solar manufacturers have been doing more in the United States; many of the U.S. companies assemble some or all of the panel in our country. Unfortunately, the making of solar panels in the United States has leveled off and has not been growing as much since 2020. They do import the key component parts from other countries, and the parts do fall under the tariff laws. Due to the pandemic, key parts are more difficult to get from overseas, causing higher costs and delays. Lava reaches Goma airport in DR Congo after volcanic eruption, residents urged to evacuate Xinhua) 09:38, May 23, 2021 KINSHASA, May 23 (Xinhua) -- A lava flow reached the airport of the Democratic Republic of Congo's eastern city of Goma on Sunday after the eruption of the nearby Mount Nyiragongo volcano and authorities have announced evacuation plans, local media reported. The evacuation plan for Goma has been activated, said government spokesman Patrick Muyaya. "The government is discussing urgent measures to be taken now," Muyaya tweeted. Thousands of Goma residents have fled the city on foot to reach the border with Rwanda as the city with a population of nearly 2 million was illuminated with orange flames. The Nyiragongo volcano, located not far from the DR Congo's border with Rwanda, started to erupt on Satuday. According to the Goma-based volcanological monitoring office, the lava is heading towards the border with Rwanda. The last time a major Nyiragongo eruption occurred was in 2002, when about 250 people were killed and 120,000 others were left homeless. (Web editor: Meng Bin, Bianji) Taiwan reported 723 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, including 321 new local cases, two new imported cases, and 400 local cases delayed by a reporting backlog of confirmed test results, said the local disease monitoring agency. This is the eighth consecutive day that the island's daily number of new local infections has exceeded 100. Taiwan also confirmed two deaths from the disease on Saturday, bringing to 17 the death toll from COVID-19. The two cases involved a man in his 70s and another in his 80s, both of whom died before their infections had been confirmed. Despite the large number of cases revealed on Saturday, the agency maintained that the outbreak in Taiwan has not exploded and that there is no need to raise the pandemic alert to Level 4. Taiwan is in the midst of its worst outbreak since the onset of the pandemic, as it has reported a surge in local infections over the past week. Meanwhile, Taiwan on Saturday recorded two new imported COVID-19 cases from the Philippines and Britain. The total number of confirmed cases on the island since the epidemic began has risen to 3,862, the vast majority of which have been reported since May 15, the agency said. Sitting in the press booth at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix, several rows above where some two dozen tables of counters were retallying the 2020 presidential votes of the citizens of Maricopa County, Bennie Smith acknowledged something that has become readily apparent to most outside observers of the process that has come to be known as the Arizona audit. Theyre not trying to capture an accurate count, said Smith, a Democratic Tennessee election official who had traveled to Phoenix to advise the auditors. In fact, Smith said he expects the end result to be wildly different from the count. Advertisement Smith said he was advising the audita process specially ordered by the Arizona Senate and which began last month outside the countys ordinary recount systembecause he hopes to see a standardization of independent machine ballot audits of most U.S. elections. Whats going on in the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, former home to the Phoenix Suns and commonly used these days for gun shows and high school graduations, is not that. Nor is it a hand recount done in accordance with the Arizona election procedures. Advertisement Advertisement Heres how Arizona recounts are supposed to normally work: Two counters, under the eye of a supervisor, tally ballots in batches of 10 at a time. Their results must agree, and any discrepancies in each batch must be resolved by a bipartisan board before they are added to the count. Heres what Smith had been watching inside the audit: batches of 50 ballots, swinging around on a Lazy Susan, as three people speed-read votes in the presidential race and the U.S. Senate race, which were won by Democrats Joe Biden and Mark Kelly. Advertisement Everybodys got about three and a half seconds to watch two races, Smith said. For many tables, it appeared to be less time than that. If he were on the floor trying to count ballots himself, Smith said, he believed he would be making mistakes under those conditions. That table is rolling, Smith says pointing at a particularly fast-counting group. Me standing there for five hours, I would not say that it would be ideal. To the uninitiated observer, this might seem alarming. But Smith assured me it was nothing to worry aboutbecause, he said, theyre not recounting the election. Advertisement What were the people busily counting election ballots doing, then? Over the course of three days in Phoenix, talking to participants and critics and watching the event unfold, I couldnt get a coherent answer. The Arizona audit is a new kind of political ritual, whose purpose exists beyond reason or consensus or fact. More than six months after Joe Bidens victory in the presidential election was certified by Republican officials in Maricopa, Arizonas largest and one of the largest in the country, this audit is what the Arizona Senate has decided is necessary to resolve continued accusations by the former president and his supporters that the 2020 election was stolen. Advertisement Acceptance of errorof alternative facts, as it wereis built into the process: If two counters have the same total, but the third counter disagrees by one or two votes, then the two matching counts become the official tally, overruling the discrepancy. According to observers of the audit, this happens often. Around the audit site, the political fault lines are multiplyingnot merely between Trump supporters and Biden supporters, but between the local Republican officials, who are responsible for election results being verifiable and making sense, and the state Republicans, who are chasing a myth. The irregularities in the numbers are the least of it. Advertisement They destroyed the election, former County Recorder Adrian Fontes said of the Senate auditors. And I think that they did it on purpose. Advertisement The statement might sound like partisan hyperbole from a former elected official with an ax to grind. But in the past week, similarly damning calls were issued by every major Republican elected official in Maricopa County. In a meeting on Tuesday, Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jack Sellers said plainly, Its time to be done with this craziness, as he and the countys other top elected officials, who had previously tried to work with the Republican state senators, signed a letter calling for an end of the audit. On Thursday, the Democratic secretary of state said that Maricopa County could no longer safely use the voting equipment that had been handed over to the audit. The Republican-controlled county board went along with the audit plan initially because the Senate, Fontes said, had given these guys guarantees it wasnt going to be a shit show. Instead, the state Senate ended up handing nearly 2.1 million Maricopa County ballots to a previously unknown company called Cyber Ninjas, whose CEO has claimed the election may have been manipulated by a firm with ties to the former Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez (who is dead). Advertisement Advertisement Weve changed course, Stephen Richer, the current county recorder who unseated Fontes in the last election, told me of the local Republican response. That course correction appears to have come too late. Up close in Arizona, its clear that the Cyber Ninjas are doing exactly what their CEO, Doug Logan, has accused election officials of doing: miscounting the 2020 election. If and when that new and inaccurate result is made public as part of an official audit report, local leaders believe the consequences will be grave. I think a small mushroom cloud will go up over Maricopa County if the Cyber Ninjas report that Donald Trump really was the winner of the election, Richer says. The joke about Adrian Fontes in the Phoenix-Tempe area is that when he rigged the 2020 election in Maricopa County, he forgot to fix his own race. Those who have accused him of treason dont think its so funny. Advertisement Just outside the audit site was a small tent of supporters holding signs in favor of the audit. One was a banner depicting the swing states in the 2020 election as a series of dominoes, with the header May Arizona be the first Domino to Fall. Another declared that the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors are enemies of the nation. Advertisement Advertisement I broached the joke about Fontes with some of the audit supporters around the tent. Its a team effort, said Joe Medina, a middle-aged Mexican American Trump supporter and self-described Christian, who wore a T-shirt with a Grand Canyon emblem. He could be one of the fall guys. Medina and others at the audit site were convinced the audit is likely to prove corruption that they are certain occurred during the 2020 election. At that point, justice will demand somebody serve a prison sentence. Advertisement Treason is a pretty bad crime, Medina said. Kelly Johnson, who traveled from Orange County, California, to attend the audit and carries a Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum in a holster as he walks around between the Coliseum parking lot and the tent encampment to guard against antifa, says that Joe Biden belongs in Guantanamo Bay.* Its been treated in the national press corps almost like distant history, but it was only five months ago that a group of similarly minded Trump supporters stormed the Capitol of the United States assaulting police officers and hunting for public officials. Whats going on right here is dangerous, said Kirk Vandermiller, a counterprotester standing across from the audit supporters with his own signs. Advertisement At about midday and in 99-degree heat, Vandermiller set up on the opposite side of the street from the pro-audit tent with a two-sided replica road construction sign, one side reading ELECTION FRAUD IN PROGRESS and the other SORE LOSER ZONE. After Vandermiller put out his signs, one of the women in the pro-audit tent put out a new sign that looked freshly spray painted, which read Winner Zone. Advertisement Theyre living in a fantasy, Vandermiller said. Adults live in reality, children live in fantasy, and this is a movement of people with childlike minds. Advertisement As I began to head for the audit site, someone from the pro-audit side shouted at Vandermiller: What are you afraid of? This is a major talking point of the pro-audit side: If election officials and Democrats had nothing to hide, they wouldnt oppose the process. Whats going on in the actual audit site, though, leaves plenty to worry about. First, the public has no idea who is paying for the audit. The Arizona Senate put up $150,000 in funding, but the cost for the audit is reported to run into the millions of dollars. The Cyber Ninjas are raising that money from anonymous third parties. Advertisement What little we do know about the auditors themselves does not bode well for an impartial count. The counters have been drawn mainly from the ranks of the grassroots Republican Party, and the few who have been identified publicly are self-described partisans. One of the workers who spoke with CNN, Elouise Flagg, was straightforward about her perspective. I think Donald Trump won the electionfirm believer, Flagg told the network. I hope we come to a point where were happy with the results and truth is told. Advertisement Another auditor was a former Republican state legislator named Anthony Kern who participated in Stop the Steal events, was photographed on the steps of the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot, and had been fired from a law enforcement job for lying to a supervisor and placed on an official misconduct list. Kerns name was also on the ballot as an official elector for Donald Trumpunder normal Arizona audit procedures, it is illegal to count a vote when your name is on the ballot. Kern was ultimately removed as a counter because of optics, Senate liaison Ken Bennett told reporters in the press pool when I was at the coliseum. Advertisement And then there are those hasty counting procedures, which seem almost designed to create errors. Despite Smiths insistence that this recount was not a recount, the audit supporters and the rest of the Republican base seem ready to view it as exactly that. Bennett, the former Arizona secretary of state who is now the leader of the audit, said this countand he called it a countis being conducted to look for more than acceptable variance from the official tally. More than acceptable variance is 0.3 percent, or Joe Bidens margin of victory in the state, Bennett told me. In Maricopa County, that would be a change of 6,268 ballots, or approximately one error toward President Donald Trump every third batch count. Again, the count allows up to two discrepancies per batch between the two official counters and a third off counter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This has been designed in a way to create this doubt and to be able to put out misinformation and not be honest with the public about what they found, Arizonas Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs told me. A really key piece of any audit is that you can replicate your results, and theyre creating results that are not going to be replicable by anyone else who wanted to do the same thing again. Adrian Fontes agrees. I can guarantee you right now they will not find the same numbers because theyre not performing the same acts, he says. Worse yet, spinning these Lazy Susans around and only giving these folks three seconds per ballot and then discounting one of the three folks, and those numbers, means that theyre going to get wildly different numbers that are going to be wholly unverifiable. Advertisement We didnt do so bad, said deputy audit liaison John Brakey in the press booth, on one of the final days before the audit suspended its operations so that Veterans Memorial Coliseum could host a week of high school graduations. We didnt qualify for Bizarro Watch, so thats a win! Advertisement Brakey was discussing his and Ken Bennetts appearance on The Daily Show the night before. All Chinese ballots are on bamboo? Is it because soy sauce would be too obviously racist? Daily Show correspondent Jordan Klepper asked Brakey and Bennett on national television. I consider it a victory because we survived it, Brakey said. The bamboo question had been trailing Brakey ever since he first reported to a local member of the Arizona press that the audit was indeed looking through high-resolution digital cameras for traces of bamboo in the ballots. They shot the messenger, Brakey muttered at one point. The rest of my life theyre going to talk about this. Advertisement Down below, cameras were snapping photos of ballot after ballot, still looking for bamboo. But it was never Brakeys idea, he wanted the press to know. It was another member of the audit team, Jovan Pulitzer, who came up with the notion that you could prove or disprove Chinese influence in the election by hunting for bamboo traces on potentially smuggled ballots. Brakey spoke at length about Pulitzer, describing him as a charlatan. He also shared with reporters an email dossier that describes Pulitzer as a con artist who is a master of hoaxes and fraud and a failed treasure hunter. Advertisement Advertisement Back in December, Pulitzer said that he could use forensics to try to detect bamboo in suspected Chinese ballots; in March, he declared that my technology and intellectual property is assisting one of the most impressive and qualified audit teams ever assembled. Bennett subsequently confirmed Pulitzer would be involved in the audit. Advertisement The bamboo hunt, though, had become such a national embarrassment that Pulitzer himself tried to disown it during a conversation with me. I dont lend any credence to that story, Pulitzer said of the claim that China had flown in tens of thousands of ballots to Maricopa County via a South Korean airplane to swing the election for Biden. Pulitzer told me that hes a scientist merely trying to help to tell whether that story is true or made up bullshit. Like Brakey, he says, Dont shoot the messenger. As for the South Korean jetliner story, if thats found to be fraud, then Im all for taking a piece of bamboo and whipping the shit out of that person for making up that bullshit story, because that is just un-freaking-forgivable, Pulitzer said. But right now, nobody knows. And, so, one way to tell is by looking at the fibers of the paper. Advertisement Advertisement No matter how deeply you go into the audit, its always supposedly being done on someone elses behalfsomeone sincerely (if unverifiably) concerned about whether the generally accepted facts of the election are really facts. The messengers are just conveying the message, even if they do it over and over again. As recently as April, Pulitzer published a 30-minute video on his YouTube page endorsing separate theories that China had smuggled ballots into a different state, titled The China Connection With Georgia Elections? Is There One? PROVE IT! (Of the Georgia smuggled ballot claim he endorses and the Arizona smuggled ballot claim he disowns, Pulitzer said, They have nothing to do with each other.) Pulitzer, for his part, refused to answer questions about how, specifically, his technology and intellectual property were being used in Arizona, what consulting he did with Cyber Ninjas CEO Doug Logan, and whether or not hes going to be responsible for conducting the bamboo paper analysis, citing a nondisclosure agreement. He also wouldnt discuss what compensation he is getting from the Arizona audit or who might be paying him. Advertisement He has, however, been pushing for government-backed audits across the country through crowdfunding efforts. Being an auditor myself, Jovans price is insane, like insane, its so small, said one New Hampshire resident whos been supporting a local audit effort, offering an endorsement of Pulitzers services. Advertisement Advertisement Indeed, Pulitzer has become somewhat of a folk hero among those who see the 2020 election as having been stolen from Donald Trump. He even has his own anthem. It is titled Warrior and the opening lyrics go like this: You fight for free and fair elections/ invented scan the ballots of kinematic artifact detection/ you love to read aloud, travel, and explore/ youre a fearless braveheart patriot, whos opened doors/ youre our courage, youre our voice, Jovan we thank you for what youre fighting for/ youre our warrior. Advertisement One of the architects behind the audit push in Arizona, Liz Harris, spent one day earlier this month running the song on loop over footage of the audit site on her YouTube channel. Back in the audit site, it was very hard to tell how the paper analysis techniques supposedly invented by Jovan Pulitzer were being used. What you could see at the site were a handful of crews set up at tables with high-definition cameras. One person would hand a ballot to the cameraperson, who would snap a photo of one side, then flip the ballot and snap the other side, and then hand it to a third person who reviewed it and put it in a new stack. Advertisement Advertisement Observers for the secretary of states office said that these crews were looking for what they considered anomalies in ballots and elevating those suspicious ballots for secondary examination. Such anomalies, according to these observers, include Election Day ballots that may have been folded in half by a voter, or the appearance of food stains a voter might have left on his or her ballot from Cheeto fingers. (Pulitzer described the notion of stained ballots being flagged as standard operating procedure, though the official Arizona elections manual states if a ballot is slightly defaced or soiled, the board must include this ballot in the hand count.) Above the audit site, when I asked Senate liaison Ken Bennett about the paper analysis area, he insisted whats happening is simply evidence collection, and there was no actual labeling of suspicious ballots taking place. I dont see any of that happening, Bennett told me. This is data collection, data analysis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bennett then pointed down at the floor at a camera setup. I dont think theres any decision-making, Bennett said. You see the person, she flips it twice, hands it to the next, guy, he takes one picture, bang, its in the box, man. Advertisement After this conversation, I followed up with two of the current secretary of states observers, and they said definitively, contrary to Bennetts account, that labeling of ballots has been happening on that floor. In fact, Cyber Ninjas attorney, Bryan Blehm, gave the observers access to the physical key being used by the photography team to categorize ballots. According to secretary of state observers Ryan Macias and Jennifer Morrell, the camera teams were applying color-coded Post-it flags to the ballots to demarcate suspicious ones that needed to be elevated to paper examination two. Bryan Blehm, the attorney for Cyber Ninjas, told me that I could take a copy of the key and write down all of the categories, Macias told me. A blue flag equaled folded or unfoldedI wrote down verbatim the words that were thereyellow was missing security feature. Orange was presidential selection mark. Pink was weight and texture. Green was other. And they couldnt describe to me what other meant. Macias saw these keys at photography tables throughout the arena. Morrell observed audit team members applying these categories in some strange ways. Advertisement Advertisement I heard them sort of mention, Oh this has a stain on it, is it a normal stain? This doesnt seem right, she told me. I heard discussion a few times where they flagged ballots as being suspicious that they thought shouldnt have been folded and were folded. These are obviously merely human idiosyncrasies, Morrell said. I think if you ask any election official, theyll tell you voters will fold ballots however they want, she said. When I asked Bennettwho is, again, the former top election official in the state of Arizonaabout all this in a follow-up phone call, he again simply denied knowledge of what was happening in his own audit site. I was not unaware of any categorization or raising of a level happening at those tables. I have to confirm with Mr. Logan, but I was not aware of what the SOS observers are claiming to have been told by Mr. Blehm, he said. Thats news to me. Advertisement I asked Bennett if he thinks that Election Day ballots that may have been folded deserve to be labeled as suspicious. To me its not necessarily suspicious, he said. For his part, Jovan Pulitzer told me that flagging a ballot with some funky origami shape to it would be standard operating procedure in any inspection. Advertisement Advertisement Ultimately, this paper analysis process adds another way for auditors to ultimately claim the official election count was incorrect and that Trump may have won. Even if the recount itself isnt wildly off, at the end of the day there will be a pile of suspicious Cheetos-stained and folded ballots that could match or exceed the very slim margin of Bidens victory. Advertisement Right, yep, thats exactly right, Morrell told me when I broached this possibility with her. Thats the big unknown, but I think we all know thats what the outcome willthats exactly what it will look like. Theres no positive outcome for this, Morrell said of the audit after her time observing. That perspective is spreading. After the official Arizona audit Twitter account accused Republican County Recorder Stephen Richer and his staff of illegally deleting an elections databaseand Donald Trump repeated the claimRicher started to finally push back against what he called unhinged accusations and insane lies. This is not what we had hoped, Richer told me of how the audit has been going. I dont know how this ends positively. Advertisement Richer told me he wanted to see if we can get some more Republicans in Arizona to join the bandwagon because otherwise this is just going to linger into 2022 if we dont get a critical mass of people to say enough. Advertisement I asked him if, outside of Maricopa County, he expected to see any support from other members of the Republican Party. Richer fell silent for eight seconds. When he finally spoke, he said haltingly, I dont know. Im not sure. I 50-50. The path of least resistance is to just sort of either ignore it or to say, Well, I dont know what happened there but we should continue looking at these things, Richer acknowledged. If enough of us just came out and said flat no then I think that would be nipped in the bud. Advertisement With the Senate president holding a hearing during the audits off week once again endorsing the work of Doug Logan, and with the audit set to resume on Monday, it seems unlikely that Trumps claim the election was stolen in Arizona and across the country will be nipped in the bud. Fontes points to Liz Cheney losing her leadership post in Congress for her refusal to indulge Trumps election fantasies and sees all this as predictable. You know, once you get on that Trump train, if you get off, it aint stopping for you, Fontes told me. If you get off, its gonna be because somebody shoved you. And if the recount looks like a circus to the people who have to deal with it directly, it looks more like a model to Republicans elsewhere seeking a way to keep the election in doubt. As national Republicans have purged dissenters and rejected a bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection, Trump and his supporters have called for similar audits of the elections in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, and New Hampshire. A Republican candidate for governor in Georgia has promised to initiate an Arizona-style audit if he wins office next year, while crowdfunders continue to push local officials to do a Pulitzer audit in New Hampshire. Even if some of these states dont ultimately go through with these audits, the continued challenges to the 2020 election results are giving cover for Republican legislatures across the country, including in Arizona, to pass laws actively suppressing the vote. As things stand in Arizona now, though, the next domino should be easier to topple. Correction, May 24, 2021: This article originally misidentified Kelly Johnson as Kelly Smith. European leaders were quick to criticize Belarus after it was accused of essentially hijacking a passenger plane and forcing it to land in the countrys capital in order to arrest an opposition journalist. It all took place in a dramatic series of events that seemed to come straight out of a movie script. It all began when Roman Protasevich, an opposition journalist who ran the popular social media Telegram channel Nexta, was getting ready to board a Ryanair plane in Athens to go to Lithuania and realized he was being photographed by people who looked suspicious. Protasevich said in his Telegram channel that he felt he was under surveillance. Advertisement As soon as the plane entered Belarusian airspace those who had been taking photographs got into a fight with the crew of the plane and insisted there was an explosive device on board. A fighter jet then escorted the plane to Minsk airport, at which point officials boarded the plane and arrested Protasevich. Advertisement Advertisement Our FR4978 flight has landed safely in Vilnius at 19:25hrs UK time (21:25hrs local time). Here is Ryanairs statement on todays diversion to Minsk Airport pic.twitter.com/i0xhdpwTAF Ryanair Press Office (@RyanairPress) May 23, 2021 Advertisement After a few hours in Minsk, the plane continued on its journey without Protasevich. Ryanair issued a statement saying that Belarus authorities had informed the crew of a potential security threat on board and were instructed to divert to the nearest airport, Minsk. In the end, no explosives were found. It was Belarus strongman president Alexander Lukashenko, often referred to as Europes last dictator, who ordered the fighter jet to escort the Ryanair plan to the Minsk airport due to the bomb threat, according to government-controlled press service. Roman Protasevich, editor of telegram channel @belamova was on board of the Ryanair flight that had to land in Minsk instead of Vilnius. Roman was detained at Minsk Airport. Via @kykyorg#StandWithBelarus #Belarus pic.twitter.com/UeE1MQNMcQ Voices from Belarus (@VoicesBelarus) May 23, 2021 Advertisement European leaders were quick to criticize the move and warned of consequences. Hijacking of a civilian plane is an unprecedented act of state terrorism. It cannot go unpunished, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki wrote on Twitter. Morawiecki said he would call for fresh sanctions against Belarus in an already scheduled European Council meeting on Monday. Lithuania, a member of the European Union and the country where Protasevich is based, called on the Euroepan Union and NATO to take action against what it described as an unprecedented attack against the international community. Advertisement I have asked @eucopresident to expand tomorrow's #EUCO agenda and discuss immediate sanctions against A. Lukashenka regime. Hijacking of a civilian plane is an unprecedented act of state terrorism. It cannot go unpunished. Mateusz Morawiecki (@MorawieckiM) May 23, 2021 Advertisement NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that it was a serious & dangerous incident that requires international investigation. Some leaders in Europe warned that if there is no response to the action by Belarus, all European journalists can be at risk. If aircraft can be forced to the ground in order to punish the political opponents of tyrants, then journalists here in the UK, politicians anywhere in Europe will find it harder to speak out, Tom Tugendhat, the chair of the UK foreign affairs select committee, said Closely monitoring forcible landing in #Belarus of flight to Vilnius & reported detention of opposition figure Roman Protasevich. This is a serious & dangerous incident which requires international investigation. Belarus must ensure safe return of crew & all passengers. Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) May 23, 2021 Advertisement It wasnt just European leaders who expressed concern about the series of events. The International Civil Aviation Organization, which is part of the United Nations, said it was strongly concerned by the series of events. The incident could be in contravention of the Chicago Convention, the agency said in a tweet in reference to the 1944 accord that laid out the principles for international air travel. ICAO is strongly concerned by the apparent forced landing of a Ryanair flight and its passengers, which could be in contravention of the Chicago Convention. We look forward to more information being officially confirmed by the countries and operators concerned. ICAO (@icao) May 23, 2021 Advertisement Protasevich, 26, has been living in Lithuania in exile as he feared prosecution in a country that has accused him of inciting hatred and mass disorder, which means he could face more than a decade in prison. Some of his allies say he could face the death penalty. His arrest shows just how far Lukashenko is willing to go to target his political opponents with the support of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Lukashenko has been in power since 1994 and constantly targets anyone who dares speak up against his regime. He won elections last year that were widely condemned as rigged, which led to months of protests that resulted in a strong crackdown and persecution of opposition leaders. Advertisement Advertisement Roman Protasevich who was travelling from Athens to Vilnius by Ryanair was kidnapped from his flight which Belarusian authorities forced to land in Minsk by fighter jets. In #Belarus Roman who is chief editor on an opposition telegram channel faces death penalty. pic.twitter.com/q256w5rWOe Belarus Free Theatre (@BFreeTheatre) May 23, 2021 Many of us are planning a post-pandemic summer full of fun, travel, and catching up with our families. Particularly for Black Americans, the catastrophic losses of COVID-19 brought us a greater appreciation of how important it is to talk with elders to get a better understanding of our country, our families, and ourselves. But that wasnt news to Julieanna Richardson. Shes the founder and president of The HistoryMakers, a project devoted to creating a video archive of notable Black Americans, with thousands of interviews already. Richardson has spoken to everyone from musical legend Quincy Jones, to late congressman and civil rights hero John Lewis. On Fridays episode of A Word, I spoke with Richardson about the HistoryMakers project and whether the pandemic has given her a greater sense of urgency about her work. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jason Johnson: Has the pandemic given your work a greater sense of urgency? Julieanna Richardson: It definitely has, but I would also say that before COVID hit, I was increasingly concerned because I did not realize the fact that we dont have a lot of documentation of the 20th century. I dont think I knew that when I started the project. I wanted to document, in a massive way, our experience across a variety of disciplines. And so my concern was: Can we now do things over Zoom? So yes, were very concerned about that, and also weve had a significant number of people dying. What are the kinds of things that Black America doesnt tend to have archived compared with, say, the white majority? Advertisement Well, wholesale, the Black community is not archiving hardly anything. We all know the scrapbooks that people have, and were in a time of social media, so people have Facebook. But social media cannot be confused with archives. I need to say that. But let me tell you, I would call it a crisis and Ill just take our body of interviews, which I would consider a pretty significant representative sample. Less than a fraction of 1 percent had any what we call plans for their papers. When I mention papers, Im talking about letters, correspondences, emails, AV material, recordings, photographs, and reports. I knew that that was the case because I started to ask people what they were planning to do. And I would say to people, Oh well, why dont you check out this? Theres the Schomburg [Center for Research Center in Black Culture], Amistad, the Howard Moorland-Spingarn [Research Center]. You should put your things someplace, and so that I did. Advertisement Advertisement Then when we were starting to get our digital archive, which is a searchable database, into colleges, and universities, and libraries. This was before George Floyd and COVID, so theyre dismissive. And then to really try to engage in partnership, I started to ask them what they had about the Black experience and they didnt have anything, and thats when I panicked. Like, we are not being documented. And the 20th century is a really significant century because we had already lost the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries for the most part. Sometimes I dont sleep well. Through HistoryMakers, youve talked to Colin Powell, Whoopi Goldberg, Quincy Jones, but you also talked to a lot of just regular folks. So give us an idea how you find the people that you want to talk to? Advertisement We were really trying to build a record of our achievements, and family histories, and more information about our culture. That doesnt always come with the big names. Were talking about memory. The other thing is that we were going across a variety of disciplines. So whether they were scientistswe were able to do Katherine Johnson way before her story was featured in Hidden Figures. And so weve been working now with advisory committees that are helping to better inform who were doing. That is important. Were interested in the person, but were really interested in the stories that reside inside of them. Advertisement So its interesting you say that because youre not always focusing on the big, famous, greatest hits. During your conversation with Maya Angelou, she talked about meeting modern dance legend Alvin Ailey. Heres a clip from Angelou: Advertisement We met the way dancers meet in dance halls or in dance studios. So we put together a duo and we wore almost no clothes at all. I think I had a small, little G-string and two tassels on my breasts or something. And he wore a little G-string made out of cloth, like leopard print. And we both slathered our bodies down with Max Factor makeup, so we were greasy as lard. Wow. When you hear stuff like that, I meando you write about it to yourself? Does this just make you the most fascinating dinner party guest ever? How do you feel when you hear these nuggets of history? Well, I think that I could make a fascinating dinner guest because weve learned so much. I want to say that what we do are really serious, oral histories. Our interviews last three to five hours a night. We go in with a research outline. What is so wonderful about that interview is that we think of this as the time before [Maya Angelou] becomes the writer, and weve been having discussions with our artists. Artists can merge between different categories. And so here she was, this is early Maya Angelou, when she is actually dancing, which gets lost in the whole telling of her story. Advertisement Advertisement How did you get the inspiration to do this? I hear that it was a project that happened in grade school. What got you into archiving? The inspiration came because I grew up in a small town in Ohio called Newark, Ohio, just south of Columbus. We had a thousand Blacks out of 50,000 whites, but I didnt know anything about Black people. The only thing we studied were about slavery and George Washington Carver and my 9-year-old brain could not compute how he could have done all those things with peanuts and white people were talking about it. When all we have been were slaves, it just didnt compute. One day the teacher asked us to talk about our family background and everybodys hands, I mean, they shot up like arrows. They were twofers and threefers. Like, they were part-German, part-Italian, and Im sitting there horrified. What am I? And I said, I dont even know what I said, Negro or colored. Im not sure because its not like Its before Black and proud. Advertisement And then I said I was Native American because everybody who is Black says that. Then I added in French because I didnt want to be left out. I thought she was looking at me like, Where did that come from? I felt like a fraud. And that feeling stayed with me until my sophomore year at Brandeis University, where I was a theater arts, American studies major, doing research on the Harlem Renaissance in New York at Schomburg Library. And Im listening to a song from the 1921 production of Shuffle Along on Broadway called Im Just Wild About Harry, thinking that song had to be written by a white songwriting team, but it was written by a Black songwriting team, Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake. You talk about a bingo moment. I was in my element and being helped by the famous librarian Jean Hutson. Shed given me a list of people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I went and interviewed Butterfly McQueen and Leigh Whipper, who was the oldest living Black actor at the time, and Dick Campbell, who was legendary in Black theater circles, and John Henrik Clarke, a famous historian, and tap dancer Honi Coles. I mean, I have found myself and even at that point, I probably didnt know that would be my lifes passion. You also worked in television, you went to Harvard. Do you think all those things, did they give you the skill set to eventually make HistoryMakers? Or do you think that was part of your personal exploration? Very much so. My father often would say before he passed that I ended up doing exactly what I wanted to do, so Im storytelling. Theater is storytelling and American studies is about the United States. All roads have led me to where I am now, and everything Ive put behind this initiative, it came to me really when I was without a job and confused about where I wanted to go next, and those stories came back to me. I was also in my mid-40s and not having had children, and you get to the point where you start thinking about what your legacy is going to be, what your leave behind is, and all those things led me to this. Advertisement Speaking of Harvard, in 2001, about a year after you started the project, you interviewed this young lawyer in Chicago named Barack Obama. During your conversation, he said, I think by the time I was an adolescent and had moved back from Indonesia and was struggling with these issues of racial identity and the father not being in the house, I reacted by engaging in a lot of behavior thats not untypical of Black males across the country. What made you want to interview this Barack Obama guy? I mean, he was just a state senator, and this is February of 2001. What made you think, I need to talk to this guy? Barack was interviewed as part of a project of someone who actually was known here as his godfather, but at that point that wasnt even on the horizon. It was early funding that we had gotten, and I wanted to trace the history of African Americans in the Illinois General Assembly. That turned out to be really a defining moment in many ways, besides us having had probably what is the earliest in-depth interview of him. But after he also had written his book, and you know, and I would say Ive listened to the interview and its remarkably consistent to the person we see today. I find that intriguing. Listen to the entire episode below, or subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts. Sen. Susan Collins stood apart from most of her Republican colleagues on Sunday and said she supported establishing and independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. And she is optimistic that the bill to create the commission, which has already passed the House of Representatives, could be approved in the Senate if some key changes are made. I strongly support the creation of an independent commission. I believe there are many unanswered questions about the attacks on the Capitol on Jan. 6, Collins said on ABCs This Week. Last week, 35 Republicans joined Democrats in the House to approve the bipartisan commission to look into the riot. Advertisement Collins said that she has two resolvable issues with the legislation that passed the House. One has to do with setting a deadline for the commission to finish its work by the end of the year and the other with ensuring that the staffing of the commission is truly bipartisan. Theres plenty of time to complete the work, Collins said. And Im optimistic that we can get past these issues based on the conversations Ive had with the speaker of the House and the House majority leader. Advertisement Advertisement Amid ongoing infrastructure negotiations between the parties, GOP Sen. Susan Collins tell @GStephanopoulos she believes "negotiations should continue," adding: "It's important to note that there's some fundamental difference here." https://t.co/WTOoh8gB9r pic.twitter.com/nZ2ceXk7RJ This Week (@ThisWeekABC) May 23, 2021 Advertisement Other interviews in the Sunday talk shows though showed there are still deep divisions among Republicans about the commission and the numbers, so far at least, appear stacked against Democrats. Only four Republican senators have so far expressed some degree of possible support for the commission while 25 have said they opposed it and 21 have not taken sides, according to the Washington Post. Democrats would need 10 Republicans to support the commission in the Senate to avoid a potential filibuster. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has already said he opposes the commission and some appear confident his view will end up winning out among Republicans. I believe Republicans in the Senate will decide that its too early to create that commission, Sen. Roy Blunt, the No. 4 Republican in the Senate, said on Fox News Sunday. Blunt said that rather than focus on the commission, Congress should devote its energies to the issue of training for Capitol Police officers. Is the priority to secure the Capitol, to do what we need to do to better train, better prepare Capitol Police, decide what we want to do in the future? he asked. Or is the priority to take, what will be a couple of years in my view, to decide what happened inside the White House. Advertisement Advertisement In an illustration of the strong divisions that remain among GOP lawmakers, Rep. Adam Kizinger blasted House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy for failing to be honest about what happened on Jan. 6. I do think that Kevin has failed to tell the truth to the Republicans and to the American people, and it pains me to say it and its not like I enjoy standing up and saying this, Kinzinger, one of 10 House Republicans to vote to impeach Donald Trump, said on Fox News Sunday. He also warned that if Senate Republicans reject the independent commission it could end up having unexpected negative consequences for their party. Whats going to happen if this thing fails is that Nancy Pelosi will run a select committee and this could go all the way to 2024, Kinzinger said. He also warned of electoral consequences in the 2022 midterms if us as Republicans dont take ownership for what happened. In 2014, after Hamas members kidnapped and murdered three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank, Israeli forces arrested hundreds of Palestinians, and the Israeli response quickly grew into an on-the-ground military operation in Gaza. In the subsequent seven-week assault, according to a United Nations report, 2,251 Palestinians were killed1,462 of them civiliansalong with 67 Israeli soldiers and six civilians. At least four journalists were killed. Omar was an Arab American reporter on the ground in 2014 for a major American newspaper. (Omar is not his real name.) When he tried to cover the mass Palestinian causalities, he began to get what he saw as perplexing orders from his editors bosses. Advertisement They wanted us to do journalism in the service of IDF talking points, he said, referring to the Israel Defense Forces. They were very keen on us doing stories where we can find rocket batteries that Hamas was using to fire rockets into southern Israel, and they wanted us to map out the proximity to schools and UNRWA [United Nations Relief and Works Agency] sites that were housing people that were internally displaced. Omar said his immediate editors tried to focus on reporting what he was seeing on the ground, but they faced resistance. Advertisement Advertisement Subscribe to the Slatest Newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. We have the worlds best editors, who were really sincere about their desire to be truthful in the reporting on whats happening. And then we had another tier of editor above them who were more mindful of the tone of the media organization, and dictated a lot of the tone, he said over the phone. Advertisement To Omar, when a statement came from the Israel Defense Forces, senior editors at the paper treated it as fact. When Omar recorded a statement from an eyewitness on the ground that contradicted the Israeli militarys account, he said the top editors called it unreliable. And that could be their own reporters eyesnot just people we were interviewing after the fact, he said. I wrote this piece about the extraordinary number of people that were being killed in Gaza in 2014. It was ready to go. It had gone through so many edits. Excruciating edits. And the holdup was they wanted me to find out exactly how many children were injured by Hamas rockets in Israel. And then get reporting on the psychological impact of that on Israeli children, he told me. Its this level of bending over backwards for some illusive concept of impartiality that is just so impractical and would never be applied to any story elsewhere in the organization. If a Black man gets shot by police, we do not go and try and track down how many white cops were assaulted by Black men that same year or something like that. Its dispiriting, and upsetting, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Often, something we saw in real time would be scrutinized heavily in a way the IDFs point of view was never scrutinized, he said. It colored every interaction. This experience was a familiar one to many journalists who started talking with one another on private WhatsApp chat groups and Slack channels as the latest violence broke out in Gaza and Israel. The chats are made up of dozens of journalists across a range of media organizations who are sharing stories of seeing their work doubted and altered. Theyre sharing tips on how to have difficult conversations with editors who are reluctant to publish articles that focus on Palestinian voices. And theyre also talking about some positive shifts they are seeing in the coverage. Advertisement But even with those shifts, almost no one I spoke to would allow their name to be used, a sign that the fear of reprisal remains strong. Layla, a former New York Times journalist who also asked that her real name not be used, has a theory about whats changed. The collective political consciousness has shifted largely because of Black Lives Matter, she told me. Last summer, our newsrooms as a reflection of a larger society had to take a hard look at state violence, how we perceive it, how we cover it, in a way we havent done before. Advertisement Layla, who is Palestinian American, shocked even herself when she eventually quit the Times. Id been there for seven years at this point. And when the big escalation happened in summer of 2014, and they were massacring civilians in Gaza, the NYT coverage, as usual, violated all the basic principles that they insist on sticking to for just about every other story, she told me. The thing that really killed me was this rocket tracker. She was referencing this graphic-driven article that charted the number of rockets fired from Gaza alongside the cumulative number of deaths, the vast majority of them Palestinians. Advertisement It was a depressive couple of weeks of crying in the restroom, she said. I also had a close ally in the opinion department who was forwarding me all the responses those editors were having about pitches. And the sheer racism and dehumanization from rank-and-file opinion editors when talking about Palestinians was just jarring. And these are people in my unionpeople who were my co-workers. Maybe this is the politically safe language, but is it actually true? Peter Beinart Layla told me she tried to raise her concerns with Susan Chira, who was then a top Times editor, and Dean Baquet, the executive editor. Layla said she got frustrating responses. The line was basically, if were being criticized by people who are pro-Israel, and youre also complaining, then were doing the right thing, she said. Not long after, she quit. Advertisement Advertisement Chira, now the editor in chief of the Marshall Project, wrote in response, Im afraid since you dont name the reporter, I have no specific memory of an exchange. I believe the quality of NYTimes reporting on both sides perspectives speaks for itself. Danielle Rhoades Ha, a New York Times spokeswoman, said Laylas characterization of her conversation with Baquet was not accurate. She referred to a video of Baquet discussing the issue in 2014. In it, he says in part, Just as many critics who say we are biased against Israel, I get just as many emails saying the opposite. I promise youand just as virulent. Despite her frustrations, Layla does believe things are changing, in part because, while there used to be so few Arab Americans in mainstream newsrooms, now theres enough of us to have community groups, she said. Some have published open letters to their editors demanding more impartial reporting on Israel and Palestine. Others have focused on smaller fights at their workplaces. Advertisement Peter Beinart, a writer and editor-at-large at Jewish Currents, a progressive Jewish magazine, told me the battles about stories are often fought in these details. Theres a whole carefully curated language around this conflict, where terms are often deployed in order to not provoke controversy or backlash, he told me. Beinart said he believes this isnt motivated by political slant, but rather conditioning. One of the things that I hope that will start to happen is that people will interrogate that language and ask, Maybe this is the politically safe language, but is it actually true? Advertisement Advertisement Beinart has already noticed changes in how reporters and outlets choose their words in recent months. He pointed to the increasing use of racist instead of phrases like racially tinged. He expects more of the press is close to bringing that bluntness when we speak about Israel. Even putting aside what happens in the West Bank or Gaza, where Palestinians arent citizens at all and the state dominates their lives, it is very frightening that words like ethnonationalism or Jewish supremacy or Jewish domination would be unsafe words for most mainstream newspapers to use. Even though, in a certain sense, they really shouldnt be controversial. Advertisement Beinart also said he expects the language we use about organizations like Hamas to evolve over time as well. People are so afraid of legitimizing or justifying Hamas. And I understand why they wouldnta friend of mine was killed in a Hamas bus bombing. I have a personal experience with Hamas violence, he told me. Still, he said he believes some language about Hamas obscures context. One of the things that happens is we hear about a Hamas official being killed, but Hamas is running the equivalent of a post office. Its got a military wing in its organization, but its also running a civil society. So those distinctions are often lost. Advertisement I did have some trouble reporting the truth, Morgan, a reporter at a major American news outlet, told me of their reporting in Gaza in the mid-2010s. (Morgan is not the journalists actual name.) Most Americans had internalized the Israeli equivalencies and narratives. It became the default for how people edit your reporting, present your stories in tweets, and write your captions, and even how we frame the story. Advertisement Morgans work was often edited in subtle ways, but they believe that just by swapping words, editors changed the narrative. As the reporter, if you go in and this thing is happening in front of you, you can report it. But its little things, the terminology, the headlines, things would come out in ways I didnt want. So I had to be extremely vigilant. At the time, Morgan had been reporting for days on civilian deaths, including families killed in their homes. Morgan and other journalists were risking their lives, with constant nearby bombardments. I think theres a lot of self-censorship. Salam, cable news producer As Morgan reported on mass deaths of Palestinian civilians, they received directives from higher up suggesting they work on other subjects not connected to the daily events of the war. Morgan recalled, It half came straight from CAMERA, or the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America, a pro-Israel media watchdog group that purports to expose skewed news articles. Advertisement Advertisement It was like a veiled letter, like, You need to do some stuff that shows youre tough on the terrorists, because youve been doing all these stories on the stuff that was actually happening, which was bombs hitting houses, killing many civilians. Id have many, many small and large negotiations with editors to adjust details in stories. It was extremely exhausting, Morgan told me. Morgan worried these took a toll on their status at work: Every time you had one of those conversations, you were increasing your reputation as a frictional reporter whos difficult to work with. Now, Morgan finds some relief in how the conversation has started to shift. Speaking broadly, throughout all the topics that we cover, theres an increased sensitivity toward not having the default person be a white, straight male, or even American, Morgan told me. But they see the issue as even more basic. Frankly, the issue here isare Palestinians human? Are Arabs human? Are Muslims human? Its hard for me to talk about it without getting angry. But that is what its about. It happens to be an intense example of a much broader issue, and I think theres going to be a big change generationally that were already seeing in American Jews under 40 having a completely different take on this. And you can see people tweeting a lot about I cant believe I was sold on this lie in Hebrew school or Birthright. And some of those people are in newsrooms. You also have generations of first-, second-generation Muslims and Arabs whoincreasingly, as people of color, and in issues of representation and fairnesshave the confidence and ability to stick up for themselves. Advertisement Advertisement Issa, an Arab American correspondent for a major U.S. news service, was reporting from Gaza around the same time as Morgan. (Issa isnt his real name.) He recounted many of the same experiences about trying to report on what he and his peers were seeing. We commiserated over the fight we were all having with our desks, he told me. We were all reporting similar things, and having similar fights. Issa was singled out by CAMERA, which created a profile for him on its website and published a series of articles seeking to discredit him and his reporting. He said it seemed intended to intimidate him and his employer, but he wore it as a badge of honor. Still, because of industrywide budget cuts, his and other outlets scaled back their foreign operations and recalled their journalists in the region. Advertisement The scary part now is that theres so many fewer foreign operations than there used to be. So, theres less diversity, he told me. If the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the L.A. Times and the Wall Street Journal are intimidated, you still had correspondents running around from the Boston Globe, Dallas Morning News, he told me. When I moved to the Middle East, there were three times as many correspondents than there are now. And when theres fewer of us, that could only make us easier to control. Advertisement Advertisement Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, a Palestinian journalist who has worked for HuffPost, Vice, and Al Jazeera, said one memory of his coverage haunts him especially. In 2015, he was filming a documentary for Vice. He came upon a group of settlers destroying a Palestinian familys home in the Silwan neighborhood in East Jerusalem. He said a group of homes had been slated for eviction nearby, but not this home. After a mother who lived there came home with her young daughter, he watched as the settlers threw the young girls toys out of the house, removing pipes and destroying furniture. And were filming, and all of a sudden, theres a torrential downpour, and theyre locked out of their home, he told me. Literally if we had done all the planning with millions of dollars to try and capture the scene that unfolded in front of us that we captured by chance, we wouldnt have been able to do it. Advertisement Shihab-Eldin said the scene was cut from the documentary by Vice. They had completely removed that scene and added all this archival footage. Like 30 percent of the film became archival. Not only did they censor the doc, but they took out the heart of what we had captured, he said. They sent me a script, and it was super different than what I had written. Advertisement Dude, the settlements are crazy controversial, Shihab-Eldin said he was told. Some see them as illegal. Israel doesnt. So we cant show the confrontation because it will make it show too much of one sides argument. When we reached out to Vice to ask about this incident, a Vice spokesperson said, Vice News does not comment on our editorial decisions. Instead, the spokesperson referred us to Vice correspondent Hind Hassans more recent reports from East Jerusalem. Advertisement Shihab-Eldin said hes been heartened by what hes seen the past couple of weeks. Veteran journalists on Sky News are each day remarking on the context, focusing on the disproportionate nature, and using terminology like ethnic displacement or ethnic cleansing, he said. The way we talk about it has changed. Eight years ago, when I was working at the New York Times and PBS and other places, I would have to have arguments about using the word occupy, just to point out that these cities are occupied, he told me. Now, were using terms like apartheid. This week, Shihab-Eldin spoke publicly for the first time about the footage cut from his documentary himself. I think theres a lot of self-censorship. People are always beholden to the editors directly above them who are enforcing it, said Salam, an Arab producer at a cable news network who asked to use an anonymized name. He said there is a group chat where his colleagues can privately discuss the ways theyve felt unable to do their job in the coverage of Israel and Palestine. I feel a little apprehensive saying this, but it is almost like its instilled in you that this is a sensitive topic, and everything needs signoff, he said. (Indeed, multiple editors at Slate read this piece.) He told me there are internal concerns over who exactly is making the decisions about what can and cannot be said in their coverage. Its easy to see how that can trickle down in the form of self-censorship, he told me. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Salam said that at his network, there is a strict policy against using the word Palestine. They say Palestine as a country doesnt exist, so we say Palestinian territories, he told me. URLs have slugs with keywords that identify the topic for SEO purposes. Someone used Palestine in a slug, and he got a message from someone senior saying We do NOT use the word Palestine in our coverage. And now every time theres an article thats out, I scour it to see, he said, if people are trying to slip through the net. But its so carefully edited. He added, We have a triadfact-checkers, standards, and legalbut on this topic, everything has to be read and OKd by the Jerusalem bureau chief. So its not possible to sneak something through if you wanted to. Advertisement People still use Palestine in editorial meetings and over Slack. Its quite funny, he said. Im not sure theyre doing it as an internal act of resistance or theyre just clueless, but people do. Salam said he has remained mostly dispirited by the coverage, but hes found some hope. I remember when HRW [Human Rights Watch] accused Israel of apartheid. That was a big deal. People were like, Look, this is something we can actually say now with attribution. Obviously, we will always have to give the right of reply to Israel, who will deny it, but the fact we can now say an NGO is now accusing Israel of practicing apartheid is a big step, because doing that before would be too opinionated, he said. Advertisement Advertisement I think theres a bit of an awakening among journalists who arent so quick to believe the shiny government narrative thats put in front of them. I think now with social media being so prevalent, people can see with their own eyes whats being recorded by people who are actually there. And youre not so dependent on government press releases, Salam said. Gaza can come to you through your mobile phone. The only people long ago who were covering this properly was Al Jazeera, and they were stigmatized for being terrorism TV. As I reported this story, a nightmare professional scenario many of these journalists feared played out in real time. Emily Wilder, who had only been at the Associated Press as a news associate for two weeks, was fired after she was attacked by right-wing groups and became a focal point for attacks online. Advertisement Im a little overwhelmed, Wilder said on Thursday, not long after she was fired. Thats the only coherent feeling at this point. Its a lot. Unlike most journalists quoted in this story, Wilder didnt even cover Israel or Palestine. But the 22-year-old Arizona-based reporter was part of a pro-Palestinian group in college and tweeted about bias in coverage of Israel and Palestine. She said she was told she violated social media policy when she was fired, but said the AP declined to elaborate. Advertisement Advertisement Lauren Easton, the director of media relations for the AP, confirmed Wilder was fired for her social media posts but did not specify which ones violated policy. She added, We have this policy so the comments of one person cannot create dangerous conditions for our journalists covering the story. Im a Jewish journalist. Im not denying Ive ever been involved in activism. Im not going to claim that I dont have opinions, Wilder said over the phone. Yes, I have opinions about something that is deeply important to my community. I dont think those opinions, or my past as an activist, preclude me from ever being a journalist ever again. Besides, she said, I was a news associate. I did not ever write about Israel and Palestine. Wilder, like a lot of reporters, has been closely watching the most recent news, and has been particularly interested in whether the language used to describe Israels grip on the daily lives of Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza is shifting. She thought things might be different now. And then this happened, she said. Ive seen people be braver with the words that theyre using. And regardless of this happening to me, I do think theres a movement in that direction. I think thats evidenced by the fact that Ive gotten a lot of support that Im really appreciating. Sen. Rand Paul said he has no plans to get the COVID-19 vaccine for now because he was already infected with the virus and says thats just as good as the shot. Paul, who was the first known senator to test positive for the virus in March of last year, told John Catsimatidis on his WABC 770 AM radio show Sunday that whether to get a vaccine or not should be a personal decision because in a free society each individual assumes their own risk. Advertisement Paul says that he still hasnt seen enough evidence to convince him he should get the shot. Should they force people to get vaccinated who already had COVID and survived? First they have to prove the vaccine is better than being infected, Paul said, emphasizing he wasnt advocating anyone get the virus on purpose. A lot of us got infected whether we wanted to or not and I think we should have a choice whether we take a vaccine or not because frankly all the studies show that I have just as good immunity as the people whove been vaccinated. Advertisement Advertisement Paul said hes open to changing his mind, but would have to see more data first. Now in a years time if people say, Oh people that had it naturally are getting infected a lot more than people whove been vaccinated, I might change my mind. But until they show me evidence that people who already had the infection are dying in large numbers or are being hospitalized or getting very sick, I just made my own personal decision that Im not getting vaccinated because Ive already had the disease and I have natural immunity now. Advertisement The Centers for Disease Control insists that those who already had COVID-19 should still get vaccinated because experts are unsure of how long natural immunity lasts. Even if you have already recovered from COVID-19, it is possiblealthough rarethat you could be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 again, the CDC says on its website. Experts say there are indications that the natural immunity to COVID-19 starts decreasing after 90 days and its unclear how much it protects people from variants of the virus. Plus those who get reinfected are at risk for a more serious illness. You can get COVID more than once, Charlotte Baker, assistant professor of epidemiology at Virginia Tech, told NPR. And some people who early on got COVID and then got it again had much worse outcomes. Advertisement Advertisement Paul, an ophthalmologist who has frequently been critical of Anthony Fauci and mask mandates in general, insists whether anyone gets vaccinated should be a personal choice. Are they also going to tell me I cant have a cheeseburger for lunch? Are they going to tell me that I have to eat carrots only and, you know, cut my calories? All that is probably good for me, but I dont think Big Brother ought to tell me to do it, he said. CNN carried out a survey recently and found that while all Democratic lawmakers in both chambers of Congress have been vaccinated against COVID-19, the numbers are lower for Republicans. In the House of Representatives, at least 44.8 percent of Republicans are vaccinated while 92 percent of GOP senators have said they received the vaccine. I never thought Id be a nurse in a pandemic, she said. Though the nursing world faced new challenges, Robles said she was proud of how she and her fellow nurses adapted so quickly. One positive thats come out of the pandemic is how quickly we were able to adapt to change. At the beginning, we didnt know what to expect, but weve come out stronger. Im also glad people are being more cautious overall; people are more aware of things such as handwashing and keeping distance, she said. One thing thats remained constant is Robles dedication to providing exceptional patient care. To Robles, nursing works best when communication flows smoothly. When patients feel comfortable, its easier to work with a mutual respect and trust. Patients feel better if youre listening to them. If they feel comfortable, theyll open up, and you can do much more for them, she said. When shes not caring for patients, Robles enjoys spending time with her husband and their fur babies; a husky and a Labrador retriever. This month, baby boy Robles will make it a party of five. More to come This is the first of a seven-part series that will highlight aspects of life of Japanese Americans in Scottsbluff and nearby communities. Part Two will detail how the Federal Government imprisoned about 112,000 Japanese Americans because of their heritage not because they committed any crime. Part Three will focus on one Japanese American man living in western Nebraska who was arrested by the FBI within hours of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Part Four will detail how the former Scottsbluff Junior College (todays Western Nebraska Community College) helped educate Japanese Americans imprisoned by the Federal Government. Part Five will detail the lives of three of those students who went on to serve our country as members of the U. S. Army. Part Six will detail how at least one banker in western Nebraska refused to bend to the will of the Federal Government and close bank accounts held by local Japanese Americans. Part Seven will detail how Japanese Americans raised sugar beets that were critical to the military operations of the United States during World War II. During her 21 years as a nurse, Kumm has seen several changes in the field of pediatrics. She said parents are being educated earlier, beginning during their hospital stay after giving birth and continuing with clinic visits for their growing child. As a result, especially for those suffering from chronic illnesses like asthma, some children are experiencing fewer emergency room visits and hospitalizations. Procedures that used to require an overnight or longer hospital stay are now often performed on an outpatient basis, meaning children can sleep in their own beds that same night. Kumm said working as a pediatric nurse during the past year of COVID-19 has presented both challenges and opportunities, but even while wearing a mask, one thing that hasnt changed is the joy of interacting with her patients and the bond they form. Kids can see the smile behind my mask; instinctively they feel it and see it in my eyes, she said. I can make even babies laugh and smile when wearing a mask. Its so fulfilling. Her favorite memory as a nurse? The Star-Herald partnered with Regional West, Platte Valley Companies and other sponsors to salute nurses during the month of May. As a young girl growing up in Alliance, Kimberly Soriano cared for her great-grandmother, sparking a passion to pursue a career in nursing. Since I was way younger, I always helped take care of my elders mainly helped with my great-grandmother, she said. With a family history of Alzheimers and dementia, Soriano knew after graduation she wanted to assist patients battling with those diseases. She received her certified nursing assistant (CNA) license at the age of 16 and then her medication aide in 2001, which enabled her to work in the Alzheimers and dementia unit in a skilled facility in Alliance. Following graduation, she entered the workforce before deciding to return to college. My first job was at Regional West Medical Center in medical records, Soriano said. Then, I went to the urology clinic. She attended Western Nebraska Community College where she earned her degree as a licensed practical nurse in 2011. Later that year, she was offered a job at Emerald Court as an on call nurse before being selected as the administrator and licensed practical nurse in 2012. Weve all cried a lot with them, she said. The pandemic has prevented residents from being able to see loved ones as visitation was restricted. King said face coverings present a communication challenge, both verbally and nonverbally. The staff also must maintain social distancing while caring for patients, meaning they can no longer give residents hugs to comfort them. For a while there we were all in gowns, face shields and gloves and the residents just didnt have that personal touch, King said. All they had was us and we still couldnt give them what they needed half the time. The nurses had to interact with the residents who were segregated in their rooms one-on-one. During the past year, King has sat with the residents for several minutes, giving them someone to visit with and look at so they know they are supported. COVID-19 has also prevented doctors from entering the facility to care for the residents. The nurses have become the doctors eyes as they relay symptoms and behaviors to the doctors via telemedicine and then administering medications and treatments as directed, King said. Hada was raised in a middle-class Lakewood home with no inkling of Amache or his grandmothers time there. One day, his father dropped a book on his desk and said, You should read this. It was Nisei: The Quiet Americans, a history of Japanese Americans in the West by Bill Hosokawa. Hada read nearly all of it in one sitting, his first lesson on internment. Kirsten Leongs introduction to Amache was similar to Hommas, cleaning out her late grandmothers belongings in 2011. She found a photo, flipped it over and saw on the back, In Amache concentration camp. She had been repeatedly told that none of her family had been imprisoned during World War II. But four great-grandparents and two great-uncles were at Amache. Our familys experience of not talking about it was really similar to a lot of people in our community, Leong said. If you look back at our family pictures from the 1950s, they look like Leave It to Beaver, they look like Father Knows Best, she said. It was always about trying to be as American as possible and playing up how American you are, because they got locked up for looking different and not being American enough. Even the most famous inmate didnt tell his daughter until she was a junior in high school. Stone has known Cress for decades, and has always been impressed with his drive and work ethic. When Cress made the switch back to teaching, Stone said Cress hit the ground running and has proven himself to be a solid role model for Wyomings future generation of farmers and ranchers. He is an incredibly hard worker. He researches everything, said Stone. That spills over to the kids. Thats been the experience of Sarah Turner, a junior at Central, who is planning to pursue an agricultural education degree at the University of Wyoming. Watching Cress patient and committed teaching style partly inspired that choice. Although her family owns a farm in Wheatland, living in Cheyenne doesnt allow her to visit that farm every day like she does LCSD1s school farm. So, Cress helped Turner come up with the money to buy two pigs she keeps at the school farm. Hes shown her the ropes of presenting animals at 4-H competitions and has become one of her favorite teachers. Hes not just an everyday teacher, said Turner, who admires Cress patience and commitment to his students education. Cress is someone I can look up to. Hes both competitive and compassionate. In early 2021 U.S. SOCOM (Special Operations Command) ordered $26 million worth of Switchblade 600 loitering munitions. Thats over a hundred Switchblade 600s, which will be delivered to the U.S. Navy SEALs by 2022 for use from the special boats that deliver SEALs to shore. The U.S. Army also ordered $122 million worth of the smaller Switchblade 300, which is an upgraded version of the original Switchblade that was introduced in 2012. AeroVironment, the company that developed the original, and very popular Switchblade in 2005 for the U.S. Army, had it ready for combat testing by 2009. This was very successful and the troops demanded more, and more, and more. Switchblade completed development in 2009 and was initially thought useful only for special operations troops. Some were secretly sent to Afghanistan in 2009 so army Special Forces troops could test it a combat zone. That was very successful and in 2011 the army ordered over a hundred Switchblades for troop use and since then has ordered several thousand. The army asked AeroVironment to develop a larger version of Switchblade to replace the original model. This was called Switchblade 300 and development was completed in 2017. By 2020 Switchblade 300 had replaced the original Switchblade and, as expected, was more capable and popular with users than the original Switchblade. While the original Switchblade weighed one-kilogram (2.2 pounds), the upgraded version (Switchblade 300) weighs 2.7 kg (six pounds). All Switchblades are lightweight and expendable (used only once) UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) that can be armed with explosives. The Switchblade is launched from its shipping and storage tube, at which point wings flip out, a battery-powered propeller starts spinning and a vidcam begins broadcasting images to the controller. The original Switchblade was operated using the same controller as the larger (two kg) Raven UAV. A complete Switchblade system (missile, container, and controller) weighs 5.5 kg (12.1 pounds). Moving at up to a kilometer a minute, the original Switchblade could stay in the air for 20-40 minutes, depending on whether or not it is armed with explosives. Switchblade can operate up to ten kilometers from the operator. The armed version can be flown to a target and detonated, having about the same explosive effect as a hand grenade. Thus, Switchblade enabled ground troops to get at an enemy taking cover in a hard to see location. Technically a guided missile, the use of Switchblade as a reconnaissance tool encouraged developers to refer to it as a UAV. But because of the warhead option, and its slow speed, Switchblade also functions like a rather small cruise missile. The troops were particularly enthusiastic about the armed version because it allowed them to more quickly take out snipers or a few bad guys in a compound full of civilians. While Switchblade was developed for the army, the marines apparently noted the success that soldiers and SOCOM had with it and ordered some as well. Switchblade was very popular with troops in Afghanistan and with SOCOM in all sorts of places they wont discuss in detail. Switchblade is still used and thousands have been ordered and many of them used. Switchblade was so successful that the army ordered several upgrades and the first updated Switchblade was renamed Switchblade 300. The new version appeared in 2016. While heavier, at 2.7 kg, it had 15 minutes endurance and a 10-kilometer range. The sensor has night vision and is stabilized. The 300 can lock onto a target and track it. The 300 comes with optional accessories, like a six-pack launcher that is used as part of base defense. This was first use for base protection in 2019 and performed as expected. One or more of these six packs are placed near the base perimeter and power is maintained with a solar panel. The base security commander can order a Switchblade to be launched from the six-pack and control it as it searches for a potential target. Switchblade 300 is also capable of being used from a helicopter or larger UAV and controlled from the helicopter or by the operator of the larger UAV (like a Reaper). The U.S. Navy also requested a version of Switchblade, for reconnaissance only, that could be launched from ships or submerged (at periscope depth) submarines. In this case the sub would have a communications mast on the surface to receive data from what was called the Blackwing. This version is a little heavier, at 1.8 kg (four pounds). The size of the Blackwing is designed to fit into existing navy countermeasure launchers. Without a warhead Blackwing has endurance of about an hour and uses encrypted digital communications compatible with current navy systems. When released from a submarine countermeasures launcher, the Blackwing container pops to the surface and the Blackwing is ejected into flight like the other Switchblades. The U.S. Navy has bought at least 150 Blackwings, starting in 2016. Armed versions of Blackwing are available but these have shorter endurance. For subs, reconnaissance is the most important item. Switchblade is not a unique concept, as these loitering munitions have been around for decades. What Switchblade provided was a design that met the needs of combat troops, especially special operations personnel. Since Switchblade entered service and its popularity became widely known, similar systems have appeared, trying to provide features that Switchblade lacked but the troops would appreciate. The latest Switchblade 600 weighs 23 kg (50 pounds), ten times heavier than the original Switchblade and can stay in the air for 40 minutes and be controlled up to 80 kilometers from the operator. Top speed is 180 kilometers an hour and more economical cruise speed is closer to 150 kilometers an hour. The heavier warhead can destroy most tanks, as well as small boats and bunkers. Switchblade 600 was requested by the U.S. Army for longer range surveillance missions and the option to hit specific small targets, like a building or enemy position. Unlike the earlier Switchblades, the 600 used a tablet controller with more options, including manipulating the more powerful vidcam carried. Video transmitted back to the operator can be saved and passed on. The operator also has a wave off feature in which a quick tap on the controller screen can cause the 600 to abort an attack and be available for another try. The 600 can also be programmed to carry out a mission without operator control. This means there is no control signal for enemy electronic warning systems to detect or jam. In this case when time is up the 600 self-destructs. The 600 can be carried into a remote area and be ready for use within ten minutes. Switchblade was useful and popular with the troops but there were other systems developed that addressed some needs that Switchblade could not provide. These features included smaller size, reusability and hovering flight. There were two different designs that provided smaller size, reusability and hovering flight. The first to appear were small UAVs that could be launched from the 40mm grenade launchers commonly used by most infantry units. Three different designs appeared in the last decade; GLAUS, Pike and Drone40. The latest, and most successful version of this concept was Drone40, that can be launched from the standard 40mm grenade launcher often carried by infantry units. Once launched, or thrown, like a grenade, Drone40 stays in the air by extending four quad-copter type propellers. Using a form of UAV flight most preferred by the infantry, Drone40 can pause to scrutinize areas or objects as well as enter structures, including caves. The hover ability is much more useful in built-up areas where you have to look into windows or alleys. If troops using a hovering UAV find the enemy, they can either call in an air or artillery strike or, if the enemy is close enough, use their grenade launcher to fire 40mm high-explosive grenades. If the enemy is really close and comes into view, they can open fire using their rifles. The standard Drone40 weighs 190 grams (6.7 ounces) while the heaviest version weighs 300 grams (10.6 ounces). The heavier versions carry larger and heavier payloads like high-explosive or armor-piercing warheads. Heavier payload versions also carry a laser designator, electronic jammer or a smoke/flash grenade. The heavier models have less endurance but all can remain in action for at least 30 minutes. The non-explosive Drone40s can be recovered and reused after a battery recharge and resetting the quad-copter propellers inside the 40mm shell. Some repairs may be needed depending on where and how the Drone40 came down. Drone40 was developed by an Australian firm that took note of several earlier 40mm UAVs and concentrated on characteristics that were most popular with the troops. Drone40 was put on sale in 2019, and by late 2020 British troops in Mali had received several hundred Done40s and wanted more. The basic Drone40 is the same size as the standard 40mm grenade and thus usable in all infantry 40mm grenade launchers. This Drone40 is equipped to take video or pictures and transmit them back to the operator. A small tablet like controller is used by the operator who must remain in sight of the Drone40 to control it and receive images at max range (20 kilometers). The image surveillance Drone40 can operate for up to 60 minutes if cruise speed is used. That speed can be nearly doubled to 1.2 kilometers a minute but that uses up more battery life. Drone40s are also capable of operating as a swarm in mass operations with explosive payloads. The success of Drone40 with the 300 British troops in Mali has generated interest in other countries looking for a portable, relatively inexpensive and reusable 40mm UAV. Meanwhile an Israeli firm introduced Firefly in 2019. This was a loitering munition UAV that was portable enough for infantry to carry and continually reuse. It did not have to be launched from a 40mm grenade launcher, it was simply activated and thrown like a grenade. Firefly could also replace one of the two batteries carried with an explosive warhead and turn Firefly into a guided weapon. Another major advantage of Firefly is that it operates like a helicopter, not a fixed-wing aircraft. Being able to hover is a major advantage for loitering munitions used by infantry. What Firefly seems to have done is address all, or most, of the user criticisms of earlier lightweight loitering munition systems. Firefly was developed by Rafael, the same firm that developed and builds the Spike family of ATGMs (anti-tank guided missiles). Much of the tech in Firefly was based on what is already used in Spike systems. In particular, Firefly has a guidance system that can track and attack a moving target. This can be critical for infantry using such a weapon because these targets are elusive in the first place and, without a UAV, the infantry would not have spotted dangers like snipers or moving troops at all. Firefly is a dual rotor miniature helicopter and those dual (on top of each other) rotors make it stable in winds that would make a similar-sized fixed-wing or quad-copter UAV unusable. The .4 kg (one pound) warhead replaces the second battery to halve the normal 30 minutes of flight time. The operator uses a small tablet device that is mostly a touch screen and a Firefly controller. Firefly can be controlled up to 500 meters in a built-up (or forested) area or up to 1,500 meters in line-of-sight (nothing between Firefly and operator) mode. Firefly returns to the operator if the control signal is lost. The operator can press an icon on the screen to get Firefly to return immediately, abort an attack or carry out a high speed (19 meters/62 feet a second) attack on a target. The target can be moving, as in a sniper changing firing positions out of sight of the operator. This is accomplished using the ability of the Firefly guidance system to remember the shape of a target and follow it. The Firefly warhead will most often be used against troublesome targets like snipers or hidden machine-guns. Even without the warhead, Firefly would be able to locate such lethal adversaries and enable the infantry to avoid them. Firefly can also be launched and operated from a moving vehicle. The big advantage Firefly has over 40mm UAVs and Switchblade is reusability. Carry one Firefly and just use it as a UAV for a dozen or more times. Because of the relative simplicity of the Firefly compared to 40mm UAVS or Switchblade, it is cheaper, especially because of the reusability. The Daily News sixth annual Students in Need fund drive brought in well over its $30,000 goal this year, which will help Lower Columbia College students overcome financial burdens that might otherwise force them to drop out and not finish their degrees. I am so grateful to the community for the incredible support of the Students in Need campaign this year and over the last six years, said LCC President Chris Bailey. Your gift, large or small, will change a life and make an impact in your community for years to come. The drive reached $33,637, making a grand six-year total of about $221,000. TDN covers all the administrative costs, so every penny raised goes to the college and then on to students through the Lower Columbia College Student Success Fund. We are so thankful that the community responded, in such a resounding fashion, to help meet the need of our local college students, said TDN General Manager David Cuddihy. To exceed the $30,000 goal, by a significant margin, after a record-setting Neighbors in Need campaign this past December, is a testament to the heart of this community. The Neighbors in Need fundraising drive raised just under $90,000 for three local charities, setting a record. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Fish traps could once again be a common sight on the Columbia River after the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife recently approved an emerging commercial fishery. They were banned from the river in 1924. I do think this will open the fishery up to a whole new generation who hasnt been participating in the existing fishery because its severely constrained by bycatch impacts, said Wild Fish Conservancy biologist Adrian Tuohy, who has been researching the traps. Retired local commercial fisherman and fishery consultant Robert Sudar said the traps likely are too inefficient to work as a business model, both due to the cost of building a trap and how many fish could be caught in them. They might be really effective at a stream where youre focusing on a particular run, or at the mouth of the Cowlitz perhaps, he said. It could work really well there, but not necessarily as a commercial venture. The project The research project started in 2016, after the Wild Fish Conservancy decided to act to accelerate the testing on alternative gear to gillnets. The work is peer-reviewed and published in scientific journals and can be found on their website. Tuohy said in 2009, the state created policies to encourage development of alternative gear, but even after more policies were approved in later years, there was not much movement toward achieving those goals. Outdoors Report: Spring king salmon seasons set for Lower Columbia The wondering game is over now, and all thats left for anglers to do is wait, which is a pastime they just so happen to be experts at. This w Were a science-based nonprofit dedicated to wild fish recovery, so we support the development of alternative gear, he said. Just seeing that the state hadnt achieved its objectives we decided to pursue with a commercial fisher in Cathlamet the fish trap idea because it was originally an indigenous means of passively catching fish and it supports low-impact sorting of your catch. In 2016, the researchers set out to build a trap like the ones that were once popular along the river 80 years ago. They conducted a feasibility study to ask can we catch fish and release them lively and in good condition? The traps, also known as pound nets, passively funnel returning adult fish into a maze of walls and compartments until they reach the final compartment, where they can swim around freely. Fish are brought up from the final containment area with a net and pulley system. The historic traps design used 40 untreated 14-inch diameter wood pilings driven 3 to 5 meters apart in the river with netting strung between them. Tuohy said the first test showed promise, but the old style of trap needed to be modified so the fish stay in the water the whole time, reducing the stress on them and further reducing fish mortality. Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to The Daily News. In 2017, the researchers marked the fish they caught to see if they survived all the way to the spawning grounds upriver. This passive trapping process proved very effective, he said. We saw no detectable impact to Coho salmon and sockeye salmon. Following those two tests, the state authorized a commercial trap test fishery in the fall of 2018 to test the economic viability of the gear within the lower Columbia River fishery, allowing WDFW to sell the hatchery salmon the trap caught. In 2019, the feasibility of the gear under seasonal river conditions and a modified passive trap design that used a net pen system was tested, and this year, the group is moving to a new location in the Clifton Channel, Oregon and building a trap that should work on both tides, instead of just one, Tuohy said. If that works out I do think that really should open the door to sustainable fishing opportunities in the summer and fall fisheries, Tuohy said. The whole goal here is to benefit wild salmon recovery by reducing bycatch impacts and the detrimental effects of hatcheries. Since 2016, the research has cost about $1.1 million, including the cost of building the traps and staff time, according to the Wild Fish Conservancy website. Funding came from WDFW, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Wild Salmon Center and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Commercial viability Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} While the nets in the Columbia near Nassau Point in Cathlamet and now in the Clifton Channel in Oregon have caused some confusion and worry among community members, Tuohy said he wants to make sure people know fish traps are about adding to sustainable fishing opportunities and not forcing anyone to change. Sudar said the traps may not be economically sustainable for the fishermen. The 2016-2017 experimental trap cost about $100,000 to construct, including pile driving, net construction and installation of the winch, according to the Wild Fish Conservancys research papers. Sudar said thats a steep price, especially when gear like boats and nets can be used for different fisheries in different parts of the river, while the traps are static and only work for specific seasons and river conditions. Tuohy acknowledged the high starting investment for a trap is an obstacle, especially to fishermen who already own gillnetting gear. He said he hoped the government would consider a subsidy program to get it started, and said Wild Fish Conservancy would be willing to help get people over the hurdles. We see the potential benefit for wild fish recovery, and we want to do everything we can to help fishermen who reach out and want to do something like this, Tuohy said. We want to help when it comes to permitting, raising funds. Were here to help and move forward beyond the research. +4 Study finds Chinook salmon are returning to rivers younger than before, re-sparking debate on fish management In a recent study, Jack Tipping said the average age Chinook salmon are returning to rivers to spawn has declined since the 1970s, which could mean less reproductively fit fish and certainly means smaller fish. According to the Wild Fish Conservancys research, the test fishery netted just under $25,000 in sales of hatchery-origin fish in 2018. For the conventional gillnet fishery, total revenue generated from the harvest and sale of hatchery and wild-origin salmon was about $304,502, with an average of 72 vessels fishing, the paper said. That doesnt replace the gillnet fishery, because it doesnt necessarily put more fish in the marketplace, which is what commercial fisheries are here for, Sudar said. It could help with hatchery escapement if they put it in specific locations, but then its more of a management tool than commercial gear. Commercial test The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife approved an emerging commercial fishery in late April, which will allow Columbia River commercial license holders to apply for a permit to use beach seines, purse seines and fish traps on the river either this year or next year. WDFW Director Kelly Susewind said the emerging commercial fishery designation is just the first step of a much longer process toward potential wider adoption of these alternative gears. Without the designation, the traps can only be used as scientific collection devices or in a test fishery, which limits managers ability to evaluate whether they are commercially viable. Sudar said while beach seines and purse seines are included, the main push behind the emerging commercial fishery are the traps. This designation does not restrict any existing commercial gears, nor does it mean these alternative gears will suddenly dominate the non-treaty commercial fishing landscape on the Columbia River, Susewind said in a press release. WDFW will collect more data and fishery managers will prepare a report to the Washington Legislature and, if warranted, request changes to existing statutes that prohibit the use of these gear types in the river. Sudar and WDFW both said one question is just how many fishermen would be interested in fishing with traps. Our position is can you prove that the trap is a viable gear? You cant do that until its an emerging fishery and they can sell this catch. Well, OK, well try, Sudar said. Future work Tuohy said theres a big culinary market for fish that can be certified sustainable, and the fish traps produce high quality product because theres little to no scale loss or bruising. He said while nobody is forcing fishermen to change to traps, he thinks the method could add value to the market and is just another tool in the toolbox. It might be the tool for you, Tuohy said. It might be that no matter what you just want to gillnet, and thats fine. The method will spread beyond the Columbia, Tuohy believes, to national and international waters as fisheries continue to change and fishermen adapt. Once we wrap up this further research and have a working model in the Columbia running commercially, I think it will be jewel of a fishery that will inspire change elsewhere, he said. Love 3 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. When American Eagle Outfitters Inc.s in-person sales took a hit from the Covid-19 pandemic last year, the retailer decided to make a bigger bet on an emerging tool for reaching customers: augmented reality. Suffering from declining sales and mulling store closings, the retailer turned to Snap Inc.s popular Snapchat video-sharing app to connect with teenagers who could no longer frequent the malls that make up American Eagles main business. The retailer of casual polo shirts, blue jeans and trendy swimsuits launched a virtual pop-up holiday shop on Snapchat, which allowed users to browse from among 15 to 20 pieces at a time. As shoppers physically moved their phones around their own rooms, they were also exploring different areas of the digital store, where they could tap on certain products to learn more about them and create a wish list. Then they were prompted to go to American Eagles website to finalize the purchase. By the end of the run, American Eagle had sold $2 million in products from the store and had 50 million engagements. The sales were a drop in the bucket for a company that closed the last quarter in 2020 with $1.3 billion in revenue, but represented a new way of reaching younger customers. It was really a light bulb that, wow, this is a new way to consider not just engaging with Gen Z but also shopping with Gen Z, said Craig Brommers, American Eagles chief marketing officer. I think well see an acceleration of this trend in the months and years ahead. Bolstering that trend were advertisers who shifted their spending from traditional advertising mediums to social media platforms. Social media advertising revenue grew 16.3% to $41.5 billion last year, representing nearly a third of all digital advertising, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau. This is the next evolution of where e-commerce grows, said Mark Shmulik, a senior technology analyst at Bernstein. It just creates more categories that will enable me to either start or continue buying online that otherwise I might have felt less comfortable doing because I couldnt kind of try it on. Though Facebook Inc., Pinterest Inc. and ByteDance Ltd.s TikTok are rolling out new ways to market using AR on their platforms, Snapchat is well positioned to work out the kinks of the augmented reality advertising boom. The app, which boasts some 280 million daily active users, first captured the attention of the under-24 set with disappearing videos and photos that could be enhanced with silly automated effects such as funky hair accessories or the ability to turn ones face into a cartoon character. The company on Thursday introduced a slew of new services and technology upgrades to bolster its augmented reality-powered shopping experiences. Among the changes Snap is implementing is improving the visibility of its Scan feature, which works with industry partners to allow people to use the apps camera to identify everyday objects and receive shopping recommendations for clothes. The number of Snapchatters engaging daily with augmented reality lenses grew more than 40% last quarter, outpacing the daily active user growth by more than 80%. While regular video advertisements still drive the majority of Snapchats revenue, augmented reality is increasingly becoming part of its growth strategy, according to Snap Chief Business Officer Jeremi Gorman. The combination of that immersive behavior as well as that convenience of augmented reality are really critical for marketers, she said. This is ARs moment. You have this huge community of people utilizing AR wanting to engage with it every single day and its a wide-open space for marketers.Frito-Lay Inc. last February aired a Super Bowl spot that asked viewers to point a phones camera lens in the Snapchat app toward the screen to unlock a free bag of Cheetos Crunch Pop Mix. Earlier this year, Amazon.com Inc. opened a new hair salon that uses augmented reality to allow customers to virtually try on hair colors and point their phones at products to learn more. NYX Professional Makeup, Lexus, Gucci and other brands all pushed out new immersive advertising experiences, allowing shoppers to explore their products without having to step a single foot into a store. Companies are launching AR try-on experiences on their own while also turning to platforms such as Snap, Facebook and Pinterest to reach new customers. More than traditional types of marketing such as magazine and television spots, customers who engage with augmented reality campaigns are actively choosing to explore a brand. Companies that utilize AR marketing are also abandoning older aspirational forms of advertising, based on Photoshopped models in idealized scenarios, in favor of encouraging customers to turn themselves into brand ambassadors. In turn, those social media users may adorn their faces with a new makeup release or virtually try out a clothing line, and then share the outcome with their friends. On top of that, users who engage with try-on experiences on apps might be less likely to return the products they purchase, potentially reducing costs for companies. Augmented reality stimulates the user more than a regular content, said Antoine Vu, cofounder of the augmented reality design firm Atomic Digital Design. You become the actor of the content you are listening to or youre watching or learning [from]. You are kind of living the content. The technology still has hurdles to cross before it becomes a major advertising strategy, according to industry experts. For starters, augmented reality is most popular among Generation Z, who are roughly between the ages of 10 and 25, and who may be more digitally savvy but lack the buying power of older consumers. And commerce innovations that might have seemed useful to shoppers who were trapped at home during the pandemic may become less attractive once they feel more free to return to brick-and-mortar stores. AR campaigns are also still viewed among some brands as expensive and onerous to produce. The onus is on us to ensure that advertisers are clear that this is no longer an incredibly complex thing to build, Snaps Gorman said. It doesnt take a long time. Its not terribly expensive and they can reach their most engaged audience with it.Innovations in augmented reality will need to evolve if marketers want to extend the moment into a long-lasting and accessible advertising strategy. Most companies that are embracing it so far are beauty, clothing and furniture brands looking to take advantage of try-on experiences. Industry experts envision more robust adoption of other potential use cases, even for in-person shoppers -- such as labels on products in department stores that prompt potential buyers to use their phones to explore a brands story in augmented reality. Shoppers in furniture stores could change the wall color to see if a sofa they want matches their decor; restaurants could help diners envision how their food would look spread across their own kitchen tables. While Snapchat is a front-runner, the competition to sell AR advertising opportunities to brands is heating up. In 2018, Facebook started offering AR-enabled advertising capabilities, which were embraced by brands such as Universal Music Group and Michael Kors. Later, the company expanded AR try-on features to Instagram Shops, where users browse curated collections from brands, and plans to expand that capability to Facebook Shops. The social-media company is currently testing adding AR advertising to its Dynamic Ads service, which lets companies target customers who looked at a product online but didnt buy it. In addition to Snap and Facebook, companies such as Alphabet Inc.s Google, Pinterest, and Amazon are also making moves to push into AR-enabled products and services. As tech companies race to bring to market more advanced AR headsets and glasses, they will likely pave the way for companies to embrace even more creative types of marketing campaigns. Now on a subway ride, you just see everybody sitting down with their necks down looking at their devices, said Shmulik. I think that the next wave is going to be a bit more heads up. There are signs that at the very least AR advertising will outlive the pandemic. As the U.S. economy started to open up in late February more Snapchatters posted stories and engaged with the apps interactive map. The following month, more users created new friendships and chatted more with the ones they already had, according to the company. Snapchat is betting that more user engagement on the app will translate into more engagement with AR campaigns.This is, in my opinion, not a trend that is going backwards, Gorman said. Last year, Snap reached out to Zenni Optical, an online-only eyeglass brand, about starting an AR advertising campaign. In October, the company launched a try-on experience with several of its glasses -- from designs wth polka dots to animal-print varieties --- and sample accessories, said Deanna Dawson, head of social media and content marketing. The campaign was so successful that the company put out a Valentines Day experience, which resulted in 1.5 million try-ons, according to the company. Zenni Optical is launching another AR campaign on Snapchat in June. We just thought this was really going to be a branding play more than a performance play, said Dawson. We were happily surprised.As for American Eagle, earlier this year the company announced a new augmented reality jeans guide on Snapchat that lets users twist and turn pants in three dimensions. The new day hasnt just dawned, Brommers said. Its here. Google earlier this week surprised everyone as it announced that the company was working with Samsung for an updated version of Wear OS. The association meant future Samsung smartwatches would ship with the new software instead of Tizen. The partnership had also led to speculation that Samsung was retiring Tizen for smart TVs in favour of Android TV. Samsung has now confirmed it will not be happening. "Tizen still is the default platform for our smart TVs going forward," a Samsung spokesperson told Protocol. Samsungs decision to stick with Tizen for smart TVs isnt surprising considering the company is a big player in the space. Engadget points out that the TV market is different from the wearables one. One of the differences is that the operating system has not become a key factor in most consumers purchasing decisions as itd do for mobile phones or wearables. For TVs, display quality, sound, and content access have remained top factors for purchases. Tizen project resides within the Linux Foundation and is governed by a Technical Steering Group. The Technical Steering Group is the primary decision-making body for the open source project, with a focus on platform development and delivery, along with the formation of working groups to support device verticals, according to the Tizen website. Tizen powers a variety of Samsung devices, including the likes of Galaxy Fit 2 Pro and Galaxy Watch Active. Samsung also experimented with Tizen-powered Z-series phones. Evidently, these did not take off. Earlier this month, Lenovo posted some images of its upcoming tablets and provided some details on them. The new tablets are expected to launch on 25 May 2021 (coming Tuesday), but some new info has already been released. Specifically, some specs for the Xiaoxin Pad Plus and Pad Pro. According to Gizmochina, Lenovo has confirmed that the Xiaoxin Pad Pro will use the Snapdragon 870 chipset, LPDDR5 RAM, and UFS 3.1 storage. It's also going to have an 11.5-inch OLED screen (2560x1600) with a 90Hz refresh rate and covers 100% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut. That's already impressive enough, but there's more. The company's flagship tablet is also expected to come with four JBL speakers, a large 8600mAh battery, and dual-camera setups for the front and back. The Xiaoxin Pad Plus isn't much smaller at 11-inches. But overall, its specs are a lot more modest. This model will come with a Snapdragon 750G chipset, a 7700mAh battery, and only two cameras - one for the front and another for the back. The screen is a basic LCD (2000x1200), though it is still TUV Rheinland-certified like the Xiaoxin Pad Pro. It also supports 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity, so it should be great for sketching with a stylus. Both models will ship with Lenovo's ZUI 12.5 UI (Android 11), which will probably come with plenty of bloatware (something Lenovo is known for). However, it's interesting to see that more brands are still willing to make tablets, so we'll definitely keep an eye on Lenovo's new models. Until then, stay tuned to TechNave for further updates. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} By getting that information and talking about it, even amongst themselves discussing it, theyre raising awareness, Alvarado said. They can then spread that information throughout the community. It starts with helping Oden, she said, but with 650 students armed with information about kidney disease and how to become a living donor, there could be a lot more lives changed for the better. And it starts with our kids. Theyre excited, she said. CSMS eighth grader Tre Truman said he can relate to Odens situation because he saw his mom battle kidney disease. However, when his mom was battling the disease, he said, he did not know a lot about it. I wish I wouldve helped her more, he said. Its like I really want to do anything I can to help [Oden]. He said he and his classmates talk about what kidney disease is and what they can do. He added that feels good to be able to help someone who needs it. Truman is one of the students who will check on Oden regularly, Oden said, and make sure she has a smile on her face. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The incident remains under investigation. According to College Station Police Chief Billy Couch, the Bryan Police Department is taking the lead on the investigation and will be assisted by the Brazos County District Attorney's Office. "I've had contact with the family earlier today and I can tell you that I am sure there are other questions they have," Couch said in a press conference Sunday night. "As soon as I have the answers, they'll be at the top of my priority list of people that I want to talk to." The shooting is the fifth in Bryan-College Station since Tuesday. One person was shot Tuesday near the intersection of Sandy Point Road and McCullough Street in Bryan and was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. A 14-year-old boy was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana in the incident. A stolen firearm was also recovered, police said. Biden and Netanyahu's talks were just a small sample of the furious diplomacy that the White House conducted. The president and senior aides had over 80 engagements -- by phone or in person -- as it looked for an endgame to the fighting, according to the White House. Biden's speech celebrating the cease-fire lasted just 3 minutes delivered just in time for evening news broadcasts. He reiterated his belief that Israel has a right to defend itself, expressed condolences for Palestinian civilians who died in the Israeli bombardment and promised that humanitarian aid to Gaza Strip was on its way. It was an enigmatic, and perhaps fitting, bookend to the sort of messy Middle East crisis he had hoped to avoid, particularly early in a presidency already oversubscribed with managing the public health and economic tumult caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The conflict had also exposed a rift between Biden and members of his own party. The president who over nearly 50 years in national politics has burnished a reputation for unwavering support of Israel leads a Democratic Party that has trended toward a far more divided outlook on the correct path to peace between Israel and the Palestinians. And Republicans, for their part, were all too eager to use the raging violence as ammunition against Biden's presidency. It was the most explosive television interview in the history of the British monarchy and the BBC. In 1995, Princess Diana revealed to millions of viewers around the world that there were three people in her marriage to Prince Charles the third party being the heir to the thrones mistress, and now wife, Camilla Parker Bowles. Dianas divorce, departure from the Royal Family and untimely death followed. But how did the inexperienced BBC reporter Martin Bashir get his scoop of a lifetime? A devastating report published last week by John Dyson, a former judge, found that the journalist secured his interview on the Panorama news program by way of forgery. He faked the documents that persuaded Dianas brother Charles Spencer to introduce him to his sister, and he allegedly lied to Diana to fuel her paranoia about the Royal Family and the British establishment, and so get her to dish the dirt. There was a huge media scrum in the 1990s to get the princesss story. Diana, as I knew from meeting her, liked to brief journalists but was wary of having her fingerprints on stories. Bashirs deception got her to break cover. I had no idea what we were headed into, she recalled. It was a very difficult season. With law school finished, there wasnt much time to study for the bar exam in July. Fortunately, another exam was added to the schedule for that September. I really buckled down and tried to do my studies, Scott said. On Sept. 10, Scott went to Richmond and sat for the exam, although it would take more two months later to find out if shed passed. The week before Thanksgiving, Scott said she repeatedly was checking online to see if shed passed. I was preparing for the worst, she said. I kept refreshing the page. After coming home from grocery shopping one day, she refreshed the website again and saw that she had, in fact, passed the bar. I sat on my kitchen floor with groceries all around and thought, Im a 46-year-old lawyer, she said. Its been a journey, to say the least. In January, Scott was sworn in and opened her law practice on March 1, just a stones throw from the county courthouse on East Court Street. Her primary focus is on family law, as well as guardianship/conservatorship, personal injury and landlord/tenant disputes. Guerrero, who started working at the program last August, is a graduate of Wood River High School. She got an associate degree from Central Community College and a bachelors degree in behavioral sciences from Bellevue University. The Rev. Jim Golka, pastor of St. Marys Cathedral since 2016, has seen the value of the immigration program. There are a good number of people here who are really trying to be properly documented by our government so that they can be a U.S. citizen or be here legally to be able to pay taxes and do their part. And were trying to help them do that, Golka said. St. Marys established two immigration offices because its easier to have one program in two places than to have two programs, Golka said. The program has to be accredited by the U.S. Department of Justices Office of Legal Access Programs, he said. The goal is to have whoever is working in each of the offices be accredited, so they can practice immigration law, Golka said. Kellie Draper, who works in the Lexington office, is accredited through the legal access program. Once a nonprofit program such as St. Marys is recognized under the program, anyone who works there can become accredited. Police took him to jail because he had no operators license and no ID. People arent normally jailed for not having an operators license, but if we cant prove that theyre not a wanted person or someone else, that sometimes happens, Duering said. When officers searched Carranza-Contreras at the jail, they found the seven IDs and Social Security card. All appear to be fictitious but under the name of someone else, Duering said. In doing investigation, police found that Carranza-Contreras had been earning wages based on this other persons name and Social Security number, he said. He didnt necessarily steal money from anyone, but he was earning wages purporting to be someone he was not, Duering said. Using someone elses Social Security number affects tax withholdings. It may also cause credit problems and other issues that police see when someone reports someone else using their ID for income, he said. Carranza-Contreras didnt receive any more pay than he deserved, so the employer was not a victim of anything, Duering said. There was no major disaster in town this week but more than 1,000 volunteer firefighters from across Nebraska descended on Fonner Park and the Nebraska State Fairgrounds for this years Nebraska State Volunteer Firefighters Association Fire School. Jeff Horn of Fullerton is a member of the committee charged with organizing the annual event. It is a very great school for paid firefighters and volunteer firefighters to get training to help them help their community, and get their training. Twenty-nine classes were on the menu from Wildfire Tactical Leadership to Basic Rope Rescue. Horn said a lot of ground is covered, offering Basic Rope Rescue skills as an example. If somebody is stuck in a grain bin or in a ditch they learn how to tie knots to help rescue people from different scenarios and about wearing a harness correctly. Within that realm, skills from beginner to advanced are taught. The workshops were geared toward all levels of firemanship, also covering fire investigation, rescue, fire safety and prevention, leadership, officer training and EMS topics. Its all across the board, Horn said. Mosley wanted Meadowlark to be a Unified Champion School for a few years, but she decided to wait until she settled into her kindergarten teaching position. She knew this year was the right time for it to happen. I just want a more inclusive, more unified environment because I think we are all different. ... We need to be OK with being different and celebrating those differences because we can learn from each other, she said. The designation of Unified Champion School helps the school to implement inclusive sports, youth leadership opportunities and whole-school engagement. Each schools programs can vary greatly from school to school based on needs, goals, schedules and other factors, but the basic building blocks are the same. One of the first activities Meadowlark did as a Unified Champion School was a storybook walk along the Dryland River Walk. Two books, The Invisible Boy and Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon, were on display May 17-20. The books focus on kindness and being true to oneself. Now, with the home moved to Kearney, the cemetery is our primary focus, and we are making an all-out effort to provide the $750,000 state funding requirement to secure the $7.5 million in federal funds to build the new Nebraska State Veterans Cemetery, which will be constructed on land to the north and east side of the existing cemetery. The 1,400 veterans buried there have consecrated the seven acres of that hallowed ground and the 20 additional acres donated by the city of Grand Island will provide for space for future generations of veterans and their spouses. The cemetery improvements will be made in full compliance with federal cemetery and national shrine standards. The standards will be uniformly applied to the existing cemetery, including realignment and replacement of damaged grave markers, and the two cemetery areas will be compatibly joined. We have a long way to go to meet our funding goal by the Aug. 1 deadline. The Hall County Hero Flight is the lead nonprofit organization for the fund drive. To date, just over $250,000 in donations and commitments have been pooled. I will ascend the Hall County Courthouse at 5 p.m. Friday, May 28, to begin a 64-hour courthouse challenge in support of our veterans. I have donated $10,000 to help the cause and will match each $10 donated with $1 of mine, up to $10,000. Hall County Historical Society has undertaken a project that could help our state recognize the long-lasting influence a Grand Island native of the past had on our nation. That womans name is Grace Abbott. Our community has a Grace Abbott Park. The public library is named after her sister, Edith Abbott. But most of Grand Islands residents probably know very little about how big an influence Grace Abbott had on social welfare and immigrant services in our country. Abbott, born in 1878, was one of the most well-known suffragists in the nation, working for womens right to vote, as well as a trailblazer in immigrant rights and child labor policies. Her approaches to social work still are celebrated today by experts in the field. So the Historical Society is spearheading a push to have Grace Abbotts face immortalized on coin in the latest commemorative quarter project of the United States Mint. This project will honor 20 American women on a series of quarters. The best bang for your buck! This option enables you to purchase online 24/7 access and receive the Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday print edition at no additional cost * Print edition only available in our carrier delivery area. Allow up to 72 hours for delivery of your print edition to begin. Print edition not available for Day Pass option. It's one of nature's weirdest events, featuring sex, a race against death, evolution and what can sound like a bad science fiction movie soundtrack. Some people may be repulsed. Psychiatrists are calling entomologists worrying about their patients, Shrewsbury said. But scientists say the arrival of Brood X is a sign that despite pollution, climate change and dramatic biodiversity loss, something is still right with nature. And it's quite a show. Raupp presents the narrative of cicada's lifespan with all the verve of a Hollywood blockbuster: "You've got a creature that spends 17 years in a COVID-like existence, isolated underground sucking on plant sap, right? In the 17th year these teenagers are going to come out of the earth by the billions if not trillions. They're going to try to best everything on the planet that wants to eat them during this critical period of the nighttime when they're just trying to grow up, they're just trying to be adults, shed that skin, get their wings, go up into the treetops, escape their predators," he says. COLUMBIA South Carolina Public Radio announced coverage plans for Spoleto Festival USA 2021. "Sonatas & Soundscapes," which airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on the networks News & Music stations, will feature Spoleto content from May 28 through June 18. Additionally, SC Public Radio is continuing its Spoleto Backstage podcast for the 2021 festival with new episodes premiering Tuesdays and Fridays from June 1 to July 5. Although "Sonatas & Soundscapes" will begin festival coverage May 28, the program wont start broadcasting live from the Dock Street Theatre in downtown Charleston, S.C. until Friday, June 4, when recordings from the festivals renowned Chamber Music series will be featured. Hosted by SC Public Radios Bradley Fuller, Sonatas & Soundscapes will also feature interviews with musicians and Geoff Nuttall, the festivals director of Chamber Music. South Carolinians looking to listen can tune in to 89.3 FM HD1 in Charleston, 91.3 FM in Columbia and 90.1 FM in Greenville/Spartanburg. In addition, a livestream of SC Public Radios News & Music format broadcast can be accessed on www.southcarolinapublicradio.org or by downloading the SCETV app, which is available on all iOS and Android devices. In May 1929 Julia Mood Peterkin became not only the first South Carolinian, but the first Southerner to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for her book Scarlett Sister Mary. It was hailed by some, such as Alain Locke (known as the father of the Harlem Renaissance) as a masterpiece that demonstrated a new attitude of the literary South toward Negro life. But because the protagonist of the story is Mary Pinesett, a spirited African American woman who is condemned by her peers as rebellious and promiscuous, others criticized the book and it was banned in many areas. Peterkin was born in Laurens County and lost her mother when she was eighteen months old. She lived most of her life with her paternal grandparents before attending Converse College. After earning a masters degree from Converse, she taught school in Fort Motte and married William George Peterkin in 1903. She lived the remainder of her life at her husbands family plantation, Lang Syne, which is near St. Matthews. The couple had one son and it was not until she was forty that Peterkin started writing. South Carolina State Universitys Army ROTC Department hosted its Spring 2021 Commissioning Ceremony on Thursday, May 6, in the SC State Fine Arts Auditorium. It was an intimate experience for the commissioned officers, as their parents or designees had the opportunity to pin their children and share the celebratory moment with them on stage. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the event was limited to only a few family members, but was also streamed on Facebook for family and friends who could not attend. Retired Maj. Gen. Abraham J. Turner, an SC State alumnus, served as the speaker for the event. He encouraged the new officers to never forget the responsibility that their positions hold. You cant worry about what anybody before you brought to the table, you have to be concerned about what you will bring to the table. And the table is an army comprised of thousands and thousands of young men, women and family members who will look to you for guidance. What you must bring to the table is commitment. You have to bring a sense of loyalty, dignity and respect, and youve got to bring a sense of whats expected of you, Turner said. He used a phonetic alphabet so the Vietnamese wouldnt be able to understand what they were saying, said Folk. For example, the K in his name became kilo and the E became echo. Another memorable occasion was the time a staff sergeant named Blow went head-to-head with a captain to protect the service men, said Folk. Even though hes very proud of the fact that the Army taught him the value of following orders, it was one of his favorite memories, he notes. The captain issued a command to the rear artillery in a way that would give their location away to the North Vietnamese. The staff sergeant caught the order before it went out. He went to the captain and chewed him out, Folk said. He told the captain he needed to change the order. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} When the captain wanted to delay changing it, the staff sergeant told him, Youve got to change it right now, and he did, Folk said. I wouldnt mind seeing him (Staff Sgt. Blow) right now, he said. When Folk returned to the United States in January of 1969, he was stationed at Fort Polk in Louisiana, where he spent 14 months as a drill sergeant. And so, a tendency has hardened among some to see power as confirmation of unjust privilege and also to recognize only certain forms of power. Palestinians are seen to be stateless and weaker than Israel militarily. But too many do not ask whether Palestinians have had opportunities for statehood, as they have, or whether Palestinians offset military inferiority, as their combatants do, through asymmetric warfare that exploits limitations on a uniformed military. Too many see a blockade on Gaza, but not the violence and explicit threats that precipitated it. Too many see Israels relative strength, but not its longtime vulnerability in the midst of a vast Arab world, let alone nearly 60 Muslim-majority states at the United Nations. The U.N. condemns Israel, the Middle Easts sole democracy, more than all other countries combined. U.N. bodies tend to dedicate extraordinary attention to Israel only after it responds to attacks not before. But the realities are even more daunting outside such halls of power. Not all Muslims or Jews are animated by the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, but the fact that the world is home to some 1.5 billion Muslims and only around 15 million Jews affects what goes viral on social media, the size of solidarity rallies, and that which politicians and news outlets hear. Each year, the U.S. government dispenses $3.8 billion of your money in "military aid" to the Israeli government. The string attached to that aid is that the Israelis have to use it to buy American (rather than, say, Russian or Chinese) arms. In fact, that's one of the main arguments that supporters of the aid put up when people object to the U.S. government handing out such big welfare checks: It's not really aid to the Israelis, they say, it's actually just corporate welfare for American "defense" contractors, creating jobs right here in the good ol' US of A. This is supposed to make you feel better about the whole thing, I guess. You shouldn't , though. If you think about it, every dollar funneled into artificially "creating jobs" in the "defense" industry is a dollar that could have instead been used by you to buy the things you actually want and need, creating real jobs providing those goods and services in the process. But even if the corporate welfare angle did make sense, it also reveals that you, the American taxpayer, are financing the half-filling of body bags with the the bodies of children. Yep, that's your tax dollars at work, saving the political neck of Israel's answer to Saddam Hussein. I suspect that may not be what Oliver Wendell Holmes had in mind when he told us that "taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society." If you share my suspicion, let "your representatives" in Washington know. Thomas L. Knapp (Twitter: @thomaslknapp) is director and senior news analyst at the William Lloyd Garrison Center for Libertarian Advocacy Journalism (thegarrisoncenter.org). He lives and works in north central Florida. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 This subscription will allow existing subscribers of The World to access all of our online content, including the E-Editions area. NOTE: To claim your access to the site, you will need to enter the Last Name and First Name that is tied to your subscription in this format: SMITH, JOHN If you need help with exactly how your specific name needs be entered, please email us at admin@countrymedia.net or call us at 1-541 266 6047. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Submit Here The Palestine-Israel conflict is multifaceted but revolves around the diachronic inability of Israelis and Palestinians to reach a compromise. In theory, an ideal compromise would guarantee Israel's security and the creation of a Palestinian state. However, a land for peace agreement has proven to be difficult to negotiate because it does not necessarily alleviate the tendency of both sides to enact policies, tactics, claims and demands that constantly drive them apart. Even the post-Cold War aura did not make any difference and mediation efforts by U.S. President Bill Clinton collapsed in 2000. In the 21st century, the Israel-Palestine conflict has witnessed periods of relative calmness punctuated by heightened tensions. The drama was exacerbated when Hamas gained control of the Gaza Strip in 2007. As opposed to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) that controls the West Bank and recognizes Israel's right to exist, Hamas does not. The latter has engaged in terror activities and rockets' launch against Israel. The Israeli government, for its part, has orchestrated massive scale military operations to neutralize Hamas in accordance with its security policy. The inalienable right of Israel to exist and prevent threats against its citizens often unfolds into a situation where force is used disproportionally and extra pain is added to the suffering of Palestinian people. The continuation of Israeli settlements is sore point for Palestinians. These settlements are generally criticized by the international community, even sometimes by the United States, but were not under the Trump administration. As the president of the UN Security Council for May, China needs to manage this most recent Israel-Palestinian crisis that has been evolving for some days. The Chinese government has endeavored to contribute to de-escalation by proposing a ceasefire, the provision of humanitarian assistance, and holistic international support through the UN including from the United States to move forward with the two-state solution. Further to this, it is willing to invite Israelis and Palestinians for talks in Beijing. The idea was first announced by Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his Middle East tour at the end of March. The position of China is adamant and firm. While it endorses the Palestinian cause, it respects Israel and wants to facilitate a potential symbiosis. In 2013, China made a four-point proposal, which stipulates, among other things, for the creation of a Palestinian state on the basis of the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital. China's Arab Policy Paper of 2016 also makes reference to these terms. In 2019, Beijing took concrete steps when it decided to appoint senior diplomat Zhai Jun as its special envoy in the region. The more China grows, the more expectations about its international responsibilities increase. Of course, such long-standing problems, that require concessions from the related sides, cannot be solved very soon, but what China can do is to use its leverage to implement UN Resolutions and galvanize support for the Palestinian people as much as possible. In this spirit, it has donated vaccines to aid Palestine's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. This will hopefully result in a better balance between the impressive vaccination rhythm of Israel and that of Palestine, which lags behind. China's mediation differs from that of the United States. China does not take sides in the Israel-Palestinian conflict and works in order to make conditions for negotiations conducive. A stable geopolitical environment matters in the Middle East, but when attempting to create or preserve such an environment China will not adopt policies that are risky, or go too far. The historical experience exposes the limits of optimism for breakthroughs. George N. Tzogopoulos is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/GeorgeNTzogopoulos.htm Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn. If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn. Ramona was married to Edward Bowdish for more than 30 years. They enjoyed a life of outdoor adventures and travel. They spent most of their married life living in Rock Springs, Wyoming where they both worked. After they retired they moved back to Casper to be closer to family. Ramonas personal journey with her faith led her to try various churches. The search ended when she found her home in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Church and the lifelong friendships that came with it were often the support system that she could rely on while she was a single mother living far away from her family. She made sure it came full circle by providing home cooked meals to the traveling missionaries and visiting teachers as well as during her time spent in the Relief Society. Over the years Ramona wore many hats when it came to providing for her family. From being a homemaker taking in ironing and laundry side jobs and selling her famous Mexican food, to being a bi-lingual customer service rep at Gibsons, K Mart, Casper Cake and Donut, as well as a translator for US citizenship applicants, or working night security at Amoco Refinery. Her last job that she spent more than 20 years before eventually retiring was at the Youth Crisis Center in Rock Springs, Wyoming. Where she would use her life experiences to help teens and families rebuild relationships. Michelle Huntington was on her way home from work, sitting in the drive-thru line at the Burger King in Semmes, Alabama, on April 25, when she saw a post about a lost cat on Facebook. The cat, a 2-year-old orange and white tabby named Mitsi, disappeared in the middle of a trip from Florida to Casper when she wiggled out of her harness in a Days Inn parking lot right across the street from the Burger King. Huntington ordered some extra chicken tenders and a hamburger patty and headed over. I just started walking around, looking for her, calling for her, shining my flashlight looking for her beady eyes under a bush or something, Huntington said. After several hours, I couldnt find her so I had to go home. But Huntington came back the next day. And the day after that. A group of dedicated volunteers who had never met Mitsis owners quickly came together after her story spread on Facebook in the Mobile area. One of the owners grandchildren, living in Colorado, formed a group called Operation: Get Mitsi Home, and nearly 100 people from Mobile, Semmes and beyond joined hoping to help out. They bought food, treats and live traps. They coordinated day and night shifts to search the area, calling Mitsis name and trying to lure her with scraps of her owners clothes. They chased leads from people in a nearby trailer court who occasionally caught a glimpse of her orange fur. Almost three weeks after Mitsi went missing, she was found. But there was still the matter of getting her home. *** Norm and Alice Shamion well, mostly Norm didnt plan on getting a cat. Alice is 84, Norm is 90, and theyve been married for 66 years. They didnt need anyone else in the house. But when a litter of kittens showed up at their church in Florida, even Norm couldnt resist. They took Mitsi home, and in no time he was training her to hop into his lap for treats. Alice said Mitsi adores him. While the Shamions were waiting for her to come home on Wednesday, Norm checked her setup one more time. Food and treats ready in a box in the guest bedroom. A bed for her, clean and warm. Theyre planning to put a cushion in the big bay window at the front of the house, so Mitsi has a place to look out. Her scratchy play structure was already set up in the living room, where Norm and Alice were waiting patiently for the reunion. Once everyone leaves, Im going to give her a can of tuna, Norm said with a grin. Shell love that. The pair made the move from Florida to Casper to be closer to family living here. But theyre no strangers to the state they lived in Saratoga for 18 years and then Sundance while Norm was in the logging business. The Shamions flew to Casper, and their son-in-law, Rich Hepner, was tasked with driving a U-Haul with the couples stuff and Mitsi up. The morning of April 25, Hepner tied Mitsis harness to a car door, heard some meows and turned to see her running off towards the woods behind the Days Inn. Hepner looked for her for more than 3 1/2 hours, he said. But eventually, he had to leave. I did a lot of crying, Alice said. But the Shamions grandson, Derik Hepner, wasnt ready to accept that she was gone. He posted on Facebook, getting onto a local Mobile lost and found pets page before starting Operation: Get Mitsi Home. (Now, the groups name has been changed to Mission Completed! Mitsi is headed to WY!) My grandma, you know, that cat is kind of her world, Hepner said. Facebook was the only place I knew to turn because we dont know anybody in that area at all. The group grew and grew, full of people eager to lend hours and days of their time to looking for Mitsi. Huntington imagined how shed feel if it were her grandparents missing a beloved pet, and couldnt bring herself to give up. Volunteers put up posters with Mitsis picture, offering a $200 reward. Live traps put out with cat food caught three other strays and a couple opossums. A trail camera installed in the woods captured an armadillo and a peacock, whose noises sounded frustratingly like a cats meow to the volunteers. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Huntington said she and others in the search party would sit in the Days Inn parking lot after setting the traps, discussing strategy and coordinating shifts but also filling each other in on their lives. On Monday, the volunteers in Alabama are gathering for a celebratory barbecue in Mobile. As a way to say thank you, Derik started a fundraiser on Facebook aiming to raise $500 for the local animal shelter. As of Friday, it had raised more than $700. These people didnt know each other, Hepner said. And from what I understand, theyve made lifelong friendships. *** On Sunday morning, Huntington was running late. Shed been up for 40 hours over the weekend before crashing on Saturday night. She got up on Sunday, made some more flyers and posters and went to check the traps in the woods behind the Days Inn. I got a phone call from Michelle, and she was hysterical, Hepner said. There, in one of the traps, was Mitsi. She was skinnier than before, had some scratches on her face and matted fur, but it was her. She sent pictures to Hepner, who forwarded them to his grandparents. They were ecstatic, Hepner said. They finally got to see the pictures and say, Yes, thats her. So Mitsi hit the road again. Huntington took the cat to her veterinarian on Monday, then set her up with a crate, litter box and food for the road. She handed her off to another volunteer from the group, who drove the first leg of the journey from Semmes to Gulfport, Mississippi. There, Mitsi was handed off to Paula Wharton, who drove more than an hour from her home in Covington, Louisiana to lend a ride. She said that something about the Shamions story tugged at her heartstrings. I wanted to help, but Im four hours away from Mobile, Wharton said. So I told Derik, right off, Im willing to drive her to Wyoming. Somebody just has to find her and Ill be on standby to take her. Wharton lived in Wyoming Casper, Laramie and Sheridan for years, and said she wouldnt mind making a trip back to visit friends here. She had even lost a cat herself, for two weeks, while living in Wyoming. But the Shamions granddaughter, Nichole Osborne, has in-laws in Summit, Mississippi, so she, her husband and their baby decided to make the trip. Twenty-six hours after leaving Casper, they surprised her husbands family in Summit and picked up Mitsi from Wharton. By the time they pulled up in front of the Shamions new Casper home on Wednesday afternoon (after another trip to the vet), Osborne and her husband were exhausted. But not too exhausted to livestream the reunion, at the volunteers request. *** Norm met Mitsi at the door, careful to shut it tight behind the family members streaming in for the reunion. She was skinny, he commented, and you could feel her bones under her fur. According to the vet, she had lost two of her seven pounds while lost. She had a purple bandage on one of her front legs, from an IV at the vet. Oh, my kitty, my kitty, Alice said as Mitsi was placed in her lap. My kitty. Mitsi was tired and subdued a little by a calming collar shed worn on the trip, but didnt waste time making herself at home. She rubbed against Norms leg, ate some food from his hand and found the scratching post immediately. After a few minutes, she hopped up onto the couch, curled up and fell asleep. Alice moved from her rocking chair by the window to sit next to her on the couch. Together, they rested. Love 8 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Juvenile crimes are on the rise in the area, according to Crime Stoppers of Central Wyoming. Car burglaries and firearm thefts in particular have been more prevalent among children in central Wyoming, the group said. The rise in juvenile related crimes is alarming, Crime Stoppers of Central Wyoming President John Becker said in a statement. The Casper Police Department also brought attention to the increase recently, the group said in an announcement. This is an issue across the County not only in Casper, Becker said. The best way to prevent firearms from getting into the hands of kids, and ultimately away from potential criminal activity, is to secure them. Lock your cars, lock your home, and always secure your firearm. This is a big problem right now and its crucial that we all do our part to keep this community safe. The Crime Stoppers of Central Wyomings volunteer board consists of business, nonprofit, educational and law enforcement representatives. It meets on a quarterly basis to discuss trends in the county. Board members including but not limited to those in law enforcement raised juvenile crimes as an issue. WASHINGTON (AP) The Biden administration is facing new pressure to resolve a mystery that has vexed its predecessors: Is an adversary using a microwave or radio wave weapon to attack the brains of U.S. diplomats, spies and military personnel? The number of reported cases of possible attack is sharply growing and lawmakers from both parties, as well as those believed to be affected, are demanding answers. But scientists and government officials arent yet certain about who might have been behind any attacks, if the symptoms could have been caused inadvertently by surveillance equipment or if the incidents were actually attacks. Whatever an official review concludes could have enormous consequences. Confirmation that a U.S. adversary has been conducting damaging attacks against U.S. personnel would unleash calls for a forceful response by the United States. For now, the administration is providing assurances that it takes the matter seriously, is investigating aggressively and will make sure those affected have good medical care. The injury to her left arm was so horrific, doctors still dont want her to push-off with the arm, put any pressure on the arm or put any weight on the arm. Her humerus broke, her elbow completely busted out and the ulna had four to six different breaks. Shes rod, pinned, screwed, all the way up her left arm, Deanna said. So far, Sam can go all the way out and touch her head, but theres other things she cant do, like bring a bottle to her mouth to take a drink. The physical therapy hasnt started on her [left] arm yet. Deanna said doctors expect Samantha will be back to her normal self by January. She still needs to have the operation to repair the ligaments in her knee and will have to do annual checkups with her neurosurgeon to make sure none of the hardware has moved around. Although the recovery process has been difficult for Samantha, she still found the time to continue her college classes at Eastern Wyoming College (EWC) and was able to graduate with her associates degree on May 14. She plans to be done with therapy and cleared to drive again on her own by the beginning of August. She will attend Chadron State College and wants to pursue a degree in education to become a middle school teacher. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The university said the construction would match the Collegiate Gothic sandstone style of other central UW buildings. Construction on the residence halls and dining facility is expected to start in a year to 15 months. It is slated to take around two years to complete. The new dorms will be located at the corner of 15th and Lewis streets and east of the Half Acre Recreation and Wellness Center. The former building will have rooms for 434 students and include a two-story dining hall that can seat 850. The latter will have rooms for 466 students. We conducted significant research to determine the best mix of housing options for our students, Vice President for Student Affairs Kim Chestnut said in a statement. The interior design approved by the Board of Trustees will provide a wonderful environment for students to build a sense of community during their first year on campus and beyond, which we know is so important for their success. They will include double and single rooms, two-bed semi-suites and four-bed semi-suites. It was shocking to me to learn that Adolph Hitler and the Nazis copied American miscegenation and other Jim Crow laws that they then applied to Jews, whom they considered to be a separate race. Yet even the Nazis thought American laws were unduly harsh. Those Jim Crow laws are gone for the most part as the result of Civil Rights legislation passed later in the 1960s. I was very supportive of those changes, particularly the voting rights for young Black men who were drafted to fight in U.S. wars. This book is of particular value today. With racism in the news so much lately, we need a background story to tell us how we got to where we are. Nevertheless times have changed since the segregation of Oak Hill. Today I have a granddaughter who is multiracial. In my family, no one seemed to care about her skin color after she was born. One of the many things I found stunning in the book were the responses of communities in the South to the Civil Rights laws. They closed and demolished their public swimming pools rather than allow Black children to use them. As the school year began, I wasnt very enthusiastic about wearing a mask to school. Neither were many of my peers. Still, we felt masks were necessary in order to stay in school. As months went by, I found wearing a mask was just part of the daily routine. Thats no longer the case. District officials recently voted to remove the mask requirement in schools. It didnt appear that would happen until recently. The school board had voted to keep masks mandated through the end of the year. However, students werent willing to give up the fight to get rid of masks. Students from Kelly Walsh created No Mask Monday to protest masks. Some students however, believe that masks are a necessity in schools. Although many people are getting vaccinated, experts still recommend wearing masks to have more effectiveness, said Julia Griner, a Kelly Walsh sophomore whose mom is a cancer specialist in Casper. Additionally, half of the school isnt old enough to receive a vaccine, so its ultra important we continue to mandate. I think its a small price to pay to protect high risk lives, like my moms cancer patients. While Griner believes masks should stay mandated, others disagree. Flash Former BBC director general Tony Hall announced Saturday that he has resigned as the National Gallery's chairman after an inquiry into BBC's 1995 interview with Britain's Princess Diana. Continuing in the role "would be a distraction", said Hall, who was director of news during the time of the interview, according to the BBC. "I am very sorry for the events of 25 years ago and I believe leadership means taking responsibility," he said in a statement. Hall had been a trustee of the National Gallery since November 2019, and became chairman of the board in July 2020. The latest development came after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Friday that he was "obviously very concerned" about the findings of the inquiry into the BBC interview with Princess Diana. The Met Police has said it will assess the contents of the inquiry into former BBC's Martin Bashir interview with Princess Diana to ensure there is no "significant new evidence" to support a criminal investigation. British Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said Thursday night said the report "reveals damning failings at the heart of the BBC" and he will "consider whether further governance reforms are needed". Prince William and his brother Harry have both criticized the BBC's failures surrounding the Panorama interview with their mother. Prince William said the interview made a "major contribution to making my parents' relationship worse", adding it has "since hurt countless others". A report published Thursday by an independent inquiry said the BBC fell short of "high standards of integrity and transparency" over its interview with Princess Diana. Former BBC reporter Martin Bashir had acted in a "deceitful" way and faked documents to obtain the interview while the BBC's own internal probe in 1996 into what happened was "woefully ineffective", the inquiry said. The inquiry found Bashir mocked up fake bank statements that falsely suggested individuals were being paid for keeping the princess under surveillance. He later showed the fake documents to Diana's brother, Earl Spencer, to gain his trust to gain access to Diana and persuade her to agree to give the interview. The BBC carried out its own investigation into the issue in 1996, but it "fell short of the high standards of integrity and transparency", according to the inquiry. Bashir has stepped down from his role as the BBC's religion editor, the corporation has confirmed last week. When will the Wyoming Legislature take steps similar to Idaho, Oklahoma, and Texas to counter the very harmful and destructive curriculums like Critical Race Theory from being taught in Wyoming Public Schools, Colleges, and Universities. The teaching of this type of radical ideology would not be much different from using: (Mao Zedongs Little Red Book, William Luther Pierces The Turner Diaries, Elijah Muhammads Message to the Blackman in America, or Adolf Hitlers Mein Kampf) as core text books in schools. While I agree the ideas of Critical Race Theory are protected as free speech, just as the ideas in the books I mentioned are, these same ideas have no place in the curriculum of public schools. Our Public Schools should be completely free from the teaching of any political ideology other than as a brief exposure to differing ideologies as part of political theory classes. The political indoctrination of students as part of any course curriculum should be prevented no matter what the political ideology is. This is not an issue of Left, Right, or Center. This is a choice that our children need to make for themselves when they are adults. At that time they can make their own decisions about their political beliefs. For the sake of our Republic our classrooms need to remain free from political propaganda. Editor: It's shameful and scary that Liz Cheney was ousted from her leadership position because she spoke out against a monstrous Big Lie and in defense of the lawful transfer of power as a result of an election that was judged, in dozens of lawsuits, to be properly conducted in accordance with our Constitution. The term Big Lie was coined by Adolf Hitler, in his book Mein Kampf, to describe the use of a lie so "colossal" that no one would believe that someone "could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously." Trump's assertion that he won the election is just that. That Liz Cheney and others are being excoriated and banished for calling the lie for what it is is frightening.Truth does matter. How can a person claim to love America, and yet deny the principles on which it is founded, including the peaceful transfer of power via properly conducted elections and certification by the electoral college? How can a person deny what we all saw with our own eyes on Jan. 6 as hooligans vandalized our Capitol and threatened our lawmakers in the carrying out of their Constitutional duty? I dont have to agree with a single policy that Liz Cheney espouses to defend her position in defense of the truth of the election and of Trumps complicity in the insurrection on Jan. 6. Im mortified to see that Wyomings GOP is turning on their favored daughter, but proud of Liz Cheney for proclaiming that country comes before party, truth before politics. JULIE LEFEVRE, Lander Love 6 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Spare a thought and/or prayer for frontline workers. So croons Chris Garcia over emotional keys and heart-tugging strings on his new release Hear Their Prayer. An ode to medical and protective personnel, Garcias tune calls for national appreciation and support for those risking their lives during this countrys deadliest surge in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. Tobagonians are being urged not to show up at the health centres to request Covid-19 vaccines as vaccinations are being done by appointment only on the island. Speaking at yesterdays Covid-19 news conference in Tobago, general manager of primary care at the Tobago Regional Health Authority (TRHA) Dr Roxanne Mitchell said some people descended on health centres on Wednesday, demanding to be vaccinated on a walk-in basis. Do you have a news tip? Want to share good news story, or do you have information that should see the light of day? Then we want to hear from you. More here Ninety-four-year-old Lionel Duncan arrived at the La Romaine Health Facility at 6 a.m. yesterday, eager to receive the first dose of his Covid-19 vaccine. He had followed the advice of Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh that people over the age of 60, with surnames starting from A to E, would be facilitated at vaccine centres across the country. Flash The oldest survivor of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre in the United States and her two brothers have testified at a hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives recently and appealed to Congress for justice, according to U.S. National Public Radio (NPR). "I will never forget the violence of the white mob when we left our home. I still see Black men being shot, Black bodies lying in the street," said Viola Fletcher, aged 107 now, the oldest survivor of the massacre that occurred on Greenwood Avenue in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1921. "I still smell smoke and see fire. I still see Black businesses being burned. I still hear airplanes flying overhead. I hear the screams," Fletcher was quoted as saying by NPR on Wednesday when she testified before a House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing, which was also attended by her two younger brothers. "I am 107 years old and I have never ... seen justice. I pray that one day I will," she told U.S. lawmakers. Greenwood was destroyed by the attack that was launched on May 31, 1921 and the two-day massacre left hundreds of Black people dead, according to NPR. Two weeks ago, Belize police Senior Supt Henry Jemmott was shot through the head with his service weapon in San Pedro, an offshore tourist paradise. Held for the killing was 32-year-old Jasmine Hartin, a glamorous Canadian. Vladimir: Let us make the most of it, before it is too late! Waiting for Godot One of my favourite works of literature is Samuel Becketts play, Waiting for Godot. Apart from the comedic moments, the play contains a cautionary tale about the dangers of waiting and the anxiety that comes along with it. February is when an initiative called Mobile Outreach Vaccination and Education for Underserved Populations, or MOVE UP, got fully underway to get vaccines to hard-to-reach populations starting with both rural and urban areas of Maricopa County, including dairy, chicken and produce farms. Also targeted were community centers, senior housing, elder- and long-term care facilities, and schools. That effort then expanded to areas that include Santa Cruz, Cochise and Graham counties in Southern Arizona. Derksen said one focus has been getting vaccines to farm workers and big rig truck drivers, including those hauling produce into Arizona from Mexico. For a lot of these workers, its hard to get away from work to get vaccinated so were trying to make it as easy as possible, he said. This is the second time in recent months that Arizonas vaccination efforts have been favorably mentioned in the same CDC publication, its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. In March, Arizona ranked among the best states for getting the COVID-19 vaccine to vulnerable communities. Five years ago: During his visit to Asia, President Barack Obama, eager to banish lingering shadows of the Vietnam War, lifted the U.S. embargo on selling arms to Americas former enemy. Prosecutors failed for the second time in their bid to hold Baltimore police accountable for the arrest and death of Freddie Gray, as an officer was acquitted in the racially charged case that triggered riots a year earlier. The Supreme Court upended the conviction and death sentence of a Black Georgia man because prosecutors had improperly excluded African-Americans from his all-white jury. Dr. Henry Heimlich, the 96-year-old retired chest surgeon credited with developing the namesake Heimlich maneuver, used it to save a woman choking on food at his senior living center in Cincinnati. One year ago: For the first time since he declared the coronavirus pandemic a national emergency more than two months earlier, President Donald Trump played golf at one of his courses at the start of the Memorial Day weekend, as he pushed for state and local leaders to fully reopen after months of closures and tight restrictions. China reported no new confirmed coronavirus cases for the first time since it started announcing infections in January. Todays Birthdays: Actor Barbara Barrie is 90. Actor Joan Collins is 88. Actor Charles Kimbrough is 85. International Tennis Hall of Famer John Newcombe is 77. Actor Lauren Chapin is 76. Country singer Judy Rodman is 70. Chess grandmaster Anatoly Karpov is 70. Singer Luka Bloom is 66. Former baseball manager Buck Showalter is 65. Actor-comedian-game show host Drew Carey is 63. Actor Lea DeLaria is 63. Country singer Shelly West is 63. Author Mitch Albom is 63. Actor Linden Ashby is 61. Actor-model Karen Duffy is 60. Actor Melissa McBride is 56. Rock musician Phil Selway (Radiohead) is 54. Actor Laurel Holloman is 53. Rock musician Matt Flynn (Maroon 5) is 51. Country singer Brian McComas is 49. Actor John Pollono is 49. Singer Maxwell is 48. Singer Jewel is 47. Game show contestant Ken Jennings is 47. Actor LaMonica Garrett is 46. Actor D.J. Cotrona is 41. Actor Lane Garrison is 41. Actor-comedian Tim Robinson is 40. Actor Adam Wylie is 37. Movie writer-director Ryan Coogler is 35. Golfer Morgan Pressel is 33. Actor Alberto Frezza is 32. Folk/pop singer/songwriter Sarah Jarosz (juh-ROHZ) is 30. Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. "Private travelers cannot be subject to diversion and delay by the whims and machinations of a vindictive regime," she added. "The American citizens and all others on @RyanAir must be allowed to travel to Vilnius. #StandWithBelarus "Lukashenka's unrestrained efforts to imprison and silence political foes hurts the country's people, its international reputation, as well as its economy," she said. The Foreign Minister of Lithuania said the news of the forced landing was disturbing. Gabrielius Landsbergis tweeted that he is "working with international partners to secure safe passage back to Vilnius for all passengers." EU leaders are also speaking out in condemnation of Belarus for arresting Pratasevich. David Sassoli, President of the European Parliament, demanded "immediate explanations" and for Pratasevich to be released. "Closely following reports of forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk and the alleged arrest of activist and journalist (Raman Pratasevich). We need immediate explanations, and he must be released. All 171 passengers and the flight need to be released without delay," he said. Speaking Sunday, Le Drian said health measures that are a bit stronger could be applied for British tourists. ISLAMABAD Pakistans federal authorities on Sunday reported a decrease in COVID-19 deaths and new cases and decided to reopen tourist resorts from Monday but only for those who have either tested negative or got vaccinated. As per the earlier decision of federal body, schools and higher education institution to open by Monday as well except for the southern Sindh province which opted to keep them closed for another two weeks. Federal authorities reported 74 deaths due to COVID-19 and just over 3000 new cases of the virus in a single day. The national body countering the spread of the virus urged people continue to adhere to the precautionary measures of mask wearing and maintaining physical distance at public places and during travel in public transport. They also stressed that people should get vaccinated. BRASILIA, Brazil - Brazils health minister said the government is concerned about the coronavirus variant first identified in India after the first cases of it were confirmed in the South American country. OPINION: "No, I am not and we are not 'over sensitive.' Anti-Semitism is real, hurtful and malicious. Sometimes it is subtle, sometimes flagrant. It affects more of us than anyone would want to admit," writes Rabbi Emeritus Robert Eisen. OPINION: "Im glad the mandate is gone," writes our contributor, Jonathan Hoffman. "If my shopping day was any indication, not much will change for now. The future will be guided by free people who take responsibility for their choices." Flash The government offices in the Gaza Strip are to reopen on Sunday following the end of the fighting between Israel and militant groups in Gaza that continued for 11 days, a government official said on Saturday. Head of the government press office, run by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in Gaza, Salama Ma'rouf, informed a news conference the plan to reopen the government's offices. "After the ceasefire came into effect, all governmental institutions began to work on plans to record the damage and they will start fixing the damaged infrastructure and other basic services in the Gaza Strip," he said. Ma'rouf added that the government's offices will work on cleaning and opening the streets and roads, and provide relief to those who were affected by the Israeli aerial attacks that went on for 11 days and ended on Friday. He said that during the Israeli airstrikes, 248 Palestinians were killed, including 66 children, 39 women, 17 elderly and five handicapped. He added that "303 buildings, including high-rises were completely destroyed by the Israeli bombs," and "some agricultural, commercial, governmental and industrial buildings were completely destroyed." The fighting between Israel and the Hamas-led militant groups began on May 10, after Gaza militants fired barrages of rockets at Israel in protest to the Israeli measures in East Jerusalem. A tit-for-tat trade of fire broke out, where Israeli fighter jets carried out hundreds of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. Israel said that it targeted the infrastructure of Hamas and other militant groups in the enclave. On Friday, an Egypt-brokered ceasefire was reached between the two sides. For a couple hundred dollars the maximum amount you can borrow from most apps the fees arent as high as most payday loans or overdraft fees. But asking the user to decide how much to pay doesnt give them a chance to evaluate the full cost of borrowing in the way displaying an annual percentage rate would, says Marisabel Torres, director of California policy at the Center for Responsible Lending. Not calling it a fee and framing it as a tip, thats actually disingenuous to the user because then the amount that that product actually costs you is muddled, she says. The risks To sign up with a paycheck advance app, users normally have to provide proof of their pay schedule and income, and often access to their bank accounts so the app can withdraw the money they owe when they get paid. Some of the apps say theyll monitor your bank account and try to avoid a debit if your balance is too low. Debiting a balance thats too low can cause an overdraft fee a fee some apps market themselves as an alternative to and you could need to borrow again. Its not yet clear how often app usage triggers an overdraft fee, says Alex Horowitz, senior research officer with the Pew Charitable Trusts. We have some very notable artists who are part of the project, but that wasnt a criteria for participation, she said. The works that make up the project are specific for the citizens of Tulsa, because we as a community are having to reflect on, and reckon with, our history. Were all asking the same questions how do we heal, how do we grow as a community, Wortham said. Thats what these art works represent. Its the voices of members of our community speaking to these concerns directly, in ways that will resonate with everyone who has an intense interest not only in our history, but also in our future. Among the upcoming events is The American Dream, an installation at the Oxley Nature Center by Sarah Ahmad built around the sort of tents survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre were forced to live in after their homes were destroyed. Its really a remarkable installation, in the way she has married her own experiences in Pakistan with the events of Greenwood, Wortham said. It shows how these experiences resonate on a global scale. In addition, Parrish, a journalist who taught typewriting and shorthand, collected accounts from other survivors at the request of a group called the Inter-Racial Commission, which Parrish said was an interesting occupation, for it helped me to forget my trouble in sympathy for the people with whom I daily came in contact. For Bruner, reading her great-grandmothers book was akin to being given the chance to peer back into history, and to see through her eyes directly into an event that easily could have cost them their lives. Events of the Tulsa Disaster was a privately printed book, but it has served as a primary source for almost every historian of the Tulsa Race Massacre. Now, the book has been re-issued in a new edition, published by Trinity University Press, and titled The Nation Must Awake: My Witness to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. The new edition the first time Parrishs book has been published to a wide audience includes introductory essays by noted historians John Hope Franklin and Scott Ellsworth, along with an afterword by Bruner. It is also, Bruner said, the first time an edition of Parrishs book has been reprinted with input from the authors descendants. Session notes: The budget bills have all been sent to the governor, but the Oklahoma Legislature still has some work to do. On Monday, the House is expected to hear a new measure that would regulate virtual charter schools and the final draft of a major overhaul of the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority. Both bills also would have to go to the Senate, which wouldnt be able to vote on them until at least Wednesday. The House also has to vote on the final version of a school funding measure that would send $38 million to brick-and-mortar charter and traditional public schools with low property tax bases. The Legislature must adjourn by Friday but could finish up a day or two early. Among the bills mostly overlooked in this years legislative shuffle is Senate Bill 1057, which passed the House and Senate last week and is now on the governors desk. SB 1057 authorizes tag agencies to issue Real ID-compliant drivers licenses and IDs and, perhaps most remarkably, allow renewals for up to eight years. From a top-floor window at the Directory Hotel in 1984, the general manager could see the latest competition standing in the distance, a newly opened 11-story Marriott 5 miles to the northeast. He wasnt worried, the manager told a reporter at the time. If theyre saying were on our last legs, a newspaper quoted him, then that last leg is pretty strong. The Directory had just changed ownership, only a couple of years after it opened, which was a sure sign that it was already struggling. The 300-bed hotel had been built catty-corner from the enormous City of Faith at 81st Street and Lewis Avenue, but the hospital never got as many patients as it expected and the Directory never got as many guests as it needed. Meanwhile, the Tulsa Marriott opened in November 1983 at 41st Street and Garnett Road, strategically located near the interchange of U.S. 169 and the Broken Arrow Expressway, where it was supposed to attract business travelers and capitalize on the expected growth of east Tulsa. But business travel evaporated as Tulsa plunged into the Oil Bust of the mid-80s. The citys growth came to a standstill. And when development eventually resumed, it went mostly to South Tulsa. Sharp called on CNN to fire Santorum or potentially face a boycott from more than 500 tribal nations and its allies worldwide. Santorum later said on Chris Cuomos CNN show that he misspoke in the sense that it wasnt clear that he was speaking in the context of the founding of the United States government. People say Im trying to dismiss what happened to the Native Americans, he said. Far from it. The way we treated Native Americans was horrific. It goes against every bone and everything Ive ever fought for as a leader in the Congress. Santorum's comments have garnered blowback before, especially his views on gay marriage and homosexuality. In 2003, he infuriated gay rights advocates by appearing to compare homosexuality to pedophilia and bestiality Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe said last week that the Electoral College is in danger of being neutralized and that some Republicans are unwittingly assisting. I really believe that for the first time in 230 years the war against the Electoral College is winning, Inhofe said during a presentation at the Heritage Foundation. The Democrats are winning. This is my opinion. And I believe it. Inhofe said Democrats are trying to neutralize the Electoral College through the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. Under the compact, states pledge to cast their electoral votes based on the national popular vote rather than the state vote. Inhofe said 15 states and the District of Columbia, representing 194 electoral votes, have signed onto the compact which would have to be ratified by Congress. Inhofe also said Republicans who did not vote to certify the electoral vote on Jan. 6 were also, in effect, undermining the Electoral College and violating their oaths of office. That vote was unconstitutional in at least two ways, Inhofe said. Later, he covered for his colleagues including all five Oklahoma House members by saying, There were so many threats against Republican members that they scared those guys. LOS ANGELES (AP) Los Angeles police on Saturday announced the arrest of a suspect in an alleged attack by a pro-Palestinian group on Jewish men outside a restaurant earlier in the week. A police statement, which did not identify the man, said he was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon late Friday at a residence outside the city of Los Angeles with assistance from a U.S. Marshals Service task force. Increased bail was requested due to the crime being motivated by hatred, the statement said. The male is one of the primary suspects in the assault and beating of several men who were outside of a restaurant in the evening hours in the Mid-City area of Los Angeles on Tuesday May 18, 2021, it said. The violence, recorded on video, occurred when a car caravan flying Palestinian flags stopped near a restaurant where diners were eating at outdoor tables. The coin, a silver shilling with a portrait of King Charles I, was created by the royal mint in the Tower of London back in England at around the time the fort was settled in 1634, according to Travis Parno, the director of research and collections at the Historic St. Mary's City museum. Flash The United Nations praised as a true food hero on Saturday "Father of Hybrid Rice" Yuan Longping, renowned for developing the first hybrid rice strain that pulled countless people out of hunger. "Today, we mourn the passing of a true food hero. Chinese scientist Yuan Longping saved millions of people from hunger by developing the first hybrid rice strains," the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) tweeted. "He passed away today at 91 (due to illness) but his legacy and his mission to end hunger lives on," it said. "Deep condolences on the passing of Mr. Yuan Longping! A man who made enormous contribution to China and the world! A man who will be remembered forever!" tweeted Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, also the rotating president of the Security Council for the month of May. Having spent over five decades in hybrid rice research, Yuan, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, has helped China work a great wonder -- feeding nearly one-fifth of the world's population with less than 9 percent of the world's total land. Born in Beijing in 1930, Yuan succeeded in cultivating the world's first high-yielding hybrid rice strain in 1973, which was later grown on a large scale in China and other countries to substantially raise output. For the next four decades, he continued to research and upgrade hybrid rice, which has reached its third generation. In China, where rice is a staple for the majority of its 1.4 billion people, the accumulated planting area of hybrid rice has exceeded 16 million hectares, or 57 percent of the total planting area of rice, helping feed an extra 80 million people a year. Its growth area overseas has reached 8 million hectares. But social media companies are not medical institutions or universities. If there are no applicable laws preventing their activities, they are free to conduct business as they see fit, even where children are concerned. On May 10, 44 U.S. attorneys general sent a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg asking him to abandon plans for the new app. All they can do is urge Facebook to reconsider, because no laws prevent it. (The Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act is quite limited in scope.) Laws to prevent harm often are passed only after harm has been demonstrated. When new technologies come along, we often dont know what dangers they present until it is too late. For example, today there are plenty of laws aimed at protecting children from lead exposure. But those laws came about only after millions of people had the quality of their lives severely and irreversibly diminished. Our situation regarding social media today is comparable to that with lead poisoning 50 years ago. We know it is probably bad for kids in all kinds of ways, but we dont have absolute proof, and there are so many desirable uses for it, and so much money to be made from it, we seem content to just wait and see. But when the commission sharply objected to Stitts signature of the bill, he responded with a press statement that said the commissions interpretation of the law was misguided and fundamentally inaccurate. He didnt meet with the commission or offer to listen to members concerns. When the commission subsequently severed ties with Stitt, he accused it of spreading falsehoods and said his membership was purely ceremonial. We would have counseled a more engaged and less contentious approach. The contrast here is to Sen. James Lankford, who fell into conflict with Black Tulsans after he suggested holding up certification of Joe Bidens election amid national questions of election returns in places like Atlanta, Detroit and Philadelphia. Many called for the commission to oust the senator from its membership. Lankford listened to the concerns of his constituents, admitted that his comments revealed a blind spot and apologized. Lankford remains on the commission, and we think will continue to be an asset to its mission. Some remained unsatisfied with Lankfords response, but we say it showed introspective maturity and a willingness to hear out the difficult challenges of others in an honest fashion. Ona Judge was one of President George Washington's household slaves. He brought her with him to Philadelphia when he was elected president. She decided to slip out the back door into the free Black community of Philadelphia. She stayed a free person until her death. Washington spent time and money trying to capture her and bring her back to Virginia. In a letter or comment to a friend, he couldn't understand why she would escape to freedom given the life he provided. The father of our country, who fought valiantly so the new United States could chart her own destiny, couldn't fathom the longing for freedom of one individual. This is not a flattering episode of our Founding Father's life. When I first heard this, I had to reconsider my view of our first president. Perhaps he was a creature of his time like other less notable people. If I were a teacher, could I teach this lesson to my students? Would this diminish the luster of such an iconic figure in our history? Perhaps. Would I get a phone call from one of my student's parents citing House Bill 1775? Probably. I'm glad I'm an accountant. Voters across Vietnam cast their ballots on Sunday morning to elect deputies to the 15th National Assembly and members to peoples councils at all levels for the 2021-26 tenure. Nearly 69.2 million people in 53 provinces and cities have the right to cast their votes during this terms election, according to statistics from the Vietnam News Agency. Although the official election day was scheduled to begin at 7:00 am on Sunday, early voting had been permitted in a number of constituencies in a total of 16 cities and provinces. State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc casts his vote during the elections of deputies to Vietnams 15th National Assembly and members to peoples councils at all levels, May 23, 2021. Photo: Tu Trung / Tuoi Tre A total of 866 candidates, including 203 from central agencies and 663 from localities, run for 500 seats in the 15th National Assembly. Voters also select 3,726 delegates out of 6,199 candidates to people's councils at provincial level, 22,952 delegates out of 37,468 candidates to people's councils at district level, and 242,312 members out of 405,244 candidates to people's councils at commune and ward level. There are more than 84,760 election teams, while 23 delegations were previously established to inspect preparations for the elections. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh casts his vote during the elections of deputies to Vietnams 15th National Assembly and members to peoples councils at all levels, May 23, 2021. Photo: Vietnam Government Portal All citizens who are at least 18 years old and meet all the conditions under the law on elections have the right to vote. Through the elections, citizens directly vote for candidates that represent their will, aspirations, and mastery to exercise state power on their behalf and contribute to the establishment of the state apparatus to conduct social management activities. Hanoi Party Secretary Dinh Tien Dung casts his vote on May 23, 2021. Photo: Xuan Long / Tuoi Tre Polling stations are scheduled to open from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm on Sunday. All voters are required to wear face masks, have their body temperature measured, and fill in health declaration forms, while other COVID-19 prevention and control measures were also taken at each electoral unit. Ho Chi Minh City chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong casts his vote on May 23, 2021. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre A woman has her body temperature measured before casting her vote in Hoang Mai District, Hanoi, May 23, 2021. Photo: Xuan Long / Tuoi Tre Border guard officers cast their votes in Dong Thap Province, Vietnam, May 23, 2021. Photo: Canh Hoc / Tuoi Tre Elderly residents cast their votes in Phu Nhuan District, Ho Chi Minh City, May 23, 2021. Photo: Quang Dinh / Tuoi Tre A woman casts her ballot in Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City, May 23, 2021. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A Vietnamese man and his son have been discovered having antibodies against the novel coronavirus although they have yet to be vaccinated against the virus, health authorities confirmed on Saturday. The finding was reported when the coronavirus tests were performed on them at a preventive health center in Hai Phong, according to the local health authority. They are the husband and child of a local teacher who had contracted the virus from an unknown source, the municipal Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control reported. As the father and his son have not been inoculated against the virus, the detection of coronavirus antibodies in their samples suggested that they had probably once caught the virus and recovered from it, medical experts said. The steering committee has requested local authorities to quickly identify all close contacts of the teachers husband and son from May 1 until now and place them under quarantine in accordance with current regulations. Hai Phong authorities have agreed to a proposal by health agencies that antibody testing should be applied to those who are at high risk of infection even if they test negative for the virus. In a strong move to contain the pandemic spread, the municipal Peoples Committee have since May 18 requested locals not leave their homes between 10:00 pm and 5:00 am unless necessary. The local government has also limited public gatherings to 10 people outside offices, schools and hospitals, and demanded that people keep a minimum distance of two meters in social interaction. People with symptoms of cough, fever, difficulty breathing, or other respiratory problems must contact health centers for examination and coronavirus testing, while eateries are required to stop serving customers on site and to only offer takeout. The country has documented 2,089 local infections in 30 provinces and cities since April 27, the beginning of the fourth wave of COVID-19. Bac Giang Province is taking the lead with 862 patients, followed by Bac Ninh with 426, Hanoi with 283, and Da Nang with 151. Hai Phong, located in northern Vietnam, accounts for two of the local cases. The Southeast Asian country confirmed 106 community cases in the first wave from January 23 to April 16, 2020, 554 in the second from July 25 to December 1, 2020, and 910 in the third from January 28 to March 25, 2021. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Arrested citizens in Vietnam have been provided with favorable conditions to exercise the right to vote for deputies to the 15th National Assembly and members to peoples councils at all levels for the 2021-26 tenure. At 9:30 am on Sunday, the detention center of the Department of Public Security in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang coordinated with the mobile election unit in My Hoa Ward, Long Xuyen City to help detainees cast their ballots. The ballot box was brought to each cell for the citizens to exercise their right. COVID-19 prevention and control measures were strictly taken during the election. Statistics from the provincial election committee showed that An Giang has more than 1.6 million voters divided into 1,387 constituencies. Detainees cast their votes at a detention center in An Giang Province, Vietnam, May 23, 2021. Photo: Tien Vu / Tuoi Tre A total of 662 voters in the province are being held in custody at local detention centers. At the detention center of the Department of Public Security in central Quang Nam Province, 324 detainees were also given favorable conditions to cast their votes. All voters were required to wear face masks, keep safe distance, and sanitize their hands during the voting process. Quang Nam has 1,532 electoral units and over 1.1 million voters, according to Tran Thi Kim Hoa, director of the provincial Department of Home Affairs. A detainee casts his vote at a detention center in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, May 23, 2021. Photo: C.H. / Tuoi Tre Nearly 69.2 million people in 53 provinces and cities have the right to cast their votes during this terms election. Voters select 500 deputies out of 866 candidates to the 15th National Assembly, as well as nearly 269,000 members out of more than 448,900 candidates to people's councils at all levels for the 2021-26 tenure. All citizens who are at least 18 years old and meet all the conditions under the law on elections have the right to vote. Detained citizens only have their right to vote removed when they are convicted and handed prison terms or the death penalty. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Hanoi authorities have locked down an apartment building following a confirmed coronavirus infection in an Indian boy, amid the continued epidemic spread in the capital city. Thousands of residents of the Park 9 Building in the Times City urban area in Hoang Mai District have been requested to stay home from Saturday afternoon after a COVID-19 case was earlier reported, local authorities said. A three-year-old Indian boy, residing on the 33rd floor of the building, tested positive for the virus on Saturday morning, Tran Van Vinh, a senior local official, told reporters. The Hanoi Center for Disease Control confirmed the infection after testing the boys sample sent in from the Vinmec Hospital, where he had been examined. We have isolated the building to track all close contacts of the patient, Vinh said. All residents on the 33rd floor of the building will be sampled for testing. Local authorities have directed health and police forces to urgently trace and identify the boys contacts for quarantine and testing. The Indian boy entered Vietnam on April 24 and stayed at a centralized quarantine facility until May 15, when he was taken to the apartment building, Nhan Dan (People) newspaper reported. Since then, the boy had not left the apartment complex until his infection was recorded on Saturday. The Park 9 Building has 34 floors and three basements, providing 512 apartments. On May 4, a 37-year-old Indian engineer who lives in the Park 10 Building of this urban area tested positive for COVID-19 at the same hospital. Vietnam has recorded 5,141 COVID-19 cases as of Sunday afternoon, with 2,721 recoveries and 42 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health. The country has documented 2,089 local infections in 30 provinces and cities since April 27, the beginning of the fourth wave of COVID-19. Bac Giang Province is taking the lead with 862 patients, followed by Bac Ninh with 426, Hanoi with 283, and Da Nang with 151. The Southeast Asian country confirmed 106 community cases in the first wave from January 23 to April 16, 2020, 554 in the second from July 25 to December 1, 2020, and 910 in the third from January 28 to March 25, 2021. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A karaoke parlor in northern Vietnam has been discovered knocking through a wall to create a back door in order to let customers in for heir service despite an ongoing ban due to COVID-19. The violation was detected at the Kingdom karaoke shop in Binh Giang District, Hai Duong Province, an official from the provincial Department of Public Security confirmed on Saturday. Police officers raided the venue at around 10:45 pm on Friday and discovered 18 men and 13 women inside three karaoke rooms. The guests, who are from multiple provinces and cities, also exhibited signs of using narcotics. This image shows the Kingdom karaoke shop in Hai Duong Province, Vietnam. Photo: Phuong Thuy / Tuoi Tre Officers found ketamine, methamphetamine, and candies containing stimulants, as well as multiple tools designed for drug use. Ten employees were working in the karaoke shop at the time of the raid. While the main door was closed, officers discovered that a doorway had been formed by knocking through the wall at the back of the karaoke shop. All 31 customers have been taken into custody to facilitate an investigation into their drug-related offenses, while the owner of the karaoke shop has been booked for violating regulations on COVID-19 prevention and control. A back door is created at Kingdom karaoke shop in Hai Duong Province to secretly let customers in. Photo: Phuong Thuy / Tuoi Tre Vietnam has recorded 5,141 COVID-19 cases as of Sunday afternoon, with 2,721 recoveries and 42 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health. The country has documented 2,089 local infections in 30 provinces and cities since April 27, including 34 cases in Hai Duong. All non-essential businesses, including karaoke shops, are being suspended in the province to curb the pandemic. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Coronavirus patients at a hospital in one of Vietnam's infection epicenters cast their votes in a national legislative election on the weekend, as the country is grappling with the worst-ever outbreak. Eligible voters across Vietnam take part on Sunday in a one-day national election to select their representatives at the countrys 15th National Assembly, as well as local-level peoples councils. On Saturday, 112 coronavirus patients who are sequestered for treatment at Makeshift Hospital No. 1 in Bac Ninh Province, located in the northern region, were allowed to cast their ballots early on site. Some 100 medical staff members at the hospital also cast their votes at voting booths erected on the premises. Patients were seen queuing up along a hallway of the quarantine ward while keeping a safe distance of two meters. They had been informed of the election guidelines before casting their votes. The ballot box, as well as each of the ballots from the hospital, will be disinfected before counting. Normally, election results will be announced in around two weeks. Dr. Nguyen Dieu Huyen, head of tne COVID-19 treatment unit at Makeshift Hospital No. 1, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper this is the first time she has ever seen people cast votes in a national election in a hospital. Notwithstanding the uncanny situation, medical practitioners and patients at the hospital complied with epidemic prevention guidelines in their voting. Vietnam has recorded 5,141 COVID-19 cases as of Sunday afternoon, with 2,721 recoveries and 42 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health. The country has documented 2,089 local infections in 30 provinces and cities since April 27, the beginning of the fourth wave of COVID-19. Bac Giang Province is taking the lead with 862 patients, followed by Bac Ninh with 426, Hanoi with 283, and Da Nang with 151. The Southeast Asian country confirmed 106 community cases in the first wave from January 23 to April 16, 2020, 554 in the second from July 25 to December 1, 2020, and 910 in the third from January 28 to March 25, 2021. This photo shows the COVID-19 treatment ward at Makeshift Hospital No. 1 in Bac Ninh Province, Vietnam, May 22, 2021. Medical staff work at a voting location along the hallway of the COVID-19 treatment ward at Makeshift Hospital No. 1 in Bac Ninh Province, VIetnam, May 22, 2021. Medical officers prepare a ballot box, ballots, and other polling necessities at Makeshift Hospital No. 1 in Bac Ninh Province, VIetnam, May 22, 2021. A quarantined voter reads candidates profiles before casting his ballot at Makeshift Hospital No. 1 in Bac Ninh Province, Vietnam, May 22, 2021. A quarantined voter casts his ballot at Makeshift Hospital No. 1 in Bac Ninh Province, VIetnam. May 22, 2021. Quarantined voters queue up to cast ballots in a national legislative election at Makeshift Hospital No. 1 in Bac Ninh Province, VIetnam, May 22, 2021. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! China to play positive role in promoting Africas peaceful development 09:41, May 23, 2021 By He Yin ( People's Daily Chinese peacekeeping infantry battalion joins a drill conducted by the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan and United Nations Police for better peacekeeping amid COVID-19, April 24. (Peoples Daily Online/JiaFangwen) On May 19, at the initiative of China, which holds the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council (UNSC) this month, the Security Council held an Open Debate on Peace and Security in Africa: Addressing Root Causes of Conflict in Post-Pandemic Recovery in Africa via video link. A presidential statement of the UN Security Council drafted by China was unanimously approved at the meeting. The presidential statement stressed, the UNSC is seriously concerned about the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Africas economic, political, security and humanitarian spheres, and its exacerbation of conflict in Africa. A multi-pronged approach and concerted efforts are required to promote the realization of sustainable economic growth and development, poverty reduction and other goals, and to cement the foundation of peace. The meeting would build consensus and synergy, and inject new impetus to Africas lasting peace and sustainable development. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, African countries have suffered severe impacts, facing huge missions and challenges in fighting the virus, stabilizing economy and ensuring livelihood. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the pandemic is feeding many of the drivers of conflict and instability in Africa, and many communities and countries on the African continent already face a complex peace and security environment. How to help Africa build a line of defense against the pandemic and advance common development on the continent is a test for international equity and justice, as well as human conscience. China and Africa are good brothers, good friends and good partners. On the meeting, China proposed to help Africa bridge the pandemic divide, solve the peace deficit, narrow the development gap, and refine unfair governance, receiving high appraisal from each party concerned. Facts once again proved that China is always firmly standing together with Africa on achieving peaceful development for the continent. China has always been a firm supporter of Africas fight against the pandemic. The country is actively implementing the measures announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the 73rd World Health Assembly and the outcomes of the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity Against COVID-19, supporting Africa in its fight against the virus, and working with Africa to build a China-Africa community of health for all. Forty-six Chinese medical teams based in Africa stood up to the challenge instantly to support local response efforts; China has sent 15 ad hoc medical expert teams to Africa and swiftly set up a cooperation mechanism for Chinese hospitals to pair up with 43 African hospitals. China has been, and is, providing vaccines to over 30 African countries on the basis of their urgent need. Chinas timely assistance has won sincere compliment from African countries. China has always been an active participant in Africas development and revitalization. After the outburst of the pandemic, China has fully implemented the G20 Debt Service Suspension Initiative, signed or reached agreement with 16 African countries on debt service suspension, and canceled the debts of 15 African countries in the form of interest-free government loans that were due to mature by the end of 2020 within the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. Despite the pandemic, over 1,100 cooperation projects have kept going and nearly 100,000 Chinese technicians and engineers worked dutifully under the limitations caused by COVID-control. China has always been a strong upholder of Africas peace and stability. At present, there are 2,043 Chinese peacekeepers in Africa, safeguarding peace on the continent. With major changes and a global pandemic unseen in a century, and facing the rising unilateralism, protectionism and power politics, China will keep speaking up for Africa in the UN, urge parties concerned to respect the sovereignty of the continent, respect African countries choices for their development paths, and respect their rights to equally participate in international affairs. China and Africa have always been a community with a shared future. There sincere friendship becomes even more solid in hardships. China will firmly safeguard and practice multilateralism, and work with the international society to play a positive role in promoting peaceful development in Africa, which is also a contribution to global peace and development. (Web editor: Meng Bin, Bianji) Vietnam has recorded more than 1,000 domestic coronavirus cases in the past week, with Sundays count approaching 130 patients, according to the Ministry of Health. The country detected 181 local cases on Monday, 152 on Tuesday, 175 on Wednesday, 114 on Thursday, 131 on Friday, and 143 on Saturday, the health ministry said in a report. It confirmed 131 cases on Sunday, including 129 local infections and two imported ones. Bac Giang and Bac Ninh Provinces, the countrys largest clusters, logged 68 and 48 of the community cases, respectively. Seven of the new patients were documented at a cancer hospital in Hanoi. In total, 1,025 patients have been announced this past week. Vietnam has been struggling with a new wave of infections since April 27, when it recorded the first local transmission after having spent about a month detecting zero cases. The health ministry has announced 2,165 domestically-transmitted cases since then. Bac Giang Province is ahead with 919 patients, followed by Bac Ninh with 467, Hanoi with 283, and Da Nang with 151. Ho Chi Minh City has confirmed only six transmissions in this fourth wave. The health ministry recorded one virus-related death on Sunday, a 72-year-old Vietnamese woman who had suffered many serious comorbidities. Vietnam has logged 5,217 local and imported COVID-19 cases since the coronavirus first emerged in the country on January 23, 2020, according to the Ministry of Healths data. Recoveries have hit 2,721 while 42 patients have died, including seven this year. Health workers have conducted 846,642 coronavirus tests since April 29. A total of 1,027,659 vaccine shots have been administered to medical staff and other frontline workers in Vietnam since its mass inoculation was rolled out on March 8. Vietnam has battled four rounds of infections so far, the latest being the worst. The Southeast Asian country confirmed 106 community cases in the first wave from January 23 to April 16, 2020, 554 in the second from July 25 to December 1, 2020, and 910 in the third from January 28 to March 25, 2021. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Upcoming SAS Australia participant Brynne Edelsten is facing drugs charges following a raid on a property she was visiting in Boronia in eastern Melbourne. The Sunday Herald reports she was arrested on May 11 and is facing three charges relating to trafficking, possessing, and using methylamphetamine, known commonly as ice. A fourth charge relates to being in possession of property suspected as being the proceeds of crime. Earlier this month, I was charged with criminal charges, Brynne told the Sunday Herald Sun. I am shocked and saddened by these events and will be vigorously fighting all charges. I am very thankful for the support of the team around me and will not be making any further comment. Edelsten, who previously starred in a Seven series Brynne: My Bedazzled Life, is due to face court on October 8. SAS Australia is due later this year. Seven declined to comment, saying it was a police matter. Related Italy has won the Eurovision Song Contest for 2021, with their song Zitti E Buoni. Maneskin scored 524 points defeating France, Switzerland and Iceland. It marks the third time Italy has won. We just want to say to Europe, to the whole world, rock & roll never dies! they declared. Rotterdam turned on a spectacular show after the 2020 event was cancelled. Australias Jury gave 12 points to Malta, announced by co-host Joel Creasey (below). Alas, Montaigne did not proceed through the first Semi Final after being unable to travel to the Netherlands. United Kingdom finished last once again on zero. Three of the Big 5 (UK, Germany, Spain) and host nation drew zero public votes. Switzerland won the Jury vote. This post updates. Related Amazon Prime Video last week unveiled 7 new local productions in drama, comedy and documentary which, according to execs, are first and foremost for the Australian market. Despite having 200 million members, 175m of which are actively streaming Prime Video, the shows are not reliant on global success. Were making content for the Australian audience. Absolutely, Tyler Bern Head of Australian Content tells TV Tonight. The reason why we commissioned those seven shows, is because we think that our Australian customers are going to want to watch them. Hushidar Kharas, Head of Originals, Asia Pacific agreed. I have a very good feeling that these shows are going to take off globally, because theyre so good. But theyre inherently local stories for the local audience. We know that they have (global) potential. With The Test we saw fantastic viewership in India and South Africa, and New Zealand and Canada to an extent. Weve seen that happen with some of our other international content. New projects include The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart starring Sigourney Weaver, written by Aussie Sarah Lambert and directed by Glendyn Ivin; documentary on bushfires Burning produced by Cate Blanchett & director Eve Orner; comedy series Class of 07 created by Kacie Anning; new comedy Deadloch by Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan; swimming doco Head Above Water; satirical comedy The Moth Effect from Nick Boshier and Jazz Twemlow; and Indigenous AFL doco Warriors On The Field. They add to previous shows to date, Making Their Mark, The Test, LOL: Last One Standing, stand up comedy specials, and several upcoming titles. The commitment of $150 million into 14 Australian Originals isnt in response to the buoyant production environment. The COVID-free production environment has helped us maintain our development pipeline and our production schedules. Its an advantage, obviously, but were not investing because of content quotas and were not investing more because this is a COVID-free environment, says Bern. All of these are local stories with local talent. Its not just (about) the production environment. Its about having great stories, great actors, producers, creators and crew. All of that is coming together. 7 part revival Back to the Rafters will screen in September, with reality series Luxe Listings Sydney, Kick Like Tayla and season 2 of The Wilds, filming in Australia, also on the way. There are so many rich stories here. Weve just been so pleased with all of the shows that we have in development, all the shows that weve commissioned, theyre just like a uniquely talented group of people, said Bern. Historically for one reason or another a lot of Australian stories havent taken off globally. But we can provide that opportunity for something like Deadloch for these two very funny, talented comedians and creators to potentially have a global hit. He added, Were not done at 14. There will be more announcements coming. We have a big development pipeline, were actively investing in more Australian content. The 14 is where were at right now. Related QAnon conspiracy theorist and notorious transphobe Marjorie Taylor Greene has compared the House floor mask mandate to the Holocaust. On Thursday (20 May), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi confirmed that a mask mandate would remain in place until all members confirmed that they have been vaccinated. While all House Democrats are now fully vaccinated, more than 100 Republican lawmakers are refusing to reveal their vaccination status, putting the House at risk of becoming a petri dish, Pelosi said. But instead of simply agreeing to keep other members safe, Georgia Republican Greene, who before her election supported a social media post calling for Pelosis execution, decided to compare the House Speakers mask mandate to the Holocaust. Yes, really. Speaking on the conservative podcast The Water Cooler, Green described Pelosi as mentally ill, before continuing: You know, we can look back at a time in history where people were told to wear a gold star, and they were definitely treated like second-class citizens, so much so that they were put in trains and taken to gas chambers in Nazi Germany. And this is exactly the type of abuse that Nancy Pelosi is talking about. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here to do so. Her horrific comments caused outrage across the political spectrum. Rhode Island Democrat David Cicilline wrote on Twitter: The Holocaust: The systematic murder of 6 million Jews. Mask-wearing: A simple act that costs you nothing and saves lives. Marjorie Taylor Greene: A troubled person who is unfit to serve in Congress. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here to do so. Wyoming GOP representative Liz Cheney called Greenes comments evil lunacy, and Michigan Republican Peter Meijer told CNN that they were beyond reprehensible. Meijer added: I dont even have words to describe how disappointing it is to see this hyperbolic speech that, frankly amps up and plays into a lot of the anti-Semitism that weve been seeing in our society today. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here to do so. The American Jewish Congress took to Twitter to call for Greene to immediately retract and apologise for the comments. Story continues The organisation tweeted: You can never compare health-related restrictions with yellow stars, gas chambers and other Nazi atrocities. Such comparisons demean the Holocaust and contaminate American political speech. But instead of apologising, when asked about her comments by 12 News Bianca Buono, she said: I stand by my statements, I said nothing wrong. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here to do so. She continued: I think any rational Jewish person didnt like what happened in Nazi Germany, and any rational Jewish person doesnt like whats happening with overbearing mask mandates. After hostilities started on May 10 between the Israeli army and groups operating in Gaza, on May 20, Israel's narrow military-political cabinet at a special meeting approved a ceasefire. The Gaza war has seen thousands of missiles fired at Israel, the bulk of which have been shot down by Israels Iron Dome air defense system. But Hamas terrorists which is how the US government defines them have also deployed some new sea-going weapons that have the attention of Israeli intelligence, Asia Times writes. These weapons are of three types commando underwater swimmers using swimmer vehicles that are used to smuggle weapons into Gaza and for commando operations; semi-autonomous small boats stuffed with explosives and; the latest, a large unmanned underwater vehicle, or UUV. A Hamas unmanned submarine was destroyed just after launch by the Israeli Air force and Navy. In a video supplied by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), one segment shows the blast that destroyed the UUV. Another shows a small white car escaping after the UUV is destroyed. The car was also hit by a blast and the operators in the car were killed. There is at least one photo of the destroyed car. The UUV was sent out to attack Israeli targets, most likely the offshore Tamar Natural Gas rig, which is fed by five subsea wells. Because of the Gaza war, all of Israels offshore platforms have been shut down. Hamas had been trying to hit the Tamar rig with rockets, but the projectiles lack the accuracy required to hit such a target. Hamas has also launched more accurate drones to do the job. So far the Israel Air force has shot down at least two of the drones using Python 5 air-to-air missiles. A third was destroyed by the Iron Dome air defense system. The main mystery is where did the UUV come from? According to the Israeli press, which has been tipped by the IDF, the UUV was a fairly large commercial vehicle that had been converted for military use. The IDF pointed out that the UUV was large and was towed to the launch site. It carried 30 to 50 kilograms of explosives probably not enough to topple an oil platform, but enough to cause major anxiety and secure a psychological victory. The Tamar platform may not have been the only target and, as of now, it isnt known if Hamas has any more UUVs in its arsenal. Commercial UUVs are produced in many countries. Commercial applications include seabed mapping, pipeline and subsea structure inspection, oceanographic surveys, environmental monitoring, marine geological surveys and search operations. But commercial UUVs and military UUVs are very much alike. Military UUVs can be weaponized in various ways, including to plant deep water mines, launch torpedoes and missiles and for suicide operations. The Gaza UUV was intended as a suicide one-time weapon. While the press has reported that the Hamas UUV was autonomous, this does not appear to be correct. The Hamas operators were likely controlling the UUV from onshore. Hamas had been pursuing unmanned vehicles, air and sea, for some time. The Ababeel1 drone, first used in Gaza in 2014, was designed by Mohamed Zouari, a Tunisian aerospace engineer who worked for Hamas Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades military wing. Zouari did his design work in Sfax, Tunisia, where the drone was manufactured and later shared with Iran. Zouari was also known to be working on UUVs. He was assassinated in Sfax on December 15, 2016. Hamas UAVs and UUVs are essentially first-generation systems that require a man in the loop. But that may soon change. Iran already has a large fully autonomous UUV. When Iran struck Saudi Arabias oil installations at Khurais and Abqaiq in September 2019, it used home-built cruise missiles and drones. The drones were Iranian delta-wing unmanned aerial vehicles so far unnamed. What marks them as different is that they appear to operate in a truly autonomous manner and probably have scene-matching technology, enabling them to hit targets with great accuracy. Because Hamas is primarily fed weapons from Iran, it wont be long before Hamas acquires far more accurate UAVs and, perhaps, autonomous UUVs as well. For the record, Iran has not acknowledged it attacked Saudi Arabia in 2019. However, the trajectory of the weapons indicates they were either fired from Iranian territory or from Iraq in the northern border area. Officially, the rebel Houthis in Yemen took credit for the attacks. The evolving threat from Gaza no doubt concerns Israels military to the extent that there is considerable pressure to totally defang Hamas. Whether that can be achieved without a full occupation of Gaza is far from certain. A new challenge The use of UUVs will no doubt proliferate in the future. This means that coastal areas, offshore platforms and naval vessels military and civilian will be increasingly subject to attack. No state can afford to have surveillance and attack aircraft and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) ships operating around sensitive targets on a full-time basis. Oil terminals, refineries, military ports, power plants, offshore platforms and other sensitive installations will be increasingly vulnerable if early-warning sensors and physical barriers are not put in place. Significantly, UUVs can be carried on fishing boats and commercial sea transporters and dropped into the water near their targets. In late April 2021, a remotely piloted boat packed with explosives targeted the Saudi port of Yanbu in the Red Sea. This was quite far from Houthi territory and the unmanned boat may have been dropped off by a larger vessel in the Red Sea. Yanbu is 300 kilometers northwest of Jeddah and is an important Saudi oil port. The Houthis have used unmanned boats for many attacks in the past five years. In February 2017, the Houthis used an unmanned suicide boat against the Saudi frigate Al Madinah. Iran also has carried out attacks apparently using UUVs. On May 12, 2019, four oil tankers two Saudi, one Norwegian and one UAE were attacked while anchored off the Port of Fujairah in the UAE. According to one report, the attacks were done with a UUV called the Azhdar (Dragon). The Azhdar looks like an elongated torpedo it is 8 meters long but is much slower than a conventional torpedo. It is regarded as extremely stealthy and quiet and can loiter for up to 24 hours and can carry 200 kilograms of explosives. It is battery-powered. These threats and developments mean that Israel will see the need for new homeland security protection, particularly high-resolution sensors that can pick up UUVs. An Israeli company, DSIT Solutions, has developed a product called AquaShield, a high-performance Diver Detection Sonar (DDS) system. High-value coastal assets It is designed to provide permanent underwater security for high-value coastal and offshore assets such as naval bases, ports, oil and gas terminals, offshore platforms, underwater pipelines and cables, nuclear power facilities and canals. For surface security, there are a number of radar solutions optimized to pick up small seagoing vessels and semi-submersibles such as those used by cartel drug dealers in the Caribbean and Pacific for smuggling purposes. For platform and harbor protection, even the classic underwater security net has been upgraded with fiber optics and can be integrated with sonar detectors. As UUV and unmanned surface vehicles proliferate, the protection of facilities will increase in importance, particularly in vulnerable areas in East and South Asia. What is clear is that the rise of unmanned air, land and naval vehicles is creating complex threats that will need to be countered. Not only will such threats proliferate, but they will increase in both capability and sophistication. Recently, the former Armenian ambassador to the Vatican, the son-in-law of the ex-President Serzh Sargsyan, Mikael Minasyan, announced through social networks that the acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan allegedly agreed to new principles of demarcation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, and also decided to make territorial concessions in exchange for the withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops from the territory of Armenia. In support of his words, Minasyan published a certain tripartite document, a significant part of the text of which was shaded, stating that the document has a classified part, which is at the stage of approval. Earlier, Minasnyan exposed Pashinyan and his family in jewelry smuggling and predicted his flight from the camp after the defeat in Karabakh. This time Minasnyan decided to add conspiracy theories. The time for the information stuffing was not chosen by chance - earlier at a government meeting, Pashinyan confirmed the information that he was going to sign a document worked out in the course of negotiations with Azerbaijan and Russia, assuring that the agreement fully meets the interests of Armenia. According to Minasyan, the essence of the secret documents boils down to the fact that after the surrender of Karabakh, Nikol Pashinyan also gives up the territory of Armenia. Who is Mikael Minasyan and why did he choose the path of Pashinyan's main whistle-blower? Serzh Sargsyan's young ambitious son-in-law was appointed to a comfortable position by the Armenian Ambassador to the Vatican in March 2013. Minasyan's political career could have continued in Armenia after the republic's transition from a presidential to a parliamentary form of government. Sargsyan tried to move from the presidency to the premier one, but Nikol Pashinyan's revolution swept away the regime of the Karabakh clan, and left Minasyan out of business. For all the elegance and sophistication, Minasyan has all the signs of a social phobia: he is afraid of cameras, avoids people, never speaks in public, preferring to record his revelations alone in the kitchen or on the veranda. His sudden appearance in the information space of Armenia raised many questions, as did his position, since many did not understand why an embassy was established in the Vatican at all. There are few Catholics in Armenia, and the Armenian embassy in Italy could easily handle representation in the Catholic world. Much will become clear if we take into account that the Vatican Bank was previously seen in money laundering, including the Italian mafia. The corrupt Karabakh clan, which had managed to withdraw significant capital outside Armenia in a quarter of a century, needed a man in Europe who was ready to oversee business interests. The Karabakh clan has never refused to support the influential circles of the Armenian opposition in Europe, which probably still remains the curator of Minasyan's ideological policy, supplying him with "exclusive information". Now Serzh Sargsyan's son-in-law is forming the third front of the anti-Pashinyan opposition. The first front is the bloc of Pashinyan's main opponent, ex-president Robert Kocharian. The second front is represented by Sargsyan and the overthrown RPA; his goal is to clear the political space so that Kocharyan will have no other rivals besides Pashinyan in the upcoming early summer elections. Minasyan's mission is to provide an ideological cover for Kocharyan by destroying Pashinyan's reputation and consolidating his image as a national traitor. To achieve this goal, the Anti-Nikol movement was created in early May, ready to absorb all those dissatisfied with Pashinyan's policies. The movement has no plans to participate in the elections. Its goal is to convince the population that Pashinyan has no place in Armenian politics. Minasyan's task is to confuse the Armenian public even more. The last disclosure of Sargsyan's son-in-law was dedicated to the implementation of this task. Note, however, that the issues of demarcation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border do not fit into Minasyan's conspiracy theories. For more than a quarter of a century, the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in the area of Zangilan, Kubatly and Kelbajar was perceived by Armenian separatists as a convention. Now Yerevan is in no hurry to demarcate the border, hoping to fix the actual situation. It is up to Russia to resolve this dispute, since if Yerevan does not have Soviet cartographic materials, then they should be in the Russian archives of the Ministry of Defense. However, constructive work may be hindered by Minasyan's "exposure", in which Azerbaijan appears as a territorial aggressor, Pashinyan as a coward and a traitor, and Russia as a passive observer of the destruction of Armenian sovereignty. UK Secretary of State for Defense Ben Wallace described Russia as his countrys "number one adversary threat" in an interview to Sunday Telegraph, TASS reports. "We have tried de-escalation, we have tried methods but at the moment until Russia changes its attitude, its quite hard to see where were going to go," he said. Wallace also claimed that Russian warships were increasingly active in the vicinity of UK borders. "Were regularly visited by nosy Russian ships, and we are regularly visited now by a number of Russian warships," the UK defense chief said, adding that a a Russian kilo class submarine was detected in the Irish Sea late last year, which the UK had not seen "for a very, very long time. Conducting an initial public offering (IPO) to list on a foreign stock exchange not only helps Vietnamese companies attract investors but also strengthens their status and the countrys profile in the world. According to the State Securities Commission of Vietnam (SSC), successful IPOs on foreign bourses help listing companies attract more investment from international organisations and institutions, improve their management quality and competitiveness, promote their image in international markets, and grow their markets. When a company files for an IPO on a foreign stock exchange, it can raise substantial amounts of capital, build confidence among foreign investors, enhance its position and image, and broaden its market access. Experts have said that leading domestic businesses listing abroad has become a clear trend and follows the strong growth of Vietnams economy over the years. Nguyen Thanh Ha, President of the SBLaw company, said amendments to the legal framework regarding securities have created favourable conditions for Vietnamese firms to list abroad. One prerequisite for an international listing is staying under the foreign ownership ratio. Listing companies must also comply with the law on foreign exchange management. However, experts said that issuers still face difficulties in raising capital due to differences in accounting standards between Vietnam and foreign countries. For companies listed in foreign markets, the risk of being acquired or merged is rising and the cost of complying with regulations on listing, reporting, and disclosing information and corporate management is higher. The SSC said it will encourage companies to conduct IPOs and list on foreign markets as long as they abide by State laws and policies. VNA The Director of the National Hospital of Dermatology said that leprosy patients need special care. They cannot survive if we stop caring for them. At 12pm one day, Mrs. Ngo Thi Soan, 80, scrupulously fixed nails to repair her old chicken coop. Her hands with small finger joints used a wooden stick. She has lived in the Qua Cam leprosy camp in the northern province of Bac Ninh since the age of 21. She married her husband who was also a leprosy patient in this camp. They had one boy and one girl. After her husband passed away and her children had their own families, Mrs. Soan has lived alone in the leprosy camp. She said that the disease was cured, but the sequelae still tortures her body each day. Her disabled hands and feet and her body are painful whenever the weather changes. She can sleep well only after taking pain-killer. At the age of 80, with only one leg, which is very weak and two disabled hands, Mrs. Soan makes each movement. Her income comes from several chickens. Her greatest fear is not illness but loneliness. Her oldest son died many years ago in an accident. Her daughter comes to visit occasionally. Mrs. Soan does not want to contact her daughter often to not bother her. Mrs. Ngo Thi Soan, a leprosy patient at Qua Cam leprosy camp, is repairing her chicken coop. - Photo: Nguyen Lien Nurse Nguyen Thi Xuan of the Qua Cam leprosy camp said that there are many patients who are in extremely pitiful circumstances. Many old people have no arms and legs, not even relatives. Their only wish is to return to their hometown to burn incense for their parents before leaving this world, but they cannot realize this simple wish. Their relatives worry that if they return, neighbors will know about their leprosy relatives and they will be shunned by the villagers. There are patients who commit suicide as a rescue. Nurse Xuan saved a patient who had sunk half of the body in a pond or put his face in a jar of water, or hung himself in the mountain... Dr. Nguyen Van Thuong, Director of the National Hospital of Dermatology, said that leprosy patients are "the most miserable of the miserable". They not only carry the burden of disfigurement but also poverty and loneliness. According to statistics from the national leprosy prevention program, Vietnam has 36 leprosy treatment centers, and 15 leprosy villages with about 10,000 patients. Most of them are elderly, alone. The body has been cleared of leprosy bacteria, but they have to live with many underlying diseases and amputated limbs, and are unable to work. Leprosy patients really need special care. They can't survive if we stop caring for them," said Dr. Thuong. Patients at Cam Thuy leprosy camp in Thanh Hoa Province. Photo: Nguyen Lien Patients at the leprosy camp in Bac Ninh Province. Photo: Ta Quang Leprosy patients need more help The director of the National Hospital of Dermatology said that during the time without health insurance, leprosy patients were treated for free. The State maintained a national anti-leprosy network, and paid salaries for doctors and nurses, provided essential items for leprosy patients. Later, leprosy patients are provided with health insurance, additional medicine to treat other diseases besides leprosy, sewing machines, orthopedic footwear by the Dermatology Hospital and non-governmental organizations and donors (leprosy patients often have many other diseases caused by leprosy). But over the years, these sources have been cut. The orientation of leprosy prevention activities in the coming period, according to Dr. Thuong, should be aimed at reducing stigma, in addition to rehabilitation for patients. The biggest worry of leprosy patients is the stigma of disease and discrimination. They want to really integrate into the community. We should have solutions to end or gradually reduce stigma, in addition to increasing help for patients in terms of treatment, Dr. Thuong said. Doctors of the National Hospital of Dermatology and Bac Ninh Dermatology Hospital hold a celebration for the New Year for patients at Qua Cam leprosy camp. - Photo: Nguyen Lien A dangerous disease that is being forgotten According to the national leprosy prevention program, each year Vietnam records 100-200 leprosy cases on average although the country announced it would be free of leprosy according to Vietnamese standards by the end of 2015. Particularly at the National Hospital of Dermatology, the number of new cases discovered since 2018 is nearly 20, all with atypical clinical symptoms, and difficult to diagnose without experienced doctors and specialized support tests. Meanwhile, people's understanding about the disease is not insufficient. Leprosy still exists in the community. In the past, many people were frightened of it, but as the cases fell, they gradually forgot it. The disease will continue to last for many more years if it not detected early and intervened in time, Dr. Nguyen Van Thuong said. The worst case is the number of drug-resistant leprosy patients continuing to increase, spreading bacteria to the community. It is very difficult to have drugs to treat and control the situation, Dr. Thuong added. Dr. Thuong said Vietnam should educate people about the importance of detecting the disease early and treating it promptly. Hansens disease (known as leprosy) is an infection caused by slow-growing bacteria called Mycobacterium leprae. It can affect the nerves, skin, eyes, and lining of the nose (nasal mucosa). With early diagnosis and treatment, the disease can be cured. People with Hansens disease can continue to work and lead an active life during and after treatment. Leprosy was once feared as a highly contagious and devastating disease, but now we know it doesnt spread easily and treatment is very effective. However, if left untreated, nerve damage can result in the crippling of hands and feet, paralysis, and blindness. Nguyen Lien Female scientist with PhD in immunology pursues research on rare diseases Tran Nguyen Kim Thi is a postdoc majoring in AI usage in medicine at the Huge Kaul Precision Medicine Institute at the University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB) in the US. When she was 10 years old, Mai Ngoc Hien, who won a scholarship in 2018 worth $160,000 to study neuroscience at Ohio Wesleyan University, read a book that she had borrowed from a friend about Issac Newtons research activities. Mai Ngoc Hien That began her love for science. When she was in high school, she excelled at biology and chemistry, so her passion for research became even stronger. However, as her intention to study abroad was not supported by her family, she applied to medical school per her parents wishes. But after one year of studying general medicine at Pham Ngoc Thach Medical University in HCM City, Hien in early 2016 decided to leave the school amid strong opposition from the family. At that time, the girl born in 1997 bought a lot of books to practice English and prepare for standardized tests SAT, SAT2 and TOEFL. She worked while studying, trying to save every dong to fund her study and examinations for certificates and preparations for applications. However, when preparing dossiers for application, an incident occurred which upset her familys life. The story was then described by Hien in her application essay, which showed her process of changing herself and overcoming crisis to continue her dream. In the essay, Hien wrote about her passion for neuroscience and her burning desire to become a researcher in this field. No matter how difficult it is, I still pursue my dream. I do not have outstanding academic achievements and I do not have any prizes. My SAT was modest, 1280/1600. However, I can show my unceasing efforts to follow my passion, she said. With her applications in 2018, she won scholarships from many liberal arts colleges, including Depauw University, St. Johns College, College of Wooster, Ohio Wesleyan University, Bucknell University, Pitzer College and Whitman College with promised financial support from 40 to 98 percent for four-year studies. Finally, Hien chose Ohio Wesleyan University because the school gave her the best financial support and she believed it was the best suited for her. Hien is studying biophysics and neuroscience. My life in the last three years has been associated with classes and laboratory. I can live and work with my passion for scientific research." She said in her first year in the US, she fell into crisis because she could not catch up with the study rhythm. But she quickly revived her spirit, and arranged everything in a reasonable way to fulfill the next semesters well. When she felt stressed, she would cook or do something fun. There is no star that cannot be reached. You just need to make every effort to gain good results, she said. With her applications in 2018, she won scholarships from many liberal arts colleges, including Depauw University, St. Johns College, College of Wooster, Ohio Wesleyan University, Bucknell University, Pitzer College and Whitman College with promised financial support from 40 to 98 percent for four-year studies. After school hours, Hien spends time on laboratory and research projects. Her school is relatively small with just 1,500 students, and she has many opportunities to directly interact with professors and conduct research. In the first year, Hien joined the research team that studied the impact of electronic games on cognition and brain function. When she was in third year, she successfully applied for the summer internship and research program at Washington University in St. Louis (in top 16 universities in the US, according to US News 2021). During the 10-week program, Hien conducted research together with neurology experts, with funding of $7,000. This is a competitive program which enrolls less than 10 students each year, while the number of international students admitted is very modest. I hope I can inspire students from small schools and help them become more self-confident to apply for research programs at large universities, Hien said. At present, Hien is working on the use of CRISPR/Cas9, the genome editing technique that won the Nobel Prize in 2020, in synaptic plasticity. Doing scientific research is finding the answer to a question, or an issue which has not been clarified, or finding new information, she said. Stemming from small findings, we can apply our knowledge when carrying out experiments to find conclusions. Pursuing research is a long path without fear of failure. You need to learn from books, professors and lecturers who can lead you and offer future opportunities if you make the effort, she said. Ngoc Linh Journey to Harvard by a Vietnamese student Graduating from Harvard University with a master's degree in Public Policy, Tran Ha Duong said that he thought the prestigious school was completely beyond my reach. This morning, more than 69 million voters across the country went to polling stations in 84,767 constituencies to select deputies to the 15th National Assembly and People's Councils at all levels for the 2021-2026 term. All roads and polling stations across the country are decorated with flags and flowers. In Hanoi, streets and polling stations are also decorated well: The August Revolution Square this morning. (Photo: Le Minh). Election posters appear on many streets. (Photo: Le Minh). The intersection of Hang Gai - Luong Van Can on the morning of the election day. (Photo: Le Minh). Police officers are on duty to ensure security for the election in front of a monument by Hoan Kiem (Sword) Lake. (Photo: Le Minh). Ly Thai To Street, Hanoi on the morning of the election day. (Photo: Le Minh) A polling station in Hang Ma ward, Hanoi. (Photo: Le Minh). A polling station on Hang Khoai Street. (Photo: Le Minh). Seal the ballot box at a polling station of Dien Bien ward, Ba Dinh district, Hanoi. (Photo: Tran Thuong) In Ho Chi Minh City, many people went to polling stations very early in the morning. At a polling station in Cu Chi district, Ho Chi Minh City, voters had body temperature check and hands disinfected. (Photo: Thanh Tung) At a polling station in Cu Chi district, HCM City, many people cast their votes from 7 am. (Photo: Thanh Tung) Each person gets one vote. (Photo: Thanh Tung) People queue up at a polling station in Cu Chi district. (Photo: Thanh Tung) An old woman was escorted by a police officer to the polling room. (Photo: Thanh Tung) Voters cast their ballots at the polling station at 125 Truong Dinh Street (Vo Thi Sau Ward, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City). Photo: Thanh Ha Ballot boxes are sealed. Photo: Thanh Ha Officers and soldiers of the Border Guard School 2 cast their ballots at polling station No. 6, Phuoc Nguyen ward, Ba Ria City, Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province. Photo: Quang Hung Voters who are being held in custody at the Ba Ria - Vung Tau Provincial Police Detention Center disinfect their hands before exercising their right to vote. Photo: Quang Hung In the central city of Da Nang, more than 748,000 voters went to the polls to elect deputies to the 15th National Assembly and People's Councils at all levels for the 2021-2026 term. Take temperature check before entering a polling station in Hai Chau district - Da Nang. (Photo: Ho Giap) At a polling station in Da Nang: Voters are required to make medical declaration, take temperature check, and keep distance. (Photo: Ho Giap) Da Nang people dress up for the election day. (Photo: Ho Giap). Voters of Hai Chau district - Da Nang. (Photo: Ho Giap). In Bac Giang province, the countrys epidemic epicenter: Bac Giang city is decorated with flags and posters. (Photo: Kien Trung) A polling station of Dinh Tri commune, Lang Giang district, Bac Giang province. (Photo: Kien Trung) A polling station in Viet Yen district. (Photo: Kien Trung) Mrs. Dao Thi Thu, one of the first who cast the vote at a polling station in Tran Nguyen Han ward, Bac Giang city. (Photo: Kien Trung). The flag raising ceremony at polling station No. 6, Tran Nguyen Han ward, Bac Giang city. (Photo: Kien Trung) People in the mountainous district of Con Cuong, Nghe An province seriously adhere to "5k message" at a polling station. Photo: Quoc Huy Voters at a polling station in Nghe An. Photo: Quoc Huy VietNamNet Dak Lak proposed to add 1,500MW instead of 490MW in the period of 2021-2025, the same number is proposed for the period 2026-2030 instead of 448MW as in the current draft. The increase in... With the aging of baby boomers, labor shortages are likely throughout the decade and beyond. There are also skills mismatches and safety concerns among some workers, Perryman said. While the evidence suggests the numbers are relatively small, there could be some workers staying on the sidelines due to the extra unemployment benefits which have been available. But Perryman reminded that those benefits are on the way out. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott last week informed the U.S. Department of Labor that Texas will opt out of further federal unemployment compensation related to the COVID-19 pandemic effective June 25. This includes the $300 weekly unemployment supplement from the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program. The Texas economy is booming and employers are hiring in communities throughout the state, Abbott said. According to the Texas Workforce Commission, the number of job openings in Texas is almost identical to the number of Texans who are receiving unemployment benefits. Whether paying through insurance or out of pocket, most trans people seeking care agree that it is an expensive, time-consuming and difficult process. Brumbaugh said her social media feeds are dominated by trans peoples crowdfunding campaigns for surgery and treatments. Thats not how health care should be, and a lot of times this is life-saving medical procedures, medications, Brumbaugh said. I know. One of the reasons why I transitioned was because I was so depressed living my former life. When I made the decision to transition, it was a life-saving decision. She compared her first weeks on hormones to the iconic scene in her favorite film The Wizard of Oz, in which Dorothy opens the door of her black-and-white home to reveal color for the first time. That was my entire world, and it was better than any antidepressant I could get from any provider, Brumbaugh said. It was just life-changing, and suddenly I get it. I want to be in this life. Brumbaugh came out to her child Cohen, and a few years later Cohen came out to her at the age of 13, describing dysphoria that didnt make them feel like a boy or a girl. Cohen made some wardrobe changes, came out at school and made friends with a clique of trans and nonbinary teens with relative ease. This program is free with museum admission, which is $8 for adults, $6 for ages 2-12 and $7 for seniors 65 and up. Criminal justice series concludes Waco NAACP will present the last of its criminal justice series Monday at 6:30 p.m. Houston criminal defense attorney Tyrone Moncriffe, winner of the Atticus Finch Award, will explain grand jury procedure, the power that jurors have and why it is crucial that all citizens serve on grand juries. The webinar ID 912 1300 6678. For more information, email waconaacp@gmail.com. NARFE meets ThursdayNational Association of Retired and Federal Employees meets Thursday at noon at Uncle Dans Restaurant, 1001 Lake Air Drive. All retired and active federal employees are welcome. For more information, call 772-8663. Trib online Monday The May 31 edition of the Tribune-Herald will be online only in observance of Memorial Day. The e-edition is available to all subscribers at wacotrib.com. Downtown and distribution center offices will be closed. Offices reopen at 9 a.m. June 1. Submit printed or typed items to Briefly, P.O. Box 2588, Waco, 76702-2588; fax 757-0302; or email goingson@wacotrib.com. Treto said she is open to receiving more information and advice on whether or not to get the vaccine, however neither of those are easy to come by. Its not easy for us. People dont explain the risks, they dont explain what is going to happen, what the vaccine will do, how it works, Treto said. They just tell us to get vaccinated but they dont tell us if there are any risks. Dr. Iliana Neumann, Family Health Center, who has worked closely with the Hispanic community as a doctor and also participates in community outreach, said communities of color have been hit the hardest. Latinos were the most heavily affected, especially here in Waco with both deaths and illness from coronavirus, Neumann said. I think part of that is due to some of the jobs that many of us work in retail, restaurants, and personal care, and those things put us more at risk. We also carry a heavier burden with diabetes, hypertension, obesity so we are a population that is very community facing and we tend to enjoy spending time with family and friends and all of that increases the chances of getting sick. Of the 456 deaths due to COVID-19 since the pandemic began in March 2020, 23 percent have been Hispanic, 59 percent white, 13 percent Black and the remaining percentage other or of unknown race. The universitys eventual positive response to those requests led Jeffress not just to oppose that decision, but to the charges that Baylor was affirming ungodly behavior and that professors were trying to convince young Christians to question their faith in God. Baylor certainly does not need my defense. Baylor can well take care of herself, as she has marvelously done over the years in the face of vicious attacks by the likes of Norris, and can certainly do so in the face of Jeffress ludicrous claim of infidels in the religion department. I wonder, by the way, if there are Baylor graduates who are members of his church who will call his hand on such charges against Baylor? A life changed So while Baylor does not need my defense, the Jeffress broadside against Baylor has caused me to think again of my alma mater, how it was that I came to Baylor, and the role Baylor played in modeling for me what it meant to be both a critical thinker and a committed Christian. And what Baylor did for me it has done for thousands of students over the years, and will continue to do for students in the future, notwithstanding the warning of Jeffress not to send students anywhere near Baylor University. WATERLOO Authorities are investigating a laser that was aimed at a National Guard helicopter as it conducted drills over Waterloo a week ago. The incident was reported to the Federal Aviation Administration, and Waterloo police were sent to the area to investigate. The National Guard aircraft was flying over the city of Waterloo and was hit by a laser during a training mission. They filed a report with the FAA. Thankfully there were no injuries, said Maj. Katherine Headley with the Iowa National Guard. The strike came around 9:30 p.m. May 11 from the area of Reber and Fletcher avenues. Patrol officers checked the area on the ground but didnt locate anything initially, said Maj. Joe Leibold with the Waterloo Police Department. Headley said the investigation is continuing. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} We take these incidents very seriously due to the great harm that can be caused to the pilots. We will be watching out and following this while its under investigation, she said. The easing of trade tensions and Chinas increased purchases of U.S. corn and soybeans have resulted in higher commodity prices. That, combined with continued strong farmland prices and low inventory levels of used equipment and favorable prices to trade into new equipment, have helped drive large agriculture and production precision agriculture sales, Jepsen said. That has led customers to step back into the market after a few years of tepid demand, whether it was due to trade or weather with the derecho ... and some of the flooding the year before, Jepsen said. There had been some demand that had been paused or deferred. Sales of small tractors and turf equipment have also risen as more people have chosen to take on more home and property improvement projects as the pandemic forced them to spend more time at home. Theres also been some movement of people out of cities into more suburban or rural areas, and thats driven activity in that segment, Jepsen said. And in construction and forestry, after a down year last year as construction sites and job sites around the world paused ... as the pandemic rolled through different geographies, weve seen that start to recover. Housing has been particularly strong. ... And road building has recovered. WATERLOO Federal stimulus funds are allowing Waterloo Community Schools to reduce its planned property tax collections by $1 million for the coming fiscal year. The Board of Education Monday will consider the recommendation of the finance committee to recertify the 2021-22 budget with total tax askings of $39.41 million. A budget that included $40.41 million in property tax revenues had been approved on April 12. The new fiscal year starts July 1. The board meets electronically at 4 p.m. Anyone who wishes to access the meeting electronically should contact Pam Arndorfer at (319) 433-1874 or arndorferp@waterlooschools.org. School districts must certify their budgets by April 15 each year. An option to adjust the budget lower is available for a short period after the Legislature adjourns, which happened just before midnight Wednesday. Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The district was able to take the unusual step of revising its budget after certification due to the amount of money received through multiple rounds of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund approved by Congress during the past year. Q. Does MidAmerican also purchase gas off of the market like CFU does? A. It does. The company says after the February cold snap in the South that caused a spike in usage and natural gas prices, it worked with the Iowa Utilities Board to spread the added costs over 13 months to reduce the impact of higher heating bills. On average, a residential customer is seeing $8/month in increased costs, depending on usage. The company states in a news release: Between our proactive storage of natural gas and advance purchasing contracts that we locked in prior to February, we were able to shield our customers from more than $400 million in costs that would have been incurred otherwise. Q. Are there any job openings at The Courier? A. We have job openings periodically when employees resign or retire. When we have openings, we place a help wanted ad in The Courier classifieds, post it on out website at wcfcourier.com and post it on the www.Lee.net careers page. Q. What amount of yearly income is considered poverty level? The audit wont change the election results, but many Trump fans believe it will turn up evidence supporting his unfounded claims of fraud. Election experts say the 2020 election was among the most secure in history and say the audit, which is not following standard procedures for election audits, is a threat to democracy by undermining faith in the electoral process. Despite extensive reviews of the results after the election that produced no evidence of irregularities that would have changed the outcome, doubts persist among many of Trump's staunchest supporters. Who do you think won Arizona on Nov 3? Greene said. The crowd responded with chants of Trump, Trump, Trump. With their tour of rallies, Gaetz of Florida and Greene of Georgia appear to be positioning themselves as successors to Trump's populism. Greene's speech was light on issues and focused much more on rehashing the history of conflict with fellow members of Congress who are reviled by Trump fans, from Republican Liz Cheney to Democrats Maxine Waters and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. Gaetz talked extensively about border security. Both drew thunderous applause when denouncing mask and vaccine mandates as well as Dr. Anthony Fauci, a top public health official. Abortion has contributed to the caustic environment in which we now live. This disrespect for human life, law, order and morality has extended to pressure at the other end of life with assisted suicide laws in some states and, as we have seen with COVID-19, a lack of concern about the elderly in nursing homes. According to the Guttmacher Institute, which tracks the number of abortions in the U.S., more than 62 million abortions have been performed since 1973. Guttmacher acknowledges the figure may be lower than the actual number. Black women have experienced induced abortions at a rate nearly four times that of white women for at least three decades. One might think that if black lives matter, the weakest and most vulnerable would matter most. Think of the potential of these lost lives. While the number of abortions has been in decline in recent years for several reasons, including the free services of crisis pregnancy centers that work to dissuade women from getting an abortion, (Planned Parenthood charges for the procedure), any lost innocent life is one too many. On behalf of the Iowa Conservative Energy Forum, I thank Sen. Chuck Grassley for his long support of renewable energy that helped Iowa recently achieve 60% of power derived from wind. Good public policy championed by Grassley helped get us to this point. More pioneering energy solutions are on the horizon. Rural Iowa has a unique position to lead on energy innovation. On top of wind and solar, there are other opportunities to increase land productivity and yields while also reducing harmful pollutants. We recently met with Grassleys office about the bipartisan/bicameral Growing Climate Solutions Act as part of a virtual fly-in with Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions. This legislation provides assistance for farmers, ranchers, and private forest landowners to monetize conservation practices and on-farm energy production. It is a voluntary solution to help farmers diversify income by participating in carbon credit markets. The idea is supported across the political spectrum by 70+ leading conservation, agricultural and environmental organizations, and co-sponsored by Senators Grassley and Ernst and Congresswoman Miller-Meeks. WENN Movie According to Hugh Grant, the 'Bedazzled' actress got flirty with the mafia 'advisers' on the set of his married-to-the-mob comedy movie to solve any issues that arose during the filming. May 23, 2021 AceShowbiz - Elizabeth Hurley relied on her womanly charms to help sweet talk mob "advisers" and smooth out any issues on the set of her 1999 movie "Mickey Blue Eyes". The actress served as a producer on the romantic comedy crime drama, which starred her then-boyfriend Hugh Grant as a New York City-based Brit who becomes caught up in his future father-in-law's mafia connections, and she managed to keep the shoot running smoothly by flirting her way through any potential problems. Hugh explained, "My then-girlfriend, Elizabeth Hurley, produced the film, and we had a lot of, let's call them specialists or advisers, on the set, who knew a lot about the New York mob..., and she was brilliant with them." "If we needed anything done, she would flirt with one of these guys and she would go and sit on their knees and compare their manicures and say, 'Oh, you've got such lovely jewellery, such lovely nails,' and they'd do anything for us," he smiled. "If we had a problem with planes going overhead, ruining the soundtrack, one of them would get on the phone and suddenly, JFK (Airport officials) had redirected all the planes from that particular part of Manhattan!" The movie was directed by Kelly Makin. It was supported by the likes of James Caan, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Burt Young, James Fox, and Joe Viterelli. Some of the actors who played minor roles in the movie went on to join "The Sopranos". Hugh Grant and Elizabeth Hurley broke up for good in 2000 after 13 years together. They began dating after meeting on the set of "Remando Al Viento". Grant is one of the godfathers to Damian, Hurley's son with Steve Bing. Sky TV The fourth season of British's series 'Bulletproof' has been scrapped amid an investigation into multiple sexual misconduct accusations against the main actor. May 23, 2021 AceShowbiz - The fourth season of "Bulletproof" has been cancelled amid an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against the show's star Noel Clarke. The brains behind the "Hood" franchise and the hit British TV series is accused of multiple counts of sexual harassment in an expose published in The Guardian last month (Apr21) with the alleged victims claiming they were subjected to inappropriate actions from Clarke, who they met in a professional capacity. Clarke strenuously denies wrongdoing. According to editors at Deadline, after Sky initially suspended its work with Clarke, who is facing accusations from 20 women who worked with the actor and producer, the broadcaster has now decided it will not be possible to continue with the show. A spokesman told the publication, "Sky will not be proceeding with any further series of Bulletproof." The misconduct allegations came after Noel Clarke was awarded an Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema award at the BAFTAs. The officials at the BAFTA organization insisted they were not aware of the full extent of the sexual misconduct allegations levelled at the star when they lauded him at the cerempny earlier this year. Meanwhile, although the actor vehemently denied the accusations, he acknowledged that some of his actions may have "affected" people in ways he did not intend or realize. "To those individuals, I am deeply sorry. I will be seeking professional help to educate myself and change for the better," he previously said. WENN TV The 'Birthday Sex' hitmaker is set to make his first major acting gig on the upcoming third spinoff of Starz's hit drama series 'Power' after surviving Covid-19. May 23, 2021 AceShowbiz - R&B star Jeremih has landed his first major acting gig on 50 Cent's latest "Power" spin-off. The "Birthday Sex" hitmaker has been cast in crime drama series "Power Book IV: Force", in which he will star alongside Joseph Sikora who reprises his "Power" role as Tommy Egan as he leaves New York for Chicago, Illinois. The show, executive produced by Courtney Kemp and 50 Cent, is currently in production in Jeremih's hometown of Chicago. The news emerges months after Jeremih overcame a scary battle with COVID-19, which landed him in a hospital intensive care unit for weeks at the end of 2020. "Pray for my boy Jeremih he's not doing good this covid s**t is real," 50 Cent sent prayers for the star on Twitter back then. Besides "Power Book IV: Force", the rapper developed "Power Book II: Ghost" which featured Mary J. Blige as well as Method Man and saw Joseph Sikora's return. It premiered in 2020 and got an early renewal for a second season. Another spin-off "Power Book III: Raising Kanan" is due later this year. It stars the likes of Malcolm M. Mays, Mekai Curtis, Omar Epps, and Hailey Kilgore. Being one of Starz's most highly rated shows, "Power" received numerous accolades including the prestigious NAACP Image Awards. 50 Cent, however, was upset when the show got snubbed at the Emmy Awards. Last year, he lashed out by posting a picture of a black man's buttocks on Twitter, "ok here it is Emmy's, My Black a** for your consideration to kiss. F**k your organization I only care about NAACP awards." BBC Celebrity Martin Bashir defends Princess Diana's sit-down with him, claiming that, despite his deceit about bank statements, the interview was not responsible for her fatal car crash. May 24, 2021 AceShowbiz - Under-fire journalist Martin Bashir is adamant he did not "harm" Princess Diana with the deceit used to land his controversial BBC interview back in 1995. Former Supreme Court judge Lord Dyson recently concluded Bashir had made a "serious breach" of the BBC's editorial guidelines by creating false bank statements to manipulate the then-Princess of Wales and her brother, Earl Spencer, into agreeing to the interview. The fake financial records suggested payments had been made into the accounts of members of the royal household and helped Bashir secure his explosive sit-down with Diana, which remains one of the most revealing royal chats in BBC history. Bashir and representatives for the BBC have since apologised for their conduct, which has been slammed by both Diana's sons Princes William and Harry but, in a new discussion with Britain's The Sunday Times newspaper, the reporter claims the tragic princess was happy with the way the interview turned out. "Obviously I regret it (the deceit), it was wrong. But it had no bearing on anything," he said. "It had no bearing on (Diana), it had no bearing on the interview. I never wanted to harm Diana in any way and I don't believe we did." "Everything we did in terms of the interview was as she wanted, from when she wanted to alert the palace, to when it was broadcast, to its contents... My family and I loved her." He also insisted his interview was not responsible for Diana's car crash death two years later, when she and her then-boyfriend Dodi Fayed were chased by paparazzi in Paris, France, saying, "I don't feel I can be held responsible for many of the other things that were going on in her life, and complex issues surrounding those decisions." "I can understand the motivation but to channel the tragedy, the difficult relationship between the Royal Family and the media, purely on to my shoulders feels a little unreasonable. The suggestion I am singularly responsible I think is unreasonable and unfair." He went on to share his fears that the scandal will overshadow the points Diana made in the controversial Panorama interview. He said, "She was a pioneering princess. When you think about her expressions of grief in her marriage, when you think about the admission of psychiatric illness - just extraordinary! And her sons have gone on to champion mental health." "I don't understand what the purpose of this (allegations) is ultimately? OK, maybe you want to destroy me, but outside of this, what's the point?" "I did something wrong... but for pity's sake, acknowledge something of the relationship we had and something of what she contributed through that interview." "One of the saddest things about all of this has been the way the content of what she said has almost been ignored." SHERBURN, Minn. A United Soybean Board executive committee member will be sharing her 2021 growing season with readers this year! Rochelle Krusemark farms in Martin County with her husband, Brad, son, A.J., and A.J.s wife, Maria, and their three sons, Titus, 6, Zeke, 5, and Silas, 3. The Krusemarks raise soybeans, corn, vegetables, and forages/pastures. They have a cow/calf operation and custom feed pigs. We do a lot of rotational grazing, Rochelle said. We grow cover crops on all of our acres, and depending on the year, the cattle sometimes graze those acres before we plant. Sometimes we chop it for forage and plant soybeans. This year, were planting early so we wont be harvesting any cover crops, she added. The Krusemarks, who use no-till and strip-till methods, had their equipment ready for planting soybeans on Saturday, April 17. Corn planting began shortly thereafter with Brad running the tractor/corn planter and Rochelle running the tractor/soybean planter. Its the first year we have ever planted soybeans before corn, she said, but soil conditions were great and we didnt want to put corn in the ground because it was going to get cold. The farm received rain on April 23, snow on April 25 and rain on April 27-29. Planting was finished on Monday, May 3, with some custom planting on May 4. Temperatures during planting varied from highs in the 60s to lows in the 30s and 40s. There was one unusual day May 1, when the temperature reached 93 degrees. Wind coming from the north was common in early May, with a little rain on May 5. Nearly 50 years ago, in September 1973, Everett Forkner sold a Duroc boar that made history, bringing a record $38,000 in the sale at the National Barrow Show in Austin, Minnesota. The buyer was Soga-No-Yo Swine Farms out of Japan, and the boar would have an impact in both countries. The boar was eventually named CC Soga Powerful, a nod to the new owner but also the CC prefix Forkners pigs had at the time for Christian Creek Farms. Forkner still remembers the feeling when the bidding for the boar went up and up. It was a little bit of disbelief, he says. The sale earned an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records, at the time the most money ever paid for a pig. Forkner says it was years in the making the payoff for over a decade adopting new technology and building ties with Japan. Forkner started in the livestock business full-time in the early 1960s, after graduating from the University of Missouri. His family raised cattle, but he had become interested in pigs as well as the new and developing technology to improve performance during his time in school. In particular, carcass ultrasound gave a much better picture of fat depth, ribeye size and carcass data. That allowed us to be on the cutting edge, he says. This was part of the rise of performance testing at several university sites. That helped push us into the performance era, Forkner says. His operation is based in Vernon County, near Richards, Missouri. He began having Duroc production sales in the mid-60s, and one State Fair grand champion brought $2,600. The buyer was in North Carolina, and Forkner and his wife made the long delivery, in a largely pre-interstate highway America. https://www.aish.com/jw/me/Israel-A-Moral-Beacon.html Everything the Jewish state did in response to Hamas in Gaza has been defensive. In 10 days of war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, more than 200 Palestinians have been killed, compared to 12 Israelis. To many, this imbalance can mean only one thing. War crimes! thundered noted Geneva Convention specialist John Oliver. The New York Times blares, humanitarian catastrophe. Israel began bombing targets in Gaza for one reason only: because Gaza started firing rockets at Israel. Period. Many events led up to Hamas firing off the rockets. We can argue about those events about who has title to the area called Sheikh Jarrah, about what motivated the cancellation of the June elections on the West Bank that Hamas thought it might win and about the cause of the showdowns between Israelis and Palestinians on the Temple Mount. Thats all debatable. None of it justifies the firing of rockets at civilians. And everything the Jewish state has done in response since has been defensive. The first day of the exchanges, Hamas shot off 750 rockets at Israel. In the days since, another 3,000 have flown. The idea that the act of defending citizens against incoming rocket fire could possibly constitute a war crime is the textbook definition of moral idiocy. War criminals dont drop knock-knock dud bombs on buildings to provide warning to the residents and office renters that an attack is coming so they can get out of harms way. War criminals dont telephone the owners of buildings to let them know a strike is coming, so that residents might be evacuated. Some have complained that Hamas doesnt possess an Iron Dome to protect it against Israels strikes. Hamas has something far simpler and more cost-effective: It can just not fire rockets. Problem solved. The fact that fewer Israelis have died than Palestinian Gazans is due entirely to the success of Iron Dome, the air defense system that intercepts and destroys Hamas rockets before they land. Israeli aircraft have also been searching out and bombing the sites from which rockets are fired and the command-and-control locations from which these attacks are planned. Israel uses Iron Dome to protect its people from Hamas indiscriminate efforts to kill whomever it can and destroy whatever it can. This has led some other moral idiots to complain that Hamas doesnt possess an Iron Dome system to protect it against Israels strikes. Really? Hamas has something far simpler and more cost-effective: It can just not fire rockets. Problem solved. The Iron Dome doesnt just save Israeli lives and property. It has likely saved the lives of tens of thousands of Gazan Palestinians just in the past two weeks. How? Imagine that the system didnt exist, that Hamas had collected 30,000 rockets, and then began firing them. Israelis would perish by the hundreds or more. The response would, of necessity, be devastating. Israel would be compelled to enter Gaza with overwhelming force and go street by street, tunnel by tunnel, to locate the rocket caches and blow them up. It is awful that 60,000 Palestinians have had to flee their homes or been rendered homeless. But every single one of them owes their current parlous condition to Hamas strategy of interlacing its weaponry in and around Gazas citizenry. That has other consequences, as well. As Jonathan Sacerdoti recently noted in The Spectator, more than 400 Hamas rockets fired from Gaza have landed in Gaza. Hamas simply rolls the casualties from those inadvertent acts of self-destruction into the overall toll it blames on the Jewish state. The central emotional claim against Israel is that disproportionate death toll. But consider what we are being asked to believe here. According to Hamas own numbers, something akin to 20 Palestinians a day have been killed. Every civilian death is a tragedy. But the relatively small figures compare the Gaza figures to the mass horrors of the Syrian civil war are a testament not to Israels barbarism, but to its determination to avoid civilian casualties. Israel gets precious little credit. It does it anyway. History will record Israel as a moral beacon in this regard. This article originally appeared in the NY Post. https://www.aish.com/jw/s/How-My-Woke-Children-Woke-Up-to-Anti-Israel-Bias-and-Antisemitism.html My children discovered that what starts with anti-Zionist screeds against European imperialism morphs to implicit support of terrorism and ends in indiscriminate antisemitism. I have three teenage children who are proud Americans and Jews. They are also a product of a mainstream youth culture where progressive political and cultural views are normative. Ive been chided for not going along with perspectives to include my lack of sensitivity to my own privilege" as a white male or my misapplication of preferred gender pronouns. Terms such as canceling, deplatforming, microagressions and safe spaces were all unknown to my vocabulary. Now they are regularly discussed at the dinner table in favorable terms. Terms such as canceling, deplatforming, microagressions and safe spaces were all unknown to my vocabulary. Now they are regularly discussed at the dinner table in favorable terms. All my children have visited to Israel and take pride in its existence. But they also questioned why I had such an issue with the Boycott, Divestment, Sanction (BDS) movement that targets Israels economy due to perceived mistreatment of the Palestinian people. I shared videos that didnt seem to resonate on the link between anti-Zionism and antisemitism. Why couldnt Israel loosen up and give what needed to be given for the sake of peace? Dinner conversations over the sacrifices of Israels War of Independence, the miracle of the 1967 War and the near catastrophe of the Yom Kippur war were met with glazed eyes. My wifes memories of spending a semester in Israel during her college years during a period of frequent suicide bus bombings were as relatable to them as me imagining trench warfare and mustard gas during WW1. Both remnants of past conflicts best left to history books. My kids were too young to remember much about the last major blow-up in Gaza back in 2014. So the day the missiles started raining down on Israel was quite a shock. What happened to the peaceful Palestinians who just want their own land and are stuck in refugee camps? How could some of these same people be capable of launching thousands of rockets that could reach 70% of the country? The Free Palestine movement was about yard signs, marches and maybe the occasional thrown stone. But entire cities under siege and children being shipped off to safe locations far from the border rather than school seemed a bit much. Israelis fleeing to bomb shelters in the middle of the night praying that the most advanced weapons defense system on the planet would protect them from a peace-seeking people who only wanted coexistence didnt seem to make sense. As the conflict raged on the questions only grew. Why are they attacking Israel? How is that peaceful? I thought they already control the Al Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock? I thought you said we conquered it back in 1967 and gave it right back for the Muslims to control? Why cant Jews pray there too; I thought it was the site of our temple? You mean the rockets are just being shot from Gaza at random? A bunch of their own rockets are landing in Gaza but Israel is being blamed? If Israel intentionally kills women and children why would they tell everyone in a building to get out before they destroy it? Wont that let a lot of terrorists get away? The final stage was when it became less about Israel and more about Jews. The final stage was when it became less about Israel and more about Jews. Tik Tok videos with Jewish content filled with reams of antisemitic comments, a video from London to F--- the Jews and rape their daughters. Footage in Los Angeles of thugs assaulting Jews at restaurants and clips of Jews being beaten up in Manhattan. Vandalism at a synagogue in Skokie 45 years after the infamous Nazi march in the streets. And it became even more personal. All of my kids feel like they had to defend "Israeli aggression in school because they were the only Jews in their class. Their friends' social media feeds pepper them with Free Palestine and accuse their coreligionists with war crimes. Their friends were parroting what they had heard from influencers like Trevor Noah and John Oliver without any insight or historical context of the conflict. Last night I put my 13 year old to bed under a stream of tears after hearing she got into a back and forth with one of her friends on social media and refusing to apologize for supporting Israels right to defend itself. I woke up this morning to an email from the Hillel director of the college my eldest child plans to attend discussing recent antisemitic attacks on campus, including calls of dirty Jew and swastikas on campus. My children have woke up to the fact that what starts with anti-Zionist screeds against European imperialism and subjugation morphs to implicit support of blatant terrorism and ends in indiscriminate antisemitism. Their presence as a Jew advocating for their ancestral land is a micro aggression to their classmates who dont want the prevailing narrative of Palestinian oppression questioned. Their safe space that tolerates diversity and respects minority rights is now a bastion of name calling and playground taunts. I am saddened by this round of fighting and relieved the ceasefire is holding. And I take solace that my children learned a valuable lesson. When push comes to shove, no matter what we wear, how we look, what we think or where we live, we will always be defined by others as being a Jew. That is how we must define ourselves. We will never apologize for that or for the right for us to exist and defend ourselves in our ancestral homeland. May we all merit for lasting peace in the land of Israel and our communities across the globe. News featured Dougherty School System graduates 650 students during weekend ceremonies Special Photo Westover graduation speaker Reagan Bruce Staff Photos: Carlton Fletcher Graduates march to their socially distanced seats in the Albany Civic Center Saturday morning during Dougherty Highs Class of 2021 commencement ceremony. File Photo: Carlton Fletcher Monroe High School valedictorian Jaiden Brown is one of 14 local students from the class of 21 who was selected to receive a Harold & Sara Wetherbee Foundation Scholarship. Staff Photo: Carlton Fletcher The almost 170 Monroe High School Class of 2021 seniors prepare to receive their diplomas during commencement exercises Friday at the Albany Civic Center. Staff Photo: Carlton Fletcher Dougherty High School Class of 21 valedictorian Davon Davis told his classmates Saturday that they are destined for greatness during the schools commencement exercises. ALBANY It was a return to pomp and circumstance for some 650 Dougherty County School System students who were able to take part in graduation ceremonies over the weekend after COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the events for the class of 2020. Last year, ceremonies for Dougherty, Monroe and Westover high schools were held using a virtual format, with an event at the Albany Civic Center held later for the recent graduates. For the graduation ceremonies held Friday and Saturday at the Civic Center, graduates were limited to four tickets each for relatives and friends to allow for social distancing. The numbers for the graduating classes were about 190 for Dougherty, 170 for Monroe and 285 for Westover. I couldnt be more proud of our graduates, Schools Superintendent Ken Dyer said. Theyve remained focused and on track despite myriad challenges and obstacles. Weve frequently said our goal is to prepare students for what comes next in life after high school. The Class of 2021 has shown that, regardless of the circumstances they might face, they are well-prepared for the next chapter in their lives. The graduation ceremonies also were broadcast via live streaming and are available online for viewing for those who missed them over the weekend. To watch video of the ceremonies visit https://www.docoschools.org/Page/459. For two of the students who were selected as speakers, the last two years of their high school careers presented challenges. It was really hard on me at the beginning, Westover graduate Reagan Bruce said of the pandemic. My grandmother got really sick. That really affected me. Like other students, Reagan did much of her coursework through virtual classes last year. A dual-enrollment student at Albany State University, she said she spent hardly any time at her high school campus over the last two years. Those were not easy classes, Reagan, who earned an associates in science degree at Albany State in addition to her high school diploma, said. I had to put in the work, read my texts. I see the difference with not having a (in-person) teacher. Being virtual, I have to tell myself I have to be doing this assignment. In the fall, Reagan said she will attend Tuskegee University with a Presidential Scholarship covering her tuition. She plans to pursue biology/pre-medical studies. There really wasnt a school in Georgia that caught my eye, she said. When they offered me the full scholarship, I knew thats where I wanted to be. Me and my friends walked around Westover and we reminisced about all the things that happened since ninth grade. Ill be leaving all of my family and all of my friends. Earlier in her high school days Reagan said she set the goal of earning a grade-point average higher than her three siblings, a goal she met. For Davon Davis, valedictorian for Dougherty High, online learning also presented challenges. Davon, who was named his schools STAR student and also was a dual-enrollment student at Albany State, said he felt the impact of online learning. I lowered my confidence because I did not do as well as the previous year, he said. I learned virtual learning is not for me. After meeting goals he set six years ago to be a STAR student and valedictorian, Davis will attend Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, Fla., in the fall with a full Presidential Scholarship. Khalil Braswell was the salutatorian for Dougherty High, and twins Jaiden Brown and Jordan Brown were the valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively, at Monroe. As of Friday, the school system had not tabulated the total amount of college scholarships awarded to this years graduating seniors, but the system noted that last year the total was in the millions of dollars for each of the three high schools. Graduating as valedictorian made me feel good that all my hard work and dedication had paid off, Davon said. That was the goal I set for myself in sixth grade. The graduate encouraged others to strive to achieve, referring to a Bible verse that states believing and speaking of a desired outcome can help make it a reality. Here I am, I made my goal six years ago, he said. Because I said it and believed it, I made it come true. Davon, who said he plans to major in political science after earning an associates degree as a dually-enrolled student at Albany State, said he also will miss his friends when he crosses the state line to further his education. It is bittersweet, he said. None of my friends are going to the same school. I made the decision early on that I didnt want to go to college in-state. Im going to Jacksonville. Im just excited to see what its like. BAGHDAD (AP) Iraqs oil sector is rebounding after a catastrophic year triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, with key investment projects on the horizon, Iraq's oil minister said Friday. But he also warned that an enduring bureaucratic culture of fear threatens to stand in the way. Anna Istre, a second grade teacher at Lake Charles Charter Academy, had two very unusual starts to her career. She graduated McNeese State University and began teaching right before the March 2020 COVID-19 shutdowns and then began again with the difficulties of the storm ridden 2020-2021 sch BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) In the final minutes of their legislative session, Louisiana lawmakers agreed to change the way the state shops for voting systems, to include more public vetting and require an auditable paper trail, after two recent efforts to replace the states voting machines fai Im not the first person to note that whatever Democrats accuse their opponents of doing, it is they, in fact, who are doing it. If you are puzzled why the Biden Administration scotched the Keystone Pipeline but gave a thumbs up on the Russian Nord Stream 2 pipeline to Germany, perhaps this explanation will help. Under the banner of green energy to control emissions, Germany began shutting down the cleanest emitting power stations: nuclear. In 2000, nuclear had a 29.5 percent share of its power generation mix. In 2020 that share dropped to 11.4 percent and next year every one of its nuclear plants is scheduled to be shut down. Where will the lost energy generation come from? Russia. Do you think that this will place Germany increasingly at the mercy of Russia? I do, and its not just Germany. Platts Analytics said Russian pipeline gas supply to northwest, central and eastern Europe, and Italy would rise from around 130 Bcm/year in 2020 to around 150 Bcm/year by 2040. Does it look to you as it does to me, that the green energy/climate change movement is but a means to increase the political fortunes of China and Russia while weakening the West? For years the U.S. has fought construction of this pipeline. In December 2019, then-president Trump approved sanctions against any company assisting in the development of this pipeline into Western Europe. Congress included those sanctions in the defense bill, agreeing that this is a security risk. In January, President Biden pulled the permit for the Keystone XLPipeline from Canada to the U.S., killing 10,000 mostly unionized building trade jobs. The move certainly created bad relations with Canada but it made green proponents happy: Even with the possibility of strained international relationships and possible legal challenges, Bidens move made environmental activists ecstatic. The drive to kill the pipeline, which would have transported oil from Western Canada to refineries in the U.S. Midwest and Gulf Coast, became a defining issue for a new generation of environmental groups. Pipeline activists, along with Native American tribes and landowners angry over pipeline developer TC Energys plans to route the pipeline through their property, had been fighting the project since almost as soon as it was unveiled. This week, Biden waived sanctions against firms constructing the pipeline in Germany. The rationale for doing so is so absurd on its face that analysis of it seems unnecessary: Secretary of State Antony Blinken opted to waive sanctions against the Russian-owned company behind the pipeline, Nord Stream 2 AG, as well as its German CEO, Matthias Warnig, and other corporate officers, because sanctions "would negatively impact U.S. relations with Germany, the EU and other European allies and partners," said the State Department report, which was obtained by NBC News. Warnig, a longtime ally of Putin's, is a former East German Stasi intelligence officer who has served on the supervisory boards of major Russian companies. The State Department report said "close cooperation" with Germany, the European Union and other European countries will be critical for U.S. efforts to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic, promote a global economic recovery, fight climate change and address other challenges, including countering "malign behavior by Russia and China." Robbie Jaeger, writing for the Medium, has a more believable explanation -- money from a Nord Stream 2 lobbyist to Democrats. According to FEC records, Vincent Roberti -- one of D.C.s most powerful lobbyists, and owner of his own firm, Roberti Global -- has donated nearly $545,000 to Democratic Party institutions and candidates since 2017, while also bundling nearly $250,000 more. During that same timeframe, Roberti has been paid over $7,700,000 by Nord Stream 2 AG -- a Swiss-based company that is 100% owned by Gazprom, the Russian state-owned oil giant in charge of the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline project (which the Biden administration will reportedly waive sanctions on). According to OpenSecrets.org (Center For Responsive Politics), Roberti donated $512,680 exclusively to Democratic institutions such as the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and candidates such as Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Rep. Eric Swalwell, and numerous others from 2017 to 2020 -- and continues to do so this year, where the K-Street powerhouse has already spent $31,900 funding Democrats up for re-election in 2022, most notably maxing out ($5,800) Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. During the 2018 midterm election cycle, Roberti, who started lobbying for Nord Stream 2 in July 2017, donated $72,300 to the DCCC, and $17,475 to their Senatorial counterpart, the DSCC. Roberti also donated the then-maximum $5,400 to Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Rep. Eric Swalwell. In the run up to the 2020 election, Roberti stepped his game up: he donated $171,000 to the DCCC, $71,000 to the DSCC, and $46,100 to Speaker Nancy Pelosis Victory Fund. Roberti also made the maximum individual contribution to Pelosis campaign and leadership PAC, as well as roughly a dozen other Democratic candidates. How odd that the press made so much of the nonexistent Russian Collusion fable respecting Trump has spent no time on the connection to Bidens ignoring national security issues respecting Nord Stream 2. Perhaps an investigation might also show that Burismas corruption had a connection as well. As long as Ukraine energy was bottled up there, Nord Stream 2 was a more urgent need for Europe. Burisma holds 35 licenses for hydrocarbon production in Ukraines main oil and gas basins but produced just 1.3 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas in 2018, up from 0.1 bcm in 2010. Ukraines total gas reserves have been estimated at 5.4 trillion cubic meters and I assume the majority of it is under license to Burisma. Ukraine gas production is underperforming, though slightly improving, and its importing 80% of its gas from elsewhere. I suppose there could be many reasons for this low production -- including embezzlement, lack of resources for development, loss of Crimea to Russia, and incompetence -- but one worth investigating is whether contributions to Ukrainian and Burisma officials were made a while ago to limit production. The Ukrainian petroleum industry is rife with corruption. Its speculation on my part, of course, but it doesnt seem that would be a first time here or there. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Given their mind-numbing immersion in post-truth indoctrination, I used to think that Dems completely lack self-awareness. Actually, its a bit more troubling: their individuality is subsumed by progressive group consciousness that constrains them with an ideological straitjacket. They have too little self-awareness, too much group consciousness. They are dim Dems who dance with demons. Individually, progressive Dems (that would be most of them) have no shame. They are easily swayed by the communal post-truth that plagues their political districts with anti-reason rhetoric. But collectively, their awareness is acute, exhibited by unwavering commitment to their soul-destroying agenda. Group consciousness can be defined as awareness of the collective; the total awareness of itself that can be greater than the sum of people in it. This aptly describes the progressive-dominated Dems, whose individual members are malleable by the collective will. With very rare exceptions (such as whether to support Israel or Hamas), they are homogeneous, the antithesis of diversity, the epitome of exclusion. The progressive coalition is definitely greater than the sum of the obedient minions who justify any malicious means in achieving their misguided ends. Lacking critical thinking skills, their intelligence is more artificial than my robotic vacuum; their self-consciousness even less than my toaster, which at least knows when to turn itself off. Indubitably, interest groups are integral to a pluralistic society when they share a core understanding and respect for our founding principles. Its natural to advocate for shared interests, but the progressive fascists are intolerant of diversity as they seek to destroy society. You may think youre aligned with them now, but watch out theyll be sure to cancel anyone who strays from their oppressive orthodoxy. Its a never-ending vicious cycle of wokeness that ravages individual creativity and problem solving, shooting down our soaring spirits. Despite the fecklessness of its constituents, the progressive left has an emergent phenomenon called collective intentionality. Their intention is to run amok like a bunch of gnarly zombies chomping up everything past the graveyard of canceled culture. They know their worldview is right; outsiders are intolerable extinguishable. This is anathema to the values of reason and humanism that foster human progress as measured by health, prosperity, safety, peace, and happiness. Values that flourish when objective self-awareness (where not overly indulgent or ruminative) is associated with personal and social control. Unfortunately, progressives dont exert much control over their behavior, making them more like regressive bigots. Just look at the disasters their obliging master-cum-moppet has wrought in record time. As a recent New York Post op-ed points out, Biden is the Master of Disaster After describing the progress under form President Trump, they write, barely four months into his presidency, its disaster after disaster as Biden wastes every opportunity his predecessor left him. Disasters that emerge from quelling individuality and ingenuity while promoting the depressing notion that people's identities are always and absolutely inseparable from their race, socio-economic status, or other stratified measures. I miss the days when bunker Biden would not be let out. I knew his gaunt countenance bears a resemblance to the Grim Reaper. Youve probably heard variations of the phrase idle hands do the devils work; well, unaware minds do a bunch of it, too. Theres not much reason, compassion, or empathy sloshing around in there, so hate and cancellation fill the void. In his best-selling book Better Angels of Our Nature, cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker also identified humans potential inner demons. For todays intolerant liberal regressives, its not potential, but reality as they are consumed by demonic-like impulses such as: dominance, revenge (remember their blacklists against anyone affiliated with Trump), and ideology (that justifies, in their warped minds, violence in the pursuit of unlimited good). Just a few days ago, the vengeful New York State Attorney General announced they are now probing Trump Organization in a criminal capacity. Their vindictiveness towards a former president who actually was inclusive and helped reduce inequality never ends; meanwhile, Hunter Biden hobnobs. Contrasted to the stifling progressive groupthink, cultivating conservative values such as individuality, ingenuity, and self-awareness leads to better leadership and decision making, encouraging our Angels to flourish. Self-awareness gives us an appreciation of how we conduct ourselves and affect others; it can enhance our confidence, communication, and creativity. We make sounder decisions, build stronger relationships. Our minds arent idle, so the regressive demons cant invade. Its no surprise that societies that are predisposed to vibrant pluralism and an appreciation of individuality are more successful by any objective standard. Rather than cancel the prince who kisses lovely Sleeping Beauty, its the demons who are canceled. Our better Angels are then free to dance in the uplifting spirit of enlightenment, joyously affirming values such as humanism, reason, science, commerce, and entrepreneurship. Thats probably why free market capitalism is the best path to prosperity. Conversely, where intense group consciousness supplants individual freedoms, you might end up with an uncivil CHOP zone where might makes right amidst the squalor. It may have started with happy hippy wannabees showing support for BLM, but soon degenerated into a dark dystopia with local merchants begging for law and order. Remember as CHOP zone anniversary celebrations in Seattle approach: Its mayhem like that where the dim Dems dance with the demons. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. One of the more interesting contradictions in our public debate today is the tendency of fully secular folk to speak of the virtues of love and compassion, almost as if they invented them. Political liberals often criticize conservative Christians because they consider their religious and political beliefs woefully lacking in love. The funny thing is that, apart from a loving God, an ethical system based on "love" is as insubstantial as styrofoam peanuts or pixie dust. To reject God is to reject objective morality completely. Secular liberals are simply stealing from Christianity and thus breaking the Seventh Commandment! when they insist we love our neighbors and even our enemies. I'm thinking primarily of secular liberals who dismiss the Christian God as a loving and lawgiving father and who embrace a purely materialistic cosmos. But we might also include religious liberals, who acknowledge God's existence but reject the authority and inspiration of Scripture. Such folk are practical atheists, since although they affirm God, they doubt his ability to communicate unequivocally with fallen humanity, thus leaving them no better off than an ardent atheist stuck in a mass of moral confusion. But, for the moment, let's limit ourselves to addressing our "atoms are the only thing" materialist friends. Think about it: you can't assert that mindless and soulless atoms which make up everything that we can detect with our senses, including ourselves are all there is, yet continue to insist that we love our neighbors. Matter doesn't tell us how to live; in fact, matter doesn't speak at all as regards ethical behavior. Atheists are quite right in this regard: morality is purely subjective, existing only in our minds, in a godless universe. If the cosmos consists merely of atoms ("materialism" or "naturalism"), and life on Earth is merely the result of a radically improbable string of random events, moral language has zero validity. To assess one kind of behavior (caring for an orphan, for instance) as superior to another kind of behavior (beating an orphan, on the other hand) is nonsensical. In the neo-Darwinian view, each behavior was precipitated by molecular reactions in the brain, governed by the laws of physics. How can you blame the orphan-beater for acting in ways controlled by chemistry and physics, as opposed to a rational mind and moral conscience that were gifted to him supernaturally? Or why is the one who loves and cares for the orphan deserving of praise if such love is only the product a "lucky" series of chemical events in the brain? In short, materialism eviscerates human blame and credit. Even words like "lucky" are prohibited if atheism is true because they generally are not completely devoid of moral content. Wouldn't it have been just as "lucky" if the cosmos and life had never emerged? Why should the world's existence be better or worse than its non-existence? If God either doesn't exist or hasn't revealed Himself to us, all moral judgments simply reflect our subjective biases and feelings. And, absent God, such judgments would, again, result solely from electrical-chemical events in our brains. Why should we trust them? Albert Camus, an honest atheist who understood atheism's implications perfectly, concluded that the only serious question for the atheist was whether or not to commit suicide. In other words, existence and non-existence are equally meaningless. In taking his own life, he answered the question with perfect logic. Can Love's Utility Compel Us to Love? Evolutionary biology offers a glimmer of hope to our atheist and agnostic friends struggling to assert that love has a superior claim to hatred on the human heart. They can point to the emergence of cooperation and kin altruism as crucial evolutionary milestones that resulted in the success of the human species. But while Darwinists arguably can claim "love" expressed in cooperation has had evolutionary utility in advancing the human species, it can never say love is intrinsically good or true. Perhaps love-fueled cooperation helped us become the dominant species on Earth by making us more adaptable and less susceptible to nature's tantrums. Consequently, if love has become embedded in our genes over time, then our "love" was programmed into our DNA to increase the odds of individual and group survival. In short, any acts of love we perform were pre-determined and essentially selfish designed solely to keep us alive as a species. Not very romantic, huh? A crafty materialist might argue that, since nature has blessed cooperation and altruism, nature itself inherently favors love. But why should that compel us to act accordingly? In a purely material universe, preferring "utility" and "progress" is chock-full of unsupported value assumptions. Materialism is unable to justify the idea that bugs are inferior to human beings or that complexity is any better than primitivism. Hence, saying nature has a moral character veers right into pantheism. Sorry, but that's a religious idea, my atheist friends. Indeed, two of the world's major religions Buddhism and Hinduism are grounded in pantheism. Naturally, there are psychological benefits to love as well loving others and being loved by them makes us feel good. But heroin and crack make us feel good, too or so I'm told. At bottom, materialistic love is merely a DNA-programmed chemical response in our brains. There is zero metaphysical grounding that assures us that it is right, good, and true. Christianity, on the other hand, tells us that love is true because the God of love is also the God of truth. The three-personal God not only defines and embodies love, but models love relationally something unique among all religions. Jesus, by His life and especially in His death, showed us what love is, through His own loving obedience to the Father. God, who can only speak truth, commands us to likewise love one another. We can say, therefore, that love is intrinsically good it is not merely utilitarian. So "love your neighbor as yourself" is an objective moral law binding on all of us. For an atheist, the notion that love is better than hate is a weightless opinion emanating from random electro-chemical firings in the brain. So next time an atheist friend says we should be loving, gently ask how he came to that conclusion because materialism is no more or less partial to love than it is to hate. "True" love is rooted only in the will and character of the eternal, immutable God. David Culver Brenner writes and produces ProofsandSpoofs.com, featuring commentary and humor on politics, faith, and culture. His first book, The Un-Socialist Chickens, was published last year. To learn more about the book, go to www.unsocialistchickens.com. Image: Marco Bellucci via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 (cropped). To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Unless youve been hiding in a basement like Joe Biden, most everything these days is partisan. This is especially true of nonpartisan school boards and city councils. Over the last few decades, while Republicans focused their patriotic American flag-waving enthusiasm on state and national elections, Democrats were busy filling school boards and city councils with members who embrace Marxist agendas. With Democrats and Republicans having completely opposing views on vital issues, it is imperative that conservatives know the political party of everyone running for local office. Thats the first step. If the candidate is a Republican, the next step is learning whether that candidate will stand up for conservative principles even if he or she is the minority voice on the council or board. As witnessed too many times, having an R after your name offers no guarantees. (For more information, google Mitt Romney, David Valadao and Liz Cheney.) City council and school board members make hiring decisions to ensure the day-to-day operations of their cities or school districts. While politics doesnt affect every decision (such as naming parks, schools or libraries, where to put a statue, budget planning, contract negotiations, etc.), a candidates party affiliation cues voters as to how candidates might possibly vote on crucial issues. For example: City Councils Most city councils determine police department budgets and hire chiefs of police. A Democrat city council member might want to defund or abolish the police while a Republican city council member is more likely to support law enforcement and its serve and protect mantra. School Boards Progressives on many school boards want to indoctrinate students with racist social justice/ethnic studies curriculum (aka critical race theory). School boards are also determining what to teach students about American history. Should the curriculum have a positive focus with the Republican-supported 1776 Unites that features African American historians, academics and advocates who promote founding American values like entrepreneurship, self-determination, and mutual social support? Or should the course be the Democrat-supported 1619 Project that claims America remains racist to its core due to white privilege? Political parties matter The argument for keeping city councils, school boards, and other local elections out of partisan glare is to ensure that only the best-qualified candidate serves all the residents. But isnt that the goal for every elected office? Whether its state legislatures, U.S. Congress, governor, attorney general, secretary of state, vice president, or president, shouldnt citizens always want the best-qualified candidate? But what happens when you vote for a Republican who then supports the Democrat agenda that you believe has Marxist undertones? This recently happened to Republicans in a small California city located about 25 miles south of Los Angeles. Following several raucous school board meetings with overflowing crowds, a privately organized community town hall event, and several rallies that generated local and national media coverage, conservatives were dismayed that the Los Alamitos Unified School District unanimously passed the racist social justice/ethnic studies program (designed by the Soros-funded, left-leaning Southern Poverty Law Center). Daniel Pipes, of the respected Middle East Policy Forum, said of SPLC, The SPLC has turned into a left-wing hatchet group, using its accumulated prestige to go after legitimate organizations and individuals. Along the way, ironically, SPLC itself acquired some of the reprehensible characteristics it was created to fight Many Republicans felt betrayed by Diana Hill, the boards lone Republican. With national media covering events in the small city, Hill could have introduced the conservative reasons against the social justice/ethnic studies curriculum, which many Americans see as critical race theory glossed over with pleasant-sounding names. MassResistance Organization Director Arthur Schapper, who spoke at the community town hall meeting and attended the May 11 rally in front of the school district said in an email, The fact that the lone Republican on the Los Alamitos Unified School board caved and voted for the corrupt, deceptive, and immoral Social Justice Standards demonstrates how political affiliation alone is not enough to ensure that elected officials will do what the people want. It is never enough to elect the right people. You must pressure them to ensure that they do the right things. What is needed now more than ever is a MassResistance of parents and outraged citizens in general not just in Los Alamitos but throughout the country to push back on their elected officials and demand that they do the right thing for the students in the schools and the community as a whole. Constant pressure through emails, phone calls, confrontations with the elected officials outside of the school board meeting hall are essential. Local parents need to organize and spread the word throughout their communities about the damaging, sickening programs that their local school boards are promoting. These elected officials need to re-learn the fact that they work for the people, not the other way around. What is the answer? Americans who believe in faith, family, and country must become politically active so that conservative-leaning Republicans are elected, especially in nonpartisan local elections. Active means doing whatever you can from writing letters to the editor and calling and emailing elected officials to joining politically active organizations and attending peaceful rallies. Even running for public office! Founded on Judeo-Christian principles, the United States of America strives for perfection and opportunity for all. The challenge in 2021 and into next years midterm election is to keep America free by having conservatives focus on their own neighborhoods. This starts with electing conservative Republicans to school boards and city councils who will push back at Marxist members camouflaged as Democrats. As former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Tip ONeill famously said, All politics is local. To contact Robin Itzler email her at TrumpNeighbors@yahoo.com. IMAGE: Inuit town council, early 20th century. Library of Congress; Public Domain. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. While the young men and women of Israel are putting their lives on the line defending their homes and family, here in America we have a comfortable and self-indulgent group of rabbinical students verbally attacking Israel and giving moral support to the Hamas and Palestinian Arabs trying to destroy Israeli families. Most are from the Boston Hebrew College, the Reconstructionist Jewish Seminary, and Hebrew Union College, and they are trying to influence world opinion against Israel, which enhances the ability of the terrorists to murder more Jews. It is a despicable act of betrayal and cowardice and should not be construed as coming from people with a higher moral standard. Sitting in their protected ivory towers never being forced into a draft for either the American or Israeli army they announce with detached pontification how much better they are than those warmongering Israelis who man their tanks, pilot fighter bombers, and raise their rifles while soldiering forward into danger. By now, it is obvious that Hamas and other jihadists, unlike Israel, are not interested in peace and, instead, represent the most barbaric actions and attitudes, even to their own people in contrast to Israel which tries exceedingly hard to defend itself in the least harmful and most humane way possible. Whereas, for example, Israel protects its civilians by placing women and children behind soldiers, the jihadists put their women and children in front of their men to protect the men and disarm their opponents. Whereas Israel has forfeited vast segments of its land and made other sacrificial peace offers, no P.L.O or Hamas leader has ever agreed to any formula for peace except to brazenly announce his intention that a Muslim Palestine will replace all of Israel. But these rabbinical students seem so immersed in self-righteousness and virtue signaling, so intoxicated by a feeling that they know better than those morally inferior to them, they do not seem able to see the obvious Jewish side of the conflict. Rather, they identify totally with those who would gleefully murder their brothers and sisters, not because they are Israelis but precisely because they are Jews. What they think is social justice is actually injustice and ignorance. Worse, it is an indifference to the plight of the Jewish people they hope one day to lead. They are not to be admired for idealism; instead, they should be scorned for taking the easy way out and masking their cowardice in lofty sounding principles of social justice. In the left-wing world they inhabit, the act of courage would be to defy the intersectional woke campaign against Israel and, instead, defend her. They dont. They have joined the bullies. They are marching among those who use social justice to cover their anti-Semitism and anti-Israelism. They are embarrassed to defend a strong, non-self-effacing Israel. They care more about their ranking in their leftwing circles and causes than the lives of their own people. They boast of their compassion, yet these rabbinic students support Hamas and other Islamist terrorist groups known for their cruelty. The Talmud appropriately teaches: Those obsessed with giving compassion to those who are cruel will soon become indifferent to the suffering of the righteous. Left-wing Jews have for so long championed and made their identity dependent on Black Lives Matter and Muslim/Palestinian causes, that now they have cruelly taken the side of Israels enemies and appear unbothered by attacks on Jews on the streets of America coming from BLM and Muslims. These rabbis-in-training speak of the urgency of redirecting tzedakah, Jewish charity, from that which makes Israel strong to other venues and causes. But that should no longer be called tzedakah; rather, political financing of dangerous leftwing causes. These aspiring Jewish leaders need to learn that Jewish peoplehood is a paramount Jewish concern and that the first priority of a rabbi is to save Jewish lifenot down the road but immediately, in the here and now. The first mitzvah is to ensure that Jews physically survive. When given two narratives, a rabbi should try to identify with Jewish destiny as opposed to trashing it in the name of universalism. As rabbis, they need to know that settling the land of Israel represents Gods covenant with the Jewish people and is a commandment mentioned more often than any other. Brotherhood and fairness are worthy quests but virtue signaling and a sense of moral superiority over ones own tribe in the name of universalism is condescending smugness. It is outward-brotherhood taking precedence over the need for inner-brotherhood. They profess a tikkun olam, repairing the world at the expense of what is for them the mere tribalism of Jewish need and survival. As Rosa Luxemburg, a famed Jewish universalist and communist, said a century ago when Jews were suffering: Dont bother me with mere Jewish survival when I have a whole world to save. But she wasnt a Jewish rabbi. Indeed, taking the side during the time of war of those wishing to destroy your people is not a rabbinic quality, it is traitorous. These are not individuals acting like shepherds over a flock. Instead, they are those sending the sheep into the jaws of the wolves. Heaven help us from such leadership! Many enter the rabbinate primarily and first as social justice warriors who see the pulpit as their way to preach the neo-Marxism that is their true calling. But often people get the leadership they want. After all, these rabbinic students did not arrive at this warped and craven worldview by themselves. They were guided and taught by their Rabbinic Seminary teachers and by the rabbis and sermons they listened to as youngsters growing up in their community temples and synagogues. This has become, sad to say, the state of Twenty-First Century American Jewishness. It is not Judaism but a Jewishness that sees itself as a conduit for woke social justice and a community that cares more about perpetuating fashionable left/liberal ideals much more than Jewish peoplehood and even survival. It has become a Jewishness in which leftist ideas take precedence over Jewish life. It is unnatural and inexplicably psychotic. Its religion is not Judaism but left-wing politics and values. It fools itself into thinking that Jewish equals left/liberalism, class struggle, and universalism, reducing all of Judaism to the Democrat party platform while ignoring, rejecting, and twisting vast amounts of Scripture in service to its new, true god. For multitudes of them, Judaism is but a subservient tool for leftism and even moral relativism. Moral relativism is the avodah zara (strange ideology) that biblical Judaism repeatedly warned against. In its self-righteous neo-Marxism as religion, it has become haughty. For many, being Jewish has no definition except that it is not Christian and thus its attitudes and positions must be the opposite of what Christian Americans cherish. And that is tragic, for much of American Christianity believes in God, the Old Testament, wholesome values, love of America, and Israel. The more Christians have become fans of Israel, the more liberal Jewish denominations have become less faithful to Israel, as seen in their temples, among their rabbis and seminaries, and now their future rabbinic leaders. This is the unfortunate present state of American Jewishness as an ethnic group. But Judaism it is not. The perfidy of these rabbinic students should be a wake-up call to Americas Jewish community. The hubristic, immodest rabbinic students have announced: We are the future leaders of the Jewish community. If that God forbid happens, there will be no future Jewish community. Rabbi Spero is president of the Conference of Jewish Affairs and author of Push Back: The Battle to Save Our American Judeo-Christian Heritage. IMAGE: Hebrew College screengrab. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Emily Wilder graduated from Stanford last year. At the beginning of May, she landed a job working for Associated Press. Two weeks later, she found herself fired because conservatives discovered her wildly pro-Palestinian social media activity while in college. Shes figured out that she was canceled but cannot grasp that this happened because conservatives have finally adopted leftist tactics. According to an article in The Federalist, Emily Wilder, a former Arizona Republic reporter and graduate of Stanford University, tweeted that she accepted a position with the AP in April. The Twitter post was dug up by the Stanford College Republicans, a group that frequently probes into former and current student political activities. Wilders Twitter account has since been switched to private mode. [snip] Wilder led an effort on Stanfords campus to host antisemitic cartoonist Eli Valley. Valley frequently draws Jews in an offensive way and has depicted Nazi imagery in his work. The former Stanford student was the co-leader of Students for Justice in Palestine as well. A spokesman for the AP told the The Federalist that the outlet requires employees to abstain from political activity. In 2017, Wilder helped lead a rally at the Taglit-Birthright office in New York. The organization gives Jewish people an opportunity to travel to Israel for a low cost for a spiritual and religious experience. Wilder posted on Facebook about the event and referred to Jewish businessman Sheldon Adelson as a naked mole-rat looking billionaire. Theres more at the link detailing Wilders almost genocidal hostility to Israel and her uncritical adoration for the regions Arabs.* In addition, according to the Stanford College Republicans, which outed her, the group she worked with had ties to Hamas: While at Stanford from 2016-2020, Wilder was a leader in Jewish Voice for Peace and Students for Justice in Palestine, an organization with ties to Hamas affiliates, and which is notorious for inflicting acts of intimidation and violence against pro-Israel students. Stanford College Republicans (@Stanford_GOP) May 18, 2021 .@vv1lder also promoted the blood libel that Jews "ethnically cleansed" Palestinians from the land of Judea and Sumeria. In August of 2018, she defended the violent threats of Hamzeh Daoud, a Stanford residential student who threatened to physically fight Zionists on campus. pic.twitter.com/wKLzlzeMIG Stanford College Republicans (@Stanford_GOP) May 18, 2021 When our club hosted @benshapiro in November 2019, current Associated Press employee @vv1lder penned an op-ed in the @StanfordDaily referring to Ben Shapiro as a "little turd." https://t.co/RNg4gewtPr pic.twitter.com/cZlmlWCrOH Stanford College Republicans (@Stanford_GOP) May 18, 2021 Given her Hamas ties, no wonder that even Tom Cotton got in the act: Not a surprise from a media organization that shared office space with Hamas. https://t.co/Gqq6q7aumB Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) May 19, 2021 If one assumes that Wilder was a journalism major, she should have known better than to show herself a wild partisan in college. As it was, she so blatantly violated the APs requirement that its employees appear impartial (outside of their wildly biased writing, of course) that the AP immediately fired her. Additionally, AP must know that Israel has proof that it was working closely with Hamas in Gaza, both to obtain stories from it and to protect it. That made Wilder, who was tied to a Hamas-friendly organization, way too toxic. SF Gate interviewed Wilder who is painting herself as a victim of cancel culture: Theres no question I was just canceled, Wilder told SFGATE by phone Thursday afternoon. This is exactly the issue with the rhetoric around cancel culture. To Republicans, cancel culture is usually seen as teens or young people online advocating that people be held accountable over accusations of racism or whatever it may be, but when it comes down to who actually has to deal with the lifelong ramifications of the selective enforcement of cancel culture specifically over the issue of Israel and Palestine its always the same side. Wilders correct. For at least a decade now, leftists have been using cancel culture to silence conservatives. At long last, conservatives are fighting fire with fire. Leftists will no longer be exulting in their cancel culture power. Instead, theyll start figuring out that cancel culture can be used against them too. In other words, theyll finally be getting burned by the same fire with which theyve so blithely played for so long. But theres actually more at work here. Conservatives have been canceled for refusing to abandon reality. They have been canceled for saying that all lives matter, that men cannot have babies, that America is the least racist country in the world, that illegal aliens shouldnt be allowed to breach the border and instantly acquire the full rights of citizens, etc. By contrast, Wilder lost her job because her past activities show that she should not have been hired in the first place. Her prior conduct meant she was unqualified for her job and, arguably, got the job using false pretenses. (Although one would think that AP, a journalism company, would make the effort to research the social media history and activism of its new hires.) Oh, and one more thing: Wilder believes that everything she said and did is okay because shes Jewish. She is a reminder that the most toxic anti-Semitism, at least as far back as Karl Marx, emanates from self-loathing Jews. ____________________ *As a reminder, I will never again refer to Arabs living in the West Bank, Gaza, or Israel as Palestinians. Doing so confers on them an entirely false historical legitimacy. They are colonial occupiers trying to evict from the land a people who have the same genetic lineage, speak the same language, and worship the same God as their ancestors who lived in the country more than 4,000 years ago. IMAGE: Emily Wilder, former AP reporter. Twitter screengrab. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Back in 1967, our family lived in Wisconsin and drove to Chicago two or three times a year. Our destination was a Cuban store where my parents bought foodstuffs, books, LPs, and a birthday present for whoever was celebrating soon. I will never forget the Cuban who owned the store telling my father over coffee that Chicago's Mayor Daley was like Batista, the Cuban strongman of the 1950s. He said Daley protects your streets, lets you make money, and is nasty to troublemakers. I don't know if that was a good comparison, but we got his point about an orderly city. That was then, and this is now. My father's friend would not recognize the city today or understand how the voters could continue to elect such incompetent leaders as the current mayor. Up in Chicago, Mayor Lightfoot got some bad news from the police. They had a "no confidence vote" on the mayor, and it looks like they have zero of it. This is the story: Chicago's Fraternal Order of Police issued a vote of no-confidence in Mayor Lori Lightfoot Wednesday, citing poor work conditions and the cancellation of a march for fallen officers due to the coronavirus pandemic. The vote by the police union, as well as police Superintendent David Brown and First Deputy Eric Carter, was unanimous among as many as 200 active and retired rank-and-file officers, the Chicago Tribune reported. Reasons cited for the move reportedly include officer burnout and the department's decision to cancel off days for cops on several occasions as well as a move from 8 -hour shifts to 12-hour work periods in preparation for possible unrest in the city. It's symbolic or non-binding but still awful news for one of the worst mayors in the U.S. The vote follows her announcement that she'd be giving preference to journalists "of color." Apparently, she does not like that most of the press corps in Chicago is white. What can I say? Shame on all of those journalism schools for graduating so many whites. In a normal time, such a vote or racist remark would have led to a resignation. In a normal time, no head case like Lori Lightfoot would have been taken seriously as a candidate for anything, especially mayor of a large city. I'm left with memories of a time when going to Chicago was fun and we didn't have a shootout every weekend. PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk). Image via Needpix. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. China is getting ugly. Here's what they did when a retail trade group expressed concerns about its slave labor practices in the western province of Xinjiang. According to the Wall Street Journal: The Better Cotton Initiative, a collaboration among big brands like Nike Inc. NKE -0.46% and Gap Inc., GPS -0.12% environmental groups, farmers and human-rights organizations, has for years worked to bolster the global apparel industrys access to sustainably produced cotton. A debate over how much to push back against the Chinese government has set off a conflict inside a prominent coalition that guides much of the worlds cotton production. But the Chinese governments recent attacks on the group and one of its leading members, fast-fashion giant H&M Hennes & Mauritz HM.B 0.45% AB, have raised concerns about whether BCIs fashion brands can continue selling clothes in Chinaa huge and fast-growing consumer marketif the group challenges Beijing again. In March, Beijing all but erased H&Ms internet presence in the country after the company and BCI raised concerns about allegations of forced labor in the cotton-rich Chinese region of Xinjiang. That's right, they literally blocked a big international foreign investor, Sweden's H&M, whose fast-fashion clothing retail stores are fixtures in the retail malls of the U.S., but also include at least 400 retail stores in China, from being able to sell anything at all in China. Here's how gross it was, from the Journal's March report: On Thursday, ordering a car to an H&M store was impossible on Didi, the countrys largest ride-hailing app, which didnt recognize the brand as a valid destination. Searching for H&M on multiple Chinese map apps, including Baidu Maps, run by Chinas largest search engine, returned zero results, as if the clothing company didnt exist despite its over 400 stores in China. Shoppers planning to purchase H&M clothing online were also out of luck. Starting Wednesday, searches for H&Ms name on platforms operated by Chinas largest e-commerce companies Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. , Pinduoduo Inc. and JD.com Inc. yielded no results. Multiple Chinese Android app stores appeared to have removed one of H&Ms shopping apps. According to the Sydney Morning Herald: Last week, the Communist Youth League and the Peoples Liberation Army called out an H&M statement dating back to September that expressed concern about reports of Uyghurs in forced labor. That turned the company into a symbol for foreign companies meddling in internal Chinese politics. Then store locations vanished from online maps, Chinese e-commerce platforms dropped the brand and about 20 H&M stores were shut, some by landlords. The backlash was swift and markedly stronger than previous reactions when foreign brands crossed political lines. The unwanted attention comes just as the economy in China, the Swedish companys biggest growth engine, roars back to life. China accounted for 6 per cent of revenue last quarter, making it the third-biggest market after the US and Germany. The Herald also reported that a Chinese rival retailer called 'Shein' seems to be interested in taking H&M's business position in the youthful Chinese retail market, quite a coincidence That's quite a penalty for a company with the temerity to speak out, one which has been pretty good to China through its investments. It's also pretty unfortunate, given that both the trade group and H&M caved, both removing their China-critical statements from their websites in order to get back in good with the Chinese authorities, if not save their investments. It was almost certainly due to ChiCom pressure. It tells us two things: China has some devotion out there to slave labor, with an intensity comparable to that of the antebellum South, where the economy there was so undiversified that slavery grew in in importance in the mid-1800s, even as it was dying out elsewhere, quite contrary the rest of the country, and slaveholding became a creepy sort of religion, "better for" those in bondage, see, and thus, institutionalized harder, with crazier and crazier radicals defending it. Two, China is a hellish business partner. They pretend to be reliable, modern, and developed, but only for those playing by their own rules, which can be summed up as "China wins." That includes chattel slavery up north in Xinjiang, and nobody better look closely. Anyone saying 'no' to that racket gets cancelled by the communists in Beijing. It's as if all the pieties about sustainability and fair wages and all that promoted by today's mildly wokester companies such as Sweden's H&M go out the window with China, which views any pressure for reform from them as a mortal threat. It's a shame to see retailers, eyes still agoggle at the prospect of sales in China's huge billion-plus retail market, along with its advanced manufacturing. That's where the cave-ins come from, this view that China can always be reasoned with. They ought to pull out of the place as a group, head for Mexico and Bangladesh, and be done with it. For more than a year, honest and impartial scientific exploration of the origins of the Covid-19 virus has been blocked, with consideration of the possibility that it was engineered in the Wuhan Institute of Virology virtually suppressed, mocked as a conspiracy theory. This has had enormous real-world consequences, not merely because it let off the hook China and Dr. Fauci, who approved American money flowing to gain-of-function research there on coronaviruses -- but because an engineered virus behaves differently from a naturally evolved one, and this has implications for how it can best be fought. Only with the publication of a rigorous examination of the question by Nicholas Wade, former science editor of the New York Times, has the tide turned, with numbers of established figures retreating from their insistence that the virus could not have come from a lab. Even Politifact has withdrawn its fact check that awarded a pants on fire rating to a doctor who claimed it came from a lab. [I]n Sept. 2020, Dr. Li-Meng Yan, a virologist and former postdoctoral fellow at the University of Hong Kong, repeated the theory on Fox News, saying, "I can present solid scientific evidence to our audience that this virus, COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2 virus, actually is not from nature. It is a man-made virus created in the lab." PolitiFact gave her a pants on fire rating. How this travesty of scientific inquiry and public discourse came about is a matter of great importance. When science is corrupted, the consequences can be disastrous. Matthew Crawford has written a must-read essay on how this scandal came about, and the reasons he cites have little to do with the malign influence of China on our media and much to do with systemic problems in the way science is funded. Here are some excerpts from the article that should be read in its entirety. Crawford points his finger at the guilty parties. Wade points out that the consensus that Covid must have an entirely natural origin was established by two early pronouncements, one in The Lancet in February 2020 and the other in Nature Medicine in March 2020. These were op-eds, not scientific papers. Both spoke with certainty about matters which it was impossible to be certain about. Wade writes: It later turned out that the Lancet letter had been organized and drafted by Peter Daszak, president of the EcoHealth Alliance of New York. Dr Daszaks organisation funded coronavirus research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. If the SARS2 virus had indeed escaped from research he funded, Dr. Daszak would be potentially culpable. This acute conflict of interest was not declared to the Lancets readers. To the contrary, the letter concluded, We declare no competing interests. In other words, the guy who was orchestrating research on bat coronaviruses at the lab in Wuhan corralled other scientists, with similar professional interests, into making a declaration to the effect that anyone who mentions the (obvious) possibility that the pandemic (which started in Wuhan) might have a connection to this research could only be doing so with bad intentions. This seems a bit thuggish. (snip) The Lancet and Nature Medicine letters were in fact anti-scientific in spirit and intent. Yet the pronouncements had the effect of shutting down inquiry that was not only legitimate, but urgently needed. Wade notes that in todays universities speech can be very costly. Careers can be destroyed for stepping out of line. Any virologist who challenges the communitys declared view risks having his next grant application turned down by the panel of fellow virologists that advises the government grant distribution agency. (snip) Something is left unexplained in the consensus view, and to focus on this lacuna is to be an outsider. Reliably, such challenges are fought tooth and nail by the research empire built on the encrusted consensus. The scientific paradigm they are invested in is typically superseded only when the scientists sitting atop the institutional hierarchy literally die, or retire. It is not anti-science to acknowledge this. Rather, the point is that one has to keep in mind that scientists are human beings first. (snip) [I]n the catastrophe of the Covid pandemic, something novel and disturbing comes into view. A peculiar form of intellectual intimidation has become prominent in public life in general, and science has not been spared. The letter in The Lancet stated, We stand together to strongly condemn conspiracy theories suggesting that Covid-19 does not have a natural origin. The invocation of conspiracy theory has become a reflex by which incumbents in many domains seek to arrest criticism. (snip) What is significant is how effective the early, pre-emptive declarations of scientific consensus in The Lancet and Nature Medicine were in garnering media enforcement of public opinion on the matter. The fact checkers of PolitiFact used these statements to shut down any discussion of the lab leak hypothesis. In effect, it appears the scientists who were signatories to the two letters may have been acting as a classic research cartel. Such behaviour is common enough in science. But because of the political environment, they were able to use the magic words conspiracy theory to trigger a wider epistemic immune reaction in high-prestige opinion. Because this reaction had achieved a kind of automaticity during the Trump years, the guild of virologists could deploy it for their own purposes, directing establishmentarian ire against a perfectly reasonable course of inquiry. [T]he resulting moratorium on pursuing the lab leak hypothesis may have been quite consequential, as an engineered virus behaves differently from a naturally evolved one, and this has implications for how it can best be fought. Read the whole thing. Hat tuip: David Kahn. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Elizabeth Warren has a problem with innovators of big expensive COVID vaccines taking out intellectual property protections for their efforts. A few days ago, the leftist senator said this, according to this baleful editorial published in The Wall Street Journal: Special [IP] protections for drug companies are an even bigger issue than COVID-19 alone, the Massachusetts Senator said at a Senate Finance hearing with U.S. Trade Rep Katherine Tai on Wednesday. I think its time now for our trade negotiators to take leadership and actively set rules that lower drug costs for American families. What special protections? Drug makers receive less IP protection than other businesses under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules, which allow low-income countries to force drug makers to license patents during emergencies. But progressives believe IP protections shouldnt exist at all for drugs and that their makers shouldnt be rewarded for years of risky investment and innovation. As Ms. Warren explained: Were fighting over a waiver to [IP] rulesrules that never should have existed in the first place. What she's saying, according to the Journal, is that Warren is against all patent protections for medical innovators, because Big Pharma might turn a profit. Apparently, they'll always be happy to shell out billions for the risk, research, and development of life-saving vaccines, such as the COVID vaccine, which had been executed at breakneck speed with the Trump administration's incentives, for nothing in return now. And the horror of what Warren is saying is that they don't deserve any patent protections on any of their other lifesaving medical pharmaceuticals, either. They innovate, the Chicoms take. You can bet the Chicoms, who are already famous for stealing patent secrets from Big Pharma through spies (Pfizer had one), must be smiling at the prospect of resting easy from all that hard work of stealing secrets and profiting from U.S. medical innovations. Warren, in short, has let the cat out of the bag on the Democrats' scheme for patents, plotting to end all of them, and cutting America's most innovative industry down a peg. Can't have an innovation, see, that might be reason to argue that America is great. It's stupidity that defies description. Democrats like Warren are imagining that companies will just go right on innovating with no prospects for profit, all because Democrats need to virtue-signal about their "generosity" with other people's property. Nothing's easier than giving away other people's stuff to a Democrat, and Warren has pioneered a new pathway to give the results of Big Pharma's hard work away to others who didn't innovate. Incredibly, this is common stuff among the Beautiful People Democrats, such as Chelsea Clinton, who argued in The Atlantic about the importance of forking over U.S. patent protections on COVID vaccines to COVID-hit India to show that Democrats are nice people. I wrote about that here. Now Warren has taken it one step further, revealing that the COVID freebies to India were really a Trojan horse for Democrat plans to destroy Big Pharma altogether. You don't have to like Big Pharma much (and I don't) to see the obvious danger. If research and development of life-saving medical products can't be patented and protected, there won't be more of them, the companies will Go Galt and don't think it couldn't happen. It just goes to show how out into orbit the Democrats are in their mad scheme to transform America into Venezuela. It's one more reason to throw them all out in 2022. Image: Pixabay / Pixabay License To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. In an act of apparent solidarity with those who vow "Death to America," Reps. Gregory Meeks, Andre Carson, and Keith Ellison secretly met with Rev. Louis Farrakhan and Iranian president Hassan Rouhani in 2013. Rep. Meeks, the new chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, revealed himself as antagonistic to Israel when he threatened to withhold military aid after the Iran-funded Hamas terror gang launched thousands of rockets at Israeli civilians. Should his ties to Farrakhan and Rouhani be regarded as an additional cause for concern? The answer can be found in the alarming nature of Rev. Farrakhan's previous relationship with the world's leading state sponsor of terror. Four months after the 1995 Million Man March, Farrakhan visited Iran and vowed support for the mullahs, declaring, "You can quote me: God will destroy America at the hands of Muslims." (Violent threats and seeming admission of violent acts from the Nation of Islam leader were nothing new. In 1984, he threatened the life of Washington Post reporter Milton Coleman. Farrakhan also declared, "Was Malcolm your traitor or was he ours? And if we dealt with him like a nation deals with a traitor, what the hell business is it of yours?") Clinton State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns rebuked Farrakhan for "cavorting" with those who "support international terrorism." "Just to go stand with those guys who have American blood on their hands just made me feel this is a disgraceful thing that [Farrakhan] did and a shameful thing that he did," Burns said. It was a different Democratic Party in those days, when high-ranking officials would condemn not cozy up to a hate-cult leader who urges the annihilation of America by its Islamic imperialist enemies. Reps. Meeks, Ellison, and Carson were part of a larger congressional faction tied to Farrakhan. The alliance with the minister who praised Hitler as "a very great man" has included Barack Obama, when he was a senator, and Illinois rep. Danny Davis, who called Rev. Farrakhan an "outstanding human being," noting that they had issues in common that did not involve what Davis termed "the Jewish question." n 2002, Rep. Maxine Waters attended a Nation of Islam convention at which Farrakhan praised the slaughter of Jews by suicide bombers. In a revealing contrast to their hobnobbing with Rouhani, Reps. Meeks, Ellison, and Carson refused to be in the same room as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu two years later, joining Vice President Biden and radical Democrats in boycotting the Israeli leader's speech to a joint session of Congress, to the dismay of prominent black pastors. (The overwhelming majority of Democrats did not boycott.) Also, at a time when white supremacist terrorism tops the Biden Justice Department's list of extremist threats, it's intriguing to note the stunning affiliation of Meeks ally Farrakhan with violent white racism. Farrakhan formed a partnership with and accepted donations from a Ku Klux Klan leader, mirroring an earlier Nation of Islam relationship with the Nazi Party. As the American Jewish Committee's Kenneth Stern reported, "[f]ormer Ku Klux Klan leader Tom Metzger who would later be found responsible, along with his White Aryan Resistance organization, for the brutal skinhead murder of a black Ethiopian immigrant in Portland, Oregon was a guest at Farrakhan's 1985 Los Angeles speech. Metzger donated $100 to Farrakhan, and the two created an alliance[.]" And so, oddly enough, it could be argued that no high-ranking elected official is more closely linked to violent white supremacy than Rep. Meeks, in addition to his palling around with the president of Iran. Ever since the Meeks-Carson-Ellison meeting with Farrakhan and Rouhani came to light, why have we not been hearing demands for a Mueller-type investigation of possible collusion with an enemy sworn to America's destruction? And will any of Meeks' Republican colleagues demand his removal as committee chairman? Image: NBC News via YouTube. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Why has the leadership of the GOP so often disappointed the partys conservative, Trump-supporting base? Not since Newt Gingrich have the House Republicans been led by a Speaker worthy of his supporters trust. The conservative Trump-supporting base of the Republican Party has ample cause for suspicion. The two most recent GOP Speakers of the House seem to have thrown their lot in with the Trump-haters left in the partys congressional delegation. Sundance at The Last Refuge has noticed that former Speakers Ryan and Boehner have been raising money for members of the group of 35 House Republicans who voted to establish the January 6 independent inquiry, a majority of whose members would be appointed by Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi. This panel would serve as a Mueller II vehicle to harness subpoena power to a lavish budget in the hands of witch hunters intent on digging up charges to make against not just Donald Trump, but his supporters as well. Former House Speaker Paul Ryan previously held a fundraising event for Liz Cheney (March 2021). Former House Speaker John Boehner previously held a fundraising event for Ohio Rep Anthony Gonzalez (March 2021). And now Paul Ryan announces he will host a fundraising event for Illinois Representative Adam Kinzinger. It looks to me as though Sundance has been using PhotoShop a bit to produce this rogues gallery assemblage of portraits: Its odd that Ryan, who failed to fund the border wall when the GOP held Congress and the Oval Office during the first half of Trumps first term, would raise money for Kinzinger because: The issue with Kinzinger should be, essentially, moot. Illinois is losing one congressional district due to the 2020 census figures and a drop in population. The Democrats control Illinois and will more than likely re-district the state to get rid of Kinzingers (republican) district. So Paul Ryan fundraising for Kinzinger is more a matter of financial positioning for something else as opposed to retaining his seat in the 2022 election. In essence, Kinzinger is toast. Previously I thought Kinzinger was likely to become a CNN contributor (although it could be Fox News), as an interim position before he goes back to DC and begins K-Street lobbying, likely on behalf of some defense contractors. However, it could also be Fox News, which would align with Ryans support (Ryan is a Fox News board member). I wonder what future plans Ryan has that involve Kinzinger? The Lincoln Project has demonstrated that left-wing plutocrats will heavily finance efforts by people who once had a GOP identity to sabotage the goals of the base. And they dont seem to care how much of the money that goes through these propaganda organs sticks to the fingers of the founders. (Nor do they care about sexual misbehavior, but that is a separate issue.) Maybe Ryans seat on the Fox Corporation board of directors will come into play? I cant imagine Kinzinger as a member of The Five. But then again, my imagination has failed me in the past when it came to understanding Paul Ryan, who at one point I admired. Maybe it has something to do with the way a Speaker candidate purchases support, funneling donated money to representatives in return for their support. That certainly gives a big advantage to those receiving big bucks from the Chamber of Commerce and other big business donors. If so, there may be reason for hope as small-donor support for the GOP has surged while big business goes woke. I wonder if Kevin McCarthy gets it? To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Joe Scarborough is one of those pathetic persons who inhabit the periphery of cable news. The morning show he hosts with his adoring but insipid wife Mika is apparently a favorite of Kim Jong Un and perhaps a mere one million equally mentally challenged Americans. Beyond those relative few, no one pays a bit of attention to his vicious anti-Trump rants or the vitriol he spews daily upon Trump and his supporters. The man, like the rest of MSNBCs denizens, is not very bright but he is very impressed with his own self-perceived brilliance. In short, hes something of a joke to all but a few blinkered souls. He makes no difference on any issue on which he expounds; he changes no minds. Those who watch his early morning program are not critical thinkers. They are unthinking acolytes of a shameless shyster. On Friday morning, however, Scarborough lost it, went full mental. He melted down, screaming like a banshee about his loathing of anyone who supports the audit currently underway in Arizona. Like his colleague Rachel Maddow, he knows what the Arizona audit portends and the truth of it has filled him with horror. Like the rest of the left, he knows only too well that the 2020 election was rigged in numerous ways (see Molly Balls article) and that Biden is not a legitimate President. He accused all the patriots supporting the audit of everything up to and including treason. He shouted that they should just leave, that immigrants would be better citizens. He is hoping that hysteria will trump evidence. But as the great Anthony Daniels (pen name Theodore Dalrymple) said The nearer emotional life approaches to hysteria, to continual outward show, the less genuine it becomes. Feeling becomes equated with vehemence of expression so that insincerity becomes permanent. Poor Joe Scarboroughs morning hysteria is clearly an act, a bad act. His hatred for all things Trump has rendered him thoroughly irrelevant. In January 2020 he wrote a silly op-ed for the WaPo in which he said Trump was ignorant of world history. Why? He was angry that Trump had taken out the Iranian terrorist Soleimani! How dumb do you have to be to object to the legitimate assassination of a man who was responsible for thousands of American deaths and injuries? Just who is anti-American? Scarborough can be depended upon to defend criminals against law enforcement, terrorists over our military. Like the rest of the left, he has contempt for every American who questions the origins of covid, the wisdom of lockdowns, and the legitimacy of the 2020 election. In his rant, he said they should get the hell out of the country. He of course defended the indefensible Liz Cheney's betrayal of her party. He was furious that Fox News aired a clip of Peter Navarro discussing Faucis rather unsavory links to the Wuhan lab from which the virus emerged. Navarros theory has almost certainly been proven by Nicholas Wade. Scarborough is nothing but a failed pol, he was once a congressional representative, who has illusions of influence. Naturally, Scarborough embraced the Russia collusion hoax with Shiffian enthusiasm and to this day believes anyone who dismisses it as an agent of Putin. To this day he contends that those who recognized the charges to be fabricated from the outset are useful idiots. This from the biggest useful idiot of all. The man is pond scum (h/t Cheers). Scarborough is a shining example of how off the rails the left media and Democrat party have gone since Hillarys fateful loss in 2016. Theyve descended into hysteria and proven that it is contagious. Vanderleun posted a quote the other day by Wagner Clement Soto that perfectly describes Scarborough: Effete men turn to the left because there they find fashionable the self-righteous justification for their lack of manhood. The same is probably true of the approximately 1m who tune in to his senseless show. By comparison, the late Rush Limbaugh had about 20m listeners. In short, Scarborough has no influence over anyone. Hes just another blowhard in a sea of leftist blowhards. He exemplifies the ongoing degradation of American journalism. Photo credit: AirTV screengrab (cropped) To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. The current culture war is more than just about politics it's about faith! Today's culture increasingly places its faith in politicians and party rather than true religion. A Pew Research Forum article from 2019 highlighted the ongoing decline of the American Christian. This decline continues into 2021 under the ever-indulgent, narcissistic American culture built around social-media fame-seekers and a never-ending focus on me above everyone else. Ours is now a postmodern culture where truth is what you make it, no longer grounded in ethical or moral standards. As the percentage of Christians, and religious people in general, declines, so too does the moral compass within our society. But are we surprised after decades of effort meant to undermine the authority of the Bible or the belief in a sovereign Creator? Radical progressives continue to denigrate faith in anything other than the state. In their minds, faith should be focused on politicians, their programs, and ultimately what they give you. Faith is no longer a spiritual exercise but, rather, blind allegiance to a party or idea. Think about the cult of personality built around Obama, the continued efforts to convince everyone of the effects of global warming, or the infallibility of Dr. Fauci. The left is working its hardest to shore up its acolytes and seek out new converts through its missionary efforts on the nightly news. As a generation of people places its faith in politicians, they begin to lose more and more of their own independence and freedom. They have placed their faith in government rather than a Creator who holds the answers to life's most difficult questions, so they bend to the will of the political elites, hoping and waiting for answers. They pay homage and dutifully follow the direction of their political leadership, looking for reassurance and meaning. Gone is the idea of self-thought, self-reliance, or a questioning attitude about government control meant to manage their daily lives. Instead, there is only blind faith and regurgitation of political talking points to prove allegiance. This misplaced faith continues to strip our cultural heritage. Faith in today's political elites means disregarding the ideas of the Constitution. Instead, they blindly trust today's political elites as more intellectually refined than our forefathers. It shows a disregard for moral authority given to us by a Creator. "In God We Trust" is no longer a motto to live by, but something to be canceled. Their trust instead lies with corrupt politicians people who will eventually let them down. On the other hand, those who profess their faith as Christians have been some of the most resilient people throughout the past year. Christians with a strong faith trusted God to protect and guide them through the uncertainty of COVID and cultural upheaval. They exhibited an unchanging moral foundation, a certainty about what's right and wrong, a focus on loving their neighbor and caring for one another, regardless of skin color or beliefs. People of true faith didn't cower in fear but, rather, tried to live life as normal as possible. Our culture needs true faith, not political spiritualism. People need to return to what made America special, a place where moral certainty exists, where people worship freely without fear of cancelation, where their faith is placed in God, not politicians. When the scales of life tip toward a sovereign Creator and a moral foundation, rather than fallible politicians, party, or narcissistic egoism, people will regain their true independence and freedom to live their lives. In this way, people will exhibit true faith, and once again as a society we may say "In God We Trust." Image: Alexas_Fotos via Pixabay, Pixabay License. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Low-grade pogroms against Jews are sweeping the U.S. Hamas thugs are unleashing violent unprovoked violent assaults on Jews innocently going about their business in U.S. cities - in New York, Los Angeles, Arizona, New Mexico, and Florida, with leftists saying 'don't blame me.' Some leftists are repeating their old trope that they're merely anti-Zionist, not full-blown Jew-haters no different from the Klan or other low-class dirtbags. For appearances' sake, most are paying some kind of lip service to condemning this apparently organized Hamas thuggery appearing suddenly on our shores, even as they continue to claim with forked tongues that Israel is the problem. Joe Biden, though, is the exception. He hasn't said a damn thing. He still remains AWOL as Jews are hunted down and assaulted in bona fide hate crimes, raising questions, at least in my mind, as to whether Hamas has something on him. He's said nothing. His Twitter feed is a wasteland and his White House site is silent. 'Silent Joe' is his way with this one, and it's not a compliment. Biden can reliably be counted upon to condemn other hate crimes and perceived transgressions -- he condemned anti-Asian hate crimes, for one, and of course, calls any incident involving a black suspect and a white cop 'systemic racism,' which makes his silence in the case of this shocking wave of attacks all the more remarkable. It's certainly been noticed in any case. According to Ben Samuels, writing in Ha'aretz: The Anti-Defamation League, American Jewish Committee, Hadassah: The Women's Zionist Organization of America, Jewish Federations of North America, and the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America wrote Biden on Friday highlighting a spike in reported violent incidents targeting Jews in the U.S. and abroad, as well as on social media. The ADL said Thursday it was seeing "a dangerous and drastic surge in anti-Jewish hate" after the outbreak of renewed hostilities between Hamas and Israel, "from London to Los Angeles, from France to Florida, in big cities like New York and in small towns, and across every social media platform." The organizations call on Biden to call out antisemitism, telling him to "harness the authority of the Presidency and the United States Government to speak out loudly and clearly against antisemitism." According to A.J. Kaufman, writing at The Lid: While many wonder whether Iran-backed Hamas will oblige [on a ceasefire with Israel after it started its rocket attacks], we also wonder why President Joe Biden has not been more outspoken, not only in supporting our chief ally in the Middle East, Israel but in condemning violence against Jews in America. Each year, FBI stats show Jews are overwhelmingly the victims of more anti-religious hate crimes than any ethnoreligious group. And these numbers continue in May, ironically Jewish American Heritage Month. Joe may be AWOL on the border, but he's even more AWOL on this. As with the border meltdown, his silence suggests consent. Biden's silence is most likely due to his innate cowardice and his consummate political considerations. According to New York Post columnist Michael Goodwin, as president, he shifts like a weather vane to the political winds. He hides, he appears, he calls a lid, but the bottom line is, he's concerned only about one thing politically: Keeping the far left wing of his party ever loyal to him as his political foot soldiers. That's where the biggest Jew-haters roost. Start with the far-left Squad side of things. Writing in the New York Post, Goodwin believes there was a weird turning point in Joe's behavior around this priority of his: A defining moment came last Tuesday when Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the first Palestinian woman elected to Congress, confronted Biden at the Detroit airport and argued American aid to Israel was funding atrocities against Palestinians. The tarmac face-off lasted eight minutes, and Biden later lavished praise on Tlaibs passion and concern for so many people. Presumably, her concern doesnt include the Jews Hamas vows to eliminate. The irony here is that while even full-blown Jew-haters such as Tlaib and Reps. Ilhan Omar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pay lip service to condemning anti-Semitic attacks, as I wrote about here yesterday, Joe won't condemn even those. There's more than the Squad, though, in the mind of Joe -- there's also the Democratic Party's black congressional leaders and activists, who have embraced the likes of Louis Farrakhan and the Rev. Al Sharpton, two notorious anti-Semites, as if they represent all black voters, and are ineffably tied to the mast of the Democrat party. After a spate of anti-Semitic attacks by black extremists in 2019, I noted this here. Why is that? [Why are these attacks happening?] Because Democrats have been coddling black anti-Semites for years. Where's the Democratic condemnation for race huckster Rev. Al Sharpton, who's also a notorious anti-Semite with a long record of incitement of violence against Jews? Right there in the berth of the Democratic Party, still supposedly representing the black "middle class." Where's the Democrats' condemnation for Louis Farrakhan, whose animating breath is all about anti-Semitism? Hobnobbing with Democrats in photos, appearing with Bill Clinton at Aretha Franklin's funeral, and tweeting "sweetheart" dreck with fellow anti-Semite, Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar. Where, for that matter, is the Democratic condemnation of Rep. Ilhan Omar's anti-Semitism? They couldn't pass a simple resolution against her in the House after her string of whoppers. They were too afraid to lay a hand on her, despite her long record of anti-Semitic statements. It's coddling all right, and you can bet the more aggressive street predator class of black cultists, such as "Black Hebrew Israelites" a known anti-Semitic black group, and Jew-haters in the boroughs noticed the pattern, took note, and launched their reign of terror. Still no recognition of the problem from Democrats, though. They prefer to call it the bad deeds of individuals and then let them off lightly. That's a recipe of worse to come. In Joe's mind, though, it's best to keep these moral zeros happy so they'll deliver the black vote for Joe. This, despite, or maybe because of, President Trump's heavy inroads on winning over the black vote to Republicans in 2020. Elections are going to be tough for Democrats going forward, so Joe's going all in on following the Sharpton way and keeping Calypso Louie content, both creeps laughing up their sleeves at him, in the interest of using their political muscle to perpetuate his own political power. This is more than just speculation. Sharpton, for one, visited the Obama White House with Joe Biden the sitting vice president 72 times, according to leftist PolitiFact, and according to Wisconsin GOP Congressman Glenn Grothman, and former Mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani, it was probably a higher figure. Whatever the number of times, it was a big number with a bottom at 72, obviously underlining to Old Joe that political power for Democrats depends on the love of Jew-hating Al Sharpton. Obama taught Biden everything he knows and probably continues to serve as a shadow president. This is a vile dynamic, no two ways about it. Biden is keeping silent for a reason and the multiplying nests of anti-Semitism within his own party amount to a vehicle for him. He therefore stays silent as raw anti-Semitism rears its ugly head and pogrom-like violence spirals across the U.S., expecting reliably Democrat-voting Jews to let it go, and expecting the whole thing to go away. It won't. Image: Gage Skidmore, via Flickr // CC BY-SA 2.0 To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. William Shakespeare wrote his plays at the end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th centuries. Over the years, people have tried to make Shakespeare more palatable for then-current audiences, either by putting the plays in new settings or getting rid of objectionable issues. Nothing, though, has ever equaled what Britains modern Globe Theater plans to do: Its going to decolonise Shakespeare. Shakespeares plays have lasted 500 years. Even in 21st century America, we still routinely used words and phrases that Shakespeare first wrote: admirable, barefaced, hostile, sanctimonious, all that glitters isnt gold, break the ice, clothes make the man, a laughing stock, Its Greek to me, too much of a good thing, and many more. Its true that much of Shakespeares language is hard to understand for modern people -- although, oddly, Americans may find Shakespeares English easier to understand when spoken as he would have spoken it, rather than as actors speak it today but its still exquisitely beautiful. And while his plays values can be strange or even offensive, Shakespeare nevertheless had such a deep understanding of unchanging human nature that he always has currency. Whether its those stupid teenagers in Romeo and Juliet, the witty Beatrice and Benedict in Much Ado About Nothing, or even Shylocks ageless plea that others recognize his common humanity, he still can resonate with modern audiences. At various times, people have tried to bring Shakespeare in line with their times. In 1807, Thomas Bowdler created a cleaned-up Shakespeare, shorn of suicides, blasphemy, prostitution, etc., so that families could read it together without shame. His effort became so famous we still use his name as a verb for someone creating a mangled abridged version of an original work of written art. At around the same time, siblings Charles and Mary Lamb prepared a clean and simple version for children. In our modern era, weve seen The Taming of the Shrew reworked as Kiss Me Kate, a brilliant Cole Porter musical; Richard III reimagined in a fictional 1930s fascist England; Much Ado About Nothing moved to small-town America at the end of the Spanish American war; and Macbeth transformed into a feudal Japanese tale in Throne of Blood. Shakespeare is almost infinitely malleable because, under the British renaissance trappings lies someone who understands people how they behave in different circumstances and what motivates them, whether we look at peoples best or worst instincts. However, its questionable whether Shakespeare will survive the latest attack, this one coming from the left, which seeks to decolonise Shakespeares plays: The Globe Theatre has launched a project to decolonise Shakespeares famous plays, while experts claimed his work is problematic for linking whiteness to beauty. The London theatre, which is a reconstruction of the Elizabethan playhouse where William Shakespeare wrote his work, has begun anti-racist seminars to discuss decolonising Shakespeares esteemed plays. Experts claimed that the bards plays are problematic for linking whiteness to beauty, while an academic said all of Shakespeares plays are race plays as they all contain whiteness. During the first seminar, academics debated A Midsummer Nights Dream and said it included problematic gendered and racialised dynamics, the Telegraph reported. [snip] Dr Vanessa Corredera claimed the humorous and spectacular nature of A Midsummer Nights Dream can work to gloss over the racialised dynamics within. She explained: In context with other plays and even the Sonnets, this language is all over the place, this language of dark and light there are these racialising elements. The associate professor of English at Andrews University in Michigan also claimed that every Shakespeare play is a race play as whiteness is part of all of the works. Shakespeare is rugged and has stood the test of time but we know what leftists do: They suck joy, life, and nuance out of everything. When theyre done, all that remains is grim, politically correct dust. I cant even begin to imagine what the Globe will have left once its censors have taken race, sex, violence, and gendered issues out of Romeo and Juliet, or approached mental health more compassionately in Hamlet. Wouldnt it be lovely if a modern-day playwright of Shakespeare caliber could write something brilliant skewering the intellectual wasteland of leftism? IMAGE: William Shakespeare by John Taylor; National Portrait Gallery; Public Domain. To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here. Andover, MA (01810) Today Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.. Tonight Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has accused the BBC of adopting a we know best attitude in the scandal surrounding its Panorama interview with Diana, Princess of Wales. In his first detailed response since the report from Lord Dyson, Mr Dowden said the affair had exposed failures that strike at the heart of our national broadcasters values and culture. Writing in The Times he said far-reaching change was needed to ensure the corporation was in tune with all parts of the nation it serves. In his report, Lord Dyson, a former master of the rolls, said journalist Martin Bashir used deceitful conduct to obtain the 1995 interview which was then covered up by a woefully ineffective internal investigation. Oliver Dowden (Yui Mok) Mr Dowden said the BBCs leadership was too narrowly drawn succumbing to groupthink and that cultural change was needed in the organisation. The BBC can occasionally succumb to a we know best attitude that is detached both from the criticism and the values of all parts of the nation it serves, he said. Groupthink in any organisation results in a lack of challenge and poor decision making. Thats why cultural change must be a focus for the director general and new chair. Mr Dowden said the BBC needed to improve its culture to ensure this never happens again and that means a new emphasis on accuracy, impartiality and diversity of opinion. His warning came after Home Secretary Priti Patel refused to rule out the prospect of criminal prosecutions after Lord Dysons findings. She told Sky News: If there is subsequent action that needs to be taken, then clearly that will follow. With the BBC facing a mid-term review of its charter next year, Mr Dowden said the Government would not be rushed into knee jerk reforms, but it would not stand idly by. Further ahead, he indicated there were fundamental questions about the future of the licence fee beyond 2027 as it competes with US streaming giants like Amazon and Netflix. He suggested the only way the BBC could justify its funding model was by providing distinctively British programmes. He said it needed to step up to project British values and distinct quality programming with renewed vigour and ambition as our national champion. Martin Bashir said he never wanted to harm Diana (Ian West/PA) In the fallout from the Dyson report, former BBC director general Lord Hall who, as head of news and current affairs, carried out the 1996 internal investigation into the way the Diana interview was obtained quit at the weekend as chairman of the National Gallery. MPs are expected to press for answers as to how Bashir was rehired by the BBC in 2016 as religious affairs correspondent later promoted to religion editor even though it was known he lied to the internal inquiry. There have been calls for compensation for BBC whistleblowers whose careers suffered after they tried to raise concerns about the way Bashir operated. He said he was deeply sorry to the dukes of Cambridge and Sussex but disputed Williams charge that he fuelled Dianas isolation and paranoia. He told the Sunday Times: I never wanted to harm Diana in any way and I dont believe we did. Everything we did in terms of the interview was as she wanted. Scotlands most senior law officer, Lord Advocate James Wolffe, and the Solicitor General are to resign. The Scottish Government said Mr Wolffe and Alison Di Rollo, who supports the Lord Advocate, will stand down once new law officers are appointed. The Lord Advocate is head of the body responsible for prosecutions in Scotland. In February, former first minister Alex Salmond said Mr Wolffe should resign over his role in the Scottish Governments handling of harassment complaints against him. Alison Di Rollo has also resigned (Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service/PA) Speaking before a Scottish Parliament inquiry into the affair in March, Mr Wolffe denied any political influence relating to Mr Salmonds criminal prosecution, which ultimately saw him acquitted of 13 charges at Edinburghs High Court last year. Mr Wolffe told the Holyrood committee: Any suggestion, from any quarter, that the Crowns decision-making has at any time been influenced by irrelevant considerations or improper motivations would be wholly without foundation. Insinuation and assertions to the contrary are baseless. Mr Wolffe also made a public apology over the wrongful prosecution of two men before he became Lord Advocate following a fraud investigation relating to the sale of Rangers. David Whitehouse and Paul Clark had been appointed joint administrators of the club in 2012, but were arrested in 2014 regarding their involvement with the administration. The pair were awarded more than 20 million after charges brought against them were dropped or dismissed. The Lord Advocate is also a minister in the Scottish Government and its principal legal adviser. Scottish Labour has called for the dual role to be separated after the Scottish Governments botched handling of complaints against Mr Salmond. A Scottish Government spokesman said: The Lord Advocate informed the First Minister last year that he intended to leave office following the recent election and confirmed his intention before her re-election by the Scottish Parliament as First Minister. The Solicitor General has confirmed her intention to stand down at the same time. It is for the First Minister to nominate new law officers and, subject to approval of her nominees by the Scottish Parliament, to recommend their appointment to Her Majesty the Queen. The current law officers intend to remain in office until the new law officers are appointed. Dave Ramsey is Americas trusted voice on money and business. Hes authored four New York Times best-selling books: Financial Peace, More Than Enough, The Total Money Makeover and EntreLeadership. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 6 million listeners each week on more than 500 radio stations. Follow Dave on Twitter at @DaveRamsey and on the Web at daveramsey.com. Ronald Verini is a local veterans advocate who writes a weekly column for The Argus Observer. He can be contacted at (541) 889-1978, help@veteranadvocates.org or 180 W. Idaho Ave., Ontario, OR 97914. The views and opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily represent those of The Argus Observer. IT Ministry asserted that the WHO has not associated the term Indian Variant with the B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus A notice has been issued in this regard on Friday by the IT Ministry, which states that a false statement is being circulated online that implies that an Indian variant of coronavirus is spreading across countries. (Representational Photo: PTI) New Delhi: The government has asked social media companies to immediately remove any content from their platform that uses or refers to the term Indian variant' of coronavirus, to curb misinformation around COVID-19, sources said Friday. According to sources, the IT Ministry has written to all social media platforms asserting that the World Health Organization (WHO) has not associated the term "Indian Variant" with the B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus in any of its reports. The sources said that a notice has been issued in this regard on Friday by the IT Ministry, which states that a false statement is being circulated online that implies that an "Indian variant" of coronavirus is spreading across countries. The sources said the matter has already been clarified by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on May 12 through a press release. They added that social media platforms have been asked to "remove all the content that names, refers to, or implies Indian variant' of corona virus from your platform immediately". Previously, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had issued advisories regarding curbing of false news/misinformation concerning coronavirus on social media platforms. The semiconductor industry requires two key resources sand and freshwater. They are the basic raw materials The Shaksgam valley alone is home to 242 glaciers that can serve as the grand reservoir of fresh water for Chinese chip manufacturing. It, therefore, becomes imperative to view the Sino-Indian standoff through this technological lens also. (Photo: PTI) One of the less analyzed reasons for the Chinese aggression in Eastern Ladakh since the April of 2020 is access to fresh water sources. Though there has been some discussion and dissection of this train of thinking in the rarefied echelons of strategic policy deliberations the issue has never really travelled into wider setting of public dialogues. It has something to do with semiconductors or the ubiquitous chip that powers our daily existence. A chip or microchip is a semiconductor wafer usually manufactured from silicon that combines an assortment of electronic circuits, incorporating resistors, transistors, capacitors and diodes that interlock to perform a required task. A single integrated circuit can comprise of thousands to millions of such electronic circuits contingent upon the computing power required. Semiconductors rule the world today. Optimising and producing speedier, thinner and more formidable semiconductors will be seminal in defining the outcome of numerous economic and geopolitical conflicts of our times. As it has been prophesized by Steve Bank the mentor of the Lean Start up movement to get hold of the semiconductors may be the 21st century equivalent of getting hold of the oil supply in the 20th century. This is the strategic resource that all emerging and great powers of the world are in a race to both secure and control. The omnipotent and captivatingly nomenclatured Silicon Shield is what safeguards Taiwan. The Taiwan Semi Conductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is the worlds largest third party chip manufacturer. It exercises dominance to the extent of 55 per cent if not more over the global market share insofar it pertains to the production of microchips. These semiconductors do not just power cellphones and laptops, they are central to the functioning of virtually everything from automobiles to weapon systems. The factum that TSMC produces the microchips that run the electronics of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II stealth multirole combat aircraft, the latest jewel of the US Air Force, is a sterling example of the extent of strategic importance of the both the resource and its supply chain. Were the semiconductor industry of Taiwan to collapse it would not only constitute a national security threat to the US but also for the entire hub and spoke security architecture crafted by the United States globally. That is how the Silicon Shield of Taiwan is in itself a weapon of deterrence for Taiwan, especially against an ever expansionist China in the 21st century. Both the US and China are trying to be autonomous when it comes to manufacturing of semiconductor chips. If the US were for some reason be deprived of access to the foundries of Taiwan, the US defence and consumer electronics industries would be set back at least half a decade if not more. As China is investing heavily in setting up its own chip foundries, it could become the world leader in this technology in the next decade or so. Thats why, one of the early decisions made by the Biden administration was an executive order, promulgated in early 2021, to address both chip shortage and the gaps in its supply chain to the US. This deficiency is critical for the US as its global share in chip manufacturing stands at just 12 per cent. A large part of the US governments sanctions against Huawei are singularly focussed on inhibiting the companys access to the worlds most modern chip manufacturing technology Taiwans TSMC. China had the foresight that its initial success as the worlds low-cost factory was going to run its course and other countries like Vietnam and Bangladesh, to name a few, would soon occupy that space. As a result, China needed to build more advanced and sophisticated products to be on par with the United States. However, most of these products required custom chips and China lacks the domestic manufacturing capability to produce them. China uses 61 per cent of the worlds chips in products for both its domestic and export markets, importing around $310 billion worth in 2018 alone. China was quick enough to appreciate that its incapacity to fabricate these sophisticated chips could well turn out to be the proverbial chink in its armour. Beijing has always had mega motivations to build its own homegrown capacity. A total of 1.4 trillion dollars have been earmarked in the 2021 budget alone for the development of the semiconductor industry. By 2025 the objective being that 70 percent of chips used in China would be Made in China under the National Integrated Circuit Plan. Over 70 projects have been commenced utilising capital outlays in the past few years alone. Chinese semiconductor industry has gone from making zero to 16 per cent of the worlds chips. But how does all of this mesh with the larger geopolitical conflicts between India and China? There is a growing realisation that the battle between the US and China to acquire leadership in semiconductor manufacturing is going to divide the world into microchip manufacturing haves and have nots. That is where India fits into the Chinese plans. The semiconductor industry requires two key resources sand and freshwater. They are the basic raw materials. 10,000 litres of fresh water is needed to manufacture one 30-cm silicon wafer. Chinas Achilles heel is this availability of fresh water. Key Chinese water systems like the Yangtze, Huang Ho and Mekong rivers are full of effluents. That is how Kashmir, Aksai Chin and Ladakh became crucial for China. The Taklamakan desert (located in Aksai Chin) not only provides abundant sand but huge reservoirs of fresh water from Himalayan rivers and glaciers. The Shaksgam valley alone is home to 242 glaciers that can serve as the grand reservoir of fresh water for Chinese chip manufacturing. It, therefore, becomes imperative to view the Sino-Indian standoff through this technological lens also. From 2011 onwards the UPA government had made chip manufacturing a priority. In September 2013 two consortiums, including IBM and ST Microelectronics, had proposed building semiconductor wafer plants in India with an outlay of USD 8 billion. However the proposals died after the NDA/BJP government assumed office in 2014. Finally in the June of 2020 the government finally announced a Performance Linked Incentive for Promotion of Electronic Components and Semiconductors and Electronics Manufacturing Clusters. However, as it is with the current dispensation, it is always a case of too little too late. At the time of writing, the highest someone is willing to pay to get a seat on the New Shepard is $2.8 million, but thats likely to go even higher as the auction progresses.Before it lets you auction, Blue Origin needs you to confirm you understood the terms and conditions of the mission. There are pages upon pages of legal mumbo jumbo informing everyone about the rights and obligations of the wannabe astronauts, warnings on what people are about to get themselves into, and a very long list of fitness, health and physical requirements that must be met. And thats what were focusing on here.If you thought going to space would be as easy as just paying these guys some money and getting on board, think again. The first thing Blue Origin will do is screen the passenger to make sure they fit the physical criteria.The wannabe astronaut must be, of course, at least 18 years old. They must come in between 50 and 64 in height (1.52 to 1.93 meters tall) and weigh between 110 and 223 lbs (50 to 101 kg) - these measurements are needed for the person to be able to fit inside a one-piece, zip-up flight suit.Although its extremely difficult to determine this without being tested, the astronaut must be able to withstand three gs for up to two minutes during ascent. That would be like being squashed into the seat by something weighing three times as much as their own weight. Blue Origin warns there may be times when the astronaut will experience 5.5 gs.One also needs to be able to hear and understand commands in English in an environment where sound levels can be as high as 100 dB.As far as fitness is concerned, this might prove to be a little tricker. The individual must be able to climb the New Shepard launch tower in 90 seconds. That might seem like enough time, but consider that is like going up the equivalent of 7 flights of stairs. They must also be able to fasten or unfasten the harness in under 15 seconds, an operation Blue Origin describes being as difficult as doing the same with the seat belt in an unfamiliar car in the dark.The wannabe astronaut must be able to sit up to 90 minutes strapped into a reclined seat, without being allowed to get up, not even to use the bathroom. They must do all this alongside another five strangers going through the same ordeal, inside a closed capsule.As for what the travelers are expected to do during the flight, Blue Origin says it will provide familiarization and training. This will take place in Kent, Washington, in Culberson County, Texas, or in some other location that Blue Origin deems appropriate. The company will assess if each individual meets the above criteria before the flight, and may remove the astronaut from the flight if they are not met.If the astronauts pass though, they're in for the trip of a lifetime. New Shepard will launch with the Crew Capsule attached and climb to 220,000 feet (67 km) where separation will occur. From there, the capsule will climb even further, to 328,000 feet (100 km), where weightlessness will set in. After a short time spent at the edge of space, the capsule and its crew will return back to Earth to land using parachutes.As said, for now the first Blue Origin crewed flight is scheduled for July 20, but that may change depending on a variety of factors. The SubT Challenge kicked off three years ago as a means to come up with the technology that would allow remote mapping, navigation and search of underground environments. The goal is to eventually come up with a robotic system that could make its way in the dark, damp surroundings either in search and rescue operations, or as part of a military force meant to take the enemy off guard.Explorer is one of the robot systems that so far managed to impress DARPAs higher-ups. It has been developed by the Carnegie Mellon University and the Oregon State University with funding from DARPA itself, and it is a ground vehicle packing some serious hardware.The thing, described as a reconfigurable multi-modal platform, is packed with LiDAR, 3D cameras and imaging cameras to allow it to move underground, in places where humans would have problems performing their duties.The team says it envisioned it as a tool for providing situational awareness for its operator, to be used mostly for search and rescue, remote scouting, and forensic analysis. Explorer already proved its worth over these past few years in the previous DARPA events, the last of which took place in November last year. In the fall of 2021 though, it will have to fight the likes of CERBERUS in being the fastest to find planted backpacks, cell phones, and even trapped survivors in one of the largest caverns in the U.S.If it manages to finish the course faster than the others, Explorer and its team will be awarded a $2 million prize. DOHC The Old Continent is home to some of the most reputed motorcycle customization workshops on the planet. Among these ambitious enterprises, youll run into a Copenhagen-based firm that goes by the name of Wrenchmonkees. Over the years, these fellows earned themselves quite a reputation thanks to the abundance of sensational machines bred under their roof.In the past, a few of WMs tastiest undertakings have adorned the autoevolution pages with their grace, such as a sinister Yamaha XJR1300 and one handsome Triumph Bonneville T100 , to name a couple. To be fair, its not hard to see why these folks are considered to be Denmarks go-to guys when it comes down to bespoke undertakings!Sure enough, the crews portfolio caught many peoples attention as the years went by. As such, they were eventually contacted by the almighty Yamaha, who invited them to take part in the annual Yard Built contest on two separate occasions. Today, well be analyzing one of these entries to give you a clear idea about the sheer level of laborious craftmanship thats at work on Wrenchmonkees premises.The project in question started with a regular XSR900 from the Japanese manufacturers lineup. This two-wheeled samurai is put in motion by a ruthless 847ccinline-three brute, with twelve valves and a generous compression ratio of 11.5:1. At a whopping 10,000 rpm, the liquid-cooled mill is perfectly capable of generating up to 113 untamed ponies.On the other hand, this bad boy will summon as much as 65 pound-feet (88 Nm) of twist when the tachometer hits 8,500 spins per minute. The engines force is handed over to a chain final drive via a six-speed transmission, enabling Yamahas mechanical predator to reach a healthy top speed of 150 mph (241 kph). All things considered, the fierce XSR900 is no damn toy, alright?Wrenchmonkees experts kicked things off by deleting the bikes stock footwear to make way for a pair of 17-inch Borrani hoops with stainless-steel spokes. Their rims were then enveloped in grippy dual-purpose TKC rubber from Continentals catalog. At the rear end, suspension duties are taken good care of by a K-Tech monoshock, while a top-grade TRW brake rotor is tasked with supplying ample stopping power.The latter is appropriately complemented by a state-of-the-art Nissin master cylinder at the front, where you will also spot a fresh headlight resembling that of an MT-03, as well as a Magura handlebar wearing Motogadget switches and Renegade grips from Biltwell. On the opposite end, we find a set of Gilles Tooling rear-mounted foot pegs, an LED taillight and a custom saddle thats been upholstered in-house.In terms of powertrain modifications, the Danish craftsmen discarded the standard exhaust system in favor of an MT-09's module, which has been topped with a premium muffler developed by SC Project. With these units installed, the WM pros turned their attention to the aesthetics.As such, theyve fabricated an array of unique bodywork components using aluminum, including a rugged skid plate and minute fenders. Each and every one of these goodies has been powder-coated to make this bespoke Yamaha XSR900 look seriously ominous. Finally, Copenhagen's moto gurus christened their ravishing creation Monkeebeast .